11/07/2025
It's Bordeaux time. Four exceptional wines have arrived in store, each delivering exceptional drinking.
Tempo d'Angélus 2022
From Château Angélus, this wine showcases the exceptional quality of that vintage. The 2022 is 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc.
Tempo, a newer addition to the d'Angélus range, is crafted from grapes harvested from vineyards acquired by Château Angelus in 2017. These vineyards are situated on splendid clay-limestone slopes in Castillon-la-Bataille, Saint-Magne-de-Castillon, and Sainte-Colombe, mere kilometers from Saint-Émilion, and are transitioning to organic farming. The dedication invested in the Grand Vin of Château d'Angélus is equally applied to Tempo, which is touted as "Bordeaux, crafted like a Grand Cru."
As a Bordeaux appellation wine, Tempo presents a more accessible version of its prestigious predecessors, yet it embodies the same richness and intricacy as the Grand Vin and Second Wine, without the necessity of a 15 to 20-year maturation period.
Chateau Lafon-Rochet 2017
Recent vintages here at this classed growth St Estephe have been amongst the best ever with the latest generation of the family - Basile Tesseron - now in charge of the property. The new consultant is the legendary Jean-Claude Berrouet of Chateau Petrus - his first job on the left bank. This striking property with its yellow walls is just along the road from Cos d'Estournel and overlooks the vineyards of Lafite. En primeur prices remain reasonable. The 40 hectare vineyard is planted 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Chateau Pontet-Canet 2011
Alfred Tesseron has been making classic Pauillac here every year since the excellent 1994 and recent vintages have been amongst the best ever, scoring impressively when shown in blind tastings. Pontet Canet is now pushing the Pichons as Pauillac's top non-first growth. Grapes are manually sorted by a team of 30 people on specially made sorting tables. The vineyard is now 100% organic and bio-dynamic and worked by horses. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot in 60% new oak. Pontet Canet is now consistently producing wine of "super-second" quality that are even starting to match the First Growths. This is Bordeaux's hottest name right now. The yield in 2011 was only 32hl/ha which will result in 25% less wine being produced. A deep purple colour and a powerful nose that wafts aromas of black cassis fruit and licorice. On the palate it is massive, thick and chewy with great intensity and purity. A bold, black powerhouse with oak and tannin to match the impressive weight of fruit. Another Pontet Canet at a super-second level and one of the wines of the vintage. Alfred believes it to be half way between 2008 and 2009 in quality.
Unicorn Alert 🦄
The ultra rare white from Chateau Cheval Blanc, La Petit Cheval.
The story of Petit Cheval blanc began in 2006 when Château Cheval Blanc acquired Château La Tour du Pin, a cru classé of around eight hectares. The two properties are separated only by the road leading from Saint-Emilion to Pomerol.
For more than 10 years, Château Cheval Blanc has challenged itself to produce a great white wine on this small 6 hectare vineyard nested in the parcels of its elder.
A genuine variation, in white, of the identity of Cheval Blanc, this wine is a blend of some 12 different plots, on clay, sandy and gravelly soils, where 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon fit perfectly.
The nose is elegant and temperate, with yellow-fleshed fruit, citrus, zest and beeswax notes. Airing the wine, brioche, butter and pastry notes also emerge. Flowers are also prevalent, white flowers and lime blossom. The very fresh nose is also characterised by the generosity of this sunny vintage.
The palate is round and supple. The acidity, less pronounced in this vintage, combines with a bitterness that stretches and lengthens the wine. The wood, though very discreet, adds volume and complexity to the texture on the palate.
