En Primeur News : Tuesday, 27th April 2010

There are 2 new releases today. The first is one of our favourite Pomerols of the vintage. Certan de May 2009 is potentially one of the greatest wines ever made at this outstandingly situated Chateau on the plateau of Pomerol. We loved it. The price is £725 per dozen bottles in bond.

"A deep colour, black fruits, tar and licorice on the nose. Rich, plump and dense on the palate with great intensity, of sweet black fruit, cream, vanilla and spice. Gorgeous, long and sexy, with a long, lingering finish. Genuine depth and complexity. This is Certan de May back on top form and it must be the greatest wine produced here in many years. Jean-Luc Barreau is now advised by Michel Rolland but this is closer in style to a Moueix wine. A triumph. 18.5." Farr Vintners

"Dark purplish crimson. Heady, sweet, intense nose. Polished and very savoury. Well mannered. Rather old style but with the extra ripeness of the vintage. Chewy end. A bit austere at the moment but there is integrity underneath. Very interesting on the finish. It grows towards the end. 17.5." Jancis Robinson

"This is a Pomerol property flying under the radar at the moment and the nose here is marvellous: beautifully defined with exquisite blackberry, briary and minerals. The palate is medium-bodied with real tension and focus, almost understated on the entry, very harmonious with superb delineation towards the finish that is inflected with hints of bay leaf and thyme. This is a great 2009 from a vineyard that is really on song at the moment. 93-95." Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com

Also out is the reasonably priced Sauternes Chateau d'Arche. The price is £210.

"Quite deep gold. Nervy nose with quite a bit of botrytis. Very big and generous and opulent with notes of toast and honey. Very sweet indeed. Perhaps this wonderful impression is simply because this is the first Sauternes I have tasted? It does fall of a tiny bit towards the end - not quite as concentrated on the finish. But it's pretty damned impressive! Just that surprisingly fast fade prevents a higher mark, Well mannered. Hint of pepper. 17." Jancis Robinson

"Intense apple pie and lime aromas follow through to a full body. Medium sweet, with a spicy botrytis finish. Offers lots of subtle character. 91-94." James Suckling, Wine Spectator.

However the really important news is that the long-awaited Robert Parker scores in the Wine Advocate should be released tomorrow. One can only guess as to what the great man will say, but it seems an almost foregone conclusion that he will rate the vintage extremely highly. We expect high scores for all the First Growths of course and if we were gamblers we'd bet that he will (as we have already said) adore the wines of Cos d'Estournel, Montrose and Pontet Canet amongst others.