Provenance

Private Client

Critics Ratings

Brane-Cantenac Margaux 2009
‘Ripe and fleshy, with an enticing mix of linzer torte, currant confiture and crushed plum fruit offset by hints of briar and bay leaf. The long finish lets roasted apple wood, singed iron and tobacco leaf notes fill in, while staying plush in feel. Combines the ripeness of the vintage with a nice old-school feel. Best from 2013 through 2025.’ – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 92/100 (Mar 2012)

‘Warm and rounded, this spicy wine has wood flavors just showing through the ripe fruit. It is already delicious, with rich blackberry flavors right up front, although its aging potential is evident with the concentrated, deep structure.’ – Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 94/100 (Feb 2012)

Clinet Pomerol 2005
'The opaque ruby/purple 2005 Clinet offers incredibly fragrant aromatics, an opaque ruby/purple color, and a wonderfully sweet nose of flowers, blackberries, licorice, truffle and caramel. Full-bodied, powerful and rich, it is not as nuanced or complex as the top four or five Pomerols, but close. This is a broad, meaty, masculine, super-rich and concentrated wine, with lavish plum, blackcurrants and blackberries. Drink it five years from now, and over the following 30 or more years.' - ­Tasted 2015 - Robert Parker 96/100

Forts de Latour Pauillac 2007
‘Big and bold for the year, the tannins quite solid with a tight character. The fruit flavors are rich and intense, spiced with toast and acidity. Through it all goes the tell-tale 2007 streak of acidity.’ – Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 92/100 (Apr 2010)

Palmer Margaux 2005
‘The 2005 Château Palmer is a legend in the making. Apparently the vines received 57% less rain than average, yet the 2005 shrugs off any water deficiency and has nurtured a wondrously pixelated bouquet, whereby mineralité shines through the black cherry and blueberry fruit. Search deeper and you discover veins of graphite that impart a Pauillac-like allure. The palate is medium-bodied and intense, but it is not overwhelming, a Margaux that is galvanized with a firm backbone thereby ensuring this will age over the long term. The symmetry here is enthralling - a 2005 that is destined for greatness. The only question is whether it will surpass the 2009 or 2010 Palmer? – Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 97/100 (May 2016)

‘Aromas of black tar, chocolate and berries lead to a wine that is so effortlessly delicious that it's easy to forget the power the Merlot gives it. The center is round, but dark, filled with sweetness; the outer layers are full of red jelly and toast. There are tannins, but they, too, are sweet.’ – Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 96/100 (June 2008)

Pichon Baron Pauillac 2005
'The 2005 Pichon Baron has a dense ruby/purple color, sweet crème de cassis fruit, lots of cedar wood and forest floor, medium to full body, ripe tannin, and a long finish of a good 30+ seconds. This is a beauty and one of the most successful Pauillacs of this vintage. Drink it now through 2035.' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 93/100 (2015)

Pichon Lalande Pauillac 2004
There is only one question about what is otherwise a magnificent wine - whether the current dominant wood flavors will soften and blend enough. If they do, then the powerful fruit, spice and freshness will all come together in a stellar wine.’ - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 94/100 (June 2007)

Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Léognan 2007
'Remarkably dark and youthful-looking. Lots of oak sweetness and char still showing on the nose. Coffee and dark fruit. Savoury and dry and so backward compared with others in this vintage. Dry and elegant though not especially generous.' - Jancis Robinson MW, Jancis Robinson.com, 16.5+/20 (Feb 2017)