BIRTHYEAR MONUMENT - Wonderful 60 year present 

A GEM - RP98 - The real surprise among Krug’s 1996s is the 1996 Vintage, which is drinking beautifully, even among this rarified air of single-vineyard Champagnes. The 1996 Vintage is explosive and creamy, with just the right balance of power, richness and freshness. The mousse is perhaps just a touch less refined than in the 1996 Clos du Mesnil and Clos d’Ambonnay, but it is also perfectly measured with the wine’s exuberant personality. This multi-dimensional, textured Champagne is at the early part of its drinking window and promises to deliver an incredible drinking experience over the coming decades. The take-away from this flight of 1996s from Krug is simple. Although the 1996 Vintage can’t possibly be described as inexpensive, it shows exceptionally well next to its much more expensive brethren and clearly delivers a similar level of quality. Readers who have the opportunity to pick up this wine should not hesitate. It is a gem. No disgorgement date provided. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2036.

MARATHON RUNNER - Restrained lemon gold colour and a lovely helix of tiny bubbles. Fresh citrus and red stone fruit scents. There is a beautiful acidity that has integrated into a medley of mature secondary smoky flavours alongside a benign note of noble austerity. This is a marathon runner - a great '96 with bags of life. Excellent value.

FINDING A BOTTLE - RP99 - This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline. Unfortunately, since the 1996 Salon has been traded so zealously over the last decade, finding a bottle that hasn't travelled too far can be a challenge. But from a perfectly stored bottle, this is just the beginning. - PRIVATE MUSEUM RELEASE 

PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience 2026 - Drink now – 2048   Deep crimson. Intense black cherry, blackcurrant, vanilla, hint marzipan, polished leather, rose petal aromas. Velvety-textured wine with abundant black cherry, blackcurrant, chinotto flavours, lovely inky density, fine giant cedar tannins. Finishes firm and tight. Lovely richness, volume, and torque. "Not fully resolved, but the wine grows and unfurls in the glass, showing that it has a long way ahead of it." (JA) 13.3% alc "Smells divine with its milk chocolate, blackcurrants, roses, mint, sweet spice, cherries, and cola aromas. It's not a showstopper, but the balance of fruitiness, acidity, and mineral grip carry a sense of quiet confidence. A charming and characterful wine." (GH) Coonawarra (34%), Kalimna, Padthaway, Barossa Valley, and McLaren Vale

PENFOLDS FIVE STAR - Rewards of Patience 2026 - Drink now – 2050 Deep crimson. Lifted sea breezy dark chocolate, black cherry, quartz, liquorice aromas with hints of orange peel and spice. Classically structured and voluminous with ample dark chocolate, blackberry, spice flavours, superb chocolaty/velvety textures and underlying roasted walnut panforte notes. Finishes chocolaty and smooth. "Heady and rich. Sweet and flattering. A rich jewel. Tight but rewarding." (JR) A standout Grange vintage. 14% alc "Mulberries and plums, some cherry liqueur and dark chocolate. Panforte and coffee cream. It's the texture that impresses here, an almost obscene satiny plushness that's never overblown or excessive, just so seductively luxurious. The tannins emerge slowly but surely through the wine, wrap it up tight, and pull it down through a long, assured finish." (NR) 94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Magill Estate (Adelaide) Maturation of Grange temporarily discontinued at Magill.

BEGUILING JH97 - Awesome power, grace, depth and finesse; pure grapefruit, nectarine and peach flesh aromas are framed by complex, toasty, grilled nuts; the palate is amazingly concentrated, yet portrays a lightness that is completely beguiling and incredibly long.

PERFEFT 21ST Birthday PRESENT 

GREATNESS - RP97 - Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 2005 Château Palmer is a legend in the making. Apparently the vines received 57% less rain than average, yet the 2005 shrugs off any water deficiency and has nurtured a wondrously pixelated bouquet, whereby mineralité shines through the black cherry and blueberry fruit. Search deeper and you discover veins of graphite that impart a Pauillac-like allure. The palate is medium-bodied and intense, but it is not overwhelming, a Margaux that is galvanized with a firm backbone thereby ensuring this will age over the long term. The symmetry here is enthralling - a 2005 that is destined for greatness. The only question is whether it will surpass the 2009 or 2010 Palmer? It will be fun finding out. Tasted May 2015.  MUSEUM RELEASE

STARS - RP97 - Tasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical in London, the 2005 Château Pontet-Canet has long been one of the stars of the vintage and this might well be the best of over a dozen showings of this wine. However, do not expect ostentation on the nose. This is 2005 and like many wines of this vintage, even with considerable decanting, it remained broody and introspective on the nose, as if it is checking you out and seeing if you are worthy. Once you have been accepted, then it swings the doors open to reveal gorgeous scents of blackberry, briary and cassis fruit, perhaps a little more sous-bois than I have noticed compared to previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied, but dense and structured—certainly a more masculine Pontet-Canet built for long-term ageing. Yet it retains marvelous freshness and vitality all the way through to the pencil-lead, quite saline finish. I suspect that the 2009 Pontet-Canet is more approachable than the 2005, so heeding Robert Parker's sage advice, afford this up to ten years in your cellar and then reap the rewards of patience. Tasted February 2016.