Louis Barruol describes the microclimate of the vineyard Malleval as “very cold” which allows the grapes to retain acidity and showcase the floral aromas of the local Sérine variety. Aromas and flavors of blackberries and wild strawberries are accented by notes of peppercorns, tobacco, peonies, and violets.
Syrah, with its deep flavors and firm tannins, is a natural match for grilled or smoked meat and dishes featuring herbs, roasted mushrooms, and onions. Seared venison or beef with black pepper and thyme or a Moroccan tagine of pigeon or chicken are complimented by the spicy characteristic of Syrah.
Review:
Stacks of dark forest berries plus notes of smoke, pepper and tar make this a very expressive St.-Joseph. Impressive depth and ripeness for the 2021 vintage on the front and mid-palates, then the stony minerality kicks in giving it more power at the sleek and structured finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2024.
-James Suckling 93 Points
Graviere La Rouge Cuvee les Terrasses is made of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep red color with a narrow purple rim. Attractive aromas of ripe, juicy cherry and blackberry over spice, integrated toasted aromas. The palate is balanced and full-bodied with supple tannins, displaying rich cherry flavors combined with gentle toasting characters and a touch of spice. The finish is lasting with a bitter almond aftertaste.
Average age of the vines is 25 years.
Manual harvest from September 21th to October 7th 2015.
Upon arrival at the winery, only the best grapes were selected using a sorting table.
Skin contact maceration during 2 weeks in temperature controlled vats.
75% of the final wine was aged in stainless steel tanks with French oak staves and blended with 25% of wine aged in barrels.
Serve with red, white meats, poultry and fine cheeses.
Review:
"Still young and showing its wood aging, this wine has great potential. With ripe tannins, spice and generous red fruits, this Merlot-dominated wine is structured while also richly fruity. Drink from 2022. - ROGER VOSS"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2018, Best of Year 2018 Issue), 91 pts
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Blanc Les Saussots is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. A medium yellow straw color in the glass. On the nose, you will find layers aromas of cured lemon and hints of coconut and mango. On the palate, the juice has clean flavor, fresh acidity, and excellent balance. Vanilla notes follow through to the slightly creamy finish.
The grapes from this wines are grown from the Meursault area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
Seafood, fish, salad or by itself as an aperitif.
Drink this one now or over the next 3 to 4 years.
Cheurlin Thomas 'Celebrite' Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
An elegant soft gold color with a refined ring of bubbles. The nose reveals fruity aromas of a complex wine. The mouth is fresh and balanced with a woody finish. A great character with a perfect balance.
Cuvee harvested on the south facing land. The limestone base of the seat is emphasized by a thin bed of Kimmeridgian marl leaving a grayish underground, earth colored by white marl, ground vineyards par excellence. The wine is matured in oak barrel and pipe, second fermentation in the bottle with a minimum of 18 months aging. Reflects the white varieties of the Barrois hillsides.
Cheurlin Thomas Célébrité has rewritten the definition of excellence in Blanc de Blanc Champagnes. As authentic a champagne as can be crafted, the exceptional taste of this Grower’s prestige cuvée is re-writing wine books the world over. An exclusive champagne, produced in limited quantities, Cheurlin Thomas Célébrité is made solely from white grapes varieties and zero added sugar. Célébrité is all natural juice.
Florence Cholet Meursault Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This classic Meursault offers expressive and complex aromas of white flower, white fruit, and herbal aromas. Bright acidity and minerality emerge on the palate from this beautifully balanced and structured white, followed by subtle hints of vanilla and toasted brioche nuances in a refreshing finish.
Pair with fresh Truffle Pasta, Beaufort Cheese, Pike Quennelles.
Clif Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap is made from 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.
Our Stags Leap District and Calistoga estate vineyards build the foundation of this wine with support from valued grower sites located in Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain. Composed of small batches from a variety of blocks of varying age, this wine represents a diverse range of carefully selected rootstocks and clones. Yields are maintained at sparse levels, with a focus on canopy management and vine balance. The resulting blend boasts a remarkable depth and complexity that is quintessential Napa Valley.
Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours. The freshly-harvested fruit immediately underwent rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which included our cutting-edge optical sorter. Whole berries were gently delivered by gravity to tank using our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately seven days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 48% of which were new, for twenty-one months.
Elegantly soft and lithe the 2021 coaxes the taster with warm dark chocolate and luscious black cherry aromas. More graphite, chocolate cake, crushed mulberries, and iron notes leap from the glass. The entry is filled with dark fruit flavors of cassis, blackberry, and blue berries and they’re all tinged with floral notes of jasmine and violets. The polished tannins along the finish feel Cashmere-like and beg the taster for another sip. – Christopher Tynan, Director of Winemaking
Review:
So silky and drinkable at the first sip, this well-concentrated wine feels tight and restrained with more tastes, holding its trove of black fruits, cedar, cinnamon and dark chocolate in a rich blanket of extra-fine tannins. Its complexity, layering and lingering finish are something special.
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
Convento Oreja Ribera del Duero Crianza is made from 100 percent Tempranillo.
Bright cherry color. On the nose you will find plenty of fruit aromas, well balanced as well as some reminiscences of spices that are appreciable. The oak presence gives elegant hints of black chocolate and vanilla. On the palate, the wine is very smooth and well balanced with the right amount of acidity. Fresh, long lasting and elegant.
The wine went through malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged 12 Months in French Oak barrels. Before bottling, the wine was slightly filtered.
Coppo Pomorosso Barbera d'Asti Superiore Nizza 2017 is made from 100% Barbera.
Pomorosso can be considered Coppo’s landmark. It’s a cornerstone of Barbera’s history, a wine that played an important role for the international recognition of Coppo. 100% barbera, Pomorosso always respected the most strict rules of production, even way before they were written down for “Nizza docg”. The soil is marine sediment and rich in minerals, which gives the wine finesse, minerality, and longevity.
Review:
This is one of those fortunate wines that enjoys special recognition as its own brand, Pomorosso. It's also one of the pioneers of the recently minted Nizza denomination. Coppo has been making Pomorosso since 1984 and has learned a thing or two along the way. The 2017 Nizza Pomorosso is an excellent edition from a vintage that mistreated many of Piedmont's other varieties because of scorching summer heat. However, Barbera loves the heat, and this wine has absorbed every last sunbeam, adding to the wine's inner richness and concentration. Dark fruit, black currant, spice, tobacco and barbecue smoke rise from the bouquet. The aromas are big, but so is the wine's hold and grip on the palate. I taste the heat (this bottle declares a 16% alcohol content), but fresh acidity keeps the wine from feeling too heavy or ripe.
-Wine Advocate 93 Points
Corinne Perchaud Chablis Premier Cru Fourneaux is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This is the south facing portion of the slope and very hot, heavy "Fourneaux" or "oven" effect.
The wine is expressive and vivacious with beautiful aromas.
Well-balanced, round and fruity wine with a fine minerality on the finish.
1er Cru Fourneaux is located on the Fleys village and faces the field. the plots are very steep and exposed full south on soil type Kimmeridgian consists of marl clay-limestone with shallow ground and a very stony ground. After a slight settling, the juice starts its fermentation in tank, then ¼ of juice is racked in barrels. Both wines perform their alcoholic fermentation and malolactic and their aging on the lees, separately. The two cuvées are blended six months after harvesting. The wine is then filtered and is bottled 15 months after harvesting. 2013 Conditions and Harvest The relatively high temperatures at the end of winter allowed an early bud vines in early March. With a hot, dry spring flower took place in good conditions. In July, a hailstorm located did some damage to our Fourchaume plot. July and early August, rainy and stormy brought the water needed by the vineyards. The dry and sunny weather of the second half of August brought the grapes to maturity. The harvest began on September 2 under cloudy skies.
Coquille St. Jacques (scallops) with leeks and cream.
El Cortijillo Blanco La Mancha is made from 100% Verdejo
El Cortijillo Verdejo shows a pale straw green color. It is fresh and aromatic with floral notes, peach, crisp apple and tropical fruits. A mineral accent and herbal notes. Good acidity, it is refreshing on the palate, fruity and smooth.
The Marjorie vineyard sits in the center of the Cristom Estate with a gentle slope from 480 feet to 600 feet over some of the most consistent volcanic soils on the entire Estate. A little bit unique to itself, most of the Vineyard is planted over a moderately deep volcanic soil with some very rocky areas in the north and southeast corners. The vineyard wants to produce elegant wines of finesse with bright red fruit and succulent acidity.
Review:
Dark ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard takes on a darker mineral profile with forward aromas of wet stone, black raspberry preserve, and layers of baking spices and crushed purple flowers. Moving to the palate, the wine is medium-framed, with ripe tannins, an angular texture, fresh acidity, and a spicy finish. This certainly needs more time and will gain complexity with time in cellar.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Darkly alluring, the 2021 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard is perfumed with dusty violets and lavender, giving way to dried black cherries. Luxuriously round, with juicy acidity, this cascades across the palate with crisp raspberry fruits as rosy inner florals amass toward the close. Hints of blood orange pucker the cheeks as the 2021 finishes staining and long with long lingering chalky mineral tones.
-Vinous 95 Points
Croix Senaillet St. Veran Les Rochats is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Saint Veran Les Rochats is produced from 50-year-old Chardonnay vines, grown organically on Jurassic-era limestone (Entroque limestone), covered by pebbles that act as a filtering soil. The parcel is southeast facing on half hills.
Clear golden color with light green reflections. The wine has a rich and complex bouquet with a wide array of aromas: pear, nougat, wild peach and kiwi. The mouth is rich and dense bringing freshness with a nice volume and finishing on a light exotic note.
Vineyard
Surface area : 1 Ha.
Soil : limestone soil from the Jurassic period, covered by pebbles acting like a filtering soil.
South-east facing parcel on half-hills.
Grape variety : organically-grown Chardonnay.
Plantation density : 8.500 vinestocks per ha.
Age of vines : 50 years.
Mâconnais style pruning quite short, with 10 to 12 buds.
Hand-harvesting at optimal maturity.
Destemming to avoid herbaceous taste.
Slow and gentle pneumatic pressuring guarantees purity of juice and extraction of the finest aromas.
Very slow alcoholic fermentation in stainless still tank.
Malolactic fermentation.
Aging in stainless steel tanks for 9 months with gentle stirring of fine lees.
Pairs well with shrimp risotto, sautéed veal with eggplant.
DAOU Vineyards Soul of a Lion is made from 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot.
The 2019 Soul of a Lion is a blockbuster vintage that showcases how Bordeaux varieties are remarkably suited to the terroir of DAOU Mountain. This wine explodes from the glass with a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors, including blackberry, blueberry, black currant, dark cherry, sweet tobacco, and licorice. An added floral dimension imparts an integrated sense of elegance and freshness. While full-bodied with ultra-high phenolic levels, this wine maintains its evenness and poise through an extraordinarily long finish. Structured, balanced, and powerful, the 2019 Soul of a Lion will reveal its full magnitude after several years of careful cellaring.
Review:
The 2019 Soul Of A Lion is a blend of free-run Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque ruby in color, it offers aromatic contrast between dark, savory cherry fruit, chargrill and graphite, and top notes of green pepper and rose petals. The palate explodes with detailed flavors and its tannins are already resolved and chocolaty, with seamless acidity and exotic spicy layers emerging on the extended finish. Wow!
-Wine Advocate 97+
Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
A lovely, brilliant crimson color. A very earthy Nuits nose with some vanilla bean, too. On the palate, smoky, velvet-textured fruit without any tannin, but acids take their place, so the wine is nicely balanced. Not heavy, but a very elegant Pinot expression at the end.
Review:
Exotic scents of violet, raspberry and wild cherry mark this juicy red. Vivid and fruity, yet backed by a baseline of firm tannins. Shows fine balance and a lingering aftertaste of red berries and mineral. Best from 2022 through 2038.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 38.3 acres spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
About the Vineyard:
Clos de Vougeot grand cru was acquired by Étienne’s grandfather, Gaston Grivot, in 1919. The total holding is 4.6 acres from the middle of the vineyard to the lower wall and the average vine age is 40 years old. A good Clos de Vougeot should be a complete wine without any one feature standing out. It is a perfect balance of power, aroma, and flavor.
Wine Production:
The grapes are destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 40-70% percent for the grands crus.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
This round version is packed with ripe black cherry, violet, graphite and tobacco flavors. The silky texture and vibrant acidity work in tandem, while refined tannins provide support without getting in the way. There are a few edges to be worked out, yet this is long and concentrated.
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Aux Boudots is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 38.3 acres spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er cru lies in the “Zone Vosnoise” or northern end of Nuits-Saint-Georges just below Les Damodes. It borders Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er just to its north. Its position slightly lower on the slope with deep soil full of pebbles results in a richer and fuller wine.
The grapes are destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 30-60% for the premier crus.
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 30-60% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Reviews:
‘The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Boudots Ter Cru has the best aromatics among Grivat Nuits Saint-Georges with very well defined red berry fruit, briary and lignt sous-bois aromas. The palate is medium-badied with fine-grain tannins, slightly savory on the entry, fresh and saline on the finish. This has real verve and class, though it will benefit from time in bottle
-Vinous 93-95 Points
A wine with the substance and structure to support the generous lashings of new oak used for maturation, and the overall effect is elegant and classic in style. Aux Boudots, where Grivot has 0.85ha, is at the northern edge of Nuits, just over the border from Vosne-Romanée Malconsorts. They began to pick on the 3rd of September – Etienne specified that they are very particular that the tannins are ripe and do what they can to prolong the vegetative cycle. Still, the grapes were picked with an entirely correct pH of around 3.4.
-Decanter 94 Points
Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 38.3 acres spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
About the Vineyard:
Vosne-Romanée is from village-level parcels lying between the Vosne and the D974. Domaine Jean Grivot is one of the finest producers here and this wine is intended to be a classic expression of the village with red and black fruit perfumed with spice and violet nuances.
Wine Production:
The grapes are destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 25% for the village appellations.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in up to 25% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
Ripe plum and blackberry fruit, with well-integrated spice and a silky, plump texture which is nicely balanced by plenty of freshness; a typical village-level Vosne, but one that goes beyond in elegance and finesse. This is a blend of grapes grown both above and below grand crus (Aux Champs Perdrix in the case of the former, Aux Réas and others the latter). The total surface area is 2.5ha. The fruit is destemmed and carefully fermented before ageing in 30% new casks.
-Decanter 94 Points
The Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay Les Fremiets Premier Cru is from a parcel that is up-slope, and the wine is very calcaire, or limestony; you literally taste the stone in this elegant, intensely perfumed wine. Pair with veal filet mignon, squab, beef steak and roast duckling.
Review:
I really like this terroir and the 2021 is an absolutely classic example of this fine premier cru, offering up a refined and pure bouquet of black plums, dark berries, coffee bean, a complex base of dark soil tones, a nice touch of new oak and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very elegant in profile, with a superb core, lovely soil signature, ripe, suave tannins and a long, vibrant and complex finish. Fine, fine juice. 2033-2080.
93 pts- John Gilman, View from the Cellar #102
Tim Atkin 93 Points
Domaine Michel Magnien Cote de Nuits-Villages is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Michel Magnien has evolved into a Burgundy producer of a singular style and philosophy from cellars located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. In 1993, Frédéric Magnien persuaded his father Michel to begin domaine bottling. The domaine is now certified biodynamic by Demeter and the wines are produced without the use of new oak.
The domaine’s 45 acres are spread across the villages of Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vosne Romanée, with holdings in several premier cru and grand cru vineyards. These include the grand crus Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, and Charmes-Chambertin. Frédéric Magnien maintains an average vine age of 50 years.
Côte de Nuits-Villages is from two climats in Brochon: Créole, Les Carrés. Brochon is a neighboring commune of Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin and often carries similar characteristics of those two villages. The wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks followed by several months aging in 100% used pièce. Around 20% whole clusters were included in the cuvée.
Côte de Nuits-Villages shows bright and fresh red-fruit character with notes of earth and spice. 50-year-old vines contribute weight and richness to this otherwise fresh-tasting Burgundy unadorned with the taste of new oak. It’s a pure expression of red Burgundy from biodynamically farmed grapes.
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
A heavenly, full-bodied dry Riesling with forceful minerality from 100-year-old vines grown in the blue slate soil of Graach.
Graach is a small village in the Mosel valley. It’s steep slate slopes produce wines that combine elegance with rustic strength. Grosses Gewächs (GG) is the designation for an estate’s best dry wine from a Grosse Lage (grand cru) vineyard. This limited-production wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts and kept in the barrel, on the full lees, for a year before bottling. The extended maturation time allows the wine to develop greater texture and a deeper natural harmony. This is a fully ripe wine, with vibrant aromatics and a pronounced acidity that gives it a brilliant structural precision.
Review:
Convincing proof that 2020 is an excellent vintage for dry GG on the Mosel! Cool and stony with delicate white-peach and white-currant aromas. Really takes off at the intensely slatey and racy finish.
-James Suckling 95-96 Points
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is made from 100 percent Riesling.
An endlessly energizing late-harvest Riesling from a selection of botrytis-affected grapes harvested in the “sundial” vineyard. This precipitously steep, rocky vineyard consistently yields some of the most elegant and sophisticated white wines in the world. Auslese means “selected from the harvest,” and is a luscious sweet wine made from very ripe clusters that are about 50 percent affected by botrytis. The resulting wine is dense, intensely flavored and rich on the palate, but retains the elegant structure that is characteristic of this great site.
Review:
Rich, but very elegant and creamy with beautiful, peachy character and lovely, floral-honey notes. Long, very silky finish. Drink or hold.
James Suckling 95 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Mordoree Tavel Rose Plume de Peintre is made from 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Clairette.
Deep rosé color. Complex and intense aromas of red fruits. The palate is elegant and offers a great balanced acidity. The wine has a long lasting finish.
Risotto with crayfish and asparagus, duck breast roasted with honey, poultry with morels.