The Wine & Whisky Thread

[Barry]

Château Bel-Orme Tronquoy de Lalande 2011



Château Bel-Orme was founded in 1750 by the Tronquoy-de-Lalande family. Its design is by Victor Louis, renowned also for the Grand Théatre of Bordeaux. Since 1936 it has been the property of the Quié family, run today by the third generation. This grand estate stretches over 28 hectares, overlooking the Gironde estuary in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne and includes land certified by Natura 2000 thanks to its rich biodiversity. Unusually for the Haut-Médoc, Merlot is dominant (65%), the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, all aged in French oak barrels for up to 14 months. With a dozen years' age, the wine offers aromas of rose petal, undergrowth and red fruits, with supple tannins. Delicious now, but still has a few years to go. A fine red, ideal with game.




Tasting notes: Supple tannins supporting red fruits with spice complexity

Aroma: Rose petal, sousbois, red berry fruits, oak spice

13% ABV £22 a bottle Drink by end of 2030

[Barry]

2018 Château Peymouton, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru



The Château Peymouton stretches over 31 hectares across the splendid property of the Beaumartin Family. The vine is farmed with the utmost care, giving all due respect this exacting and totally prestigeous appellation. At harvesting, the fruit is picked meticulously and sorted during the picking them in the vat room. With this thoroughness and passion for their work, the Beaumartin family today offer a wine that combines potency with delicate finesse, releasing delicate aromas of small red fruit and giving a keen attack with a long aromatic finish.


The 2018 Peymouton is straightforward on the nose, featuring blackberry, briary, scorched earth and light tarry aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and quite structured, displaying blackberry and bilberry fruit and a light marine influence toward the finish. A bit reserved overall, but nicely proportioned.

13.5% ABV About £13 a bottle. Drink by end of 2036.

[Barry]

2020 Château du Ragon, Bordeaux AOP



Château du Ragon. A petit-château claret that’s kind on the pocket and delivers all the elegant fruit and structure the region is renowned for. What’s more it hails from the 5-star 2020 vintage. “The overall take on vintage 2020 is – in a word: stellar.” "An outstanding quality level from first growths to petits châteaux”. This claret is brimming with smooth red and black fruits, with smooth tannins. Open early and serve with roast meats.




Tasting notes: Juicy, rounded flavours of plum, cherry and blackberry, smooth spice

Aroma: Ripe aromas of juicy red and black fruits, soft spices


13% ABV, About £15 a bottle, Drink by end of 2025

[struth]

Got this as a gift to try. 5cl of Mc'Nean Organic at 46%.
Distillery is up Oban way and spirit is rather nice. Light and quite fruity. No idea the age but feels that it has some age to it.

[struth]

Aberlour 14 Year Old Double Cask Matured Whisky



nice drop this but all but finished now

[Barry]

Aberlour 14 Year Old Double Cask Matured Whisky



nice drop this but all but finished now

One of my favourite malts.

[Barry]

Just bought myself a half-case of 2020 Château Le Bonalguet, Bordeaux AOC






Not many wines can boast 23 top Gold medals in six years, but that’s the triumphant haul for this claret, 2015 to 2020. It’s from a small estate in Saint-Germain du Puch, between Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion. The estate grows Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet on clay and limestone soils typical of the greater Saint-Emilion region. Owners Agnès and Alexandre Sueur and winemaker Gregory Dalla Longa make wines that reflect this special terroir and the unique character of each vintage. And Bordeaux 2020, with its long, warm summer, was certainly high quality. "Bordeaux has another terrific vintage on its hands with 2020" wrote Jeb Dunnock, "outstanding quality level" put Suckling. Decant at least an hour prior to serving it with roast lamb or duck.

Winner of six gold medals 2021 - 2022





Tasting notes:

Supple, rounded with bright, fruity length and rounded tannins.

Aroma:

Deep cherry, plum, cassis, with a hint of floral and cedar spice.

13.5% ABV £16 a bottle. Drink by end of 2027.

[struth]

Got this as a gift to try. 5cl of Mc'Nean Organic at 46%.
Distillery is up Oban way and spirit is rather nice. Light and quite fruity. No idea the age but feels that it has some age to it.

got a bottle of this today. had a £10 voucher.... quite nice this

[Barry]

got a bottle of this today. had a £10 voucher.... quite nice this

Nice looking bottle. How do you pronounce the name of the contents?

[struth]

Nice looking bottle. How do you pronounce the name of the contents?

nic nee ann, i think.. its on the drimnin estate at oban. its the first organic distillery apparently.