AJ | Dark, opaque black red at the core with a deep scarlet meniscus. Fresh and warmly leafy, poised and open -- more aromatically generous than many. Not super-curranty but in this cool vintage that's almost a relief. Lovely fruits here, and better mouth-coating textures than similarly priced peers from the Medoc. Textured, full, svelte and long -- an excellent La Garde and very good value, I suspect. This will have no trouble providing fresh classical claret pleasure over the next decade. Drink Dates: 2026 - 2036. 90
SF | Plush velvety hue, framed by a Cardinal's purple. Youthful aromatics tilt towards red fruit; strawberry and raspberry to the fore, thereafter a hint of spice and crushed stone. A cherry bitterness, deliberate or otherwise, dominates the palate, with rather coarse tannins splayed across the piece. Drink Dates: 2027 - 2032. 88