Ex-Château. A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% ABV. Very bright and lifted nose, slightly volatile, flowers and cherries, elegant and fresh palate, firm and very fine tannins, lovely hint of oak spice, tight finish with excellent length. Needs a few years, but will turn out very well.

Ex-Château. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, 14% ABV. Expressive nose, more complexity and spicy depth than the 2017, grenadine and peonies said Mariëlle Cazaux, richly textured but elegant palate, real elegance and finesse, already approachable, perfect balance, excellent resonance and length. A great wine, great future.

Ex-Château. Clearly warmer nose than the 2016, plummy and spicy, relatively big and rich palate for La Conseillante, solaire style, harvested quite ripe at the behest of consultant Michel Rolland, creamy fruit, lowish acidity, very well judged tannins enveloped in flesh, very good but not outstanding length.

Ex-Château. So drinkable and elegant, starting to show some maturity, hint of truffle, gentle vegetal notes, perfumed, red cherries, Burgundian style, percaline tannins, light but long finish. Much better than when tasted in 2017.

Ex-Château. From a separate parcel. blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV, Made with 50% new oak, 50% barrels d’un vin. Creamy and silky, much lighter than the Grand Vin, elegant and Burgundian, really delighttful, charming and flowing, good length.

Typical 2008 freshness, crushed red berries, hint of incense, still quite primary, slowly developing hints of undergrowth and truffle, finely grained tannins, clear and transparent, very good but not great length. Classic Pomerol.

Quite firm and tannic for La Conseillante, a child of its era, lovely balance and weight, deep black truffle and wood spice, good fruit and freshness but a bit dusty, develops well on the finish.

A very good bottle. Elegant and open, mature but fresh and lively, complex, firm but flowing, bright and precise, retains its fruit, nutty and floral, sandy tannins, excellent length with a hint of oak. Outpaces the 2000 (even in the ex-Château magnum tasted later on). 94

Ex-Château. On the nose the Cabernet Franc really stands out, slightly estery red berries and cherries, opens up to spicy depth; the palate is slightly on the dry and vegetal side but it does not lack fruit, firm acidity and papery tannins, the finish is tight but not raw and develops well. Needs more oxygen right now than this bottle got.

Ex-Château. Very energetic, fresh and well balanced, deep and harmonious, just starting to develop its complexity, firm but very fine tannins, very long finish. Not very communicative right now, give it ten years at least. Score based on potential now. 95

Ex-Château. Deep and spicy, richer than the 2006 but not less tannic (in fact more so), fleshy and meaty, creamy and smoky, silky and sexy, broad and caressing, marvellous finish. La Conseillante at its most seductive.

Ex-Château. Magnum. Rich aromatics but quite light from the structural perspective, little tannins left, creamy and gentle, less energetic than the 2001, cigarbox, mature and flowing, has reached complete maturity.

Deep and very mature, clearly oxidative, lovage, acidity just starting to separate. Past best. Not rated.

Pure and precise, fresh and bright, mulberries, beautifully expressive of vintage and vineyard, real charm and finesse, wonderful resonance and length.

Deep and rich, spicy and concentrated, lots of oak, a powerhouse without much botrytis, inspires respect rather than love.

Light and flowing but with good concentration, wax and a hint of honey, delicate oak, ripe citrus, apricot, grapefruit bitters, vanilla cream, very good length. A lovely surprise.

Riper than the Schaefer Domprobst which accompanied it, a lot of reduction, very good but perhaps not the ultimate in finesse.

Filigree, light and bright, tension and charm, perfumed nose, pure and direct, long. Explosive aromatics, benchmark stuff.

Lots of reduction. wonderful acidity and cut, warmer and waxy, more opulent than the Mosels but with lots of acidity, long and with great drive.

Steely, reduced, slightly dusty, laser like acidity, energy, ripe citrus.

Really fresh and crisp, apple and citrus and passion fruit, steely acidity and some skin bitters, almost dry, hint of waxy maturity.

AP 02 12. Half bottle. Still light and fresh, steely and crisp, youthful and delicately yeasty with a hint of waxy richness and maturity.

Steely acidity, great drive and energy, hint of earth, almost entirely primary, very impressive. Starting to enter its window of drinkability.

AP 18 05. It is well documented that there were three Scharzhofberger Kabinetts in 2004, AP 06 05, AP 07 05 and AP 08 05 (Auction). Apparently there was a fourth one however, this magnificent AP 18 05. It manages to be huge without any weight, with incredible drive and power, wax and cassis, so tightly wound, this must be the ultimate Saar Kabinett. WOTN for many, including me.

AP 03 03. Very light and fresh colour, smoky and waxy, more mature and less energetic than the otherworldly 2004 AP 18 05, but a very fine Kabinett all the same.

AP 2 90. More developed than the 2004 and 2002, peach and slate, waxy depth, lots of minerality, fresh and deep, salty finish.

Waxy, apple, fresh but rounded, mature but lively, fresher than the bottle tasted in April 2022.

AP 13 12. Deep and rich but energetic and precise, peach and grapefruit, elegant and fresh, seems to be developing very well with botlle age.

AP 17 12. Real power and energy, super fresh for a 2011, waxy and sappy, cassis and peach, slate, quite sweet, another example of a sweet 2011 that is developing very well with bottle age.

AP 12 12. Half bottle. Rich grapefruit, passion fruit, electric acidity, incredible drive and energy for 2011, concentrated palate, almost Auslese weight but a very precise Spätlese in style.

AP 05 77. Tired but holding on. Hints of chocolate and marzipan, raisins, the structure is still fresh but the aromas are very developed.