A blend of 60% Grenache, 16% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and smaller amounts of Clairette Rose, Counoise, Terre Noir and Vaccarèse, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Alchimie is a strong effort. Black cherries, black olives... Read More
Saturated ruby-red. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe, spice-tinged red and dark berry, garrigue, potpourri and incense qualities and a smoky mineral topnote. Stains the palate with concentrated Chambord, cherry-cola, candied lavender... Read More
Fun and friendly, this has bright, high-toned blackcurrant and cherry fruit with quite mineral and grippy tannins that give a firm texture. Feels well worked, on the more savoury side, with the fruit concentration underneath the... Read More
Gorgeous ripe fruit character, with loads of blueberries, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity, fresh, grapefruit aftertaste. Really beautiful. Best ever from here. Best after 2018.
The 2020 Franc Mayne is dense, resonant and beautifully explosive in the glass. Sumptuous dark red/purplish fruit, rose petals, mint and lavender all saturate the palate. This heady Saint-Émilion really delivers the goods.... Read More
All Chardonnay, the 2022 Côtes Catalanes Infiniment De L'Ou Blanc is even more impressive, with classic buttered apple, honeysuckle, and citrus notes that blossom with time in the glass. With a round, opulent mouthfeel,... Read More
The 2022 Côtes Catalanes Secret De Schistes Blanc is all Grenache Gris that was raised in a mix of barrels and amphora. Attractive apple and melon fruits, some honeyed mineral and floral nuances, medium to full body, and... Read More
A big, meaty, mineral-laced Syrah, the dense purple-hued 2020 Cotes Catalanes Secret De Schistes offers up a great nose of blackberries, roasted herbs, chocolate, and graphite that develops more meaty and leather notes with time... Read More
The vineyards surrounding the 12th-century castle have produced this rich and densely structured wine. Powerful tannins give a smoky character to the ripe, black-plum fruits. It definitely needs aging, so drink from 2026.... Read More
Intense and focused with cigar tobacco, cedar, spice and berry. Currant too. Medium- to full-bodied. The fruit is there at the beginning and then it takes off at the finish. Give this two or three years to soften and come together.... Read More
Subtle blackberry, dark mushroom and dark-purple fruit aromas with some stone, following through to a full body with solid structure and presence. It’s tannic and muscular and builds on the palate at the end. Yet, it’s... Read More
Bursting from the glass with notes of plus, sweet red berries and hints of licorice, the 2019 Mangot is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with beautifully powdery tannins and a succulent core of fruit. Giving, charming... Read More
A very dense yet tight and focused red with blackcurrants, blackberries and hints of spices and walnuts. Full-bodied, very compact and long. Intense finish.
Sweet and ripe currants with dark cherries, too. Floral and perfumed. Medium-bodied with firm, silky tannins and a fresh, vivid finish. Second wine of Pedesclaux. 67% merlot, 27% cabernet sauvignon and 6% petit verdot. Drink after... Read More
Deeply colored, the 2018 Château Puy-Blanquet checks in as 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from a 20-hectare parcel of clay and limestone soils. Beautifully ripe and sexy, with a massive bouquet... Read More
From one of the rare Saint-Julien estates that is not classified, the wine is spicy and stylish with finely wrought tannins. Black currant fruits from the Cabernet Sauvignon dominate the wine, giving further potential. Drink from... Read More
A full-bodied red with fine tannins and plenty of plum, milk-chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s creamy and attractively textured. Rather flamboyant for the vintage. Generous and formed. Drink after 2024.... Read More
From the oldest Grenache vines of the estate (planted in 1924), the 2021 Rasteau Héritage 1924 reveals a semi-opaque ruby hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, spring flowers, and Provençal spice.... Read More
So expressive and so precise, this is a great modern Cornas. Haunting nose of black forest berries with notes of dry forest floor and wild herbs. Then comes the wonderful combination of restrained richness and youthful freshness... Read More
The 2021 Les Choisilles is dry and fragrant, offering tropical fruit flavors from mandarin to passionfruit. While aromatically exotic, it is structured, firm and precise, leaving you with a clear understanding that this is a wine... Read More
