Best French Sommelier in 1989-1990, Best International Sommelier in 1990 for French Wines and Spirits, Joint World Champion in 1995 and Sommelier at Le Nôtre Restaurant, Paris.
Dark, ruby robe with beautiful intensity and purple highlights. The colour is dense and profound, with a shining tint and slightly opaque. The nose is pleasant; it is expressive with significant aromas of fruit and oak. The fruit is exceptionally ripe, but not jammy. It is delicious. The wine’s complexity is provided by fine touches of ageing, menthol, eucalyptus, sweet spice and vanilla, all underlined by mineral-based notes. The nose possesses a very diverse aromatic palette for such a young vintage and this fascinates me further. The fruit’s ripeness is just right. It is harmoniously balanced with its notes of ageing and this aromatic ensemble possesses certain Mediterranean influences, but they are truly faultless. This wine shows a mastery of growing grapes in this climate. Its mouth is full, the wine is opulent and its power is at first refreshed by touches of red fruit which quench one’s thirst. This is immediately followed by contrasting tannins. These tannins are noble; they are ripe without being aggressive. This thoroughbred wine lingers in the mouth, it is elegant and concentrated. Thank you for producing a wine such as this.
1997
