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