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Ace of Spades, Armand de Brignac, Brut

Adelaide Tributa, Quinta Vallado

Alter Ego Palmer

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Mattonara, Zyme

1994 Angelus

Another inky, purple/black-coloured wine, the 1994 offers up heavenly scents of smoked meats, barbeque spices, hickory wood, and plenty of cassis and kirsch liqueur. The fruit's phenomenal purity and denseness, as well as its overall balance is admirable in view of the massive, muscular personality of this huge, full-bodied wine oozing with extract.

2002 Angelus

A successful offering for the vintage, the 2002 exhibits a deep ruby/purple/plum color as well as a sweet, forward style with black fruits intermixed with espresso roast, lavender, and Provencal herbs. Medium to full-bodied, lush, and round, with fine purity, ripeness, and surprising body and sweetness for a right bank 2002.

1999 Angelus

Coffee bean, berry and spice aromas, almost raisiny, follow through to a full body, with lots of rich fruit and a tobacco, cedar, berry and toasty oak finish. Loads going on. Opulent for the vintage. Chewy tannins too.

Armailhac

Arrosee

2006 Ausone

Bright medium ruby. Brooding, pure aromas of blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, espresso and minerals. Wonderfully dense yet weightless, with a penetrating energy to its sappy black fruit and mineral flavours. This has filled out impressively since its early days in barrel but is still just at the beginning of its evolution. The slowly mounting, compellingly long finish saturates the palate with flavour, and the substantial tannins are amazingly sweet and fine-grained. My early candidate for wine of the vintage: this fills the mouth with perfume but its fruit of steel suggests that it will last a very long time.