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EL CEP, GR5 Senders vintage of 2016

This biodynamic white wine is made from the Xarel-lo grape variety grown locally in Penedes. The EL CEP, GR5 Senders vintage of 2016 still retains its full spectrum of flavours, including lime blossom, lemon, and dry peach, even after seven years. Although the yellow fruit notes are fading, they are still present. The wine has excellent acidity, and the finish is dry, with some mineral notes adding to the leanness. The wine is aged in barriques for 12 months, following a short maceration on the skin, which explains its texture and length. ABV is 12.5%; light-bodied.

Lascombes 2010 and 2009

Both the 2010 and 2009 vintages are crafted in a modern style of extraction that features balanced, silky tannins, richness, and length at the cru level. However, compared to the 2009 wine, the 2010 vintage is slightly denser and suppressed, with clean wood spice, sweet vanilla, toasty, and robust hints of cigar box and mint-alcohol for bottled wine at 14%. The 2009 wine, on the other hand, has slightly less alcohol at 13.5% ABV and is perfumy and floral, with adorable noses of creme de cassis, spring flowers, violets, roses, subtle barbecue smoke and charcoal, intense and pure fruit, dark, extraordinary purity, structure and length. Both are bodied and good enough at the cru level. Our dinner/tasting with friends convinced us that the 2009 vintage is slightly better due to its purity, structure, and length.

The blend for both 2009 and 2010 is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, which creates some complexities and has the potential to age for 20+ years. The 2010 vintage has excellent scores, with RP giving it a 96 and describing its modern style with soul and potential. JS gives it a score of 94 and writes that it has a full body, structured tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long finish, making it an excellent combination of freshness and fruit. This wine is delicious now and will hold for many more years. However, the scores are exceptional for the 2009 vintage, with GG awarding it a score of 97, describing it as well-dense, with long mileage, pure fruit, richness, and silkiness, with a great future. In 2009, Larsson wrote that it is perfumy, spicy, and layered with a long finish, making it an excellent choice for wine enthusiasts.

Both vintages have the potential to age for 20+ years, and the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot creates complexities that can only improve with time. Whether you prefer the 2010 vintage with its modern style or the exceptional 2009 vintage, both are worth experiencing.

Second Wine, Chateau Talbot 2013, 2015, 2017

All three vintages are some of the most balanced second wines from Chateau Talbot. With improved structure and mature stylistics, there are notes of liquorice and graphite, creamy texture, slightly grainy tannin, and more fleshiness and sensuality than elegance, but that's what second wines should be.

Lower marks like 84 Larsson- not wrong- the price is excellent for the great, simple 2013: lively red berries and herbs, earthy, light and supple palate, fresh berry fruit and a rounded finish. We awarded 2013 DD92 points.

For the 2015 bottle, Vin De Verte awards 92 points and commented, 'The nose is relatively powerful. It reveals fine notes of minty liquorice, cassis and Zan associated with a touch of blackberry, slight touches of mocha and a (very) discreet note of flowers. The palate is fruity, gourmand, relatively fleshy and offers a nice maturity/precision and a small density. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of blackberry, black cherry and a touch of plum associated with discreet notes of wild strawberry, a touch of liquorice, slight/discreet notes of chocolate and a toasted hint. Good length(edited).'

The 2017 bottle, also a 92 Vin de Verte, is 'aromatic and delicate, and it offers a refined concentration and a beautiful grain. It reveals notes of cassis, blackberry, cornflowers/flowers, fleshy strawberry and fleshy raspberry combined with discreet touches of liquorice, spices, colas, and a sensitive touch of grey pepper. The palate is fruity, mineral, well-balanced, racy, precise, slightly tight and offers a delicate juiciness, a good definition, freshness, and suavity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fleshy cassis, ripe red berries and slight notes of ripe / crushed redcurrant associated with delicate touches of ripe wild raspberry, racy minerality, flowers (cornflower, lily), racy minerality as well as discreet touches of liquorice, sweet spices and dark chocolate on the finish/persistence. Tannins are fine. Good length. Edited'

Older Blogs from 2006-2013

This is a consolidation of the tasting and papers

written from 2006 to 2013. These write-ups had been with the orginal site Wine and Beyond, Yahoo, until the service stopped by Yahoo in September 2013.

For years I have been working with wines, either buying it, selling it to wine companies, lecturing and writing about it, and, not unimportantly, enjoying it with friends. If any of the articles on this site are worth reading it is due to my teachers, my mentors, my peers and friends, my students, and in particularly my editors who ignite in me a desire to communicate in wines.

Clinging to the trellis of wine, I started to get more and more involved with estates and winemakers, by supporting them with consultancy in communication and marketing. The more I spend my time outside Hong Kong, the more I sense a desire to be part of the international wine family.

Writing about wine represents a moment of reflection, curiosity, atitudes and a desire to analyse often hidden structures and history, in an effort to make the wealth of wine accessible to a targetted, and hopefully larger audience.

I am not sure if I can wine proivde more accessible to all through this blog. But I am sure to write in wine means being involved in wine and to remain as impartial and objective as possible.