What is a vertical wine tasting?

You may or may not have heard of “vertical tasting” in the context of wine.

Vertical tasting is simply tasting the same bottle of wine from the same vineyard from different years.

Why do a vertical wine tasting?

There are a number of reasons but primarily it shows you the difference between years or “vintages”.

Variations between vintages can be accounted for by any or all of the following:

  • The weather
  • What the winemaker did in the winery as a result of the weather
  • A change in the winemaker or winemaking techniques
  • How the wine has aged over the vintages.

The wine: Château Cambon La Pelouse (Cru Bourgeois, Haut-Médoc)

The vintages on show are:

  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005 (according to some, the best year ever for Bordeaux)

The tasting will be downstairs in the shop and will be guided by Richard, Enowine‘s head buyer who has been following this wine for a long time and he’s even bringing the wines from his own cellar (not from the enomatic machines).

So, a great opportunity to learn a bit more about Bordeaux and vertical tastings.

I’ve never done one before so I’m going to be there and I hope you can join me.

Details & costs

  • Date & time: Thursday 9th of October, 7pm Enowine, IFSC
  • Price: €20 per person and there are limited places so booking and payment in advance is needed to secure a place. Contact Håkan in Enowine (, tel: 636 0616).

More on Château Cambon La Pelouse

According to Waitrose in the UK:

It’s situated in the heart of the Haut-Médoc, wedged between Château Giscours and Château Cantemerle. Since 1996 the property has seen huge investment, and one of the results is excellent wines from recent vintages.

Although powerful, it displays great elegance and finesse.

In 2003, Tomas Clancy (Sunday Business Post) referred to it as:

A mouth-filling elegant wine.

The wash is supple with fine ripe fruit, the tannins are grippy, but not sour and the finish is powerful and complex. All in all, a splendid wine.