Focus On Second Growth Bordeaux: 2000-2019
We are delighted to offer a look at a small selection of Second Growth Bordeaux in original cases. Containing examples from Pichon Baron, Montrose and Ducru Beaucaillou from a number of vintages between 2000 and 2019, this is the perfect opportunity to add some serious Claret to your collection.
Details are below, do take a look and let us know if you would like any of these cases secured. Lead times and condition reports are available on request.
2000 Chateau Leoville Barton
1cs (12*75cl OWC) @ £1,250 per case in bond
95+ points Robert Parker
Concentrated and full of still-confident tannins at 21 years old, this really gives a sense of how slowly and carefully Gruaud Larose ages. Black pepper spice ripples through the blackberry and blackcurrant liqueur, and you feel the ripeness in the grapes. Black truffle, slate and espresso come out as it opens, as is so often the case with Gruaud Larose, along with plenty of charred cedar and a juicy finish. Now opening up, but still with the freshness and slightly austere tannins of a young wine, a brilliant combination of power and delicacy. Harvest September 21 to October 4, 35% new oak. (2010) www.robertparker.
2000 Chateau Leoville Poyferre
1cs mags (6*150cl OWC) @ £1,800 per case in bond
97 points Robert Parker
The plushest, most ostentatious and dramatic of all the Leovilles in 2000, this wine is already sumptuous, displaying some nuances in its huge nose of vanilla bean, black chocolate, jammy black cherries, cassis, and graphite in a flamboyant style. Opulent, savory, rich, and full-bodied, it is a head-turning, prodigious wine and a complete contrast to the extracted behemoth of Leoville Barton and the backward, classic Leoville Las Cases. The Poyferre’s low acidity, sweet tannin and an already gorgeous mouthfeel make it a wine to drink now as well as over the next 25 or more years. (2010) www.robertparker.com Drink 2010-2035
2000 Chateau Pichon Baron
1cs mags (6*150cl OWC) @ £2,550 per case in bond
98 points Jeb Dunnuck
The best since the 1990, the 2000 Pichon-Longueville Baron is just now starting to shed some baby fat and develop additional complexity and layers. This still ruby/plum-colored beauty boasts a phenomenal nose of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, lead pencil shavings, and new saddle leather. It’s deep, full-bodied, and sexy, with incredible amounts of texture and opulence that keeps you coming back to the glass. It makes a mockery of so many Bordeaux today that are made in a so-called elegant style yet lack the fat, richness, and density to ever hit this high a level. With low acidity, beautiful purity of fruit, sweet tannins, and a great finish, it’s in the early to middle range of its drink window (I love it today) and has another two decades of sensational drinking ahead. Readers wanting to know what truly great Bordeaux tastes like should open a bottle of this! (2019) www.jebdunnuck.
2006 Chateau Pichon Lalande
1cs mags (6*150cl OWC) @ £1,600 per case in bond
95 points Antonio Galloni
One of the most pleasant and unexpected surprises in this tasting, the 2006 Pichon Lalande is gorgeous, which is something I can’t say about too many wines in a vintage marked by climatic ups and downs and irregular ripening. Dark, powerful and intense, the 2006 possesses exceptional balance. A host of black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and menthol flesh out in this decidedly somber, virile Pichon Lalande. In a vintage in which so many wines are so rustic, the 2006 Pichon Lalande is all class. This sleeper Pichon Lalande will drink well for at least the next two decades, perhaps longer. (2017) www.vinous.com Drink 2017-2037
2009 Chateau Montrose
1cs (6*75cl OWC) @ £1,225 per case in bond
100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2009 Montrose prances out with showy notes of blackcurrant preserves, blackberry pie, dark chocolate, anise, and violets with touches of menthol and fallen leaves. The medium to full-bodied is jam packed with impactful black fruit preserves, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with epic length and wonderfully fragrant. (2023) www.thewineindependent.com
2018 Chateau Rauzan Segla
1cs (6*75cl OWC) @ £450 per case in bond
99 points Jeb Dunnuck
Reminding me of the 2016, the 2018 Château Rauzan-Segla reveals this beautifully fresh, complex bouquet that still has serious richness and depth. Based on 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in 65% new barrels, it offers a dense purple hue to go with gorgeous notes of blackcurrants, spring flowers, cigar wrapper, and sandalwood. A quintessential Margaux with its spicy, complex, floral character, it’s full-bodied and has a supple, elegant texture, no hard edges, a solid spine of acidity, and a great, great finish. This is a brilliant, heavenly 2018 to enjoy over the coming 30 years or more. (2021) www.jebdunnuck.com Drink 2021-2051
2019 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
1cs (6*75cl OWC) @ £840 per case in bond
99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, the 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou is deep garnet-purple in color. It has closed a little since last tasting a few months ago, requiring considerable shaking to bring out notes of blackcurrant pastilles, redcurrant jelly, and wild blueberries plus hints of lilacs, mocha, and black olives. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with bright, vibrant, black fruit with a lively backbone and very fine-grained tannins, finishing long and fragrant. This is beautiful! (2023) www.thewineindependent.com
Offered subject to final confirmation. Condition reports and lead times of request.
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