En-primeur

Bordeaux En-primeur 2025 – Part 2: The Wines of Martin Krajewski – Chateau Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The 2025 Bordeaux vintage is defined by a paradox of extreme heat yet produced many wines with surprising elegance. After a mild winter, an exceptionally early and uniform flowering in mid-May set the stage for an accelerated growing season. However, the defining characteristic was a series of intense heatwaves in June and August, with temperatures peaking near 42°C.

The result was a year of remarkably low yields but also intense, pure concentration. Small, thick-skinned berries – particularly in the Merlot – produced wines with deep colour and rich phenolic structure. While the heat initially threatened to block ongoing ripening, critical rains in late August combined with cooler night temperatures preserved a “crystalline” acidity that distinguishes 2025 from the more opulent and hedonistic 2022 vintage.

Key Highlights:

• Quality vs. Quantity: Exceptional aromatic intensity and ripe tannins, though volumes are down roughly -15% due to heat-induced berry shrivelling.  

• Terroir Success: Clay and limestone soils (notably in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol) thrived by regulating water stress.  

• Style: Early tastings suggest a “modern classic” – combining the power of solar vintages with a refined, fresh finish and moderate alcohol levels (averaging 13.5–14%).  

For collectors, 2025 stands as a “vigneron’s year,” where precise harvest timing was essential to balance its natural fruit density with graceful acids.

Petit Cantenac 2025, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 13% Abv.

The 2025 Petit Cantenac stays true to the vintage and displays an incredibly intense, lifted, “crystalline” purity and perfume with piercing notes of violets, crushed red cherries, black currants and red currants with a delicate dusting of leafy spice, freshly cut cedar, and subtle notes of Asian five spice. The palate shows a mouthwatering crunchy structure, tightly delineated acids and a steely tension that envelops the bright red and black berry fruit concentration. The tannins are tense and sinewy rather than muscular, holding the ripe fruits in perfect balance. This is essentially a “modern classic” with a cool demeanour, crunchy bright acids together with a potent, focused depth of fruit. Forward and elegantly accessible in style but simultaneously quite a serious expression. Drink from 2028 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos Cantenac 2025, Saint Emilion Grand Cru. 13.25% Abv.

Once again, the 2025 Clos Cantenac Saint Emilion Grand Vin is a 100% Merlot offering that will be aged for 12 months in 40% new oak barriques and 60% in second and third passage barrels. While this wine’s aromatics share an exotic, lifted exuberance with its junior sibling, Petit Cantenac, the perfume and fragrance is that much more intricate, broader, and more intense, showing sweet violets, rich ripe black berry fruits, crème de cassis, blue berries, black cherries and pronounced Christmas gateau nuances. There is a lingering hint of spicy new oak in the background, but this wine is decidedly plush and hedonistic with an impressive classical elegance. The palate is tight knit, cool and incredibly focused revealing a tight grained, stony minerality, hints of cigar box, tobacco leaf, black cherry compote and tart cassis on the finish. This wine possesses all the composure, freshness and seduction of a truly great Bordeaux vintage. Dink from 2028 to 2045+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2025, Pomerol, 13.5% Abv.

Many drinkers imagine Pomerol wines being 100% Merlot, but this example is a 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc assemblage. The aromatics are true to form – lush, plush, exotic and hedonistic with fragrant notes of sweet violets, red currants, black cherries and frais de bois wild strawberries. Complexing veins of black chocolate run deep into the wine, complimented by notes of wet tobacco and dried baking spices. The mouthfeel is full, glycerol and textural revealing hints of vanilla pod spice, picante black berries, creamy tannins and a savoury black liquorice finish. This wine has all the power of Pomerol fruit but with a slightly softer, more integrated, harmonious finish. This wine offers great value for Pomerol lovers. Drink from 2028 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Seraphine 2025, Pomerol, 13.5% Abv.

We often like to compare second wines to their Grand Vins but this Seraphine is in a completely different league. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the wine will be aged in a selection of 300 litre new French oak barrels and amphorae. Thereafter, the wine is racked off into French oak barrels (45% new and 55% second and third fill) where it will be matured for 12-14 months to harmonise further. On the nose, this is pure hedonistic joy – vibrant, lifted and enticingly fresh and perfumed showing bay leaf and thyme spice. Notes of fresh violets, savoury black cherries, earthy loam, and damsons plum nuances melt into earthy black currants and a sappy wood spice persistence. The concentration is notable, the acid freshness and creamy fruit concentration simply breathtaking, buffered by incredibly supple, creamy fine grained tannins. An intricate, powerful, complex expression that is sure to impress Bordeaux lovers! Drink from 2028 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 96-97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

EP and back vintages of Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine are available from specialist UK merchant Museum Wines.

Domaine Parent Showcases Their New 2023 Burgundy Releases in London Alongside an Impressive Array of Back Vintages…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye-catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard as Anne prepares to hand over the reins of winemaking and marketing to the 13th generation – her niece Constance Fages-Parent.

The new 2023 Burgundy releases.

As Anne prepares for a slightly more sedate mentoring role in her semi-retirement, she recently returned to London with Constance to showcase the domaine’s new 2023 releases in bottle alongside a seductive array of back vintage wines for collectors and connoisseurs. Having tasted the 2023 releases last November in Burgundy at the domaine with Anne, it was fascinating tasting the full range again in bottle, after the wines have had extra time to harmonise, flesh out and integrate. While tasting the En-primeur samples, it immediately became apparent that the Parent 2023 wines were among the most serious expressions of the vintage, revealing depth, concentration and ample structure in this more accessible, charming Burgundy vintage.

Anne and Constance in London.

During her tenure, Anne Parent has been a trailblazer in biodynamics and a real force for strict vineyard management. Hence, the domaine has managed to stay very much at the top of the tree in the Burgundy quality hierarchy. Tasting the 2023 releases and a superb selection of back vintages in London merely served to reconfirm the domaine’s true “first growth” standing in Pommard.

The 2023 New Releases from Domaine Parent:

Domaine Parent Bourgogne 2023, 12.5% Abv.

A true introduction to the joys of the Parent wine range. Pure, bright and deliciously red fruited showing red currant, red cherry and wild strawberry nuances. The entry is zippy and fresh, the palate delicately chalky with powdery accessible tannins and deliciously tangy acids that lend a mouthwatering succulence. Silky, soft and ready to enjoy in its youth. Drink from 2025 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 90+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2023, 12.5% Abv. 

This is a blend of lower slope Volnay and Pommard vines of over 50 years in age. Full of intricate black berry fruits, this wine displays depth and complexity, a delicate smoky limestone minerality and a spicy, mint-tinged salty cassis finish. Accessible but still very serious. Drink from 2026 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard Les Noizons 2023, 13% Abv. 

The delightfully complex aromatics show a beautifully expressive side of red and black berry fruits, black cherry, pink musk and salty cassis. Impressively chalky tannins, seductively bright crystalline acids and a pithy, black fruited finish. Pure class with superb balance and persistence. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

Beautifully dense, dark smoky aromatics full of limestone dust, pithy cherry skins and earthy red berry fruits. The palate is restrained but fleshy with a glycerol opulence, silky powdery tannins and a long, focused, incredibly precise finish with polished marble tannins. A very complete wine. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

The aromatics are dark and aromatic with notes of black cherry, salted liquorice, and creme de cassis. The fruits are taut and powerful, tight grained and mineral laden with an impressive core of concentration, a liquid minerality and a lovely long, compact length. Power packed and broody. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2023, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics are laden with red berry fruits, red plum and earthy savoury notes. Delightfully fleshy and fresh on the palate backed by mouth watering acids, a glycerol mouthfeel and an accessible cherry fruited finish. Creamy, succulent precision with super purity and accessibility. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

From 85-year-old Pinot Noir vines grown on brown and red clay soils that offers a more generous expression. Shows dark and alluring aromatics of black cherry, kirsch liquor and damson plum, liquorice and saline creme de cassis nuances. There’s a translucence to the fruit purity, crystalline acid brightness and a beautiful precision that shows some similarities to its neighbour Les Croix Noires. Massive concentration, opulence and depth. Very special site. Drink from 2026 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

The 2023 sees 40% whole bunches used with 40% new French oak from fruit grown on a lighter, finer grain of clay soils without much depth. The intricate aromatics show incredible precision and focus, power with elegance, with smoky limestone notes, satin soft tannins, and a generously long, concentrated finish. An utterly compelling offering. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2023, 13.5% Abv.

The complex aromatics shows red and black berry fruits, black orchard fruits, with high toned perfumed notes of kirsch cherry, purple rock candy, and blue berry nuances. The concentrated fruit envelops your palate, coating your mouth with silky powdery precision, before a long, persistent, focused classical finish. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2023

From Chardonnay vines grown on deep limestone soils on the hill of Corton, just above the Les Bressandes vineyard. The wine is rich and expressive, full of ripe citrus fruits, buttered toast, honeycomb and leesy biscuity nuances. Sleek and bold in the mouth, there is a polished accessibility, a classy light touch elegance, bright racy acids and a long, distinguished, concentrated finish. Quite tight at the moment so might need a few more years in the cellar. Drink from 2027 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An impressive selection of Parent back vintages.

Domaine Parent Back Vintages:

Domaine Parent Pommard Les Croix Blanche 2019

A fabulous perfumed aromatics bristling with saline cassis and black cherry notes. The palate is pure silk, delightfully fine grained yet still powerful with great depth, intensity and length. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2019

Beautifully intense aromatics are packed full of red and black cherry, black sweet plum and a delicate sappy note in the finish. There is a classical 2019 breadth and depth, with opulent red and black fruits, a tangy acids and the signature tight knit silky tannins. A wine with great presence and depth. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2019

A wine with clear opulence and fruit forward density, aromatically brimming with red and black cherry, wild strawberry over a delicate limestone minerality. The wine shows a beautifully supple depth and concentration, fabulous generosity, a fleshy, spicy peppery depth but with great length. Really quite superb. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2018

This 2018 shows a slightly more earthy savoury black fruited aromatics with hints of gun smoke, sappy spice and peppery wild strawberries. The palate is incredibly polished, fairly strict and linear but beautifully polished with silky tannins and a soft, tangy generous acidity. A more ethereal expression. Drink now to 2035.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2018

An intricate aromatic melange of savoury red berry fruits, sous bois, tilled earth and subtle dusty limestone hints. There is incredible tension and precision on the palate with a very fine grained linear texture, savoury red orchard fruits, and a beautifully focused, harmonious finish. Plenty of class on display. Drink now to 2038.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2021

Beautiful intensity is written all over this wine, with aromatics of violets, red and black berries, black cherries and saline notes. The acid intensity matches the fruit focus and precision with piercing depth, a strict structure but also fabulous concentration. Wow. A real beauty. One for the cellar. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Grand Cru Corton Les Renardes 2020

This reveals a classical Burgundy nose showing stewed wild strawberries, red cherries, salty red liquorice with an underlay of earthy, herby, spicy sapidity. The palate entry is deliciously sweet fruited with an enticing interplay between savoury red fruits, frais des bois, sweet creamy supple tannins and a peppery, spicy, gun smoke mineral finish. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2020 (Magnum)

This is a really impressive white full of pedigree and precision. The aromatics boast lemon and herb spice, sweet crystallised lemon peel and lemon Bon Bons. The delicate leesy notes follow to the palate that shows a notable freshness, well integrated tangy acids, and a long, long, dry honeycomb finish. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Archive vintages served alongside a delicious meal at Medlar, Chelsea.

The Domaine Parent wines are imported into the UK by Burgundy speciality merchant Musigny Wines. Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine to request an allocation of new 2023 releases and back vintages.

Beyond Bordeaux – The 2025 Global Fine Wine Offering from La Place de Bordeaux…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

For the past few years, Bordeaux negociants have been supplementing their wine businesses by offering their distribution expertise acquired globally over many decades, to distribute alternative premium fine wines from around the world. CVBG have been one of the largest proponents of the “Beyond Bordeaux” wine category and accordingly, host an impressive fine wine tasting for the trade in London annually. Below are a selection of my scores from the 2025 offerings.

The impressive tasting of Beyond Bordeaux hosted in London by Negociant CVBG Dourthe.

Massetino 2023, IGT Toscana, 15% Abv.

Plush, exotic and lifted with aromatics of cherry kirsch liquor, cassis, sour plum and subtle brûléed vanilla nuances. Super sleek polished texture showing overt stony mineral tannins with a picante, grippy extract on the finish. Plenty of tension belies the 15% alcohol.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marchesi Antinori Solaia 2022, IGT Toscana, 13.5% Abv.

Deep dark broody aromatics full of macerated black berries, damson plum and black cherry compote with a dusting of brûléed vanilla pod spice. Fleshy and silky soft, fulsome but also very characterful with a classical weightless concentration and elegance. A very polished expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marques de Riscal Tapias 2022, Rioja DOC, 15% Abv.

Shows dense layers of black berry, damson plum and ripe wild strawberry. Ripe tight core with muscle but also precision. The oak is still dominant now but should integrate further and age gracefully.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

F. ALGUEIRA Dolio 2021, Ribera Sacra, 13% Abv.

Layered aromatics with dark bramble berry fruits, a graphite dusting, crushed stones and a hint of smoky reduction. Sleek and precise with a savoury plummy sweet – sour ripeness neatly tucked between bright linear acids and fine chalky tannins.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Cheval Blanc Petit Cheval Bordeaux Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv.

A 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 17% Semillon blend, this new release shows a juicy opulent crystalline aromatics full of vibrant yellow grapefruit citrus, fresh fennel, ripe gooseberries and lemon grass spice. Deliciously full with a harmonious texture that’s mouth coating, almost creamy, finishing with a delicious purity and clarity. Superb. 

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cheval des Andes 2022, Mendoza, 14% Abv.

Cool integrated perfumed aromatics offering a classy balance and purity of blueberry, cassis and damson plum. Beautifully fine grained displaying a polished texture. A true class act with superb balance.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Errazuriz Sena 2023, Valle de Aconcagua, 13.5% Abv.

Beautifully aromatic perfumed fragrance of violets, white blossom and hints of saline cassis, black cherry and ripe blueberries. Seamless and silky, but also delightfully vibrant and fresh with a piercing black fruit concentration while remaining classically light on its feet. Very classy expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Appassionata Pinot Noir 2014, Chehalem Mountains AVA, Oregon, 13% Abv.

Enticingly fresh aromatics with delightful tertiary hints of freshly brewed tea and sous bois, bold orange and pomegranate nuances. Sleek, soft and very pure, this balances savoury red berry fruits and a bramble berry intensity with citrus, orange vermouth spices and blood orange notes on a very sleek polished finish. Wow. Impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting with Ernie Loosen.

Dr Loosen Wines:

From 130 year old seven hectare plots of Riesling from Ernie Loosen’s Great Grandfather (out of a total 40 hectares in Wehlener Sonnenuhr) Being the 2nd biggest holdings after JJ Prum. 

Riesling Dry 2019, 12.5% – 95+/100

Riesling Kabinett 2019, 9.5% – 97/100

Riesling Auslese 2019, 9.5% – 98/100

 

L’Aventure Optimus 2022 Red Blend – 95/100

L’Aventure Cote A Cote 2022 – 95+/100

L’Aventure Estate Reserve 2022 – 97+/100

Verite La Muse 2022, Sonoma County, 14.5% Abv.

Mostly Merlot, wood spice, black berry, plum pip, with smoky graphite and crushed gravel. Super sleek and polished, seamless, showing sappy leafy black fruits, cedar spice, black tea and a spicy grippy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Verite La Joie 2022, Sonoma County, 14.5% Abv.

Tightly packed with cedar, spice, chai tea, graphite and real mineral presence. Fruits are dark, taut and full of tension, acids are crisp but with a marble like polish. Tight, classical and serious.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Verite Le Desir 2022, Sonoma County, 14.5% Abv.

Tight dark and broody, this is a classy, tight black fruited expression, offering up hints of aromatic complexity. Red berries, sweet cedar and red currant fruits with a lurking leafy, red cherry intensity. Sublime balance and harmony.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Beautiful blend of Cabernet vineyards from Spring Mountain with 3% Merlot for extra interest. Delicious black currant, black forest gateau, plums and blueberry compote. Lovely balance with impressive balance and fleshy generosity.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Inglenook Blancaneaux 2023, Napa Valley, 13.7% Abv.

40% Viognier with Roussanne and Marsanne. Lovely cool precision, stony minerality with smoky flinty reduction, spice and dried herbs. Mouth coating, intense but good freshness.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Napa Valley, 14.1% Abv.

Small warmer vintage with slightly higher yields than 2021, showing blue and black berries, cassis, dried herbs and sweet cedar spice. A harmonious palate showing restraint with intensity and concentration, silky balance and a blueberry, black currant finish. Classical but impressive intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Inglenook Rubicon 2022, 14.3% Abv.

85% Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot – Sweet herbs, sappy cedar, saline black currant, with black and blueberry, liquorice and creamy, graphite tannins. Full, powerful, incredibly complete.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Coonawarra, 13.5% Abv. 

Quite an ethereal, musky, dusty Cabernet aromatics with blueberry, cassies, black cherry and black berry rock candy. Sublime balance, silky soft tannins with a creamy velvety mouthfeel, tangy acids and a salty black berry fruited finish. The oak is almost imperceptible. Very classy.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2023, 12.5% Abv.

Lovely lemon and lime intensity spiced up by a complexing, well judged smoky reduction. Crisp, crystalline, deliciously lean. This is a truly delicious, grown up fine wine Chardonnay.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2022, 14.5% Abv.

Restrained subdued aromatics, with hints of liquorice, blue and black berry and a spicy, granitic, mineral grippy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds RWT Bin 789 Barossa Shiraz 2023, 14.5% Abv. 

Sweet and exotic aromatics full of  black berry, hoisin plum sauce, sweet Christmas spices and a smoky savoury depth with very dry, mineral grippy tannins. Very serious.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Abv.

Subtle aromatics of black berry, dried mint leaf, chocolate peppermint crisp and sweet dried herbs. Full and creamy, powdery chalky tannins, a cool tangy acidity and a long, focused finish. Very precise.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, 14.5% Abv.

Sweeter black fruits, mulberry and damson plum, over tilled earth, graphite and chai tea. Dense, complex and textural, pinpoint, focused and tight grained. Dusty chalky tannins, liquid minerals and a picante, pithy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Grange 2021, 14.5% Abv.

Beautiful aromatics of incense, plum sauce, black cherry, and sweet Christmas spices with a kiss of salty black liquorice. Full in the mouth with a textured, grippy tannin frame, plenty of chalky minerality and an unctuous, fleshy, grippy finish. Plenty of premium winemaking on display here.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cloudburst Chardonnay 2023, Margaret River

Fabulous lemon lime intensity with an intricate smoky reductive vein. Wet stones, lemon grass and fabulous depth. Cool classy and restrained, this is top drawer cool climate Chardonnay.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cloudburst Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Margaret River

A vibrant, distinctive terroir driven expression that oozes terroir… wet stone minerality, tea leaf, graphite, black currant leaf, tobacco and kelp. Deliciously maritime, saline and focused with amazing energy and inner character. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Yalumba Florita Riesling 2015, Clare Valley, 12.3% Abv.

Lemon cordial, lime confit, white flowers and hints of butter, ginger and passion fruit crunch. Dry, pristine, very classy!

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jim Barry The Armagh 2022, Clare Valley, 14% Abv.

An incredibly fragrant aromatics, fully perfumed with rose petal, incense, rose hip, tangerine peel, pink musk, talc, red peppercorns and vibrant red berry fruits. Incredibly cool sleek and silky, this is Armagh elegance at the next level. Fabulous purity, weightless concentration and spectacular elegance. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Yalumba The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz 2020, Barossa Valley, 14.5% Abv.

Dark broody black and blue berry fruits, beautifully complex, integrated aromatics of black currant, liquorice and salted caramel. Incredibly harmonious and balanced, this is a sublime Barossa expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Releases an Impressive Line-Up of En-primeur Burgundy 2023 Wines… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. With a history going back many generations, Etienne Parent was rumoured to have sold wine to Thomas Jefferson back in 1787. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye-catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard.

Anne Parent has also been a trailblazer in biodynamics and a real force for strict vineyard management. Hence, the domaine has managed to stay very much at the top of the tree in the jostling for position in the village hierarchy. Her supreme confidence has led to the wines having an assertiveness, yet a true Burgundian opulence that is hard to resist. The wines are silky and plush – you really can finish a bottle with ease. From the everyday Bourgogne Pinot Noir to the mesmerising Crus of Pommard, all are hand-crafted with care and attention to detail.

The Parent label is instantly recognisable throughout the upper quality echelons of Burgundy, and the family is rightly proud of their hard-earned global reputation. In a competitive fine wine world where so many domaines have taken their eye off the ball, Anne has kept her love of the vineyard, her family history and future very much close to her. Part of this long-term planning has seen Anne bring her niece Constance Fages-Parent into the running and marketing of the domaine’s wines as preparations are slowly put in place for the next chapter in the history of this famous Burgundy winery.

Constance and Anne Parent

I recently travelled to see Anne and Constance in Burgundy to taste a selection of the newly released 2023 wines. Speaking to Anne about the new releases, she confirmed… “2023 was a generous vintage with great quality at the domaine. Perhaps not quite the gravitas of the exceptional 2022 vintage, but the wines are marked with beautiful fruit purity and opulence with accessibility.”  

Tasting the 2023 wines with owner Anne Parent

The 2023 growing season brought both challenges and rewards: after a cool, rainy July, a late heatwave in August and early September ensured optimal ripeness. Harvest began in mid-September, with yields around 46–48 hl/ha and moderate alcohol levels (12.5–13.2%). Vinification was deliberately gentle, with reduced punching down and delicate extraction, restrained use of new oak, and a focus on preserving fruit purity above all.

Burgundy 2023 En-primeur Notes:

Domaine Anne Parent Monthelie Blanc 2023

Made from an AOC that is primarily 90% red / 10% white, this 2023 was picked early to retain acidity and vinified with 35% new French oak. The wine shows complex aromatics with leesy biscuit notes, a supple fleshy breadth with savoury waxy lemons and a white toast and oatmeal complexity on the finish. Really delicious. Drink from 2026 to 2034.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru 2023

100% new French oak used with no batonnage. Incredibly taut, mineral and stony with limestone and struck flint over zesty lemon and lime fruits, tart green apple and a beautifully supple, fleshy breadth with well-integrated acids and a pronounced fruit concentration on the finish. Understated power hiding under the minerality and terroir veil. Drink from 2026 to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Cote d’Or 2023

All fruit was destemmed and aged in older oak. Very intense perfumed aromatics bursting with life, boasting sweet violets, rose petals and luscious layers of raspberry and black cherry. The palate shows a fine textural breadth and equilibrium, finely balancing forest berry fruits, strawberry compote and cool, creamy mineral tannins. A truly classy Bourgogne. Drink from 2026 to 2032.

(Wine Safari Score: 90-91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2023

100% destemmed fruit with slightly longer maceration on skins in larger 600 litre barrels. The resulting wine reveals deeper and darker aromatics laced with black cherry, damson plum and exotic cherry kirsch liquor notes. Beautifully dense and creamy texture with extra depth and opulence, plushness and mouth coating concentration. Lovely intricacy and complexity in an accessible style. Drink from 2026 to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Ladoix 2023

The aromatics show a beautiful melange of red and black berry fruits with intricate notes of dried herbs, potpourri and rose petals, gun-smoke and limestone minerality. Broad and beautifully dark fruited on the palate with a creamy black cherry compote concentration, plush fleshy tannins and a broad, comforting, reassuring power. Ladoix over performs once again. Drink from 2026 to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2023

From Pinot Noir grown on brown and red clay soils that offers a more generous expression. Dark and alluring aromatics of black cherry, kirsch liquor and damson plum with an exotic sloe berry hint. The palate shows a beautiful creamy breadth and understated power with an impressive depth, powdery tannins and tangy freshness. Understated power combined with a little Pommard intrigue and intensity. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023

40% whole bunch used with 50% new French oak from fruit grown on a lighter, finer grain of clay soils without much depth. Yields a fabulously fragrant expression bursting with life, packed full of perfumed violets, creme de cassis, black cherry and blueberry compote. The chalky candied pink musk nuances make this an incredible complex and compelling offering with seamless limestone tannins and a fantastic intense finish. A truly elegant Pommard classic. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2023

From Pinot Noir grown on deep limestone soils on the hill of Corton, just above Les Bressandes. The wine is rich and expressive, full of ripe brûléed fruits, black cherries and a bramble berry savoury depth. Sleek and supple in the mouth, there is a polished accessibility, light touch elegance, bright racy acids and a long, distinguished, concentrated finish. Very classy indeed. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Domaine Anne Parent wines are imported into the UK by Musigny Wines. The 2023 En-primeur releases are currently being offered in September 2025 by Musigny Wines. Email andrew@musigny.wine to request a 2023 EP offer and discuss an allocation.

Bordeaux En-primeur 2024 Highlights – Part 2: Tasting the Wines of Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine from Martin Krajewski…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Regarded as two of the true rising star Chateaux of Pomerol and Saint Emilion, Charlotte Krajewski, daughter of owner Martin Krajewski, has overseen winemaking at these properties since 2017 as the Technical Director and Chief Winemaker after previously travelling and working extensively in France, Australia, USA and more latterly New Zealand. The small 6-hectare property of Clos Cantenac planted on deep gravels, clay, and sand over broken limestone, yields two wines annually, Clos Cantenac and a second wine, Petit Cantenac, while the prestigious 2.2-hectare Pomerol property of Chateau Seraphine, planted on 40-million-year-old blue smectite clay, produces wines with incredibly opulent, sensual, and hedonistic characteristics yet remains eminently cellar worthy. In Neal Martin’s recent Vinous.com ‘in-bottle’ review of the 2022 Pomerols, Chateau Seraphine featured in the top 8 highest scoring wines alongside the likes of Chateau Petrus, Le Pin and Trotanoy. 

Pomerol and Saint Emilion 2024

The 2024 vintage was yet another rollercoaster ride and a very complicated viticultural year in Bordeaux. A very wet year, especially during the autumn and winter months, this wasn’t however the whole story as appellations like Pauillac, for example, experienced less rain than its 10-year average. After the drought affected vintages of 2018, 2020 and 2022, the 2024 growing season got off to a promising start before the onset of spring brought hail and the early signs of what was to become a season-long battle with mildew disease pressures. A grey and gloomy May saw cool temperatures that slowed vine growth and resulted in uneven flowering, especially for the Merlot vines. But as summer finally arrived in late June, the mood shifted. Drier, sunnier conditions settled in through August and into September, bringing with them a welcome window for ripening, particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in improved conditions right up into mid-October.

Clos Cantenac Petit Cantenac 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 13% Abv.

In 2024 the Petit Cantenac is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc and as with many cooler Bordeaux vintages, the aromatics are packed with delightful crunchy berry fruit notes that definitely err towards the red fruit spectrum. Bright and perfumed, there are layers of raspberries, red cherries and earthy red currants and a delightful sweet ceder spice hint along side dried herbs, graphite and crushed limestone minerality. On the palate, the wine is pure, crunchy, and bright but also incredibly lithe, fresh, and light on its feet, with a mouth-watering succulence of bramble berries, tart red plums, and a medley of red summer berries underpinned by fine grained mineral tannins and an intricate lattice work of tangy lemony acidity. At the heart of the wine is the signature polish and balance that you find on all the Clos Cantenac wines, engendering a real sense of attention to detail. A cooler, more classical expression of Saint Emilion that drinkers will find hard to resist in its youth. (12,000 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 91-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos Cantenac 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 13.25% Abv.

This Saint Emilion Grand Vin from Clos Cantenac is a 100% Merlot that will be aged for 12 months in 40% new oak barriques and 60% in second and third passage barrels. The aromatics on this embryonic wine are lifted and perfumed, indeed quite striking and fresh, painting a picture of a summer garden in bloom with notes of violets, peonies, and white blossoms over a melange of red and black berries, black currants, black cherries and freshly picked blueberries. The florality is further enhanced with delicate hints of briary, dry tobacco leaf, Asian baking spices and hints of cinnamon, clove and cedar oak spice. The palate is cool, fresh, and racy with tart black currant and black cherry notes gently underpinned by crisp linear acids, fine grained limestone mineral tannins and a well delineated, taut finish. A cool climate, energetic vintage full of restrained classicism, this wine will be deliciously mouthwatering and accessible on release but also worthy of beneficial medium-term cellaring. (6,000 bottled produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2024, Pomerol, 13.25% Abv.

In 2024, the L’Innocence de Seraphine second wine is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc and offers up a complex aromatics of potpourri, pressed violets, sweet cedar, pithy black cherry, macerated black berries, herbaceous dried tobacco leaf, graphite and exotic hints of Asian spices and Sichuan pepper. The palate shows a well-balanced textural tight knit elegance but also an overt mineral restraint together with notes of spicy black berries, salty liquorice, vanilla pod spice and dry powdery graphite tannins. Medium bodied, cool, and classically mineral, the finish is leaner than more recent solar vintages but equally charming and seductive. (4,500 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 90-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Seraphine 2024, Pomerol, 13.5% Abv.

The flagship Grand Vin from the estate is a 100% Merlot that will be aged for 12 to 14 months in 45% new French oak barriques with 55% in second and third passage barrels. From the very first nosing, it becomes very clear that this vintage is yet another majestic boutique offering with dense, layered, alluring aromatics packed full of violets, acacia, and white blossoms before notes of salty black currant, crème de cassis, liquorice, black cherries, and macerated blueberries with a kiss of graphite and iron filings. True to this cooler vintage, there is a more accentuated classical mineral component to the palate that’s simultaneously concentrated, finely polished and hedonistic. With a fine veil of mineral tannins and complex layers of mocha infused blue and black berry fruits, this wine shines, proudly displaying its textural complexity and pedigree, revealing the results of incredibly strict grape selection. This is undoubtedly a triumph over adversity for the Chateau and the appellation. (4,000 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Back vintages of the Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine wines are available retail in the UK from specialist fine wine merchant Museum Wines as well as En-primeur on release. Prices available on request.

Bordeaux En-primeur 2024 Highlights – Part 1: Tasting Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It is certainly no secret that 2024 was yet another very complicated viticultural vintage In Bordeaux. A very wet year, especially during the autumn and winter months, this wasn’t however the whole story as appellations like Pauillac, for example, actually experienced less rain than its 10-year average. After the drought affected vintages of 2018, 2020 and 2022, the 2024 growing season got off to a promising start before the onset of spring brought hail and the early signs of what was to become a season-long battle with mildew disease pressures. 2024 represents the lowest yields across Bordeaux since the forsaken 1991 vintage. 

A grey and gloomy May saw cool temperatures that slowed vine growth and resulted in uneven flowering, especially for the Merlot vines. But as summer finally arrived in late June, the mood shifted. Drier, sunnier conditions settled in through August and into September, bringing with them a welcome window for ripening, particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in improved conditions right up into mid-October.

La Croizille winemaker Jean Michel Garcion.

Speaking to various vignerons about the vintage, many are quick to avoid generalisations, explaining that the conditions in their own vineyards could, in many instances, be vastly different from conditions in their near neighbour’s. Success in 2024 was about timing – timing of spraying, strict fruit selection and of course down to one’s very own terroir and soil types in the vineyards. In general, gravel and certain types of clay were well-equipped to deal with over-saturation – gravel soils naturally having excellent drainage, whilst some types of clay can retain more water, preventing it being returned to, and diluting, the fruit. Limestone soils, like those found on the cote at Chateau La Croizille, also worked well but there was a risk of austerity and accentuated restraint in the wines.

The view out of the La Croizille tasting room, from the top of the limestone cote in Saint Emilion.

It is almost certainly this willingness to talk up the vintage as well as emphasize the individuality of various Chateaux terroirs, that has led to the 2024 vintage being coined a “micro-climate vintage”. As always, quality will be varied and surprises will be plentiful, but there is no denying that the conditions favoured premium Chateaux in the Medoc, Saint Emilion and Pomerol, where strict selection for Merlot was essential, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc often flourished in the drier, later ripening conditions, yielding many wines with great promise.

Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

A beautifully dark, dense, and seductively opaque in the glass, this 2024 Saint Emilion reveals a deep black berry fruited aromatic underbelly with notes of violets, sweet cigar box, cedar spice, graphite, and blueberry compote with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. Notably restrained on the nose, the palate shifts into a higher gear to reveal a plush, silky, harmonious palate with soft supple tannins, seamlessly integrated acids, and soft-toned black and blueberry fruits in the mouth. The extraction has been incredibly gentle, coaxing only the purest and finest characters from this reduced grape harvest. This is undoubtedly a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 2024 vintage weather chaos. A truly standout, classically restrained expression from Saint Emilion’s limestone cote. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Chateau La Croizille wines are available ex-cellar, direct to merchant. Contact Anthony Crameri for prices and vintage availability.

anthony_crameri@orange.fr

Chateau Pontet Canet Four Vintage Vertical Unpicked – Comparing and Contrasting Their 2020 to 2023 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

In the early 18th century, the north of the Médoc peninsular offered exciting investment opportunities for the high society of the time, and Jean-François de Pontet figured prominently among the aristocrats of the day and among the high-ranking magistrates that shaped the vast horizons of the new Médoc vineyards. The Pontet-Canet vineyard, located in the commune of Pauillac right next door to famous neighbour Chateau Mouton Rothschild, covers 81 hectares (200 acres). It is made up of around one hundred plots and 800,000 vines looking out over the Gironde estuary. At the heart of the Pontet-Canet terroir known as the “plateau”, a gentle broad outcrop of Garonne gravel soil dating from the Günz era that sits on a bedrock of limestone – prime terroir for producing elegant yet robust Bordeaux reds.

Pontet Canet is located on prime Pauillac terroir next to some illustrious neighbours.

At Pontet Canet their biodynamic approach has, in the Tesseron’s view – the current owners – brought a new dimension to their wines. It has given them “greater depth while producing more precise and silky tannins. The length of flavour on the palate has also gained in minerality. Our wines are purer and more vibrant.”

So, as one of the top cult Cru Classe wines of the moment, I thought I’d compare and contrast four current vintages customers might be tempted to buy.

Vintage Highlights:

2020 Vintage

The winter was mild, continuing into spring, which was also very wet. There was dry and warm weather for the early flowering in the second half of May. This was followed by very warm and, importantly, arid conditions from 18th June to 11th August. There were then heavy, rapid thunderstorms, often overnight, which dropped huge volumes of water on the Left Bank, but less on the Right Bank. Harvest was dry and very warm, with only intermittent rain after 20th September. From early October, it turned very wet again. Now firmly remembered as an “années solaires.”

2021 Vintage

Bordeaux 2021 will be remembered as an extremely mixed vintage. The challenges faced by producers were very localised and much depended on each individual vigneron’s decisions at key moments. These challenges were: a warm spring; a very rainy spring and early summer; mildew; a cool July and early August; hail; rain in September; and, finally, rot. Yet, despite this litany of problems, many producers were much more positive than they had dared hope during the season. Of course, 2021 is not a warm and sunny (or hot) vintage in the vein of 2018, 2019 and 2020. The harvest was only possible towards the end of September and into October for the Cabernet Sauvignon. But the best wines seem to have captured a natural and classic freshness, elegance, and weightless finesse – for some palates, a welcome contrast to the power of the preceding years. However, the wines were probably still over priced at En-primeur.

2022 Vintage

The word was out early that the Bordelais felt they had something special in 2022, long before the world’s wine merchants arrived to make their own assessments at En-primeur. Heatwaves and drought are not usually parents to high-quality wines. However, the wines in barrel confounded merchants’ expectations, with most agreeing that the 2022 vintage was indeed a special one across Bordeaux. Despite the lack of water, the vines did not seem to suffer terribly, remaining in leaf and in good health right up to the harvest. The berries were small and so yields were restricted. All varieties were beautifully ripe, so much so that some properties felt no need to produce any second wines, many opting rather to increase the proportion of press wine in the final blend, such was its quality. Predictably, release prices were very high!

2023 Vintage

In Bordeaux as in many top wine producing regions of the world, it’s a recurring curse to be the vintage that follows a truly exceptional year like 2022. Consider 2001 and how it was overshadowed by 2000; or 2006 by 2005; or more recently, 2021 by 2020. Overlooked they may have been, but these vintages have since proven themselves to offer years of joyful drinking. It would be a great shame if 2023 sat undiscovered in the shadow of the superb 2022s, with early tastings at various top châteaux revealing it to be indeed a delightful, opulent, fruit laden vintage. While the vintage doesn’t quite have the density and power of the 2022’s, there are many examples of superb Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank and wonderful Merlot, particularly from St Emilion’s limestone. The wines have purity and transparency, beautiful freshness, and a charming immediacy with more intensity than the 2021’s. Prices were more modest but were of course coming down from previous highs in 2022, which somewhat mitigated the markets enthusiasm to buy this charming vintage.

Chateau Pontet Canet 2020, Pauillac, 13.5% Abv.

Dense dark and plush, packed full of blue and black berry fruits, hints of cherry kirsch liquor and brown breakfast toast on the nose. Texture is plush and creamy, with a medium weight and a fine-grained tannin, finishing with a melange of black berry fruits, vanilla spice and delicate soft acids. Undoubtedly rich, opulent and ripe without being hedonistic. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pontet Canet 2021, Pauillac, 13% Abv.

A much tighter broodier aromatics with graphite and iodine, pithy black cherry and saline creme de cassis and a dusting of Pauillac gravel minerality. The texture is light, silky and delicate with dry sultry tannins and a very elegant, stony, black fruited finish with a kiss of cedar spice. Light touch, polished but still very seductive. Drink now until 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pontet Canet 2022, Pauillac, 14.5% Abv.

From 2022 in a new bespoke branded lighter bottle that still looks the part. The nose shows plush blueberry crumble, black plum and black cherry confit with a kiss of vanilla pod spice. Sweet fruited with a fine powdery chalky tannin texture, the concentration is notable, the finish long, dry and mouth coating but certainly lacking no freshness. This is undoubtably a very impressive wine but priced accordingly! Drink now to 2045+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Pontet Canet 2023, Pauillac, 13.5% Abv. (Barrel Sample)

A budding fresh barrel sample, interestingly, this bottle is a little further on its journey from examples tasted at En-primeur week. The fruits are dense and ripe, the aromatics unctuous, beautifully layered with black berry compote, salted caramel, warm blueberry crumble and hints of mocha and warm brown toast. The savoury, brûléed hint follows to the plush, dense, opulent palate that shows fine grained tannins, a weightless concentration and a pinpoint fine tannin structure. A bold, ripe Pauillac style expressing the opulence and hedonist nature of the 2023 vintage. Drink now to 2045+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Grand Cercle Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 – The Tasting Highlights from the Famille de Schepper Portfolio…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux gathers in London annually to profile 124 talented Chateaux, selected for their quality and value for money. Covering 27 different appellation areas, the tasting always represents a unique snapshot into currently available vintages, but more importantly, offers a valuable preview of the next En-primeur offering from these producers, in this case, the 2023 vintage.

Whilst 2023 vintage might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage. From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing for many in mid-September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.

Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere 2023, Margaux

Taut, broody and embryonic, the aromatics are spicy and cool, packed full of dark black berries, bramble berries and juniper spice. The palate is medium bodied, spicy and tightly wound with dry grippy mineral tannins, sleek purple and black berry fruits with gentle oak spice on the finish. The acids are fresh but not tart, tangy and well integrated, but should soften to allow the fruits to flesh out after several years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

A attractively fragrant, perfumed aromatics filled with Parma violets, purple flowers and white blossom. The entry is sleek, silky and soft textured showing lovely balance and harmony already, underpinned by spicy black berry, limestone minerality and a hint of graphite on the finish. An impressively polished, tangy, juicy effort from the vintage. 

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (B)

Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Contact Anthony Crameri for ex-cellar trade prices, EU stockists and current vintage availability.

anthony _crameri@orange.fr

Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 – Tasting the Wines of Martin Krajewski of Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

With Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 about to get into full swing, 2023 is indeed one of the most interesting and intriguing vintages in recent years. I visited Bordeaux from the 13th to the 20th September and visited a number of top Chateaux to walk the vineyards and inspect the quality of the grapes. After visits to left bank chateaux including Pedesclaux, Cap Leon Veyrin, and Pichon Baron as well as visits to right bank properties Figeac, Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine, I concluded that the grape quality was indeed excellent.

The original doubts surrounding the vintage were cast after a prolonged spell of wet and humid conditions that struck vineyards at the end of June and early July, leading to intense mildew pressures. With the correct treatments, yields would have been slightly reduced but quality certainly does not seem to have been compromised at the top properties.

Walking through the Chateau Seraphine vineyard in mid-September 2023.

Whilst 2023 might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage.

With Martin Krajewski in his Pomerol vineyards in September 2023.

From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing on the 13th of September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.

Petit Cantenac 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.

The 2023 Petit Cantenac is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that seduces from the very first waft of perfume and macerated black berry fruits in the glass. A little darker and broodier than the Clos Cantenac, the aromatics are once again dense and compact revealing rich notes of macerated black plums, black cherries, hoisin plum sauce, tannery leather and delicate hints of graphite spice. The palate shows impressive balance and symmetry all built around sensual, creamy, fine-grained tannins, supple black berry and black cherry fruits and a limestone mineral spice enlivened on the finish with a bright, seamlessly integrated seam of acidity. Showing attractively bold Cabernet characters in its youth, this is another very finely honed and constructed Petit Cantenac that offers a glimpse of the vintage’s warmth and ripeness while simultaneously retaining a certain amount of classical restraint. Really very classy indeed and undoubtedly… excellent value for money.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos Cantenac 2023, St Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.

This attractive 2023 Clos Cantenac is an exotic 100% Merlot Saint Emilion Grand Cru and displays the luxurious opulence and ripeness of this warm sunny vintage. Vibrant, plush, and deep, the aromatics show intricate notes of macerated black cherries, black berries, raspberries and damson plums together with hints of pressed violets, fresh tobacco leaf, tilled earth, incense, mocha and vanilla pod spice. The palate is fabulously full and textured, dense and mouth-filling with very sweet fine-grained ripe tannins, layers of salty black currant and black cherry fruits, all punctuated by a lingering vein of acid freshness. Perfectly weighted, rich and harmonious but also elegantly accessible and polished, this could be one of the finest young Clos Cantenac vintages I have tasted to date. A real beauty of the vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 95-97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

L’Innocence de Seraphine 2023, Pomerol, 14% Abv.

The 2023 L’Innocence de Seraphine is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc and displays seductively opulent aromatics of perfumed violets and lilies, sweet damson plums, black cherries, blueberries, vanilla essence, freshly cut cedar and sweet exotic Asian spices. The palate is beautifully pinpoint and precise with a sleek, polished texture of saline black berry fruits, crème de cassis, picante dark chocolate and fresh cigars with subtle mineral limestone nuances. The palate shows impressive power and focus with supple, pliant tannins enrobed by ripe black berry fruits, mellow acids, hints of cola and salted caramel, finishing with notes of vanilla pod, mocha and savoury macerated berries. A delightful wine with striking mid-palate weight, power, and balance sufficient to rival most producers’ Grand Vins.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Seraphine 2023, Pomerol, 14.5% Abv.

The 2023 Seraphine Pomerol is another incredibly dense, intense, hedonistic 100% Merlot creation boasting an almost impenetrable black opaque colour, massive extract, and exotic aromatics of white flowers, macerated black cherries, black currants, cola, freshly tilled earth, graphite, cloves and subtle hoisin plum sauce nuances. The palate is plush, full bodied and incredible concentrated, bursting with mouthwatering layers of blueberries, black currant pastille, black cherries and milk chocolate before subtle hints of salty black liquorice and brown toast on the long, persistent finish. This is an incredibly compelling wine with a spellbinding appeal, mouth coating sweet ripe tannins, and a distinctive seam of fresh, bristling acidity that adds requisite tension and delineation to the velvety Merlot fruit. This is up there with some of the finest vintages of Seraphine produced to date. (Only 4,400 bottle production.)

(Wine Safari Score: 97-98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Highlights of Burgundy En-Primeur 2022 – Reviewing the Domaine Jean-Marie Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Over the last twenty years, Domaine Fourrier has turned out to be one of the great success stories in Burgundy, proof that a talented grower with good sites can rise out of near obscurity to make wines that have become some of the most sought-after in the region. The man behind this rapid rise is Jean-Marie Fourrier, whose father generously handed over control in 1994, when his son was twenty-four. He is lucky to have a large stock of old vines, but as ever, the secret to his success is meticulous work in the vineyards.

Jean-Marie does not follow organic methods specifically, but rather he tries to keep chemical treatments to a minimum and is more of an ‘intuitive anticipator’ of vineyard problems. While always remaining true to their terroirs, his wines have won over a legion of Burgundy collectors and followers with their unashamed ripeness, textural polish, and an all-round seductiveness that is normally instantly recognisable, but without ever compromising on the wines’ age ability.

Vintage 2022 in Burgundy:

The 2022 vintage undoubtedly represents a return to a warmer and dryer style of season after the trials and tribulations of the complex, frost affected, low yielding but high quality 2021 vintage. The 2022 conditions and wine styles have more in keeping with the trilogy of riper years in 2018-2019-2020 despite the region having had several near misses with frost during the season with low -4c temperatures recorded in April.

Fortunately, after a very meagre but high quality 2021 harvest, the volumes of 2022 rebounded, as is often the case with frost affected vines, with some generous grape yields of excellent quality for both reds and whites after a warm, dry summer without any heat spikes. Harvesting generally began towards the end of August in the Cotes de Beaune and in early September in the Cotes de Nuits and Chablis. The resultant wines are beautifully ripe and vibrant, with invigorating fruit concentration, crystalline purity, and delicious mouthwatering intensity.

Domaine Jean-Marie Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques 2022, Burgundy, France

A very classy, plush aromatics which suggests great pedigree and power but announces it with true elegance and soft-spoken restraint. There’s a lovely melange of both red and black fruits, strawberry, black cherry, red currant and plum spice. The palate is deliciously bright, sleek and fleshy but also beautifully delineated, with fresh underlying acids punctuating the focus and purity of fruit. All wonderfully in balance, the fleshy sweet fruit is tight knit, taut but silky, the tannins powdery and mineral. Very elegant and supremely classy with the archetypal Fourrier fruit purity and palate concentration but importantly with energising, revitalising acids in this warm ripe vintage. Yet again a thoroughly seductive Gevrey-Chambertin from this blue chip 1er Cru vineyard. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)