Thursday 9th May 2019

Chateau Pape Clement is consistently topflight in Pessac-Leognan. In 2018, plenty of Graves complexity and massive tannic structure means that it will be very long-lived but crucially, it still feels elegant.  £794 seems fair for a wine of this quality for the long term. Pape Clement tends to do very well in top vintages: current trading prices for the 2005 (£1650), 2009 (£1450) and 2010 (£1700) – worth noting the excellent 2015 (£840) and 2016 (£750) are also still available. We can also offer the excellent dry white wine, Pape Clement Blanc made in very small quantities at £1185 per cs - 98-99 JS "agile and vivid with cooked-apple, honey and cream character, compounding the fantastic texture and structure. A great white with the same gravitas as a red."
 
From the Right Bank, a hugely impressive Saint Emilion with Beausejour Becot.  The new consultants (Thomas Duclos - Canon & Le Dome) are doing great things and the 2018 is simply gorgeous, the best that we have tasted here.  Pricing remains sensible though (£552) with an array of high scores and lavish praise.  95-97 JD "from a magical terroir on the upper plateau... It’s as classy as it gets." , 94-97 AG "A wine of tremendous character and personality Beau-Séjour Bécot dazzles in 2018" & 96-99 WS "This is so pure, it seems almost too easy to drink already, just as you realize how ridiculously long it is.".
 
From the Mouton Rothschild stable, we have Armailhac at £420 per 12. Mouton is on a roll and  has made exceptionally good wines in 2018.  All the wines linked to this First Growth have seen an uptick in demand in recent years and as these two Pauillacs regularly sell out en Primeur, so let us know quickly if you would like some.
 
Other releases:
 
Croix de Beaucaillou - the second label of Ducru Beaucaillou (label designed by Jade Jagger) at £402. 91-94 AG "In 2018 La Croix is especially fine. Ample, voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2018 is stunning in its beauty."

Rauzan Gassies – This Second Growth situated next to Rauzan Segla has made a good 2018 with an impressive 93-95 from WA - "a firm frame of ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness, it has a solid core of rich fruit, finishing long with perfumed red and black fruit layers."

Prices

ARMAILHAC |   £420 per 12x75
91-93 WA - Full-bodied, the decadent palate delivers loads of black berry layers and a firm, grainy frame with underlying freshness and an earthy finish. Wonderfully opulent D’Armailhac!

BEAUSEJOUR BECOT |   £552 per 12x75  |  £276 per 6x75
96-99 WS - Juicy and forward in feel, with fresh plum, blackberry and anise notes. Dense, but still silky and refined in feel, revealing a long mineral echo through the finish. This is so pure, it seems almost too easy to drink already, just as you realize how ridiculously long it is.

CROIX DE BEAUCAILLOU |   £402 per 12x75
91-94 AG - The 2018 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is an outrageously beautiful, vivid wine. Gravel, crushed rocks, menthol, lavender, espresso, licorice and dark spice all infuse a racy, sumptuous Saint-Julien loaded with personality and class. In 2018 La Croix is especially fine. Ample, voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2018 is stunning in its beauty. I can't wait to taste it from bottle.

LALANDE BORIE  |   £229 per 12x75
90-92 AG - The 2018 Lalande-Borie is pliant, supple and wonderfully inviting. Bright floral notes perk up the red/purplish berry fruit in a silky, succulent Saint-Julien that will drink well right out of the gate. In the glass, the 2018 is heady and alluring, and yet it retains its classic mid-weight personality and structure. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this jewel of a wine.

LARRIVET HAUT BRION ROUGE  |   £304 per 12x75
93 Dec - This property is located right next to Haut Bailly, and has produced a wine that you would definitely be happy to own - it's one of their best. Bruno le Moine is technical director. It's a nicely balanced wine with good fruit extract and a succulent impact on the attack, managing to avoid any sense of being over the top. It has very good quality blackberry and slate notes, with hidden power.

PAPE CLEMENT BLANC  |   £1185 per 12x75  |  £593 per 6x75
98-99 JS - ...agile and vivid with cooked-apple, honey and cream character, compounding the fantastic texture and structure. A great white with the same gravitas as a red.

PAPE CLEMENT ROUGE  |   £794 per 12x75  |  £397 per 6x75
96-98 WA - Full-bodied and wonderfully vivacious, it offers a solid line of firm and fine-grained tannins and amazing freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced.

RAUZAN GASSIES  |   £481 per 12x75
93-95 WA - Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Rauzan-Gassies rocks up with flamboyant notions of kirsch, blackberry preserves, warm cassis and Chinese five spice with touches of black tea, red roses and menthol plus a waft of molten chocolate. Medium to full-bodied with a firm frame of ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness, it has a solid core of rich fruit, finishing long with perfumed red and black fruit layers.

For more information or to place an order, please call on 01223 849040 or email us  (finewine@albanyvintners.com)?