France

Alan Meadows - Burghound A discreet application of wood sets off ripe and fresh aromas of poached pear, just sliced green apple and lemon-lime nuances that are picked up by the rich and voluminous medium-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the clean, dry and sneaky long finish. This too could use a bit more depth but it's already more complex plus it's a bit more tightly wound. Even so, this refreshing effort could also be enjoyed young without leaving too much potential on the table. Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 90 points. Also a lemon and lime colour, with a little more flesh than the Bataillère. Light fennel...

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 89 points. A plot of 0.60ha replanted with chardonnay in 2013. Definite green tints, light nose, pretty but not immediately terroir evocative, with some charm and energy behind, a little liquorice, more character on the palate. Ready soon, and nicely done. Tasted: February 2022. Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru. Organic. la Bataillère aux Vergelesses – White – Monopole Extending over 0.67 hectares, this Chardonnay’s plot facing south/south-east is new in the domaine (The vines were planted in 2013). Its soil is composed mainly of limestone and sand. Named after a previous owner, Mr....

Top Ten Best Selling Wines - December 2022 Under $60 A blend of 45% Clairette, 35% Grenache Blanc and 20% Bourboulenc, the 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc was made mostly in stainless steel, with 20% fermented and matured in demi-muids, one-third of which were new. It's ripe and nicely rounded, with notes of white peach, pear and a hint of pineapple on the nose. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, clean and refreshing, with a long, silky-textured finish and mouthwatering citrus. #TOP

Graves (70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Semillon) Wine Enthusiast: 95 Points Barrel Sample. Crisp and tight with fine citrus flavors, the wine is beautifully proportioned with textured, zesty acidity. It shows balance between its structure and its fruits that will only get better as it matures. James Suckling: 94 Points An excellent white Carbonnieux with sliced-lemon, lime and mineral character, as well as hints of citrus seeds. It’s medium-to full-bodied with lots of bright acidity and a flavorful finish. Minerally at the end. Decanter: 93 Points One of the benchmark wines for white Pessacs, and it has succeeded here. Plenty of curling...

WE 96 Wine Enthusiast To begin with the wine seems reticent, hiding its glories. Then, little by little, the remarkable richness of the wine comes through, offering an impressive array of flavors and balance between sweet and dry. The wine will definitely age well. Barrel Sample: 94-96  Decanter Powerful fleshy exotic fruits - the juice comes in from the first moment and doesn't let up, ensuring the apricot and mango fruits are shot straight through the core of steel. A brilliant showcase of what the soils of Barsac can do. Barrel Sample: 95. #BB

Decanter 93 points. The Chateau de Fuisse is rich in history with the house dating back to the mid-15th century having been run by the Vincent family since 1882. The estate owns 32 hectares of vines, two-thirds within the Pouilly-Fuisse appellation with other holdings in St-Veran and the Mâcon. The limestone and clay soils of Pouilly-Fuisse are perfectly suited to the Chardonnay grape and the domaines holdings cover 104 plots, giving great diversity to the final wines which display great expression, concentration and minerality. The old vines of their Pouilly-Fuisse Le Clos is the pinnacle of their offerings and the quality is...

(80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon) Rated 94 by Wine Enthusiast Barrel Sample. Texture and taut acidity are the hallmarks of this wine. It has the potential for great fruitiness and a fine richness to come as the wine develops. With its hints of spice and its concentration, the wine needs plenty of time. WA 91-93+. The 2020 Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc is a little closed to begin, soon unfurling to offer notes of fresh yellow apple, ripe Bosc pears and key lime pie, plus subtle hints of paraffin wax and lemongrass. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with apple and citrus layers, supported by compelling tension, finishing steely. LPB May...

(68% Sauvignon Blanc, 32% Semillon) JD 94 jebdunnuck.com, May 2021 (92-94 points) The deep inky colored 2020 Château Latour-Martillac is another classic Graves from this vintage with loads to love. Lots of red, blue, and black fruits, notes of flowers, chocolate, and gravelly earth, medium to full-bodied richness, impeccable balance, and silky tannins all make for an outstanding, undeniably impressive 2020 that shines more for its elegance and purity than outright power and richness. It will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades. WE 94 Wine Enthusiast, June 2021 (WE 92–94 points) Citrus and crisp white...

Wine Advocate 93 points. The pale lemon colored 2016 Clos Haut-Peyraguey reveals a veritable cornucopia of tropical notes—guava, mango and pineapple—with nuances of spiced pears, jasmine, fallen leaves and allspice plus a touch of acacia honey. The palate is elegantly styled with all those intense scents marrying beautifully into a perfumed restraint, finishing with a lively citrus lift. LPB Mar 2019. #BB

The Vineyard: Chorey-les-Beaune is located near Aloxe-Corton. White Chorey- les-Beaune is produced in small quantities because 90% of the vineyards are planted with red cultivars. The complexity of our climats (plots) accounts for this state of affairs. The vines we own in this village grow on a soil which is considered “light” amidst much “heavier” soils. This means that our soils contain more sand and less clay than the neighboring plots, conditions which are ideal for chardonnay. Grape Variety : chardonnay Appellation: village Location: Chorey-les-Beaune Tasting...

.The Vineyard: Corton Charlemagne is a grand cru situated on the Corton hill and benefiting from strong sunshine. Its aspect ranges from East to South. Whereas the neighboring plots are planted with pinot noir on clay and limestone, the grapes growing in the Corton Charlemagne area are planted in a layer of sandy soil on top of a bedrock of calcareous marl, which is particularly well-suited to chardonnay. Grape Variety: chardonnay Appellation: Grand Cru Location: in the village of Aloxe-Corton Origin: Corton Charlemagne owes its name to two emperors: Corton is the contraction of Curtis d’Otton, (which...

WINERY NOTES: Grape: 100% Chardonnay. Harvest period: End of Sept, Early Oct. Age : 70 years old by Massale Selection. Exposure: East. Ground: Predominantly calcareous clay. Yield: 55 hectoliters per hectare. Manual harvesting. Cultivation: 12 to 18 months. Tasting: Our oldest vineyard, on the left bank facing east, always produces a beautiful wine with notes of acacia honey grape and apricot that complements a long and beautiful minerality. A rich and fragrant wine to drink with a capon or a turbot. Drink in 3-7 years. All our wines are cultivated, filtered and bottled by us.

Oh this is lovely! The finest 1er Cru in Chablis. The vines of this 1 ha vineyard plot are over 60 years old - all hand harvested and fermented purely in tank and then aged in tank for a further 16 months. A yield of only 33hl/ha has resulted in a wine of great intensity. WINERY NOTES: Grape: 100% Chardonnay. Harvest period: End of Sept, Early Oct. Age : 55 years old by Massale Selection. Exposure: South-East. Ground: Predominantly calcareous clay. Yield: 55 hectoliters per hectare. Manual harvesting. Cultivation: 12 to 18 months. Tasting: Powerful and complex long-keeping wine. All our wines are cultivated, filtered and bottled by us....

Grape: 100% Chardonnay. Harvest period: End of Sept, Early Oct. Age : 60 years old by Massale Selection. Exposure: South-East. Ground: Clay and limestone. Yield: 50 hectoliters per hectare. Manual harvesting. Cultivation: 12 months. Tasting: Elegant wine with notes of fruits and white flowers. Pretty pale golden yellow color, a very beautiful lemon fruit with notes of acacia and pear.

Winery tasting note: The color is pale gold with reflections of emerald, a perfection of finesse and purity that flourishes over time, we find notes of menthol, liquorice against the backdrop of this iodized mineral very characteristic of the great Chablis wines. Drink it over the next five to ten years. "Somewhat unusually, here the nose is actually quite similar to that of the La Forêt but with slightly better layering. Otherwise there is terrific intensity to the firm, racy and overtly mineral-driven flavors that possess excellent size, weight and mid-palate density, all wrapped in a super-saline and beautifully well-balanced...

From the estate's 50 year old vines. A perfect balance of ripeness and minerality at an unbeatable price for the quality. A complex wine with excellent mineral structure permits it to maintain its typical dry mineral and white fruit aromas for a number of years. Pale gold color, shiny and luminous. A captivating Chablis, through a fruity vine peach, citrus fruit and tender brioche. We have worked closely with Cyril Testut for many years now. Quiet, considered and deeply passionate about his 13ha domaine, he is the proprietor of one of the real jewels of the Chablis region that sites in the top echelons of the Chablis hierarchy. His...

Grape variety Chardonnay Average age of the vines 30 years Maturation 12 months in oak barrels (1/4 new barrels) Tasting notes A rich and powerful wine which needs 2-3 years to really develop. TASTING NOTES Shining lemon yellow colour, this is a very radiant wine. With characters of clotted cream and pecans, it balances a natural fullness and richness with a lovely bite of orange zest. Extremely enticing and, true to Justin’s nature, very relaxed and full of charm. Justin's notes: "Seductive, with a bouquet of roses and lychee and a distinct spice aroma on the finish. Golden yellow in colour, spicy in aroma and flavour, reminiscent of...

Justin's Tasting Note: "From the top of village of Meursault, this wine show the freshness of cold area of Meursault. Nice acidity with lots of energy.. Great salinity at the end." Ageing: French oak barrels Origin of wood: Allier and Bertranges 25 % of new oak. Wine remained 24 months in barrels. Viticulture: Pruning style: Guyot simple Manual harvest Green work (de-budding, leaf-thinning,...) Winemaking: The grapes are pressed upon arrival at the winery. We practice a fermentation with a low temperature to keep all the flavours. We start the alcoholic fermentation in vats to have a regular fermentation , then when alcoholic fermentation is...

Clear and brillant, mineral and floral, fresh and vigorous. Its aromatic expression features notes of smoky gunflint and hazelnuts. Justin Girardin. In old French 'bievaux' means 'beautiful valley'. Historically this land was reputed to produce excellent white wines but, after the destruction of the vineyards by the Phylloxera pest, this hillside was left abandoned. In the 1960s a number of vines were replanted and in view of the quality of the resulting wine, the entire hillside was replanted between 1970 and 1986. The slope being steep, the planting was done in terraces. Grape variety Chardonnay Average age of the vines 30 years Winemaking...

"The first notes are very fine, complex and delicate. The aromas of peaches, quince and white flowers follow. Light breathing reveals the delicate scents of exotic fruit. The minerality brings a beautiful equilibrium and harmony." - WINERY NOTES Sancerre is a small wine district in central France, famous for its crisp, aromatic white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc. The classic Sancerre wine is white, bracingly acidic, and has pungent aromas of gooseberries, grass, nettles, and a hint of stony minerality. Richer, riper examples – particularly those from warmer, west-facing sites with chalky soils – often show fruitier...

James Suckling 95 points. Generous yet subtle nose of many citrus fruits and crisp pears. A very focused and mineral Mercury, but only medium-bodied. Very long, refined and chalky finish with so much lemony freshness. This is one of the 3 original 1er Cru of Mercury. From grapes that were sustainably grown, with no use of herbicides. Drink or hold. JS.

James Suckling 97 points. What a breathtaking nose of apricot, orange blossom and bergamot this Puligny- Montrachet has! Super silky on the rich palate, which is neither creamy, chalky nor acidic, but has exactly the right amount of all of these elements, beautifully woven together to create an extremely sensual whole. From grapes that were sustainably grown, with no use of herbicides. Drink or hold. JS.

Jasper Morris From Troesmes, above the lake at Beines, where the soil is reasonably full. The 2021 Beauroy has a pale lemon colour, a softer and quite graceful nose, with a crunch of citrus acidity at the finish. Drink from 2024-2028.  A relatively new wine in the Lavantureux stable, the premier cru Beauroy is a round, ample expression of Chablis from a south-facing parcel. Silky and suave on the palate, it finishes with a whisper of salinity. Drink it over the next eight years. —Anthony Lynch. WINERY NOTES: Beauroy is a south facing 1er Cru. This aspect allows it to receive more sunlight than any of our other vineyards. The wine...

Winery Notes: Powerful and Rich, Bougros is a very generous and expressive Grand Cru Vintage 2017. Tasting Note Bougros is a very expressive Grand Cru. The situation of the parcel with a great sun exposure explain this concentration. We can find ripe fruit flavors, and a long intensity. Food Pairings : This Grand Cru will be perfect with meat in “sauce”, big sea food, mountain cheese. Parcels of Grands Cru overlooks the town of Chablis. Bougros is the first Grand Cru at the north. It is facing south / south west. In 2017, 100% of the winemaking and aging was in french oak barrels, 20% of new oak. Bottling at the Domaine. #GC

Jasper Morris 92-94. "Ripe , spicy nose, very typical of Bougros. There is a huge mouthful here with excellent tension, some peach notes, everything is there in the rich but balanced style of the vintage. And very long. Tasted Sept 2020." Now that the new generation has settled in at Domaine Lavantureux, we can barely keep track of the new developments, each one more exciting than the last. This bottling marks just their third release from Bougros, a grand cru with abundant sun exposure noted for its high proportion of clay. It stands out from their other wines for its lavish richness, pampering your palate with decadent,...

Jasper Morris 95 points. A paler colour and richer nose, some wood, some muscle. Gently concentrated, with some citrus, then a wealth more fruit on the second half of the palate, a surge of energy. A really very long finish. Drink from 2027-2034. 

Jasper Morris 91 points. Paler yellow, a lighter nose than the Vieilles Vignes but perhaps with more elegance. This was previously vinified and partly aged in 50% wood which shows in the coconut and the more tannic finish, both of which should subsequently integrate. Drink from 2024-2028.  

Jasper Morris Pure mid yellow. Soft fruit on the nose. Lean with lemons and lime but enough volume of fruit with a salivatory fresh acidity behind, and very good length. Drink from 2025-2029. 93 points.    One of the most steep and rocky plots of Chablis: a pure expression of Chablis. • Fermented in stainless steel • 60% of the wine is aged in barrels that are 2 to 4 years old for 8 months, 40% aged in stainless steel. Roland Lavantureux founded his namesake Domaine in 1978 following completion of wine school in Beaune. Since then he has built a reputation for crafting some of the most consistent and reliable examples of...

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 93-95 points. “Pale lemon in colour, with a touch of viognier-style ripeness, but still elegant. There is a sweet glowing fruit across the palate, before a racy chiselled finish, with excellent acidity, and impressive persistence. This is on the Preuses side of the vineyard, but the style has, something in common with Les Clos.” JM. Winemaker Notes Cellar master Arnaud Lavantureux expounds that his “idea of wine is to show off the exceptional terroirs of Chablis with élevages in wood that are more ‘Côte de Beaune’ in style, to have a combination of flesh on the attack...

Jasper Morris 94 points. Clear pale lemon. The nose does not really speak at this stage. The volume of fruit is present, but perhaps not quite the nobility. Perhaps this is just very backward, with saline and citrus notes, with clearly some concentration on the palate. Drink from 2024.

Decanter 93 points. "TOP VALUE & UNDER THE RADAR The new generation arrived in 2010 with the arrival of David & Arnaud, following on from their father/grand-father. Roland first bottled his own wines in 1979 and the domaine has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Vauprin is a special selection on the hill of Vauprin, situated close to Lignorelles. Vines range from 20-80 years old and the parcel is 1.8ha in size. This AP Chablis is notable for the confident way in which oak is used (up to 50%, ranging from new to five-year-old). Lovely density on the palate allied to purity of fruit. Here, the oak really does add a...

"Pale yellow, this has a classic bouquet without the simplistic overt fruit of many 2021s and showing instead the classic framework of Chablis. Racy, juicy, even some yellow fruit, excellent acid balance and persistent. Drink from 2024-2027." Jasper Morris MW.   Rich and Fruity, full of minerality with excellent balance. This domain is a benchmark reference for the Chablis Appellation. This estate has been in the hands of the Lavantureux family for 4 generations and covers a total of 20 hectares. It is now run by the latest generation of 2 sons. Arnaud is in charge of vineyards and winemaking, David of sales, communication and...

Decanter 92 points. "From south-west facing vines in the hills around Lignorelles, the vines were planted in the 1960's and cover 3ha. The wine is fermented in steel tanks, with 60% aged for 10-12 on lees in tank, and 40% in older wood. Doesn't have quite the richness of the Vauprin Chablis but this is still a very fine, pure expression of 2021. Lovely acidity and mineral notes compliment the grapefruit characters and ripe pear fruit on the palate. Complex and classy. No hurry to drink this."   WINERY NOTES: A flattering nose, reveals flavors of ripe fruits, also identifiable during Tasting because of the natural...

"Brisk fresh yellow, smoky bacon note, and a smoky graphite note, though very pure on the palate, full of fruit, extremely long. Drink from 2023-2025." Jasper Morris MW.    "Freshness and minerality are essential to make a grand Petit Chablis. Roland Lavantureux adds righteousness and elegance." Hachette Guide.   Winery Notes: A Shiny yellow color, a fine and fruity nose with notes of agrums : we just open a bottle of Petit Chablis ! The mouth is pleasant and surprises by its freshness. We recognize peach and grapefruit. It is crispy and intense. This wine can be tasted as aperitif, with starter, oysters or...