Petit Village 1999

Pomerol AOC. Still dark and luscious on the eye, Cool, minty bouquet. V fresh. On entry, still juicy, substantial w good body and mouth feel. Sweet redcurrants all round. Fruit is lively but not just a fruit bomb - can still sense a good tannin framework in the background. Still has several years of life left in this. Excellent right banker (9.0/10).

La Fleur Petrus 2002

Pomerol AOC. Compliments of a generous friend. A strong vanilla nose, toasted oak and discreet black fruits. Great nose. On the palate, v fruit-forward yet tannic structure is q imposing but v well-defined. Black fruits and Asian spice aplenty. Mid to full bodied. Masculine but polished w v good velvety mouth-feel. Persistent finish. From the towering tannins, long life ahead (9.3/10).

du Tertre 2008

Margaux 5GCC. A rather inviting bouquet of cool cherries and wet stones- classy and polished - smells expensive. Smooth entry, mid-palate of predominately sour cherries and some tobacco elements. Elegant but v light-bodied, not much weight in the mouth. A rather straight-forward wine, nothing dramatic or interesting going on. Short finish. Decent wine but poor QPR (8.1/10).

Celeste Crianza 2009

Ribera del Duoro, Spain. Usually q a reliable region but this turned out disappointing. Inky saturated purple, v heavy legs. Cool blue fruits w strong medicinal/ alcohol cocktail on the nose, almost like in a hospital. Good assertive hit on entry, black tannic fruits mixed w a large dose of sour cherries and a touch of espresso. Not bad but appears somewhat confused and imprecise. Mid to full-bodied. Loose grip. Ended like how it began - w a strong alcoholic streak (7.9/10). Note the series of 90-pointer stickers below the bottle - have to disagree w the pros on this one.

Cantemerle 2005

Haut Medoc 5GCC. Had high hopes for this bottle, considering especially how well the Les Allees '05 was drinking. http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/06/les-allees-de-cantemerle-2005.html

Dark, youthful garnet in colour. Nose of smoky violets, q closed still. Good structure and grip, but tannins and acids are all dominating now. Mid-bodied and has decent weight. But oak is all in front now overwhelming the fruit and anything else. Some espresso. Finish is rather dry and pedestrian. Needs more time/ decant maybe (8.2/10)