Marqués de Murrieta & Pazo de Barrantes receive outstanding 2024 scores

We are delighted that Marqués de Murrieta in Rioja and Pazo de Barrantes in Rías Baixas, have received outstanding 2024 scores from James Suckling, Tim Atkin MW and The Wine Advocate.

A full list of scores and reviews can be found here:

Marqués de Murrieta – James Suckling 2024

Marqués de Murrieta – Tim Atkin MW 2024

Marqués de Murrieta – The Wine Advocate 2024

 

Highlights include:

Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2012

100 Points, James Suckling

So much dried flower, mushroom, iron, rust, sweet berry, and grilled orange. Full-bodied with very elegant and refined tannins that melt in the mouth and give a real sense of place and integrity. Balanced and harmonious. The finesse and finish is endless. Production was 30% less than in 2011. Already so drinkable. A wonderful future. This is the new 1934 or 1964, two legends. Drink or hold.

98 Points, Tim Atkin MW

There will be no Castillo Ygay reds in 2013, 2014 or 2015, so its many fans would be well advised to stock up now. Made in a vintage that María Vargas regards as outstanding, this partners Tempranillo with 19% Mazuelo. Aged in American and a smaller amount of French oak, it has appealing balsamic, tobacco leaf and aromatic spice aromas,
wonderful structure and depth, layers of blackberry, fig and red berry fruit and a persistent, acid-driven finish. 2026-40.

97 Points, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial was produced with a blend of 81% Tempranillo and 19% Mazuelo (Cariñena) from the plot La Plana in the Ygay estate, which was planted in 1950 at 485 meters above sea level, the highest in the Ygay property. The Tempranillo was picked between September 17th and 19th, and the Mazuelo was
harvested on September 25th. The bunches were destemmed and lightly crushed and put to ferment in stainless steel for 10 days with constant pump-overs and délestages. The Tempranillo matured for 34 months in American oak barrels, and the Mazuelo also matured for 34 months but in French barriques. It was then blended and put in
concrete for a further 20 months. It has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.8 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). It seems to follow the style of the 2011, perhaps somewhere between the 2010 and 2011—very classical, with notes of earth, cedar, spice and meat. The palate is polished, sleek and elegant with a touch of earthy rusticity. 103,216 bottles, 3,121 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in May 2019. No 2013, 2014 or 2015 will be produced, so from here, they will jump to 2016 to be released in 2026 or 2027. I look
forward to it, and I’m intrigued about what I’m going to find when I taste it.

 

La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes Albariño 2018

96 Points, James Suckling

Scented orange blossoms, mineral, orange zest and pineapples. Intense and taut on the palate with a bright beam of acidity and subtle salinity that melds together before a long and intense finish. Mineral, serious and gastronomic. Drink or hold.

96 Points, Tim Atkin MW

La Comtesse comes from the Pago Cacheiro, a 1,4-hectare parcel planted in 1965, and sees a combination of new and older French wood, followed by a year in concrete eggs. Deliberately made to age, like owner Marqués de Murrieta’s white Riojas, this is rich, leesy and textured, with notes of butter and honey, pear and peach skin fruit, a
dab of oak spices and a taut, focused, mineral rich core. Rías Baixas meets Meursault. 2023-30.

96 Points, The Wine Advocate

The 2018 La Comtesse comes from a vineyard called Cacheiro, 1.4 hectares of their oldest vines (planted in 1965) that deliver lower yields and aim to showcase the aging potential of Albariño. The destemmed grapes were slowly and softly pressed in a pneumatic press, and the juice was let to settle and put to ferment in a 3,000-liter oak vat for some 60 days. The wine was kept in that vat for 12 months, the first two with lees, and then it matured in concrete for a further 12 months before bottling. It has 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.4 with seven grams of tartaric acid per liter, very good parameters for a great vintage. It has a bright golden color and a perfumed, complex and elegant nose, with depth and nuance with the complexity of time, moving away from the primary aromas and high acidity of the younger wines. The oak is neatly integrated (the oak is used, and they have reduced the time in oak by two months), and the wine has mellow acidity. It’s velvety and elegant, clean, pungent and precise, sharp and electric, very fresh. It has complexity and youth, balance and ingredients to develop in bottle. Time is on its side. 6,672 bottles and 200 magnums were produced. It was bottled in April 2021. It was not released until June 2023, after a good couple of years in bottle. Prices have increased.

Quartet Brut MV named ‘Wine of the Week’ on JancisRobinson.com

Quartet Brut MV has been named ‘Wine of the Week’ on JancisRobinson.com by Samantha Cole-Johnson. Many congratulations to Arnaud and the Roederer Estate team!

Roederer Estate is situated in California’s Anderson Valley. Jean-Claude Rouzaud, former President of Champagne Louis Roederer, selected the estate in 1982 for its cool climate, proximity to the ocean and well-drained soils which makes it ideally suited to the production of sparkling wine. He believed that estate-owned vineyards were essential for the production of top-quality wine – and this philosophy remains today. There are four distinct vineyards on the estate – hence the name Quartet here in the UK – from which all the grapes are sourced.

The blend is an average of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Only the cuvée is used and the blend is based on one vintage with partially oak-aged reserve wines making up the remaining 10-15% of the blend.

Excellent 2020 En Primeur reviews for Château Pichon Comtesse and Château de Pez

‘2018, 2019, 2020: three great years! And a trilogy that will be a milestone in the history of Pichon Comtesse. A series in the making…’

– Nicolas Glumineau, Winemaker and Director General of Château Pichon Comtesse and Château de Pez.

 

Vintage Report

2020 was an eventful vintage, with an early bud break, a rainy spring and a warm and dry summer. Winter and spring were very wet followed by a hot April and May which saw rainfall levels higher than average over the last thirty years. After a cool and rainy June, drought and heat set in until mid-August. Careful leaf thinning at both Château Pichon Comtesse and Château de Pez helped to limit the bunches’ exposure to the sun’s heat, preserving freshness. The rains in mid-August were enough to alleviate any vine stress, allowing vines to complete photosynthesis under healthy conditions. The harvest at Château Pichon Comtesse took place in ideal conditions between 9th – 29th September and at Château de Pez from 11th – 26th September, producing fresh yet structured and complex wines.

 

Nicolas Glumineau’s tasting notes

2020 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (sold out)

A balanced, seductive, powerful and racy Pichon Comtesse 2020.

2020 Pichon Comtesse Réserve (sold out)

The palate, sensual and light, is at the same time, rich, full-bodied and very lively.

2020 Château de Pez (available)

Full-bodied and well-balanced, a captivating wine of fine dimensions.

2020 2nd Pez (*new second label* available)

A long and powerful palate, with both floral and fruity notes and well-integrated tannins.

 

Critics’ reviews

2020 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Neal Martin (96 – 98)

The 2020 Pichon-Lalande has a backward nose similar to that of its neighbour Pichon-Baron, and so I decanted the bottle for 45 minutes. It then revealed gorgeous scents of blackberry, wild hedgerow, seaweed (Japanese nori) and wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and gentle but insistent grip. Very intense but not ripe; there is a coolness about this Pauillac that I like, while the finish is very classically styled and leaves behind a persistent, slightly briny aftertaste. This is a magnificent, cerebral Pichon-Lalande that will deserve serious aging and the patience of anyone still waiting for The Cure’s new album. Tasted three times, including directly from the château.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (95 – 97)

Deep purple-black in color, the 2020 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande begins on a single, well-defined, wonderfully pure note of ripe blackcurrants, opening out to a melody of redcurrant jelly, kirsch, ripe blackberries and tar, with emerging suggestions of dark chocolate, cardamom, ground cloves and violets, with a waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, tightly wound and with loads of fantastically nuanced black fruit layers, it has a rock-solid frame of finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. The blend this year is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2026 – 2050.

Jane Anson (96)

Softer and silkier than many Pauillacs in the vintage, this is a clear success. Hugely silky and seductive, with grip, power and finesse. One of the best of the appellation, with finessed tobacco, heather and plump blueberry and cassis fruit, expertly managing the low 30hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. Tasted twice. Drinking Window 2030 – 2048.

 

2020 Pichon Comtesse Réserve

Neal Martin (90 – 92)

The 2020 Réserve de Pichon Comtesse is very harmonious on the nose, featuring plenty of blackberry, wild strawberry and light touches of salted licorice and estuarine scents; this is going to be very seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and fine-grained tannins, not a powerful or deep Deuxième Vin, leading to a poised, quite spicy, peppery finish. This should give 12–15 years of drinking pleasure.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (91 – 93)

Composed of 47% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Reserve de la Comtesse is redolent of cassis, redcurrant jelly and raspberry coulis, plus suggestions of chocolate box, lilacs and stewed tea, with a waft of unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating, juicy black fruits with a soft texture and seamless freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. This is a very different style from the grand vin, possessing a more playful, upfront and effortlessly delicious character that truly draws you in! Drinking Window 2024 – 2041.

Jane Anson (92)

Bright ruby colour with violet reflections. As with many second wines in Pauillac in 2020, you should expect fairly high tannins, although they are fine in construction and softly-expressed when things open up. Cocoa bean and coffee smoke on the finish. This is seductive but underplayed. Drinking Window 2024 – 2038.

Château de Pez

2020 Château de Pez

Neal Martin (92 – 94)

Hidden gem […] The 2020 Château de Pez is one of the more aromatically fruit-driven Saint-Estèphes, presenting a nose of black cherries, raspberry and light blueberry scents, and hints of cedar and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and real salinity and precision. A slightly powdery-textured, quite mineral-driven finish completes this superb de Pez. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (91 – 93)

Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2020 de Pez skips out of the glass with lively notes of Bing cherries, fresh blackberries and blackcurrant pastilles, with suggestions of pencil shavings, wild thyme and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivering intense red and black berry layers with loads of herbal sparks and a grainy texture, finishing long and savory. Drinking Window 2024 – 2039.

Jane Anson (92)

Extremely drinkable and very easy to recommend. The tannins are already showing elasticity and a sense of embracing the fruit without constricting it. No need to wait too long – give it two or three years to soften further, and then enjoy for the next decade. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 45% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 – 2038.

Colin Hay (90 – 92)

(St Estèphe; from a vineyard of 42 hectares on a graves over clay-limestone terroir, 3 hectares of which are managed biodynamically; 51% Cabernet Sauvignon; 43% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 51 hl/ha; aging for 12 months in oak barrels, 35% of which are new; IPT 75; pH 3.71; 13.4% alcohol). This is a beautiful wine that has so much of the Pichon Comtesse de Lalande signature, with a gloriously refined and elegant, deep and slightly sombre nose – of very dark berry fruit, graphite and a hint of cedar. Voluptuous, soft and sumptuous on the attack, with ultra-fine grained tannins that support the radiant and bright fruit so seamlessly. Long and all in perfect harmony. The 2019 was exceptional; this is very much at the same level.

 

2020 2nd Pez

The Wine Cellar Insider (88 – 90)

Forward, fresh and fruity, this medium-bodied, already fully-drinkable, red berry, soft textured charmer is ready to go for easy drinking pleasure.

 

 

Please contact Lucy.Bland@mmdltd.co.uk should you require any further information or like to place an order for 2020 Château de Pez or 2020 2nd Pez.

Diamond Creek 2018s awarded outstanding scores

Diamond Creek is delighted to have received outstanding Robert Parker Wine Advocate scores from Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW for their three terroir-driven, single vineyard expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon.

2018 was a vintage that gave exceptional phenolic ripeness. Abundant rains early in the year were followed by plenty of sunshine hours in the spring and early summer. Bud break and flowering occurred under ideal weather conditions, leading to a healthy fruit set and summer was relatively mild, creating noticeable freshness in the wines. The sunshine extended well into the autumn, allowing the fruit to gradually accumulate complexity and ripeness, leading to ripe and luscious tannins.

 

Gravelly Meadow 2018 (97)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is a blend of 78.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.4% Merlot, 8% Malbec and 5.1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnetpurple in color, it slips effortlessly from the glass, singing of ripe black cherries, black raspberries and cassis, plus hints of red currants, roses, cinnamon stick and garrigue. The medium to fullbodied palate delivers lovely freshness, offering  bags  of  perfumed  black  fruits in the mouth, beautifully supported by fine-grained tannins, finishing long with lots  of  soft-spoken  floral  and  mineral whispers. This perfumed beauty wears the 2018 vintage stamp well, presenting a more delicate expression of this vineyard—one that I love! 647 cases were made.

 

Red Rock Terrace 2018 (98)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4.5% Malbec and 4.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of cassis, plum preserves, cedar chest and pencil lead, plus wafts of black truffles, damp soil and unsmoked cigars. Medium to fullbodied, the palate bursts with black berry flavors and wonderful freshness, packed with loads of subtle savory layers and textured by approachable, plush tannins, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. 599 cases were made.

 

Volcanic Hill 2018 (98+)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.5% Merlot, 8.7% Malbec and 2.8% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts with vibrant scents of wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries and boysenberries with hints of sassafras, fragrant earth, vanilla pod and underbrush, plus a waft of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers fantastic purity and depth, offering firm, grainy tannins to support the bags of earth-laced black fruits, finishing long and mineral laced. 791 cases were made.

 

If you require any further information, please contact Brand Manager, lucy.bland@mmdltd.co.uk or your Sales Manager.

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