Browse using the new Vinous website now. Launch →
Cellar Favorite: 1986 Penfolds Shiraz Kalimna Bin 28
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Australia
, Mar 2023
Back a few years ago, I was tasting a lot of Penfolds and was fortunate enough to participate in a few epic verticals of this iconic Australian producer. Sadly, commitments towards Bordeaux and Burgundy mean I taste bottles less frequently; however, I was reminded of their unerring longevity at a recent BYO at the Harwood Arms to celebrate my birthday.
Cellar Favorite: 2019 Niepoort Batuta and Redoma
Portugal, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2023
I am a big fan of Dirk Niepoort’s fortified and non-fortified wines. Earlier this year, I tasted his latest releases. Two of them will offer pleasure in the near term but are also worthy of cellaring.
Cellar Favorite: Château Latour: 2023 Releases
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Mar 2023
Since 2012, Château Latour has released their three wines onto the market according to when vintages are deemed ready instead of the orthodox spring following harvest. I visited the estate in late January to assess the trio due to see the light of day. where I tasted with technical director Hélène Genin.
Cellar Favorite: Two from Mayacamas
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Feb 2023
It’s always a pleasure to spend time at Mayacamas. As much as I enjoy tasting today’s current releases, it is also a great deal of fun to go back and revisit wines made by Bob Travers before he sold the winery. These two Cabernets will delight Mayacamas fans.
Cellar Favorite: 1923 Seppeltsfield Para Vintage Tawny
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Australia
, Feb 2023
In 1878, Oscar Benno Seppelt started a long tradition for Seppeltsfield Para Tawny Ports when he put down his first fortified barrel destined for a century in the cellar before release. It is rare and one-of-a-kind, which explains the astronomical pricing, making it the most expensive wine in the country by volume.
Cellar Favorite: 1992 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Feb 2023
The 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate remains an epic wine for the Togni family.
Cellar Favorite: 1986 Pape Clément
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Feb 2023
I don’t drink enough mature Pessac-Léognan. I’m not alone there. It’s one of Bordeaux’s overlooked genres of wine. You do not see bottles as often as their Pauillac or Saint-Julien counterparts, as Pessac-Léognan wines do not garner the same reverence, for whatever reason. Meeting up with a friend, newly liberated from Hong Kong, we tasted this little gem.
Cellar Favorite: 1895 Cossart Gordon Bual
Portugal, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jan 2023
Few wines are as indestructible as Madeira. Plenty of 19th-century wines continue to thrive. Following a recent exploration of Frédéric Mugnier’s Chambolle Les Amoureuses, we finished with this fine 128-year-old Madeira that affirmed its time-bending properties.
Cellar Favorite: 1989 Domaine de Trévallon Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Les Baux
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France
, Jan 2023
In the early days of my career, I drank a lot of mature bottles from Domaine de Trévallon, including one memorable dinner in London with numerous vintages.
Cellar Favorite: 1974 Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, Jan 2023
I have always had a soft spot for Diamond Creek Vineyards, charmed by Al and Boots Brounstein, who would regularly pour their wines in London in the early days of my career.