Red Wine
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon Tradition 2022
"The young 2022 Chinon is reductive and needs some breathing time—ideally, time in bottle. It's rather raw and uptight due to its youth. It reminds me of someone scrunching up their eyes and hunching their shoulders, as if waiting for something bad to happen. But underneath all that tension of youth, there is creamy, juicy red fruit and spice, and evidently less crunchiness than in 2021. While it needs time, its level of concentration and modest tannins suggest this is one that would be best consumed before the decade is out." - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2021
"Crafted from old vines (70 to 80 years old) on clay, gravelly soils, the 2021 Chinon Vieilles Vignes is instantly brilliant in the glass. Despite a slight reduction, it offers up aromas of blueberries, cassis, flowers, violet, rose petals and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, layered and structured, it’s seamless and enveloping with powdery tannins and delicate notes of violet and blueberries on the finish. It's approachable now but also built to evolve with grace." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2021
"This site is known to produce relatively dense, powerful wines in ripe vintages, yet the 2021 Chinon Coteau de Noiré stands out as exceptional. It unfolds in the glass with aromas of lead pencil, licorice, dark wild berries and cassis. Full-bodied, dense and chunky, it’s seamless and velvety with a layered core of fruit framed by powdery, generous tannins that segues into a long, mineral finish framed by perfectly controlled power. I appreciate wines like this that purely express the terroirs and are capable of long aging. Keep it over the next decade." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon L’Huisserie 2021
"The 2021 Chinon L'Huisserie is derived from 23-year-old vines planted on flinty clay soils. Offering up a reduced, complex bouquet of violet, blueberries, cassis, cedar and licorice, it’s medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a layered, structured mid-palate complemented with bright acids and a penetrating, mineral finish that is a hallmark of this cuvée in recent years." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Roland Lavantureux Epineuil Rouge Les Fauconniers 2021
Château L’Innocence de Séraphine Pomerol 2021
"The colour of this wine is a dark black cherry with good concentration right to the rim and displays great elegance on the nose of fruit that is finely delineated, showing of blackcurrant, damson and dark chocolate notes. Elegantly poised on the palate, it mixes dark black fruits with liquorice, chocolate and tobacco and is underpinned by a svelte bed of tightly grained tannins. It is nicely structured with perfumed fruit and cherries, touched with notes of white peach and sage, it delivers a fine persistence well into the finish where the tannic grip remains in harmony with the wine. Fresh, long, and quintessentially Pomerol." - Winemaker's notes
J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage “Farconnet” 2019
"The 2019 Hermitage Farconnet comes from a mix of Péléat, Les Doignières, and Les Greffieux, and it was raised in used barrels. It has a classic Northern Rhône bouquet of ripe red and blackberry fruit as well as saddle leather, forest floor, ground pepper, and spring flowers. Needing a short decant, it's medium to full-bodied, has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, those classic Hermitage ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It's already drinking nicely yet has a solid 10-12 years of longevity ahead of it." - Jeb Dunnuck
J.L. Chave Sélection Crozes-Hermitage “Silène” 2021
J.L. Chave Sélection Saint-Joseph “Offerus” 2021
"Shockingly good given the difficulties in Crozes during the growing season (it rained - a lot), the 2021 Crozes-Hermitage Silene has a pretty, complex, elegant perfume of red berries, spring flowers, cedary herbs, and pepper, with some classic Northern Rhône bacon fat. Nicely textured, medium-bodied, and elegant, with good ripeness, it's a rock-solid, classic, old school-styled Crozes to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years." - Jeb Dunnuck
Domaine Lafarge-Vial Fleurie “Clos Vernay” 2021
Domaine Lafarge-Vial Fleurie “Clos Vernay” 20221, “A slightly riper yet cool and wonderfully fresh nose combines notes of spice and pepper with those of both red and dark gamay fruit. There is solid volume and lovely mid-palate density, though here too the finish is a bit lean with a touch of asperity.”– Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Lafarge-Vial Fleurie 2018
Domaine Lafarge-Vial Fleurie 2018 "A slightly more elegant is otherwise similar aromatic profile introduces punchy, well-detailed and lightly mineral-inflected flavors that also deliver excellent length and depth on the slightly more firmly structured finale. This too is worth your interest." - Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin “Ostrea” 2019
Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin “Ostrea” 2019, "More deeply pitched and slightly less elegant aromas are comprised by notes of plum, dark currant, forest floor and whiffs of game and herbal tea. There is excellent density and power to the broad-shouldered yet still reasonably refined flavors that flash a bracing salinity on the refreshing and impressively long if slightly warm finale. This is always a solid Gevrey villages and 2019 is no exception." - Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine des Closiers Saumur-Champigny Les Coudraies 2020
"Vinified in stainless steel tanks and then aged in barrels, the 2020 Saumur Champigny Les Coudraies comes from the low-yielding limestone slopes of Parnay that were cropped at 40 hectoliters per hectare that year. The Coudraies offers a deep and concentrated, spicy and fruity bouquet of dark fruits such as sour cherries and blackcurrant along with mint and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, round and intense on the palate, this is a substantial, dense and generous but structured Cabernet with very intense and juicy fruit, good mineral freshness, spicy tannins and a long and intense, very promising finish that is still a little astringent. 14% stated alcohol. Natural cork." Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru “Les Pruliers” 2020
Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru “Les Pruliers” 2020, "Slightly riper aromas of black cherry, raspberry and earth are fresh if brooding. There is both excellent delineation and vibrancy suffusing the delicious medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a chalky, palate drenching and youthfully austere finish. Lovely and very Pruliers in character." - Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée “Bossières” Village 2020
Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée “Bossières” Village 2020, "Rich mid purple. This has a very lifted bouquet, fresher than the regular Vosne. Some violets, a very pure crystalline fruit, easily enough density to cover the tannins, and an amazing aftertaste. Very long indeed. " - Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges “Les Charmois” 2020
"The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Charmois is pure rich purple in colour, the bouquet has a slightly softer style of raspberry fruit. Very intense linear style of red fruit, the tannins are that much less evident while the acidity remains with us. Long fresh raspberry finish."- Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Terre Brûlée 2021 Magnum
Domaine Lionnet 2021 Cornas Terre Brulée 2021 Magnum, "Youthful purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh black and blue fruits, star anise, olive, violet and tobacco. A smoky mineral accent builds steadily in the glass and energizes the spice-laced, dark berry liqueur, smoky bacon and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Clings with strong tenacity on the youthfully tannic finish, leaving behind sappy blue fruit, cracked pepper and mineral notes. " - Josh Raynolds
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Pur Granit 2021
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Pur Granit 2021, "Saturated magenta. Vibrant, mineral- and smoke-accented scents of blackberry, cherry liqueur, pipe tobacco and exotic spices, along with a sexy floral component. Fresh and sharply focused on the palate, displaying sappy, finely etched dark berry, floral pastille and spicecake flavors, plus a touch of botanical herbs. Finishes long and gently sweet, with a hint of star anise and firming tannins." - Josh Raynolds,
Domaine du Bel Air Bourgueil “les Marsaules” 2018
"The wine reveals its intense red colour. The nose is distinguished by aromas of crushed black berries or wild strawberries with slightly earthy and smoky notes. The palate is rich in tasty fruit but also firm and balanced. The wine lingers on the palate on a thread of freshness and spices. An impression of gluttony continues during the tasting. No greenness, but a pure and elegant fruit that lingers in the mouth." - Winemaker's notes
