09 Rouge at Smith Haut Lafitte

2009 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte;
(Barrel sample) Ruby, oak and actually cedar, blueberries, blackberries, ripe and elegant without any signs of beeing big. Great texture, fresh and lively, almost velvet already, good structure, gentle tannins even if many of them, complex and great balance, very long length. 91-93

2009 Les Hauts de Smith;
(Barrel sample) Ruby, liquorice, dark berries, vanilla with a very good balance, somehow the fruit seems kind of heavy and deep, with the acidity dancing like a balerina to liven things up, some roasted coffeebeans, good length. 83-85

09 Cantelys Rouge

2009 Chateau Cantelys;
(Barrel sample) Bright ruby, closed, dark fruits and vanilla, beautifull texture, good acdity and ripe tannins, dark fruits, liquorice, good length. A bit too closed for a real assesment, so best guess is 83-85?

08 SHL

2008 Chateau Smith Haut Lafite;
(Barrel sample) Ruby with bright ruby rim. Floral, with warm terracotta and dark fruits, even spicy, elegant and seductive. Fresh acidity, some sweetish overtones, you feel the barrel still, elegant tannins, good length. 80-90

2000 Smith Haut Lafitte

2000 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte;
Deep ruby with ruby rim. Mineral, almost flinty touch over blackcurrants, leather and coffeebeans. Fresh and lively, ripe tannins, starting to show development, very elegant, balanced and complex, and fantastic length. Keep at least another ten years. 90

98 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

1998 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc;
Lemon yellow, honey, minerals, ripe citrus, orange peel, some tropical overtones and hyacinth. Fresh and lively, great texture and balance, rich in a very positive and complex manner, elegant and a fantastic long length. Can keep. 92

07 Carbonnieux

2007 Chateau Carbonnieux;
Ruby with ruby rim, a bit rustic and slightly peppery, and then transforms in the mouth! Completely different, so pleasing, elegant, ripe tannins, relaxed acidity that still does the job, very good length. Elegant. 84

Carbonnieux Rouge 08 and 09

2009 Chateau Carbonnieux;
(barrel sample) Ruby with ruby rim, vanilla, dark berries, sweet overtones of plums. Elegant, good acidity and tannin structure, some hernal overtones and touch of minerality, very long length. 88-90

2008 Chateau Carbonnieux;
(barrel sample) Ruby, interresting slightly spicy minerality, very elegant blackcurranty note, very closed. Fresh, tannins needs time, feels slightly rustic right now, but I really do not think it will be, long length. 87-89

09 Carbonnieux

2009 Chateau Carbonnieux;
(barrel sample) Straw yellow, fresh, crisp, mineral, elegantly floral, like orange blossoms. Fresh, very good acidity, beautifull balance, very long finish, mouthwatering and playfull. Carbonnieux have taken the oak down, and the wines are so fresh with a gorgeous minerality, and almost Meursault like flintyness, combined with the beautifull Pessac-Leognan style of riper fruits, I just love it. 35% semillon, 65 sauvignon blanc, oak fermented, only older barrels on SB, and just 20-25% new oak barrels on semillon. 88-90

08 Carbonnieux

2008 Chateau Carbonnieux;
Straw yellow, fresh, elegant and flinty with lemon and orange, very elegant and cool fruit. Fresh acidity, good balance, some apples, very closed now, but a beautifull, almost burgundian mouthfeel and minerality shines through. 88

07 Carbonnieux

2007 Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc;
Straw yellow, elegant, flinty minerality, fresh, some sauvignon blanc gooseberries, hints of tropical overtones from the semillon, a perfect match, very fresh and lively. Great balance, delicate, increadibly subtle richness, so transparent, layer upon layer and so complex. Fantastic length. 93

01 de Fargues

2001 Chateau de Fargues;
(demi) Bright golden, honey, botrytis, bisquits, apricots, vanilla, so complex, layered and intense. Sweet, but still so refreshing, acidity works perfectly, such balance, you marvel at how this fruit basket can feel dry, and still mouthwatering and so lively. Pure youth, such elegance and e very long finish. 94

95 Palmer

1995 Chateau Palmer;
Deep ruby with astonishing garnet rim with ruby higlights. Tobacco, cigars, cedar, floral, jasmin and green tea, so seductive, so complex, evolving beautifully. Fresh and lively, somehow developing, and somehow still so youthfull and beautifully fresh, pristine tannins, savory, silky and still gripping. So complex and balanced, intense and caressing, such a fabulous length. It took me a few years to appreciate the subtlety and nuances of Palmer, but my God how they reward me now. 95

La Louviere 04

2004 Chateau La Louviere;
Lemon yellow. Mineral, floral, lime, apricots and tropical fruits. Fresh acidity, very mineral, so elegant, great fruit, balance and intensity, lively, minerals play along with the fruit and acidity in a very long finish. Drink or keep after you're own pleasure. 89

Billecart Rosé

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé;
Pale pink with elegant small bubbles. Red berries, elegant minerality, some apples and strawberries served on a plate of schistes. Fresh acidity, good mousse, elegant mouthfeel, lively, elegant structure, balanced, easy drinking, refreshing, but not boring, a superb combination, celebration of summer. 84

Historical Bordeaux

2006 Historical XIX Century Wine; (Chateau Palmer)
Deep ruby, strawberry jam red rim. Herbal, dark fruits, lavendel, very complex and different, spices, tremendous nose and sweet plum overtones. Great and quite big structure, still manages to be Medoc elegant, fresh acidity, high ripe tannins, some green and herbal notes, very long length. 12% Syrah in the Palmer blend. I think this wine is quite thrilling, it has some beautifull spices and floral overtones with Medoc fruit, and the imediate pleasure of so many Rhone's, great fun to try, and really a wine for the wine nerds. The Palmer team has done a fantastic job, making this joy of a wine. 90

06 Chateau Margaux

2006 Chateau Margaux;
Deep ruby with bright ruby rim. Some floral notes, leather, minerals, some hints, or maybe more overtones of coffee, very complex and seduces you with it's web of flavours combined with a perfect structure and lively acidity. Beautifull texture, mouthwatering in such a elegant and seductive way, very long and elegant finish. 94

06 Pavillon Rouge

2006 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux;
Deep ruby with bright ruby rim. Seductive, blackcurrants, tobacco, very elegant and complex. Fresh and lively, perfect balance, great structure, mature and elegant tannins, creamy mouthfeel and finish, needs time. 90

06 Bahans again, life's hard sometimes......

2006 Chateau Bahans Haut-Brion;
Bright ruby, ruby rim, minerals, blackcurrants, hint of tobacco, very elegant and complex, even if slightly closed, not as open and straightforward as the other bottle. Good structure and balance, fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh and lively and long finish. Keep. 89

06 Chevalier Blanc

2006 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc;
Straw yellow with intense lemony minerals, honey, water melon, lichee, tropical, so fresh and very complex. Dry and so mouthwatering freshness and acidity, fantastic structure, so elegant and youthfull, great balance, intencity and length. Keep. 92

04 Guiraud

2004 Chateau Guiraud;
Lemon yellow, new style going on? This is the freshest Guiraud I have ever tried, gone are the slightly over bitter apple peely stuff that I have always found, and in with some very seductive and fresh fruits packed in a elegant body and refreshing acidity, lemon and honey, if this is the start of a new road, I love it. 90

04 d'Yquem

2004 Chateau d'Yquem;
Intense lemon yellow, apricots, tropical, honey, botrytis, bisquits, very complex, fresh and youthfull. Luscious and lively, such elegance, almost real toffee and caramel, superb texture, fantastic balance, very long finish. Will evolve nicely. 93

06 L'Evangile

2006 Chateau L'Evangile;
Deep ruby, deep fruitiness, blueberry, plums, coffee and chocolate, easy to love structure, soft and gentel tannins, in perfect harmony with the body, good acidity, velvety and fruity, very long length. 88

2006 Chateau Lafite Rothschild

2006 Chateau Lafite Rothschild;
Deep ruby with bright ruby rim. So seductive it's almost dangerous, some chocolate, tobacco, dark fruits, flirting enormously. Gorgeous structure, beautifull mellow tannins, even if quite intense, fresh acidity, great balance, so young and complex, with a fantastic length. Wait a minimum of ten years before opening, will age much longer. 95

Bordeaux cow

Volvo means I roll, Ludo means I play. So Bordo (Bordeaux) must mean I drink.

Thought out as we drove in to Chateau La Lagune in a Volvo after seeing the Bordeaux Cow with Bordeaux written all around in different languages. Bordo is Bordeaux in Albanian or Turkish I think.

06 Comtesse

2006 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande;
Deep ruby, purple hue. Very aromatic, plums, chocolate, cassis, hints of floral notes and cigars. Fresh, ripe and quite intence tannins, great structure, gets you to focus, very mouthwatering, elegant even, balanced with a very long finish, needs ten years or more. 90

06 Terre Alte

2006 Livio Felluga, Terre Alte;
Straw yellow, tropical, lemon, peach, mineral, slightly flinty and vanilla with orange peel and marmalade, very complex and seductive. Fresh acidity, good mouthfeel, almost raspberries and delightfull red berries, mouthwatering, lively and long aftertaste, beautifull and different, I have no idea how it will age......but shurely one of the very best whites of Italy. 89

99 La Dame de Montrose

1999 La Dame de Montrose; (2nd Chateau Montrose)
Deep ruby with bright ruby rim. Impressively youthfull, hardly any evolution at all, just settling in. Blackcurrants, both berries and leaves, darker berries and minerals, even paprika with a slight hint of anis and spices. Fresh, even mouthwatering, ripe tannins, great structure, especially for a second wine. Great balance, refreshing, pure and almost seductive in it's youth with a long length. Keep another 5-10 years. 89

Two easy drinking whites

2009 Domaine du Tariquet, Cote de Gascogne;
Pale straw yellow. Ripe tropical fruits, slightly green and lime. Fresh, youthfull, ok acidity, simple finish. 48

2008 Chateau Bonnet, Entre-Deux-Mers;
Pale straw yellow, fresh, lime, green highnotes, gooseberries. Fresh, lively and youthfull, fresh finish. 52

Two 2001 Rioja's

2001 Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva;
Ruby with bright ruby rim, dark stone fruits, some vanilla, blueberries and liquorice. God acidity, nice structure, mouthwatering, a very elegant Rioja, flavourfull, great balance, fresh, youthfull and lively, good length. 87

2001 Montecillo Reserva;
Bright ruby towards garnet rim. Cherries, tobacco, hints of liquorice and leather, even blackcurants with more air. Maturing flavours, good acidity, some woody highnotes and a touch of oak tannins. Good length but maturing quite quickly or have this botle been stored incorectly? 83

L'Insieme

2004 Gianfranco Alessandria, L'Insieme;
Deep ruby, bright ruby rim. Closed first, slightly spicy over dark fruits, herbal notes and hints of coffee and chocolate. Good structure, ripe tannins, good acidity and balance, flavourfull, almost mouthwatering, on the verge of tipping with 14,5 alcohol but lands on the right side. Good length. 85

1982 Chateau Kirwan

1982 Chateau Kirwan;
A level fill, cork dry on the upper half cm. Bright ruby, garnet rim, sediments. Pencil, prunes, liquorice, stable and leather. Well balanced, fresh acidity, mature tannins still giving structure and some grip, could have had a longer finish. But was both fresher and more complex than expected. Drink now. 84

09 Pavillon Rouge

2009 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux;
(Barrel sample) Ruby with bright ruby rim, floral, complex, deep, dark berries, even overtones of cedar and leather. Such elegance and balance, mouthwatering, very ripe tannins, so complex, absolutely marvelous, intence, yet elegant and voluptuous, and so long, I honestly thought this was Chateau Margaux itself. Fantastic. 90-92, and I could be a bit critical even.......

09 Chateau Margaux

2009 Chateau Margaux;
(Barrel sample) Ruby with bright ruby rim. Seductive! Velvety! Hints of sweet tobacco, cigars, dark berries, finesse, overtones of perfume and jasmin. So silky, balance beyond words, I got goosebumps on my back twice of this wine, from a barrel sample! Absolute perfect structure, so ripe, tannins so you can't believe it, floral, mineral, mouthwatering, you feel every drop of wine is playing a funny game, and just laughing in you're mouth. Perfection. Lost for words. 98-100

08 Chateau Margaux

2008 Chateau Margaux;
(Barrel sample) Ruby with bright ruby rim, floral, layered and transparent, red and black berries playing hide and seek, some vanilla, black tea, so seductive and complex. Fantastic texture, great ripe tannins, fresh acidity, balanced and very complex, long finish. 91-93

09 Pavillon Blanc

2009 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux;
(Barrel sample) Pale straw yellow, light, lemony mixed with minerality, very closed, but a great freshness shines through. Great acidity, on the palate the lime minerality explodes gently and evolves into this super elegant and so mouthwatering wine with a lively acidity dancing on the tongue, just amazing purity, lovely, ripe and with a great long length. 91-93

06 La Lagune

2006 Chateau La Lagune;
Ruby with bright ruby rim, kind of creamy, chocolaty with ripe plums, and a bit closed. Good texture, ripe tannins,good acidity, but would hav loved for it to be more mouthwatering, elegant body, even if on the lean side, very structured and herbacious, needs time, keep 4-5 years or more. 86

07 La Lagune

2007 Chateau La Lagune;
Ruby with bright ruby rim. Some toches of white chocolate, and ripe red berries, coverd with vanilla. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, giving a good grip, a bit lean body, but on the other side, that really balances the flavours and acidity, good length. 87

08 La Lagune

2008 Chateau La Lagune;
(Barrel sample) Ruby with bright purple rim. Very youthfull and fruity, hints of chocolate, dark berries and a peppery/ spicy touch. Good acidity, lively wine, but it's the fruit that livens things up more than the acidity, balanced and complex, nice structure and very long finish, elegant. 86-88

09 La Lagune

2009 Chateau La Lagune;
(Barrel sample) Ruby with bright ruby rim. Closed but some chocolate and vanilla. Doesn't quite want to let it's secrets out yet, but there is something good lurking underneath. Nice and fresh acidity, feels quite lively, great ripe tannin structure, flavourfull, very good finish, and long length. Where's the sweetness Jancis? 88-90

06 Bahans

2006 Chateau Bahans Haut Brion;
Bright ruby, perfumed, some minerals, black fruits, hints of coffee, tea, very youthfull and complex. Fresh acidity, great balance, ripe tannins, mouthwatering with strawberries and redcurrants, increadibly fresh and elegant, great pleasure to drink at this stage, but will also age gracefully. 90

14,5

2004 Quinta do Mouro;
Deep ruby, garnet rim. Intence, sweet and alcoholic touch, blueberry jam, plum marmelade, cooked red fruits, what happened, to this structured wine? Now its all alcohol and huge, sweet as candy, jammy, extracted, boring......and 14,5 alcohol. 72

Wine cooling Norwegian style

2007 Schloss Johannisberg, Riesling Kabinett Trocken;
Bright and pale straw yellow, closed first, apples, lime, touch of minerals, lean body and firm structure, very youthfull, but getting more in balance with it's firmness, that was almost a bit too hard at birth, great balance, complex, very long length, dry, but some ripe fruits mellows it into a perfect balance, fresh acidity, keep. 87

04 Segla

2004 Segla (2nd Chateau Rauzan-Segla)
Ruby with bright ruby rim, leather, cassis, minerals, touch of herbs and floral notes, elegant structure, balanced, good acidity, ripe tannins, slightly sweet fruit, ripe, good length. 84

96 La Fleur-Petrus

1996 Chateau La Fleur-Petrus;
Ruby with garnet rim. Greenish note, paprika, blackcurrants, herbal and spices, very elegant, touch of liquorice. Balanced and good acidity, ripe tannins, slightly hollow still, but really starting to shape up, needs time, even if it starts to charm, and a long length.87

First time I tried this, around 01-02, it was so firm and green and tannic, it was just too much. I remember the day so well, I was on the other side of the Oslo fjord, in a warm June day, and I was a passenger of a stunning, bright red Jaguar E-type Series one roadster, one of the first ones, with a 3,8 litre engine, with the bottle in my lap, on the way to a sea-front barbeque. The Jaguar was a perfect car on this day, looking over the bonnet, seeing how the fresh and green oaks and beech and pines mirrored themselves as fleeting glimpses of memories as they rushed over the bonnet of this fast aproaching classicThen the wine, after all this excitement and expectations didn't deliver, at all. It was too brutal, too young, and I was the only fool to blame, I know that now.

Also, another, much more sad chapter is now linked to this memory. The host of this same barbeque, Architect Nils Vosgraff, passed away this last Christmas in a car crash, possibly in one of his bellowed Jaguars. May you rest in pease.

94 Beaucastel

1994 Chateau de Beaucastel;
Ruby with garnet rim, elegant if maybe a bit thin on the nose, cool fruit, hints of liquorice and spices, some coffee, red berries and darker fruits, even leather behind. Fresh acidity, a near perfect balance, ripe tannins, lacks in complexity, good length, some green, oreganoish touch, and even some floral notes. 82

01 Trevallon

2001 Domaine de Trevallon;
Deep ruby, bright ruby rim. Coffee, dark chocolate, the darkest of the stonefruits, fresh acidity, ripe tannins, but you feel the 14% alcohol, and I regret it, because I love the greatness of Trevallon, how they normally manage to make so good wines, I'm dissapointed.....78

Rhone Margaux

2007 Chateau Mongravey;
Deep ruby, big, heavy, very sweet, alcoholic, unbalanced and awfull, not as a wine, but as a AC Margaux, almost like very cheap, not Parkerised, but trying in that direction Rhone. What happened, the 05 was so much better.......56

Gruaud-Larose 1966

1966 Chateau Gruaud-Larose;
A level fill, deep ruby with garnet rim, some sediments. First pure earth, really needed air to open and shed theese aromas. Then suddenly a leafy, even quite dry, kind of green tea moment before leather showing, then prunes and spices, even fresh plums, mineral and slightly vegetal. Beautifull body, fresh acidity, some tannins still, gripping with their bare hands, holding on for their lives, slightly metallic minerality in the aftertaste, great balance, blueberries, blackberries, and a very long length. 88

When you give a wine like this 88, you kind of think, how can I give the young, and much less telling 02 Domaine de Chevalier below 89? And that is an intrinsic question with no simple answer(s). This one is far more exciting, maybe also more complex than the younger Pessac, but the latter has better overall feel to it, better balance on the flavours, and lacks the kind of interruptive metallicness that is robbing the Gruaud of a few points for shure. But this is also why I love wine, so many questions, and sometimes, so few answers....

1996 Billecart

1996 Billecart-Salmon, Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart;
Pale golden, beautifull bubbles, oxidized apples, brioch, bready yeast, minerals, plaster, very youthfull still, even if some signs of development. What an outstanding balance, wow!. Such elegance, and so seductive, fresh acidity, but you really doen't notice it in the glamour of it's elegance, complex and long, and will age gracefully further.....94

Ruberpan

2006 Pieropan Ruberpan (Valpolicella);
Bright ruby, floral, dark fruits, perfumed, even cinamon. Balanced and good structure, hides 14% alcohol well, but would be fresher with lower alcohol, good acidity, ripe tannins, good length. 76

2002 Chevalier

2002 Domaine de Chevalier;
Deep ruby, pale ruby rim, herbs, blackcurranys, liquorice, some elegant spicyness, complex, some leather, very elegant. Good acidity, ripe tannins, great structure, well balanced, very attractive with this herbal touch and paprika overtones over cool and fresh fruit, and lively long length. Can keep further. 89

05 Duckhorn

2005 Duckhorn, Napa Valley Merlot;
Deep ruby, bright ruby rim, youthfull, cassis, blueberries, dark morellos, vanilla and floral highnotes. Fresh acidity for a merlot, ripe tannins, complex, great balance and silky texture, alkohol is balanced, even at 14,5, and I really hope it will age well, because it's quite seductive at this stage. Very long length. 91