En Primeur News : Tuesday, 1st June 2010

We now have the release of one of the wines that we have been eagerly waiting for, as it is almost certainly going to be one of the best buys of the vintage. A Medoc classed growth at £20 per bottle with a "best ever" performance and a 92/94 rating from Robert Parker! This simply cannot be beaten !

We are pleased to offer Chateau Cantemerle at £240 per case. This extremely popular Chateau is always one of our biggest sellers en primeur and in 2009 we believe that they have made their greatest wine since the wonderful 1989 (a wine which sells at £600 per case). Robert Parker goes one step further by declaring that this is the greatest Cantemerle that he has tasted in his entire career.

If you are going to buy only one wine in this price bracket in 2009, then Cantemerle has to be the one!

"This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the Cabernet dominating, looks to be the best they have ever produced, even eclipsing the 2005. Dense purple in color, with extraordinarily elegant floral notes intermixed with raspberry, black currant, cherry, and spice box, it is medium to full-bodied, not massive, but again, very seamless, with beautiful precision, sweet tannins, and an endearing fleshiness and depth of flavor that are neither heavy nor fatiguing. This wine will be relatively approachable in 3-5 years and drink well for 25-30. Robert Parker added an asterisk to this wine score to signify that it is a wine he considers has the finest potential of all the offerings he has ever tasted from this estate in nearly 32 years of barrel tasting samples in Bordeaux. 92-94" Robert Parker, Wine Advocate.

"Deep purple red, very attractive nose of fragrant black fruits with elegant intensity, slightly smoky oak, finely textured, lovely classy southern Médoc. 17 points." Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com

"An impressive showing from this Macau fifth growth, glowing with ambition and sense of purpose. Deeply coloured and dense, with lots of new oak (50%) and smoky black fruits and black olive flavours. Nice underlying minerality and good ageing potential. 10+ years. 91 points" Tim Atkin MW

" The Cantemerle '09 has a well defined, quite pure nose that shows more precision and essence of terroir than the Camensac sampled alongside. A very nice marriage between exuberant ripe, rounded fruit and Bordeaux austerity. The palate is medium-bodied, quite smoky and meaty on the entry, just a hint of leafiness that here lends the wine freshness and vitality. Unashamedly classic in style, but I think they pulled off a lovely, traditional Haut-Médoc here. Excellent. 91-93" Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com

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This morning sees the release of Saint Emilion's Chateau L'Arrosée. This Chateau is superbly situated on the slope below Ausone and Belair, near to Angelus. The price is £330 per case. There is an impressive note from Robert Parker with a 92/94 score

"This outstanding l'Arrosee is consistent with the Burgundian style that this terroir routinely produces. Never massive, at its best it offers intense flavors of kirsch, raspberry, crushed rock, and spice box. The full-bodied flavors are ethereal in their delicacy. Full, but stylish, precise, intense, and never heavy, this beauty can be drunk early or cellared for two decades or more. 92-94" Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

We also have the 3 Faugères wines. These are super-ripe, concentrated wines made in the modern style. Cap de Faugères is situated just over the border from Saint Emilion in the Côtes de Castillon appellation. It is certainly good value at £120 per case. Faugères itself is priced at £260 and the controversial special cuvée Peby Faugères is at £720. This monster of a wine has scores from the critics ranging from 84/86 to 96/99. It's all a matter of taste !!

Also released this morning are Monbrison at £225, Berliquet at £225 and the grossly over-priced Couspaude at £400