Easter Cellar Raids - Rhône, Cognac and Champagne

Billecart-Salmon might be one of the most recognisable names in Champagne, but it remains a family-run business to this day, with its cellars in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. Their Brut Réserve is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and is made in a wonderfully harmonious style. It is chalky and zesty, with bright, crunchy apple fruit on the palate and a zippy freshness. Its 50%+ reserve wine in the blend gives it complexity and character.

As the name suggests, this is higher up than the surrounding vineyards, and its elevation affords it a freshness and also a heightened concentration. The 2020 is musky, fragrant and full of garrigue notes. Rich with blackcurrant fruit at the core, with more aromatic bramble and exotic spice as the wine opens up.

There’s a beautifully balanced, yet intense and powerful Cornas. Notes of blood and iron, and such an inky character. This is a brilliant wine.

Blended from six lieux-dits, there's wonderful tension here between ripeness and mineral purity, with wonderfully perfumed and expressive Syrah fruit. The tannins are ripe and supple: this is a complete wine.

As the name suggests, this is higher up than the surrounding vineyards, and its elevation affords it a freshness and precision. Alongside the decadent berry fruit and garrigue herbs are notes of baked earth and roasted spices. What a wonderful Châteauneuf.

Alain Voge’s pithy sparkling wine, Les Bulles d’Alain, is unlike anything else we have on our list. It is lively, dry, refreshing, and refined. If you’re in the mood for bubbles, but don’t want the weight of a Champagne, this is the perfect option, and a smart price too. It’s a very good example of why Saint-Péray has built its renown for sparkling wines.

There is something magical here: it is at once aromatically precise, and energised with a wildness, reminiscent of garrigue herbs. As usual, it is a blend of 15 different parcels around Cornas, which Stéphane vinified separately, only blending at the final moment before bottling. Great freshness and balance.

Initial notes of white flowers on the nose, such as jasmine, honeysuckle and vine flowers can be felt and then opens with fruitier nuances of apple, pear and peach. A few notes of fresh sliced almond and frangipane complete the bouquet. In the mouth, the cuvée reveals more complex aromas: dried apricot, hazelnuts, honey and sugar candy. Silky textures give the wine its personality, elegance and character. The aging has imparted particular depth and power to the wine.

This is Clusel Roch’s classic blend. Indeed, until recently it had been called ‘Classique’ rather than Les Schistes. It comes from a range of vineyards across the iron-rich soils of the Côte Brune, including Le Plomb, Montmains, and the bottom of Viallière. The blend is saline and taut, with a flash of fresh cherry running through the palate. Fragrant, with a little cool spice.

This comes from a selection of 100-year-old vines in some of Stéphane’s best parcels, Champelrose, Eygats, and Combe. It follows in the same vein as the Cornas, but with greater presence of tannins and drive. It will therefore need longer in bottle to reach its peak. Hugely elegant, mouth-coating, and intense.

A blend of 15 lieux-dits across Côte Blonde and Côte Brune (in total 25 plots go into it). Really nice character here, fresh and lifted and pure with amazing density and a long and deep finish. René adores his son’s handiwork here.

The south-facing schist-terraced Les Picaudières vineyard produces age-worthy, expressive, sumptuous wines. As usual, this wears a little more oak than the straight Crozes-Hermitage, and as a result has a richer depth that will require some patience. It is focused and vibrant, with a wonderful depth of fruit.

This is from the lowest slopes at Vieille Julienne, a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The Grenache gives generosity and breafth, and 10% Counoise brings some softer notes, freshness and balances the natural power of the wine. Lots of plush dark fruit flavours and firm structure, with a crunchy, red fruit accent and a minerally, stony finish.

Mon Village is the destination for the fruit of the Ogier’s younger vines, and it’s an approachable yet not-to-be-undervalued Côte-Rôtie. Very floral and supple, with persistence on the finish.

This is so much more than your average Côtes du Rhône. It comes from the vines that surround the cellar, sitting just beyond the northern border of Châteauneuf. It is so textured and fresh, with energy, purity, and density. Its juicy red fruits combine with a lovely salty minerality making for a charming, drinkable style.

A blend of 15 lieux-dits across Côte Blonde and Côte Brune (in total 25 plots go into it). Floral lift and wonderful dark intensity. Perfectly balanced tannins make this a brilliant Côte-Rôtie: one to stock up on.

This is a new cuvée in 2019, made from 50+ year old vines grown on a south-facing slope. It has a salty grip, and expresses the purity of fruit that Syrah is capable of in the best hands. Elegant and structured for the long-haul.

This cuvée is picked 2-3 weeks later than the others from the Domaine, and contains a higher proportion of mourvedre, giving darker, more mineral fruit, with more tannin and density. Layered and serious, this is a wine for the cellar. It more than justifies its separate bottling.

This is the emblematic cuvée of the Rostaing domaine, which blends 15 lieux-dits from around Côte-Rôtie. It showcases the Rostaing signature style: rich, dense fruit, with bold tannin structure. The 2021 has wonderfully open fruit, and this will drink well from early on. Savoury and highly appetising.

Cool berry fruit, with tapenade and fine tannins, and nice acidity, from a mix of foudre and demi-muids. Hints of violet and lovely freshness to the fruit. Real hit of salinity - this a Châteauneuf you can drink - with a persistent finish and a nice phenolic bitterness keeping it all focused.

This is one of the finest sites of the Côte Blonde, and it produces a wine of huge elegance and subtlety, although you’ll want to tuck it away for a few years before pulling the cork.

This is a blend of two parcels and is the hidden gem of Sorrel’s range. 20% comes from Bessards, and 80% from Les Plantiers, just below Le Méal. These vines produce fruit with real power, and this wine has a great presence. But the floral tones and salty fruit make it more accessible than the Gréal, and mean it should start to open up a little earlier.

In 2021 this has a delightful herbal freshness entwined with the red berry fruit. It comes from granitic slopes in the heart of Cornas. It has no new oak and is always the most floral and forward of the Courbis Cornas wines.

Only made in the better vintages Jean-Paul thinks around 10% of the wine this year has gone into Cuvée Félix, from their 27 plots across 16 hectares. It contains 30% Mourvèdre which lends a musky, cool blackcurrant character. Finely packed tannins coat the mouth and there's a lot of dark fruit concentration on the palate. Floral hints and fresh acidity builds to a fine finish, this should be fantastic with a few years in bottle.

This is one of two signature reds at the domaine (the other is the Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes). It is a fruit-driven style with density and finesse. A long, gentle maceration draws out subtle liquorice and dark cherry notes with a lovely volume.

This is a cooler expression of this famous Hermitage, with incredible length and finesse. Fresh and bright with a combination of black berry fruit and some red plum and raspberry. There's plenty of earthy spice, with light peppery notes, cured meats, and wild herbs.

From the moment this wine was poured, the air was filled with notes of white and pink flower petals, alongside more complex notes of Black Forest ham, lavendar and a hint of tapenade. Black-berried fruit dominates the palate, which displays an exceptional textural component, as well as purity and depth of the very highest order. There is an effortless style about Mon Aïeul, which is delightfully natural and terroir-focused, almost beyond comparison within the region.

This is a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The 2019 has a dry, savoury length, with spicy and floral notes emerging with some air. It's a truly delicious Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a tip-top vintage.

Le Gréal is a unique and special blend, and the signature wine of the Sorrel domaine. 90% is drawn from the lauded Le Méal parcel, at 10% from Les Gréffieux, on the Hermitage hillside. There is a small amount of Marsanne co-planted amongst the Syrah that makes it into the blend, adding freshness and mollifying the tannins. These Sorrel vines date back to 1928 and produce exquisite concentration. This is an astonishing wine, and consistently one of the hottest tickets in the Northern Rhône. It is fragrant, concentrated, powerful and poised. It demands cellaring, and will reward many times over for those who can wait.

This is another top cuvée from Domaine Giraud, named in honour of François and Marie’s father, made from vines planted in 1901 in the sandy soils next to Château Rayas.

This is the second of the domaine’s signature cuvées (the other is Cornas Les Chailles). It comes from the old vines planted further up the slopes at altitudes ranging from 250-400m. The wine shows old vine intensity, twinned with the precision of the 2021 vintage.

This comes from three parcels of 100-year-old vines in Champelrose, Eygats, and Combe. It is intense, and incredibly elegant on the nose, with mineral, saline, iodine notes. The palate shows voluptuous tannins which wrap around the deep red fruit, creating a mouth-coating texture.

Initial notes of white flowers on the nose, such as jasmine, honeysuckle and vine flowers can be felt and then opens with fruitier nuances of apple, pear and peach. A few notes of fresh sliced almond and frangipane complete the bouquet. In the mouth, the cuvée reveals more complex aromas: dried apricot, hazelnuts, honey and sugar candy. Silky textures give the wine its personality, elegance and character. The aging has imparted particular depth and power to the wine.

Comtes de Champagne Brut Rosé is a rare beast next to the white, with its own paricular following. It's a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, of which 16% is red wine blended in for the core of red fruit and delicate colour it imparts the wine.

Clos des Cazaux's old vine Vacqueryas offers great value, with elegant peachy fruit, white flowers, salinity and charming freshness. There's no oak but the old vine character lends some delicate spice and texture to the wine.

P2 - or Plénitude 2 - is a fascinating wine to taste. It comes about when the team at Dom Pérignon hold back a small portion of vintage Champagne in their cellars of Hautvillers. For a further 10 years after the wine’s initial release, these bottles age on lees and gain in richness and complexity. So in total, it means the wine has spent almost two decades before disgorgement. This extra time adds harmony, complexity, and intensity.

This is Syrah wearing its Pinot cloak. The Kamaka is the wine that needs the most explanation in the Bott cellar. Seyssuel, on the other side of the river to Côte-Rôtie, is an appellation on the march. There are hopes that it will be elevated to full cru status within a matter of years. Here, the schist and gneiss soils glisten in the sunlight; there’s no granite on this side of the river, The Syrah that grows here is floral and pinot-esque, with an elegant texture and a spicy, salty undertow. Kamata is the Maori word for rock or stone, and a nod to Graeme’s Kiwi origins. Much more than a curiosity

Sometimes overlooked, those that do so do so at their peril: the Hermitage Rouge really is a baby Gréal in 2017. Silky and fine but with oodles of depth, it’s a simply stunning Syrah.

The hallmark of great Châteauneuf is the ability to balance the weighty, mouthfilling fruit with freshness and lift, making a wine that can be enjoyed without being overpowering. Few make a wine with such charm and expression whilst still retaining the generous, mouthfilling style the region is famed for. Jean-Paul, take a bow.

This is one of two signature reds at the domaine (the other being Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes). Les Chailles is tight and firm in its youth, but floral aromatics open up with some aeration, promising this will start drinking well from early on.

This tiny cuvée is the jewel in the crown at this estate. It’s tough for any young domaine to buy vines in Côte-Rôtie these days, and only the very brave attempt it. Graeme and Julie now have two tiny parcels, and this cuvée has already won them much praise as the new kids to get seriously excited about. The 2021 continues their strong form. It is restrained, tightly coiled, and serious. It will need more time than the rest of their wines to open up, but will unfurl in magnificent splendour.

From two vineyards, this is the hidden gem of Sorrel’s range. From 60 year old vines, this has a delicate floral character, with plenty of rich fruit and a beautifully long finish. One not to be missed.

This is a hugely powerful and impressive Châteauneuf. Old vines (100 years+), low yields, slightly cooler north-facing terraces, and Jaun-Paul's magic touch make for an exquisite wine. Very limited. The 2012 is now hitting its stride, with mature savoury notes, leather and spice coming through the juicy Grenache fruit.

This is Julien’s flagship wine. It is rich and woven-through with ripe tannin and forest berry flavours. It has a silky body and a bright, red-fruit-driven finish.

The nose is already inviting, showing power and deep cherry fruit. There’s amazing drive and energy on the palate, with black fruits, spice and fine tannins. The power is undeniable, but it’s so elegant and finessed.

Blended from six lieux-dits, there's wonderful tension here between ripeness and mineral purity, with wonderfully perfumed and expressive Syrah fruit. The tannins are ripe and supple: this is a complete wine.

The 2016 La Bonette has electric energy and great depth to the flavour. It’s clean and elegant, with a saline balance to the finish. It’s a touch less overt or hedonistic than previous vintages, but it’s no bad thing.

This vineyard was planted in 1945, and the old vines are treated with huge respect in the Courbis cellar, where Laurent applies a generous 50% new oak to the wine, that is more than matched by the natural density of fruit. This is a big, powerful, broad-shouldered wine. Its 250m elevation helps it retain freshening acidity, which offers a great foundation to the statuesque density of the wine.

This is a selection of the family’s favourite tonneaux (the large demi-muid barrels they like to use for ageing) of their larger Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée. Highly fruit-driven. It has a dramatic frame of black, cassis-like fruit, underscored by a touch of tapenade. The tannins are grippy and present. It’s a Crozes with some umph.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is only ever made in the great vintages, and always with the great man’s personal preference in mind: a robust and full-bodied Champagne that develops incredible depth with age. The exact blend, as ever, is a closely guarded secret, but Pinot plays a starring role, with just "a zest of Chardonnay" Hubert de Billy, great-great-grandson of Pol Roger, says. The Pinot dominance gives structure, depth, and breadth to the wine, whilst Chardonnay gives a chalky, vibrant, savoury top note and fresh thread of acidity. All the fruit comes from grand cru vineyards which were already under vine in Churchill’s lifetime. 2015 was a warm year, yet the wine displays deceptively high acidity, making it both toothsome and refreshing. It is another great release from the exciting 2015 vintage.

The 2011 Comtes de Champagne is a thrilling, scintillating edition of this much-loved fizz. It's tense and rippling with energy on the nose, with wild flowers and just a hint of tarragon. The palate is vibrant and grippy, with so much finesse and focus. This is astonishingly pure and long, a wine that wows with its understated concentration and minerality. Bravo.

This much anticipated release from Dom Pérignon shows the rich style of the vintage combined with exceptional tension born of the wine's long ageing before release. It's a striking contrast to the 2008, whose taut austerity warrants patience and contemplation. The 2009 on the other hand, is voluptuous and enveloping, right from the off. It is a huge triumph for chef de cave, Vincent Chaperon, and his team.

In 2017, this is the bomb. Inky and deep, but somehow still light on its feet, it’s the Muhammed Ali of Hermitage. There’s power on the finish, but a fine thread of acidity keeps it all together. Impressive.

2002 is an outstanding vintage in Champagne, and a huge success story at Billecart-Salmon. This cuvée is a blend of Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay (40%), and brings the voluptuous and exhilarating character of the vintage. It's a full-throttle 2002, with volume and energy.

Peaches and new apricots, and also a tea character, almost. It’s enticing - peppermint too. Lovely concentration and power, and the bitterness on the finish just lifts. This is so long and so fine.

This is, as ever, a sensational cuvée. 100% Grenache from 100 year old vines.Wonderful aromas of violets and lavender combine with pure black fruit notes and delicate nuances of rosemary and thyme. Morello cherry, damson and plums wrap around silky soft tannins, layers of mocha and sweet vanilla spice. Complex and precise with a wonderful freshness on the finish, this is a stylish and sophisticated wine that is not to be missed.
(Given 93-96 points in the Wine Advocate, Robert Parker)

Beautiful fragrance and elegance on this stunning southern white. There’s texture and restraint here, and a finish that just makes you want to have another glass.

This is Clusel Roch’s classic blend. It comes from a range of vineyards across the Côte Brune, including Le Plomb, Montmains, and Bas de Coteau. Spicy and graphite-textured, with floral notes, and some intense black olive and cassis notes beneath. A classic Côte-Rôtie.

Another top cuvee, made from vines planted in 1901 in Pignam and La Crau, on sand, it’s named after their father Pierre, not a reference to stone. Amazing lift and energy, so much texture and intensity, silky and lovely tannins, mouthwatering finish. Brilliant.

Fresh, textured and accessible, this is simply delicious. There’s pure cherry and spice with a touch of smoke, and it’s thoroughly charming.

This Côte-Rôtie cuvée is wonderfully elegant, with violets, gorgeously pure raspberry, herbs and spice. It’s beautifully balanced and fresh, with lacy acidity and great length.

Pure is 100% Grenache, all from 100 year old vines on sandy soils, very close to Rayas. The result is very intense, and, as the name suggests, pure. Black fruit wrapped in a rich, chocolaty texture and spicy length. It will need time in bottle to weave together, but already impresses.

The 2014 Grande Année Rosé is a truly wonderful wine. It comes from grapes sourced across 19 Grands Crus. It is measured, even a little shy on first opening, but with some air the delicious notes of strawberry and cherry begin to open up. The palate is a tour de force: rich and textural with a powerful energy and a mineral-driven finish. Exceptional.

This cuvée was first bottled separately in 2019, but is actually the first vineyard that Sylvain rented when he struck out on his own in 2007. So it holds a special place in his heart. The vines are 50-60 years old on south-facing terraces. It has a salty grip, and a deep, rich dark fruit weight on the palate.

Clape is a defining name in the Cornas appellation, with both historic fame and present-day cache. Today, Olivier Clape is making terrific wines from his family's historic vineyards. His flagship Cornas cuvée is a blend of parcels, including a 1.2 hectare parcel of the celebrated Reynard vineyard. The 2019 is savoury and tight, demanding at least a decade in bottle.

This, one of their top cuvees, is made from Grenache planted in 1901 and with 60 year old Syrah. The age of the vines makes a vibrant wine, with tapenade, anise and crunchy cherry fruit. Stunning.

Le Gréal is a unique wine, and one that has built up a loyal following for its decadent, statuesque style. 2021 is a departure from the norm. Unlike all previous vintages back to 2009 that have been made from 100% whole bunch fruit, this is 90% destemmed. It feels less massive than previous years, more juicy, bright, and balanced, though it has an echo of the wine’s signature spicy notes thanks to the 10% whole bunch Guillaume has kept in the blend. It harks back to a style Guillaume says was last found in the 1990s. It may be unlike the wines we’ve come to love from this domaine, but actually, is a delicious iteration in its own right. In spite of its slighter style, it should age fantastically. One thing that remains constant is the fruit’s origin: 90% is drawn from the lauded Le Méal parcel, at 10% from Les Gréffieux, on the Hermitage hillside, from vines dating back to the 1920s. A small amount of co-planted Marsanne amongst the Syrah adds freshness and mollifies the tannins.

From one of Côte-Rôtie’s most famous lieux-dits, and this lives up to the billing, exuding power and depth. It’s classically-styled, with floral and herbal characters as well as juicy black fruits. There’s tremendous energy and freshness, and the finish is cool and pure.

The celebrated release from Bollinger of the much admired 2012 vintage. This is truly great Champagne.

This is one of the finest sites of the Côte Blonde. Its depth of fruit is clear, even in the 2021 vintage that tends towards lighted, more restrained wines. Supporting new oak gives it spice and succulence. Of all the Garon cuvées, this will benefit the most from some time in the cellar, though it should drink well from just 3 to 4 years.

La Viallière is one of the great sites of the Côte Brune. Its mid-slope position and high proportion of gravelly stones aid drainage and produce wines of great finesse and voluptuous depth. This was the highlight of the Clusel Roch cellar in 2021 - lovely notes of torrefaction give the sweet fruit a toasty charm. It is a warm site, and usually produces the roundest, richest wine here. In 2021 it is on song: the freshness and elegant balance of the vintage showing it at its best.

This is made in tiny quantities, from vines well over 100 years old. The soil is pure sand, and the resulting wine is very concentrated, with ripe fruit and layers of complex spice. It's long and precise, with very fine, densely packed tannins.

Made from a 20-hectare plot of Crozes owned by Delas, and blended from 5 different blocks with big galets. Nice nose, creamy cherry and silky tannins. Beautiful elegance and purity. Long and silky.

This is a fantastic site on the Côte Brune, shared between just three growers. The vines were replanted in 1980 and 2001, and their youthful vigour produces a juicy wine, with a rounded balance. 30% whole bunch and 30% new oak add silkiness and depth.

Wow. Intense and powerful. So complex. Words just don’t do this brilliant Châteauneuf justice: one of France’s greatest wines.

This cuvée is always the most powerful in the Clusel Roch stable, and even though the frame of all the 2021s is a little slimmer than recent warmer vintages, this still shows plenty of density and concentration. It comes from vines planted in 1935 by Guillaume Clusel’s great-grandfather. The parcel sits high up, above La Viallière, and makes a complex and structured wine.

Remarkably, this wine has remained in tank all the way up until 2022, slowly evolving and developing until the moment Even has deemed it perfect to bottle. It’s predominantly Grenache (85%), and on the nose it shows notes of nutmeg spice and wild berries. The mature, leathery profile of the palate shows fully resolved tannins wrapped around soft dark fruits. It’s an absolute bargain from a benchmark wine of the Ventoux.

This comes from old vines planted in the historic vineyard of Rocoules. It is powerful and deep, and will certainly benefit from a few years in the cellar.

This tiny cuvée is the jewel in the crown at this estate. Whilst it might be easy for a young domaine to buy vineyards in Seyssuel, it is not so easy in Côte-Rôtie. But Graeme and Julie do have two tiny parcels, and this cuvée has already won them much praise as newcomers to get seriously excited about. Impeccably balanced Côte-Rôtie from the outstanding 2020 vintage.

Stéphane Ogier’s reputation is built on his Côte-Rôties. This cuvée is a blend of ten plots, mostly from the northern part of the appellation. It was first created in 2010, with Stéphane wanting to create a blended Côte-Rôtie that has all the signature style and spice of the hillside, but is accessible a little earlier than some of his single vineyard wines that are released later. It comes mostly from his younger vines, between 10 and 30 years old. It is bursting with Syrah black pepper and red currants, with a floral note lifting the palate. Salty tannins carry through onto the finish.

This is a rare wine produced in tiny volumes from vines of well over 100 years grown on a cool, north-facing terrace that Jean-Paul and his son Antoine tend. Undeniably ample and powerful, it demands time in the cellar.

This is a wine that’s overlooked at your peril. From a number of plots, such as Combe, Les Saveaux, Cayret, Les Mazards, Chaillot and Chapuzes, this is the essence of Cornas. Baked earth and rusty notes, with a wonderful deep core of fruit, this is long,

“The smoking good 2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous (60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest Muscardin, Vaccarese and Cinsault) is a structured, serious wine that gives up notions of blackberry, currants, melted licorice and assorted meaty nuances that flow to a full-bodied, seamless wine that has terrific fruit intensity, masses of fine tannin and a blockbuster finish.”

Jeb Dunnuck, 95 – 97 points

This fantastic site on the Côte Brune is shared between just three growers. The Garons’ vines were replanted in 1980 and 2001, and their youthful vigour produces a juicy wine, with a rounded balance. 30% whole bunch and 30% new oak add silkiness and depth.

This vineyard was planted in 1945, and the old vines are treated with huge respect in the Courbis cellar. It has been aged in 60% new oak, and will demand more time in bottle than the other Courbis wines. There is a natural density to the fruit, and the wine shows its calibre in a long, powerful finish.

65 year old vines here give incredible depth of flavour, as well as a beautifully balanced thread of acidity. Long and textured.

The prestige cuvée from one of the Southern Rhône's greatest estates.

Philipponnat hold back a proportion of each vintage from their outstanding single vineyard Clos des Goisses, and age it sur lattes in their cellars. For those who love the complexity and vinous power of old Champagnes, there is nothing better.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is only ever made in the great vintages, and always with the great man’s personal preference in mind: a robust and full-bodied Champagne that develops incredible depth with age. The exact blend, as ever, is a closely guarded secret, but Pinot plays a starring role, with just "a zest of Chardonnay" Hubert de Billy, great-great-grandson of Pol Roger, says. The Pinot dominance gives structure, depth, and breadth to the wine, whilst Chardonnay gives a chalky, vibrant, savoury top note and fresh thread of acidity. All the fruit comes from grand cru vineyards which were already under vine in Churchill’s lifetime. 2015 was a warm year, yet the wine displays deceptively high acidity, making it both toothsome and refreshing. It is another great release from the exciting 2015 vintage.

Cristal 2012, with over a decade in bottle, is really beginning to show its mettle. It has been fantastically reviewed, picking up a staggering 98 points from Antonio Galloni. It has set the tone for the new direction of this Roederer wine, and has remained a high point in this much-loved cuvée’s story. This is one of the world's most celebrated prestige cuvée Champagnes. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, from biodynamically farmed vineyards.

This comes from old vines planted in the historic vineyard. It is undeniably powerful, and would benefit from a few years in the cellar.

Superb old vine Grenache and surely one of the wines of the vintage. Traditionally made, raised in large oak foudres, this wine has layer upon layer of fresh and dried fruit interlaced with savoury elements such as Ibérico ham and white pepper. Very long and complex.

Cédric Bouchard has enjoying a meteoric rise in fame and demand. His have fast become some of the hardest to find Champagnes. He had started his career as a sommelier in Paris, but in 2000 decided to return home to the family domaine in Celles-sur-Ource in the Côte des Bar, where he brought his huge knowledge of world wine styles to bear on his own thoughtful production. His way of making wines often leans more towards Burgundy than Champagne. His philosophy is: single vineyard, single variety. And in each of his cuvées he seems to transcend both, creating something truly special. He has some of the lowest yields in all of Champagne, and practices ageing in tank, using low pressure, and zero dosage.

This extra brut blanc de blancs is so light on its feed. It's a masterclass from this young talent, Aurélien Gerbais, who is fast becoming a name to watch. His wines are showing all the promise one would hope to find in a close neighbour and friend of Cédric Bouchard, whose pioneering work changed the way we think about low pressure, gentle wines from this southerly region of Champagne. Add to that his Burgundian philosophies, and his pursuit of the purity engendered in the wines of mentor and friend Olivier Lamy in St Aubin, and you'll soon realise these wines are not to be missed. Champ Viole is a single vineyard which lays claim to being one of the very first planted by the Cistertian monks in the neighbouring Abbaye Notre-Dame de Mores. Disgorgement April 2021.

Coming from a range of vineyards, including Le Plomb, Montmains, and Bas de Coteau, Les Schistes is the benchmark wine from Clusel-Roch. Spicy and textured, with lots of floral character and a blood orange note, it’s an elegant, refined, impressive Côte-R

Another top cuvee, made from vines planted in 1901 in Pignam and La Crau, on sand, it’s named after their father Pierre, not a reference to stone. Volume and power, yet still elegance and finesse. Bravo.

This is a hugely powerful and impressive Châteauneuf. Old vines (100 years+), low yields, slightly cooler north-facing terraces, and Jaun-Paul's magic touch make for an exquisite wine.

2015 is a superb vintage in Champagne. Cristal, in its distinctive clear glass, is one of the world's most celebrated prestige cuvée Champagnes. The 2015 is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, and comes from biodynamically farmed vineyards 100% owned by Louis Roederer. The wine is intense, dynamic, energetic.

This blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir comes from premier cru vineyards in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. It's made by expert winemaker Laurent Champs, whose wines show taut control and complex structure. Malolactic fermentation is blocked, and the wine - from the sunny 2015 vintage - shows tension and grip, with a juicy, ripe citrus character and racy freshness. The wine was matured in old oak, giving a softness and breadth on the palate. It's long and complex, and consistently one of our favourite champagnes from Vilmart.

René Rostaing is one of the most famous and respected of Côte-Rôtie ‘s vignerons. He is all but retired these days, leaving the domaine in the capable hands of his son, Pierre. This 1999 was made during René’s pomp, and shows the ambition and skill of a winemaker at the top of his game.

The domaine might have 15 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but a wine you shouldn’t miss is this cuvée, from lesser-known Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne just to the south. The name is a nod to their ability to throw off the constraints of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape regulations in this peppery and fragrant wine. It is mainly Grenache with some Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah thrown in for good measure.

The prestige cuvée from one of the Southern Rhône's greatest estates.

Released in 2022 directly from the Bollinger cellars in Champagne

Released in 2022 directly from the Bollinger cellars in Champagne

Les Mont Ferrés is a premier cru single vineyard in Vertus, and 2018 is the first time that Leclerc Briant have bottled it as a unique cuvée. It is made from 100% Chardonnay in this southernmost village of the Côte des Blancs. It is zero dosage, and has a zippy, energetic drive. It’s as racy as they come, but rounded out on the back palate by the ripe nature of the brilliant 2018 vintage.

Instantanée is a single vintage Champagne that is made every year in order to take a “photo” of that year, the domaine explains. This 2017 is citrus-edged, with a firm and bracing backbone of acidity. It's a blend of roughly equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from across Ludes, Villedommange, Rilly-La-Montagne and Brouillet. It spent 6 years ageing on lees before disgorgement, and the wine has taken on weight and structure in that time.

This is a two hectare plot that borders Château Grillet. It’s so powerful and elegant, with clean mineral and savoury notes added to the spice and stone fruit. The definition across the finish is spectacular, and there’s energy to keep it driving on.

For those seeking sleek Cornas that has the body and structure to age but the open fruit to approach from youth, this is your wine. It is the most refined of the Courbis Cornas wines, and with a well-judged 40% new oak wrapped around the sweet fruit, giving it savoury, toasty depth.

This comes from four neighbouring lieux-dits on the Côte Blonde: Lancement, La Triote, Le Combard and Le Mollard. They share a high proportion of white schist in their soils, making for an intense and savoury expression. It is glossy, black-fruited, with a fresh, tense length.

Pure is 100% Grenache, all from 100 year old vines on sandy soils. The result is very intense, and, as the name suggests, pure. There's tons of black fruit here, surrounded by rich, chocolately textures and spicy flavours. This needs time in bottle to weave together, but already impresses.

This is a blend of two parcels and is the hidden gem of Sorrel’s range. 20% comes from Bessards, and 80% from Les Plantiers, just below Le Méal. These vines produce fruit with real power, and this wine has a great presence. But the floral tones and salty fruit make it more accessible than the Gréal, and mean it should start to open up a little earlier.

This is one of the finest sites of the Côte Blonde, and it produces a wine of huge elegance and subtlety, although you’ll want to tuck it away for a few years before pulling the cork.

When we taste a wine like this, with such intense and eloquent expression, it is all the indication we need to follow an exciting new domaine. The 2018 is a deep plummy purple, with intense aromas of cassis, pepper and thyme. The palate is built around a bed of sweet, silky tannins, giving a smooth and dense structure, This is intense, dramaic, and compelling. Like all great Côte-Rôtie, with a few years in bottle this Syrah will fully unfurl.

The most powerful, intense wine in the Courbis cellar. This is planted straight onto the granite, and has deep, brooding fruit, with notes of iron oxide and lots of spice on the finish. Brilliantly balanced.

Alain Voge’s pithy sparkling wine, Les Bulles d’Alain, is unlike anything else we have on our list. It is lively, dry, refreshing, and refined. If you’re in the mood for bubbles, but don’t want the weight of a Champagne, this is the perfect option, and a smart price too. It’s a very good example of why Saint-Péray has built its renown for sparkling wines.