January 21, 2024 - Second day sample. Same bottle as JVIZ. Held together quite well. Blinded I thought this was a ‘90 Right bank. Melded integrated tannins. Nice Smokey nose with tobacco notes. Quite good.
January 20, 2024 - Showing nicely and held together into the second day in the bottle. This shows warm, red bricked notes with sun kissed fruit. Therefore emblematic of the vintage, but I would’ve perhaps, leaned toward the right bank, suspecting a higher percentage of CF and perhaps Merlot. It has held together beautifully, remains in balance, and a lovely wine to have with some steaks.Maybe a little musty on the pop, but that seemed to blow off in this case
December 19, 2023 - Christmas Wimps 2023 - Clean Bandit (La Trompette): Wow - with each succeeding wine we are reaching greater heights. This is fully mature, some tertiary characteristics and a hint of camp-fire but with a pencil-line of precision going through the middle of it. A lovely wine caught at its peak.
December 14, 2023 - Christmas Wimps (La Trompette, Chiswick): 8/12, quietly aromatic, red and black fruit, gravelly mineral, touch of antique furniture. Medium bodied, notably lean after the previous wines, but in a good, if slightly old-fashioned way, fully resolved, fresh acids, sneaky length. Excellent, drinking well, I can’t see any upside from here but should be fine for 5 years or so at least.
December 14, 2023 - Christmas Cornucopia WIMPS #172 14th December 2023 (La Trompette, Chiswick): Green pepper, tobacco and a little torn tarragon here with air some suggestions of cigar box and a couple of ppm of red currant jelly sweetness. Palate so well balanced with a charming savouriness, tannins are so fine. Delightful. With time in the glass there are hints of marzipan and blood orange. Neck and neck for wine of the lunch for me.
September 24, 2023 - From an OWC. The wine was well integrated and fresh with good sweetness and acidity. Just drinking very well at peak with vibrancy. A pleasant surprise.
December 20, 2022 - This was lovely - probably starting to enter the downslope now but just great - not thrilling by any means, but has perfect balance, cedar, pencil lead, fading menthol, and almost refreshing. A treat.
December 19, 2022 - Gareth's "best of the 80s and 90s" (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Absolutely smashing wine, and the start of a tremendous flight (that, happily, was served with the main course of food). Very earthy and refreshing, full of red fruit on the midpalate and then moving to a tangy, darker-toned finish. So well-formed, just lovely. Group #2, just pipping the '98.
December 19, 2022 - Gareth's Bordeaux Dinner - Hawksmoor Guildhall - Best of 80s and 90s (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): 7/12. Lovely composed, dark fruited nose, with lovely, classic smoky mineral notes, touch of tobacco. Medium boided, elegant and composed with cool, dark fruit, touch of gravel, tobacco, fine tannins, fresh acids and a very good length harmonious finish. Lovely
December 13, 2022 - Beautiful tertiary notes of forest floor and tobacco. Palate a touch thin for the vintage. Good, drink up.