Wine of the Month - October 2020

This month's selection:

• 1 x Clos Romanile 2015, Saint-Emilion 91 pts
• 1 x La Croix de Beaucaillou 2017, Saint-Julien, 89-91 pts
• 1 x Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 2015, Pauillac, 90-92 pts
• 1 x Château Lafon Rochet 2014, Saint-Estèphe, 92 pts

Tasting Notes

Clos Romanile 2015 - "Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Clos Romanile offers up blackberries, plums and black cherries on the nose with touches of tapenade, yeast extract and sautéed herbs. The medium-bodied mouth is fine, fresh and lifted, with fine-grained tannins and a harmonious finish." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2/21/2018, Interim Issue), Rating: 91, Drink from: 2019-2031 

La Croix de Beaucaillou 2017 - "This is not a second wine per se, as it consistently comes from a separate vineyard in Saint-Julien. The blend is usually around 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, but this year it has a high percentage of Merlot: 58%, with 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 La Croix de Beaucaillou has quite a spicy nose sporting cloves, anise, black pepper and fenugreek with a core of crushed blackberries and black currants plus wafts of underbrush and potpourri. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins and great freshness supporting the vivacious fruit, finishing long and earthy." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/27/2018, Issue 236), Rating: 89-91

Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 2015 - "The 2015 Grand-Puy-Ducasse has a classic pencil lead and cedar-scented bouquet that feels just a little foursquare at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a dash of spice on the entry. This is underpinned by quite robust tannin, but fortunately this Pauillac forages finesse towards the finish that is well balanced and offers attractive persistence. While not as showy out of barrel, I suspect it may coalesce and turn into one of the better wines from this estate in recent years. My banded score based upon that optimism." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/27/2016, Issue 224), Ratings: 90-92, Drink: 2019-2032

Château Lafon Rochet 2014 - "The 2014 Lafon-Rochet does not quite possess the complexity of the 2014 Phélan-Ségur on the nose, broody and introspective but with aeration reveals very pure blackberry and bilberry scents, hints of brine/seawater, cedar and spice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, plenty of tobacco tinged black fruit, saline and sappy in the mouth so that those taste-buds are flowing by the finish. The more I acquaint myself with this wine, the more I fall for its charms. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting." - Neal Martin, vinous.com, (March, 2018), Rating: 92, Drink: 2020-2040