France

Age of vines 25 years. Grape variety Pinot Noir. Ageing French oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 25% of new oak. Wine remained 15 months in barrels. Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple. Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...). Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to extract the primary aromas. Indigenous yeasts. Smooth extraction respecting the grape variety, terroir and vintage. Fermentation lasts around 20 days. Tasting notes The bouquet is ripe and fresh,...

Age of vines 25 years Grape variety Pinot Noir AgeingFrench oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 25%ofnewoak. Wine remained 15 months in barrels. Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...) Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to extract the primary aromas. Indigenous yeasts. Smooth extraction respecting the grape variety, terroir and vintage. Fermentation lasts around 20 days. Tasting notes This Chassagne is a food wine,...

Clos Saint-Jean is a Premier Cru vineyard located on the hillside above the streets and houses of Chassagne-Montrachet village. It is planted to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, making high-quality examples of both. It is the Clos Saint-Jean Premier Cru red wines that are of particular note, displaying rich, ripe characters despite their often lighter color. The individual Clos Saint-Jean lieu-dit covers a little over five hectares (12.3 acres) of east-facing Côte d'Or midslope, but the wider site is considered to include Chassagne du Clos Saint-Jean (2 hectares/5 acres) along the same slope to the south, with Les Rebichets (5.4 hectares/13...

Jasper Morris MW Deeper crimson colour. Rather a solid nose, less floral, a dark raspberry style of fruit, one new barrel in three, which only really shows at the finish, bringing in a more lactic element and a few wood tannins. Tasted: February 2021. La Maltroie is a Premier Cru vineyard of the Chassagne-Montrachet appellation in Burgundy.It is planted to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, making high-quality examples of both. It is the Clos Saint-Jean Premier Cru red wines that are of particular note, displaying rich, ripe characters despite their often lighter color. Ageing: French oak barrels Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 25 % of new...

Jasper Morris 90 points. From Clos Chareau. Medium deep crimson colour. For now, just after the bottling, the bouquet is rather closed. The palate however delivers a special depth of dark red cherry, a certain ripeness, just within the lines, without the heat taking over. Tasted: February 2021. Justin's Tasting Note: "An elegant wine with a character all of its own! Bright, vivid, red colour. Intense and fruity nose where notes of wet undergrowth and wild nature can be detected. Fleshy and well structured on the palate. A little chunky in its youth, it becomes rounder and delicious to drink as it gets older. Very flavourful aftertaste."...

Justin's tasting note: "An elegant wine with a character all of its own! Bright, vivid, red colour. Intense and fruity nose where notes of wet undergrowth and wild nature can be detected. Fleshy and well structured on the palate. A little chunky in its youth, it becomes rounder and delicious to drink as it gets older. Very flavourful aftertaste." This red wine is produced on the Aubuzes climat in Maranges on the edge of the Santenay vineyard. The name of the place is a local variant of "Aubues" from the Gallic word "albucre" which means a whitish clay soil. Here the soil is rich and clayey, covered with pebbles, gravels and calcareous sands;...

Age of vines 45 years Grape variety Pinot noir Ageing French oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 20 %,of new oak. Wine remained 15 months in barrels. Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...) Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to extract the primary aromas. Indigenous yeasts. During fermentation, the temperature is monitored so that it is around 26 °c with a pick at 30°c. Smooth extraction respecting the grape variety,...

Age of vines 50 years Grape variety Pinot noir Ageing French oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 15%of new oak. Wine remained 12 months in barrels. Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...) Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to extract the primary aromas. Indigenous yeasts. Smooth extraction respecting the grape variety, terroir and vintage. Fermentation lasts around 20 days. Tasting notes This is a delicate wine marked by...

Age of vines 50 years Grape variety Pinot noir Ageing French oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 22%ofnewoak. Wine remained 15 months in barrels. Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...) Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to extract the primary aromas. Indigenous yeasts. Smooth extraction respecting the grape variety, terroir and vintage. Fermentation lasts around 20 days. Tasting notes Supple and elegant wine. Nose: red berry...

Justin's Tasting Note: "This wine delivers delicate notes of redcurrant, blackcurrant and blackberry mixed with fine spices. Its style and finesse form a beautiful classic set that will appeal to all." Age of vines 40 years Grape variety Pinot noir AgeingFrench oak barrels. Origin of wood: Allier and Vosges 15% of new oak. Wine remained 12 months in barrels. Viticulture Pruning style: Cordon de Royat and Guyot simple Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...) Triple sorting: in the vineyard (twice) and in the winery on sorting table Winemaking Grapes are destemmed, put into vat at 12°c during 5 days (cold pre-fermentary) to...

St-Julien The 2019 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou is endowed with a gorgeous, quite sumptuous bouquet loaded with black plum, tobacco, smoke and Earl Grey aromas that burst from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannin, harmonious and velvety in texture, gradually building towards a detailed and mineral-driven finish. Maybe less opulent than the 2018 by comparison, yet a Deuxième Vin full of breeding. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media, 94-96 points. #end19 #margJ

Pessac-Leognan Decanter 96 points. Beautiful fragrance to the nose, perfumed and delicate yet so expressive, nothing out of balance with cherries and violets bursting out of the glass. Gorgeous smooth mouthfeel with some milk chocolate dusting on the fruit, tannins are delicate and softly mouth filling with a lovely salinity to the palate - creamy and unctuous but at the same time there's lots of acidity. This has a verticality to it, layered but with an aerial quality too, the flavours just glide across the palate with lift on the finish - so satisfying and drinkable. Just a glorious, shining, bright, velvety, succulent glass of wine. Pure...

Jeb Dunnuck 95 points. The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is another winner from this team, and readers can’t go wrong here. Based on 75% Grenache, 10% each of Syrah and Mourvedre, with the balance Cinsault, it was partially destemmed and brought up all in foudre. This beauty just about jumps out of the glass with its Provençal aromatics of ripe cherries, ground pepper, saddle leather, garrigue, and spice. These carry to a medium to full-bodied wine that has the vintage’s charming, pure character front and center, yet still brings good mid-palate density and ripe tannins.

Wine Advocate 95 points. Composed of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Grenache, and 7% Counoise, the 2018 Odyssée has a deep garnet color, bursting from the glass with a whole array of exotic spices notes—cumin seed, star anise, cardamom and cassia—over a core of stewed black plums, warm cassis and blackberry preserves, with hints of dark chocolate, lavender and tapenade. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with concentrated black and blue fruits, framed by firm, rounded tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing very long with a peppery kick. A little more structured than previous vintages and with such impressive concentration, this...

Jeb Dunnuck 92-94 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape includes slightly more Mourvèdre than normal and was brought up mostly in tank, with smaller amounts in demi-muids, barrels, and foudre. Blackberries, incense, licorice and beautifully complex spice characteristics flow to a full-bodied, opulent 2016 that ticks all the right boxes. With sweet tannin and beautiful purity, drink it over the coming 10-15 years. This estate hasn’t missed a beat in the past decade (or more) and their 2015s and 2016s both check-in near the top of the pyramid. It’s worth noting that this estate has started including slightly more stems than in the past while pulling...

Jeb Dunnuck 93 points- "The classic 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape comes from tiny, tiny yields and checks in as 60% Grenache, 15% Each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault that was 70% destemmed and brought up in a mix of used barrels. It's a beautiful, layered wine that delivers the goods, offering loads of black raspberry fruit, notes of spice, garrigue, licorice, and pepper, medium to full body, good acidity, and a great finish. Beautifully balanced, it can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for 15 years or more." 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault

WE 95 Wine Enthusiast, May 2022 While pulsating with ripeness, a bristling freshness and spine-tingling delicacy of texture make this basic bottling from Pierre Usseglio extraordinary. Red-plum and raspberry flavors are concentrated yet plush, etched by sweet spice and soft, mouthcoating tannins. Pure in fruit profile and subtly earthen, it's approachable young but solid enough to hold well through 2030. The wine offers fantastic value for such excellence. ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA JD 93 jebdunnuck.com, October 2020 The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape is the classic cuvée of the estate and is based on 55% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, and the...

Jeb Dunnuck 97 points. As always, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache (from La Serres, La Crau, and La Guigasse) that was not destemmed and was brought up all in used demi-muids. It's an extraordinary wine, offering a mammoth bouquet of kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, ground pepper, white flowers, and spice. Full-bodied, concentrated, and opulent on the palate, with silky tannins, it's not going to match the 2010 or 2016, but t’s a magical, elegant, layered wine that does everything right. About 650 cases per year. 100% Grenache

JD 98+ jebdunnuck.com, November 2021 98+ One of the top handful of wines in the vintage, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache, from the different terroirs (one sand, one clay, and one limestone) that was 50% destemmed and aged all in older demi-muids. Reminding me of the 2007 with its incredible perfume of ripe black raspberries, strawberries, flowery incense, peppery and Provençal garrigue, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, expansive texture, gorgeous tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. A wine of incredibly purity, precision, and elegance, yet also with power and opulence, this...

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Wine Advocate 96 points. The 2014 Vieux Chateau Certan is a blend of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked in three stages: 19-20 September, 29 September to 2 October, and 7 and 8 October. The yields came in at 38.7 hectoliters per hectare with 13.4% alcohol. It was one of my stars of the vintage and now in bottle, I find no reason to change that. It is endowed with an exquisite bouquet, really one of the best I encountered throughout my tastings: perfumed blackberry, wild strawberry, cold stone and wilted rose petals. Like in barrel, it is not powerful, yet it is blessed with wondrous precision. The palate is...

Wine Advocate 95 points. Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Vieux Château Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully defined—quintessentially Pomerol. You want typicité? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats. NM Oct 2016.

Wine Advocate 98 points. Composed of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Vieux Château Certan sports a deep garnet-purple color. No mincing about, the bouquet absolutely prances out of the glass with stunning scents of candied violets, chocolate-covered cherries, roses and eucalyptus over a core of black plum preserves, mulberries, black raspberries and blueberry pie plus wafts of licorice, iron ore and truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic balance and expression, with very fine-grained, silt-like tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing with epic length and perfume.LPB Mar 2020