Leoville Barton 2004

St Julien 2GCC. The flag bearer of traditional left bank Bordeaux. Simply amazing. Decanted 2 hours but barely enough - just at the start of its long drinking window. Cool, minty black fruit and oak dominated nose. Assertive masculine entry that transitions to an approachable, creamy middle core. Powerful blackcurrants at play with secondary Asian spices and mint. Still dark, brooding and serious. 10 second finish. All components are in place for a great wine, with no part overpowering the others - great symphony. Solid but not outlandish. The perfect left banker? Close enough (9.8/10)

Cantenac Brown 2000

Margaux 3GCC. It takes a ripe vintage like 2000 for me to like Margaux. Pitch dark purple hue betraying its age. Ripe blackcurrants w nice vanilla and violets undertones - great nose as expected. The palate is v masculine for Margaux, brooding, mid-bodied. Dark fruits, good roundness, well-judged tannins and classy grip. Some elegance peeking thru. V well balanced wine overall. Can still improve for a few years. Would be less impressive in a lighter vintage I reckon (8.7/10).

Alion 2006

Tempranillo, Ribera del Duoro Spain. Off-shoot of the famed Vega Sicilia. This wine impresses me time and time again (this is my 3rd tasting). Nose is q shy and green, perhaps the only downside. In the mouth it's all fantastic. Round, weighty and great lusciousness. V creamy w milk chocolate and Asian spices thrown in to attain great interplay of flavours.. Good weight and nice grip. New world in style no doubt but w superb complexity that only good winemakers can conjure and intellectual wine lovers will appreciate. Long, caressing, warm finish (9.3/10).

Brane Cantenac 2008

Margaux 2GCC. Funnily, this wine impressed much more 2 years ago than now. It was dark, heavy, extracted and v red fruit-driven then, v 'new world' and lush in a good way. These days, it has thinned out and acquired the quintessential typical Margaux characteristics. Floral nose, developing but not q near its potential. Palate has lost q a bit of weight, now elegant and I feel q hollow compared to the last tasting. A bit more weight and complexity will be nice. Fruit seem to have gone into hiding. Seem to be in a dumb phase now, not q sure how it'd turn out in a few years (8.6/10). 

Potensac 2008

Cru Bourgeois, Medoc. A perennial over-performer in its class. In the glass, shows a pitch dark, inky purple colour indicative of its youth. Nose is quite closed still - cool blackcurrants and oak, typical cab sauv nose. Still painfully tannic on the palate, too young and over-powering. Splash decanted and sat it for 30 mins to at least make it drinkable. Lots of swirling and coaxing brings out good weight, finesse and roundeness later in the evening. Plenty of dark fruits and tobacco. Tannins are still v stubborn and q rough. By the last glass, softened sufficiently to a balanced, substantial and black-fruit dominated wine. Lots of potential here, but still needs lots of cellar time to be ready (8.8/10).

Fontanafredda Barolo 2003

Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy. The colour is deceivingly light, concealing the power beneath. Fresh bouquet, floral and vanilla. The palate packed a powerful punch. Intense, v extracted and great structure. Still young - lush but still v tannic. Black fruits all around, almost overwhelmingly so but pulls back just in time. V well-made wine. Good pedigree shows thru beautifully. Enjoyable but needs food (9.0/ 10).

Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 2006

Sangiovese, Tuscany Italy. A nice ruby hue, easy on the eyes. Complex nose of greens intermixed w warm caramel, excellent. Entry is smooth, rounded and builds up to an impressive mid-palate of spice, marshmallows and black fruits. Good complexity at the core. Lightish to medium bodied. Became bolder w more time spent in the glass. A longer finish would've made it close to perfect (9.2/10). Althought Banfi is a mass-market producer, this specimen certainly has a great 'hand-crafted' feel to it. Exceeded expectations.

Felino 2008

Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, Argentina. V high alcohol hits you in the face, exceedingly so. Brash black fruits, v 'maufactured' taste. Sweet but in a plasticky, artificial way. Alcoholic streak refuses to die down even w air. Sort of gathers itself a bit in mid-palate and gave a decent finish, but overall a disappointing wine. Sort of mass-produced wine they'd serve at weddings and company dinners (6.7/10).

Marbuzet 2001

Cru Bourgeois, St Estephe. The unofficial 2nd wine of Ch Cos' D'Estournel before the introduction of Les Pagodes and the pedigree shows thru. A v youthful magenta in hue, surprising at this age. Attractive strong aromas of cool blackcurrants, savoury meat jerky and some dried leaves- understated elegance of an aged bordeaux which I love. Tannins are silky smooth and fully resolved. Mid-bodied. Signature Cos spice and pepper notes coming thru with mocha in the mid-palate. A bit hollow in the last 3/4, but the fruit came quickly back for the final quarter to finish off nicely with some roundedness. Finish could be longer. A the end of a beautiful drinking window. V balanced right now. Great value compared to a Cos 4 times its price (9.2/10).

Sierra Cantabria Reserva 2005

Tempranillo, Spain. A v solid, if somewhat modern specimen from Rioja. Sweet black fruits bursting from the rim of the glass, not shy at all. Rounded black fruits again on the palate. Good extraction. Oak is there but well-judged. Luxurious silky texture, viscous. Still young w tannic bite. Long persistent finish. Good tannic framework. Definitely modern (8.8/10).

Figeac 2006

St Emilion 1GCCB. This is an extremely nose-driven wine. Divine and explosive bouquet of sweet black fruits and violets. Alluring, intense and impressive. Disappointingly, the taste test does not live up to the promise. Body lacks sufficient weight, what some would term 'elegant'. Classy sour cherries and some cola. Sure I can taste the rounded, polished texture w no sharp edges but frankly nothing much else impresses. Baffled w the high scores - perhaps it's in a dumb phase now. Expensive and unsatisfying (7.9/10). 

Astica 2010

Merlot/ Malbec blend, Argentina.  A v acidic and sourish nose, q off-putting An astringent attack but smoothened out slightly w some time on the palate. Acids are still overwhelming but somewhat compensated w some tobacco and sour cherries/ red currants in mid-palate. Finish is loose and unfocused. Typical entry level pizza wine (6.8/10).

les Ormes de Pez 1995

St Estephe, Cru Bourgeois. Ageing wine can be a futile exercise if the wine is not sufficiently well-made in terms of good tannic structure/ acids to sustain the long haul. But if they do, they can reward the patient in terms of resolved, smoothed-out tannins and offer subtle yet complex secondary fruit/ spice surprises that only aging can achieve. This bottle is a case in point w all the associated pedigree of an 'ageable' wine, owing to the excellent vintage no doubt. High neck fill ,a good sign. Only slight browning on the rim, youthful. Silky texture yet has enough weight to assert its presence. Typical St Estephe earthiness and austerity but still no lack of fresh red fruits and pepper to arouse interest. Finish is serious and still tannic. Surprising longevity, well made to last (8.9/10)

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)

La Mission Haut Brion 2003

Graves Pessac Leognan AOC. The de facto Queen of Graves behind Ch HB. Oak dominated nose with hints of dark berries. Great complexity in play. Extremely tannic and packed w power, impressive. Full, rounded texture. Mouth-filling. Classy oak, plums and minerals in the mix. Persistent finish (9.0/10). Great but a bit too pricey for this value proposition.

Taillefer 2003

Pomerol AOC. Lightish ruby in colour, atypical for an '03. Rounded good nose - violets and vanilla/ coconuts - attractive. Thin entry, q oaky but silkiness in texture is compensating factor. V light bodied again surprisingly for the vintage. More fruit would be nice. Grip is q loose and unfocused. Short finish (7.9/10).