FROM MY CELLAR

The 2016 Bordeaux vintage is widely regarded as a modern classic—but nearly a decade later, which wines are actually still worth buying? When the vintage was released, I bought more than twenty different 2016 Bordeaux classified growths. Today, after years of cellaring and drinking them, there are three bottles I would happily buy again at current market prices: - Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry 2016 — Margaux - Château Rauzan-Ségla 2016 — Margaux - Château Léoville-Poyferré 2016 — Saint-Julien What makes 2016 particularly interesting today is its combination of maturity, freshness and price. Many of these wines cost roughly the same as their 2020 counterparts, yet the 2016s are already beginning to reveal the complexity and character that make mature Bordeaux so rewarding. In this video, I discuss: - Why 2016 Bordeaux remains worth buying - 2016 Bordeaux vs 2010 and 2015 - Why Malescot-Saint-Exupéry offers exceptional value - Why Rauzan-Ségla remains one of my favourite modern Margaux wines - Why Léoville-Poyferré 2016 is worth revisiting - Which expensive 2016 Bordeaux wines I wouldn't buy again today - Why I would favour some 2015 Pomerol and Pessac-Léognan wines instead - How 2016 compares with 2018, 2019 and 2020 I also look at several magnificent 2016 wines—including La Mission Haut-Brion, Vieux Château Certan, La Conseillante and L'Évangile—that I was fortunate to buy on release, but wouldn't personally repurchase at today's prices. For me, that's one of the most important lessons in wine collecting: a great wine isn't necessarily a great buy. If you're buying mature Bordeaux today, I'd love to know which 2016 Bordeaux you think still offers the best value. #Bordeaux #Bordeaux2016 #Margaux #SaintJulien #WineCollecting Chapters: 00:00 Why I’m Buying 2016 Bordeaux Again 02:39 Why the 2016 Vintage Is Special 04:42 Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry 2016 06:15 Château Rauzan-Ségla 2016 07:27 Château Léoville-Poyferré 2016 08:58 The 2016 Bordeaux I Wouldn’t Buy Again 10:20 2016 vs 2018, 2019 & 2020 11:35 Which 2016 Bordeaux Would I Buy Today? Wines Featured Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry 2016 Château Rauzan-Ségla 2016 @chateaurauzan-segla3953 Château Léoville-Poyferré 2016 @chateauleovillepoyferre 🍇 Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video. *** DISCLAIMER: The views shared here reflect my personal experience and perspective as a long-time wine enthusiast. This content is for information and enjoyment only, and should not be considered financial, investment, or purchasing advice. Drink responsibly.

What does a wine collector actually open when friends and family come over? Not every dinner needs classified-growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy. Some of the bottles I reach for most often cost between US$35 and US$50. They are not trophy wines. They are wines I can put in the middle of the table, open without hesitation, and enjoy with people I care about. In this video, I share three wines that have earned a permanent place in my cellar for exactly that reason: - Chinon, Bernard Baudry La Croix Boissée - Pays du Gard, Roc d’Anglade - Terrasses du Larzac, Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette Le Grand Pas They are completely different wines, but they all have one thing in common: I actually open them. For me, autumn is when these bottles make the most sense. The evenings become cooler, dinner moves back around the table, and richer, earthier and more savoury red wines begin to feel right again. In this video, I discuss: - What a long-time wine collector actually drinks with friends - Three French red wines around US$35–50 - Why value does not simply mean buying the cheapest bottle - Bernard Baudry La Croix Boissée and Cabernet Franc from Chinon - Roc d’Anglade and its distinctive Carignan-led style - Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette Le Grand Pas - What each wine tastes like - Which dishes I like to serve with each bottle - Which wine I would choose depending on the dinner - Why the wines we actually open matter just as much as the bottles we save After more than thirty years of building a cellar, I have learned that the most important bottles are not always the rarest or most expensive. Sometimes they are simply the ones you are happiest to open. And those bottles often create the best memories. Chapters 00:00 The Wines I Actually Open 02:02 Bernard Baudry La Croix Boissée 04:26 Roc d’Anglade 06:44 Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette Le Grand Pas 09:03 Which One Would I Choose? 10:15 Why These Bottles Matter If you have a bottle that somehow disappears every time friends come over, I’d love to know what it is. Let me know in the comment section below. #Wine #WineCollecting #FrenchWine 🍇 Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video. *** DISCLAIMER: The views shared here reflect my personal experience and perspective as a long-time wine enthusiast. This content is for information and enjoyment only, and should not be considered financial, investment, or purchasing advice. Drink responsibly.

The 2008 Bordeaux vintage has quietly become one of the most attractive mature buying opportunities in the market. Overshadowed for years by the monumental 2009 and 2010 vintages, the best 2008 Bordeaux wines are now entering a beautiful stage of maturity: fresh, balanced, complex, and ready to drink—yet still capable of ageing further. In this video, I revisit three 2008 Left Bank classified growths from my own cellar: - Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry 2008 — Margaux - Château Léoville Barton 2008 — Saint-Julien - Château Montrose 2008 — Saint-Estèphe After more than 30 years of collecting Bordeaux, I would often rather buy a great château from a good vintage than an average estate from a legendary year. For me, 2008 is a perfect example of that philosophy. In this video, I discuss: - Why 2008 Bordeaux deserves another look - How 2008 compares with 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2010 - Why the vintage is drinking so well today - Malescot-Saint-Exupéry vs Léoville Barton vs Montrose - How the three wines differ in style and maturity - Current market prices and relative value - Which bottle I would buy depending on the style of Bordeaux you enjoy For me, the appeal of 2008 is simple: these wines have reached maturity without losing freshness, and many still trade at remarkably sensible prices. Chapters 00:00 Why 2008 Bordeaux Is Worth Buying Now 02:45 The 2008 Bordeaux Vintage Explained 05:30 Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry 2008 07:38 Château Léoville Barton 2008 09:54 Château Montrose 2008 12:46 My Final Verdict Wines Featured Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry 2008 — Margaux — around US$75 Château Léoville Barton 2008 — Saint-Julien — around US$95 Château Montrose 2008 — Saint-Estèphe — around US$135 @chateaumontrosesaint-estep6554 If you have a favourite 2008 Bordeaux, I’d love to hear which bottle has impressed you most in the comment section below. #Bordeaux #Bordeaux2008 #Margaux #SaintJulien #SaintEstephe 🍇 Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video. *** DISCLAIMER: The views shared here reflect my personal experience and perspective as a long-time wine enthusiast. This content is for information and enjoyment only, and should not be considered financial, investment, or purchasing advice. Drink responsibly.

For more than 30 years, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes was one of my favourite vineyards in Burgundy. Today, I have almost stopped buying it. Not because the producer changed or the wine became worse, but because Burgundy’s climate has changed—and I believe that is quietly reshaping which vineyards collectors should consider for the decades ahead. In this video, I explore how warmer growing seasons are affecting Chambolle-Musigny and compare two higher-slope Premier Cru vineyards that I now find increasingly compelling: - Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras — Domaine Ghislaine Barthod - Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées — Domaine Gilbert & Christine Felettig Les Cras sits near the entrance of the Combe Ambin, where cooling air and thin limestone soils help preserve freshness, minerality and tension. Les Fuées lies beside Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares, with deeper clay soils that retain more water and produce wines of greater richness, concentration and texture. In this video, I discuss: - Why I have largely stopped buying Les Charmes - How climate change is affecting Burgundy wine - Why higher-altitude vineyards may become increasingly attractive - Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras vs Les Fuées - Ghislaine Barthod vs Gilbert & Christine Felettig - Why both may represent compelling value in modern Burgundy For me, Les Cras represents the more mineral and energetic side of Chambolle-Musigny. Les Fuées is broader, richer and closer in spirit to Bonnes-Mares. Both illustrate how vineyards once considered firm or slow to mature may become increasingly complete as Burgundy grows warmer. Chapters 00:00 Why I Stopped Buying Les Charmes 02:19 How Climate Is Changing Burgundy 03:07 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras 04:09 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod 04:45 Les Cras Tasting and Prices 05:36 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées 06:32 Domaine Gilbert & Christine Felettig 06:56 Les Fuées Tasting and Prices 07:46 The Future of Burgundy Collecting 08:32 How To Choose Wines Featured - Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras — Domaine Ghislaine Barthod - Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées — Domaine Gilbert & Christine Felettig If Burgundy continues becoming warmer over the next 20 years, which vineyards do you think will benefit most? Let me know in the comments below. You’ll find more of my cellar insights and tasting notes on Instagram. #Burgundy #ChambolleMusigny #PinotNoir #WineCollecting #ClimateChange 🍇 Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video. *** DISCLAIMER: The views shared here reflect my personal experience and perspective as a long-time wine enthusiast. This content is for information and enjoyment only, and should not be considered financial, investment, or purchasing advice. Drink responsibly.