DBM Fine Wines

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Château Certan de May is named after a Scottish family who established themselves in Pomerol in the 17th century. It is situated on the Pomerol plateau between Vieux-Chateaux Certan and Pétrus, and directly opposite Le Pin. The vineyards are planted with 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and have an average age of 45 years. The soils are sand and gravel over clay. The wines are aged in oak barrels for 16 months, 40% of which are new.

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Five generations of the Nicolas family have contributed to La Conseillante's stellar reputation since 1871.The estate is located on the highest part of the Pomerol plateau. The soil in the northern part, next to Pétrus, consists largely of clay and that in the southern part, bordering on Cheval Blanc, is primarily clay-gravel. The grape varieties are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Everything possible is done in the vineyard to produce low yields of ripe, healthy grapes. Picking is done exclusively by hand at peak ripeness. Fermented in a modern vat room, but in keeping with traditional winemaking methods, Château La Conseillante is aged in 100% new oak barrels in great vintages, 80% in other years. La Coneillante's terroir exemplifies the full, round, creamy, velvety, and very smooth qualities of Merlot, while Cabernet Franc contributes red fruit and truffle aromas.This great estate makes wine that achieves a perfect harmony between elegance and power.©ugcb

Tasting Notes

Jane Anson, Decanter 89/100
Owned by the Cazes family, this is a classic Graves that offers excellent value. The 2016 is a deep, rich ruby colour and attractively rustic in expression. It opens well in the glass, with a good balance of freshness and enticingly ripe plum fruits, kept in place by tannins that offer just the right amount of tension for a wine that is aimed at medium term drinking.
Drinking Window 2020-2030

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Chateau Villa Bel-Air is located in Saint-Morillon in the heart of the “Graves” appellation. In the 18th century, Louis Dufaure, Marquis de Lajarte, a councillor in the Bordeaux Parliament, built a beautiful classical mansion on the site of the Bel-Air wine property. Today, the interior design of the property is classified a Historical Monument. After a long dormant period, the property was bought in 1988 by Jean-Michel Cazes and his family. From this date they completely restructured the vineyards and the technical installations prompting Robert Parker in 2005 to comment "The property has undergone numerous improvements aimed at heightening the quality of the vineyard and its wines (…) Many wine lovers have yet to discover the excellence of this great wine."

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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

94 points, Antonio Galloni Mar 2016, Vinous.com
The 2012 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is pure class. A decidedly sensual, inviting Bricco delle Viole, the 2012 fleshes out in the glass with an effortless, inviting personality that is impossible to resist. Deep red cherry and plum notes open up first, followed by the classic floral notes that are so typical of this site. In 2012, the Bricco delle Viole is quite forward and fruit-driven, with essentially none of the angular contours that are typical when the wine is young. All of that means the 2012 will deliver immense pleasure pretty much upon release. There is so much to like here. The only real question is whether the 2012 will shut down in bottle or not. This is another addictively delicious Barolo from the Vajra family.


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.

Tasting Notes

ROBERT PARKER: 87
An excellent blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this wine offers attractive value for its superb quality. The wine has a dense ruby/purple color, nice cedary blackcurrant fruit, medium body and surprisingly soft, well-integrated tannins. This sleeper of the vintage should drink nicely for 5-8 years.| eRobertParker.com.April, 2015

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Chateau La Tour-de-By is a 74 hectare property overlooking the Gironde at Begadan planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The wines are very robust with classic earthy Medoc fruit and can age quite happily for 10-12 years if cellared correctly.

Tasting Notes

Pale golden in colour with a fine mousse and a hallmark bouquet of honey on toast. Smooth and creamy, this champagne is made mainly from Pinot Noir in the more southerly Aube region where it achieves lovely ripeness and balance of flavours. Ideal inexpensive champagne for larger celebrations!

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The Gallimard family have been making champagne since 1930, the year when Jules and Ernest Gallimard, already vinegrowers, decided to produce their own bottles of champagne. Didier Gallimard is currently running the domaine which covers 10 hectares of prime vineyards on the steep slopes around Les Riceys in the southern Aube; his vines' average age is 30 years and the vineyards which are of chalk and limestone are planted mainly to Pinot Noir and just a little Chardonnay - the Pinot Noir grapes here achieve lovely ripeness and lend a soft fruitiness to the wines.

Tasting Notes

Burghound 91/100;
A wonderfully fresh nose is more restrained than that the Latricières with an even earthier array of deeply pitched black currant, plum and violent scented aromas that are again trimmed in gentle wood nuances. The overtly muscular and attractively stony big-bodied flavors possess solid mid-palate concentration that does a fine job of buffering the firm supporting tannins on the moderately austere, persistent and slightly better balanced finish. This backward effort will likely need 12 to 15 years to reveal its full potential.

Neal Martin, erobertparker.com 91-93/100; The 2013 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru, which is matured in 40% new oak, has a more complex bouquet than the Latricieres-Chambertin '13 at present with that marine leitmotif returning here. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, good body and energy with touches of orange rind toward the harmonious finish. This is one of the standouts from Rossignol-Trapet this year. Excellent. Reviewed Jan 2015

Vintage Description

Neal Martin erobertparker.com, Jan 2015; ....There is much more refinement and precision nowadays and I feel that Rossignol-Trapet is a name that now deserves higher respect. “It was quite a difficult vintage in the beginning: wet and cold,” Nicolas explained. “It was not very warm and in June a lot of old vines were affected by poor flowering. In September, the sugar was very slow to accumulate, but the tannins achieved phenolic ripeness in the end. We started picking on 6 October and lasted only 5 days, one of the shortest we have ever had. This was because of the pressure of rot. The millerandage meant that on some days there was not so much to sort. The quantity in 2013 is only 15% more than 2012 that was our lowest ever! We sorted in the vineyard and in the winery (on a vibrating sorting table), especially for the younger vines. This year we used a Pellenc destemmer that does not crush the berries and this was a great help. The vinification was not very complicated, with a small amount of pigeage, 6 or 7 times only with daily remontage, a little more at the end in order to prevent reduction. The malolactics finished between February and April as the cellars are not so cold. We don’t add a lot of sulfur because we are certified by Demeter who limit its use to 70-milligrams.”

These were mainly superb follow-ups to their 2012s, even if one or two of their vineyards were touched by hail. At the top end those grand crus really prove their class, in particular the Chapelle-Chambertin and Chambertin itself. Perhaps the premier crus do not quite have the class of their 2012s, but wines like the Gevrey la Petite Chapelle punch above their weight. Overall, I was immensely pleased with these 2013s and, given that they tend to be more reasonably priced than other Gevrey growers, they come highly recommended.

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Mas de Daumas Gassac was established in the 1970s when Aimé Guibert,a Parisian glove manufacturer purchased the property, and since then has come to be described by some as the Grand Cru of Languedoc. After the renowned oenologist Professor Henri Enjalbert pointed out that the unique combination of the red glacial soils beneath the local garrigue with the altitude and currents of cool air that passed over the slopes made this an ideal spot for viticulture, Aimés passion for wine was ignited. He Planted un-cloned Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The Guibert mantra is that uniformity is the enemy of quality. They tracked down some vines propagated from cuttings taken in some of the great Bordeaux properties during the 1930s & 1940s. And, as in the best Medoc chateaux, their choice was based on quality and diversity rather than on yield and disease resistance. Once Gault et Millau labelled the estate as the Languedoc Chateau Lafite; sales of the red wine exploded. Today three of Aimé's sons, Samuel, Roman and Gaël work in the business.

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 100% Garnacha Crianza is made from 60 year old, very low yielding vines, from two specific vineyard plots and only produced in exceptional years.

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.

Tasting Notes

Robert Parker 88/100

This estate's moderate to inexpensive wines can turn out to be good surprises. The 1975 Haut-Bages-Liberal has always been a powerful, concentrated, muscular wine. It still possesses an opaque dark ruby/garnet color, followed by a moderately intense nose of road tar, herbs, cedar, truffles, and black fruit that is somewhat dominated by the more earthy/animal side. Full-bodied, coarse and rustic, revealing exciting levels of extract, this wine will probably never come into total harmony. Nevertheless, it exhibits plenty of richness, intensity, and personality. Drink it now and over the next 15+ years.
Reviewed in Feb 1996

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Haut-Bages Libéral, a great growth Pauillac, takes its name from the Bages plateau where part of its wines are located, and also from its first known owners, the Libéral family. The vines are planted on a truly excellent vineyard site which has been consolidated since the early 18th century from among the finest land in Pauillac. Haut-Bages Libéral's largest vineyard plot borders on Château Latour; the rest adjoins Château Pichon Baron Longueville, among other illustrious neighbours. The estate was acquired by the Cruse family in 1960, and then by the Villars family in 1983. The winemaking facilities were entirely renovated and modernised, and the replanted vines have since reached maturity. ©ugcb