DBM Fine Wines

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The word “gevrey” comes from “Gibriacus” which means keeper of goats. Basically this land was so inhospitable that the only things that could thrive were goats. It was perfect for vines which were planted here from the 1st century AD. The word Chambertin, best field in the village, was joined to Gevrey in 1847. Gevrey-Chambertin was the first village to affix the name of its top vineyard. The blending and bottling of these wines from different parcels gives a unique and classique cuvée of Gevrey-Chambertin for Domaine ROSSIGNOL-TRAPET, each vineyard adding its own character.

Tasting Notes

Antonio Galloni 97/100
The 2008 Ornellaia continues to blossom in the bottle. Dark cherries, chocolate, espresso, blackberries and mocha are just some of the many notes that explode from the glass. A rich tapestry of licorice, tar and camphor notes develop in the glass, adding considerable complexity. The 2008 is a huge, structured Ornellaia endowed with massive structure. It has come together beautifully since the early days when it was a tannic beast. Readers who can be patient will be rewarded with a spectacular bottle of wine. This is a fabulous showing. Wine Advocate #201 Jun 2012

Tasting Notes

AB - Deep still, with a wonderful dark violet spicy, silky nose. The palate has structure and finesse and needs time to come together. Lovely flavour and builds beautifully. Very pure.

Neal Martin 91-93/100; The 2013 Pommard 1er Cru les Rugiens has a gorgeous, floral bouquet that just blossoms in the glass with violet-infused black cherries and raspberry aromas. This is beautiful and very pure. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp, tensile tannins, plenty of spice and white pepper decorating the structured finish that lingers long in the mouth. 'tis a but a hail-defying success! erobertparker.com 2014

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This domaine remains below the radar yet is consistently one of the highlights of our trip to Burgundy. These are wines of intense purity and finesse with no shortage of lush fruit and should be staples in all Burgundy lovers’ cellars, particularly those who like to pull corks within five years of vintage.

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Olivier Lamy’s wines have a crystalline quality that really makes them stand apart. A better expression of the 2011 vintage would be hard to find. The impeccable winemaking and perfect balance of ripe acidity means these wines age very well. The domaine’s particularity is the high density at which they plant, including two plots of 30,000 vines per hectare, three times more than normal.

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Olivier Lamy’s wines have a crystalline quality that really makes them stand apart. A better expression of the 2011 vintage would be hard to find. The impeccable winemaking and perfect balance of ripe acidity means these wines age very well. The domaine’s particularity is the high density at which they plant, including two plots of 30,000 vines per hectare, three times more than normal.

Tasting Notes

Burghound 92/100; A surprisingly high-toned but notably more densely fruited nose displays notes of Maraschino cherry, violets and plum though there are some earth and game influences present. The rich, concentrated and serious medium weight plus flavors possess an attractively textured if overtly muscular mouth feel, all wrapped in a palate coating, complex and wonderfully persistent finale. I very much like this though note that it’s a classic Aloxe of robust power and the structure to go with it. 02/2022+

Vintage Description

Burghound Overview;
Nathalie Tollot described 2014 as “a vintage that quite frankly surprised me almost from start to finish. We had a great spring so we were optimistic after the ultra-difficult growing seasons of 2012 and 2013. Unfortunately our luck didn’t hold as there was hail in many of our parcels in late June and then July and half of August were largely forgettable. The hail was actually more widespread in terms of our vineyards than in 2013 but it was much less violent so that was a small plus. We were also fortunate in that we, for reasons that we don’t completely understand, had no difficulties with the Suzukii flies even though we had neighbors that did and particularly so on the Hill of Corton where we have extensive holdings. We did a very careful sorting and after 2012 and 2013 we chose to buy an optical sorter and the precision these machines can bring is genuinely remarkable. They have to be carefully set and regulated but it’s remarkable just how good they are. We believe that this is the future as it is blatantly obvious that to make the best wine one has to at least start with the best raw materials. As to why I have been so surprised is that I didn’t think that September would be so good as to save the harvest but it did. And then once the wines were vinified I found them uninteresting at first. However as each month during the élevage passed the wines began to take on more personality and now that they’re in bottle, I absolutely love the style. The wines are refreshing, transparent and delicious with good concentration and bright acidities yet not too much. I think people are going to really like the 2014s as there’s nothing to dislike.” Note that the Tollot wines are deliberately bottled with slightly higher levels of CO2 so decanting the wines is always a good idea.

Tasting Notes

Brilliant ruby red with notes of cherries, brandied cherries, dark berries, violets and dried roses which recall nuances of citrus fruits and mint. On the palate noble and silky tannins. Very balanced with a long finish of fresh, delicate spices.

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Aldo Vaira's wines are characterised by pristine flavours and clearly defined perfumes. These characters are attributable to the position of his vineyards at about 400 metres above sea level in the village of Vergne in the commune of Barolo. G.D. Vajra was established in 1972 and named after Aldo's father, Giuseppe Domenico. Aldo has been gradually increasing the area under vine to 60 hectares, of which 10 are Nebbiolo for Barolo, located in such strategic spots as Bricco delle Viole, Fossati, La Volta and Coste di Vergne. A traditionalist, Aldo adheres to old-style winemaking methods, though blends these with new techniques, such as temperature controlled fermentation, to produce such superbly elegant wines.

The 'Bricco delle Viole' vineyard is located at altitudes of 380-470 metres above sea level in the commune of Barolo and covers 4.79 hectares. One part of the vineyard is planted with vines which are now over 60 years old and yield less than 30 hectolitres per hectare. Its high altitude and long ripening season gives the wine an aromatic complexity and richness that is lacking in lower vineyards.

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Château Clarke owes its name to an Irish family who bought the estate in the 18th century. Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased Château Clarke in 1973 and entirely renovated it. The 54 hectares of vines grow on clay limestone rises perfectly suited to the Merlot variety (practically unique among fine Médoc estates). Since September 2001, the grapes have been hand-picked and brought to the cellar in small crates so as not to bruise them. They are then carefully sorted, crushed, and fermented in superb wooden vats. The wine is moved by natural gravity flow from the vat room to the cellar’s lower level, where it ages (essentially in new oak barrels) for 14-18 months. Reflecting its terroir, Château Clarke is concentrated and elegant. It combines power and subtlety, and has great ageing potential.
Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has headed Château Clarke’s dynamic winemaking team since 1997, displaying a passion for excellence in keeping with his father’s vision.
©ugcb

Tasting Notes

Vivid colour, very elegant as always with a touch of smoky fruit. Beautiful pastille fruit nose. Bright red fruit on the nose, very open and exotic, lovely weight of fruit. Juicy – will be approachable early. Very natural and pure.

Tasting Notes

James Halliday 96 Points

Wine Advocate -Parker : 91+
"Coming from Penfolds' Kalimna Block 25, the 2010 Cellar Reserve Kalimna Mataro displays a deep garnet-purple color and aromas of warm blackberries, crushed plums and mulberries with a fragrant undercurrent of lilacs, mint and underbrush. Medium to full bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, it has a medium to firm level of grainy tannins, refreshing acidity and a long savory finish. Drink this one now to 2019+"

Aidan Bell - December 2016
"The immense depth of colour gives the first clue to the intensity of this wine, but it is not just an extracted monster, there is real elegance and finesse on the bouquet, although the fruit profile is on the coffee, dark chocolate spectrum.  The palate is extremely powerful with huge density of fruit and fine tannins with astonishing length.  This is still a baby and needs a couple of hours in a decanter to open up, or even a few more years in the cellar.  “Mataro” in Australia is known as “Mourvedre” here in the norther hemisphere, the backbone to many famous wines of Bandol.  The natural intensity and balance of the 2010 vintage is beautifully demonstrated in this wine" 

Vintage Description

Decanter Magazine April 2014 (Mark O’Halleron) – Article South Australian Shiraz 
“In a recent tasting spanning almost every vintage of Penfolds top red wines of the past seven decades, the 2010 drew unanimous superlatives.This was simply a marvellous season, but equally important is that it fell at a high point in Penfolds history

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The Penfolds Cellar Reserve ‘Kalimna Block 25′ Mataro 2010 is from a single 50-Year old Block within the famed Kalimna Barossa Valley vineyard.  Winner of Best Red Wine at the London U.K. Wine Trade Fair 2012. The Cellar Reserve label is a range of handcrafted, limited production wines.

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"The superstar of Rasteau is André Roméro who produces five Cuvées of drop-dead delicious red wine." Robert Parker

André Roméro is one of the most characterful and talented growers of his generation. The yields here are low - around 40 hl/ha for his Côtes du Rhône, 35 for the Villages and much less for his super cuvees.

The grape mix is mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the proportions varying a little with each vintage. The grapes receive a cold maceration of around 4 days followed by a cuvaison of some 20 to 30 days depending on the Cuvée at a temperature of 32°, coupled with a system of Burgundian pigeage inspired by Clos des Lambrays in Morey-Saint-Denis.

The wine is then matured in cement tanks for one year before spending 6 months in a variety of oak: foudres, demi-muids and barriques.

The wines are fined with egg whites but receive no filtration. He does not appreciate white wine so his Viognier and Roussanne are blended in with Syrah, for Les Violettes (as in Côte Rôtie).

André has built himself a new house or rather a large new cellar on top of which he lives! Everything is now temperature controlled and he is able to bottle all of a vintage when he wants and in one go. His first vintage in the new winery was 2002.

Tasting Notes

"Alluring nose with aromas of ripe damsons and cherries. There is an incredible purity and intensity to the fruit on the palate, which is at the same time juicy and complex – an indication of the age of these vines. The oak is very well handled adding structure that does not over power the fruit. Tannins are silky and the finish has lovely freshness. Intense yet elegant and very long".

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This Garnacha Crianza is made from 60 year old, very low yielding vines, from two specific vineyard plots and only produced in exceptional years. This 100% Garnacha has incredible purity and intensity. You really must try it.

Bodegas y Viñedos Tobelos is the first bodega you arrive at on entering the denominación of Rioja from the north. It is located in the small village of Brinas with famous neighbours including Roda, Muga, Tondonia, Rioja Alta and Cune
The style of the wines at Tobelos sits between classical Rioja elegance and finesse, but with a nod to the more modern fruit driven style.

Vintage Description

“ Good colour. Very attractive ripe fruits on the nose with a nice touch of spice. The palate is delicious, perfectly balanced with plenty of fleshy fruit which is showing some maturing notes but also a surprising freshness. This is all about elegance and finesse, the oak is in the background, tannins are supple and sweet and there are no dry notes. Very good length to the finish. This is perfect drinking now and over the next 12 months.”

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Château Corbin is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Emilion with over 13 hectares. Situated on the border with Pomerol with illustrious neighbours Ch Cheval Blanc and Ch La Dominique. The Estate is managed by Anabelle Cruse-Bardinet, whose cousin, Emmanuel Cruse is in charge of Chateau d’Issan in Margaux.

XX de Corbin is the estate’s second label using 35 year old vines predominantly Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc and offers great value for Money. Aged for 16 months in oak barrels the XX benefits from the same attentive care as the Grand Vin