1 x 50cl each of the following selection:
Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 Puttonyos 2016 | 17.5+/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Aszu Tokaji Gold Label 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 17+/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Szt Tamas First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 18++/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Mezes Maly Great First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 18.5++/20 Jancis Robinosn
Royal Tokaji Betsek First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 18+/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Nyulaszo First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 17+/20 Jancis Robinson

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This is going to be a major, impressive wine. All the elements are there: ripe blackberry fruit, powerful acidity, dense tannins and spice. It has the structure to live on for decades.

James Suckling (95)

The combination of cool, peachy aroma and flintiness makes the nose of this wine totally ravishing. Then, the brilliant minerality on the sleek and sharply focused palate adds another compelling argument for the greatness of this wine. Love the very long, crystalline finish. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (100)

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James Suckling (99)

Very cool and reserved at the front, but this is an enormously deep and complex wine that has staggering mineral intensity. The lime and oolong-tea freshness effortlessly swallows up the unfermented grape sweetness, as if it didn’t really exist. Some will criticize, saying that this is too radical, but that’s what creates the great excitement! The herbal freshness at the finish is really astounding. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.

Wine Advocate (99+)

Fermented in glass balloon for 22 months and bottled at the end of August this year, the 2018 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is highly concentrated yet pure and spicy/stony on the apricot-scented nose that is enormously detailed and refined for this class. Enormously rich and juicy-piquant on the palate, this is a fantastically precise and stimulating TBA that will become a legend years from now. This is a perfectly balanced noble sweet wine with unreal precision. Picked with 201° Oechsle and bottled with nearly 7% alcohol, 318 grams of residual sugar and 11.5 grams of total acidity. Tasted from AP 22 20 in September 2020.

Bob Campbell MW (97)

Seresin’s flagship pinot noir deserves its exalted status. It offers a seductive sweet and silken first impression revealing a structure of ripe, sappy tannins on its lingering finish. Layers of ripe fruit interspersed with subtle floral and herb characters demonstrate real complexity. Approachable now, this wine deserves at least another 4-5 years careful cellaring to reveal its true colours. 2/3/2017 Drink 2017 to 2024

James Suckling (94)

Aromas of blueberries and blackberries with hints of minerals. Full body, very fine tannins with orange peel and currant character. Chewy yet polished tannins. Better in 2018 but already delicious. Impressive for the difficult 2014 vintage.

James Suckling (98)

Plenty of blackcurrant, blackberry and dark chocolate character with oyster shell and walnut undertones. Full body, extremely tight and structured with blueberry and light vanilla and coffee highlights. A gorgeous Oreno. Give this wine two or three years to come together.

James Suckling (99)

Gorgeous floral and deep, dark berry aromas with hints of spices such as cinnamon and hazelnuts. Full body and ultra-fine and strong tannins that are powerful yet so sleek and beautiful. Fantastic length and texture. Deep, dark and profound. Takes you on a long journey and shows you its true character. Better in 2025. Give it time.

James Suckling (99)

Wow. Fantastic aromas of blackberries, currants, minerals, violets and graphite. Full-bodied with firm, silky tannins that are incredibly polished and intense, yet ever so refined and integrated in the wine. It goes on for minutes. The is one of the best modern-day Orenos so far. Best in 2025 and onwards.

Wine Advocate (97+)

(The Third Twin Graciano 2014) A blend of 90% Graciano and 10% Mourvèdre, completely destemmed and then aged all in used oak barrels for around 27 months, the 2014 The Third Twin Graciano sports a very deep garnet-purple color and beguiling nose of espresso, tapenade, preserved plums and Indian spices with earth and licorice nuances. The densely packed, full-bodied palate has a firm backbone of grainy tannins and lovely freshness, with loads of earthy layers and fantastic length, which features buckets of exotic spices. This is the first edition of this single vineyard wine, coming entirely from The Third Twin Vineyard in Los Alamos, showcasing not only the potential of this amazing site but of this grape variety in the region. Manfred Krankl commented, “Of course I realize this is a Spanish variety, but I think God...or someone...made a slight mistake along the way, as the grape very much reminds me of the Rhône.” Positively the finest example of this grape I have ever tasted, move over Spain, Graciano has found a new spiritual home in California’s Central Coast! 65 cases were made. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 30 Sep 2017) (The Third Twin Graciano 2015) Graciano is a low-yielding Spanish variety grown primarily in Rioja, but Krankl contends that its spiritual home is the Rhône Valley: it reminds him of Mourvèdre in so far as it needs to be very ripe to show all its character, he says. And it's certainly a striking addition to his winemaking palate, with a character quite distinct to any of the other red varieties he works with. Offering up aromas of cherry pit and balsamic cherries, subtly framed by creamy new oak, the 2015 The Third Twin Graciano is amazingly saturated in color. On the palate, it's velvety, full-bodied and richly tannic, almost preternaturally concentrated in character, but remarkably supple and expansive despite its formidable levels of extract and structure. It's a singular wine, even by Krankl's standards. (William Kelley, ,23 Aug 2018)

Falstaff (96)

An intriguing mix of cream, vanilla and smoke makes for a dramatic opening. Creamy mousse defines the palate, expressing salty oyster shell and preserved lemon, shortbread richness and subtle saltiness. The smoky echo returns on the finish which is of pristine lemon expressing depth and soaring freshness in equal measure. The finish is pure and lasting. Lay this down and you will have treasure. Drink by 2035.

Vinous (91)

The 2015 The Trouble With Dreams was tasted twice. The first, disgorged in April 2020, exhibited a little sweet botrytis that Sugrue advised might have originated from a warm night in October. A later disgorgement is more nervy on the nose, displaying a distinct sea spray/oyster shell influence that translates across onto the palate. Taut and more linear, it has a strictness and stoicism that I admire. Brisk and mouthwateringly saline on the aftertaste. Certainly the second disgorgement is superior.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

The balance between ripeness and acidity that is the hallmark of this fine vintage is expressed well in this impressive wine. Tangy, with a strong streak of minerality, it is crisp and rich at the same time. For its fruitiness, it is ready to drink; for more maturity, it will need to age until 2018.

Decanter (96)

The nose is shy and subtle, though notions of red apple, peppery rye crumb, stone and lemon emerge with more air. Tightly coiled, the palate suggests spicy riches with its insinuations of white pepper and tangerine peel. A lovely interplay of Pinot richness and Chardonnay slinkiness, showing depth, svelteness and elegance. It justs needs air to breathe. Gorgeous.

Decanter (96)

The nose is shy and subtle, though notions of red apple, peppery rye crumb, stone and lemon emerge with more air. Tightly coiled, the palate suggests spicy riches with its insinuations of white pepper and tangerine peel. A lovely interplay of Pinot richness and Chardonnay slinkiness, showing depth, svelteness and elegance. It justs needs air to breathe. Gorgeous.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2017 Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Port is a field blend of typical grapes (like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca) aged for 20 months in French wood. It comes in with 105 grams of residual sugar. When last seen, this was only a tank sample. A darker flavor profile than the regular Taylor's, more leaning to plums and blackberries, this shows all that great Taylor's fruit and welds it to a serious backbone. The regular Taylor's seems a bit brighter, while this seems a bit sterner and richer, but at this point in their very young lives, I am not sure there is a lot to choose from qualitatively. That may change, in favor of this, I think, as they go further into their very long lives. Today, there isn't much to separate them except style and price. I'd take this, both for the style and the upside potential, but the price spike is certainly worth noting for many, while the qualitative difference is nominal.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Blackish crimson with medium rim. Heady and ripe on the nose. Subtle and savoury. Satin-smooth palate entry and a very dry end but really exciting and herbal in the middle. Very much in the Taylor's idiom. Neat and ambitious.

Wine Advocate (95+)

Similar to the Dits del Terra but from a north-facing slope, the 2013 Arbossar is pure Cariñena from an ancient vineyard planted around 90 years ago, and it is always a fresher and more floral style of Cariñena, matured in a Stockinger foudre for some 16 months. I already tasted an unbottled sample last year and it showed great, lively, very red fruit-driven, electric and full of flowers and minerals, and the bottled version has delivered as expected. It's a bright ruby colored red, which is always fragrant and perfumed, more feminine than the Dits del Terra, which is the comparison because both vineyards are in Torroja and the wines share the same price range. The nose reveals bright red fruit, and feels fresher than the 2014. The tannins are ultra-sleek, really elegant and balanced. This is a superb, elegant and fresh Cariñena, without any rusticity. Super! 4,669 bottles were filled in August 2015.

Wine Advocate (95)

The south-facing Cariñena vineyard used for the 2018 Dits del Terra is worked biodynamically and is in the process of being certified organic. The grapes fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 50% oak foudre and 50% in concrete. The 2019 will be 100% concrete. You can immediately notice the cooler year and the longer ripening cycle here compared with the 2017; there is more depth here, and the quality of the tannins is completely different and provide for a more elegant mouthfeel. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the structure of the wine. It comes through as medium-bodied, powerful and elegant. It should develop nicely in bottle. 2,006 bottles were filled in September 2020.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in French oak barrels with limited stirring. The bouquet and palate send the same message of perfectly captured white stone fruits, then apple and grapefruit. An irresistible wine with spectacular length

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

A strikingly beautiful chardonnay with its flowery bouquet bearing witness to the sheer purity of the incredibly long palate, the full palette of chardonnay flavours on display. Nectarine, white peach and grapefruit zest are sewn together by an invisible silver thread of acidity.

James Suckling (99)

This really asserts itself at the top echelon of chardonnay, in a context that extends far beyond the shores of the tiny island state of Tasmania. Already in such a great place, with aromas of white peach, lemon, lemon curd and very precisely curated sulphides adding interest. There’s wet chalk, lemon peel and gentle hazelnutty oak in play as well. The palate has seamless, layered and fresh citrus and peach flavors, as well as a stream of pithy grapefruit and peach on offer. Acidity holds the finish long and true. This is one of the most elegant vintages of this wine, reminiscent of the 2014. Oak chimes in so subtly on the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Decanter (95)

Still in its infancy, this opaque red-coloured wine is very rich, juicy, and plummy on the nose, vibrant, poised and quite oaky. The attack is assertive and tannic, with richness and density, and it clearly needs time to shed its tightness. It's no heavyweight thanks to its fresh acidity, which keeps it polished and stylish, and there's ample energy and bite on the long finish.

Vinous (98+)

Luminous straw. Penetrating nuances of lime and guava join the lemon verbena, jasmine, mineral and white stone fruit aromas on the knockout, captivating nose. Then dense, complex and multilayered, offering profound flavors of fresh citrus fruit, sweet spices and talcum powder. Closes extremely long, clean and precise; this is a young white wine of utterly mesmerizing beauty. I find this to be one of the best young CSHs I have ever tasted; it is stylistically different but almost on the same quality level as the marvelous 2010 CSH. One sniff (never mind taste) and I was left almost speechless - and I’m not usually one who keeps his mouth shut when I recognize a truly great wine.

James Suckling (97)

A super-polished wine that has a broad array of fruits: raspberry, blackberry and cassis, with white pepper, graphite and a clear whole-bunch lift. The palate has a powerful, focused core of concentrated dark plum and cassis, boldly spicy, then dark chocolate to close. Best from 2019.

Sam Kim Wine Orbit (100)

No tasting note available.

Raymond Chan (100)

Full, dark, deep ruby-red colour with purple-black hues, near impenetrable. The nose has incredibly intense and penetrating aromas of ripe blackberry fruit with subtle dark raspberry and blue fruit notes, lifted by an array of red, violet and black florals, melded with fine spice elements and a suggestion of black pepper. The aromatic components are seamlessly interwoven and harmonious in presentation. Medium-full bodied, the palate is richly sweet and succulent with ripe, vibrant and lively fruit flavours of blackberries entwined with dark-red and blue fruit notes, along with dark-red, violet and black florals, melded with notes of liquorice, spice and black pepper forming a complex amalgam. The fruit is fine and beautifully concentrated with intensity and depth, the lusciousness balanced by considerable extraction, the tannins very fine-grained and flowery in texture. The acidity is ripe, and softly integrated, and the wine carries with great linearity and drive to a long and sustained finish of black fruits, florals and spices. This Syrah has a remarkably intense and perfumed nose with a beautiful array of floral aromatics, on a rich, succulently sweet black, red and blue fruited palate with considerable, but refined extraction.