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Cellar Favorite: 1982 & 2001 Haut-Bages Libéral

France: Bordeaux, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Nov 2024

The 1982 vintage in Bordeaux was a pivotal moment for Bordeaux—the touchpaper that moved the region into the modern age.

Barbaresco giacosa 1990

Cellar Favorite: 1990 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili

Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Nov 2024

I rarely write about Italian wine. But I was so enraptured by one bottle that had been purchased upon release that it would be rude not to write about it.

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Cellar Favorite: 1945 Troplong Mondot

France: Bordeaux, Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Nov 2024

Best vintage of the 20th century? 1945. Few will argue against that. A one-off historical nexus of victory against evil with victory in the vineyard.

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Cellar Favorite: 1973 Californian Cabernets

United States: California, Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Oct 2024

A recent discussion about 1970s California wine on the Vinous forum prompted me to cleave away a couple of tasting notes from my round-up of mature wines.

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Cellar Favorite: 1990 Henschke Lenswood Abbotts Prayer Vineyard

Cellar Favorites, Australia, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Oct 2024

The 1990 Lenswood Abbotts Prayer Vineyard from Henschke is a rare old bird. I found little information on this wine, even from Henschke’s website, except that the vineyard was a majority Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Merlot.

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Cellar Favorite: 1924 Gruaud Larose

France: Bordeaux, Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Oct 2024

A rare century-old bottle of 1924 Gruaud Larose was a late addition to a mouth-watering line-up of fermented grape juice poured at Ming Court restaurant on my final night in Hong Kong.

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Cellar Favorite: Castello dei Rampolla: Library Releases

Cellar Favorites, Italy: Tuscany, cellar favorite

Antonio Galloni, Oct 2024

These library releases from Castello dei Rampolla offer fascinating insights into one of Italy’s most innovative estates and wines.

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Cellar Favorite: 1984 Ridge Zinfandel Geyserville Trentadue

United States: California, Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Sep 2024

The 1984 Zinfandel Geyserville Trentadue is one of Ridge’s more obscure single-vineyard bottlings. This cuvée is a blend of 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petit Sirah that came from a vineyard established by Evelyn and Leo Trentadue.

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Cellar Favorite: 1985 Cheval Blanc

France: Bordeaux, Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Sep 2024

It has been several years since I last tasted the 1985 Cheval Blanc. When this was poured, a guest enquired whether I liked it, to which I replied: “It’s Cheval Blanc…It’s 1985…Of course!”

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Cellar Favorite: 2017 Kanonkop Paul Sauer

Cellar Favorites, South Africa, cellar favorite

Neal Martin, Sep 2024

In South Africa, there is a debate about whether the 2015 Paul Sauer is better than the 2017 or vice versa. They are both great vintages of one of the Cape’s icons.