French Wines

The 2021 Monts Luisants, from one of Morey's most celebrated vineyards, is lovely in 2021. Lots of whole bunch spice, and there's a fragrance and purity here, too. Very nicely balanced.

This tiny premier cru is set in a dip that was once a quarry (as the name alludes to). Full of red cherries, with an elegant texture and silky length. Structured and complex.

Sumptous and expressive, the 2021 Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs-Pimont delivers generous aromas of raspberries, smoky notes, spices and plums. Elegant and charming, its refined tannins are entirely cloaked in succulent fruit.

The domaine has vines in two plots on either side of Nuits: Les Chariots in the south and Aux Lavières in the north. There is a Chambolle signature woven through the Nuits fruit here; the wine has a nice firm, elegant structure yet remains silky and finessed overall. Great!

Les Pruliers, on the south side of Nuits-Saint-Georges, was seriously impacted by the frost, with just one and a half barrels produced in 2021. That’s given an incredible density and concentration, while it remains incredibly balanced. The fruit has a great pinosity, with a fine structure and vivid energy. A highlight.

The origin of the word "Cras" comes from "rocky hillsides", a term often used to describe a vineyard whose soil is made of rubble and pebbly stones. This parcel's soil is gravelly with a high quality red clay that is very typical of Pommard. Pretty cherry and wild raspberry fruit combine with rose petal on the nose. The fruit continues to sing on the palate and is juicy, sappy and generous with a long, mineral finish. This is lovely.

If you are looking for good value in Vosne-Romanée, you’re on the right track here. It comes from three well-placed parcels, including Aux Réas which extends on from the premier cru, along with La Colombière, and Au Dessus de la Rivière. A more serious, slightly reductive nose makes way for beautiful spicy, black cherry concentration on the palate, silky tannins and a good, firm length.

Les Angles is a classic Volnay that is all about purity and precision. In 2021, it’s an incredibly focussed, pretty wine. It has a lovely perfume and elegant fruit on the nose. Extremely pinotte on the palate, it is a caucophony of the purest wild strawberry and red cherry fruit. It’s a wonderful wine.

A village Vosne from one of the commune's historic names, who benefit from brilliantly placed vines. They have vines in Les Damaudes and Maizières, at either side of the village, bringing very different characters to the wines.

Lots of mineral depth here, and there's also plenty of energy on the palate. There's a lovely density here - with notes of wild flowers and also darker frtui.

This monopole vineyard spans over seven hectares of limestone hillside, accounting for almost half the domaine’s production. It has elegant and enticing red fruit on the nose, ripe though not rich. The tannins in this wine are supple and soft. This has astonishing depth, alongside haunting purity on the palate, a melange of wild strawberries, cherries, red plum with a finish that goes on forever. Such perfect balance in this fine, fine wine.

Nicolas has the oldest vines in this highly-rated premier cru. They were planted in 1904, and we learned this year that their days are numbered. Nicolas plans to uproot them within two years because the old vines have become so low-yielding (just 16 hl/ha in 2020). The wine has highly concentrated tannins and a particularly perfumed aromatic fruit.

This is a flagship wine of the domaine, and at two hectares represents around a third of production. It’s an incredibly steep site just above Les Vaucrains which had been abandoned since the phylloxera crisis until Bertrand terraced and planted it in 2001. There is slightly darker, fuller fruit than that found in the 2019, but with the brightness of acidity it feels balanced and very complete, unforced and charming.

This is a flagship wine of the domaine, and at two hectares represents around a third of production. It’s an incredibly steep site just above Les Vaucrains which had been abandoned since the phylloxera crisis until Bertrand terraced and planted it in 2001. There is slightly darker, fuller fruit than that found in the 2019, but with the brightness of acidity it feels balanced and very complete, unforced and charming.

This is a grippy and dramatic Savigny, with a long finish. It has 40% whole bunch, helping draw out the tannins in a more gentle expression, which works well here. Perfumed with dark berries and toasted spice, with cherry stone freshness.

Unlike some Côteaux Bourguignons which are a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir, this is 100% Gamay, from a parcel of very old vines the Grivots inherited via the Jayers, one of whom was married to Etienne’s father. When tasting, Etienne mentioned that Henri Jayer made him promise to never, ever rip out these vines. He has since kept his word, and it is now one of the wines that Etienne is most animated about in their whole cellar. It’s a more slender wine than the 2019, and is focused and vibrant with lively red fruits.

Claudie’s father, in his days of running a plant nursery with access to a huge range of plant material, planted seven different clones of Pinot Noir in this 2.5 hectare site. Now at 45 years old, this diversity, twinned with the quality of vineyard husbandry, means the vineyard is thriving. The different clones call for pruning and harvesting at different times, but it’s an effort worth making, as the wine is texturally sophisticated, juicy, and full of Pinot nuance. So balanced and extremely drinkable.

This vineyard has been a family monopole since 1874. It is the domaine's flagship wine and one of just two Burgundian Grands Crus to bear the name of its owner (Romanée-Conti being the other). This is so suave and intense in 2020, with sweet, smoky spice around concentrated dark fruits, with a long, mineral length.

Jean-Marc makes some of the best Chassagne Rouge around. With many old vines planted on the clay soil pockets around the village, he has produced some great examples in 2020. This old vine cuvée is dark-fruited and spicy, with sour cherry freshness on the palate.

In Aux Allots we find the domaine’s oldest vines, though how old precisely is unknown. The family bought the vineyard in 1969. It had been planted long before then, but the exact date has been lost to history. The wine has a wild, aromatic, peppery nose, fantastically textured tannins - not too imposing, but offering impressive structure - and a finish of great, great persistence. Wonderful.

This is a flagship wine of the domaine, and at two hectares represents around a third of production. It’s an incredibly steep site just above Les Vaucrains which had been abandoned since the phylloxera crisis until Bertrand terraced and planted it in 2001. The wine is so precise and deliciously long. It feels almost excessively refined for a Nuits-St-Georges, and has little of the village’s typical robust structure. This is a seductive and tender Pinot, and will drink well from early on.

The soil in Les Lavières is high in limestone, and produces a wine with lots of mineral bite, and a floral nose. This is a cuvée where the gentler pressing of the vertical press has given greater elegance and silkiness to the structure.

One of the best terroirs among Morey’s premiers crus, this comes from 40-50 year old vines. Wild and stony, there are notes of almond kernels and fresh berries. There is such focus here, and a long and savoury finish. Brilliant, and so well priced.

At the bottom of the slope of grand cru Chapelle-Chambertin.Notes of kirsch, fresh dark cherries, and baked earth. Very rich and intense, there’s just enough freshness to keep it lifted and mouthwatering.

From a plot close to the celebrated Clos de Cortons Faiveley. Corton is a huge success in 2018, with notes of wild berries, a herbal edge, and loads of finesse and length on the finish. Brilliant.

From a village vineyard, bordered on either side by two premiers crus. Fine-boned with energy, and plenty of savoury notes on the finish. Complex and detailed.

One of the revelations of this year. This vineyard backs onto one of Nuits’ greatest premier crus, and is a village wine undoubtedly of premier cru quality. Glossy fruit with real power, and amazing length for a village wine. There’s lovely minerality on the finish, showing the wines origins clearly.

This prized Nuits vineyard borders the sought-after Vosne Malconsorts. Intense and charming, with volume and nervy depth that fills the palate. Very mineral with lots of ripe fruit, too. This shows Vosne spice and Nuits minerality.

A cuvée that comes from two vineyards, Les Duresses and Grands Champs. From vines planted just after the war. This is juicy and fresh, but with a bit more intensity and concentration than usual: a really charming premier cru.

This plot of just over half a hectare is planted with 60+ year old vines. Complex with notes of baked earth and violets, and tons of lifted dark fruit. This is beautifully balanced, and very long indeed.

The wine for which the domaine is perhaps best known (this, or their Richebourg!). Deep and dark and herbal, with almost a linseed oil character. Such purity here, but certainly feel the tannins and intensity. Lovely berry fruit, very long, energetic and dense. Amplitude but comes back together on the finish.

Incredibly charming in 2018, this has juicy fruits, with cherries and also a hint of wild herbs. Very finely balanced, with a juiciness, and a very long finish.

0.63ha running from bottom to top on the south side. Nice juicy fruit. Silky tannins, with real finesse and balance. Very sensuous and appealing, with surprising weight to the palate, and nice length.

At the bottom of the slope of grand cru Chapelle-Chambertin. This is aged in an egg shaped barrel, produced especially for the domaine. There’s richness and energy, as well as spice and a fine, cool finish here.

From a plot close to the celebrated Clos de Cortons Faiveley. Love the dark fruit, energy and purity. So much tension here, really silky and fine on the palate. A benchmark Corton.

Wilder, more stony, and excellent spice and silky fruit, Les poireaux, Les Crais, and En Sevrey are the three plots in this. Energy and lovely purity, saline and long with delicacy on the finish.

This prized Nuits vineyard borders the sought-after Vosne Malconsorts, and in 2017 it’s stunning. Nice freshness but serious power of fruit here too: this is so well balanced, with a touch of opulence. A wine for those in the know.

From 50 year old vines. Nice nose, slightly herby and garrigue, ⅔ whole bunch. There’s depth here, so much volume, too. Also violets, with really nice finesse, and mineral, too with great energy. Very fine and complex.

Sitting just under Chapelle-Chambertin, a quarter of a hectare of 45 year old vines produces a translucent wine with spice and silky fruit, and wonderful tannins. So much energy and balance. Beautiful.

Vinified without sulphur, using as little on bottling as possible. This is a remarkably pure wine, which shows the very best of Pinot Noir. Juicy, long and textured.

A pure and juicy start to the tasting with a touch of liquorice, alongside chalky tannins and excellent freshness. This sets the tone for Pascal’s elegant wines.

Situated on the slope below the Grand Cru of Chapelle-Chambertin, this site is renowned for its elegantly silky texture. Black cherries with a whiff of coffee bean and white pepper, matched by tannins that are chunky yet fine grained. Well proportioned and very fine indeed.

2020 is the smallest release on record for Chateau d'Yquem, the result of a quick harvest with plenty of botrytis. It's very fruit forward at the moment with mandarin dominating on the nose and palate, along with honeyed notes and delicate savoury hints. Open and approachable, with a purity and floral lift towards the finish, it will benefit from some time in bottle to soften and build in complexity and richness.

The second wine of both Haut-Brion and La Mission, this white offers remarkable value when compared to its bigger brothers. It’s a blend of 52% Semillon and 48% Sauvignon.

A medley of crushed rocks, lemon curd, cut grass and fennel. The exceptionally low yields of 2012 are revealed in the perfectly weighted textural richness, intensity and extraordinary length. Easily a candidate for wine of the vintage.

The 1996 Calon Segur is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Full of developed notes of cedar, forest floor, dry spice and tobacco. There's still some grippy tannin and muscular St-Estèphe structure, as well as some subtle red cherry and bramble notes.

Tasted April 2022. Rich, powerful, and inky with concentration of blackberry, raspberry, pepper, and dark chocolate flavours. Spicy, clove notes from 50% new oak. There’s a real lift and elegance to this to carry that generosity, possibly from some careful use of whole bunch fermentation. It finishes long, with saline flavours balancing the richness of this seriously impressive Moulis.

Tasted April 2022. A great second wine in 2021. Ripe, plump fruit character but fresh and stony on the finish showing classic St Estephe character. Open and expressive now, with hints of graphite development emerging. 13%

The 2020 Gazin is a beautiful Pomerol. This year no Cabernet Franc in the blend, but 10% of Cabernet Sauvignon brings a little structure. The palate is finely judged, with plenty of pure fruit, and a long finish with mineral notes and slight herbal edge, bringing freshness. This is benchmark for the appellation.

The 2020 La Lagune is an impressive Cru Classé, with beautifully pure fruit, grippy tannins, and a lovely savouriness on the finish. It's a long, classically structured wine, with impressive poise: a lovely bottle of claret.

In a rich vein of form, the 2020 Branaire-Ducru is an astonishingly beautiful wine, particularly at this price. It's silky and fine, with detailed tannins, and wonderful floral lift. A complex, delicious wine that's not to be missed.

The 2020 Palmer is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. We haven't had a chance to taste it yet, but look forward to doing so soon.

A brilliant 2019 from Chateau de Ferrand, located on the end of the limestone plateau in St-Emilion. Offering bright bramble fruit with cedar and baking spices on the nose, this has the supple tannins and concentration to age gracefully. Cabernet Franc brings a floral freshness to the wine adding to its refined and elegant style.

Made by the Thienpont family, this is always a smart purchase for anyone looking for everyday drinking from some of the best winemakers out there. There’s vibrant fruit, pure energy, and an impressive finish for a wine of this price. Buy this.

The 2018 Turon La Croix is a delicious Bordeaux, that performs well above its price point. That's no surprise: it was made by Jean-Claude Berrouet, who made Château Pétrus for more than 40 years. Rich, ripe black fruit and a light spicy complexity make this wine an absolute delight to drink now, but it has the capacity to age further. At this price, stock up.

Ségla, the second wine of 2nd classed growth Rauzan-Ségla, is always a great buy, and never more so than in this excellent vintage. Dark blackcurrant and black cherry flavours combine with charming Margaux elegance and a lifted, herbal quality. This is a rich and concentrated wine that’s drinking well now but has the potential to age a good 15-20 years.

This is gorgeous. Very elegant, fine and floral, with lovely delicacy and salintiy. There’s much purity to the fruit, with lovely lift and acidity, and balance in spades. The finish unfurls violets and stones, and tons of red fruit. Wonderful and saline, and so much energy.

Pavillon is 36% of the estate’s production. Perfumed and silky, lovely floral character and amazing acidity, very pure energy, very saline, very good length. They put some old Cabernet in the blend that’s usually in the grand vine as it was too powerful for that blend. Here, it gives lift and power and energy.

A superb effort: deep and powerful, intense and structured. There's real presence and concentration, with excellent purity on the finish, but it's the mineral complexity that marks this out. And the flavours unfurl for minutes and minutes.

The 2017 Les Forts de Latour has plenty of ripe blackberry, currant and plum, and plenty of graphite, tobacco and dried herb complexity already sings through on the palate. This is well-balanced, poised and medium-weight, reflecting the lighter vintage, which makes it all the more refreshing to drink.

Made by François Mitjavile of Tertre Roteboeuf fame, this is the best Bordeaux AOC we know. From a great vintage, this is not to be missed.

Château Gazin is the immediate neighbour of Château Pétrus and is owned by the ancient de Bailliencourt Dit Courcol family. This, their second wine, is a delight in 2016, with fresh dark berries, and subtle spice and earthy notes. There's richness on the palate, with the ripe, fresh damson and blackberry fruit partnering with chewy, broad tannins.

The 2016 Meyney is a brilliant wine, focused and intense, with lots of tension and refreshing acidity. Harmonious black and red fruits with stony notes and a crushed shell sensation on the palate. Energetic and incredibly long on the finish. One of the bargains of this exceptional vintage.

This is another outstanding Merlot from Marsau. Plums and brambles, with wild herbs and crushed rocks. The texture is gorgeous, and the finish lasts for an age. Brilliant.

An exceptional bottling from Les Carmes Haut-Brion, their 2014 is silky in texture with ripe, delineated tannins and expressive fresh dark berries. There's some graphite developing, although this has long to go before it's at its peak. It finishes long with smoky mineral notes.

Brilliant value from the owners of nearby Château Montrose and drinking really well now. From a fantastic vintage in St-Estèphe, this charming wine has lovely rich fruit and beautiful freshness.

“The Lafleur is a blend of 45% Merlot picked on 1 and 2 October, and 55% Cabernet Franc picked on 9 October. Leaving the wine to open up over 5 minutes you can discern a distant marine influence that suffuses the black fruit: small dark cherries and boysenberry. The palate is medium-bodied with very good structure. The tensile tannins are immediately recognizable and as Baptiste mentioned, reminiscent of classic vintages such as 1988, 2001 and 2004. It is a masculine Lafleur, upstanding and perhaps even slightly aloof, but there is great penetration and focus towards the saline finish. If you want a more flamboyant Lafleur then head for the 2009, but if you appreciate a more reserved Lafleur then head here.” 93-95 points Neal Martin’s Wine Journal, eRobertParker.com

Fastidious attention to detail throughout the tricky conditions of 2013, including crop thinning and de-leafing, have paid dividends - yes, the yields were tiny at just 22hl/ha but the end result is something of which Alexandre Thienpont can be justifiably proud as yet again he has produced a wine that transcends the vintage. With Merlot making up 92% of the blend this year, the remaining 8% is Cabernet Franc. Displaying wonderful purity of fruit - a medley of plums and summer berries, fresh acidity, fine-grained tannins and a streak of pencil lead lend backbone. The overall impression is one of perfect equilibrium, very correct, precise and immediately appealing - Superb!

65.5% Merlot, 32.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. The beautifully lifted, fragrant, herb-scented nose is followed on the palate by an almost surprising level of concentration. The powerful and pure core of almost sweet blackcurrant fruit is garnished with more aromatic herbs, freshly roasted coffee beans and a hint of peppery spiciness. The tannic structure is very impressive for its seamless integration and fine-grained quality. Expressive with huge length and understated power to round off the package, this surely is a candidate for wine of the Vintage this year.

The 2010 Potensac is a smoky, refined claret, with plenty of complexity, supple tannins, and lovely lift on the finish. This is just so delicious - a wine that shows off Bordeaux’s 2010s beautifully.