Tasting Note: A lifted and expressive blend of Merlot and Tannat, showing aromas of dark berries, plum and subtle florals, layered with notes of spice and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied and supple, with bramble fruit supported by fine tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and approachable, finishing smooth with a gentle savoury edge.

Alcohol: 13.0%

Variety: Merlot & Tannat

Region: Northland, New Zealand

Ethereal, fresh, appealing to both the nose and the palate, Pédesclaux’s second wine is a flower that unfurls as you approach. Thanks to its reliance on a high proportion of Merlot, the wine is soft and gentle, with a delicious, silky texture. It has intense, compelling and savoury fruit aromas and, year after year, beautifully calibrated scents of white flowers, violets and small red berries. Exhibiting a more high-spirited elegance yet nonetheless showing remarkable length, Fleur de Pédesclaux is a delight. In the mouth, it is fresh, subtle, packed with fruit and beautifully smooth tannins, with a long finish. In this more floral expression, the marvellous complexity of our terroir is once again evident, but in a mouth-watering style that is instantly festive.

The Terroirs
Garonne gravel on subsoil of limestone

The Grape Varieties
59 % Cabernet-Sauvignon, 36 % Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot, 2 % Cabernet franc

Château Cos d’Estournel Les Pagodes de Cos 2018 is the elegant second wine from the historic Château Cos d’Estournel, a Deuxième Cru of Saint-Estèphe founded in 1811 by Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel, famed for his global reach and distinctive pagoda-topped chateau. The vineyards sit on classic left-bank gravel and clay-limestone soils that provide excellent drainage and structure, nurtured for refined ripeness and balanced acidity. Vinification is traditional, with careful sorting, temperature-controlled fermentation and around 12 months in French oak to lend subtle spice and texture. The 2018 blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, showing concentrated black- and red-berry fruit, spice and silky tannins with a long, fresh finish — a poised, compelling Saint-Estèphe second wine.

Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon combine in this outstanding full bodied dry and powerful blend, which is made from hand picked grapes grown in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District’s Cornerstone and Ngakirikiri vineyards. 

The grapes were fermented with wild yeasts, which provides diverse depth and flavours to the wine, which has flavour notes of black olives, dried herbs and black currant notes. The wine was aged in French oak for 20 months and bottled unfiltered, which accentuates its gritty, smooth, powerful cedar notes.

Here is a wine for the long term cellar... Or decant and enjoy now.

A fruit forward wine with just the right amount of tannic structure, backed up with spice and some firm toasty wood flavours in the background.

Grape 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food match pepper steak, duck salad, game dishes"

14% ABV

Grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Tasting notes:

Deep red colour with ruby highlights. Expressive nose full of red berry aromas (strawberry, raspberry) as well as cocoa notes when agitated. Harmonious, with ripe fruit flavours (blackberry jam) and rich in soft tannins. Long and smooth finish.

Winemaking: Traditional winemaking methods with a minimum of 6 months of ageing in French and American oak barrels. De-stalked grapes – Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in vats. Regular rackings (every 3 months) and fining before bottling.

Soil: Limestone covered by clay, sand or gravel.

Climate: Oceanic, mild and humid.

Aging: 6 months of ageing in American oak barrels (of which 50% new)

Food matches: Duck breast “Vigneronne”, medallion of Monkfish in a St Emilion sauce.

Tasting notes:

Brilliant garnet red color. The nose reveals nice aromas of ripe fruits (strawberry, blackberry) with delicate coffee notes. Harmonious and elegant on the palate, offering a round structure, full of red and black berries.

Food matches:

Red meat, poultry, pasta and cheese.

Winemaking: Optimum ripeness of the grapes - de-stalking and crushing of the grapes – a part of the harvest benefits from a “flash détente” process to enhance an optimum level of color and fruity aromas – the other part follows a traditional alcoholic fermentation in vats with 2 rack and return per day.

Soil: Coming from different regions of the Languedoc (The Aude, the Herault and the Gard) where each offers a different type of soil (schist, marls, chalk and clay).
Climate: The hot and windy Mediterranean climate, along with the interesting diversity in the soils of these 3 areas, result in powerful and fruity wines.
Aging: Long maceration (3 weeks) with micro oxygenation before malolactic fermentation in vats to develop the color and to supple the tannins.

Formerly known as the 'Reserve d'Angludet', this is the ‘Second Wine’ produced by Chateau Angludet with the younger vines on the estate and made in the same way as the flagship estate wine.

Chateau Angludet has a long history dating back to the 12th century situated in the Margaux plateau surrounded by Grand Cru Classes.

Made of a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot on deep gravel and pebble soils. Aged in French oak barrels.

Youthful bouquet that opens gradually to offer up a rich palate of wild fruit, violets, blackberry, blackcurrant and plum. Smooth palate, with fruit plumpness to the moderate tannins and a hint of toastiness.

Commercial description

A Tantalus is a small wooden cabinet that contains two or three decanters of precious wine, for which there is a lock and key.  The Tantalus prevents unauthorised people from opening the cabinet and drinking its contents, while allowing the bottles? beauty to be on display. With a key to the Tantalus wines, one obtains access to the secrets of the treasures held within. All of the Tantalus reserve wines have names referring to the origins of Tantalus... An Ecluse allows boats to pass through bodies of water at differing levels. Unlock the Ecluse and let your glass take you on the most amazing journey.

Made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec, the Ecluse pours a deep garnet with a bright carmine ring. This Cabernet blend elegantly displays pure fruit notes of wild berries and black plum. A hint of pennyroyal underpinned by aromas of violets, cedar, sweet tobacco and saddle leather support the fine grain tannins, slowly unlocking the secrets within, this wine displays tremendous structure and sustained length.

A fantastic wine, that elevates slow roasted lamb shoulder with fresh mint topping, Flank steak and tamarind stir-fry, Porcini mushroom risotto, Old fashioned beef stew, Grilled rib steak on vine shoots barbecue

Varieties :  Merlot 81%, Cabernet Franc 13%, Malbec 3%, Cab Sav 3%

"Our Merlot Cabernet Franc comes from our Cornerstone vineyard growing in Hawke's Bays' famed Gimblett Gravels appellation. An area renowned for producing excellent hot climate reds. We think Cornerstone is the jewel in the appellation's crown but there again we are rather biased!

In our Iris blend, the Merlot sets up the palate with ripeness and structure while the Cabernet Franc brings its sweet dried basil notes to create our deliciously good medium-bodied red"

Ambrosius by name and by nature, this beautiful expression of Saint Emilion Grand Cru is a dry, impressive blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Grapes were grown on sandy soil and sandstone on one vineyard and this wine represents exceptional value for money, both for drinking now and for cellaring. Expect a commanding southern French red now; expect great complexity within four or five years of bottle age. 

"Tasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2010 Mouton-Rothschild is a modern-day benchmark for the First Growth and here, side-by-side with the 2009, it certainly has its nose in front. It is in possession of quite breathtaking delineation and precision, a crystalline bouquet with black fruit laced with minerals, potent pencil shaving notes, a touch of cold slate. It is totally entrancing. The palate has beguiling symmetry, but for me what really distinguishes this Mouton is its effortlessness. Like watching Usain Bolt in his prime sprinting to another world record, this wine is almost self-effacing in terms of its brilliance. Will Philippe Dhalluin ever better this Mouton-Rothschild? Keep it in the cellar for 15 years, if you know what's good for you." Tasted May 2016.

Rating 99