Author Archives: admin

The 1960 Bordeaux vintage was (I’m told by somebody who remembers 🤭) considered to be light, relatively inexpensive, and to be enjoyed while the superior 1959s matured. It was the biggest crop since the frost-bitten 1956 vintage. There was a … Continue reading

The quality of Château d’Yquem’s wine during the 1950s was – shall we say? – irregular. The 1958 vintage was one of the better-balanced wines made by Yquem in the 1950s, a decade in which two years (1951 and 1952) … Continue reading

Ducru-Beaucaillou’s vineyards are near the Gironde estuary, where the softer and lighter Saint-Julien wines come from (as contrasted to the richer wines from inland vineyards like Gruaud-Larose). Its name – “Beau caillou” means “beautiful pebble” – evokes the two-million year … Continue reading

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill was created by Pol Roger in homage to the great man. It is the only prestige cuvée champagne named after a non-French person. Commencing with the 1975, only 19 vintages of Sir Winston have been released … Continue reading

This great d’Yquem was made entirely with grapes harvested from the second “trie” (the selection and picking of the grapes). Is 1976 better than 1975? Well, it’s different… The ’76 is an elegant, extrovert d’Yquem; the ’75 is richer and … Continue reading

Quinta do Noval 1963… 🍷 It was a watershed vintage of high quality and high volume (like 1927) that marked the turnaround of Port’s fortunes after post-war struggles. Some producers sold more wine than since the 1896 vintage! See Quinta … Continue reading

It was a superlative year for Bordeaux in 1961, producing wines of power and majesty. Control of temperature during fermentation was better than it had been in, say, 1928 or 1945, so the tannins were reined-in and the wines were … Continue reading

Pol Roger Cuvée de Réserve 1947 is not just the “normal”(!) 1947 Pol Roger – which was apparently Sir Winston Churchill’s “house Champagne” towards the end of his life – but a bottling that was disgorged on 29th July 1981 … Continue reading

Château Léoville Barton 1970… 🍷 The 1970 Bordeaux summer was mostly warm and dry. It was a big crop and the vats and barrels at Léoville and elsewhere were full to capacity. It’s perhaps the best vintage between 1961 and … Continue reading

It’s d’Yquem – but perhaps not as you know it. The label states that this bottle was “From the cellars of THE SAVOY HOTEL LONDON”. The red embossed “1945” on the capsule is correct and the cork is embossed with … Continue reading