2020 French Wine

This parcel is north of the village of Meursault, but higher on the slope than the neighboring “Les Corbins.” The resulting wine has excellent penetration on the palate and is normally dominated by its firm minerality... Read More

Of the 1,199 valuable hectares planted to grapes in Pauillac, most are owned by the numerous Cru Classé châteaux. Yet, within the formidable estates of Mouton and Lafite Rothschild lays a single hectare in the hands... Read More

Château de Chaintres produces this cuvée from one of their best and oldest parcels: a 1940 planting (hence the name: the year of plantation in Roman numerals) of Cabernet Franc in the heart of the clos. Aged in a... Read More

Château Haut-Segottes has fewer than 10 hectares of vines located within the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation. This wine is usually dominant with Cabernet Franc, which produces a wine of considerable structure and is... Read More

Ripe, luminous wild strawberries and black cherry flavors explode from nose to finish in this hedonistic, intensely fruity blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. It’s gorgeously primary in youth with a zesty mineral... Read More

Rapturous perfume inspires and is enhanced by a cooling breezy freshness which billows and swells along to the long and haunting finish. An assault on the senses!

By Bordeaux standards, this is relatively tiny estate. It is run by Julie and Xavier Gonet-Médeville, both of whom hail from storied winemaking families—hers from Sauternes, his from Champagne. From their 11-hectare... Read More

Château Sainte Anne is a 15 ha estate run by Françoise Dutheil and her son Jean-Baptiste. They take a hands off approach to winemaking and have worked closely with Thierry Puzelat, Pierre Overnoy, and Gramenon since... Read More

The very expressive nose of Chateau Senejac Haut-Medoc exhales scents of black fruits and spices. In the mouth, Sénéjac presents a lot of fullness and intensity while remaining suave and civilized thanks to the smoothness... Read More

If you have not tasted white from this historic estate yet, now is your chance. This age-worthy wine has energy and power and yet manages to hold onto its elegance. Yellow peaches, red delicious apples, poached pear, and an interesting... Read More

A partnership between Paul Hobbs, internationally renowned winemaker and Malbec specialist, and Bertrand Gabriel Vigouroux, whose family has been producing wine in Cahors, France since the 1880s, Crocus wines redefine Malbec from... Read More

Domaine Belargus looks set to radically change perceptions of Anjou wines as one of the most exciting new-comers to the Loire Valley. They're an organic operation and employ single plots, old vines, low yields, long elevage,... Read More

Another absolute gem of a wine is the 2020 Roc De Cambes, which is mostly Merlot from vines just next to the Domaine de Cambes vineyards. Black cherries, plums, black raspberries, vanilla bean, camphor, and graphite are just some... Read More

From a single vineyard of Chardonnay planted high on the steep slopes of Saint-Romain, where you find a high percentage of limestone. This is the domaine’s most iconic wine and it is easy to see why. Even in this warmer... Read More

This cabernet franc comes from 50 year-old vines on the southern-facing hillside vineyards of Les Clos, where the soil is comprised of siliceous clay covered with large flint. The wine is fermented in concrete and is raised in... Read More

Super-ripe blackberry and plum fruit touched with leather, spice and smoke. The texture is impressively dense and concentrated, yet the wine never loses its silky elegance which lingers invitingly on the long finish. This is a... Read More

The appellation of Crozes-Hermitage is located in the north of the Rhône Valley. This comes from Maxime Graillot, the eldest son of Alain Graillot, who in the early 2000s branched off on his own after working wtih his father... Read More

Deep raspberry, cherry, incense and exotic spice aromas are brightened by an intense mineral topnote. The palate shows purity of fruit, spicy garrigue flavors (as you'd expect from a more expensive Southern Rhone wine) and... Read More

100% Syrah from Texier's younger (20-40-year-old) vines, planted on a south-facing, limestone marl slope of the Brézème zone (on eastern side of the Rhône River at the southern edge of the northern Rhône... Read More

The negociant project of Chandon de Briailles. The grapes ferment and mature in their Savigny Les Beaune cellar, without pumpover, filtration, or sulfur and are bottled by hand via the “chevre a deux becs” method.... Read More

Chardonnay from forty year old vines planted over clay and limestone near the village of Puligny, pressed directly to concrete eggs for a year of élevage. The attention to detail in the cellar is second to none and Fred... Read More

Very smoky and flinty in the nose, this is a powerful and exciting dry white for the Southern Rhone. So much minerality and energy that 14% alcohol doesn’t matter a jot. Very long, precise, stony finish that just keeps on... Read More

This is one of the finest Bourgogne Rouges of Burgundy, from a single parcel just across the road in Chambolle Musigny. Composed, refined bouquet of dark berry fruit mixed with a touch of woodland. Refined structure. The palate... Read More