Btls

Avail.

Btl

Size

Wine
Where available, tasting scores and notes are by Robert Parker (RP) and taken from his website www.erobertparker.com  or Stephen Tanzer (ST) from www.wineaccess.com

Year

Price per
Bottle
including
VAT

Tasting
Score/Notes
Best Drinking

GISCOURS
Margaux
RP - Giscours has been on a hot streak, fashioning full-bodied, powerful wines.
The forward 2005 reveals notes of chocolate, sweet cherries, plums, figs, and dried herbs in its opulent, corpulent personality. With decent acidity, huge glycerine and concentration, and a long, fleshy, heady finish, it possesses an in-your-face, flamboyant style that is somewhat out of character for the vintage. It is an impressive, challenging, hedonistic as well as intellectually satisfying claret that should drink well reasonably young.

GISCOURS
Margaux

As above , but with US strip labels

GISCOURS
Margaux

As above , but HALF-BOTTLES!
(NO US strip labels)

GISCOURS
Margaux

As above , but MAGNUMS!
(NO US strip labels)

GISCOURS
Margaux
RP - A big, smoky, tapenade, plum, black currant, and spring flower-scented nose is followed by a medium to full-bodied, textured, layered wine with sweet tannin, low acidity, and impressive concentration as well as depth. This is a gorgeous, hedonistic yet complex Margaux to drink now and over the next 12-14 years

GISCOURS
Margaux
RP - Giscours should be taken seriously by consumers as the quality has been ratcheted up over the last 7-8 years. The deep ruby/purple-hued 2003 offers complex, evolved aromatics of wood smoke, chocolate, charcoal, black cherry jam, and cassis. Lush, medium to full-bodied, and broad, with low acidity, copious glycerine, and a layered, persistent finish (it lasts for 40+ seconds), this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 15 years.

GISCOURS
Margaux
RP - The deep plum/purple-coloured 2001 exhibits notes of melted liquorice, barbecue spices, violets, black currants, and a hint of blackberries. Medium-bodied and fleshy, with a cunning style that sneaks up on the palate, building in increments, this pure, rich, concentrated yet elegant, charming effort provides further evidence of this chateau’s strong rebound.

GISCOURS
Margaux
RP - Probably the finest Giscours made since the 1975, this black/purple-coloured 2000 offers up terrific notes of camphor, creosote, blackberry, and cassis jam intermixed with notions of smoke and earth. Spicy, with low acidity, a big, rich, fleshy, full-bodied palate, outstanding texture, and a long, pure finish, it is, to reiterate, one of the best Giscours produced over the last 25 years.

D'ISSAN
Margaux
RP - Along with the 2000, the 2005 is one of the two greatest d’Issans I have ever tasted. Kudos to proprietor Emmanuel Cruse for creating this beauty. Its dense purple hue is accompanied by aromas of camphor, forest floor, blackberries, cassis, and a hint of spring flowers. Full-bodied with superb richness, purity, texture, and abundant, sweet tannin, it should hit its stride in 3-4 years, and last for 25+. Bravo!

KIRWAN
Margaux
Wine Spectator - Has loads of coffee, blackberry and cigar box aromas, turning to crushed blackberry. Full-bodied, with big, chewy tannins and an aftertaste of vanilla, blackberry and espresso. Mouth puckering.
Very concentrated and structured for this wine.

LASCOMBES
Margaux
Wine Spectator - Dark in colour, with an impressive nose of liquorice, toasty oak, chocolate and blackberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish.
Very pretty and structured.

LASCOMBES
Margaux
RP - Another brilliant effort from this estate, the 2004 Lascombes (a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot) exhibits a deep blue/purple hue along with a sweet perfume of blueberries, black raspberries, cherries, incense, smoke, and spring flowers. While opulent, underneath the full-bodied richness of fruit and depth is a structured wine. As it sits in the glass, an espresso roast character (no doubt from new oak) also emerges. Enjoy this pure, structured, fleshy beauty between 2010-2025.

LASCOMBES
Margaux
RP - In less than five years this property has emerged as one of the appellation’s up and coming stars thanks to the infusion of money from the American conglomerate, Colony Capital, as well as the braintrust that now oversees the winemaking, Yves Vatelot (of Reignac fame) and the internationally renowned oenologist, Michel Rolland.
The dark plum/ruby-hued, open-knit 2003 offers a big, sweet nose of barbecue smoke, plum liqueur, crème de cassis, flowers, new saddle leather, and damp earth. Loads of black fruits, a full-bodied palate impression, low acidity, and a savoury, expansive mouth feel.

ALTER EGO PALMER
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Palmer
The top wine currently sells for approx. £284 a bottle! So this represents excellent value.
Wine Spectator - Dark in colour, with intense, very ripe aromas of raisin, tar and liquorice. Full-bodied, with loads of ripe tannins, wonderful dried fruit character and a long, super fruity finish.
 A lovely second wine from Palmer.

ALTER EGO PALMER
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Palmer
The top wine currently sells for approx. £89.00 a bottle! So this represents excellent value.
RP - The tasty 2004 Alter Ego may turn out to be outstanding. This brilliant effort boasts a deep ruby/purple colour as well as abundant amounts of black currant, chocolate, liquorice, and espresso characteristics. Lush, heady, and ripe.

PALMER
Margaux
RP - The dense ruby/purple-hued 2006 Palmer reveals sweet aromas of melted liquorice, underbrush, toast, plums, and black cherries. Outstanding density, a medium to full-bodied style, and a personality that recalls 1996, this blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot possesses moderately high tannins as well as plenty of aging potential.

PALMER
Margaux
RP - This spectacular offering should continue to improve, and may merit an even higher score after additional aging. Stunningly rich and powerful, the dark purple-tinged 2005 Palmer is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 7% Petit Verdot. Aromas of incense, burning embers, black currants, plums, liquorice, and flowers are followed by a full-bodied Margaux with more weight and power even than its nearby first-growth rival, Chateau Margaux. The abundant acidity and tannins are beautifully coated by the wine’s exceptional fruit extract and overall harmony and richness. It is so concentrated that one is hard pressed to find even a hint of new oak.

PALMER
Margaux
RP - One of the stars of the vintage, the 2004 Palmer, a blend of 47% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, is a significantly richer, fuller-bodied, and potentially more complex wine than the 2003, 2002, and 2001. The 2004's dense blue/purple colour is followed by an extraordinary nose of acacia flowers, charcoal, crème de cassis, and grilled meats. This powerful, heady, full-bodied effort may turn out to be a modern day version of Palmer’s brilliant 1966.

PALMER
Margaux
RP - This has turned out to be a prodigious Palmer. The saturated purple colour offers up sexy, full-bodied, almost masculine notes of roasted meats, blackberries, and crème de cassis intermixed with notions of toast, smoke, and camphor. Only 50% of the production made it into the 2000, a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. The wine is opulent, rich, and full-bodied, with tannin that has become sweeter with age. Its best showing yet, most importantly, has been from bottle.
This is a great Palmer that should rival the best of recent vintages, which have all been stunning, as this estate continues to go from strength to strength.

PAVILLON ROUGE
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Margaux
The top wine currently sells for approx. £360 a bottle! So this represents excellent value.

Wine Spectator - Very fruity, mineral and raspberry character. Full and silky, with fine tannins. Slightly hollow mid-palate. Yet long and sweet fruit and firm tannins.

PAVILLON ROUGE
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Margaux
The top wine currently sells for approx. £670 a bottle! So this represents excellent value.

RP - Margaux’s second wine gets better with each vintage. The 2005 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux (200,000 bottles produced) is an equal part blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a hefty alcohol content. Fleshy, opulent, and nearly decadent, with terrific fruit, a creamy texture, and supple tannin.

PAVILLON ROUGE
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Margaux

As above , but HALF-BOTTLES!
 

PAVILLON ROUGE
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Margaux
The top wine currently sells for approx. £215.00 a bottle! So this represents excellent value.

RP - Margaux’s second wine, the 2004 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux, may turn out to be outstanding.
Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by fleshy notes of black currants, cherries, smoke, earth, and spring flowers. Lovely, ripe, and opulent.

SEGLA
Margaux
2nd Wine of Chateau Rauzan-Segla
The top wine currently sells for approx. £50.00 a bottle!
This wine is wonderful value, as the top wine was given 90points.
We are currently drinking the 1996 Segla vintage, it is a lovely drink - we highly recommend this wine!

RAUZAN-SEGLA
Margaux
RP - This wine has become more structured and backward since I tasted it last year. Only 48% of the production made it into the final blend (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc). Revealing loads of muscle along with floral-infused sweet black currant fruit, superb density, high tannin, and an austere, but impressively pure and textured mouthfeel.

RAUZAN-SEGLA
Margaux
RP - Rauzan-Segla’s finesse-styled 2004 offers raspberry, cherry, forest floor, and dried herb-like characteristics in its deep ruby/purple-hued, medium-bodied personality. With excellent purity, freshness, and precision, it is not a blockbuster claret, but rather a stylish, elegant, accessible effort with sweet tannin.

RAUZAN-SEGLA
Margaux
RP - 53% of the crop made it into this blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. An outstanding wine with a dark ruby/purple colour and more power, richness, and concentration than its younger sibling, the 2002 reveals outstanding potential, exhibiting plenty of concentrated black currant fruit with some vanilla, herbs, and liquorice. It has about the same level of tannin as the 2003, but seems to have sweeter fruit and more mid-palate and length.