The September Releases 2024

Violets and herb-strewn rose petals curl out of the glass, along with cola, mint, flint, slate, hawthorn, blueberry and black cherry fruit. One of the things that I love about this wine is how it rewrites the perception of Argentinian Malbec that is is known for its velvety sweet and smooth flavours, whereas this puts the texture and the grip back to its heart, along with a vivid brightness of fruit. There is chocolate here, but it is cocoa bean, focused and gripping and full of joy. Alejandro Vigil winemaker. Tasted twice.

Liqourice root and blackberry bud crowd in on the opening beats, this is muscular but extremely deft, gracefully stepping its way through the palate, blueberry and spiced raspberry fruit opening to gorgeous smoky campfire, rosemary, thyme and coffee bean, so full of character. Intensely flavoured but never too much, this is a pure shot of pleasure. A successful growing season, no heat spikes, long slow ripening, two vineyards that head up to 1,200m elevation. Ungrafted vines, own rooted, with native grasses that help keep humidity even though this is a low rainfall spot, and help absorb some of the sun's rays. Aged in 55% new Frech oak. Tasted twice.

A wonderful Cheval des Andes, luscious, layered, nuanced, a kick of nutmeg spice, blueberry and damson fruits, salted cracker mouthwatering finish, with deftly-handled freshness the signature of a cooler vintage. Gérald Gabillet winemaker, joint venture between Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de los Andes. 70% new oak for ageing.

A cool vintage, although not as much as 2016, with precision and nuance, floral aromatics, raspberry leaf, black cherry and brambled hedgerow fruit, with tobacco and chamomile flowers, smoky and intense. This vintage sees a new label for the first time since this wine was first released back in 1997, pointing to what makes it so different from many Argentinian Cab-Malbec blends (ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines, whole cluster vinification, massal selection programme leading to the diversity of their DNA). 50% new oak for ageing. Alejandro Vigil winemaker. Tasted twice.

Enjoyable to retaste the first vintage of Adrianna, now at 13 years old; with an emphasis on smoky floral notes, grilled violets, with a fresh uplift through the palate. Captures the vivid brightness of the wine, with raspberry, cola, iris and peony florals, and its ageing ability. Alejandro Vigil winemaker.

Concentrated plum purple colour, medium to full intensity with vibrant violet edging. This continues in its concentrated feel on the palate, expect slabs of deep blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, with cocoa dusting, violet flowers, liqourice and crayon. Captures the personality of both of its component varieties, and has clear consistency between vintages - this is a great bet for a carefully crafted Argentinian wine with a ton of signature. Joint venture between Nicolas Catena and Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite), wine aged in barrels made in the Lafite cooperage in Pauillac. Oliver Tregoat winemaker, director Philipe Rolet.

Softened to a sunset brick colour at 20 years old, grilled and smoky turmeric spice on the opening, this has a generosity and warmth to it that is totally delicious. Waves of blackberry and olive pit, oak influence still in evidence, giving campfire notes that weave through the fine tannic frame. 80% new oak for ageing.

An unusual style of Argentine Malbec and one that I thoroughly recommend, and often end up reaching for at home. Intense dark ruby in colour, fragrant violet aromatics, with cocoa bean and damson fruits, this is caressing and full of charm, takes a beat before the smoky grilled herbs kick in, never strays into overly sweet territory, maintaining definition and backbone. Sebastian Zuccardi winemaker and owner. Concrete vats for fermentation and ageing, natural yeasts, vineyard set at 1,100m in altitude on granite and limestone soils.

The 2019 Grange was released through the Place in March, and it is followed up just six months later by the 2020, reminding us all once again that this is just a great addition to the international wines coming out through the Bordeaux system. Seductive, smoky, pure distilled blackcurrant and crushed blueberries, dill, black tea, raspberry leaf, violet. Just a gorgeous wine, with presence and character, hard to argue with. Peter Gago chief winemaker. Tom King director. 100% new American oak for ageing.

Grip, tension and pleasure spring to mind as soon as you get onboard with this wine. So much depth and confidence on display, with a slate, gunsmoke and cold ash wave that offsets the rich citrus fruit, all laced with sage, lemongrass and white tea. Tom King director, Peter Gago chief winemaker.

To celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Hill-Smith family at Yalumba, they are releasing an extremely limited number of the 2009 from their 'museum collection'. The silky smooth tannins, and the balsamic, liquorice and eucalyptus edge set this wonderful Shiraz apart. Clarity of black fruit expression clear even at 15 years old, with charred sandalwood, cracked pepper and vanilla bean adding nuance. It won't be easy to get hold of this one, but if you do, you are in for a treat. Harvest 24 February to 6 April, first released January 2005. Aged in French and American oak barrels, 39% new, and a touch of Hungarian oak also. Old vine Shiraz, with a key section ungrafted from 1920, from Barossa and Eden Valley. Winemaker Kevin Glastonbury.

Deep inky purple, full concentration, gorgeous chalky tannins, this is just such a consistently impressive wine, with stretched out architecture and a real kick of freshness, full of Cabernet Sauvignon cassis that sits on the edge of capsicum and eucalyptus, with rose bud and raspberry leaf, black truffle, espresso, cocoa bean, peppery fleshy plum. Savoury, intense and highly spiced. Great quality, tasted twice, easily one of the best wines of the September Releases.

Just 0.2ha of vines for this beautiful Malbec from Will Berliner. Truly a winemaker who cares about his vineyard and what it produces, and here you feel the precision that has been teased out of the soils and the grapes. Silkier and more gourmet than the Cabernet in the range, this has crayon, cola, crushed raspberries, blackberry, roasted cherry pit. Lifts through the palate, deftly made with interest and personality, balanced between savoury and sweet, a punch of incense and crushed dried flowers on the finish. Excellent.

Dark plum colour, intense with a kick of smoky oak. A wine that showcases the concentration and spice to an Australian Shiraz even without any new oak, puts the focus on aromatics, fragrant grilled cumin, rose petal, black olives, baked spice and grilled herbs. Just awesome - but don't approach yet, this honestly could do with six or seven years to even rev up to the starting blocks. Tasted during the September Releases, and also at an incredible vertical held in Paris back in January that more than showed how St Henri can hold its own and improve for decades. Peter Gago chief winemaker.

Always a pleasure to get to know a new vintage of The Armagh, and this one kicks off with fragrant aromatics that really put emphasis on the violet and iris character of Shiraz, followed up by cassis fruit, liqourice and rosemary, and a kick of black pepper. 3.3ha of vines, winemaker Peter Barry, working with his brother Sam. Sandy-gravel soils. 75% new oak for ageing, mainly 300l with a few 500l barrels, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Decades ahead of it, but the supple tannins make it approachable now.

Fascinating having this alongside the 2009. The tannins here are still silky, but younger and more muscular at five years old, with the fruit clearly sweeter and more dense. Think raspberry and blackberry pastille, still with the through-line of balsamic and liquorice, and here a slab of black chocolate, rosemary and olive pit, with a tar and campfire smoke twist on the finish. Delicious now, but will reward ageing and then some. Harvest February 22 to March 15. Average age of the vines at this point is 104 years, with 55% Eden Valey and 45% Barossa (significantly higher Eden sourcing than was the case a decade earlier). 25% new French oak.

Twist of matchstick and gunsmoke on the opening, this is steely, mineral and powerful, still coming round to its drinking window. As such, it will benefit from a carafe to highlight the stone fruit, citrus and sage character, along with the deliciously gentle crush of grated ginger on the finish. Unfiltered and unfined, 30% new oak. 2022 was a slightly cooler and rainier season than average, and the palate has a slice less grip than the 2021, with a focus on juice and savoury fruit. A beautiful wine from this distinctive granite and clay soils.

A distinctive take on Cabernet Sauvignon from this gorgeous estate in Western Australia, bringing in a ton of succulent fresh black fruits, spiced plum, black olive and cassis, with concentration that gathers lift through the palate. Juicy, vivid sage and liqourice bud, so full of character, fine supple tannins, touch of salinity on the close of play. 0.8ha of vines, winemaker and owner Will Berliner.

Pale gold colour, intense aromatics, white peach, a good kick of gunsmoke, steel, slate and citrus, extremely enjoyable Chardonnay, from just 1ha of vines, drawn out and intense, walks the line of concentration and finesse. Will Berliner winemaker and owner.

Intense plum colour, raspberry and red cherry on the nose, lightly spiced with rosemary and liqourice root. Plenty of evident floral character, delivering white pepper and peony, along with the elongated, chalky tannins of Coonawarra. Great stuff, supremely drinkable, balanced, full of punch and personality with just enough restraint to be totally moreish.

Bright, vibrant floral rose petal aromatics that lean into the primary fruit, black cherry and raspberry, with supple tannins that are young and muscular but giving plenty of space and light to the fruit. 100% new American oak, Peter Gago chief winemaker. Bottled in November 2023. Tasted during the September Releases, and also in Paris back in January.

Inky plum in colour, clearly no issues with colour extraction in what was a relatively long and cool growing season. Things are a little earthier on the palate than usual, still with brambled hawthorn and blackberry fruits, tannins young and a little austere but with a ton of fresh capsicum and white pepper spice running through them. 67th vintage of this wine, from the oldest estate in the Coonawarra region.

So good, full of gorgeous apricot puree, coconut leaf, pineapple, saffron, cumin, turmeric, silky and opulent without being overly sweet, just a beautiful slice of pleasure. Winemaker Gerhard Kracher.

Hillside granitic vineyards, alongside older vines dating back to 1907 on the flatlands. A kick of spice greets you on the opening, this is reserved at first with carefully constructed dense blackcurrant and black cherry fruits, deeply coloured, cocoa dusted, opening to show rose bud and lilac, with an edge of capsicum and cayenne pepper. Exceptionally good quality. 78% new oak for ageing, 3.79ph. Andrea Léon technical director, organically farmed.

Good quality, with a loose-limbed feel to the tannic architecture that is just so appealing, giving a confident hold to the fennel and bitter chocolate notes that run through the cassis and bilberry fruits. Great quality, heads towards eucalyptus and mint leaf after a few minutes in the glass, this is intense and with confident grip on the finish, great lift on the finish, full of personality.

Plush tannins balanced by pulses of acidity, this is sensational, with waves of olive paste, cassis, bilberry, smoked vanilla bean, cocoa dusted, set off by violet overtones on the aromatics. Will benefit from a few years in bottle, and will go the distance in terms of ageing potential. Harvest started March 21, three days earlier than 2021 but five days later than 2020, and ended on April 29 for Cabernet, with Carménère brought in between May 2 and 11, after a season with just 79mm of total rainfall. Rothschild & Concha Y Toro owners, 70% new oak for ageing. Michel Friou winemaker.

Rich and intense, with plenty of punch and character to its blackberry and damson fruits. This was a relatively wet vintage in Chile, but here you get a confident, sculpted wine that is laced with cocoa bean and liqourice root, giving plenty of Cabernet depth, clear long ageing potential with a cooling crushed mint leaf purity on the finish. 70% new oak for aging, Aurelio Montes del Campo winemaker.

Deep plum colour, a clear smudge of grilled brambled fruits, blackberries and damson, tar, olives, confident and vivid, mint leaf freshness from the Cabernet Franc gives a lift and shot of floral-tinged freshness that is welcome with the gourmet cocoa-dusted tannins. From vines planted first in 2006, first vintage 2010. Christian Vallejo winemaker (had previously worked at both Ch Margaux and Ch Berliquet in Bordeaux). 90% of the wine is aged in 'recycled' barrels (meaning that they make the barrels onsite from Sylvain staves sourced in France, toasted locally in Chile, while the remaining 10% is aged in locally-sourced clay amphora made by a Chilean artisan. Native yeast fermentation, 2.65ph, 3.6/l residual sugar. Tasted twice. On the Place since 2023.

Concentrated fennel, cocoa bean, aniseed and dried herbs, this is good quality, with lift and freshness, plenty of cooling mint on the finish, a little austere right now but with ageing potential. Sebastian Labbé winemaker, Andres Lavados director, 19.8ha vineyard.

Liqourice, aniseed, fennel, cocoa bean, intense and powerful, reflecting a good quality vintage with low rainfall but few excess temperatures. Harvest August 5 to 23, 70% new oak barrels for ageing, along with 10% 2,500l oak casks. Emily Faulconer winemaker, heading over from Vina Carmen.

High Carmanère for the blend of this wine, in a cooler vintage coming both from the flattlands and the hillsides, so expect fresh tomato leaf and white pepper spice, with excellent grippy tannins with a lean character to the fruit, spiced plum laced with white pepper. A touch of heat appears on the back of the throat. 3.56ph. Andrea Léon technical director, 37% new oak for ageing.

Cabernet dominant in character, majoring on cassis, fennel and blueberry, chocolate, cocoa bean, with velvety tannins. It's a lovely wine, with a kick of spice, but the drought of the season is more apparaent with Epu than with Almaviva, expect just a trace of heat on the opening. Rothschild & Concha Y Toro owners, 10% new oak for ageing. Michel Friou winemaker.

Crisp crunchy fruit, vivid, edges of sour cherry and high dried herbs, spice and fresh acidities giving an emphasis on floral character. Some rosebud and tomato leaf alongside, and a bitter finish. It's attractive, with slate lift to the tannins. Harvest began March 11, a few days later than 2021. 17% new oak barrels for ageing, 3.6ph. This is a new wine in the Clos Apalta range, with around 3,000 cases from grapes usually declassified into Lapostelle. Cool dry vintage with 35% lower yields than 2021. Andrea Léon technical director.

Intense and a little austere at first, but quickly a juicy wave of redcurrant and bilberry fruit floods the palate. This is a dry vintage in Chile, although not particularly hot until the end of the growing season, giving good quality wines that need some time in bottle to loosen.

Unmistakable Latour in an exceptional vintage, so you should expect a muscular, sculpted and confident wine that is bursting with Pauillac character, showcasing the brilliance of this clay-gravel location overlooking the Gironde Estuary. Still just emerging from its primary stage but just about ready to drink if you give it long enough in a carafe - although it will be even better with another decade. Think blackberry, bilberry, cassis, charcoal, slate, sage, incense, cigar box, grilled cumin and a ton of black chocolate shavings. 100% new oak for ageing, Penelope Godefroy vineyard director, Frederic Engerer director. Tasted a few times this year, and here I am adding to the two notes that are already on this site, one at 100 points, and one at 98 points.

A wonderful glass of wine, juicy, controlled, restrained, fragrant, enticing. The tannins are cashmere smooth, waves of crushed raspberries and wild strawberries fill the mouth, and this is easy to fall in love with. Fine tannins, blackberry and cranberry fruits, softly sweet while retaining grip and power. 21ha of vines. Caroline Frey owner and winemaker. Gregory Joannes-Hurst director.

Light on its feet but with plenty of weight through the mid palate, this is strikingly expressive. Pale honeyed straw, still delicate and finessed but moving beyond the translucence of a young Champagne, gathering depth at almost 15 years old with hints of brioche, grilled vanilla bean, gentle smoke, elderflower, citrus and crushed biscuit. The grapes are vinified in oak barrels from the Argonne forest during few months, no malolactic fermentation. Hervé Dantan chef de cave, Emmanuel Gantet director. 3g/l dosage.

Such a great wine, powerfully concentrated, laced through with rosemary, cut dried herbs, blackberry, liqourice, crushed rocks, cumin, underbrush, all overlaid with a more delicate raspberry leaf fragrance. This was a hot dry year, and you can find plenty of grilled spice notes, even heading as far as incense, but this hugs the palate and has so much grip through the finish. 4ha of vines, César Perrin winemaker.

Dominant Syrah personality in this vintage comes through in spiced raspberry, fragrant liqourice, white tea and black pepper spice. Juicy, good persistency, great quality. Augustin Deschamps director, Fabrice Boullier winemaker. Tasted twice.

Vibrant and vivid in its pale gold colour and bright aromatics, this is an exceptionally impressive Champagne, elderflower, citrus, persistent lift with gentle pulses of fresh acidity set against richer brioche and toasted almond. Fermented half stainless steel and half in Burgundy barrels. 4.5g/l dosage, Thierry Garnier winemaker.

Intense and precise, riven with citrus, oyster shell and salted cracker, with grip and lift that runs from the opening notes to the finish, a delicious white wine that plays with reduction, can drink now but it really will reward several years in bottle. Particularly impressive to maintain this sculpted juice in such a hot vintage. Caroline Frey owner and winemaker, Gregory Joannes-Hurst director.

Bright, full of intensity, charm and character. Waves of pear, white peach and savoury mango, biscuit and white truffle, concentrated with lift and scrape on the finish. Plenty of persistency to the bubbles. 9ha vineyard, Hervé Jestin cellar master, 2.7g/l dosage.

Love this, just so full of juicy black fruits, griotte cherries, sage, rosemary and underbrush, feel the limestone clutch of acidity, fresh and mouthwatering with a pure core of fruit. Excellent wine in a vintage that was not all smooth sailing. Reynald Delille director.

Plump, vibrant, glass-staining ruby colour, medium to full intensity, grilled raspberry on the opener, this has well-judged weight through the palate, releasing its spices and fruits slowly but surely. I was almost expecting it to be overly oaked, particularly with the heavy bottle weight, but it has a sculpted feel, with fruit given due prominence, sweet damson and spiced pomegranate with just a hint of oak. Edge of palma violets chalkiness on the finish, a classic signature of Malbec on limestone soils (here with dense clay also). This is delicious, setting out the stall for Cahors. First time on the Place de Bordeaux. Six months in bottle after ageing before release, 50% new oak, 20% amphora. Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux owner and winemaker.

Love the aromatics on this wine, with an emphasis on cold woodsmoke, soft tar and tomato leaf, alongside blueberry and blackberry fruits, with liqourice, pomegranate and a rinse of powerful garrigue, sage and white pepper spice. A brilliant vintage for Odysee, relatively cool so ensuring juice is front and centre. Rhone-Bordeaux blend (bottled as Vin de France) from Mathieu Dumarcher and Pierre Graffeuille, first vintage 2015, 3.2ha of vines across the Médoc, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas.

Concentrated and intense, with a core of blueberry and raspberry fruits, a dusting of white pepper, liqourice, and saffron, great rise through the palate, subtle yet with grip and length, and a mouthwatering signoff. 1ha of vines.

Great quality, citrus, saffron, white pepper, slate, twist of charred apple tart, great stuff. A 2.95ha monopole since 2016. Jean-Baptiste Alinc winemaker.

Pale gold in colour, opens with cold ash, citrus, baking spice, grated ginger, with an edge of steel. Excellent quality, this is vivid and full of charm. Pierre Chapuis winemaker, from a tiny plot of less than 1ha of vines.

Gentle grated ginger spice, white pepper, sage and citrus. Good quality, not as slate-scraping in texture as some vintages of Baronarques Blanc but still great quality with intense fruit, plenty of depth and a mouthwatering kick on the finish. Augustin Deschamps director, Fabrice Boullier winemaker.

Crisp and clean on the aromatics as they drift out of the glass, gentle persistence to the bubbles, slight hint of honeysuckle on the opening notes, and a gentle hit of frangipane, green apple and citrus, with gentle toasted notes and plenty of fresh acidities, good balance. The only single plot of the Thiénpont range, produced most years (all except two) since 1997, 0.5ha in Avize slopes. This was the latest growing season of the last 40 years, with picking beginning only at the end of September, around two to three weeks behind usual schedule. 8.4TA, 3.01ph, 4g/l malic (they do no malolactic fermentation here), with 6g/l dosage. A Champagne that is very much ready to enjoy now, but will deepen further over the next decade. Nicolas Uriel chef de caves.

Rounded citrus, elderflower and lime zest, soft gunsmoke, fresh acidities that widen and deepen through the palate, grilled oak notes gently add layers. Excellent, easy to recommend. 3g/l dosage, Guillaume Lété winemaker, Frédéric Mairesse director.

Medium intensity pale ruby red. Liqourice and red cherry flood the opening notes here, with subtle and well balanced grilled raspberry, tobacco leaf, gunsmoke, fine tannins. 1.5ha of vines, Pierre and Claire Chapuis winemakers since 2019 (6th generation in Aloxe-Corton). 15% new oak for ageing, delivers plenty of Pinot finesse.

Intense, plenty of character to the white peach and green mango fruit here, with a touch of grilled pear tart and gunsmoke, enjoyable, deftly put together with a juicy signoff. First time of the Place for this wine, 2.95ha of grapes, Jean-Baptiste Alinc winemaker.

Deep cherry red, intense and characterful, good quality, kicks off with a twist of bitter orange peel, with pomegranate, blueberry and cassis fruits, liqourice root, black chocolate, salt-licked with rosemary spice. Jean de Roquefeuille director, heading over to Aussières after a number of years at Château Rieussec. Olivier Tregoat consultant at this 167ha estate.

Savoury raspberry and redcurrant, touches of tomato leaf and white flowers, excellent quality, savoury and bright. 4g/l dosage, Guillaume Lété winemaker, Frédéric Mairesse director.

Jewel-ruby coloured, soft floral notes on the aromatics, this captures the delicacy and finesse of Aloxe Corton even in a hot year, with a feeling of lightly stepping through the palate emphasising crunchy red fruits that are balanced and moreish. Easy drinking, charming. 2.5ha of vines, Pierre Chapuis winemaker.

Rose petals, dried flowers, raspberry, orange peel, this is cheerful and captures the gourmet brightness of a Bandol rosé, just a little sweet on the finish. Daniel Abrial winemaker.

Nuanced tobacco, violet, peony, a lighter-styled Pommard but good quality, with savoury redcurrant, cranberry and red cherry flavours. Light filtering, no fining, ageing on fine lees, native yeasts fermentation. 40hl/h yield. Quentin Jeannot winemaker and owner.

Ripe pear and stone fruit on the opening, this is succulent and enjoyable, with bright wet stone minerality, gathering in intensity through the palate, juicy signoff. Quentin Jeannot winemaker, 0.24ha of vines.

Spiced greengage plums, rhubarb, fresh acidities, a little austere with a rustic charm. A good value wine from a Rothschild estate located high in the Limoux mountains. Augustin Deschamps director, Fabrice Boullier winemaker.

Medium intensity colour, fresh acidities, plenty of raspberry fruit, white pepper spice, this is reserved, finesesd, soft raspberry and cranberry. Vines are 70 years old, 12 months on fine lees then bottled, 4000 bottles per year. Quentin Jeannot winemaker and owner.

Finely boned and graceful with soaring architecture, this is a brilliant Riesling from Markus Molitor, full of flint, angular, crisp, saline, concentrated green apple and white mango, one of the wines of the September Releases.

Matchstick and campfire smoke on the opening, gorgeous stretched out architecture, expands through the palate while never loosening the grip. Slate, citrus, juicy elderflower. Markus Molitor delivering a delcious Riesling here, one to track down and share.

Note to come

Dominant apricot and white truffle, this is rich and powerful, full of luscious amber fruit and spice. Intense and concentrated, a wine that is made in tiny quantities, intended to be drunk as a drop of pure pleasure. Just have a look at the alcohol content to get some idea of why this is so special - it's just 4% because it has a residual sugar level of somewhere close to 500g/l, making it basically beguiling, tempting, luxurious liquid sugar, collected from the free run juice, no pressing involved, left to ferment slowly in glass jars. Winemaker Thomas Lazlo, owner Jean-Louis Laborde (as with Château Clinet in Bordeaux).

Delicious, perfectly judged weight, gorgeously savoury, sour cherry, cola and slate, with streaks of sage and fennel herbs. Extremely moreish and perfect with food, because there is a mouthwatering quality but barely a trace of sweetness. Love this. Single variety from the Podere di Vincigliata vineyard, the main family plot that also has grapes used for Colore. Bibi Graetz owner and winemaker.

Deep ruby in colour, this is concentrated compared to many in Tuscany, love the super savoury feel, tongue-scraping architecture, with so much freshly cut herb edging and heavy liqourice root and gunsmoke alongside raspberry and cassis fruit. Brilliant, up there with the very best of the Bordeaux-Tuscan wines, where the grapes and the region truly each play their part in creating the personality of the wine. The vineyards for Siepi are in Castellina in Chianti, harvest September 5 to 17, 70% new oak for ageing, large oak casks for the Sangiovese, then three months in concrete tanks before release. Tasted with the September Releases and again at the estate.