La Place (de Bordeaux) has long been the spiritual home of Bordeaux En Primeur releases, yet in recent years, more and more top international producers from Italy, USA, Argentina, Chile, and Australia have been using it as their primary global distribution channel. Discover the September releases so far...
Bibi Graetz 'Testamatta' Toscana Rosso IGT 2019 | £438 IB (6x75cl)
"Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured. Try after 2025." 97/100 points. James Suckling
"A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Testamatta is a wine in constant evolution. Bibi has added 17 more hectares of vineyard to the program, with 12 hectares in Fiesole (north of Florence) and 5 hectares in San Donato in Colle (south of Florence) with 70-year-old vines. The base of the wine sees fruit from old vines planted in the 1950s in the cool-climate Lamole subzone of Chianti Classico. These new terroirs bring a lot more aromatic nuance and complexity to the wine with perfumed blue flower, candied orange peel, wet earth and plumy black fruit. White Alberese soils add a strong chalky mineral signature to the finish of this elegantly streamlined and linear Tuscan red." 94/100 points. Monica Larner (Wine Advocate)
"Elegance, this is the word that describes Testamatta 2019. The 20th Anniversary of Testamatta is a real milestone, the peak of quality that I was searching in my Sangiovese since the first vintage in 2000. Testamatta 2019 is perfectly balanced with deep layers which shown an incredible complexity." Bibi Graetz
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Bibi Graetz 'Colore' Toscana Rosso IGT 2019 | £540 IB (3x75cl)
"This is so perfumed and seductive, with blackberries, cherries, dried flowers and perfume. It’s full-bodied and tight with very fine tannins. Really structured and long. Superb tannin texture. So fine, yet so powerful. This is an incredible combination of fruit and structure. Old-vine magic. Drink after 2026." 99/100 points. James Suckling
"Dressed for a party, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Colore celebrates the estate's 20th anniversary with a special commemorative (2000-2019) bottle. This vintage of Colore is 100% Sangiovese (the small part of Colorino in the blend we saw last year has been removed) because Bibi thought the Sangiovese elegant enough to stand alone. Fruit comes from three vineyard sites with 70-, 80- and 90-year-old vines, respectively. The wine offers big intensity and beautifully lifted aromas and more textural support than we saw in the slightly thinner 2018 vintage. The bouquet reveals balsam herb, cassis, pressed rose, garden mint and crushed stone. Fruit from the southern-most site, Poggio Matto in Casciano del Murlo (in the province of Siena), was blended in at a greater percentage to help build the structure and momentum of this cellar-worthy wine." 96/100 points. Monica Larner (Wine Advocate)
"Monumental, there is no better word to describe this vintage. Roundness in every single aspect of the wine: elegance, freshness and great acidy that gives very fine layers surprisingly detectable on the nose and at the first sip. Colore 2019 celebrates my 20th anniversary as a winemaker. It has been a great journey since 2000, full of satisfactions and now with this vintage I finally close the circle. My wines at the beginning were looking for structure and concentration, in 2009 I realized that “elegance” should have been the main drive. In 2019 I did it!" Bibi Graetz
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Nicolás Catena Zapata 2018 | £318 IB (6x75cl)
"Aromas of blackberries, grilled meat, blackcurrants and wet earth. Full-bodied, tight and compact with dense dark berries and currants. Linear and long with a tight, focused palate. A blend of cabernet sauvignon and malbec. Drink after 2022." 96/100 points. James Suckling
"They no longer use grapes from Agrelo, and this is also a lot higher in Malbec than in other recent vintages. So, it has a very different profile, a change that started in 2017, with more contained ripeness and more freshness, and the wine is intense, keeping some of the Cabernet character (tobacco, blackberries) and the floral notes from Malbec. It comes through as balanced and harmonious, with very fine tannins and a long finish and perfect ripeness." 96/100 points. Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate)
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Cheval des Andes 2018 | £354 IB (6x75cl)
"This is a plush, rich Cheval with blueberry and floral aromas and flavors. HInts of tar and fresh lavender. Full body. The depth and richness are impressive, as are the ripe yet fresh tannins. Very long and structured, yet controlled and in balance. This will be a great wine indeed. Drink after 2023." 98/100 points. James Suckling
"Lovely depth to the fruit, clear chocolate, liquorice, rosemary and black pepper spice, along with blueberry, black cherry, nuances of luscious nectarine. Lower levels of Cabernet Sauvignon than they have historically used in the blend, it still pulls its weight. They are still vinifiying at Terrazas de los Andes, but currently working on a cellar plan that will be completed for 2023. Last vintage with Lorenzo Pasquini before he headed back to Bordeaux (he is now with Yquem), with the 2019 onwards with Gérald Gabillet winemaker (previously at Château Angélus in St Emilion)." 95/100 points. Jane Anson
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Seña 2019 | £479 IB (6x75cl)
"Such beautiful aromas of crushed berries, currants, walnuts, allspice and nutmeg follow through to a full body with tight, ultra fine tannins that provide length and intensity. A finish of slightly dried cherries with wet earth, slate and stone. Chewy and fine-grained. A wine with soul and length. Give it time. Drink after 2025." 98/100 points. James Suckling
"This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It's long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile." 98/100 points. Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate)
"A deep, bright ruby red colour with purple hues, Seña 2019 shows complexity on the nose with red and black fruits aromas and a distinctive freshness. Several layers of aromatics deliver suggestions of pepper, dill and rosemary alongside co¬ee beans, pastries and vanilla. On the palate Seña shows notes of blueberry pie and cassis cream whilst brimming with fresh-picked red and black fruits. Seña 2019 is a very elegant wine, with great structure, complexity and depth – with notable freshness and polished tannins." Francisco Baettig - Seña Winemaker
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For more information and stock availability, please email wine@bcfw.co.uk, or call us on 01325 776446.
Please note prices quoted are per case (as stated) In Bond, and exclude UK Duty, VAT and delivery charges. The wines are due to arrive in our bonded warehouse throughout Winter 2021.
