St Julien

This is the first vintage of our own-label St Julien to be made by Ch. Léoville-Las Cases, one of the finest properties in Bordeaux. Broodingly deep, dark and glossy in the glass, it has a ripe nose of black cherries, crème de cassis and cedar wood. The full-bodied palate is laden with pure blackcurrant fruit, wood-smoke and has a long, complex finish. A blend of 63 percent Merlot and 37 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, the superb 2016 vintage will repay a year or two in the cellar, but is hard to resist now.

A very solid performer both in terms of quality and pricing. It is very difficult to find any cheap back vintage of Ch. Talbot and when we do it is always at a higher price that release. The 2014 made under the watchful eyes of the famous consultant Stephane Derenoncourt is a stunner. Blackcurrant and cherries on the nose with a touch of cedar, one of the most focused and fresh wine of the appellation, lovely concentration and depth on the palate, bags of black fruits in the middle and and excellent finish with firm but ripe tannins. Serious and structured it will provide customers with generous fresh early drinking while having all the ingredients for long term cellaring. Definitely one to watch.
Max Lalondrelle, Fine Wine Buying Director/Bordeaux Buyer A very solid performer both in terms of quality and pricing. It is very difficult to find any cheap back vintages of Ch. Talbot and when we do it is always at a higher price than at release. The 2014 was made under the watchful eyes of the famous consultant Stephane Derenoncourt and it is a stunner. Blackcurrant and cherries on the nose with a touch of cedar, one of the most focused and fresh wines of the appellation, lovely concentration and depth on the palate, bags of black fruits in the middle and and an excellent finish with firm but ripe tannins. Serious and structured, it will provide customers with generous fresh early drinking while having all the ingredients for long term cellaring. Definitely one to watch.
Max Lalondrelle, Fine Wine Buying Director/Bordeaux Buyer

The easy-going charm of 2014 as a vintage suits Talbot’s cheerful character well. Displaying a plethora of ripe, plump dark fruits with a depth of flavour this is going to delight followers of this perennially popular château.
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager

Sarget de Gruaud Larose is the second wine of Second Growth Ch. Gruaud Larose, a property that produces some of St Julien's most full-bodied and long-lived wines. Often a staff favourite at Berry Bros. & Rudd, Sarget is capable of serious ageing for a second wine, while 2006 is a dark horse of a vintage that suffered by following the great 2005 vintage.

A textbook St Julien nose of cigar-box, pencil shaving and cedar combines with smooth cassis and spice. It’s elegant and smooth on the palate, but with good structure and composed, fine-grained tannins. This is quintessential Claret and outstandingly good value.

The Bartons never make a bad wine; they always offer outstanding value and also have a knack of producing gorgeous wines in slightly off vintages. This may make life a tad predictable but it certainly explains why Langoa-Barton rightly flies out the door year in, year out. Made from almost 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, their 2007 is a particularly good edition with lovely pure plums and damsons on the nose and surprisingly refined, fresh, creamy raspberries and cassis on the palate. There is surprising weight, grip and focus although a fleshy structure will ensure highly pleasurable early drinking.

This Fourth Growth St Julien estate has been performing consistently well for the past several vintages and 2014 is no exception. The nose is pretty, attractively perfumed, fresh and expressive. The palate is dominated by rich, fleshy fruit. There is a purity here, great precision and ripe tannins which grip, and offer an intense focus. High acidity, complexity and a persistence on the finish suggest this wine has excellent potential for aging. Elegant and fine, it is a wine that the château can be proud of. Bravo indeed.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc

Ch. Saint-Pierre is one of the smaller and lesser known properties within the appellation of St Julien. The 2015 brims with juicy red and black forest fruit, while the palate has a savoury twist of graphite. Full-bodied and flavoursome, this displays ripe, firm tannins and refreshingly crunchy fruit on the finish.

Another estate which, without shouting it from the rooftops, has been quietly elevating itself to the very highest echelons of the Bordeaux hierarchy. The bouquet is one of the most opulent we experienced this year, laced with ripe black fruits.

The palate is amazingly harmonious, with gorgeous integration between oak and fruit, and the purity and precision is awesome. Beautifully balanced, this is one of my stars of the vintage, as it has been for the past 2 years.

Surprisingly accessible as well as supple, this 2001 St.-Julien reveals a deep plum/purple color along with a rich bouquet of smoke, roasted vegetables, black currants, plums, licorice, and Asian spices. Velvety-textured and medium-bodied, with loads of fruit, and a plump, expansive, plush texture, this is an atypically forward Gruaud Larose to drink now and over the next 12-14 years.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Jun-2004)

With its excellent terroir, Beychevelle should produce one of the great wines of the region. Well, shock horror, in 2006 it has made a big leap towards doing exactly that. With lovely unctuous fruit and silky concentration, this surprisingly powerful 2006 is a revelation. General Manager Philippe Blanc has plans to replant some of his Merlot with Cabernet in the future and it is no coincidence that the success of this focused, sexy 2006 has the lowest amount of Merlot (29%) and the highest amount of Cabernet Sauvignon (59%) ever. Snap this up before the prices start going the same way.

Performing better from bottle than it did from cask, this blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc has put on weight over the last year. It exhibits the classic style of both Las Cases and St.-Julien in its deep black currant notes interwoven with sweet cherries, wet stones, and toasty vanillin. Made in a structured, medium to full-bodied style with superb concentration, beautiful purity, and admirable symmetry, this beauty is one of the strongest efforts of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028. Also tasted: 2004 Clos du Marquis (88)
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2007

Ch. Gruaud Larose is a Deuxième Cru Classé property that produces one of St Julien's most full-bodied and long-lived wines. Sometimes tannic and ungainly in youth, with bottle-age the wines become marvellously harmonious, developing complex and beguiling characteristics of concentrated black fruits, cedar, spices and liquorice.

Deeply coloured, massively structured, with ample mature tannins, spicy oak and tobacco-scented dark berry fruit. A wine of undisputed ageing potential, this is drinking gloriously now.

Personifying St Julien in such a lovely way. Mature but with seductive grip this is a classic Claret lovers treat. Lovely leather and earth aromas of Cabernet dominate the palate and nose of this very classy reasonably priced Super Second growth. Needs an hour and half in a decanter and served at old fashioned room temperature 17 c. Lovely.

From the bottle, it has an attractive bouquet with plush blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, indeed, showing more fruité than I was expecting. There is a roundness to these aromatics, perhaps a little more like 1985 in some ways. The palate is medium-bodied and here the seriousness and structure of the 1986 vintages shows through. There is impressive body and though it felt firm and masculine on the finish, there is clearly sufficient fruit that counterbalances the backbone. The decanted version showed a little more volatility on the nose, but here I discerned more complexity on the palate. The 1986 Ducru poured directly from bottle felt a little more savory and strangely, more cohesive, with more of the terroir coming through on the slightly loamy, brown sugar-tinged finish. 
Drinking window: 2016-2036
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate - Dec 2016

This has an attractive perfume of dark fruits, blackcurrant, cassis, spice, cinnamon and mocha. The wine is tight, taut with a refreshing weight on the mid-palate and fine-grained tannins.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 59%, Merlot 31%, Petit Verdot 6%, Cabernet Franc 4%

This two-bottle case of pitch-perfect claret will slip down alongside turkey, cheese or even less traditional red meat options. From Second Growth property Ch. Gruaud Larose and the lauded 1989 vintage, this exquisite wine is now showing complex notes of sweet, dried fruit, leather and tobacco. This is the ultimate gift for any Bordeaux aficionado.

Contains two bottles (75cl) of:
1989 Ch. Gruaud Larose, St Julien, Bordeaux

Presented in a wooden case