Last night’s party at Twins was splendid. A beautiful evening with some exceptional wines, all in large formats; our favourite! Standouts from the line up, which included Chateau Margaux 2011, Pavie 98, Rauzan Segla 88, Pape Clement 95, were an Imperial of Cheval Blanc 2006 followed by an Imperial of Ornellaia 2006……not a bad way to start the trip!
The next morning, our day kicked off in St Julien. Highlights of the morning were Ducru Beaucaillou, who produced a sensational line up of very polished wines with beautifully perfumed fruits, and Léoville Las Cases, which was a powerful and majestic.
Next stop and a short trip through the vines with a perfect blue sky to Margaux and Chateau Palmer. Opinions were divided; I thought it was beautifully elegant and top class.
However, there was one château that stole the show and had us all mesmerised, Château Margaux. Both Pavillon Rouge and the Grand Vin were magical. Ripe, sweet, perfumed and utterly divine. A great legacy to Paul Pontallier.
The UGCs showed where the class lay, the consistency of St Julien and Pauillac shone, all the wines showed great class; for me St Julien had the edge. Margaux was, as is so often the case, a far more mixed bag, with Rauzan Segla and Brane Cantenac coming out on top.