Taittinger’s prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne, made from 100% Chardonnay, is one of the region’s most recognisable wines. Lesser spotted, though, is its pink cousin.

The newly released 2012, however, is one of its most impressive vintages.

Scroll down for Tom’s tasting note and score for Comtes de Champagne Rosé 2012

‘The story is a bit different from the white version,’ says Taittinger cellar master Alexandre Ponnavoy.

While the white cuvée debuted in 1952, prestige-level rosé Champagne was a later development, and Comtes Rosé didn’t appear until 1970.

Although initially Chardonnay dominant, the rosé has evolved over time to become Pinot Noir dominant, reflecting a ‘fashion throughout the 1990s and 2000s for fruitier, crisp rosés with lots of red fruit,’ says Ponnavoy.

The Comtes Rosé 2012, though, signals a slight change in direction from some of the deeper, fruitier rosés released over the last decade.

This is a release of beautiful expressive fruit but, in comparison to 2011 for example, an ultra-refined level of silky polish and restraint that, although still a very different wine from the white, seems to approach it in delicacy.

Why is Comtes Rosé 2012 so good?

Ponnavoy has begun a process of refinement in the winemaking – especially the production of the red wine used in the blend – but believes much of this apparent bump in quality in 2012, quite evident over the more unusual 2011, is simply down to the vintage.

‘Between the warmth of 2011 and the minerality and freshness of 2013, you have 2012,’ he says.

It was a year that promised disaster in Champagne, beset by frost, disease and low yields. It was saved by a clement run up to harvest that yielded grapes of phenomenal concentration of both ripeness and acidity.

‘You have to imagine the wonderful potential of aging here,’ he says.

Indeed, ageing is something that keen-eyed Champagne fans might remark on. Taittinger has started keeping hold of Comtes Rosé a little longer than the white Comtes before release. This extra ageing on lees is also a factor in the 2012’s immediate quality.

‘After several tastings we decided not to sell after eight or 10 years, but after 12, to achieve all the complexity of the cuvée,’ he says, ‘It’s a long piece of work!’

Unlike some other vintage and prestige rosés, this is not a wine made simply by adding red wine into a white blend destined for another cuvée – something Ponnavoy believes would be a ‘huge mistake’ for a wine with its own identity.

Instead, Comtes Rosé is blended from the bottom up each vintage. All the grapes are sourced from grand cru villages in the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs.

It is a rosé d’assemblage, or a blended rosé, made by blending in a specially made red wine to the white base before bottling for the secondary fermentation.

It is the village of Bouzy, famous for its southern exposure, chalk soils and historical red wine production, that appears central to the blend. ‘We have done lots of trials, but if you don’t use Bouzy you lose the identity of the wine,’ says Ponnavoy.

In 2012 the rosé proves itself to be much more than a sideshow to the white release; this is an age-worthy, remarkable rosé worth buying.

Comtes Rosé 2012 tasted and rated

Related articles

• Champagne 1995 vs 1996: How do these vintages hold up 30 years on?
• Uncover hidden gems: Affordable Bordeaux and Burgundy wines
• Where has all the vintage Champagne gone?

The 2023 wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti have just been released onto the market.

The domaine’s co-directors Perrine Fenal and Bertrand de Villaine were present in London last week to reveal them to the trade and press, alongside UK agent Corney & Barrow’s managing director Adam Brett-Smith.

Tasting notes and scores for DRC’s 2023 from Burgundy correspondent Charles Curtis MW available next month

Like its predecessor, it is no secret that 2023 is considered a ‘solar’ vintage in Burgundy. For the second year in a row, the domaine saw a particularly large crop of grapes with high levels of ripeness hurtle into the winery.

Yet this is perhaps where the similarities between 2023 and 2022 end.

‘As always with Burgundy,’ reinforces Fenal, ‘it is essential to look closely at the details and to avoid hasty conclusions.’

Because the wines themselves are extraordinarily different.

Discarding the most expensive fruit in the world – Why green harvesting was essential this vintage

Spring frosts were narrowly avoided at the domaine, and disease pressure built up following a cool and wet period. Yet flowering was successful, after the rain let up.

Humidity and moderate temperatures in July and August meant ‘the berries continued to increase in size without making significant progress in ripening,’ says Fenal, and botrytis developed in some areas.

Spurred on by the humidity, a high crop load and large berries, the viticultural team, led by new vineyard manager Sylvain Pellegrinelli who started in March 2023, decided to green harvest, removing large, compact, unripe bunches and those affected by disease.

Vines were still showing incomplete veraison before two heat waves struck, causing sugar levels to rise rapidly.

‘The heat was intense and in the afternoon became almost unbearable,’ says Fenal, ‘The grapes were heavy and became hot, just like us.’

There was another rigorous selection of bunches at harvest, as those exposed to the sun or beginning to rot were discarded.

‘Only the clusters best able to retain freshness and acidity were kept,’ says Fenal.

What does this mean for the wines?

High levels of natural maturity in the grapes – ‘much higher than we ever had,’ says de Villaine – means that, for the first time, all of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines come in over 14% ABV.

Yet the wines are far from overripe. Instead, they are extraordinarily balanced and fine tuned. There’s a concentration of fruit, but also a concentration of minerals, bringing things into balance.

De Villaine stresses that there were no drastic differences or changes to winemaking, just adapting their logistics to cope with a large volume of must coming into the winery at the same time.

‘There’s no big revolution,’ says De Villaine, ‘we tried, a little bit, some other ways of vinification – stainless steel for some quantities, to see how it worked.’

But otherwise, it’s just about paying attention.

What is striking about the 2023s is their structure: mighty, statuesque, with quite imposing architecture. This implies that, with their gorgeous fruit and mineral tension, these wines will go the distance.

Prices and stock

‘2023 and 2022 were the two most important vintages [in terms of quantity] we have ever received in the winery at the domaine,’ says de Villaine.

This is reflected in the total production of bottles for each wine. In fact, there’s even more Romanée-St-Vivant, Richebourg, La Tâche and Montrachet than the bumper 2022, but there’s a little less Corton, Echézeaux, Grand Echézeaux, Romanée-Conti and Corton-Charlemagne.

Prices are approximately 6% more than the 2022s were on release.

If you can get an allocation, one bottle of Echézeaux will set you back £570 (in bond); La Tâche £1560 (in bond); and Romanée-Conti £4,485 (in bond).

The wines are sold on allocation in the UK by Corney & Barrow.

Look out for Charles Curtis MW’s tasting notes and scores of the DRC 2023 wines next month.

Related articles

• DRC 2022 in bottle: 12 wines tasted and rated
• DRC 2021 in bottle: Seven wines and two library vintages tasted
• Composition: A Willamette Valley project from DRC’s Bertrand de Villaine and Katrina Rank

For all but the most obsessive – and patient – Champagne collectors, the question of assessing whether 1995 or 1996 turned out to be a better vintage might seem like purely an academic one.

Dig a little deeper, however, and there is much to learn for any Champagne or wine lover.

Scroll down for notes and scores for a clutch of 1995 and 1996 Champagnes

1996, together with 2015, can be considered one of the most significant turning points in modern Champagne.

Through the unexpected development of 1996 wines initially heralded as exceptional, the Champenois’ understanding of their climate, ripeness and flavour took a huge leap forward.

Ripeness signals

Although 1996 and 2015 are in some ways polar opposite vintages, they share a common thread: if you picked your grapes based on traditional notions of ripeness, you were probably picking too early.

It’s for this reason that Moët et Chandon cellar master Benoît Gouez called 1996 the ‘most overrated vintage ever’ in 2016, during the launch event of the Grand Vintage 2016.

This was the moment Champagne learnt that merely reaching 10 degrees of potential alcohol on paper did not mean the wines would taste ripe.

This turning point is recognised by Louis Roederer’s Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, who credits the success of 2008 – similar to 1996 in terms of weather – to the lessons learned in 1996.

‘If 2008 is great today, it’s because all the cellar masters were also there in 1996, and they knew the mistakes they made’.

The growing seasons

On paper, neither of these growing seasons were extreme. That being said, 1995 was undoubtedly more complicated due to warm and wet spells in the late spring and early summer. This initiated a fight against downy mildew that favoured more resilient Chardonnay.

Despite more than 500ha of Champagne being hit with frost in 1995, yields in both years exceeded 10 tonnes per hectare.

The real difference between 1995 and 1996 emerged over the mid summer.

In 1996, cool and cloudy weather kept acidities high. Yet a mild and clement September, with little disease pressure, little dilution and strong, dehydrating winds, resulted in an exaggerated concentration of sugar (which, in hindsight, led to early harvesting).

While 1995’s complications with mildew tarnished the feeling around the vintage, the relatively modest sugar accumulation was not accompanied by any lack of ripe flavour thanks to spells of warmth during critical periods in June and August.

The wines today

Acidity is certainly sky-high in the 1996s. However, as tastings over the last few years have shown, this is not, in my view, the chief issue with some of the wines.

Jancis Robinson MW wrote a decade ago that ‘the fruit was falling away’ in the 1996 Champagnes. That process today is even more evident.

In fact some of the wines – despite being harvested at pleasing sugar levels when acidity had dropped to an acceptable range – show a muted, green-toned fruit that proves that the flavours in the grapes simply weren’t ripe by modern standards.

When you add to that high dosages, prominent lees ageing and malolactic creaminess (which was common in this high acid year), plus a tendency to oxidise, the 1996s today too often come across as extreme, unbalanced and angular.

The 1995s, on the other hand, failed to excite at harvest because the grapes, on paper, were not exceptionally ripe – just 9.2% potential alcohol. By today’s standards this would be disappointing.

The wines, however, have told a different story, offering up-front pleasure, solid structure and good balance, if not the sort of electric acidity or dramatic palates of 1996s. Nonetheless, the 1995s are still in the running for the top wines of the decade.

The exceptions

Although the reputation of 1996 still suffers today, it’s certainly not a write off.

Indeed, Decanter contributor Charles Curtis MW writes in his book Vintage Champagne: ‘Connoisseurs are still arguing about 1996, but I refuse to come down on the side of the haters. Frankly, I have had too much pleasure from too many wines to rank this as anything but five-star status’.

In fact, among the wines tasted side-by-side for this article, the 1996 vintage was preferable in the case of Bollinger’s RD and Louis Roederer’s vintage cuvée.

Further experiences with 1996 buck the trend, including a delicious Pol Roger in magnum and a fabulous Billecart-Salmon Clos St-Hilaire tasted at the estate last year.

Unfortunately, there is not a huge amount of 1995 and 1996 Champagne left on the market. What’s more, there can of course be huge variability with Champagnes of this age due to the vagaries of storage conditions and cork quality.

In short, it’s a lottery, yet overall there are more hits from 1995 today. It will be 1996, though, that remains the more famous of the two – as well as the most controversial.

Tasted and rated: 1995 vs 1996 Champagnes

Many of the wines reviewed below were tasted at a vertical organised by Bordeaux Index in London. Prices and stockists have been listed where available.

Related articles

• Slow and steady: Champagne’s 2004 vintage 20 years on
• Champagne Dhondt-Grellet: The young grower at the top of his game
• Where has all the vintage Champagne gone?

A wet spring and a chilly September made for a challenging year in the Rhône in 2024 – there are some brilliant wines, but it’s inconsistent.

A handful of producers played the vintage with flair however, making desirable wines across the board.

It would be of no surprise to Rhône lovers if this list included revered estates such as Domaine Jean-Louis Chave in the Northern Rhône and Clos des Papes in the south, however.

Here then are six smaller, under-the-radar producers that excelled in 2024.

François et Fils

If you visit the François brothers, Yoann and Erwan, you might be surprised to encounter a herd of 25 cattle on their estate – but milk and cheese is still their main source of income.

They also have a few hectares of Côte-Rôtie however, including prize parcels of lieux-dits Les Rochains and Rozier.

The family started bottling in 1991, but it was Yoann’s arrival in 2004 that helped this side of the business take off. In good vintages, their cuvée classique can represent a very smart buy.

Key wines in 2024: François et Fils Côte-Rôtie; François et Fils Côte-Rôtie Rozier.

Domaine Belle

It wasn’t the easiest year for Crozes-Hermitage producers, but those around the village of Larnage – such as Domaine Belle – fared better than most.

It’s an organic, family-owned estate with a history that stretches back for generations with holdings in St-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage itself.

They are unusually adept at making white wines, so the cooler, fresher 2024 played into their hands.

The domaine’s white Hermitage and white Crozes-Hermitage Roche Blanche are among the best in their respective appellations this year.

Key wines in 2024: Hermitage blanc, Crozes-Hermitage blanc Roche Blanche, Crozes-Hermitage rouge Les Pierrelles.

Domaine Franck Balthazar

Originally established in 1931 by Casimir Balthazar, the estate has been in the hands of his grandson Franck since 2002.

With only 3.5ha of Cornas, it’s not a large estate but his wines are well worth seeking out.

All of his Cornas cuvées are made with 100% whole bunch in 2024. His wines are approachable and perfumed, which chimes with the style of the vintage, one that’s more about delicacy and finesse than power.

Key wines in 2024: Cornas Juliette, Cornas Casimir, Cornas Sans Souffre Ajouté, Cornas Chaillot, Cornas Hommage.

Clos de Caveau

This Vacqueyras estate was briefly owned by the legendary Steven Spurrier, who sold it in 1976 to Gérard and Nicole Bungener.

They were organic pioneers in the region, starting on their journey in 1980, becoming certified in 1989.

Today it’s their son Henri Bungener who runs the domaine after a career as a psychoanalyst in London; he is assisted in turn by his son Lewis.

They make a fresh, detailed and transparent style of Vacqueyras, both in red and white. They also own a small plot of Gigondas, which is equally approachable and delicious.

Key wines in 2024: Gigondas rouge Champvermeil, Vacqueyras rouge Carmin Brillant, Vacqueyras rouge Lao Muse, Vacqueyras rouge Fruit Sauvage, Vacqueyras blanc Louis d’Or.

Domaine des Bosquets

A leading producer in Gigondas for many years now, Domaine des Bosquets perhaps can’t be described as ‘under the radar’.

But it deserves to be flagged up nonetheless, as this is Julien Brechet’s most impressive set of wines to date.

By extracting less, turning away from new oak and using more stems, his style has developed in a more restrained and elegant direction.

It’s a brilliant vintage for Gigondas, and an important one in the evolution of this estate.

Key wines in 2024: Gigondas Le Lieu Dit…, Gigondas Le Plateau…, Gigondas La Colline…, Gigondas Les Routes…, Gigondas Les Roches…, Gigondas Les Hauts-Lieux, Gigondas Le Regard Loin, Gigondas Le Bout du Monde.

Domaine Juliette Avril

An estate that’s been going from strength to strength over the past five years, Domaine Juliette Avril made some excellent red Châteauneufs in 2024, from its tradition bottling all the way up to its cuvées spéciales.

Today the estate is managed by Marie Lucile Brun, who took over from her mother Juliette Avril in 1988.

Marie Lucile is assisted by her son Stephan Brun who joined the estate in 2000. They own 18ha in Châteauneuf, including some very old vines which go into their impressive cuvée Maxence.

Key wines in 2024: Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge, Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge Maxence, Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge Les Vignes de Juliette.

Six Rhône producers to know

Related articles

• Rhône 2024 en primeur: Full report and the vintage’s top-scoring wines
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024: Best picks from a fresh and vibrant bunch
• Hermitage 2024: Elegant reds but a vintage where white wines reign supreme

The five producers below crafted compelling wines from a year beset with problems, and show great promise for the future of Burgundy.

Domaine Marcel Couturier, Mâcon

I tasted the exciting wines of Domaine Marcel Couturier at the winery for the first time in autumn 2025. The domaine has been around for some time, but Marcel is now transitioning the bulk of the winemaking to his son, Auxence.

They work 14ha, which are certified organic and biodynamic. Many of the vineyards are in Pouilly-Loché, which recently received its first premiers crus. Others are in Pouilly-Fuissé, St-Véran, and various Mâcon appellations.

At present, the wines are matured for 18 months, but they are moving towards a full 24 months maturation (12 in barrel, 12 in tank). The wines are silky, with abundant fresh acidity in 2024, making this an exciting domaine to watch.

Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson, St-Romain

Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson is now run by Henri’s grandsons Franck and Frédérick. The domaine is based in St-Romain and covers almost 20ha. The farming is certified organic, and the wines are made with great care.

The St-Romain wines are compelling, including whites and reds from a series of named vineyards in the village. They also produce cuvées from Pommard, Volnay and Auxey-Duresses, and some spectacularly good Corton and Corton-Charlemagne.

The brothers are also restless innovators – they have experimented with wines made without sulphur as well as orange wines, making interesting wines at the top of their game.

Domaine Georges Chicotot, Nuits-St-Georges

Domaine Georges Chicotot is another domaine being steered by the new generation, in particular Clément Chicotot. He’s a passionate advocate of organic viticulture and gentle extraction in the winery, and has a deep knowledge of the terroirs in Nuits-St-Georges.

In the vineyards, he is moving the canopy higher and gradually converting to weaving the vine tips (tressage). He sorts rigorously before fermenting, usually as 100% whole bunch, and extracts very gently.

There is a range of five village-level wines from Nuits and five premiers crus from the same village, in addition to other wines, all worth exploring. The wines are structured but balanced, with good purity of fruit.

Domaine Alvina Pernot, Puligny-Montrachet

Alvina Pernot is the granddaughter of Puligny icon Paul Pernot. She founded her eponymous winery with her husband, Philippe Abadie, in 2018 and is making absolutely brilliant wines.

They started with a tiny production of domaine-owned Puligny-Montrachet Rue aux Vaches, Puligny-Montrachet Noyers Bret and Bourgogne Rue de Bois, supplemented with grapes purchased from Alvina’s family and exchanges with other young vignerons.

As of 2025, they have taken over more of the Pernot family vines, and (hopefully) production will continue to expand. The style is fresh, crisp and slightly reductive. There is enough substance to reward extended ageing, but the wines are delicious and it is a challenge not to drink them.

Domaine de la Commaraine, Pommard

Although I have been following the wines for several years, I tasted for the first time at the Château de la Commaraine with technical director Paul Krug at the estate itself in autumn 2025.

The wine estate dates to the 12th century, and is owned today by Denise Dupré and Mark Nunelly. They are developing the château as a luxury hotel, but the vineyard is serious work as well. The opening consultant was Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, who hired Paul Krug (yes, of that Krug family) to be estate manager.

Krug formerly worked with vineyard whiz Pedro Para, who analysed soils in order to fine-tune vineyard work. The owners have been expanding the property slowly, and have acquired interesting parcels in St-Aubin, Monthélie and elsewhere.

Top picks from five stars of Burgundy 2024:

Related articles

• Three white Burgundies under £25 that overdeliver
• Burgundy 2024: What to expect from a topsy-turvy vintage
• Chablis 2024 vintage report: The must-buy wines from classic but tiny crop

When researching articles, I’m often surprised that winemakers are so willing to share their professional secrets. Even my cheekier questions are usually answered with candour.

There is one estate that has always remained inscrutable, however: Château Rayas.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 12 incredible wines from Rayas and Fonsalette

On 18 November 2025, I hosted a tasting of Rayas and its sister property Château de Fonsalette at London private members’ club 67 Pall Mall. We tasted the 1998, 1999 and 2000 red from both estates, and the same vintages of Pignan and Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah.

One week later, I received sad news. The owner, Emmanuel Reynaud, had passed away, at the age of just 61. Social media continues to bear witness to bottles being opened all around the world to toast his life and work.

Emmanuel was kind enough to let me taste from barrel every year. He didn’t have to; the wines all sold out on allocation so he didn’t need to spend time with journalists.

Yet despite his willingness to answer questions, I never cracked the code – the secret to this estate’s unique style. I’m not sure anyone has.

But over the years I’ve gleaned some insights into Reynaud’s way of working, and got to know the different styles from his three estates.

An estate apart

Despite its arcane reputation, Château Rayas is not an old estate in the context of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It was founded in 1880 by Albert Reynaud after he went deaf, changing careers from notary to winemaker.

The two subsequent generations to manage the estate, his son Louis Reynaud and grandson Jacques Reynaud, were eccentric characters, and they rarely welcomed visitors. Jacques died suddenly and without children in 1997, so his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud took the reins.

Unlike Bordeaux and Burgundy, Châteauneuf has no official classification system. This didn’t stop Louis from printing ‘Premier Grand Cru’ on labels for Château Rayas, much to the exasperation of local authorities.

But he had a point. Château Rayas is indeed a Châteauneuf, but it bears little resemblance to other wines made in the appellation. It is a different breed.

The Rayas style

Rayas is pure Grenache – unusual in Châteauneuf – and is immediately recognisable by its perfume alone.

It’s highly aromatic, with notes of crushed strawberries, blood orange and Provençal herbs. Scents of Turkish delight, rose, mint, violets, strawberry jam and cocoa nibs are also characteristic.

With time in bottle comes fresh mushroom, forest floor and smoke. (And it’s not just Rayas; similar aromatic markers are found across all his red wines).

Rayas is never dark in colour; it’s a transparent strawberry-red.

Its shape and presence in the mouth are moulded by the vintage. Cooler years such as 2008 are refreshing, acid-driven, clear and herbal. Warmer years like 2012 and 2005 are generous, opulent, luxurious in texture.

Rayas can be powerful, but it’s rarely tannic. The wines strongly reflect the growing conditions experienced – and they always find something positive to say, even in difficult years.

Making of a marvel

So where does this style – pale, aromatic, delicate but ageworthy – come from? There are certain things we know for sure.

The 23ha Rayas estate, which takes its name from lieu-dit Le Rayas, has just as much land planted with trees as vines. It feels cooler and shadier than neighbouring vineyards. The vines are planted in sand, which often gives wines with a pale tint and very fine tannins.

The estate is divided into three parts according to their exposure to the sun: Le Levant (the rising); Le Coeur (the heart); and Le Couchant (the setting). They give slightly different expressions which together build a complex whole.

The other Châteauneuf produced here, Pignan, is made from a small parcel of vines in the lieu-dit of the same name just to the north of Rayas. It’s about one third the size of the Rayas vineyard, and is also pure Grenache.

They are made the same way. Yields are very low, typically 15hl/ha, and Emmanuel was always among the last to harvest; he would wait for the first rains of autumn before picking. The bunches are fermented whole, with stems contributing texture and aromatic complexity.

In the cellar, extraction is very gentle, making for a light tannic weave. Also, the wines are only sold when deemed ready to drink, usually around 10 years old, giving time for any stem tannins to limber up. Large oak barrels – never new – are used to age the wine for 16 months before bottling.

Mystery remains

None of these factors, except the site itself of course, is unique to Rayas. So just what is it that makes these wines so distinctive?

Could it be using semi-carbonic maceration, or even a touch of botrytis? Emmanuel says no.

Could it be a unique strain of indigenous yeast, or the selection of plant material? Perhaps.

Though Pignan can offer immense drinking pleasure in a similar stylistic vein, it rarely benefits from a side-by-side comparison with Rayas, which is a superior terroir. Only certain vintages, such as 2011, can stand proudly beside the grand vin.

Rayas, Pignan and Château de Fonsalette are all made at Rayas; any barrels deemed unsuitable for these cuvées are blended together to make La Pialade. It displays the same compelling house style, if rarely the refinement or concentration, of the other reds made here.

There are whites too. Château Rayas makes a richly textured white Châteauneuf from 50% Clairette, 50% Grenache Blanc. Château de Fonsalette’s fresher white uses these two grapes and a little Marsanne. They have even made sweet wines in the distant past.

Perfecting the blend: Château de Fonsalette

Louis Reynaud acquired Château de Fonsalette in 1945. It’s located near the village of Lagarde-Paréol, 20km due north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These 12ha are spread across a similarly sandy terroir to Rayas, though here it’s scattered with small pebbles.

It could theoretically be labelled Côtes du Rhône Villages Massif d’Uchaux, as it lies within that Named Village appellation, but the wines are labelled simply Côtes du Rhône.

The methods of production are the same, but what marks out Fonsalette is Reynaud’s mastery of not just Grenache, but also of Cinsault and Syrah.

Tasting the pure Cinsault component with Emmanuel has long been a highlight of my year – it’s by far the purest, most beautiful example of this underrated variety I’ve ever encountered.

The Syrah component is highly aromatic, brimming with smoke, black pepper and bacon fat. It makes for a darker wine than Rayas or Pignan, and one with a more chiselled tannic structure. It can happily age for 30 years and more, becoming increasingly complex with time.

When the Syrah is productive enough, they make a separate mono-variety bottling. Compared to most southern Syrahs it’s more savoury, bony and leafy – you could be forgiven for guessing northern Rhône.

The Vacqueyras cornucopia: Château des Tours

The third of the Reynaud properties, bought by Louis in 1935, is near Sarrians in the far west of Vacqueyras. This is where Emmanuel cut his teeth; it was originally owned by his father Bertrand. At 40ha, it’s by far the family’s largest estate. Yet again, the soils are primarily sand.

Due to its size, the range is broader here, with the Vacqueyras and Côtes du Rhône wines under the Château des Tours label and a range of IGP wines called Domaine des Tours.

There are many curiosities to explore – a pure Clairette offers aromas of fresh vegetables as well as fruits, and a pure Merlot – often released with around 15 years in bottle – is miles better than anyone might reasonably expect a Rhône Merlot to be.

Wines produced at Château des Tours:

• Château des Tours Vacqueyras Rouge
• Château des Tours Vacqueyras Blanc
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Grande Réserve Rouge
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Grande Réserve Blanc
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Rouge
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Blanc
• Les Tours IGP Vaucluse Grenache Blanc
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Rouge
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Merlot
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Merlot Syrah
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Clairette
• Parisy Vin de France Rosé

A great magician…

The wines from this estate can offer great value compared to Rayas and Fonsalette, still displaying all the classic markers of Reynaud’s winemaking, but at a much lower price tag. That said, speculation has pushed up the prices of all of Reynaud’s wines dramatically on the secondary market – much to his dismay.

The three estates have now passed into the hands of Emmanuel’s children. I wonder what changes we will see, and whether they’ll ever reveal what makes these wines so unique.

To be honest, I hope they don’t. Of course in some ways I’d love to know the secret. But sometimes the spectacle is all the more thrilling when the magicians don’t reveal how it’s done.

Tasting Reynaud’s legacy:

Related articles

• Matt Walls: Reflections on 2025 and his favourite Rhône wines of the year
• Rhône 2024 en primeur: Full report and the vintage’s top-scoring wines
• ‘Vieille Julienne’s Réservé is Grenache in excelsis’: Matt Walls on a Châteauneuf stand out

Finding value in Burgundy’s 2024 vintage will demand a certain perspicacity on the part of wine lovers.

The vintage is notable for its small size, and low prices seldom coincide with limited availability. However, there are several approaches to finding delightful wines that will not break the bank.

Scroll down for great value picks from Burgundy 2024

Ideas for finding value in Burgundy 2024

The logical place to begin would be with regional appellations, although many of these wines come from vineyards with heavy, deep soils in the plain, where often mildew was at its worst.

Having blind tasted several hundred wines from regional appellations, I found that those from the Hautes-Côtes (Nuits and Beaune) often came out on top.

The top performers were the Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguette from Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur, and the Bourgogne Haute- Côtes de Beaune blanc from Domaine Jean Guiton, both interesting possibilities.

It will also be rewarding to search in the southern reaches of Burgundy. As I tasted, the further south I travelled, the better the wines became.

The Côte Chalonnaise is a collection of five villages to the south of the Côte d’Or: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny. Each of them produced some interesting wines this year.

Top names include Maison Chanzy in Bouzeron, Domaine Belleville in Rully, Château de Chamirey in Mercurey, Domaine du Cellier aux Moines in Givry, and Domaine Stéphane Aladame in Montagny (along with the Montagny wines also made by Domaine du Cellier aux Moines.

Another key tip is to search the diverse range of Chardonnay produced in the Mâconnais. The best of this sector is superb in 2024, with racy acidity, fresh fruit and plenty of structure.

Pouilly-Fuissé had a banner year, but top wines were produced throughout the area.

Domaines with value picks:

• Brett Brothers (and the Domaine de la Soufrandière wines that they also make)
• Domaine Deux Roches
• Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau
• Domaine Jacques Saumaize
• Domaine Merlin
• Domaine Rijckaert (known as Domaine Florent Rouve in the UK)
• Domaine Roc de Boutires
• Domaine Saumaize-Michelin
• Maison Verget (and the Domaine Guffens-Heynen wines made at the same address)

Top value picks from the 2024 vintage:

Related articles

• Three white Burgundies under £25 that overdeliver
• Burgundy on a budget: 10 tips to buying smarter
• Grand Auxerrois: The go-to region for value Burgundy?

Chambolle-Musigny was a village on the cusp of disaster in 2024.

The southern portion, in Musigny, was particularly hard hit, while the northern part of the village, nearer to Morey-St-Denis, had less trouble.

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 top-scoring Chambolle-Musigny 2024 wines

The quality and style of the wines is variable, and producers with vines at the southern end of the village often despaired of the conditions of the grapes they harvested

Jean Lupatelli, director of Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, describes the variations within the same village: ‘We did one third of a normal crop after sorting. We didn’t do much whole bunch, except for a bit in Bonnes-Mares. Our yields were 7-8hl/ha in Musigny and 12-13hl/ha in Bonnes-Mares.

‘The “eye of the storm” was in Flagey-Echézeaux, just north of Vosne, where we had two storms with 50mm of rain each time, while in Bonnes-Mares we only had 2mm. The upper portion of Clos Vougeot was terrible, and the southern part of Musigny was hit very hard.’

At Domaine Georges Roumier, I tasted with Alexis Aubin, Christophe Roumier’s nephew, who agrees about the difficulties in Musigny – in fact, the domaine didn’t produce any at all this year.

‘We made 100 barrels in 2024,’ says Aubin, ‘In 2022, it was a “normal” year and we made 200; in 2023 we made 250.’

He says they used a bit more whole bunch than usual for logistical reasons, since they need a certain volume to fill the tank.

A tale of two halves

Wines from this part of the village can be light, astringent and lacking in fruit expression, although some producers, such as Domaine de Comte Georges de Vogüé, overcame innumerable obstacles to produce delightful wines.

Wines from the opposite end of the village in and around Bonnes-Mares were often more robust, with deeper colour, more substance and the expressive floral-scented fruit characteristic of the best of Chambolle.

Antoine Amiot-Servelle of Domaine Amiot-Servelle says: ‘2024 is not the easiest vintage, but I am an old-time optimist. What I will remember is that we stayed organic up until the end.’

‘We are lucky to be in Chambolle and to have [organic producers] all around us. The biggest problem was [to be compelled to do] so much work for so little yield.’

Top-scoring Chambolle-Musigny 2024 wines:

Related articles

• Top Chambolle-Musigny 2023 wines en primeur
• Chambolle’s Bonnes Mares & Musigny: Two grands crus compared
• One to watch: Burgundy’s Solène Panigai

Following a growing season rife with challenges, 2024 is a catastrophically small vintage, yet there are bright spots that shine through, particularly among the white wines.

Despite concerns raised in some quarters over quality in general as a result of the year’s severe weather conditions, Burgundy lovers may be surprised how many enjoyable wines they will find.

According to Frédéric Drouhin, CEO of Maison Joseph Drouhin, ‘2024 is a vintage of delicacy, sobriety and precision. It is a pleasant vintage in red, and a precise and salty vintage for the whites.’

His wife, Claude de Nicolay, directs her own domaine, Chandon de Briailles, with her brother François. Her view was slightly different: ‘2024 will be a “virtual” vintage – you will almost not see it at all.

‘We lost 90% of the crop and had an average yield of 8hl/ha. There was nothing at all to pick at the base of the slope. But in the end, it is a classic vintage “à l’ancienne”, a character not extinguished by the excesses of the weather.’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Charles Curtis MW’s Burgundy 2024 selection

Burgundy 2024 vintage rating and overview:

Whites: 4/5

2024 is a good to very good vintage that has produced whites of elegance and finesse with the structure and the substance for mid- to long-term ageing, comparable to the 2014 vintage.

Reds: 3/5

2024 is a challenging vintage for red wine. The best examples will be found in the Côte de Beaune, although outstanding producers further north have exceeded expectations.

First impressions

After tasting more than 1,400 wines from this vintage, I can say that it is a good vintage for white wines, which have firm acidity, wonderful balance and moderate alcohol.

It was generally a modest vintage for red wine, which could be light, thin and lacking concentration and fruit.

It is above all a highly variable vintage from village to village, however, and surprises abound.

Chablis was hit hardest by the climate in 2024, and the Côte de Beaune fared better than the Côte de Nuits. It seems that the further south one ventures, the better the wines become, and 2024 is a vintage where the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais really came into their own.

Drouhin describes the challenges: ‘We did not produce any wine at all in the grands crus of Clos de Vougeot, Clos de Bèze, or Les Clos in Chablis, and it was difficult for the staff since the pressure was simply too intense.’

Numerous winemakers spoke of the psychological challenge of the 2024 vintage, explaining that they felt they should have been able to do more, somehow, to counter the weather’s excesses – that they might have changed the outcome had they done so.

But on the ground at the time it was happening, that wasn’t realistic, given the very difficult conditions they faced. The best, however, did what they could to deliver delicious wines.

According to the BIVB, total volume produced in 2024 was 1.21 million hectolitres, just over 161 million bottles. This figure was a drop of more than a third from the generous 2023 harvest, although it was more than 20% above 2021, which was decimated by frost.

Read the full report on the Chablis 2024 vintage

Weather Conditions

2024 began with mild temperatures and notably some of the warmest February temperatures ever recorded. March was also warmer than usual, setting the vines ahead of schedule. April, however, saw temperatures plummet, with two episodes of frost at the end of the month damaging some vineyards.

The real challenge began in May, however, as temperatures remained low and rain fell incessantly across the region. Jérôme Flous is the technical director of Domaine Faiveley.

He explains the difficulties: ‘I started at Faiveley in 2007, and 2024 was my most challenging vintage – there were 38 days of rain in May and June. The problem was the flowering; in a rainy year, it is disrupted, the stem is in contact with the air, and mildew can easily destroy the bunch.’

The rain lessened somewhat in July and August, but there were occasional storms, including hailstorms, throughout this period. Another difficulty was the lack of sun: 2024 saw the fewest hours of sunshine since the beginning of the century.

Grapes ripened with difficulty, and most growers used a relatively dry period from 13-22 September to harvest their tiny crop.

Charles’ wines of the vintage:

White: Domaine Jean Chartron, Clos des Chevaliers, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru – 98 points

Red: Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé, Vieilles Vignes, Musigny Grand Cru – 97 points

Previous vintage ratings:

2023: Whites 4/5 Reds 4.5/5

2022: Whites 4/5 Reds 4.5/5

2021: Whites 4/5 Reds 3.5/5

2020: Whites 4.5/5 Reds 4/5

2019: Whites 4/5 Reds 5/5

Around the appellations

Côte de Nuits

In a reversal of recent trends, conditions in the Côte de Nuits were more difficult than those in the Côte de Beaune. This reversal is mainly due to localised differences in rainfall, which was much higher there, and to the dominance of Pinot Noir, which was more affected by poor flowering and mildew.

Even within the Côte de Nuits, conditions varied, and the southern portion, from the Clos de Vougeot to Nuits-St-Georges, suffered more than the section from Morey to Marsannay.

Top Côte de Nuits producers in 2024:

• Domaine Armand Rousseau
• Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
• Domaine des Lambrays
• Domaine Dugat-Py
• Domaine Dujac
• Domaine Duroché
• Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
• Domaine Georges Roumier
• Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier

Côte de Beaune

Conditions in the Côte de Beaune were generally better than in the Côte de Nuits, though there was variation here as well. The hill of Corton to the north was extremely hard hit by the weather.

To the south of Beaune, however, conditions improved. The ‘golden triangle’ of Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne had quality and yields much closer to the norm, mainly because Chardonnay (on which these appellations are focused) had a more successful flowering and was less affected by mildew than Pinot Noir.

In the south, Santenay and Maranges produced some lovely wines.

Top Côte de Beaune producers in 2024:

• Domaine de Montille
• Domaine des Comtes Lafon
• Domaine des Croix
• Domaine Henri et Gilles Buisson
• Domaine Jean Chartron
• Domaine Michel Lafarge
• Domaine Michel Niellon
• Domaine Pierre Vincent
• Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey
• Domaine Rapet

Côte Chalonnaise

Further south, in the Côte Chalonnaise, conditions continued to improve. There were marvellous examples of Chardonnay from Montagny, Mercurey and Rully, as well as some particularly good Aligoté.

Although conditions limited yields for Pinot Noir, conscientious growers were able to produce lovely wines here that should provide solid value and current drinking pleasure, and some that have the substance for ageing.

Top Côte Chalonnaise producers in 2024:

• Château de Chamirey
• Domaine Baron Thénard
• Domaine Belleville
• Domaine Chanzy
• Domaine du Cellier aux Moines

Mâconnais

The Mâconnais is among the brightest spots in Burgundy for the 2024 vintage. Conditions produced some superb examples of Pouilly-Fuissé (particularly among the new-ish premiers crus).

Throughout the Mâconnais, the top growers produced white Burgundy that wine lovers should not miss in this vintage.

Top Mâconnais producers in 2024:

• Bret Brothers & Domaine de la Soufrandière
• Domaine Merlin
• Domaine Deux Roches
• Domaine du Roc des Boutires
• Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau
• Domaine Jacques Saumaize
• Domaine Rijckaert
• Domaine Saumaize-Michelin
• Maison Verget & Domaine Guffens-Heynen

Concluding thoughts

The 2024 vintage will remain a vintage apart, if only because of the exceptional climatic conditions. Judging the wines, however, is another matter. As Frédéric Mugnier of Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier put it: ‘Don’t take the word of a winemaker when it comes to [assessing] a vintage, since their opinion reflects their lived experience, and there was no amusement involved in making the 2024 vintage.’

In red wine, the closest parallels would be 2001 or 2013. For whites, the nearest comparison would be 2014, suggesting that it is a vintage to buy reds for current drinking and whites to lay down.

If money is no object, invest in the Montrachet from Domaine des Comtes Lafon or the Chevalier-Montrachet from Domaine Jean Chartron or Domaine Michel Niellon. Among the reds, an obvious splurge would be the Musigny from Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé or the Bonnes Mares from Domaine Georges Roumier.

Most wine lovers would also be delighted with mid-range bottles such as the Clos du Château des Ducs from Domaine Michel Lafarge, or the Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Aux Combottes from Domaine Arlaud. Given the limited availability of top wines, it would be advisable to buy en primeur to secure an allocation.

There are also lovely wines further south that will be much less expensive. For whites, don’t miss the Mâcon-Pierreclos from Maison Verget, or the Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru Sur la Roche from Domaine Rijckaert.

Côte Chalonnaise reds such as the Givry Premier Cru Clos du Cellier aux Moines from Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, or the Mercurey Premier Cru Clos l’Eveque from Domaine Belleville will be perfect for current drinking.

COMING SOON

Further analysis and top-scoring wines of the following areas:

Morey-St-Denis | Meursault | Chambolle-Musigny | Gevrey-Chambertin | Pommard and Volnay | Vosne-Romanée & Nuits-St-Georges | Chassagne & Puligny-Montrachet | Best value

A taste of the top Burgundy 2024 wines

Wines were tasted non-blind. Wines are listed in order of white then red, then by scores, and then alphabetically by producer. The 2024s are bottled from January 2026, hence prices, stockists and alcohols are not yet finalised. Contact specialist merchant for allocations or to enquire about en primeur tastings. The following wines were Charles Curtis MW’s selection for particularly notable quality and value among the 650 wines he reviewed from the 2024 Burgundy vintage.

Related articles

• Chablis 2024 vintage report: The must-buy wines from classic but tiny crop
• Why Echézeaux is the grand cru to have in your cellar
• Wines of the Year 2025: Bordeaux & Burgundy

It was a full house for the much-anticipated final masterclass of the day at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Singapore, showcasing iconic single-vineyard wines from Henschke, one of Australia’s oldest and most revered wineries.

And to make the experience even more special, masterclass guests were guided through the tasting of eight wines, including mini-verticals of Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, by the family’s sixth-generation winemaker, Johann Henschke.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for all eight wines from the Henschke masterclass

Established in 1868, Henschke is one of Australia’s oldest wineries, founded by Johann Christian Henschke who fled German-speaking Silesia with his family in 1841 due to persecution against their Old Lutheran religion by the Prussian state.

By the time he docked in Adelaide, after the four-month journey by cargo ship, he had lost his wife and two of their four children.

Johann Christian eventually moved to the Barossa, where many German-speaking immigrants had settled, and in 1860 set up his home in the town of Keyneton where six subsequent generations of his Henschke descendants have called home.

The current custodians are fifth-generation Stephen and Prue Henschke, winemaker and viticulturalist respectively.

Since the 1980s, this trailblazing husband-and-wife team have built on the visionary work of Stephen’s father, Cyril Henschke, the fourth-generation winemaker, who pioneered single-vineyard wines.

Location, location, location

The Barossa wine region comprises the Barossa Valley in the west – the fertile bank of an old river, with elevations of about 300m – and the Eden Valley to the east.

Despite its name, the Eden Valley is actually a series of valleys formed within an ancient mountain range that climbs past 600m and has a far more extreme continental climate than the Barossa Valley, with limited areas suitable to plant vines.

But recognising the importance of site isn’t the only legacy the Henschke ancestors have passed down.

South Australia is blessed with ancient, own-rooted vineyards free from phylloxera, with the world’s largest surface area of old-vine plantings found in the Barossa.

Henschke owns several of these, which contribute to their wines’ extraordinary complexity.

This includes a parcel of the 16ha Mount Edelstone vineyard, planted in 1912, and a few rows of vines in the 4ha Hill of Grace vineyard, planted in 1860.

These ancient soils and their vines are nourished and tended by Prue Henschke, who farms organically and biodynamically, and is internationally recognised for her innovations in sustainable grape growing and vineyard management.

While both Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone sit at 380m to 400m above sea level, the former lies about 4km further north and has a mainly northerly aspect, while the latter faces east.

Both the neighbouring Cyril Henschke (planted 1988) and Wheelwright (1968) vineyards are about 10km further south, but in a cooler, rainier site between 445m and 470m.

All have free-draining sandy loam soils over various types of clay, but with different bedrocks: blue slate (Hill of Grace), micaceous schist (Mount Edelstone) and weathering gneiss/micaceous schist.

Single-site immersion

A unique aspect of this Henschke masterclass was the fact it was both a horizontal tasting (tasting different wines across the same vintage) and a vertical tasting (the same wine across different vintages).

Keen golfer Johann likened it to standing on a putting green, with the tasters having the opportunity to look at the wines from several angles – both single vineyards and vintages – and observing the various terrains and altitudes.

The big drawcard was undoubtedly the mini vertical tastings (the new-release 2021s as well as the 2015 and 2005 vintages) of Henschke’s two most famous single-vineyard Shirazes.

Mount Edelstone is arguably Australia’s longest consecutively produced single-vineyard wine, first released in 1952 by Cyril Henschke with the vineyard name proudly on the label.

Cyril made the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace Shiraz in 1958, when the original vines were already almost 100 years old, planted by a Henschke ancestor in 1860.

Tasting terroir

When asked what the biggest difference between the two iconic wines was, Johann’s reply was simple.

‘It’s just the location of the vineyard. That’s what it boils down to,’ he said.

‘Hill of Grace is at the same altitude as Mount Edelstone, but we’re in a warmer place, with a different aspect, and slightly different soils.

‘So there’s a different shape and feel to Hill of Grace. It almost feels like it is not part of the Eden Valley.

‘And if you’ve tasted Shiraz widely across the Barossa Valley you might find some of those characters, but I can guarantee you there are no Barossa Valley grapes in there!’

The Wheelwright Shiraz, launched in 2015, has a different shape and feel again – much more Pinotesque – coming from a vineyard planted at a higher altitude and in contours by Cyril, 100 years after the winery’s founding.

A single-site Cabernet Sauvignon has been made from what is now known as the Cyril Henschke vineyard since 1978.

When a virus struck, Prue and Stephen replanted it in 1988, adding some Cabernet Franc (0.4ha) and Merlot (0.7ha) to join the 2.1ha of Cabernet Sauvignon.

‘My grandfather Cyril never left the Barossa,’ Johann told the audience.

‘He’d never tasted great Burgundies or knew what terroir was, but it’s clear he understood that there was a uniqueness and a distinct character that came from these individual vineyards.’

‘When you’re on your putting green and you’re looking at the wines in different ways, hopefully you can identify that unique vineyard character clearly too.’

Watch the video highlights from the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Singapore featuring Johann Henschke

Henschke masterclass: tasting the single-vineyard wines

(Wines are listed in the order they were tasted)

Related content

Four decades of Château Margaux: A Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Masterclass

Barossa Shiraz 2023: Vintage report and 40 top-scoring wines

A vintage to remember: Henschke 2021 single-vineyard releases

The road that winds its way to Heitz Cellar and the historic property, which includes a barrel house built in 1898, is a trip back in time. A quiet slice of the old Napa, tucked amid sprawling oak trees away from the tasting room traffic on the Silverado Trail.

Founded by Joe and Alice Heitz in 1961, Heitz quickly established itself among America’s great producers.

A pioneer in many ways, Heitz created America’s first single vineyard-designate, the 1966 Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, becoming the first to champion terroir in Napa and the US.

‘There have only been three winemakers in Heitz’s history,’ Carlton McCoy MS tells me. ‘Joe, his son David and Brittany Sherwood.’

Joe passed the baton to David in the late 1970s. Sherwood, the current director of winemaking, has been at the helm since 2018, when the property was acquired by Lawrence Wine Estates, of which McCoy is CEO. (She worked for six years alongside David Heitz, taking the lead in the cellar with the 2016 vintage.)

See Jonathan Cristaldi’s pick of Heitz Cellar across six decades

Less about the barrel

The ‘Heitz style’ has always been about flavour from fruit, eschewing extraneous tannin from over-extraction or overt oak.

‘Joe felt that it [overtly tannic wine] was just an excuse, a lazy way of making Cabernet,’ McCoy explains.

‘Oak can give you an illusion of opulence and pedigree, but you’re not assessing the density and length of the wine. So we taste the wines a year after harvest, before they see any oak.

‘That’s when we choose the single-vineyard wines over the Napa Valley designate. It’s also when we decide on ageing regimes and oak to finish the wines, based on what we think they need.’

The single-vineyard Heitz wines are released four years from harvest, and the Napa Valley designate is released three years after harvest.

‘At some point in the transition between Joe and David, I can only imagine as an attempt to “modernise”, they began using a higher proportion of barrique and, more importantly, a much greater proportion of new barrique,’ says McCoy.

‘For us, it was critical to return to the original style, but with larger casks. We have reduced the proportion of barrique and new barrique and now use a much larger percentage of 1,000- to 2,000-litre foudre.

‘We also still use the large casks that are 10,000 to 20,000 litres. We think the wines are fresher, and it allows us to secure density in the mid-palate, which you lose in smaller barriques.’

As the rest of Napa Valley moved towards new oak, and plenty of it in the form of smaller barriques, David Heitz veered Heitz Cellars a little in that direction, before correcting course after a few years.

‘We’ve taken it back even further,’ McCoy explains, in terms of minimising the oak impact.

‘We have to ask the question, if Joe were still here, would he be making the wines the same way? No, he wouldn’t; he’d want to focus on making the wines better.’

For McCoy, Sherwood and the Heitz team, that improvement is mostly gained in the vineyards, through a series of small tweaks to polish what is already renowned as classic.

Freshness in the vineyard

‘We’re making wines now that are closer to the alcohol levels from the 1970s. But we’re not doing it by picking early,’ McCoy clarifies, ‘it’s a combination of factors that help with the maturity of the fruit.’

By moving completely to biodynamics – conversion began after the 2019 vintage and Demeter certification was achieved a few years later – and significantly reducing irrigation, as well as bringing in a reduced- or no-till approach and interplanting between vine rows, the team at Heitz is seeing a concentration married to freshness in the fruit as it’s harvested.

This means that much of the work is done before the winemaking begins.

‘When you irrigate and have a big crop hanging on the vines, it slows down the maturity of the fruit,’ McCoy says.

‘For Cabernet, it’s not about picking earlier; it’s about balancing phenolic, or physiological, ripeness [relating to the grape skins, seeds and stems] with lower sugars [ie, potential alcohol].

‘After 24° Brix [a standard measure of sugar content in solution], it’s no longer sugar accumulation, it’s the concentration of sugar through dehydration and raisination.’

The Heitz team is committed to picking at a level of 24°-24.5° Brix at most, and aiming for full phenolic ripeness at that sugar level.

They achieve fruit concentration through lower yields [quantity of fruit per vine] and largely by dry-farming. This means the fruit comes in balanced yet concentrated.

The Heitz Cellar vertical

If there is a signature of the Heitz wines, it’s that they are shot through with forest character, whether it’s described as bay leaf, pine resin, spearmint or even eucalyptus.

The lively and elegant arboreal essence is the calling card for Heitz, both in the wines made today and indeed back to the 1969-vintage Lot C-91.

As a central part of our preparation for this article, McCoy presented a dazzling array of Heitz wines, 43 in all, for me and Decanter’s Napa correspondent Jonathan Cristaldi (see his tasting notes on a selection of 10 of them, below).

A dramatic case was immediately made regarding Heitz’s freshness as we nosed our first wine, the 1978 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: remarkable, and still exuberant, 47 years in.

The throughline was pronounced as we tasted a range of vintages, some of them regarded as hot, others rainy, wet and difficult.

Yet a consistency was evident: balanced, fresh and light on their feet, even in hot years; lively throughout, persistent forest elements that framed taut, fresh violets and blue/black fruits in each and every vintage.

In his day, influential US critic Robert Parker would write off an entire vintage, particularly one like 2011, yet today this is a Heitz wine that’s showing dazzingly, overtly floral, fresh and vibrant.

Many of the farming changes at Heitz were initiated in 2019, and McCoy believes this work will be clear to see in the wines moving forward.

The Linda Falls Vineyard Cabernet from that vintage is now tasting focused and precise, with a pronounced clarity and heightened fruit intensity.

And going back, the 1979 Martha’s Vineyard designate bottling is perfect (as per Cristaldi’s 100-point score), showing elegance and structure that is evocative of Barolo, or even Burgundy, with that forest-driven complexity and brilliant tension – a timeless Napa Cabernet that sets a benchmark for the region among the world’s great wines.

Restoring balance

For McCoy, one of the primary missions is to set a course for a return to a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: more honest, authentic and balanced.

Joe Heitz had a notoriously difficult relationship with Robert Parker, famously once sending him a box of handkerchiefs after Parker had described the Heitz wines as lacking in aromatics.

Yet it’s Parker’s outsized impact on Napa’s wines as a whole that McCoy feels as if he’s still pushing back on today.

‘Philosophically, my biggest challenge with so-called modern Napa is that it wasn’t driven by the winemakers, or climate,’ says McCoy. ‘The style that came about in the late 1980s is thanks to one man. It’s a style that is still very much around today.

‘But the fact is, wineries did what they did at the time in order to stay afloat. It may seem hard to believe, but the wrong score from one guy could essentially put you out of business back then.

‘A lot of wines, and this isn’t just in Napa, but throughout the world, were made to cater to one man’s palate. And this is the result: you have a lot of winemakers who don’t like to drink the wines they’re making. That’s a real tragedy, in my opinion.’

McCoy concludes that ‘freshness’ is perhaps an overused term. ‘But we’re talking about a balance between acidity and the rest of the structure of the wine. Your mouth waters, and you want more. That’s been missing in too many wines for too long.’

The team at Heitz wants to remind the wine world why Napa was considered great in the first place.

A taste of Heitz across six decades: Cristaldi’s 10 highlights

Related articles

• Wines of the Year 2025: North America
• Meet the next generation at four legacy Napa Valley wineries
• Mining for value in the Napa Valley: Over 20 of the best wines for under $75

At Decanter’s Fine Wine Encounter, few masterclasses feel quite as electrifying as Château Margaux. Yet tasting nearly four decades of the Bordeaux first growth’s wines alongside a member of the owning family remains a rare privilege.

Led by Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, Château Margaux’s CEO and the third generation of his family to steward the estate, the special occasion offered not just a vertical tasting, but a window into time, place and precision.

From the outset, Leven-Mentzelopoulos set the tone by anchoring Margaux firmly in history. Although classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1855, the estate’s roots stretch back far earlier, with vines planted on the gravel mound of La Mothe de Margaux from the 16th century.

Ownership has changed many times, but the modern era began in 1977, when Leven-Mentzelopoulos’ grandfather, André Mentzelopoulos, purchased the estate after it had languished on the market for two years.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for all eight wines from the Château Margaux masterclass

‘Nobody really wanted the estate at the time,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos recalled. ‘The 1970s were difficult years – economically, and in terms of vintages. But my grandfather immediately understood the potential, and also the scale of the investment that would be needed.’

That investment was swift and decisive: replanting vineyards, restoring cellars and renovating the château itself under historic monument supervision.

André Mentzelopoulos would not live to see the full renaissance he set in motion, passing away in 1980, but his daughter Corinne – then just 27 – took over and led the estate for more than four decades.

Leven-Mentzelopoulos officially assumed the CEO role at the end of 2023, working alongside his sister Alexandra, president of the supervisory board.

‘We are still very much a family business,’ he said. ‘One family, one estate, one obsession.’

Precision over volume

One theme that recurred throughout the masterclass was selection. Château Margaux today produces roughly half the volume it did in the 1980s, with just 100,000 to 120,000 bottles of the grand vin in most vintages.

‘In the past, up to 75% of the harvest went into Château Margaux,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos explained. ‘Today, it’s closer to 35-40%. That changes everything.’

The opening of the new gravity-fed winery in 2015, designed by Lord Norman Foster, was a crucial step in this evolution. With close to 100 individual vats, the team can vinify parcels with extraordinary precision, sometimes dividing a single plot into multiple lots based on subtle differences in soil or exposure.

Alongside this sits one of Bordeaux’s most quietly ambitious research and development programmes. Established in 1999, the R&D team now oversees thousands of experimental bottles exploring rootstocks, pruning systems, fermentation techniques, ageing vessels and closures.

‘If we change something,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos stressed, ‘it’s never for fashion or marketing. It’s because we have years of tasting and scientific evidence behind us.’

Whites with history – and a future

The tasting opened with Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, a wine with over 300 years of history and a singular identity in Bordeaux. Always 100% Sauvignon Blanc, drawn from around 11 hectares, Pavillon Blanc is as much about texture as it is about freshness.

‘Our objective is to make a wine that is very concentrated and mature, but at the same time elegant and fresh,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos said. ‘Acidity and fatness together – not one without the other.’

The contrast between the youthful 2018 and the reconditioned 1996 illustrated both the wine’s ageing potential and the estate’s evolving approach. Only around one third of the harvest now makes it into Pavillon Blanc, with the remainder either sold off or, since 2022, bottled as a second white.

The 1996, served after re-corking under nitrogen, was luminous rather than tired, offering honeyed, citrus-peel complexity without oxidative heaviness.

‘It shows what Pavillon Blanc can become,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos noted. ‘Not oxidised, just transformed.’

A hierarchy defined by tasting

Moving to the reds, Margaux du Château Margaux 2018 – the estate’s third wine – demonstrated how increased selection has reshaped the hierarchy. First released with the 2009 vintage, it was created to preserve quality that would previously have been sold in bulk.

‘Every grape is treated the same at harvest,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos explained. ‘Only tasting decides what goes where.’

The 2018 was supple, fragrant and immediately appealing, a warm-vintage wine with lift and charm. It was followed by Pavillon Rouge 2009, the estate’s historic second wine, first named in 1908.

‘Pavillon Rouge today is very close to what Château Margaux was 20 or 30 years ago,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos said. ‘That’s how much the level has risen.’

The grand vin through the decades

The heart of the masterclass lay in the sequence of Château Margaux vintages themselves, each illustrating a different expression of the estate’s DNA.

The 2009, from a warm, dry year, showed depth and generosity, yet with the signature Margaux perfume intact. ‘It’s giving enormous pleasure now,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos said, ‘but it’s only at the beginning.’

By contrast, 1999 – often overshadowed by 2000 – offered delicacy and immediate charm. Quoting former director Paul Pontallier, Leven-Mentzelopoulos described it as ‘a candy that melts in your mouth’.

The shift into the 1980s brought a palpable hush to the room. The 1989, harvested unusually early in mid-September, combined power with silkiness. ‘People sometimes say Margaux has fewer tannins,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos remarked. ‘That’s not true. They’re just better integrated.’

The final wine, 1985, was the most emotional pour – and my top pick – of the afternoon. Elegant rather than imposing, it underlined a core message of the masterclass: greatness at Margaux is not about force.

‘A good wine gives pleasure,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos said resoundingly. ‘A great wine gives emotion.’

Looking ahead

Despite the weight of history, the session ended firmly focused on the future. Trials with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and even small plantings of Malbec and Carménère reflect a long-term response to climate change, alongside earlier harvesting and ever finer extraction.

‘We are proud of our history,’ Leven-Mentzelopoulos concluded, ‘but we never want to rest on our laurels. Everything we do is for the next 30 or 40 years.’

Tasting these wines, it was hard to doubt that Margaux’s long view remains one of its greatest strengths.

Watch the video highlights from Decanter’s Singapore Encounter featuring Alexis

Tasting four decades of Château Margaux:

Wines are listed in the order they were tasted

Related content

A St-Emilion story: Château Pavie profile

Bordeaux 2005: 23 top wines tasted two decades on

Uncover hidden gems: Affordable Bordeaux and Burgundy wines for your Christmas feast

Few names in Barolo make aficionados’ hearts flutter faster than that of Bussia. Among the earliest of the region’s subdistricts to be identified on wine labels, this year’s 2021 vintage release marks the 60th anniversary of the very first Bussia bottling – from the esteemed Prunotto estate.

Alfredo Prunotto established the estate in 1922 upon buying the ‘Ai Vini delle Langhe’ cooperative, which was on the brink of collapse. He and his wife ran the company until retiring in 1956.

As their children showed no interest in taking over, they sold it to their young winemaker friend – the legendary Beppe Colla.

Having previously worked for the largest grape purchasers in the Langhe, Colla knew exactly where to source the best fruit for his wines.

He was also inspired by his travels to Burgundy: while Barolo was traditionally a blend from vineyards in different locations, Colla introduced a Burgundian model, making single-site wines and labelling them as such.

His approach was revolutionary (and criticised) at the time but eventually became widely adopted, paving the way for the huge diversity of site-specific Barolo we see today. Among the sites Colla chose, Bussia was identified for the quality of its tannins.

Notoriously, the Barolo of Colla’s era required years to soften. ‘With a tendency to sweetness, they [Bussia’s tannins] are very silky almost from the beginning of the wine’s life in bottle,’ notes Gianluca Torrengo, Prunotto’s oenologist since 1999.

‘Beppe considered that accessibility of tannins an added value because it meant not having to wait as long.’

Bussia back then was much smaller than the official MGA of today. It corresponded to the area of Bussia Soprana – an amphitheatre that encompasses the vineyards of Gabutti, Colonnello, Cicala and Romirasco (the latter three made famous by Aldo Conterno) – as well as the neighbouring hill which includes Dardi and Mondoca.

However, when Barolo’s MGAs were legally defined in 2010, Bussia was demarcated as a vast area – approximately 4km as the crow flies.

It now extends all the way from the village of Monforte d’Alba to Castiglione Falletto’s southernmost MGAs of Pugnane and Mariondino; an enlargement that Torrengo explains as bureaucratic, ‘because the name Bussia is also used for a river, a road, a central hamlet and an upper hamlet.’

The next chapter

After managing its distribution since 1989, Antinori acquired Prunotto in 1994. Colla remained at the estate until the transition to Antinori was complete.

Under the guidance of Antinori’s head of winemaking, Renzo Cotarella, the company immediately began buying vineyards, so as not to rely on purchasing fruit.

The first sites purchased were located in Bussia, and today the estate boasts a total of eight hectares of south- to southwest-facing plots in the original nucleus of the MGA.

Piero Antinori’s eldest daughter, Albiera – now president of Antinori – was in her mid-20s when she was tasked with managing the estate. Coming from Tuscany, she recalls that ‘those first few years, we were simply trying to understand’.

Her aim was to walk the tightrope between respecting local tradition and moving forward. ‘We looked for wines that didn’t need 40 years before being drinkable, with a colour that was red rather than rosé.’

This period corresponded with a time when many in the region, including Antinori, were experimenting with everything from more extractive macerations to the use of new French oak barriques.

‘Whether this went too far, I don’t know’, Albiera muses.

A taste of time

Earlier this year, Albiera hosted a tasting of Prunotto’s Bussia at the estate. Spanning six decades, it charted the broader evolution of Barolo – stylistic trends were palpable in the glass.

Although the inaugural 1961 was absent, the lineup did include the exceptional 1978 and almost as outstanding 1985 vintages from Colla’s tenure. Both were thrilling relics of a bygone era.

I couldn’t help being in awe of the 1978. Still vibrant and steely at almost 50 years old, it was impossible to fathom it in its youth. ‘It must have been like drinking lemonade,’ Albiera remarked to me.

The 1978 was also the only Riserva in the roster: until 1983, the Colla family declared almost all their single-site wines as such.

The wines from 1996, 2004 and 2008 represented a transitional phase. Deeper in hue with more volume and bulk, they are ageing less gracefully than the older examples.

While not lacking in flashy charm, the dense, extracted, oak-tinged 2004 was the most illustrative of these extremes, whereas the 2008 suggested an easing up.

Looking ahead

The final three vintages poured – 2016, 2019 and 2021 – demonstrated the direction that Antinori has taken Prunotto after much internal reflection.

In terms of winemaking, extractions are now much gentler, and macerations relatively short (approximately 10 days). French oak is still preferred but the casks are medium to large in size (25 to 75 hectolitres).

‘The last 10 years signify a turning point,’ asserted Cotarella, who was candid about his learning curve with Nebbiolo. ‘Now we are looking to bring depth of flavour without weighing the wine down.’

Indeed, the trio was united by a toned, balletic frame rather than body-builder muscles.

The 2016 struck me as somewhat naïve, though its purity and finesse of tannins were undeniable. Both 2019 and 2021 amplified these attributes, showing greater sophistication and intricacy, particularly in the former.

It remains to be seen if these recent releases will endure as long as their predecessors from the 1970s and 1980s. However, they are clearly poised to offer immense drinking pleasure throughout the arc of their evolution – something that couldn’t necessarily be said about the Barolo of yesteryear.

Prunotto’s Bussia: Tasting back in time

Below, Michaela picks out her six top wines from a tasting which spanned six decades of Prunotto’s Bussia label

Italy newsletter: Sign up today

Get the best recommendations, vintage analysis, regional and cultural insights and more delivered to your inbox once a month, helping you to stay up-to-date with the latest in Italian wine.

Related articles

• Three Barolo producers having a breakout moment
• Cool Barolo: The sites and techniques driving fresher styles in Piedmont
• Barolo 2021: Vintage report & top wines from ‘a modern benchmark’

At a time when everything is a curated projection of a fictional self, it’s no wonder that we’re increasingly seeking a true sense of connection and a glimmer of humble authenticity – in wine as in life.

It was a genuine sense of connection – transcending individual narratives and fragile egos – that I experienced when I sat down with Marco António Pérez Ramirez of Piedra Sagrada, to taste through the project’s five vintages released so far.

Upon tasting the wines, amazement and wonder added to the intrigue: it turned out I was about to taste some of the most distinct, characterful – and overlooked – expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon I had ever come across. And certainly one of the most memorable wines of the more than 1,200 I assessed in 2025.

But how did this small, unassuming unicorn come to be? It turns out this is a story about much more than wine.

Tragedy and resilience

Piedra Sagrada is the brainchild of Arturo Pérez Rojas, now the name of the 3.8hectare plot the prominent Chilean agricultural engineer and oenologist planted in 2000. Born in Santiago, Pérez Rojas became Chile’s Secretary of State for Viticulture in 1970, a post created by newly-elected president Salvador Allende.

The pair’s hopes to support and transform the country’s wine sector were short lived; in 1973, on a fateful September day, Allende was murdered and a coup d’état placed dictator Augusto Pinochet at the helm of the country. Poet Pablo Neruda would be poisoned 12 days later.

The danger was real and Pérez Rojas, wife Tela and four children – Arturo, Marcela, Lorena and Marco – fled the country. Their exile in France, which the couple hoped would be a brief stint, became a decades-long detour during which Pérez Rojas fought to rebuild something resembling a career.

Some jobs were out of reach because his qualifications were not recognised in France (Pérez Rojas eventually attained new degrees in oenology as well as economy); while he was not considered for others because he was overqualified.

The longing for his home country and his roots and, crucially, his belief in its potential as a fine wine country, remained a constant throughout Pérez Rojas’ turbulent trajectory – a yearning he passed on to his children and, to an extent, shaped their identities growing up in France.

With the end of the millennium approaching, Tela’s sister offered the couple the opportunity to buy a 4.5ha plot in Pirque, 50km south of Santiago, in the Maipo Valley, for them to build a house and retrieve a physical footprint in Chile.

Upon looking at the unassuming plot, Pérez Rojas not only knew that he had to buy it but also that this was the ideal site not for a house but for a vineyard.

Conjuring a Grand Cru

Marrying a strong emotional connection to the Chilean wine landscape with painfully proven technical expertise, Pérez Rojas set out to analyse the terroir and define the planting strategy for his vineyard. He settled on a high-density massal selection of Cabernet Sauvignon, planted on its own rootstock.

While planting, an impressive boulder, displaying an ancient face-like carving , emerged – its evocative presence gave the wine its name: Piedra Sagrada, ‘sacred stone’.

The first fruit was harvested in 2005 and – until the production of Piedra Sagrada’s first vintage in 2014 – sold to powerhouse Concha y Toro.

These were years of learning and fine-tuning, during which the vineyard was subdivided into seven plots – according to vine behaviour, maturation cycle and fruit profile – now tended to differently both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

They also consolidated the founder’s belief in the singularity and potential of the site, crystallising the dream of Piedra Sagrada.

Subscribe to Decanter’s South America regional newsletter

Pérez Rojas’ passing in 2013 meant that he could not see his quest come to fruition. His children embraced their duty and emotional commitment to their father’s dream – not least because it was so deeply entwined with the family’s history and identity. Given the opportunity to sell the vineyard they refused.

Arturo, Lorena (both emergency physicians), Marcela (an architect) and Marco (a classical composer), were determined but not equipped to steer the ship.

Marco called upon longtime friend and leading wine consultant Éric Verdier, who promptly agreed to help.

Today, with Verdier consulting and winemaker Sergio Hormazábal Baglietto supervising on site, the siblings endure long haul flights to help with the harvest and oversee projects for Piedra Sagrada’s own winery (having previously relied on rented space) – a gravity-fed facility as their father envisioned.

The origin of Piedra Sagrada weaves the individual and collective histories of a family and of two countries – its name fortunate because it evokes both its terroir (with its own complex lineage of pre-colonial symbolism and post-dicatorship reckoning) and the intersecting, personal mythologies of all those involved.

A new benchmark

Piedra Sagrada reveals a different, essential take on Cabernet Sauvignon; a new reference point to which I will return when tasting Piedra Sagrada’s counterparts in Chile and beyond. And who are they?

As the tasting notes below highlight there’s incredible structural nuance, an indelible terroir imprint that comes through in a distinctly saline, at times almost metallic edge to the acid backbone and tannins.

It’s clear there’s a relentless commitment to terroir – and to vintage as an extension of terroir expression – which means that winemaking decisions are made in response to the specific character of each year and each micro-plot.

As such, time in wood varies greatly. Overall, however, the approach is light-handed and focused on detail rather than power.

Piedra Sagrada is not a wine for those who seek a stylistic-led approach to winemaking – or indeed brand-building.

It’s safe to say that the making of this wine was as much about finding closure and regaining ownership of a personal and collective trajectory, as it was about establishing a new Chilean ‘Grand Cru’ (which it has undoubtedly become).

Piedra Sagrada’s success legitimises the effort and brilliance of lives derailed by history’s cruel hand.

I’ll finish with words written by Neruda on a letter to Pérez Rojas, dated 31 March 1973, which remains in the possession of his children:

‘Vines and wine are one of the vital centres of Chile. In your initiative I see […] this territorial blessing, its cultivation, its work, its art and its science.’

Piedra Sagrada: Five first released vintages tasted

Wines are listed in score order

Related articles

• Eduardo Chadwick on Chile’s fine wine legacy and evolution
• Subscribe do Decanter’s South America newsletter
• Great Cabernets of South America

Champagne’s Côte des Blancs saw a significant arrival in 2025. Champagne Barons de Rothschild opened the doors of a new winery and cellar complex in an imposing, recently renovated 1874 building, complete with its own vineyard clos.

The winery may be new, but the house is not. Its opening in fact marks the 20th anniversary of the coming together of three branches of the Rothschild family in 2005.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for six Barons de Rothschild Champagnes

Time to ease in

Rather than rushing out of the gates, though, this has been a project born of patience.

‘When I joined in 2011, we only bottled 5ha,’ says cellar master Guillaume Lété, ‘we were just trying to learn about the terroir, about which villages we would use, how we would do vinification’.

It is therefore somewhat of an unusual achievement to have already reached today’s production of 600,000 bottles, in a region where true startups on this scale are rare.

It’s rare because buying vineyards is extremely hard. What’s more, signing grape contracts – especially for sought-after Chardonnay in the Côte des Blancs, which forms the backbone of the house’s style – is fought out in an environment of steep competition with other houses.

Fortunately Barons de Rothschild has at its helm a true Champagne native in Lété, who grew up in nearby Avize in a vine-growing family.

Lété has overseen the shift from the early days, when the wines were made under his guidance at the nearby co-operative, to the first vintage processed in the new winery in 2024.

Here he stores an impressive selection of reserve wines and a perpetual reserve system which lends considerable character to the non-vintage wines.

Consistent improvement

With impressive results in both Decanter panel tastings and the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025, there’s plenty of evidence to back up Lété’s belief that the wines have gained in precision over the last five years, too.

‘There was a big change with the wines based on 2018 for me,’ says Lété, whose local connections have proven important for grape sourcing.

Grapes are sourced from 90ha (8ha of which the house owns), and 90% is from grand and premier cru villages.

‘I prefer to work with growers who also make their own wine,’ he says, believing they have the right ‘philosophy’ to reach the maturity in the grapes Lété is searching for.

With the focus on Chardonnay, the style leans into cleanliness and purity, yet with approachability always in mind.

Even with the range entirely in extra brut, Lété says the ‘natural sucrosity’ of the grapes yields balanced wines that have shifted away from some of the more overt buttery/pastry notes encountered in earlier releases, to more purity today.

Partial oak vinification, too, plays a part in the complexity in blends of two of the high points of the portfolio: Brut Nature and Rare Collection.

Crème de la crème

The new project closest to the house’s heart, though, is also the one closest to home – the 0.52ha Grand Clos vineyard, situated outside the new winery.

Released for the first time with the 2019 vintage, it displays the decadent aromatics of ripe fruit of this grand Champagne vintage, bolstered by 100% vinification in oak.

‘Built like a Burgundy wine,’ says Lété.

Twenty years on, the excitement of a startup mentality still feels palpable among the small team here as they work on a highly promising 2025 vintage.

While patience will continue to be a theme behind the cellar doors, though, the wait to taste a clear vision of this young house’s ambition is over.

The Barons de Rothschild range:

Related articles

• Henri Giraud: 400 years in Champagne
• Champagne Dhondt-Grellet: The young grower at the top of his game
• Where has all the vintage Champagne gone?

Few names are as synonymous with contemporary St-Emilion as Château Pavie – one of just two St-Emilion estates currently with the top rank of premier grand cru classé A – and Gérard Perse, its late owner and former self-made supermarket mogul turned wine empire builder.

An unrelenting dream with quality and hospitality at its heart has seen the Perse universe evolve and expand from wine estates to hotels, restaurants, brasseries and now even an ice cream parlour all nestled among the cobbled streets of the medieval village, the crown jewel of the Right Bank region.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for Georgie’s top picks from Château Pavie

Historic and contentious

It’s not hard to see Pavie’s clear terroir credentials, given that vine cultivation here dates back to the 4th century – supposedly the oldest alongside Château Ausone.

It’s a rare and relatively extensive single block, comprising the famous limestone plateau and sweeping south-facing slopes that tumble into an amphitheatre of vines dropping from 85m to 20m and basking in the full sun above the Dordogne valley.

‘Wine is of course the main job,’ says Henrique Da Costa, son-in-law of Perse, who has for more than two decades been part of the family team running the estate with Perse’s daughter Angélique (pictured, below).

‘But it’s also everything around it – in order to give guests the full experience, you need gastronomy, you need hospitality. Quality, quality, quality – that was always Gérard’s rule.

And it shows. From the meticulously tended vines and beautifully adorned commemorative bottles to the magnificent marble-clad reception and tasting rooms and five-star accommodation.

Pavie’s success story is as impressive as Perse’s, with slick marketing and a bucketful of options for any wine lover wanting to enjoy the delights of the region.

But the estate and its methods have not been without controversy.

At times branded flashy and excessive, its wines have divided critical opinion, but there’s no doubting the perseverance of a man on a mission and a team dedicated to perfection.

A radical transformation

When Gérard Perse (pictured, below) purchased Château Pavie in 1998 from the Valette family, it was a shadow of its potential, having lost much of its prestige through the 1980s and early ’90s.

Though the terroir was hallowed, the vineyard was tired, the winery outdated and much of the equipment obsolete. But Perse had already spent five years learning the rhythms of St-Emilion.

He and his wife Chantal (who worked with him from the beginning, managing the hospitality and restaurant side of the business) had bought Château Monbousquet in 1993 – what he later called his ‘laboratory for experimentation’ – and Pavie-Decesse in 1997, on the limestone plateau just above Pavie.

‘By the time Gérard came here,’ says Da Costa, ‘he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Monbousquet was where he learned. Pavie was where he applied everything.’

He saw potential not problems and came in with a spare-no-expense attitude.

When he arrived, more than 15,000 vines were missing or dead and the old cellar wasn’t fit for purpose. Within months, he tore it down and rebuilt it, installing wooden vats and temperature control.

That first new vat room was barely finished when the 1998 harvest began, yet it marked the start of a new chapter. A second, marble-clad cellar would follow in 2013, cementing Pavie’s place among Bordeaux’s most advanced wineries.

Birth of a modern legend

Replanting began and so did viticultural changes, including large-scale green harvesting. ‘People said, “He’s crazy, cutting bunches”,’ Da Costa recalls with a smile.

‘But Gérard didn’t care – he stayed focused on his way. He wasn’t making wine for Parker or for points; he was making the wines he loved, with the structure and power to last decades.’

The early vintages – 2000, 2003, 2005 – were monuments to that philosophy: dark, rich and unapologetically full-bodied.

They were also among the most polarising wines Bordeaux had ever seen. Robert Parker hailed them as masterpieces of modern St-Emilion; British critics called them excessive.

They were wines of texture and ambition, designed not for immediate charm but for longevity.

‘We know that the wine can support [new oak] for a long time, there’s no question. These are wines that are meant to live 20, 30, even 50 years,’ says Da Costa.

Pavie’s south-facing exposure naturally lends itself to generosity. ‘It’s a warm terroir, so, yes, the wines are rich – but that’s Pavie, that’s its character,’ he adds.

Monbousquet had already introduced Perse to the US market through merchant Jeffrey Davies, who championed the wines early on.

‘He admired the US,’ Da Costa says. ‘He told us many times, if he were younger, he would have gone there. But his style wasn’t for anyone else. It was his taste, his vision.’

The St-Emilion amphitheatre

Château Pavie’s 42ha form a natural amphitheatre of south-facing slopes with 11 distinct soil types, from hard limestone to heavy clays and sandy gravels – among the steepest in St-Emilion.

The varietal mix has shifted gradually over time – today about 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon – enhancing freshness and structure.

The vines are planted at 7,000 per hectare, and massal selections (propagated via cuttings from existing estate vines) are used for replanting.

The vineyard is farmed organically, but not certified, with cover crops and horses working the steepest plots.

A team of 25 vineyard workers tends the 21 parcels, which have an average age of 30 years (the oldest are 75 years old), each responsible for the same rows year after year.

‘They know every vine by heart,’ Da Costa says. ‘That’s why Pavie is so consistent – it’s not just the terroir, it’s the people, the team, the knowledge.’

This also explains the vineyard’s immaculate presentation and the subtle refinements in the wines over the past decade.

Cellar & craft

Precision is the cornerstone of Pavie’s winemaking. Grapes are handpicked, sorted twice and vinified by parcel in small oak vats. Fermentations are long and cool, with gentle pump-overs to preserve fruit purity.

‘We’re softer in the cellar now,’ Da Costa explains. ‘We still want intensity, but not heaviness. It’s about balance.’

Press wine never makes it into the grand vin. Ageing lasts 18-24 months in 60%-70% new oak, down from the 100% last used in 2005. ‘It’s about integration, not dominance. You should never taste the wood – it should just be part of the harmony.’

The technical direction is led by Laurent Lusseau, supported by long-serving cellar master Jean-Baptiste Pion (pictured, below), who joined in 1998.

‘Many of the team have been here from the beginning,’ Da Costa notes. ‘That’s what gives Pavie its soul.’

Evolution & refinement

Over the past two decades, Pavie has undergone a quiet stylistic evolution.

Shorter macerations, cooler fermentations and slightly earlier picking have brought greater freshness and precision.

The result is a more balanced expression – still unmistakably Pavie in style and power with signature freshness, but more nuanced in texture.

‘We’re still making wines that can age,’ Da Costa says, ‘but now they also have an accessibility earlier in life. That’s important for the next generation of drinkers.’

Recent vintages – 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 – exemplify this balance: bold yet refined, polished yet nuanced. And the older wines, once accused of excess, have aged into graceful classics.

‘Tasting the 2000s now, you see how they’ve mellowed,’ Da Costa reflects. ‘They’re still strong, but they’ve become elegant. Time has proven the style.’

Recognition & independence

Château Pavie has grown physically, too. In 2002, the national appellation authority INAO approved the integration of Château La Clusière and part of Pavie-Decesse, both sharing identical terroirs.

In 2022, the remaining 3ha of Pavie-Decesse and 2ha of Bellevue-Mondotte joined Pavie after 15 vintages of comparative tastings to confirm compatibility.

The estate’s second wine, Arômes de Pavie, has its own style and personality, being produced from dedicated old-vine parcels since 2017, while a wider Bordeaux blend,

Esprit de Pavie, uses fruit from nearby Castillon and declassified lots, further broadening the estate’s reach.

In 2012, Pavie’s transformation reached its pinnacle when it was promoted to the level of premier grand cru classé A, joining St-Emilion’s elite estates at the top of the region’s official classification listing.

To mark the occasion, Perse released a special commemorative black-labelled bottle (pictured, above).

A decade later, a limited-edition enamelled design marked the 2022 St-Emilion reclassification, symbolising continuity through change.

The classification triumph was both recognition and closure – less about competition, more about proving that the work, the vision, could achieve something lasting.

Beyond the bottle

To further understand Pavie’s influence today, one must look beyond the vineyards. The Perse family has built one of the region’s most comprehensive and self-contained visions of wine, culture and hospitality.

In the Place du Clocher, the flagship restaurant La Table de Pavie (pictured, above), led by chef Yannick Alléno, holds two Michelin stars and is striving for a third – a feat yet to be achieved in Bordeaux.

Dishes draw inspiration from the immediate surroundings with thoughtful and innovative red wine pairings.

Meanwhile, the renovation of the Hostellerie de Plaisance has transformed it into one of the most elegant hotels in the region, with an Instagram-worthy terrace overlooking the town, while the nearby L’Envers du Décor remains one of the village’s busiest bistros, beloved by winemakers and visitors to the town alike.

For Da Costa, this expansion is entirely consistent with the ethos of the wines. ‘We built hospitality purposely,’ he says, ‘to show what St-Emilion can be, and with Pavie at the heart of it all.

‘St-Emilion needed energy again,’ he continues. ‘Gérard Perse gave it that. He wanted people to come, to taste, to stay – to experience everything this place could offer.’

Legacy & reflection

Looking back after more than two decades, Château Pavie’s journey feels almost cinematic – from controversy to cult classic.

‘Gérard Perse was a visionary,’ says Da Costa. ‘He showed that conviction matters more than consensus. He made the wines he loved, and he never apologised for that.’

Even those who once bristled at the flash and ambition now concede that Perse turned a sleepy estate into a powerhouse – one that continues to thrive in his memory.

A taste of Château Pavie: Hindle’s pick of the vintages

Related articles

• Bordeaux 2005: 23 top wines tasted two decades on
• Guess the vintage: Bordeaux fine wine history quiz
• Collector’s Guide: Left Bank Bordeaux

On the west bank of the Rhône river, whites and rosés lead the pack, with a good showing from Tavel this year.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Lirac & Tavel wines

Thibaut Pfifferling of Domaine l’Anglore describes the growing season as ‘a big battle,’ resulting in very small yields but well balanced wines with ‘not much acidity, but good salinity’.

It’s an appellation that improves from year to year, with an increasing number of characterful wines to explore.

Lirac’s whites are very consistent, combining fullness and freshness to good effect – there are many good value options to consider.

Laudun, the Rhône’s newest cru, is still finding its way; whites are generally better than reds.

See all Lirac wines tasted

See all Tavel wines tasted

Key Lirac & Tavel producers in 2024

• Domaine l’Anglore – Tavel
• Château d’Aqueria – Lirac
• Château de Montfaucon – Lirac

Best-value Lirac & Tavel wines in 2024

• Château d’Aqueria, Lirac blanc 2024
• Alain Jaume & Fils, Domaine Clos de Sixte, Lirac rouge 2024
• Château Saint-Roch, Tradition, Lirac rouge 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Lirac & Tavel 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Lirac & Tavel 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Lirac & Tavel 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Top-scoring Lirac & Tavel wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Walls: Tavel and its unexpected revolution
• Natural wine: A lens on the future of wine and winemaking
• Best rosé wines beyond Provence

Gigondas is undoubtedly the most successful appellation in 2024.

The reds have tension, good acidity and plentiful fine tannins. A standout producer this year is Julien Brechet of Domaine des Bosquets and he describes 2024 as ‘a very honest vintage,’ meaning that it’s highly expressive of terroir, detailed and precise.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for these regions’ best wines

The tannins aren’t muscular, they’re fine and pixellated; they can be a little angular in places however, requiring a few years in bottle to file them down.

Gigondas whites are even better. The style can be quite challenging though: they are all about texture and minerality, and will take a few years to open up, so take note of drinking windows. When they’re ready, they’ll be detailed and attention grabbing.

Neighbouring Beaumes de Venise also did very well in 2024. The reds have real impact and brightness of fruit, and are mostly well balanced.

The sweet Muscats have good acidity and moderate alcohol – a vintage to buy if you like the style.

Further down the slope in Vacqueyras, Damien Vache of Domaine la Monardière says that growers here were relatively unaffected by mildew.

The reds are medium-bodied, well balanced and drinkable, though some lack concentration.

Whites varied stylistically, but the quality is largely good.

See all Gigondas wines tasted

See all Vacqueyras wines tasted

See all Beaumes de Venise wines tasted

Key Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise producers in 2024

• Château de St Cosme – Gigondas
• Domaine des Bosquets – Gigondas
• Domaine Saint-Damien – Gigondas
• Domaine Santa Duc – Gigondas
• Moulin de la Gardette – Gigondas
• Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux – Vacqueyras
• Domaine des Bernardins – Beaumes de Venise

Best-value Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise wines in 2024

• Le Clos des Cazaux, Les Clefs d’Or, Vacqueyras 2024
• Domaine des Bernardins, Beaumes de Venise 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Walls: The best wines to buy from Gigondas in 2022
• Walls: Vacqueyras 2015 vs 2016 – how are they drinking now?
• Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine La Ferme St-Martin, Beaumes de Venise

It’s a decent vintage for reds in both Cairanne and Rasteau. In Cairanne, the wines are precise and drinkable thanks to their bright acidity and measured levels of alcohol.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring wines

Most don’t have the structure or concentration for long ageing, but they can be opened straight away and will likely give four or five years of enjoyment.

The whites might not be as reliable as in other appellations this year, but there are still many good wines to choose from.

Rasteau’s dry reds are in a similar quality and style to Cairanne’s. When the tannins are ripe and there’s sufficient concentration, the 2024s offer elegance and drinkability.

The limited selection of Vinsobres I tasted were less exciting, so there are just a few that made the selection.

See all Rasteau wines tasted

See all Cairanne wines tasted

See all Vinsobres wines tasted

Key Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres producers in 2024

• Domaine de l’Oratoire St Martin – Cairanne
• Domaine les Hautes Cances – Cairanne
• Domaine Alary – Cairanne
• Domaine Richaud – Cairanne
• Domaine des Escaravailles – Rasteau
• Famille Perrin – Vinsobres

Best-value Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres wines in 2024

• Domaine des Escaravailles, Classique, Rasteau 2024
• Brotte, Création Grosset, Cairanne 2024
• Famille Perrin, Les Cornuds, Vinsobres 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

Beyond the crus

From the Named Villages of the Côtes du Rhône, there are several impressively fresh and concentrated reds from both Sablet and Valréas.

There are also thrilling individual wines from overperforming estates in Roaix, Massif d’Uchaux and Suze-la-Rousse. These under-the-radar gems represent some of the best value wines in the Rhône.

It’s clearly a very good vintage for Rolle (Vermentino), making for an exceptional year for Luberon whites.

With so many examples enjoying great balance and intensity – and no excess fat or alcohol – it’s the perfect vintage to explore this lesser-known style.

The whites of neighbouring Ventoux are also excellent, not to mention many of its reds, especially those from more elevated vineyards.

The best Côtes du Rhônes will be covered in a separate column on Decanter Premium in January.

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Top-scoring Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Walls: Rasteau 2020 in bottle
• Behind Rasteau’s renaissance plus 10 ‘new look’ bottles to seek out
• Rhône producer to know: Domaine Gramenon, Vinsobres

In a year such as 2024, it’s best to start with the positives.

The better red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines this year are fresh and vibrant, with good acidity and relatively low alcohol. They are defined and transparent, and speak clearly of their terroir.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2024

They aren’t as exaggerated as some recent hotter vintages, and have a more natural sense of balance. If you’re looking for powerful Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you might prefer 2022 or 2023; the 2024s are more about elegance.

But not all are so successful. A good proportion of them lack concentration or have green tannins.

In some quarters, high crop loads were the problem. September wasn’t warm enough to ripen all the grapes. Elsewhere, mildew damaged leaves, impeding photosynthesis.

It was a complicated season, where growers had to be reactive to succeed.

The whites are exceptionally good, however. They have it all: freshness, intensity, moderate alcohol, minerality, drinkability and ageing potential.

You can almost buy the whites blind in 2024. But not the reds.

See all Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines tasted

Key Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers in 2024

• Château de Beaucastel
• Clos des Papes
• Domaine de Beaurenard
• Domaine de la Janasse
• Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

Best-value Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2024

• Château de la Font du Loup, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2024
• Domaine de Beaurenard, Tradition, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024
• Domaine Raymond Usseglio, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Revisiting 2020 in bottle
• White Châteauneuf-du-Pape: 20 of the best
• US winery makes history with ‘Châteauneuf-du-Pape grapes’

‘In 2022 and 2023, Côte-Rôtie had the advantage,’ says Maxime Chapoutier. ‘But in 2024 – Hermitage is back!’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Hermitage wines

There are some very good red Hermitage wines this year in an elegant, fresh and appealing style, following a cool, wet end to the growing season.

That being said, some don’t quite have the power you might expect from this renowned appellation.

Jean-Louis Chave, of his eponymous domaine which is based in the village of Mauves just south and across the river from Tain-l’Hermitage, believes that 2023 is a better vintage in general, ‘but the best 2024s are as good as the best 2023s,’ he says.

While only good for red Hermitage, this is an excellent vintage for its whites.

They’re unusually consistent; in fact, it’s hard to go wrong with white Hermitage this year, so you can buy confidently from many producers in this appellation.

What impresses is the sheer verve and dynamism of the wines, teamed with the natural breadth and richness of this terroir. They will drink well young and age well too.

See all Hermitage wines tasted

Key Hermitage producers in 2024

• Château de St Cosme
• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
• Domaine Marc Sorrel
• Emmanuel Darnaud
• M Chapoutier

Best-value Hermitage wines in 2024

• Cave de Tain, Au Coeur des Siècles, Hermitage 2024
• Domaine des Remizières, Cuvée Emilie, Hermitage 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Hermitage 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Hermitage 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Hermitage wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Walls: M Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne vertical
• Walls: The next step for Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle
• Getting to know red Hermitage

During my en primeur tastings in October this year, I ask Franck Balthazar what he thinks of the 2024 vintage.

‘I love it,’ he says, and to taste his wines you immediately see why. It’s the kind of vintage that really chimes with his fragrant, elegant style of Cornas.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Cornas & St-Péray

According to Olivier Clape, ‘it looks more like an old-school vintage, less big and impressive, but more detailed’.

Here, like elsewhere in Cornas, it’s a return to a more measured style that’s more about classicism than exuberance or power.

Some wines are a touch dilute and lack breadth, but most have energy and freshness, often accompanied by a herbal note to the aromatic profile.

Most will be approachable young, and apart from a few notable exceptions, this isn’t a vintage for long ageing, so pay attention to the drinking windows advised.

See all Cornas 2024 wines tasted

See all St-Péray 2024 wines tasted

Key Cornas & St-Péray producers in 2024

• Frank Balthazar – Cornas
• Domaine Clape – Cornas
• M Chapoutier – St-Péray
• Domaine Bernard Gripa – St-Péray

Best-value Cornas & St-Péray wines in 2024

• Chapoutier, Haut Chamblard, St-Péray 2024
• Domaine Johann Michel, St-Péray 2024
• Domaine Courbis, Champelrose, Cornas 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Cornas & St-Péray 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Cornas & St-Péray 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Cornas & St-Péray 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Cornas & St-Péray wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Walls: A vertical of a great Cornas cuvée
• Cornas to drink now: Matt Walls’ top 20
• Expert’s Choice: St-Péray

Conditions were challenging throughout the Rhône Valley in 2024, but the northern pole of the northern Rhône struggled the most.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for wines from Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu

Quality is heterogeneous in Côte-Rôtie. Rather than single-vineyard wines, it was the blends that often showed best.

In fact, Stéphane Ogier won’t be making his single-vineyard Côte-Rôties this year; ‘It’s a fresher vintage,’ he says, ‘and they have their place.’

Yields were very varied even within individual parcels, and several estates said they had to chaptalise.

This being said, there are some lovely individual wines, in a delicate, compact style. These should largely be best drunk young. But overall, this isn’t a brilliant vintage for Côte-Rôtie.

Though white wines are often excellent in 2024, across both the northern and southern Rhône, the picture in Condrieu is mixed. Although many are largely fresh and balanced, some lack enough concentration and length.

The best wines are head and shoulders above the rest however, showing intensity, vitality and no excess alcohol. It will pay to do your research in this vintage.

See all Côte-Rôtie 2024 wines tasted

See all Condrieu 2024 wines tasted

Key Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu producers in 2024

• M Chapoutier – Condrieu
• Domaine Merlin – Condrieu
• Pierre-Jean Villa – Condrieu
• Domaine JP Jamet – Côte-Rôtie
• E Guigal – Côte-Rôtie

Best-value Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu wines in 2024

• Roland Grangier, Les Combéluz, Condrieu 2024
• Mouton Père et Fils, Côte Bonnette, Condrieu 2024
• François et Fils, Rozier, Côte-Rôtie 2024
• Domaine Billon Christophe, La Brocarde, Côte-Rôtie 2024

Compare vintages: See our coverage of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu from previous years

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

Related articles

• Walls: A Côte-Rôtie with a Burgundian flourish
• Walls: tasting Domaine Burgaud’s Côte-Rôtie 1988-2008
• Walls: Côte-Rôtie 2019 in bottle

Rhône 2024 en primeur vintage rating:

Northern Rhône 2024: 3.5/5

The whites are excellent, but it’s a lighter red vintage for the reds, offering many well-balanced, fresh and immediate wines, largely for drinking young and into the medium term. Some reds lack full ripeness, particularly in Côte-Rôtie.

Southern Rhône 2024: 3.5/5

A juicy, fresh and balanced vintage with only moderate alcohol, though some reds lack concentration. Reds are particularly strong in Gigondas. Whites are excellent throughout the region.

In the context of the past 10 years, the 2024 vintage in the Rhône is an outlier.

With many recent vintages being marked by heat and drought, 2024 feels like a throwback to an earlier age, one before global warming. It’s like a good vintage from the 1990s – balanced, fresh and drinkable.

The 2024s offer bright acidity, moderate alcohol and aromatic precision.

Is it a ‘Great Vintage’? No; it’s a respectable vintage full of wines that you can enjoy immediately for their tension and vibrancy.

The reds are unlikely to shut down as they age, and the whites are reliably excellent throughout the Rhône Valley.

This vintage is not without its shortcomings. The growing season was extremely challenging and as a result some wines lack concentration. Most aren’t built for long ageing.

But while the overall level is good rather than great, there are a host of wines which transcend the vintage to reach peaks of genuine excellence.

Northern Rhône red wine of the vintage:

M Chapoutier, Le Pavillon, Hermitage 2024

Northern Rhône white wine of the vintage:

Domaine JL Chave, Hermitage 2024

Southern Rhône red wine of the vintage:

Château de St-Cosme, Le Poste, Gigondas 2024

Southern Rhône white wine of the vintage:

Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2024

See all Rhône 2024 tasting notes and scores

Northern Rhône 2024

‘We had English weather up until July!’ says Yann Chave (of his eponymous domaine), referring to the incessant rain they suffered in Crozes-Hermitage during spring and into summer. ‘August saved the vintage,’ he says, ‘otherwise it would have been a catastrophe.’

A mild winter was followed by early budbreak, but then the weather turned cool and wet in April. In Cornas, Olivier Clape (of Domaine Clape) had 600mm of rain from April to July (820mm is the yearly average).

This created a horde of problems throughout the northern Rhône, including uneven ripening and poor fruit set (millerandage and coulure), not to mention downy mildew and black rot. Occurring towards the start of the season, it affected yields more than quality.

It was particularly difficult for those working organically, such as Domaine Gonon, as they had fewer mitigation options in their armoury. Jean Gonon says that they had to carry out a record number of treatments in the vineyard in 2024 – something echoed by Clape and others.

The rains often came on Thursdays and Fridays, which made the situation even more exhausting as estates had to spray during weekends – if they could. Thankfully there was bright weather between the showers, unlike the even gloomier 2021 vintage.

The sun finally arrived and dried out the vineyards in August. Though hot, the mercury didn’t rise above 40°C, and the ground contained enough water to sustain the vines. September turned cool and windy. With rain forecast, some were forced to pick earlier than they would have liked.

Highs and lows

Cool, wet weather at the end of the season was just one cause of the lack of concentration and a herbaceous streak in some of the reds. Mildew-affected vines and excessive crop loads were others. Occasional use of unripe stems was a contributing factor, too.

The more southerly red appellations (Hermitage, Cornas and southern St-Joseph) were the most successful in 2024.

Côte-Rôtie saw the worst of the weather, and the wines are more disappointing – though with some notable exceptions.

Crozes-Hermitage also struggled; vineyards on the slopes tend to fare better in wet weather.

White wines are excellent throughout. There are countless wonderful Marsanne/Roussanne wines to choose from, and many good Viogniers from Condrieu, though with fewer flashes of brilliance.

This won’t be the longest-lived vintage for reds. Neither will you have to wait; with relatively delicate tannic structures, the majority will be ready to drink on release or soon after.

Considering the trials that growers faced in 2024, it’s surprising that so many made such good wines – many people were surprised at how well they’d turned out. Including me.

Key northern Rhône producers in 2024

• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Clape
• Domaine Gonon
• Frank Balthazar
• Jean-Louis Chave
• M Chapoutier

Top value northern Rhône 2024

• Domaine Vendome, Les Bruclas, Crozes-Hermitage 2024
• Benoît Roseau, Sur le Quartz, St-Joseph 2024
• François et Fils, Rozier, Côte-Rôtie 2024
• Benoît Roseau, La Ribaude, St-Joseph 2024

Southern Rhône 2024

Weather conditions were similar in the northern and southern Rhône in 2024, and the wines display a similar style: good acidity, moderate alcohol, fresh and drinkable – but sometimes lacking concentration.

Growers report a nerve-wracking start to the year. ‘It was difficult from the beginning…we nearly lost the vintage,’ says César Perrin of Château de Beaucastel. ‘There was mildew before flowering – that’s the worst’.

He’s pleased with the final results though, calling it ‘an elegant vintage, more drinkable than 2023 and 2022’.

The downy mildew was more localised compared to the northern Rhône; parts of Châteauneuf-du-Pape were hit hard, whereas other appellations, such as Vacqueyras, got away relatively unscathed.

The Grenache was also badly hit by coulure, which further reduced yields – it was a small crop in the south this year. Mourvèdre, however, performed well.

The two heat spikes in August drew a line under the poor weather at the start of the season. Two storms in early September and one towards the end of the month raised the spectre of rot, but thankfully the mistral arrived and dried out the vines.

The cool weather that followed made for a gradual accrual of tannins and a relaxed harvest, typically in mid-October.

Bright spots

For red wines, Gigondas stands out in 2024. Perrin says there was less rain and more wind compared to Châteauneuf, meaning growers could wait even later to pick, resulting in better levels of ripeness.

In fact, all appellations situated in and around the Dentelles de Montmirail fared well, including Beaumes de Venise, Côtes du Rhône named Villages such as Sablet and Séguret, and parts of Ventoux.

It was also a good vintage for Vacqueyras, and there are plenty of strong individual wines from Châteauneuf.

White wines are excellent throughout all appellations – in fact it’s a stronger year for whites than reds. There are countless impressive examples from Châteauneuf and Gigondas, and some beautiful rosés from Tavel.

When I visited the Rhône Valley in October this year, winemakers couldn’t contain their excitement and enthusiasm for the 2025 vintage that they’d just picked.

Early impressions suggest a contrast to 2024: concentrated, structured wines for long ageing. It’s a very small vintage, but you’re likely to want some.

The 2024s will provide some deliciously fresh and crunchy wines to drink while you wait for the 2025s to come round.

Key southern Rhône producers in 2024

• Château de Beaucastel
• Clos des Papes
• Domaine de Beaurenard
• Château de St Cosme
• Domaine Santa Duc
• Domaine l’Anglore
• Domaine des Escaravailles
• Domaine la Cabotte
• Château La Borie

Top value southern Rhône 2024

• Château de la Font du Loup, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2024
• Le Clos des Cazaux, Les Clefs d’Or, Vacqueyras 2024
• Château la Borie, Syrah, Côtes du Rhône Villages Suze la Rousse 2024
• Domaine Elodie Balme, Champs Libres, Côtes du Rhône Villages Roaix 2024

Top-scoring Rhône 2024 wines:

See below the 30 highest scoring wines, listed white then red in score order.

Related articles

• The 12 best Cornas wines to drink now or save for later
• Eight top Rhône wines to buy in the supermarket
• Northern Rhône 2015: Panel tasting results

Southwest of Alba toward Barolo lies Roddi, a tiny village known for The Path of Poetry and Truffle Dog University, where canines train to hunt the local white and black gold.

Barolo, poetry, and truffles share more than proximity – each takes time to compose and even more to comprehend.

Surrounded by vino, verse and funghi, I explored a zone of long-established rules and regency. Maybe the best time to start a Barolo collection was 20 years ago with 19th century red wine blue bloods like Fontanafredda, Marchesi di Barolo and Vietti, but what if you could be an early adopter of the next-wave classics rising next door?

The following aren’t legacy estates with showpiece cantinas – they’re bootstrapped farmers with dirt under their nails and, more importantly, brilliant terroir underfoot. This is Barolo’s real wealth.

These emerging artisans occupy less than 1% of the planted area, but their wines brim with Piedmont’s coveted somewhereness that drives prices and promotes legends.

Roccheviberti

The inevitable latecomer

Claudio Viberti’s father farmed Nebbiolo at the precipice of ‘rocche’, sheer white limestone cliffs between Monforte and Barolo, yet sold the fruit and never bottled under the Viberti name. The family strong-armed a young Claudio into oenology school, but he pursued another path.

In 2002, the land beckoned and the son returned. By then in his early 40s, it took a few years to get his bearings. ‘About five years ago,’ says Claudio, ‘I found my groove and the wines that this land wants to produce. Word-of-mouth is spreading.’

The dramatic sites are precious crus known for perfume, backbone, and ageable elegance – his father’s Rocche di Castiglione grapes were sold to grand houses. In this unique micro-zone, quality is damn near inevitable.

I witnessed a restaurateur from Alba’s exceptional Osteria dei Sognatori load cases and cases into the back of a vintage Fiat. Tourists drink labels, locals drink delights, and even answering to a consorzio with strict parameters, there’s room to take a creative turn.

20,000 bottles; 3.5 hectares; roccheviberti.it

Prandi

The insistent throwback

Family politics and primogeniture conspired to sideline Cristina Marello Prandi. Italian tradition favours firstborn sons – women are the last resort.

Still, Prandi’s hands wouldn’t be pried from where her great-grandfather founded the winery in 1856 on a ridge above the iconic Cannubi hill. In the late-1980s, her uncle transitioned to wine in bulk and thus no Prandi labels emerged as Barolo went global.

Thanks to dogged persistence and dirt-first agronomy, Cristina finally owns part of those vineyards overlooking her home village. ‘Barolo, for me, is my town and then my wine,’ she explains.

When friends and classmates left for adventures abroad, she stayed put. ‘I never tried to escape. My land is my study and my study is my experience.’

Imagine a young Jane Goodall dedicated to grapes instead of chimps. Wunderkind Prandi takes a similarly intuitive, holistic approach – a new expression of old beliefs in soil stewardship and agricultural diversity.

Prandi’s instinct and quiet wildness show in the purity of her wines. ‘We are organic since always. We don’t have a to-do list. There’s no recipe.’

25,000 bottles; 4 hectares; cristinaprandi.com

Cascina Bongiovanni

The committed family

It starts with a balance of labour: Marina Giordano and daughter Sara face the public and deal with trade. The men grow grapes and make wine.

Davide Mozzone might be neurodivergent; his son, Luca, certainly is. Marina sees this as a factor in their success: while others court applause, they pour savant-level focus into their cellar and famed sites of Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga and Monforte.

In generations past, the Bongiovanni family worked for nobiles and sold grapes grown for volume. ‘But when times changed,’ says Mazzone, ‘the only choice became to aim for quality.’ That’s when they shifted to expression, complexity, and ripening seeds.

‘It takes the plants 30 or 40 years to find equilibrium. And you only get 40 or 50 vintages as a winegrower.’ Thirty-three vintages in, Mozzone and his vines reflect a profound harmony, and their portfolio spans Nebbiolo’s full spectrum.

‘We produce something for the table everyday, and for the culture later. Drinkability and ageability – what if you can have both?’ he asks.

Their Barolo is rich reward for those with and without the patience to wait decades.

50,000 bottles; 7 hectares; cascinabongiovanni.it

Breakout Barolo: Six wines to try from these up-and-comers

Related articles

• Cool Barolo: The sites and techniques driving fresher styles in Piedmont
• ‘On its release, it seemed outright futuristic.’ They’ve done it once, now could Gaja do it again for Piedmont’s whites?
• Langhe Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo d’Alba: These 25 bottles prove it’s not all about Barolo

If you ask people to name a powerful, potent and concentrated wine, you can bet that Châteauneuf-du-Pape would be a common call. There’s no doubt that it can be an extreme style, and that’s one reason it has so many admirers.

But playing at the outer reaches of style can be treacherous. Balance and drinkability can be easily lost.

Scroll down for notes and scores for eight vintages of Vieille Julienne’s Réservé

My personal taste has always veered towards more elegant interpretations of Châteauneuf. I was never a fan of the pumped-up, overripe examples from the 1990s.

But there is one bottling that strides beyond the limits of most Grenache-based wines, and does so magnificently: Domaine de la Vieille Julienne’s cuvée Réservé.

Early attempts

I visit the domaine’s owner and winemaker Jean-Paul Daumen in October every year to get his take on the new vintage. I can always rely on him for an intelligent and eloquent read of the season in question.

This year we also tasted through eight vintages of Réservé made between 2012 and 2024.

Daumen joined his father at the family estate in 1992. He soon noticed that some of their oldest Grenache vines within a parcel of their Trois Sources vineyard appeared different – very small, loose bunches and fewer leaves. In 1994, he decided to vinify them separately. Encouraged by the results, he did so again in 1995.

He waited until the renowned 1998 vintage to repeat the experiment a third time. Despite a glorious growing season, it was less successful.

‘In the 1990s, for many producers the goal was to get very overripe grapes,’ he says. By following the same trend, he ended up with a wine that fell out of balance and into excess.

‘The ‘90s was a time for me to learn,’ he says. ‘Sometimes to find the limit, you have to go past it.’

His 1999, picked earlier, was much better. By 2001, he finally felt satisfied with his creation.

Vintages of Réservé produced:

1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, and every vintage between 2015-2025.

Coloured ribbon

To begin with, Daumen only made this cuvée in the best vintages, but due to global warming he has been able to produce it every year since 2015.

Before, it was a case of not wanting to ‘amputate’ anything from his other Châteauneuf cuvées by making Réservé.

Today, the fruit ‘must be removed from Trois Sources,’ he says, ‘as it wouldn’t be right for it.’

The selection is made at harvest by tasting the berries, and a ribbon is attached to the vines so the picking team knows which ones to select.

The blend is typically 90%-95% Grenache, the rest mostly Syrah, with a little Cinsault and Counoise.

The Grenache has historically all been destemmed, but this is beginning to change, as Daumen likes the complexity that a little whole bunch can bring. He matures it in old foudres, as he’s never liked new oak.

The style

Some Châteauneufs, such as Clos des Papes, focus on finesse. Others, like Château de Beaucastel, are more about structure and balance. Vieille Julienne Réservé is Grenache in excelsis.

It’s a wine of phenomenal concentration, intensity and thrust – it’s so loud and so immense that it dominates your attention. Yet in good vintages it retains enough acidity, freshness and salinity for a sense of elegance and drinkability. It’s a wine of such staggering proportions, such depth and length, that it leaves you awestruck.

That said, I don’t expect everyone to enjoy it. Some will find it too powerful, too intense, simply too much.

Since converting to biodynamic viticulture in 2001, Daumen has seen alcohol levels rise slightly in his wines; but conversely ‘you don’t feel it as much’. He admits it’s hard to explain, but he believes it’s to do with the quality of the alcohol, rather than the quantity.

There’s no escaping that this is a potent wine; it typically reaches 15.5%-16% alcohol. Would it be better with less alcohol? No; as it is a cornerstone of the wine. ‘Alcohol brings this round side, this sucrosité,’ he says.

50 years and counting

Because of its outsize proportions, when tasting from barrel I’ve had niggling doubts in the past about how this cuvée will perform over time. After all, some of those exaggerated wines from the ‘90s fell apart all too quickly. But this tasting extinguished that uncertainty.

Despite its size, it doesn’t need to be aged for a long time before drinking – you can approach it like a normal Châteauneuf in that respect. In fact it drinks better young than most. It also matures largely at the same pace, so the 2012 for example is beginning to drink very well now.

Daumen says there is a degree of unpredictability with this cuvée, but it’s clear that good vintages age very well. Some, like the 2016, should last for 50 years or more. Such is its life force, you can almost imagine it lasting twice that long.

When it comes to food, a côte de boeuf is the obvious choice. It’s a wine that demands protein, fat and smoky char.

Like the more extreme styles of music, fashion or art, it won’t be for everyone. To be certain, you’ll have to try it.

Ensure you’re in the right mood, in the right company, it’s at the right temperature and you have complementary food. But even if it’s not to your personal taste, it’s hard to argue that this isn’t one of the greatest global expressions of Grenache.

Either way, you won’t forget it in a hurry.

Vieille Julienne Réservé through time:

Wines are listed by vintage from youngest to oldest

Related articles

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Revisiting 2020 in bottle
• How Tablas Creek went on a quest to bottle Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s hidden grapes
• Château de Beaucastel completes radical €12m cellar project

With the imminent declaration by the INAO of new premiers crus for Marsannay, the long arc of the village’s fortune is trending further to the good.

The history of the village is among Burgundy’s oldest, but it’s a tale of ancient vineyards fallen into disrepute that should soon see their redemption and receive the recognition they have long deserved.

Scroll down for 15 Marsannay wines from the potential premier cru sites

History

The first mention of vines in Marsannay is in the Chronicle of Bèze (a 12th century text written by a Burgundian monk, telling the history of the monastery St-Pierre de Beze), which states that the monks of Bèze recorded a donation of vines in 630AD by Duke Amalgaire, who founded the Abbey the year before. These vines remained the property of the church for more than 1,000 years.

By the 13th century, the Dukes of Burgundy owned vines here as well. A wine press constructed in 1238 by Alix de Vergy can still be seen in the village of Chenôve.

The ducal vines reverted to the French crown when Charles the Bold, the last Duke of Burgundy, died in 1477.

A question of reputation

Until the French Revolution, the wines of Marsannay were highly regarded and expensive. But the industrialisation of Dijon in the 19th century increased demand for everyday wines that workers could afford, and much of the Pinot Noir once planted was uprooted and replaced with Gamay and Aligoté.

The region became known for inexpensive wines rather than top quality ones. Their reputation continued to decline throughout phylloxera, and by the time the appellation system was put in place in the 1930s, the vines in Marsannay only had the right to the basic Bourgogne appellation. The village-level Marsannay appellation did not come into existence until 1987.

Although the legendary Domaine Clair-Daü (forerunner of Domaine Bruno Clair) began to replant Pinot in the early 20th century, the renaissance gathered speed only slowly, until 2002 when plans for Marsannay premiers crus started to take shape.

In 2024, the INAO announced which climats would potentially be elevated.

Now the precise limits of each premier cru are being delineated, and Marsannay growers hope that their premiers crus will be announced soon.

The 14 climats in consideration for promotion:

Clos du Roy

Les Longeroies (Bas and Dessus)

En La Montagne

Es Chezots (to be changed to En Grands Vaux)

La Charme aux Prêtres

Le Boivin

Les Grasses Têtes

Le Clos de Jeu

Saint-Jacques

Les Favières

Au Champ Salomon

Aux Genelières

Le Clos

Champs Perdrix

Exploring the terroir of the potential premiers crus

Marsannay is a large and complex appellation. It stretches over three villages: Chenôve, Marsannay-la-Côte and Couchey, and includes more than 360 hectares of Marsannay.

Nearly 100ha more are authorised to exclusively produce Marsannay Rosé (the only appellation to allow village-level rosé).

To simplify matters, the appellation can be considered in three parts: Chenôve and the northern part of Marsannay; west of Marsannay and south to the village of Couchey, and south of Couchey to the border with Fixin.

North

In the north, the ancient terroir of Le Chapitre was for centuries the property of the cathedral of Autun. It was classified merely at regionallevel until 2019, and thus is not up for promotion to premier cru. The terroir, however, is comparable to the Clos du Roy climat, which will likely be promoted.

At the top of the Le Chapitre slope, the subsoil is white oolite and Comblanchien limestone. Further down, it was shattered into smaller stones by the freeze-thaw cycles of the ice age, forming beds of fractured rock called ‘grèzes litées’.

The Clos du Roy, former property of the Dukes of Burgundy and the French crown, shares this same structure. Both vineyards have superb conditions for growing quality grapes.

Three more climats will also be promoted here. The most prominent is the large Les Longeroies, subdivided into the upper portion (Dessus des Longeroies) and the lower (Bas des Longeroies). Soils here are similar, but there are no grèzes litées.

At the top of the slope, facing due south, lies En La Montagne, planted mostly above 300m of elevation. This cool site borders the valley called the Combe du Pré.

At the base of the slope lies a climat called Es Chezots, which many growers have been spelling ‘Les Échézeaux’, but it will soon be changed to En Grands Vaux to avoid confusion with the more famous vineyard of that name in Vosne.

Centre

West and south of Marsannay down to the village of Couchey, there are eight climats to be defined and possibly promoted.

La Charme aux Prêtres, Le Boivin, Les Grasses Têtes, Le Clos de Jeu, Saint-Jacques and Les Favières all lie at mid-slope, face east-southeast, and are protected from the cooling influence of the Combe du Pré.

This group of crus lies mostly on crinoidal limestone (what the French call ‘calcaire à entroques’ from the slightly older Bajocian Age), although the top of the slope is often white oolitic limestone, and the base of the slope there is a deeper layer of marl.

Over the border into the village of Couchey but on the same types of soils are Au Champ Salomon and Les Favières.

Slightly south and further up the slope is Aux Genelières, solidly on the band of limestone.

South

South of Couchey, near the border with Fixin, there are steeper slopes and less soil. Le Clos features a shallow slope, marl soil and an east exposition.

The large climat of Champs Perdrix rises above Le Clos to over 300 m elevation on the border with Fixin has a combination of Bathonian limestone and marl soil.

Styles and taste

Arguably more important than the minutiae of subsoils and expositions is what the wines actually taste like.

Approximately three-quarters of the production of Marsannay is red. While blended wines can sometimes be light in colour with high-toned red berry and pomegranate aromas, those that proudly bear the name of a specific climat can be inky dark and powerfully tannic depending on vintage.

These will feature the mineral-inflected black fruit of the Côte de Nuits, some with a distinctive savoury or gamey note.

The whites can vary from floral, forward and somewhat soft, to incisive, lemony and vibrant.

So what makes Marsannay worth your attention? In short, the wines are delicious and not ruinously expensive.

The best of the proposed premiers crus are on a par with the other premiers crus of the northern Côte de Nuits. They resemble the wines of Fixin and Gevrey with which they share many common points, and their often-reasonable prices make them even easier to love.

Eight Names to Know

Domaine Charles Audoin

Fifth-generation Cyril Audoin is at the head of a 14ha domaine based in Marsannay that focuses heavily on single-vineyard bottlings from the best climats.

The domaine was certified organic in 2018 and farms around 9ha. Cyril’s style is fresh, perfumed and elegant.

Domaine René Bouvier

Bernard Bouvier is the president of the ODG Marsannay (the Organisation for Defence and Management of the Marsannay appellation). He took over from his father René in 1992, and now farms more than 30ha in a range of appellations in his home base of Gevrey, in Marsannay, and in Fixin.

He produces a profusion of different cuvées, including a number entirely made without sulphur, although sulphur use is generally minimal before bottling.

His style is further refined using a high percentage of whole clusters in the fermentations and a low percentage of new oak barrels. These are powerful wines capable of long ageing.

Domaine Bruno Clair

Domaine Bruno Clair is one of the successor domaines to Burgundian legend Domaine Clair-Daü, and the family still maintains significant holdings in many of the Marsannay climats.

Founder Joseph Clair was instrumental in replanting Marsannay with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and his son Bruno has long been a champion of the wines of his native village.

The wines of this domaine are classic references for the village and a marvellous way to discover the possibilities of Marsannay.

Domaine Derey Frères

The Derey family has been winegrowers in the area since 1650, although they began bottling at the domaine only after World War II.

The domaine is currently directed by three young brothers, Romain, Maxime and Pierre-Marie. The family owns 20ha between Dijon and Gevrey, but more than half is located in four Marsannay crus, including three up for promotion: Champs Perdrix, Les Genelières, and Champs Salomon. 2023 is their first vintage to be certified organic.

Domaine Jean Fournier

Domaine Jean Fournier is now run by Laurent Fournier, a busy man: his domaine extends over 22ha (all but 2.5ha of which are in Marsannay).

He has been the driving force behind the efforts to classify the premiers crus of Marsannay.

As with several producers in the village, he uses a generous proportion of whole bunches, and low levels of sulphur and new oak. His domaine was certified organic until the very difficult 2016 vintage, when he lost this certification, although he is now once again certified. The style of these wines is complex but understated and not overly marked by barrel ageing.

Château de Marsannay

The Château de Marsannay owns 40ha of vines, including a number of the future premiers crus in Marsannay.

The property was founded in 1990 by the Boisseaux family, owners of the negociant Patriarche. The larger group was sold to Castel in 2011; the following year, Boisseaux family sold the Château de Marsannay (and the Château de Meursault) to Olivier Halley.

The property is now run by Stéphane Follin-Arbelet and Technical Director Sylvain Pabiot, and achieved organic certification in 2021. The wines have considerably improved in recent years, making this a domaine to watch.

Domaine Philippe Naddef

Philippe Naddef, based in Fixin, inherited 2.5ha from his grandfather, Dr Denis Bizot. Unlike his father, Philippe worked in wine (at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé), and gradually built up his vineyard holdings to 6ha.

He has recently taken retirement, and has been succeeded by his son Michel. Michel has worked alongside his father since 2008; he continues to make the Domaine Philippe Naddef wines as they have always been made, but he also makes wine under his own name.

These wines are made in a different style – picked later, extracted more gently, sulphured very lightly, and less marked by new wood. Both labels, however, produce a delicious range of wines.

Domaine Sylvain Pataille

Sylvain Pataille makes some of the most delectable wines in the northern Côte de Nuits from his base in Marsannay. Although he did not come from a winemaking family, he studied oenology at school and has worked (and continues to work) as a consulting oenologist.

He acquired his first hectare of vines in 1999 and has slowly built up a domaine of 15ha, primarily through fermage and metayage contracts.

‘There have been many evolutions in my wine’, says Pataille, ‘I have found that the secret doesn’t exist,’ yet he generally ferments using mostly whole clusters, minimal sulphur, and few new oak barrels.

The style of his Marsannay is rich, layered and complex. He is also a great champion of Aligoté.

15 Marsannay wines to try:

Related articles

• Richebourg vs Romanée-St-Vivant: Two grands crus compared
• Dauvissat: The wizard of Chablis
• Montrachet 2014: When to drink up?

The village streets of Champagne’s Côte des Blancs are tightly packed with domaines – squeezed into old houses and courtyards, jam-packed with tractors and lorries during harvest and bottling.

Yet one of its hottest addresses, Champagne Dhondt-Grellet, sits away from this hustle and bustle, in the quiet village of Flavigny on the plains, nestled behind an unassuming treeline.

Scroll down for notes and scores for six Dhondt-Grellet wines to try

It’s here that Adrien Dhondt, now in his 13th year in charge of the wines, has slowly been offering his take on what modern blanc de blancs can be.

Upon my first visit in 2022, the domaine, despite early success, was still very much a family farmhouse. It had played host to his parents’ domaine since they took their vineyards out of the village co-operative in 1986 in order to produce their own wines.

Descending into the vaulted cellars, though, reveals Dhondt’s intent with the wines nowadays: while his parents had produced traditionally styled blanc de blancs, the cellar is now stacked high with Burgundy barrels, the only steel tank in sight kept above ground for the family’s reserve wine.

Beside the farmhouse lies a smart new glass-fronted tasting room, with the smell of fresh paint still lingering.

Dhondt’s trademark baseball cap and shorts may have slowly given way to a touch more formality as he transitions from up-and-comer to established figure in the region, but he remains a winemaker of irresistible ease, charm and unpretentiousness.

Earlier this year, despite his increasing fame, heightened wine prices and decreasing availability, I arrived to find him engaged in conversation with a small group of visitors from Iceland, happily explaining the sort of Champagne basics that some similarly celebrated winemakers may feel to be beneath them.

In the vines

Dhondt’s vineyard holdings are geographically particular: the vineyards are spread not only over the famous Chardonnay region of the Côte des Blancs itself, but also in the Sézanne – the slightly sunnier southern neighbour.

The main focus, though, is on the northern part of Côte des Blancs via the famous grand cru village of Cramant, as well as Cuis and Grauves on the other side of the hill, both known to be cooler and later-ripening, with more varied soil types than the pure chalky strictness of the main Côte.

Dhondt released a limited run of wines from a négociant project under his own name in 2024, sourced from bought-in grapes from Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

These are blanc de blancs with pristine, ripe fruit and 100% oak vinification that will appeal to anyone searching for Champagne-level refreshment with Burgundy-like body and complexity.

Although Dhondt himself is resistant to the ‘Burgundy with bubbles’ label sometimes applied to this new-wave style of Chardonnay, feeling it ‘denigrates Champagne’s terroir’.

The style never strays, though, into overt, sweet-toned oakiness or vinosity, despite his professed love for ‘wines with a bit of substance and concentration’ and the continual rotation of new oak in the cellar (which can form up to one third of the barrel usage in some cuvées).

Some of the wines’ crunch and freshness is likely down to the cooler positioning of many of the parcels, and perhaps also down to viticulture, which avoids pesticides, herbicides and synthetic chemical treatments, although is not certified organic.

Geographic imprint

All of Dhondt’s wines today have a strong geographical imprint. The more approachable Sézanne fruit forms the basis of the new entry-level Roc Solare cuvée (from a 2021 base), which replaces the Dans un Premier Temps cuvée.

Terres Fines comes from the cooler villages of Cuis and Grauves, tending to offer a little more precision.

Although more affordably priced, both present fully-realised, expressive examples of Dhondt’s developing style. Both excel, too, at capturing the freshness of the 2021 harvest without some of the angularity sometimes present in this complicated year.

Being a specialist in Cuis, Dhondt also makes Les Nogers, one of the few single-vineyard bottlings of this village.

There are two bottlings from the grand cru of Cramant. The cuvée called Cramant is a blend of two parcels, one in the lieu-dit Les Garennes, and the other from Les Longues Verges which is affected by the court-noué virus which concentrates the grapes.

‘It’s not the stereotypical style for the village,’ Dhondt says, pointing to the richer, deeper soils found in the northerly part of the village.

Le Bateau, also from Cramant, is a single, mostly south-facing 0.14ha site that has the more classic, chalky terroir. The current release of 2019, which Dhondt calls ‘the most beautiful vintage in Champagne in a long, long time,’ is already ascending to the ranks of Champagne’s most sought-after, rare and pricy blanc de blancs.

New to the lineup is the blanc de noirs La Côte aux Vents (‘the windy hillside’), which plays on the fact that Cuis and Grauves have always historically had a fair percentage of the red grape Pinot Meunier planted.

It’s testimony to Dhondt’s viticulture that, even in the torrid 2021 season, he harvested ripe and expressive Meunier, yielding a beautifully sprightly curio in one of the region’s most compelling blanc de blancs portfolios.

Six Dhondt-Grellet wines to try

Related articles

• Where has all the vintage Champagne gone?
• Stars of Champagne’s Côte des Bar
• Best Champagne houses to visit

In Burgundy, broadly speaking, there are two camps of red winemakers – those who destem their grapes, and those who do not.

The former can deliver fine, elegant wines with a very precise red fruit character. Anne Gros is among the most adept in this style.

I have been tasting at Domaine Anne Gros for a number of years. But it was a recent tasting of eight vintages of her Grand Cru Richebourg, organised in New York by wine collector Jim Finkel, that prompted me to look again at this lustrous domaine, because it has proven to be among the top echelon of producers in Vosne-Romanée today.

Scroll down for 15 Domaine Anne Gros wines tasted and rated

The history

The origins of the domaine can be traced back almost 150 years.

According to French historian and writer Jean-François Bazin, the story of the domaine starts with the move of Alphonse Gros (1804-1884) from Chaux in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits to Vosne-Romanée in 1853, but the true founder of the domaine was his son Louis-Gustave, born in 1831.

It was Louis-Gustave who purchased 2ha of a vineyard called Les Vérroilles in 1882. This vineyard was absorbed into Richebourg in the 1920s.

The domaine was expanded by Louis-Gustave’s son Jules and grandson Louis (1893-1951), to include the monopole of the Echézeaux lieu-dit Les Loächausses, and a parcel of nearly a hectare in the Clos de Vougeot, purchased in 1920.

According to Bazin, at its peak, Domaine Louis Gros included 2ha of Richebourg, 2.5ha of the best parts of the Clos de Vougeot, a half-hectare of Grands Echézeaux, the monopole of the Clos des Réas, and others – a grand total of 17.85ha.

Inheritance divisions begin

Louis Gros had four children: Gustave, Colette, François and Jean, who farmed the vineyard together from the death of their father until 1963, when the vineyards were split among them.

Gustave and Colette never married, and cooperatively formed Gros Frère et Soeur (later run by their nephew Bernard, and now by his son Vincent), while François and Jean struck out on their own.

The holdings of Jean Gros were eventually transmitted to his children Michel, Bernard and Anne-Françoise, while those of François were handed down to his daughter Anne, who is in the process of passing the domaine on to her children Paul, Julie and Marine.

The dust is finally beginning to settle on the Gros estates. As each domaine transitions to the next generation, the vineyards of Colette, which had been leased to Gros Frère et Soeur, have now been redistributed among the family.

The vineyards

These family exchanges bring the holdings of Domaine Anne Gros to 8.42ha in Burgundy. The largest surface is a large single parcel of 1.73ha in the village of Concœur, above Vosne-Romanée. This is classified under the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits appellation, with 0.73ha at the base of the slope planted to Pinot Noir, and the steeper slopes near the top (at 400m elevation) planted to Chardonnay.

The domaine also produces regional-level wines from 1.68ha located in Vosne and Flagey. These used to be classified as Bourgogne rouge and blanc respectively, but some have been reclassified as Coteaux Bourguignons.

The village-level Vosne comes from a superb 0.39ha parcel in Les Barreaux that was planted in 1903. Anne Gros purchased the parcel, located at the mouth of the combe that leads to Concœur, in 1988. The soil is limestone scree (grèzes litées), with a high active calcium content.

Anne’s son Paul says: ‘This is the same elevation as [Vosne premier cru] Petits Monts; it is right where the slope turns to face northeast, but otherwise this has everything needed to be premier cru’.

Anne simply describes it as, ‘my baby Richebourg’.

There are also 0.30ha in the Vosne lieu-dit of Aux Communes that Paul will produce, and a 1.1ha parcel of village-level Chambolle-Musigny in the lieu-dit Combe d’Orveau planted in white marl soils. As Anne says, ‘this [Chambolle] is the last parcel in the combe, next to Mugnier.’

The grands crus

The village and regional-level wines of this estate offer great value, but the pride of the domaine is understandably its four magnificent grand cru wines:

Echézeaux: The domaine owns 0.94ha in Les Loächausses, just south of the Echézeaux du Dessus climat in the historic heart of the appellation. This is complemented by 0.34ha in Les Beaux Monts Bas that is now farmed by Paul.

Grands Echézeaux: Anne and her children also acquired a 0.37ha slice of Grands Echézeaux in the 2022 Gros family reshuffle.

Clos de Vougeot: The domaine’s Clos de Vougeot is a Gros family favourite – the wine is voluptuous and accessible, showing well at an earlier age than the Richebourg, which is somewhat slower to open up. The grapes come from a 0.94ha parcel in a very well-regarded section of the vineyard known as Le Grand Maupertui. Anne’s holding was first planted in 1904. It is maintained by what growers call repiquage, where single vines are replaced as needed, but the vineyard as a whole is never replanted.

Richebourg: The jewel in the crown is the 0.62ha of Richebourg, which produces a wine that is slightly more aloof than the Clos de Vougeot, showing a fruit character that takes some time to shine through, firmer tannins, and more prominent acidity. The parcel lies mostly in Les Vérroilles, but a bit overlaps into Les Richebourgs. Part of the parcel is 75 years old, the balance is 50 years old, and both are planted in brown soil with limestone pebbles.

Winemaking

All of the grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The extraction is assured through a combination of gently punching down and pumping over, although Anne says that the Richebourg can support a firmer extraction.

The red wines are generally aged 14 months in barrel, with 20%-40% new oak, depending on the wine.

The whites are destemmed and pressed and the fermentation starts in stainless steel and finishes in barrel, one-quarter new.

Did you know?

The barrels at Domaine Anne Gros are normally sourced from three coopers: Damy, François Frères and Berthomieu/Ermitage (who steam the wood first before toasting it).

The southern French chapter

The family also has a property in the Minervois, Languedoc, where it farms 20ha in the high-altitude, limestone-rich terroirs of the appellation.

There are four accessible, easy-drinking varietal reds bottled under the IGP Côtes du Brian and a white labelled Vin de France, a blend of Vermentino and Roussanne.

In addition to the IGP wines, there is a Minervois from slightly younger vines called Les Fontanilles, and three old-vine cuvées from the Cazelles terroir of the Minervois appellation that reflect specific sites and differing proportions of old-vine Carignan, some of which come from 120-year-old vines.

As Paul and Julie take over more responsibility from their mother, nothing is standing still at Domaine Anne Gros.

Paul has recently launched his own domaine, Domaine Paul Tollot-Gros, vinifying some of the Bourgogne Rouge, village-level Vosne-Romanée and Echézeaux, experimenting with later picking and using some whole clusters.

The Domaine Anne Gros wines, however, remain true to their traditional style.

One can be certain that from the glorious summits of the Richebourg to the juicy, fruit-laden everyday wines from the Minervois, the range of wines at Domaine Anne Gros offers something for every taste and budget.

Domaine Anne Gros wines tasted and rated

Related articles

• Richebourg vs Romanée-St-Vivant: Comparing two of Burgundy’s famous grands crus
• Dauvissat: The wizard of Chablis
• Montrachet 2014: When is the right time to drink up?

Climate change has taught winemakers everywhere to expect the unexpected, but in a marginal climate such as the Loire Valley, every year seems to bring fresh challenges.

In this changing and demanding environment, the art of the vigneron has never been more crucial.

Many of the wines featured in this report of the 2024 and 2023 vintages are made by the tried and trusted producers who, through experience and expertise, manage to craft wonderful wines year in, year out.

Here are some of the newer names to watch.

Scroll down to see the wines to buy from these Centre-Loire stars

Marius Tabordet – Domaine Tabordet, Pouilly-Fumé

Marius Tabordet is the latest to take the helm of this family domaine, founded in the 1960s by his grandfather. He has steadfastly led the charge towards a more natural approach, both in the vineyard (now certified biodynamic) and the winery, where he indulges his creativity by ageing wines in stainless steel, amphorae and oak vats, sometimes without sulphur.

He aims to keep his wines ageing on lees for as long as possible. Marius is at the forefront of initiatives to foster more biodiversity across the region. His wines are models of purity and elegance.

Jean-Philippe Agisson – Domaine S et JP Agisson, Sancerre

Jean-Philippe Agisson worked under Alphonse Mellot for more than a decade before crossing the river to Domaine Didier Dagueneau, where he is currently chief winemaker.

In his spare time, Jean-Philippe has created his own bijou domaine in Sancerre, where he crafts exceptional wines in tiny quantities.

These are understated, refined beauties that are well worth seeking out.

Thibault Denizot – Domaine Denizot, Sancerre

Thibault Denizot is a difficult man to pin down. He’s usually to be found in one of his vineyards. ‘Pruning is his passion,’ says his wife Jennifer, ‘He spends eight hours a day doing this and is very particular about how his vines are pruned.’

Thibault joined the family domaine in 2005, working solely in the vineyards, where he quickly stopped using chemicals. At this time all the fruit was sold to a négociant.

In 2016, he and Jennifer took over and began making their own wine, since when the domaine has gone from strength to strength.

Unsurprisingly, the focus is still very much on the vineyard, now worked organically and biodynamically, and harvested by hand.

Antoine Gouffier – Domaine du Bouchot, Pouilly-Fumé

Pouilly-sur-Loire seems just too quiet for the ebullient Antoine Gouffier, who left home to travel the world and ended up working as a winemaker in South Africa for six years. But he returned home in 2018 to buy Domaine du Bouchot, one of the few organic estates in the appellation and the first to be certified.

He has since converted the 10ha of vineyards to biodynamics (from the 2023 vintage) and produces three bright and textured site-specific cuvées of Pouilly-Fumé, a Pouilly-sur-Loire Chasselas, and an orange wine.

There is doubtless more to come from this energetic young winemaker.

Joseph de Maistre – Domaine de Reuilly & Prieuré de Saint-Céols, Reuilly & Menetou-Salon

Joseph de Maistre grew up in the Centre-Loire area, but was not born into a winegrowing family. He was inspired to study winemaking by his grandfather, a Cognac producer.

After training in France and South Africa he returned home to establish his own business in 2020 with his wife, Marie. Here they manage two domaines, one in Reuilly and the other in Menetou-Salon.

Domaine de Reuilly, formerly owned by Denis Jamain, was converted to biodynamics as long ago as 2011. The new owners have been careful to ensure the continuation of quality wines at the domaine, including whites from Sauvignon, reds from Pinot Noir, and the deliciously unique Reuilly vin gris from Pinot Gris.

The Prieuré de Saint-Céols in Menetou-Salon has a history dating back to 1190. Today’s wines are fresh, modern and good value.

Wines from the Centre-Loire’s rising stars:

Related articles

• Stars of Champagne’s Côte des Bar
• Grand Auxerrois: The go-to region for value Burgundy?
• Loire Volcanique: The renaissance bubbling upstream

A land of freedom and possibility as much today as it has been in the past, South America has long lured winemakers from other continents.

Seduced by dramatic landscapes, unique terroirs, abandoned old vineyards and unexpected winemaking traditions, foreign talent has found in South America’s wine regions a setting for projects that offer equal amounts of challenge and opportunity.

This influx of foreign talent played an important role in the impressive evolution and international visibility of South American wine in the second half of the 20th century.

But since the dawn of the new millennium, local talent has emerged as the real driver of development, innovation and creativity in the ever more vibrant South American wine scene.

Six special wines from South American winemakers plying their trade abroad listed below

Pastures new

Today, some of South America’s best – finding themselves with nothing left to prove at home – are reversing the tide.

Empowered by technical proficiency, entrepreneurial energy and international awareness, they have left their native countries to start exciting new projects in Europe, Australia and North America.

A combination of talent, serendipity and courage – with love and family as catalysts – is the common denominator of the stories of transcontinental success featured below…

Marcelo Retamal

Reta ES

From Chile to Spain

A trio of Spanish terroirs for Chile’s Reta

In 2015, Chilean winemaker Marcelo Retamal travelled to the Sierra de Francia in western Spain in search of roots – literally and figuratively.

‘I went to Spain with the idea of making wine where my family came from,’ explains Retamal, who goes by the name of Reta.

‘And when my wife and I visited in 2015, I thought the place was absolutely incredible – one of the most beautiful in the world, with wild vines growing amid native forest.’

That visit sparked the beginning of Reta ES, the European branch to Retamal’s eponymous Chilean wine label – now spanning three regions in Chile (Maule, Bío Bío and Limarí), and three in Spain (Sierra de Francia, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Rioja Alta).

His first commercial vintage in Spain was 2021. Today he produces just over 12,000 bottles annually from old vines of Rufete (in Sierra de Francia), Palomino (in Sanlúcar) and Garnacha (in Rioja Alta), with plans for more labels and a trebling of overall volume.

Starting out wasn’t easy. As a foreigner without a winery, he had to navigate unfamiliar cultural dynamics and logistical hurdles. ‘In each region, the people are different. It isn’t easy as a foreigner to adapt to each local reality.’

Best of both worlds

He has now found his groove, though, and splits his time evenly between Spain and Chile, following not just the harvests, but the summer. ‘I don’t like the cold or winter, so I follow the sun!’

For Reta, Spain offers a sense of optimism and community that he finds missing at times in Chile. ‘In Spain, even if things aren’t going well, people are positive. There’s a great village life – in the bars, you find producers, friends and wise elders.’

Yet there are challenges. Spain’s stringent denominación de origen regulations have limited his ability to use terms such as ‘Jerez’ or ‘Sanlúcar’ on his labels – even when the grapes come from historic sites.

He contrasts this with Chile’s looser framework and the freedom it affords.

Despite the contrasts, Retamal’s philosophy has remained consistent: interpret the humanised landscape. In Sanlúcar, he makes flor-aged Palomino without fortification; in Sierra de Francia, a Rufete-based field blend from vineyards dotted with cherry and fig trees.

‘Technique is just a means to express a place,’ he says. ‘And Spain, with its human scale, has let me return to wine measured in bottles, not cases.’ @retadechile

Amanda Barnes MW

Rodrigo Soto & Mai Errazuriz

Far Mountain

From Valparaíso in Chile to Moon Mountain, Sonoma, California, USA

An exploration of terroir and community

There’s an intense sophistication to Far Mountain’s wines, labels and winemaker, and a clear intent and strong features that run through all of the project’s elements.

It was with just such intent that Rodrigo Soto and his wife Mai Errazuriz founded Far Mountain in 2018, releasing their first wines the following year.

Born and educated in Chile, Soto started his career at Matetic in the year 2000, in Rosario Valley near the coast west of Santiago, where he was tasked with the pioneering implementation of biodynamic practices.

American viticulturist Alan York was brought in as a consultant at what would become a turning point in Soto’s career.

York introduced Soto to contacts and opportunities in California; Soto and Errazuriz soon headed north for a first stint in the US.

In 2012, they returned to Chile to start a family. But, six years later, an irresistible opportunity for Soto to head operations at Quintessa winery in St Helena lured them back to California.

Upon their return, the couple identified a number of what Soto describes as ‘underestimated vineyards’ and growers with whom they built a close-knit network. ‘Going back and finding those connections was a moment of epiphany,’ he explains.

Thus started Far Mountain, a project sourcing Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from selected partners and plots to produce wines that aim ‘to capture terroir and vintage more vividly’.

The particular focus for this project would be the unique salinity delivered by the vineyards of the Moon Mountain AVA in Sonoma.

Fresh perspective

Soon enough, Far Mountain became not just ‘a side, personal project but a matter of personal realisation’, according to Soto.

He highlights how, as an outsider, it is sometimes easier to identify the opportunities and potential of a place.

‘Every wine region and winemaking community can become very insular,’ the winemaker explains. ‘Moving around allows you to create openings, new connections and bring in new perspectives.’

Soto and Errazuriz indeed brought a fresh set of eyes, ‘unaware of the establishment and without preconceptions’, to Moon Mountain.

‘We don’t need to follow a script: we are writing our own. Creativity in wine is very important,’ he says, highlighting that it’s sometimes easier to be creative away from home.

While Errazuriz still retains her ‘day job’ at Paul Hobbs in Sebastopol, Soto is now solely dedicated to the family project.

Judging by the expressiveness and robust elegance of their wines, it won’t be too long before Errazuriz is able to take the plunge herself. farmountainwine.com

Ines Salpico

Gerardo Michelini & Andrea Mufatto

Michelini i Mufatto

From Mendoza in Argentina to Bierzo, Spain

Growing together in Spain’s rural northwest

‘We were looking for ways to grow and learn more about this marvellous world first-hand,’ explains Michelini. ‘We had always shared a dream to make wine in Europe – and specifically in Spain.’

That dream took shape in 2015 when they arrived – almost by coincidence – in Bierzo, a remote corner of northwestern Spain at the very edge of the Castilla y León region, bordering Galicia.

They were soon captivated by the region’s deep viticultural heritage and astonishing diversity of terroirs.

‘We found this culture with hundreds of years of history,’ says Michelini, ‘and were captivated by the incredible complexity you can achieve with just one single variety – from the changing orientation of the vineyard to the diverse soil types, ranging from slate and clays to calcareous soils.’

They began making wine alongside their son Manu Michelini, who was already active in their family winery in the Uco Valley in Mendoza.

The sensation of making wines in Spain felt immediately different to their experiences in Mendoza.

‘In Argentina we feel like conquerors – able to find new terroirs in higher lands and new places ideal for viticulture,’ Michelini explains. ‘But in Spain it is about discovering what already exists – what has already been done.’

Regional contrasts

The learning curve was not only technical but also cultural. The change in climate was also radical. ‘In Mendoza we have a desert and sunshine, in Bierzo we have shade and humidity,’ he says.

Since 2017, the family has maintained a second home and winery in Bierzo, where the emotional connection is familiar: the respect for old vines and the sense of community.

Living in Spain has also given them an unparalleled opportunity to taste widely, opening their palates and sharpening their perspective.

‘Spain has given us the chance to try so many different wines, an opportunity we didn’t have [with the restricted wine imports] in Argentina,’ adds Michelini, noting how important the experience has been to their personal and professional growth. ‘It gave us the chance to discover what we liked drinking and what wines we wanted to make.’

Their connection with Spain has grown so strong that Manu Michelini now lives there permanently.

In addition to working with the family in Bierzo, he has launched his own project in Rioja under the Dominio del Challao label.

While working at the family winery, in 2017 Manu took a trip east to Rioja Alavesa, where he was immediately captivated by the old vines and deep chalk soils – yet another corner of Spain with untapped potential, waiting to be rediscovered through fresh eyes. @michelini_i_mufatto

Amanda Barnes MW

See here for more wine recommendations from South American winemakers working overseas

Diego Alfredo Ribbert

Legado de Orniz

From Mendoza in Argentina to Toro, Spain

Exploring the untapped potential of Tinta de Toro

‘My trajectory from Mendoza to Toro has been a long, beautiful journey of personal and professional development and discovery,’ says Diego Ribbert. ‘And it’s still ongoing.’

Trained in agronomy with a specialisation in viticulture and oenology, Ribbert accumulated professional experience in Argentina and California before securing a job at Chandon Argentina.

He climbed the ranks at LVMH, the brand owner, eventually becoming estate manager at Terrazas de Los Andes.

Here he enjoyed what he describes as some of the most formative experiences of his career, adding business and commercial acumen to his technical background.

In 2008, when the luxury group bought Numanthia in Toro, in Spain’s northwestern Castilla y León region, Ribbert was sent to set the premium estate in motion under the new ownership.

There he met his now wife Enriqueta Celemín Amaro, who had been hired locally as an agronomist. Amaro had previously worked as an intern in Argentina, and the couple returned there for a spell, but the old vines of Toro had left an indelible mark on Ribbert.

The urge to explore the region’s heritage, and leverage Amaro’s status as the fourth generation of a family of growers, prompted their return and the launch of Legado de Orniz in 2010.

Continental shift

Years of intense work and ‘rock ’n’ roll’ – juggling consulting projects with the development of Legado de Orniz – followed.

In 2019, however, LVMH came calling again, with an offer Ribbert could not refuse, and the family headed back to Argentina where he took a chef de cave position at Chandon.

But the die had been cast and, two years ago, Ribbert and Amaro decided to return again to Toro to focus solely on Legado de Orniz.

It was a decision ‘to commit to our shared path of discovery,’ Ribbert explains, and to the development of a winemaking program that identifies an extraordinary untapped potential in Tinta de Toro – the local name for the Tempranillo variety.

Asked about the challenges of settling in Toro as an outsider (and one with an impressive CV), Ribbert says that it was important to come with an attitude of respect, attention – and wonder.

‘I spent four years living in the village [of San Román de Hornija], just getting to know the people, and understanding the history and traditions. And this is the essence of Legado de Orniz.’ legadodeorniz.com

Ines Salpico

Martin Moran

Mordrelle Wines

From Mendoza in Argentina to the Adelaide Hills, Australia

Science, tradition, courage – and family

Winemaker Martin Moran and Michelle Dreckow have salsa to thank for the existence of Mordrelle Wines – and of their three young sons. It was while dancing that Moran and his now wife met.

Moran – born in Mendoza, and educated as an agricultural engineer specialising in viticulture and oenology – had found himself drawn to Australia, where he worked vintages in Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale.

Meeting Dreckow prompted his decision to settle in the Adelaide Hills and set in motion the events that led to the creation of Mordrelle – the name being a portmanteau of Moran, Dreckow and Michelle, reflecting the partnership between the winemaker and his wife and parents-in-law.

For their wedding, Moran had produced a small batch of traditional-method sparkling wine in his garage. Moran’s enthusiasm – and the quality of the wedding fizz – persuaded Dreckow’s parents to make some land available at their livestock farm for Mordrelle’s winery.

A juggling act

For a few years, Moran juggled the development of his nascent project with a full-time job as a viticultural researcher.

‘My scientific background plays a big part in the way I work,’ he explains.‘Both in Argentina and Australia there are aspects [of winemaking] that I like and others that I don’t subscribe to.’

He incorporates ‘Argentinian traditions, Australia’s more innovative outlook and my personal philosophy’ to create an expressive range of wines that has gained a faithful local following as well as high praise from Australia’s leading wine critics and press.

To Australia he also brought a very Argentinian love of asado, the traditional open-fire barbecue cooking – of which he is, judging by the success of the weekly events he holds, an enthusiastic master – not just as a meal but as a moment of connection and sharing.

These events have played an important role in establishing Mordrelle as a local meeting place, showing – like his wines – a different side of the Adelaide Hills: more colourful and expressive but always technically accomplished. mordrellewines.com.au

Ines Salpico

Alejandro Vigil & Adrianna Catena

El Reventón

From Mendoza in Argentina to Gredos, Spain

Unearthing viticultural relics in Gredos

For Alejandro Vigil and Adrianna Catena, the Sierra de Gredos offered a journey to the past but with the dynamism of a modern movement.

The long-time head winemaker of Catena Zapata had already partnered with the fourth-generation winemaker and heiress of the influential Argentinian winery to launch their own venture, El Enemigo, in Mendoza in the late 2000s.

But a trip to Gredos inspired them to make wines beyond their native borders.

‘It felt like returning to the origins of viticulture,’ says Vigil, reflecting on that first trip that they took together into the mountainous region of central Spain, west of Madrid, where Garnacha vines often more than a century old are rooted in granitic soils and ancient viticultural tradition.

‘It was thanks to our friends at Comando G that the dream was born.’

Vigil and Catena partnered with winemaker Gearóid Lane, fondly known as el irlandes loco (‘the crazy Irishman’), and together – with the support of seasoned Gredos mavericks Dani Landi and Fer García of Comando G – they acquired a rare plot of old vines, of which 6.2ha are now planted and the oldest date back to 1920.

That vineyard, named La Reina, has since been complemented by a handful of other micro-parcels.

In 2022, they vinified their first vintage of Gredos Garnacha under the new label Bodega El Reventón.

A shared narrative

For Vigil, Gredos’ revival mirrors Mendoza’s own viticultural renaissance in sub-regions of the Uco Valley such as Gualtallary.

‘It has similarities in being an old region that’s being rediscovered by a new generation and under a new concept,’ he explains.

The wines, initially a series of five Garnachas, will soon be joined by a white wine made from Albillo, overseen by winemaker Lane.

Learning about the use of whole-bunch fermentation in the making of Garnacha has been the most impactful technical twist of the journey for Vigil – even influencing his approach to making Malbec back at home.

Though winemaking in Spain wasn’t inherently difficult, it demanded a return to basics.

‘The challenge was going back to “zero” – working in a new region, with very simple viticulture,’ reflects Vigil – the winery is fully off-grid, set up to use entirely renewable energy derived from 24 solar panels and battery storage, and the vineyards are managed organically and sustainably.

‘But it was always a beautiful challenge,’ Vigil adds. ‘There is no feeling quite like touching the grapes of those old vines with our own hands.’ bodegaelreventon.com

Amanda Barnes MW

Six wines from South American winemakers abroad

Related articles

• Expert’s Choice: South America’s premium red blends
• Argentina: A vinous powerhouse in South America
• South America newsletter: Sign up today

Last month, Bibi Graetz made a flying visit to the Decanter office in Paddington on his way to Norway.

He had sent ahead an impressive line up of his most recent bottlings, and the few of us who were in the office on a Friday were treated to an in-depth run down of the wines from the enigmatic man himself.

Since his first vintage in 2000, Bibi’s range has steadily grown and evolved. Early vintages were an ode to the predominant style of the time – concentrated and extracted – but he soon realised this wasn’t for him, and the style has gradually changed.

It’s been a journey based on trial and error, but his wines today are more expressive and alluring than ever.

‘I work very wide and let the plants go free’, says Bibi of his viticultural approach. In this way, yields are kept naturally low, and he tells us he hasn’t carried out a green harvest since 2019.

In the past, Bibi relied heavily on bought-in fruit and leased vineyards, however more recently he has been able to buy up more land of his own.

Casamatta was originally conceived as a super-high production red to financially carry the rest of the range, hitting 500,000 bottles in its earliest configuration. But in 2018, the decision was made to support the range in a different way: by showcasing the quality potential.

Numbers of Casamatta were reduced dramatically, starting in 2018, and today it’s a 30,000-bottle production, akin to a second wine of Testamatta.

Of Bambole, a new project, Bibi explains that he wanted to make a duo of wines that would specifically appeal to sommeliers. It also fulfils his desire to continually experiment and iterate.

The white is is single-vineyard old-vine Trebbiano Toscano, a historic but unsung white variety, while the red is a partial whole-cluster Sangiovese from the same vineyard.

What’s in a name?

Soffocone di Vincigliata comes from vines on the hill of Vincigliata, to the east of Fiesole.

Bibi relates that he wanted to find a fitting name and began thinking along the lines of something ending with ‘…aia’ or ‘…one’, influenced by other high profile Tuscan reds, but realised there were so many it had become a bit clichéd.

So he instead named the wine not just after the hill the vines grow on, but also what some hot-under-the-collar teenagers sometimes get up to there. The artwork doubles down on this idea!

The super-limited Balocchi range is Bibi’s artist’s palette, or chef’s pantry. The name means ‘toys’ and the idea is to make interesting wines from small plots of vines – in some instances just a couple of rows – which aren’t used in his other wines.

It’s a project he began in 2020, when we all had a bit more time than usual, and allows him to go off-piste.

Balocchi No.0, for example, is a memorable blend of Chianti’s lesser known varieties, Canaiolo and Colorino, and harks back to the first ever blend of his flagship, Colore.

Testamatta & Colore

Bibi believes Testamatta 2023, the new release, is the best he’s ever made, and I have to agree.

I’ve tasted several verticals of Testamatta and Colore in the past, and you can see a definite change in the wines for the better at around the same time he began incorporating north-facing parcels and more of his own fruit.

The 20% of fruit from Lamole in the 2023 definitely lends to the delicacy and vertical precision in the tricky vintage, and every berry counted in a year when he saw production down from an average 100,000 bottles to 32,000 bottles.

Colore also uses fruit from Lamole in the blend, but Bibi saves the oldest vines for this bottling. They’re around 90 years old and help give Colore its more concentrated, deep character.

The 2023 is a fantastic wine, briny and saline with generous fleshiness, but for me it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Testamatta this year.

Italy newsletter: Sign up today

Get the best recommendations, vintage analysis, regional and cultural insights and more delivered to your inbox once a month, helping you to stay up-to-date with the latest in Italian wine.

Tasting with Bibi Graetz:

Related articles

• The heroic winemakers of Isola del Giglio
• Our expert reveals her 12 favourites from 130 fine wines hitting Bordeaux’s marketplace – including one 100-pointer
• Terre di Pisa: Bridging the coastal and continental styles of Tuscany

This is a story about Ted Lemon and how, 30 vintages in at Littorai, near Sebastopol in California’s Sonoma County, he’s showing us what it looks like to build something genuine that lasts, telling a story worth listening to in one of the most challenging sectors of the American economy.

This isn’t, and can’t be, just another wine story. It is a story about a life lived with intention. About staying when it was hard and shifting when it mattered. About purpose and dedication – because, as psychotherapist and author Esther Perel puts it, ‘purpose is the essential dimension of meaning’.

Ted has been making wine for more than four decades and growing grapes for just as long. Having attained an oenology degree at Dijon University in 1981, he worked until 1984 with some of Burgundy’s most prestigious domaines – Dujac, Roumier, Roulot, Parent – before consulting in New Zealand and eventually returning to California.

A selection of Littorai wines from the 2022 vintage listed below

He has undeniably been a key player in bringing some of northern California’s most celebrated vineyard sites into the spotlight. He’s been nominated for a James Beard Award, credited as the godfather of modern California wine, and has been profiled and praised a multitude of times.

And yet, it still feels like there’s something about the way Ted thinks about sustainability and life in general that hasn’t fully been captured.

Firmly grounded

Ted Lemon’s perspective stretches far beyond the vineyards. What often gets overlooked is his attention to how we, humans and nature, might live in true solidarity, not just in farming, but in being. Ted is one of those people who makes you smile the moment you meet him.

There’s kindness – something good that radiates effortlessly. But alongside the warmth is discipline. Focus. A calm, deliberate assertiveness that can catch you off-guard – not pretentious, just commanding enough to make you sit up straighter.

As one should. I have sat down to taste with Ted one-on-one a few times now, and recently attended a retrospective tasting of Littorai in San Francisco, held to celebrate the estate’s 30-vintage milestone. In every conversation, he has made sure to highlight his role as a farmer first.

‘As I watched people my age and younger sell their businesses because of burnout, the ability to farm really kind of saved me,’ confesses Ted, on what keeps him motivated after 30 years.

And, specifically, biodynamic farming. ‘Suddenly you’re turning all your ideas on their head. I was raised in the Western tradition, believing in Western science, and then I decided to try a completely different paradigm.’

Balance of needs

Ted was 42 years old when he took the leap – in the early 2000s. ‘All of a sudden it was like, okay, everything I think I know… I’m going to challenge myself.’

That’s how he stepped into a system that goes beyond organics – one that treats the vineyard as a living organism, guided by lunar cycles, compost preparations and a deep commitment to biodiversity.

That willingness to pivot – to unlearn, to start over – shows as a form of resilience rooted in integrity. It’s staying true to yourself, even when the map disappears. But what also struck me is Ted’s acknowledgement of the human side of farming – what he calls the ‘social goal’ of his work.

‘It’s how we treat the land,’ he explains, ‘and how we treat the people who work for us and with us. It sounds simple. But the kind of social responsibility Ted speaks to – that balance between the financial needs of the business and the wellbeing of the people behind it – is something we’re collectively failing at, across industries.

‘If you’re serious about biodynamic farming,’ he says, ‘those are the things I think you should be deeply engaged in. You have to be asking yourself those questions: am I treating people correctly? Are things in balance?’

Nothing in excess

Ted’s belief in crafting wines of balance and restraint, with remarkable ageing potential and a true ‘sense of place’, is inseparable from the way he farms and lives responsibly, sustainably and with patience.

When asked about his concerns around climate change, he replies, without hesitation: ‘I think there’s still too much wine in the world, and I think there will be too much wine in the world for a while. We will need to innovate, adopt and adapt in many ways. Rethink our priorities as a society, even.

‘The biggest challenge going forward is the one that nobody wants to talk about in the wine business,’ he continues, ‘which is the excess of wealth. The wine business is very appealing to wealthy people who have made money in other walks of life, and that’s fine.

‘But when that kind of massive wealth enters a business, on the scale that it has in the fine wine business, it distorts everything.’

Massive wealth, he believes, when paired with a mindset of speed and scale, can quietly erode the very sustainability the wine world claims to value. Big money almost always demands fast results: more vineyards, more bottles, more market share.

But wine doesn’t work that way. It’s a craft rooted in patience and humility from the ‘vine up’. When the cost of glass doubles overnight, for example, a billionaire-backed project shrugs while a family-run estate gasps.

‘You know, if you’re a small family winery that doesn’t have other resources, you’re going out of business,’ Ted reflects.

Lasting impact

For Ted, sustainability isn’t just about farming without chemicals – it’s about building a business and a culture that can last. But culture is not a static thing; it’s shaped and sustained through shared experiences.

In speaking with Ted Lemon, it’s evident how much he values mentoring, exchange and ongoing learning. Those who’ve spent years with him – in the cellar, in the vineyard, in life – can attest to that.

Daniel Estrin worked alongside Ted for nine vintages and is now vineyard manager and winemaker at Cristom Vineyards in Oregon. He speaks of Ted not just as a boss but as a role model – the kind of man, father and leader he aspired to become.

‘Someone deeply attuned to the land, to people and to doing the right thing, even when it’s the harder choice,’ he says. ‘Ted doesn’t function like a normal winemaker. There’s no separation between farming and winemaking – they’re one and the same. The wine is just a consequence of the farming. And the people are an extension to all of that.

He adds: ‘He farms the way he does because he wants to leave the land better than the way he found it. It’s a human obligation to him.’

Click here for more Littorai wines from the 2022 vintage

Spiritual dimension

Ted’s relationship with the land is something even he admits is hard to put into words. Critics and even some fellow farmers often dismiss biodynamic farming as unscientific or a little too ‘woo-woo’.

‘The biodynamic community has always struggled between those who were afraid of the spiritual dimension and the population that almost embraced it to a fault,’ he explains.

He adds that to farm biodynamically, one must believe there’s more out there than what we can see. ‘I believe that the spiritual world exists, and I’m always looking for its manifestations – because I believe it shows up in all things. And if you become sensitive, trained and attentive to this other world, you find it in ours.’

When asked the question, ‘Do the vineyards speak to you? What would they say after 30 years of working “together”?’, he jokes: ‘Do better!’

But it’s clear that, for Ted, improvement is not simply a punchline – it’s his guiding principle. I ask whether Ted believes that his biodynamic approach results in better wines.

‘It’s not for me to say whether biodynamic wines are better than organic ones,’ he says. ‘For me, it’s the agroecological effects of farming that matter, and we see those more profoundly in biodynamic vineyards. That they’re contributing to the long-term health of their region – that’s what I care about.’

A taste of Littorai: The 2022 vintage

Related articles

• Sonoma County: 2022 vintage report
• Napa Cabernet 2022: Vintage report and buyer’s guide
• How Thacher Winery uncovered a lighter side to Paso Robles

Is Tablas Creek’s Muscardin the only pure varietal bottling of this grape produced in the world?

Muscardin comes from the Rhône Valley, but I’m not aware of any single-variety bottlings produced there. Or anywhere else for that matter.

Matt’s notes for the Tablas Creek varietal Châteauneuf wines listed below

In fact, before tasting Tablas Creek’s 2023 Muscardin, aside from a few barrel samples in the Rhône, I’d never encountered a pure example of this intriguing red grape.

This bottling represents the culmination of Tablas Creek’s 20-year mission to plant all 16 varieties grown at its sister winery Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

In doing so, it’s shone a light on some esoteric grape varieties that deserve to be better known – some of which are rapidly gaining popularity both in their natural home and abroad.

Tablas Creek’s quest

It all started when Jean-Pierre and François Perrin of Château de Beaucastel got to know Robert Haas, owner of US importer Vineyards Brands.

They spent two decades travelling the US and promoting their wine together, and would often discuss how the hot, dry Californian climate was a good match for the grape varieties of Châteauneuf.

They were so convinced that together they bought a 49ha site in Paso Robles, 12km from the Pacific Ocean in what is now the Adelaida District. They named it Tablas Creek, after the little stream that ran through it. Since Robert’s passing, the estate is now managed by his son, Jason Haas.

When comparing the two terroirs of Châteauneuf and Paso Robles, Haas says: ‘There are more similarities than differences – that’s why we picked this spot’.

Although there are no pudding stones (galets roulés) in Paso, both terroirs have a limestone bedrock.

The way the two properties work is also aligned: both estates are farmed biodynamically and are not irrigated.

But when it comes to the climate in Paso, ‘almost everything is more extreme,’ says Haas.

The difference between summer and winter temperatures, the difference between day and night temperatures, and the rainfall patterns – particularly the harsh drought conditions in Paso between April and November.

Importing the cultivars

To ensure top-quality plant material, the collaborators imported cuttings directly from Beaucastel, the first vines arriving at Tablas Creek in 1990. After a mandatory three-year quarantine period, planting began in 1994.

They started with a handful of key red varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Counoise. The initial white grapes were Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Piquepoul Blanc.

In 2003, they decided to bring over the remaining cultivars found at Beaucastel: Cinsault, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Vaccarèse in red; Picardan, Clairette Blanche and Bourboulenc in white.

Fellow Châteauneuf geeks will have noticed the two interlopers: neither Marsanne nor Viognier are permitted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They are grown at Beaucastel for use in its white Côtes du Rhône Le Coudoulet.

Beaucastel only grows 14 of the 18 permitted Châteauneuf grapes. So what about those remaining four varieties – would Tablas Creek ever consider planting Clairette Rose, Grenache Gris, Piquepoul Gris or Piquepoul Noir?

‘It would be fun… but we have no plans to,’ says Haas.

Why pure?

Given that Beaucastel’s classic Châteauneuf bottlings are blends, and Tablas Creek’s top bottlings are too, you might ask yourself – why are they bottling all these grapes pure?

Firstly, as ‘one of the standard bearers of the Rhône movement in America,’ Haas felt it was important for Tablas Creek to grow the full Beaucastel collection.

And while he admits he ‘wasn’t always expecting greatness,’ he was often amazed at how good some of the more unusual grapes could be.

‘We kept getting surprised,’ he says. Some of them surprised me too.

The tasting

The winemaking style here is all about clarity and precision, so the characteristics of each grape can be easily discerned – there’s no excessive new oak or reductive winemaking to cover up the details.

This range puts a spotlight on classic varietal character – they could even be used in a classroom to illustrate the personality of these different grapes.

Possible exceptions are the lean Viognier and pretty Mourvèdre, both of which are made in a different style to most French examples.

In red, the Grenache and Syrah really show their natural class. Cinsault and Counoise are both seeing something of a reappraisal in the Rhône currently, and these bottlings from Tablas Creek prove that they can do brilliantly elsewhere too.

The Muscardin and Terret Noir shared certain similarities: they are more light and smashable, more about flowers and herbs than generous fruits.

The whites if anything were even more consistent. Marsanne, Roussanne, Clairette and Grenache Blanc are responsible for some of the best whites in the Rhône Valley, and they didn’t disappoint here either.

What surprised me was how well some of the lesser-known varieties performed – the Bourboulenc, Piquepoul and Picardan were also excellent. All three have relatively high acidity, and Haas rightly states that in a warming climate, ‘acid is more valuable than it’s ever been’.

On the back of this tasting, I hope Haas changes his mind about planting those other unsung grapes.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the true value of something that locals take for granted. Hopefully Tablas Creek’s embrace of these more unusual Châteauneuf grapes might encourage more winemakers to give them a chance – both in California and back home in the Rhône.

Pure varietal Châteauneuf

While most Châteauneuf-du-Papes are blends, making single variety wines from any of the 18 permitted grapes is allowed by the appellation.

Here are some examples:

Grenache – pure bottlings are quite common, such as Domaine la Barroche’s Pure, Domaine de la Janasse’s Chaupin and Domaine de Cristia’s Vieilles Vignes

Syrah – Domaine Saint-Paul’s L’Insolite

Mourvèdre – Mas de Boislauzon’s Tintot

Cinsault – Famille Isabel Ferrando’s F601

Vaccarèse – Château des Fines Roches’ Forget me Not is 90% Vaccarèse

Grenache Blanc – Château de Vaudieu’s Clos du Belvédère

Clairette Blanche – Domaine André Mathieu’s Vin di Felibre

Clairette Rose – La Bastide St-Dominique’s Chapelle

Roussanne – Domaine Raymond Usseglio’s Pure Roussanne

Bourboulenc – Domaine de Saint Siffrein’s Le Berlou

Picardan – Château de Vaudieu’s Le Picardan

The Châteauneuf single variety collection at Tablas Creek:

Related articles

• US winery makes history with ‘Châteauneuf-du-Pape grapes’
• Matt Walls picks the 12 best Cornas vintages to open now or save for later
• The best wines to buy from Gigondas in 2022

For many wine lovers around the world, Bordeaux is synonymous with fine wine. Steeped in history and prestige, this renowned French region has long attracted foreign entrepreneurs.

In the late 2000s, there was a surge in château buyouts by Chinese investors, with widespread reports from 2015 putting Chinese ownership at that point at about 1.5% of the region’s 7,000 estates.

That trend is now in reverse, with changing market conditions, falling Chinese domestic demand and financial restrictions meaning that many of those properties are appearing back on the market. Wherever purchasers come from, establishing a presence in Bordeaux remains challenging.

Six expat winemakers and their wines listed below

Vineyard land prices are high, regulations are strict, and navigating the region’s complex appellation system can be daunting.

Yet, expat winemakers are finding ways to make their mark, whether by purchasing vineyards, leasing land or sourcing and bottling wines under their own labels.

Their presence undoubtedly adds diversity to Bordeaux’s deeply traditional landscape while reinforcing the region’s status as a genuinely international wine capital.

So what draws these foreign winemakers to Bordeaux, and what hurdles must they overcome in a region so defined by heritage and exclusivity?

Here are six different stories that portray the many and varied routes people take on their way to settling around Bordeaux.

Sally Evans, UK

Château George 7 – Fronsac

After a roughly 25-year corporate career in France, Sally Evans embraced a bold midlife transformation, leaving behind the consulting world to pursue her passion for wine.

In 2015, she founded Château George 7 in the Fronsac appellation on the Right Bank. She acquired a parcel of 35-year-old Merlot vines and transformed a dilapidated property into a thriving winery and tourism destination.

Nestled in the village of Saillans, her 3ha boutique winery produces outstanding wines, showcasing the unique character of Fronsac’s clay and limestone soils. At first, Sally says, no one took her seriously, seeing her as a crazy British woman spending her money, but her passion changed people’s minds.

‘I am small, but I make a lot of noise,’ she declares with a cunning smile. Beyond winemaking, Sally is an accredited tutor with the Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux and a passionate advocate for wine tourism.

She has created immersive experiences, from vineyard tours to apéros on her sunlit terrace, blending her love of hospitality with her expertise in wine. At 63, she isn’t ready to retire.

‘George 7 is not the end of my story,’ says Sally, who’s intent on selling the property one day and moving on to another adventure.

Martin & Charlotte Krajewski, UK

Château Séraphine & Clos Cantenac – Pomerol & St-Emilion

After a successful career in executive recruitment in the City of London, Martin Krajewski turned his attention to wine. In 2016, he purchased what became known as Château Séraphine in Pomerol and began crafting refined, expressive Merlot-based wines that quickly won critical acclaim.

His innovative mindset extends beyond Bordeaux – he co-founded Aristea Wines in South Africa and Songlines Estates in Australia, and even launched Norway’s first new private distillery since 1927.

Working alongside his daughter Charlotte, the winemaker and technical director of both Bordeaux estates, Martin continues to push boundaries.

As the owner of Château de Sours from 2003 until 2015, he was a key figure in the revival of Bordeaux rosé and he has continued that tradition by creating the complex and serious 100% Merlot L’Exuberance du Clos Cantenac Rosé in Entre-deux-Mers.

Charlotte sees Pomerol as more welcoming and less competitive than the rest of Bordeaux, as there is no official classification of estates and the appellation itself is small.

She remembers that when they bought Château Séraphine, Jacques Thienpont of Le Pin knocked on their door, asking if they needed any help. They’ve made many other good friends since then!

Nea Berglund, Finland

Château Carsin – Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux

Born in 1990, the same year her family acquired Château Carsin, Nea Berglund grew up immersed in winemaking, spending her school years among the vines of this historic Bordeaux estate.

Today, as the CEO and winemaker, she is dedicated to showcasing Château Carsin’s terroir authenticity through sustainable and expressive wines. Under her leadership, Château Carsin achieved organic certification in 2022.

The estate in Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux spans 17ha of traditional white and red Bordeaux grapes. In 2024, Nea planted a small parcel of Grenache, a surprise for her father, who is a big fan of Château Rayas in the southern Rhône.

A proud advocate for biodiversity, Nea has introduced agroforestry, beekeeping and a vegetable garden to the estate, further enriching its ecosystem. With her Finnish heritage and Bordeaux roots, Nea effortlessly redefines traditions and mingles cultures.

She organises events at the estate, serving Finnish and international food such as lohikeitto (Finnish salmon soup) and pizzas. Nea feels that being a foreigner isn’t a disadvantage but an opportunity to attract curious clients.

After 10 years at the estate, Nea is perfectly integrated into the local terroir. ‘The only thing I miss here is a Finnish sauna!’ she says.

Osamu Uchida, Japan

Domaine Uchida – Haut-Médoc

Born in Hiroshima in 1977, Osamu Uchida’s journey into wine began early – his parents ran a delicatessen, and he was captivated by French culture from a young age.

A chance encounter with a colleague passionate about German wines sparked his desire to explore the wine world further. In 1999, with limited savings and a thirst for knowledge, he arrived in Bordeaux.

Over the years, he has visited more than 300 wineries across France, gaining experience in natural winemaking from Savoie to Côte-Rôtie and Banyuls. Osamu formalised his training with a viticulture and oenology degree in Vayres before returning to Japan to work for a wine importer.

However, the wish to create his own wine proved too strong. Despite being advised against Bordeaux, let alone the Médoc, he embraced the challenge, leasing 0.6ha in Cissac-Médoc in 2015.

A passionate runner, Osamu integrated into the region through the Pauillac running club, forging valuable connections with top Médoc estates.

Today, he cultivates nearly 3ha under organic and biodynamic principles, incorporating agroforestry.

Though produced in small quantities, his wines are remarkable: elegant and precise, following the Japanese philosophy of simplicity, purity and harmony.

Namratha Prashanth, India

Solicantus – Pomerol, Blaye & Entre-deux-Mers

Namratha Prashanth’s journey to Bordeaux in 2017 was one of resilience. Leaving behind domestic violence and an extremely traditional family in India, she pursued her passion for wine.

‘For an Indian, Bordeaux equals wine,’ says Namratha, explaining her choice of a French city to move to. After finishing her MBA in a business school in Bordeaux, she desperately sought a job, sending out more than 100 CVs – all in vain.

This is how she decided to start her own business. Solicantus became the realisation of a dream. It was born from a meeting between Namratha and fourth-generation grower Corinne Chevrier, from Blaye.

Together, the two women crafted Namratha’s first wine. Today, she produces three wines under the Solicantus brand: a white from Entre-deux-Mers, a red from Blaye and a Pomerol.

Namratha is taking care of her teenage daughter, whom she managed to bring from India after years of separation. She’s also writing a book that will tell her story.

‘No one took me seriously at first,’ she says, ‘but I continued to fight, having in mind all the women who suffer violence in India. I owe my success to them.’

Stan & Natalia Zingerenko, Russia

Château La Favière – Libournais

Stan Zingerenko and his wife Natalia, originally from St-Petersburg, fell in love with Bordeaux during a visit in 2009. Their admiration for French culture and fine wines led them to settle in the region.

In 2011, they acquired Château La Favière, nestled on the northern slopes of the St-Emilion plateau. The estate spans 65ha, with 18.5ha dedicated to vineyards on clay-limestone soils, producing elegant blends of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon under the Bordeaux Supérieur AP, as well as a range of other red, white and sparkling wines.

With guidance from renowned oenologist Louis Mitjavile, the Zingerenkos have refined their winemaking philosophy. More than just a wine estate, Château La Favière has become a cultural hub, hosting events such as concerts.

Natalia’s mother is a musician, and Martin, the Zingerenkos’ elder son, is a ballet dancer, so the family has an inherent affinity to music and theatre. Their wines even bear names inspired by the arts, including Opéra, L’Arlequin and Almée.

Bordeaux wines by expat winemakers

Related articles

• Our expert reveals her 12 favourite fine wines hitting the market this autumn
• Decanter Value Index: The best first growth vintages for collectors
• Château de la Rivière sold to Global Food Investments

Warren and Gillian Lilleyman had no idea what they were doing when they planted a vineyard in Margaret River in southwest Western Australia in 1988.

The first vines in the region had only gone in the ground two decades earlier.

Like the region’s pioneer Tom Cullity, Warren was a doctor – an amateur enthusiast with no prior experience in the world of wine. And yet the couple – who live next to the vineyard and still own it – planted a near-perfect parcel of vines.

Subscribe today to read all Decanter Premium articles

Maintaining a rich legacy

‘They just nailed it,’ says Theo Truyts – he and his wife Clare Trythall are the current custodians of the 2.7ha site.

Although the Lilleymans received some guidance from Dr Mike Peterkin (who founded nearby Pierro winery and planted the first vines there in 1980), there seems to have been a lot of luck involved.

Perched on a gentle slope, with richer soils at the foot turning into poorer gravel-loam as you cross the vineyard, it sits at the northwestern edge of Wooditjup National Park, not far outside the town of Margaret River itself.

The vines, many of which are now more than 35 years old, are producing exceptional fruit – in particular Chardonnay (all GinGin, the most common clone in Margaret River, which produces berries of various sizes, lending particular concentration and complexity to wine), but also tiny parcels of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon.

Right place, right time

But the vineyard very nearly disappeared. For a decade, it was leased by Pierro, where Theo used to work, and he saw the quality of fruit the site produced year in, year out.

When he heard in May 2019 that Pierro was giving it up, the vineyard’s fate was uncertain.

The site is painstaking to farm, with the relatively tight 1m x 1.8m vine spacing (reflective of Peterkin’s approach at Pierro) meaning that everything has to be done by hand.

‘It’s just close enough that you can’t do anything with a machine,’ says Theo, laughing. And the age of the vines means the yields are low. Few find such a challenge economically appealing. Theo, however, did.

He firmly believed that it was an important part of Margaret River’s wine heritage that shouldn’t be lost.

Clare evidently knew what was coming (‘You were primed,’ she says, smiling as she recalls her husband’s predictability) and together they decided to take the plunge: they signed the lease, thereby securing the site’s future, and created Trait Wines with the 2019 vintage.

Hard graft

Born in South Africa, Theo has made wine around the world (his impressive CV includes names such as Yves Cuilleron in the northern Rhône, Hartford Family in California and Vasse Felix in Margaret River, alongside Pierro) and settled in Margaret River for good after meeting Clare, who’s British but was born in Japan and spent her early years in Asia, with parents in the shipping trade.

Theo still works full-time at Wildberry Springs, while Clare remains a doctor in emergency medicine – and then there’s the small matter of three young boys and Bertie, the adorably scruffy Labradoodle that completes the family.

Soon after they took the site on, the pandemic hit – not exactly easing them into the project. In late 2020, Theo, Clare and her sister Laura grafted 0.3ha of Sauvignon Blanc over to Chardonnay by hand.

Without the usual influx of labour at the subsequent harvest, Clare recruited medical students to come help pick, bussing them in from Busselton further north. Theo set to work nurturing the site and its soils, which are already showing a notable uptick in health.

The Trait approach is, in a word, ‘pragmatic’: working with what they can to make the most of the vineyard, which is almost entirely worked by hand.

They’re buying in additional parcels to make a little red and rosé, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, so far, to complement the whites made from their own vines.

The winemaking is, Theo tells me, ‘supersimple’. Everything they do is about letting the site shine through – while also wanting to make sure that their wines can age.

Proudly independent

Trait doesn’t have its own winery – the wines are currently made at Aravina Estate in Yallingup.

Theo and Clare are not bankrolled by other ventures or outside investors; the funding here is all blood, sweat and tears. Pair all of that with a special vineyard and you have something rather extraordinary.

The way in which the duo talks about the vineyard and the winemaking reveals just how much they care about the project – and how much they’re pouring into it.

And the results are already exciting. They may only be producing 10,000 bottles a year in all, but the wines are rapidly earning a reputation in Australia – and soon, no doubt, beyond.

Trait Wines’ flagship Chardonnay:

Related articles

• Ocean drive: the cool climate wines of Mornington Peninsula
• Decanter Cellar: 25 glorious white & rosé wines to see out the summer in style
• Australia & New Zealand newsletter: Sign up today

Some vintages have clear identities. In Gigondas, the 2019s for example are wilful, energetic wines, while the 2018s are softer and juicier.

The 2022 vintage is harder to pin down. The best way of describing it, both in climate and style, is a vintage of extremes.

The wines occupy a broader stylistic spectrum than a typical year, even within the range of a single producer.

But if you sidestep the unbalanced wines – there are many with tough tannins and high alcohols – the best wines will age for decades.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ best 2022 Gigondas wines in bottle

A harsh season

The extreme nature of the wines comes as no surprise: 2022 was the hottest and driest year on record in the southern Rhône.

‘The summer was very hot, scorching even,’ says Julien Brechet of Domaine des Bosquets, ‘and very dry. Temperatures sometimes reached 42°C.

‘Fortunately the cool Dentelles massif and the morning shade cast over the vineyard helped us hold our ground,’ he continues. ‘The sunshine is strong but less scorching than on the plains.’

Romain Saurel of Domaine Saint-Damien says that spring was extremely dry, with less than 200mm of rainfall between December and July.

Thankfully there was a storm on 14 August, which ‘really saved the quality of the vintage,’ he says.

Further small rains later in August and September also helped the vines stay on track, but young vines suffered.

Brechet had to manually water his young vines 11 times between June and August to keep them alive. Old vines coped much better.

This is a vintage where Grenache really shows its worth. The Syrah-heavy blends were often impenetrably tough and tannic, whereas the Grenache-based wines were more juicy, vibrant and balanced.

See Matt Walls full report on the 2022 vintage in the Rhône here

Tannin and texture

Very hot, dry vintages can sometimes lead to jammy or raisined fruit flavours but that’s not the case in 2022.

Despite the conditions – and the fairly low acidities – the wines do have a good sense of freshness.

Nonetheless, the hot, dry conditions left a strong imprint on the wines.

For Jérôme Rathle, 2022 marked his second vintage. His new estate, Domaine des Florets, is one to watch.

‘The lack of rain limited fungal diseases, but the high temperatures led to small berries and ultimately low yields,’ he says, ‘the Syrah berries looked like blueberries.’

This meant a high skin-to-juice ratio in the grapes, which made for some very tannic wines.

Another effect of the hot weather was that some vines shut down and stopped ripening, which can lead to green tannins – further impacting some wines’ textures.

So the main question surrounding the tasting was this: will the tannins ever soften and come round?

For a good number of the 76 wines I tasted, I suspect the answer is no, they won’t. Those wines aren’t included in my selection.

But winemakers that achieved balanced grapes and mastered their tannin management produced some thrilling, chiselled and assertive wines.

Key takeaways: Wines for the cellar

Those drinking well already are in the minority; even for the wines you could broach today, most will improve with a few more years in bottle.

This is a vintage that will reward the patient.

Brechet agrees: ‘The 2022 vintage will likely be a great ageing vintage in Gigondas, thanks to the balance of the great high-altitude terroirs.’

He believes his Regard Loin could age for over 30 years, and I wouldn’t bet against him.

It’s worth adding that it’s not just the higher elevation terroirs that turned out great wines in 2022; some of the lower altitude plots on the Cône also performed well, such as those from Saint-Damien and Montirius.

Most of all, 2022 is a vintage where the best winemakers really rose to the top.

Love French wine? Sign up to Decanter’s France newsletter here

Best 2022 Gigondas in bottle:

30 wines are listed below, see all 37 of Matt Walls’ recommedations here

Related articles

• Walls: Rhône reds lighten up
• Walls: Gigondas 2013 and 2014 – time to drink up?
• Gigondas to produce white wines

In the centre of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits lies a jewel: the village of Vosne-Romanée.

There are a remarkable six grands crus within this village, not to mention Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux in the neighbouring village of Flagey-Echézeaux.

Each of the grands crus in Vosne-Romanée proper – Richebourg, Romanée-St-Vivant, Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, La Grande Rue and La Romanée – is famous in its own right.

Four of the six are monopoles – wholly owned by a single proprietor – yet the neighbours Richebourg and Romanée-St-Vivant, split among several owners, make for perhaps the most intriguing comparison.

Subscribe today to read all Decanter Premium articles

The parallels

The two vineyards share common points. The most obvious of these is their proximity – much of Richebourg lies directly up the slope from Romanée-St-Vivant.

The bedrock under the topsoil of both is almost all from the Bajocian stage of the Middle Jurassic.

For the most part, the vineyards also face the same direction.

They share a further common point, which can be just as important: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is the largest owner of each, with 43.7% of Richebourg and 56% of Romanée-St-Vivant.

The courtyard at the winery of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti looks out over the Romanée-St-Vivant vineyard. From this vantage point, it is difficult to tell where one grand cru ends and the other begins, although there is in fact a small vineyard road that divides them.

Despite the similarities, a tasting with the directors of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti suggested that the differences between the two were perhaps even more important than the superficial likeness.

Opposing orders

Let’s go back to the beginning. From the earliest surviving records we can see that each vineyard was originally tended by different sets of monks.

The base of the slope was jealously guarded by the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye St-Vivant de Vergy for centuries, while the vines further up the slope were made famous by the Cistercian monks of Cîteaux.

Deep dive: Romanée-St-Vivant

Manassès I, count of Chalon and Beaune, and one of the powerful lords of Vergy, granted the Abbaye St-Vivant de Vergy its first vineyards, endowing the vineyard of Romanée-St-Vivant to the monks in 900AD.

Two hundred years later, his initial donations were confirmed and expanded by Hugues II, Duke of Burgundy, between 1103 and 1143.

The Abbey eventually owned most of the vineyards of Vosne and neighbouring Flagey.

The most important though were the four adjoining clos originally granted to the abbey: Cloux (or Clos) des Neuf Journaux (a ‘journal’ being a medieval unit of land measurement equivalent to 34 ares or 340m²), Clos du Moytan, Clos des Quatre Journaux, and Clos des Cinq Journaux.

This last clos, which the abbey sold off in 1584, would later become Romanée-Conti when it was acquired by the Prince of Conti in the 18th century.

The other three clos remained with the monks and came to be known, collectively, as Romanée-St-Vivant (the first mention of the name dating to 1765).

The abbey’s vineyards were confiscated during the French Revolution, and Romanée-St-Vivant was sold to Nicolas-Joseph Marey.

Marey, a local politician and deputy to the Assemblée Nationale, married Jean-Charlotte Monge of Pommard, and the couple amassed one of the most significant vineyard holdings in Burgundy in the 19th century.

The majority of Romanée-St-Vivant (5.29ha) remained with Domaine Marey-Monge until it was leased to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1966. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was able to purchase these vines in 1986, and today owns more than 56% of the entire appellation in one large block.

Other owners

The fragmentation of the vineyard began much earlier, however. Madame Marey-Monge sold the southern part known as the Clos des Quatre Journaux to the Latour family in 1898. They would, in turn, sell some of those vines as well, though the family still owns a portion which is labelled as such.

Over time, the rest of the vines from Quatre Journaux were subdivided into smaller parcels and are now owned by Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Domaine de l’Arlot, the investor Wilf Jaeger (sharecropped by Domaine Dujac) and Domaine Sylvain Cathiard.

LVMH recently purchased a portion that had belonged to Domaine Poisot.

Meanwhile, Marey-Monge sold a further two hectares at the northern end of the vineyard to Domaine Charles Noëllat.

Half of this was then sold to Lalou Bize-Leroy in 1988, making Domaine Leroy the second-largest proprietor of the appellation.

The remainder was then split between Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat and their in-laws at Domaine JJ Confuron.

Deep dive: Richebourg

The origins of adjoining Richebourg, just up the slope, are not quite as venerable as those of Romanée-St-Vivant but the name is attested to much earlier, with a reference in 1512.

Historian Jean-François Bazin relates that it was known as La Gueuppe in the 16th century, while it was the property of the Abbaye St-Vivant de Vergy.

The abbey sold portions of these vineyards to several other monastic orders, including the Cistercian order based at nearby Cîteaux, who worked the vines themselves and made the wine in their château at Clos de Vougeot.

According to Bazin, Richebourg’s later renown was due to the efforts of the Cistercians, and during the French Revolution, the vines were appraised at nearly the same price as adjacent Romanée-Conti and La Romanée.

The ownership of Richebourg has always been much more fragmented than that of Romanée-St-Vivant, and plots were sold throughout the 19th century.

In the early 20th century, there was a brusque expansion of the vineyard just as the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée laws were put in place.

The original nucleus of the vineyard was the 5.05ha lieu-dit called ‘Les Richebourgs’, bordered by Romanée-Conti and La Romanée to the south and Romanée-St-Vivant to the east.

The Vérroilles ‘controversy’

To the north, it is bound by another lieu-dit originally called ‘Les Vérroilles-sous-Richebourg’.

Les Vérroilles is steeper, and the slope turns to face slightly northeast, making it slightly cooler and later-ripening.

Unlike Les Richebourgs, it is also exposed to the cool air delivered by the valley called the Combe Brulée.

For this reason, some observers have wondered if the wine is of the same level as Les Richebourgs.

In fact, in the 1920s, several producers (including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) sued the owners in Les Vérroilles to prevent their wine from being sold as Richebourg.

However, they lost their case, and Vérroilles was subsequently fused to Richebourg at the creation of the appellation in 1936.

The majority of Domaine de la Romané-Conti’s Richebourg holdings are in Les Richebourgs and were assembled by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet, founder of the domaine, in the 19th century.

The domaine also owns one plot in Les Vérroilles, acquired after Duvault-Blochet’s death. This plot, however, has recently been replanted, and the grapes are not included in the most recent vintages; which some say has resulted in a more focused and concentrated wine.

Most of the other proprietors in Les Richebourgs acquired their vines in the 19th or early 20th century, including Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair, Domaine Charles Noëllat (now divided between Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat and Domaine Leroy), Domaine Jean Grivot and Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret.

In the 19th century, ownership of Les Vérroilles passed to the Camuzet and Gros families, who still own most of it (with Domaine Gros now split into three separate domaines by inheritance).

Slopes and soils

This being Burgundy, when we begin to examine the character of the wines of each site, key points of difference are the soil and the gradient of the vineyards.

In Richebourg, the soil is seldom more than 30cm in depth, whereas in Romanée-St-Vivant, it is nearly 90cm deep in some sections.

Romanée-St-Vivant is also relatively flat. The vineyard ranges from 247m to 265m in altitude, with a gradient of 2%-7%.

The slope is more pronounced in Richebourg, ranging from 265m to 290m, with an average gradient of 12%.

When we look at Burgundian vineyards, those on flatter gradients with deeper soils tend to be more fruit-forward and approachable, while those from the steeper slopes have more structure and take a little longer to unfurl in both the bottle and glass.

This is why the best Burgundian crus tend to be found on the mid-part of the slopes of the Côte d’Or, striking a balance between fruit and tannins.

Tasting the differences

Lo-and-behold, this truth is demonstrated by the distinct taste of the wines produced from Romanée-St-Vivant and Richebourg.

Some differences can be chalked up to winemaking, but there is a distinctive style for each grand cru that cuts across all producers.

Wines from Romanée-St-Vivant are often aromatic and forward, displaying red and black fruit characters, floral notes and occasionally a hint of spice. The texture is fleshy and mouth-filling, with a full body, supple tannins and generous extract.

Wines from Richebourg, by contrast, can be a bit shy. They often take longer to reveal their charms, which can be hidden in their youth by a wall of minerality. The body is less supple and generous, but more concentrated, tannic and deep.

The nearest parallel for Richebourg is often Romanée-Conti. As with its noble neighbour, wine lovers will be rewarded by a wait of 20 years from the vintage before opening and then enjoyed over the next 50.

Romanée-St-Vivant at its best can evoke La Tâche. If it sometimes lacks the longevity of Richebourg, it can frequently be enjoyed earlier – try it after 10 years in the cellar.

Pinot Noir at its finest

Both Richebourg and Romanée-St-Vivant are sublime terroirs for Pinot Noir, yet the wines they produce are distinctly different.

Although they sit nearly one on top of the other, the individuality of each vineyard makes its way through the winemaker into the glass and on to the taster.

One forward, voluptuous and sensual, the other reserved and concentrated, almost imperious.

Both are to be supremely enjoyed, each in its own time.

At a glance: Richebourg vs Romanée-St-Vivant

Richebourg

Size: 8.03ha

Number of domaines with holdings: 11

Aspect: East, slightly northeast for Les Vérroilles

Elevation: 260m-290m

Incline: 12%

Topsoil: 30cm

Subsoil: Bajocian marls

Wine profile: Reserved, elegant, structured

Romanee-St-Vivant

Size: 9.44ha

Number of domaines with holdings: 10

Aspect: East

Elevation: 247m-260m

Incline: 2%-7%

Topsoil: 90cm

Subsoil: Crinoidal limestone

Wine profile: Exuberant, approachable, round

DRC: Richebourg vs Romanée-St-Vivant comparison

Related articles

• DRC 2022 in bottle: 12 wines tasted and rated
• Uncovering Burgundy’s underrated premier cru vineyards
• Dauvissat: The wizard of Chablis

‘This wine is a lot of work,’ says Laurent-Perrier oenologist Constance Delaire as we taste the current release of the house’s Cuvée Rosé, one of Champagne’s best-known rosés.

Most rosé Champagne is made using the assemblage method, which sees red wine from Pinot Noir added to a white base wine before bottling for the second fermentation.

Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé, on the other hand, is made using a different method, and it’s an approach that many Champagne houses would consider unthinkably complex for making a rosé at scale.

Scroll down for notes and scores for Laurent-Perrier’s rosé Champagne

Although commonly referred to as saignée in Champagne, the method used by Laurent Perrier is more accurately described as maceration.

Outside of Champagne, saignée technically refers to rosé wines made from bleeding off pale must from red wine ferments.

In Champagne, however, saignée is used, albeit inaccurately, to refer to rosés made from red grapes which are destemmed, macerated for a precise amount of time to extract colour and flavour, pressed, and then fermented.

It is usually the preserve of small Champagne producers and growers, due to how labour-intensive it can be.

Such are the demands of this method, in fact, that Laurent-Perrier has built an entire winery dedicated solely to this one cuvée.

True dedication

Olivier Vigneron, the new cellar master at Laurent-Perrier, joins our tasting late, having been checking in on his wines after a few weeks of travelling.

‘I’m a cellar master of the cellar, really,’ he says, as opposed to a public ambassador for the house, as many other cellar masters are today.

‘At harvest time, Olivier and Michel would pretty much sleep next to the tanks for Cuvée Rosé,’ Delaire says of Vigneron and longtime predecessor Michel Fauconnet, who still consults at the house.

The making of a rosé icon

‘You have to start in the vineyards with a very strict selection,’ says Delaire, ‘the whole harvest for the rosé goes through a sorting table’.

This in itself is fairly extraordinary in Champagne. Sorting tables are vibrating units where individual bunches, or indeed grapes, are picked over by hand. They are a rare sight, except for top prestige rosé production.

‘We keep only the berries, separated by village, in cold maceration for 48 to 72 hours,’ says Delaire.

Perhaps sleeping next to the tanks doesn’t seem so crazy after all: the timing for pressing off the juice before it becomes too extracted is crucial.

‘You can miss it, even by an hour,’ says Vigneron.

So what’s the point of this process? ‘The idea is to get perfect extraction of the fruit,’ says Delaire.

Laurent-Perrier’s rosé comes out a shade darker than many.

Thanks to its 100% Pinot Noir makeup (compared to most rosé Champagne which also includes some Chardonnay and Meunier), it is fragrant and rich in red fruit characters.

What’s more, thanks to long lees-ageing (unusual for a non-vintage Champagne), there’s none of the slightly raw youthfulness that saignée – maceration – styles can sometimes display.

The current releases are based on the excellent pair of vintages, 2019 and 2018.

A step further

As if Laurent-Perrier’s unique approach to non-vintage rosé production wasn’t enough, its Grande Cuvée Alexandra Rosé has an equally unusual conception.

‘We wait for the maturity of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at the same time’, says Delaire – meaning this cuvée can only be made when the two grape varieties ripen concurrently.

It’s a sort of hybrid winemaking, where a strict selection of Pinot Noir – all from grand cru villages on the Montagne de Reims – is macerated and added to freshly pressed grand cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.

‘It’s a really complicated wine to make,’ she says.

Complicated it may be, but the grand cru Chardonnay brings excellent longevity, which means this exceptional bottling can age into one of Champagne’s greatest rosés.

As we taste a library edition of the 2007 release, its beautiful aromas of dried strawberries, preserved citrus, truffle honey and pastry cream fill the room.

The colour has started to turn a little copper, and the mousse settles into silky maturity.

It’s a fine reminder of something that the team at Laurent-Perrier knows extremely well: sometimes you have to do it the hard way to get the greatest result.

Laurent-Perrier rosé:

Related articles

• Champagne releases for spring & summer 2025
• Petite Montagne, grand ambition: Ten top wines from an exciting corner of Champagne
• First taste: Dom Pérignon’s new P2 2008 released with artistic flair

To paraphrase Shakespeare: some are born into vineyards, some buy vineyards, and some have vineyards thrust upon them.

It was the last of these three that destiny chose for Saskia Goetschy.

But arriving in the Rhône with fresh eyes has granted her and her husband Maurice Goetschy an original interpretation of Lirac and Tavel.

Scroll down for notes and scores for Château Boucarut wines

New beginnings

Saskia spent her childhood in Malaga, southern Spain, where her father was a workaholic lawyer. Her mother wanted the family to spend more time together, so they looked at some properties in rural France.

‘One day, my father came back from the office,’ says Saskia, ‘and he said “remember that house with the vineyards? Well I bought it.”’

And just like that, she had to pack her things and move to France.

This was in 1993 when she was still a kid. Was it as magical as it sounds? ‘No, it was really stressful!’ she says, ‘Changing life, changing country, not knowing the language… but I had no choice!’

The property, deep in the vineyards of Lirac, was a large mas called Château Boucarut that dates back to 1758.

To begin with they needed somewhere else to stay as the buildings required significant renovation. Saskia’s mother got talking to a local man one day who happened to be launching his own winemaking career, and he had enough space to put them up.

As luck would have it, this man turned out to be star winemaker Rodolphe de Pins of Château de Montfaucon. Saskia’s family lodged in his château for two years.

To Luxembourg and back

After school, Saskia studied law, then moved to Luxembourg where she worked at a legal firm for 12 years.

It was there she met Maurice, and they spent holidays together at Château Boucarut. They dreamt about spending their distant retirement on the property making wine.

When a block of vines that bordered the property came on the market, Saskia realised they simply had to buy it – or forever be blamed by future generations for missing the opportunity.

For two years they tried to manage the vineyards from Luxembourg but it proved impossible.

In 2019, they decided to give up their careers in law and return permanently to Boucarut.

Back to the vines

By the time they returned, they had already started converting the vineyards to organic.

‘There was no option,’ says Maurice, ‘by that time, everybody knew it worked.’

He believed it was crucial to maintain local biodiversity. ‘But you have to go further,’ he says.

A common way to control weeds and unwanted grass without herbicides is to plough the soils mechanically, but he’s not satisfied with this option either.

He believes that ripping up the earth disrupts the life within the soils, including elements you can’t see, like networks of mycelia.

‘If you put a cat in a blender, it’s not a cat anymore,’ he says.

They’re working towards no-till farming, where the soils are not ploughed and or worked, and their eventual intention is regenerative viticulture – an approach that prioritises improvement of soil health.

In the winery, they work with as little manipulation as possible – no commercial yeasts or added enzymes, no sulphites before bottling and no fining or filtration.

They cite the great Eric Pfifferling of Domaine l’Anglore as an inspiration.

Outsider’s vision

The result is a range of wines with vibrancy, immediacy and drinkability.

In natural wine circles, you sometimes hear people talking about ‘living wines’.

Wines aren’t literally alive, of course; but when you taste these wines, the expression makes sense.

I’m sure many newcomers envy those who are born into winemaking families, inheriting vines, wineries and full cellars.

But not all legacies are desirable. Sometimes complacency and blinkered sight comes with the territory.

‘We didn’t have the heritage of parents, grandparents… we could begin more or less from zero,’ says Maurice.

It allows them to make a fresh read of this old terroir – and come up with something deliciously original.

Discover the wines from Château Boucarut:

Related articles

• Walls: Rhône reds lighten up
• Walls: The joy of sand
• Walls: Reflections on what makes cuvée Boisrenard so spéciale

Sherman Thacher has occasionally pulled his young son, Cody, out of school to help with harvest and light winemaking – an ironic twist, given that Thacher’s great-grandfather founded the well-known Thacher School in Ojai.

The school was known for its balance of academics and rugged outdoor learning, including the care of horses. In the Thacher family, it seems, learning has always taken many forms, and true to the family tradition, it happens through hands-on experience.

Sherman Thacher’s personal education started outside the classroom, growing up on an orange orchard in Ojai, surrounded by nature, where his mother rang a triangle to call him and his brothers back to the house for meals.

He later attended a British boarding school, thanks to his English mother’s influence, before finishing high school in Santa Ynez.

This was not a typical high school experience, as the students lived in log cabins and chopped wood to heat both their rooms and the water for their afternoon showers.

To this day, Thacher heats his home with a wood-burning stove.

Scroll down for a selection of 10 wines from Thacher Winery

From beer brewer to Paso winemaker

As a student at the University of California at Davis, Thacher didn’t study oenology, but tagged along with friends in the fermentation lab. There, he tasted student-made beer and wine, which sparked an early interest.

Beer was his first career, and after a few years, he became brewmaster at Los Gatos Brewing Company. In 1993, Thacher produced his first wine with a friend, an old-vine Zinfandel from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Having spent nearly a decade in brewing, wine steadily took over as his focus.

By the early 2000s, Thacher and his wife were ready to leave Silicon Valley behind. In 2004, they bought land in Paso Robles’ Adelaida District, moving there two years later.

Thacher’s first vintage, made from purchased grapes, was in 2004. By 2006, He realised that to truly build a sustainable business, he needed a physical home, a tasting room where he could connect with customers. ‘The learning curve was steep,’ he admits.

Their initial land purchase was the Kentucky Ranch, once home to a breeding facility for Quarter horses and later a horse rescue programme.

The property, planted in 2007, was untouched land, set in the limestone-rich hills of Paso Robles’ Adelaida District. The site offered ideal conditions for growing structured wines, particularly Rhône varieties and heritage Zinfandel.

Thacher Winery & Vineyard: At a glance

Founded: 2004

Owners: Sherman & Michelle Thacher

Annual Production: 5,000 cases

Total hectares planted to vines: 

8 ha planted in total (breakdown below)

2ha Kentucky Ranch Vineyard

6ha Homestead Hill Vineyard

Appellation: Paso Robles AVA – Adelaida District & Willow Creek District

Estate vineyards: Kentucky Ranch Vineyard 2007-present (most have been replanted)

Homestead Hill Vineyard 2017-present

Key wine varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Cinsault

Winemaker: Sherman Thacher. Assistant Winemaker Brenna Hill.

An early Zin focus

Today, Thacher Winery and Vineyard produces around 20 different wines that reflect both curiosity and intention.

Before getting married, the couple would go wine tasting in Paso Robles on weekends, which often centred around the Zinfandels that dominated the region at the time.

‘When we first started thinking seriously about Paso, I really thought I was going to open a winery with four or five different Zins,’ Thacher recalls.

In those early days, Thacher’s focus was on Zinfandel and Syrah. But curiosity and the evolving regional landscape expanded the possibilities.

Tablas Creek was just beginning to make waves, and Rhône varieties were gaining a foothold in the region. Inspired by this shift, Thacher soon added Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Viognier to his lineup.

The path to a wide-ranging portfolio had begun.

A passion for variety

At Kentucky Ranch, he eventually planted 1ha as a field blend of 11 different varieties from southern France and Spain. A testament to his exploratory approach.

‘We really want them [the grapes] to speak for themselves,’ Thacher says. ‘If a variety has certain characteristics, we want to find a vineyard or produce it in a way that expresses those characteristics rather than mutes them or turns them into something else.’

Josh Beckett, owner and winemaker at Thibido Winery, who has known Thacher for 30 years, agrees. ‘He is more about expressing the fruit and vineyard, and has created his own style. Thacher is creative and experimental. Almost to a fault sometimes.’

Working with such a broad mix of grapes isn’t just practical, it’s fulfilling. ‘There are so many things to learn. Working with different varietals and seeing how they perform and what kind of flavour profiles you can get out of them is really exciting,’ says Thacher. ‘It’s like making a new recipe at home.’

Daniel Sinton, owner of Shell Creek Vineyard, where Thacher sources old-vine Chenin Blanc and Valdiguié, recounts the first time he tried the carbonic Valdiguié made by Thacher.

‘It was one of my memorable moments in wine. Bringing these types of methods to the Paso area and to broader American wine is a cornerstone of why I think he is so great,’ he says.

Thacher acknowledges the gravitational pull of this kind of experimentation, likening his path to other varietal obsessives.

‘I think of people like Randall Grahm (Bonny Doon Vineyard, Popelochum, Language of Yes) or Kenneth Volk (Wild Horse, Kenneth Volk Vineyards) who went down the same rabbit hole,’ he says.

‘I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not. It’s a little addictive. Once you get going, it’s a little hard to turn off because there are just so many things to know and explore.’

Epiphany

Paso Robles has long been known for its bold red wines. Even when well-balanced, they tend to showcase powerful structural elements – high alcohol, full body, intense aromatics, concentrated fruit, and sometimes, firm tannins.

Like many producers in the region, Thacher’s style initially followed suit, crafting some notably big wines. Reflecting back, he admits, ‘I taste through some of them now, and they’re out of my norm and not my favourite.’

A major shift for Thacher came in 2013. A big crop of Viognier hadn’t sold as much as he had hoped, and they were behind, but they were contracted for the fruit the following year.

The only option was to make something else out of it.

Thacher made a call to a friend in Santa Cruz and asked for insight on how to make sparkling wine. His friend shared basic information such as target brix, TA, and pH levels.

Thacher picked the fruit accordingly and sent it to Santa Cruz for tirage bottling.

One 60-gallon (227L) drum didn’t fit in the tank and stayed behind, resting in the cellar for a year.

There weren’t solid plans for the leftover wine, but over time, it evolved into a non-vintage bottling. The results surprised them. ‘It was bright, alive, and vibrant.’

Because it had been picked early, as one does for bubbles, the wine had energy and lift. ‘It took me to a whole different spot,’ Thacher says.

‘That moment was my epiphany for what we’re doing now. This is where I should be picking stuff. Not later.’

Seeking a lighter side of Paso

The shift began with white wines, but reds soon followed.

That one vineyard decision reshaped his entire winemaking philosophy: rather than manipulating wine in the cellar, why not simply pick the grapes when chemistry and flavour aligned and let the fruit speak for itself from vineyard to bottle?

It wasn’t an overnight transformation, but a steady evolution. Today, Thacher wines are made with native fermentations, no water, nutrients, acid, or enzymes, and only minimal effective SO₂.

‘Everything you need is in the grape, if you pick it on the right day,’ says Thacher.

Thacher always had an, ‘early vision for less is more,’ says Beckett.

Thacher finds it rewarding when guests taste through the lineup and see a theme from start to finish, regularly commenting that everything doesn’t taste the same.

From delicate, lighter styles to bold, hearty reds, the common thread is a sense of freshness and liveliness – even in wines that are otherwise vastly different.

‘It’s about good wine that doesn’t need to be manipulated in any way. It’s not about making low alcohol wine. That’s just the result,’ says Thacher.

The next generation

Out of his three children, Thacher’s 16-year-old son, Cody, has already had his hands, as much as a child can, in five vintages.

He started when he was just nine, assisting his father with a small block affectionately called the C-Block, consisting of about 80 own-rooted, dry-farmed vines tucked into a corner of the property, planted with a mix of varieties.

In the early Thacher days, Cody would wake up and head straight to the vineyard to help with harvesting and sorting fruit. He even missed a bit of school during harvest season.

Thacher recalls his wife pulling up in the minivan, the door sliding open as Cody dashed out to the winery to partake in a punchdown. He’d also squeeze in another one before dinner.

Thacher bought him a tiny press, which Cody proudly maintains himself. Over the past five years, the block has produced anywhere from half to a full barrel each vintage. Now that high school and sports are involved, it has become a bit trickier, but the foundation is clearly in place.

Thacher remains a student of the vine, still learning, still experimenting, and always letting the vineyard lead the way, with the next chapter yet to be written.

Ten wines from Thacher:

Related articles

• Willow Creek: Paso Robles’ coolest sub-region
• Paso Robles looks to Bordeaux for sustainable insights
• Paso Robles 2022 vintage: Best wines from a challenging year

In most descriptions of the Champagne region, the Petite Montagne de Reims gets grouped as part of the larger area of the Montagne de Reims, Champagne’s most northerly subregion.

Admittedly, although its name suggests otherwise, the Petite Montagne is a sizeable stretch of mostly east-facing vineyards that does indeed join up with the Montagne de Reims proper at the village of Villers-Allerand.

Scroll down to see top Champagnes from the Petite Montagne de Reims

However, this gently undulating subregion – which has become a vibrant hub for top-class independent growers – can surely be considered its own unique entity.

This is due to one fundamental difference between the Petite Montagne and the wider Montagne de Reims: soil type.

A different underground world

Most trips to Champagne begin with a murky descent into a cellar carved from the region’s immense chalk bedrock.

After all, it’s not only the vines that make use of the extraordinary properties of this compressed marine deposit.

The wines, once in bottle, spend many years ageing in this formidable network of cool, calm subterranean galleries.

Just 15 minutes drive southwest of Reims and its famous chalk cellars, however, the underground world is rather different.

‘It’s like being at the beach!’ says Nicolas Maillart, a grower-producer in the village of Eceuil in the Petite Montagne.

He reaches into a hole in his cellar wall and lets a fistful of fine, dry sand run through his fingers.

Much of the Petite Montagne is characterised by these sandy soils.

Building the cellar was such a complex job that a series of commemorative photographs still line the walls of Maillart’s estate.

Key villages of the Petite Montagne

All premier cru except for Gueux; with their most widely planted grape variety:

Chamery: 42% Meunier

Ecueil: 76% Pinot Noir

Sacy: 46% Pinot Noir

Villedommange: 58% Meunier

Vrigny: 87% Meunier

Gueux: 85% Meunier

A place and style of its own

This change in soil type impacts the style of the wines.

‘Our Pinot Noir is more aerial, less massive,’ says Richard Desvignes at Lacourte-Godbillon in Eceuil.

Benoist Perserval, of Perserval-Farge in Chamery, agrees: ‘Our wines have a little less tonicité [tension], but they’re easier to drink young’.

Ineffable character

Other than the soil, though, there’s little to differentiate the landscape here from the nearby slopes of the Montagne de Reims.

Although the rolling hills are not quite as high as the Grande Montagne area, the aspects and slopes are not wildly different.

The area can catch some of the cooler temperatures and rainfall that the nearby Ardre Valley often experiences, but ripeness and harvesting dates are often a little earlier than the north-facing parts of the Grande Montagne.

Yet the Petite Montagne is different, and has attracted the interest of the larger houses:

‘Ruinart came here looking for Chardonnay,’ says Perseval, ‘they need some that is ready younger, for their non-vintage’.

Over the other side of the hill, in the village of Courmas, Piper-Heidsieck sources elegant Meunier for its new cuvée, Essentiel Blanc de Noirs.

Séverine and Yann Alexandre, of the well-regarded eponymous estate also in Courmas, sell Meunier to Krug.

Petite Montagne top names to know

Bonnet-Ponson

Clément Perseval

Emilien Allouchery

Frédéric Savart

Guerlet-Deguerne

La Closerie

Lacourte-Godbillon

Louis Brochet

Nicolas Maillart

Perrine Fresne

Perseval-Farge

Roger Coulon

Thomas Perseval

Yann Alexandre

Meunier mania

Meunier in particular seems to thrive here, yielding wines of beautiful finesse and florality compared to the fruitier, rounder examples from the villages of its traditional home in the Marne Valley.

Francis Egly of Egly-Ouriet was one of the first to shine a light on the region via his cuvée Les Vignes de Vrigny, made from 100% Meunier in the village of Vrigny.

Since Jérôme Prévost created the now rare and much sought-after La Closerie Champagnes made from Meunier in Gueux, the area has exploded with independent names.

Nowadays, the most notable mover-and-shaker in Vrigny is Champagne Roger Coulon, whose sleek new tasting room seeks to draw high-end visitors to this quiet, sometimes neglected subregion.

Edgar Coulon, now the 9th generation at the estate, strives to retain acidity through farming the vines organically: ‘A lot of Meunier tastes flat as it ages’, he says, ‘it’s important to keep the energy’.

His wines have immediate aromatic generosity, and the constant refinement in the cellar is palpable. Unusually for Champagne, Coulon’s wines now rest an entire year in the cellars after disgorgement before shipping.

‘It costs a lot of money,’ says Coulon, but he feels it’s worth it, as his wines reach his clients at a perfect stage of evolution.

A spirited group

Many of these independent producers have a zealous drive for organic viticulture.

In the village of Chamery, in the southern part of the subregion, 25% of the vineyard is organic. This compares to 8.1% in Champagne overall.

There’s a relaxed, youthful undercurrent here, which is in contrast to many of Champagne’s villages.

Each spring, the village assembles for Chamery Circus, a tasting where the dress code is jeans and t-shirts, barbecues are fired up and local musical talent, buoyed by a glass or two, takes to the stage.

Pinot Noir presence

Just to the north of Chamery, the village of Eceuil breaks the mould for Meunier dominance with its extensive plantings of sought-after Pinot Noir.

One of the village’s stars, Nicolas Maillart, tends a recently planted parcel of his speciality: ungrafted vines of Pinot Noir, which can survive here on their own roots thanks to the inability of phylloxera to spread in sandy soils.

Maillart’s resulting wine, Les Coupés Franc de Pieds, is one of this area’s most intense, evocative treasures.

Between them, the resourceful Champagne makers of the Petite Montagne are building an identity as vivid and energetic as anywhere in the region.

The statement is clear: the Petite Montagne de Reims may be petite in size, but in ambition, character and interest, it’s anything but.

Top Champagnes from the Petite Montagne

Related articles

• Champagne releases for spring & summer 2025
• Côte des Bar: A pocket of Champagne brimming with character
• Champagne report 2024: Latest releases from the Côte des Blancs

Seven decades after the inaugural 1951 Grange, the 2021 vintage of Penfolds’ renowned multi-region South Australian Shiraz looks set to be one of the greats.

Priced at £600 (AU$1,000 / €700), it was the highlight of the 2025 Collection, presented to critics in London last month by Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago.

With a history as long and rich as Penfolds (it celebrated its 180th birthday last year) and with an ever-increasing number of wines in its international portfolio (close to 40), there’s a high chance of one or more anniversaries coinciding with each vintage.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of the new Grange release and 23 other wines in the 2025 Penfolds Collection

Marking milestones

This year, in addition to Grange marking 70 years since the inaugural 1951 vintage, Penfolds’ home vineyard in Adelaide – first planted 181 years ago – sees the 40th anniversary of its Magill Estate Shiraz with the 2023 vintage.

And, not to be outdone, the 2024 Bin A Adelaide Hills Reserve Chardonnay celebrates its 30-year milestone. Next year, Penfolds’ top-tier Chardonnay Yattarna (Bin 144) will likewise clock up its three-decade anniversary.

This follows the February launch of Grange La Chapelle, a partnership between Gago and Caroline Frey, his counterpart at Domaine La Chapelle, in France’s Rhône Valley.

The inaugural 2021 vintage is an equal blend of this latest release of Grange and Syrah from the hill of Hermitage. The 2022 and 2023 vintages are in bottle and the French half of the 2024 is about to be sent back to Australia for blending.

This year’s collection also welcomed a new French Winemaking Trial wine, the 2022 FWT 543. It’s a Gallic take on the quintessential Australian blend, combining Bordeaux Cabernet and Syrah from the south of France.

‘Some of our most revered wines started life as experiments – including Grange,’ Gago reminded critics in London. ‘When we get everything right, all our ducks in a row, hopefully they earn their stripes and upgrade to Bin status.’ (Grange has officially been Bin 95 since 1964.)

And a big part of getting it right for FWT 543, reveals Gago, is ultimately sourcing the Syrah from the northern Rhône. ‘But we crawl before we walk.’

Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, only made in exceptional vintages, is a notable omission from this year’s collection: ‘Coonawarra in 2023 had a bit of a rough patch for Cabernet,’ notes Gago.

Consequently Bin 707, the top-tier multi-region Cabernet, has no Coonawarra fruit, though some did make it into its little brother Bin 407.

Highlights of the 2025 Penfolds Collection

The 2021 vintage is roundly considered exceptional in South Australia (Brian Croser of Tapanappa in the Adelaide Hills, a veteran of 56 vintages, says it’s one of the best of his career), giving fresh, concentrated, ageworthy wines.

So it’s no surprise the new-release Grange is a corker, up there with 2018, 2010 and 1990.

If you are a collector, investor or Aussie icon hunter, you’ll want this: expressive and exotic, supple yet generous, with statuesque tannins. And the hardest thing won’t be the price tag (£600/€700) but how to ignore its siren call from the cellar for the next three decades.

Much of this year’s collection is from the very wet, cold and late 2023 vintage, which challenged growers with disease pressures and low yields.

But Penfolds prides itself on its long-term relationships with grower families (some supplying fruit for more than 100 years), as well as its organoleptic blind tastings to classify parcels by quality and then determine blends.

Grange’s white wine counterpart, Yattarna (£135/€155), sourced from marginal cool-climate regions, is pristine and focused in 2023, with bright fruit and a structure to ensure it ages well over the next 20 years.

‘Baby Grange’ Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz (£70/€80) is a strong buy from 2023, while the Bin 28 South Australian Shiraz (£30/€35) from the 2024 vintage really punches above its weight both in quality and value.

Looking at Penfolds’ international portfolio, the 2022 ‘Wine of the World’ Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon (£60/€70) is exceptional, taking its name from the 14.9% of South Australian fruit that joined the Napa Valley component in its inaugural 2018 vintage.

From Bordeaux, the 2022 FWT 585 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Petit Verdot (£65/€75) is improving year on year, and Gago says is close to being upgraded to Bin status.

When you can buy them

This year’s Penfolds Collection comprises 24 wines, all of which Decanter has tasted and rated.

St Henri 2022, along with Grange 2021, Yattarna 2023, Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 and RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023 will be released on Bordeaux’s La Place on 8 September.

The 19 other wines in the 2025 Penfolds Collection will be released in Australia on 7 August and available globally from 20 September.

Penfolds Collection 2025: Tasting notes and scores of 24 wines

Tina Gellie tasted 19 of the 24 Penfolds Collection 2025 wines in June as well as the 2025 Bin 51 Riesling and 2023 Magill Estate Shiraz in August. David Sly tasted the 2021 Bin 98 Quantum and 2023 CWT Cabernet Sauvignon-Marselan in Adelaide in August and Georgie Hindle tasted the 2022 St Henri Shiraz in Bordeaux in July.

Related articles

• Penfolds Icons masterclass: DFWE London 2024
• Penfolds Rare Tawnies: A masterclass in ageing
• Peter Gago: Decanter Hall of Fame 2021

Only a few months after arriving in McLaren Vale from Sydney, winemaker Rob Mack had made the decision to specialise in Grenache.

Soon after starting his job for regional contract producer McLaren Vale Winemakers, Mack identified extraordinary parcels of dry-grown Grenache from ancient bush vines, and made enquiries whether he could purchase some.

When the answer was yes, Rob and his wife, Louise Rhodes Mack, made an instant commitment to start their own wine brand: Aphelion.

They started in 2014 with one tonne of Grenache fruit purchased from the Brini family vineyard.

Notes and scores for 11 McLaren Vale Grenache from Aphelion below

‘It seemed like natural progress for us to pursue our own label, and for that label to have a very specific focus by diving very deep into Grenache,’ says Louise.

‘We started small and did everything by hand – right down to applying our own labels to the wines on bottling day – and it grew slowly by increments, because we wanted every bottle to be just right.’

Immaculate conception

It began an intense exploration of Grenache sites and styles, leading to Aphelion now producing seven Grenache wines, including two single-site expressions. The leading lights drew high scores in Decanter’s Australian Grenache Panel Tasting in January 2025.

‘I was driven by the desire to work with immaculate fruit,’ says Rob, who also makes another 12 small-batch wines from different varieties alongside the Grenache.

‘With Aphelion, I was able to perform a wine dump of all my thoughts about how to make wines of supreme elegance and finesse. There were new investigations to pursue each year,’ he explains.

‘I kept addressing the question of how to allow each vineyard site to shine, and that presented fresh challenges with every vintage. It was as much an intellectual exercise as a physical task, and I absolutely adored the focus it demanded.’

Grand cru Grenache

Grenache, in the hands of McLaren Vale’s most astute producers, has become Australia’s take on grand cru – rare, idiosyncratic and expressive, indicative of exemplary sites. Much of it hinges on the age of the vines, which run up to 120 years.

This combined with the complexity of the vineyard sites. McLaren Vale’s geology map, first produced in 2008, identifies 21 soil types aged up to 300 million years that dot the 7,438ha wine region.

Such complexity has prompted a surge in the number of single-site Grenache wines produced in recent years, triggering a tussle among boutique producers to procure the best fruit from privately owned vineyards.

Blewitt Springs – home to the Brini family vineyard – is an especially sought-after subregion of McLaren Vale. Its soils are characterised by deep sands and pockets of ironstone.

Rob and Louise realised this when they first approached the Brini family, noting that several other winemakers were already buying premium fruit from their vineyard.

However, the Macks were the first to feature the vineyard by name on wine labels, and their relationship with the Brini family has flourished over 11 years.

‘I’m so proud of the fact we have been able to build a famous name from a vineyard that wasn’t previously being shouted about,’ says Rob. ‘It certainly deserved to be, and we’ve proved that.’

Regionality and single sites

The Macks now purchase more Grenache fruit from the Brini Vineyard – along with some outstanding Chenin Blanc grapes – although Aphelion presents multiple Grenache expressions from McLaren Vale for each vintage.

A constant feature of the winery’s portfolio has been Confluence, a clever regional blend designed to show Grenache’s rich savoury mid-palate. It brings together fruit from different Blewitt Springs sites, with a range of winemaking techniques applied to different parcels, from whole-bunch ferments to extended maceration.

It captures the magic mix of sharp, youthful vigour and smouldering old-vine persistence supported by supple tannins.

Aphelion’s single-vineyard expressions show more refined definitions. Brini Grenache has roundness and intensity to its flavour profile, with dark plum fruits and earthy characters creating a wine of depth and richness.

The Wait Grenache has a more feisty, prickly personality, its long mid-palate agitated by a powder-keg of black tannins that shape a dramatic concluding note.

‘The different sites produce wines of significant difference, and we strive to capture those subtle differences in the glass,’ says Rob.

Taking the leap

Succeeding in this goal has triggered significant growth for Aphelion. From processing one tonne of grapes in 2014, then three tonnes in 2016, to 21 tonnes in 2017, Rob and Louise intensified their commitment to Aphelion.

‘We joined hands and took the big leap, because we realised we had something great happening here,’ they say. Rob, who also has a business degree, developed a business plan for Aphelion; while Louise was accepted into South Australia’s Youth Entrepreneur Scheme.

Increased volumes of wines brought people to their house in Willunga, where the front room became a sales office and tasting lounge for customers who booked by appointment.

‘It’s a crazy space, where our kids Clairette and Monty, and our pets were always charging through, but it was a true and honest representation of us and what we’re about.’

Importantly, from 2018 Rob has taken customers into the vineyards. He pours wines from the back of his ute (Australia’s beloved abbreviation of the flat-back utility farm vehicle) at the sites where Aphelion’s grapes are sourced from.

‘It adds a level of romance to the tasting, but it also reinforces the notion of site that we believe is so important to what people taste in our wines,’ he says.

Freedom to change

By 2020, in the middle of the COVID disruptions, the Macks decided to quit their other jobs and make a full-time commitment to Aphelion, as production escalated to 50 tonnes.

This has prompted them to lease a larger cellar door tasting venue overlooking vines north of McLaren Vale township.

Visitors can have guided tastings of Aphelion’s carefully considered range, which has expanded and contracted over the years. This reflects both the availability of fruit that hits a certain quality from the Macks’ preferred vineyards, and their interest in varieties other than Grenache.

Chenin Blanc has come to the fore, while Sagrantino and Nero d’Avola make guest appearances. Shiraz will disappear from the range from the 2020 vintage.

‘Being small and agile as a wine brand means that we are free to react and explore what can be next in our wine output,’ explains Louise. ‘We don’t have to remain fixed to anything.’

What’s next?

This attitude has inspired Aphelion’s latest project: the bold 2024 Hickinbotham Series of Grenache, sourced from three tiny blocks at the highest elevation points in the Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon.

All are picked on the same day and made the same way, with only 360 bottles of each wine produced.

‘It goes far beyond a single vineyard – to a sub-vineyard, micro-plot level,’ says Rob. ‘This project is designed to display the nuances Grenache can show from blocks that are so close together. There are very few varieties that could display these differences, and Grenache is one of them.’

It broadcasts their ambition to dive even deeper into Grenache. ‘We are looking harder at the fruit we purchase, to examine the points of difference and make more specific wines that focus completely on site,’ says Louise.

‘There will be more little projects that we sell through our cellar door – experiments that will inform Rob’s future winemaking decisions.’

This will include more parcels being fermented in concrete egg, along with different experiments in tannin manipulation and oak usage.

‘When we started Aphelion, I really wanted to present Grenache wines worthy of being talked about on the world stage,’ says Rob. ‘Now that we have put all the pieces together, I feel we are getting that reward.’

Aphelion: Top wines to try

Bottles tasted by David Sly in McLaren Vale and by Beth Pearce MW, Sara Muirhead MW and Ben Chan at the Australian Grenache Panel Tasting 2025, London.

Related articles

• Expert’s Choice: Premium McLaren Vale Grenache
• Yangarra: McLaren Vale Grenache success applied to Shiraz
• Regional profile: McLaren Vale

A quick glance at Vincent Dauvissat, and one might be forgiven for suspecting that he is a wizard.

This impression is reinforced by his tall, thin frame, crown of white hair, and twinkling eyes.

But behind this elfin impression is one of the most thoughtful winemakers you may ever meet.

With notes and scores for 12 vintages of Domaine Vincent Dauvissat below

He does, in fact, work magic with his wines, coaxing each year a sublime range from his admirable holdings in Chablis.

His skill is remarkably consistent, through good years and less good, and the wines are at the top of the pyramid in Chablis and among the best white wines made anywhere.

His skill alone would merit admiration, but he is also among the most generous winemakers that I know, often pulling an old bottle from a bin in the corner to illustrate a point in our discussion.

In this way I have been offered over the years precious bottles that date as far back as 1989 that demonstrate the longevity of his lovely wines.

Estate history

The domaine was founded Vincent’s grandfather Robert in the 1920s. Robert was among the first to bottle his Chablis at the domaine in 1931.

His father René (brother-in-law to François Raveneau) began to work at the domaine in 1950, during the difficult years after the war when Chablis was at its nadir.

In the 19th century the greater region around Auxerre was roughly 40,000 hectares, shipping mostly ordinary wine to Paris for daily consumption.

This wide swathe of plantings collapsed after phylloxera, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. By 1955 the entire region was just 500 hectares.

It was a challenging time for Chablis, yet René Dauvissat was successful in building a powerhouse domaine that would endure for future generations.

Sales of Chablis worldwide started to take off after the 1960s, and plantings began to increase.

This was driven in part by more sophisticated frost control, disease prevention through modern pesticides, and fertilizers, which enabled the region to produce at high levels.

But it took a toll on the quality of the wines.

Vincent started to work with his father in 1976 and took over responsibility completely in 1979.

He eschewed the prevailing trends of his generation and has run his domaine using organic and biodynamic principals since 2002.

He is enough of an iconoclast, however, to eschew official certification as well.

He was joined full time in 2013 by his son Ghislain and his daughter Etiennette, although they had worked at the domaine for years already.

Organic instincts

‘Organic is a personal choice,’ he has told me more than once, ‘I don’t do it for anyone else,’ going on to add: ‘The [biodynamic] practices are followed with the utmost care.’

In the vineyard he uses his instincts: ‘The most important thing is not to listen to anyone.’

He sorts meticulously, so that even in a relatively healthy year such as 2023 he reported 15% losses due to mildew and sour rot.

In a seriously difficult year such as 2024, however, yields can be catastrophically small.

Because of his devotion to organic practices, he lost 90% of his production and did not harvest anything in his 1.4 hectares of Les Clos.

He said: ‘The heavier marl and clay soils soaked up the water and the mildew exploded.’

The year was also a complete loss in Petit Chablis and Montée de Tonnerre.

Gut instincts

Once the grapes are in the winery, he continues to take his own counsel.

‘I never look at the level of malic. That’s for oenologues,’ he declares.

Yet the balance of the resulting wines is exquisite.

Like many winemakers in Chablis, he was obliged to chaptalise in 2024.

But, he notes: ‘Once I brought it up 0.5 degrees, and then the balance was just like 2014.’

The grapes are pressed as whole bunches in a pneumatic press and vinified in enameled steel tanks (and a small percentage in new casks) before ageing in casks, both old and new.

No sulfur is added until after malolactic conversion when the wines are racked to tank before bottling.

The lie of the land

Domaine Vincent Dauvissat farms just over 12ha of vines. This includes a hectare of Petit Chablis, located on the Portlandian capstone of the grand cru slope.

There are just over 3ha of village-level Chablis spread across four parcels, including several that face premier cru Forêts facing north-west.

He blends this with a small amount of the premier cru Troëmes (part of the larger Beauroy cru). Both are located on the left bank of the Serein, in the heart of the Chablis appellation.

The most important holding among the premier crus is Forêts, which he spells ‘La Forest’ on the label.

He owns 3.7ha of vines here, spread over seven principal areas. Forêts is part of the larger umbrella appellation of Montmains, but at Dauvissat it is always singled out.

Forêts is a moderately steep part of the hill at its centre. Meanwhile, lieu-dit Montmains itself lies southwest of Forêts at a higher elevation.

It is much larger and is located at the northern edge of the hill as it slopes down toward the Serein and Butteaux (also a subdivision of Montmains).

North of Montmains is Vaillons, closer to the village of Chablis itself. As with the latter, Vaillons is composed of several different lieux-dits, and is the largest of the umbrella appellations on the left bank.

Dauvissat has 1.4ha of vines devoted to his Vaillons bottling, although only 1.1ha are currently in production.

These parcels are located in the lieux-dits of Chatains and Beugnons. The grapes are from 60-year-old vines in deeper marl soils.

Another subdivision of Vaillons is the lieu-dit Sécher, where Dauvissat has another 0.4ha of vines that were planted in 1972 (he spells the name ‘Séchet’).

He explains that the soils are thinner here and give a wine of great finesse and delicacy which is why he bottles these grapes separately.

Across the river

On the other side of the river Serein Dauvissat farms 0.30ha of Montée de Tonnerre in a single parcel planted in 1960 and partly replanted in 1972.

Although the Right Bank of the Serein is thought to produce more powerful, structured wines, Dauvissat explains: ‘We’re in the [lieu-dit] Côte de Brechain and not on the marl soils – we have more limestone pebbles, and a south-west exposition. We are not really in the heart of the appellation.’

The grand cru holdings of the domaine are the pride of the estate. There is a single 0.8ha block of Les Preuses planted in 1970.

It lies up the slope from the holdings of William Fèvre just below La Moutonne and the Vaudésir valley.

It boasts a south-facing exposition and marl soils that have more pebbles and less clay than the slopes of Les Clos.

The result is a wine that is perhaps less powerful but more elegant than Les Clos, and is consistently among my favourites from this domaine.

It is without question, however, Dauvissat’s 1.4ha of Les Clos that produce his most sought-after wine.

Most of the vines are at the top of the slope, interspersed with those owned by William Fèvre, but he also owns a parcel at mid-slope nearer the border with Blanchot.

The blend of these four parcels produces one of the greatest wines of Chablis.

The wines

The Dauvissat style is elegant and discreet. These are wines of great finesse, yet they do not lack in concentration.

The Petit Chablis is a fine introduction to the region, and the village bottling is a delicious representation of the classic racy left bank terroir.

Each of the four premier crus continue this style, but with a distinct expression of place, while the grand crus are the fullest expression of the house style.

The wines a contrast to the powerful wines produced by the other leader of the region, Domaine Raveneau.

The two styles are both delicious and both age well. Both rank at the highest level of white Burgundy.

Domaine Vincent Dauvissat, however, will always remain a touchstone for those who appreciate wines of finesse, elegance, and precision.

Domaine Vincent Dauvissat:

Related articles

• Chablis 2023: Vintage Report
• Collector’s Guide: White Burgundy
• Domaine Ravenau: Chablis’ greatest wine

Côte-Rôtie is equidistant between Avignon and Beaune. It might be part of the Rhône family, but, due to its location, it can be forgiven for looking north to Burgundy as well to the southern Rhône.

Arguably, though, Côte-Rôtie has more in common with Burgundy’s Côte d’Or.

Scroll down for notes and scores of 18 wines from Benjamin & David Duclaux

If we discount an optional seasoning of Viognier, both region’s reds are monovarietal. Their climates are continental. They grow their vines on southeast-facing slopes.

There are no official premiers or grands crus in Côte-Rôtie, but the proliferation of single vineyard wines is more Burgundian in spirit than Châteauneuvois.

Until now, most have come from Ampuis’ most sacred slopes: Côte-Brune, Côte-Blonde, La Landonne.

More recently, winemakers have been singling out lieux-dits from Côte-Rôtie’s most southerly commune – Tupin-et-Semons.

Though always part of the appellation, this sector has never garnered quite the same praise as Ampuis.

But the strength of a recent tasting at Domaine Benjamin & David Duclaux suggests this terroir is ripe for reappraisal.

Brotherly love

Benjamin and David are brothers (Domaine Duclaux in Châteauneuf is no relation). They’re a jovial pair and they get on well, always cracking jokes.

David’s son Matteo has just joined the estate after a season in New Zealand, and he shares the family’s sunny disposition.

‘We’re not making wine,’ says Benjamin, ‘we’re creating moments in life to share together.’

The 5ha estate, based in the commune of Tupin-et-Semons, was established in 1928 by the brothers’ great-grandfather.

Their Syrah parcels are all planted on gneiss and surround the estate.

Except for a little Condrieu, they only make Côte-Rôtie.

Why no St-Joseph, I wondered? ‘It’s a life choice,’ says Benjamin, ‘we want to stay small and master what we do – and we have a good life as it is! We only make wine from the slopes – we were born on the slopes.’

One cuvée becomes four

Until the 2000s, they only made one Côte-Rôtie, a blend of all their plots.

In 2003 however, they decided to make an experimental barrel of their oldest vines from lieu-dit Maison Rouge, the oldest dating back to 1943.

It was never released commercially, but the quality was clear; ‘it has always been silkier, racier,’ says David. The first official vintage of Maison Rouge was 2005.

At this point they renamed their cuvée classique La Germine. This has since been joined by La Chana, a cuvée with 7% Viognier designed for early drinking.

Their fourth cuvée, Coteaux de Tupin, was first released in 2018.

The specific parcels aren’t the only differentiating factor between each bottling.

Use of whole bunch increases through the range, from 20% for the La Chana and La Germine up to 100% for Coteaux de Tupin, which is designed with long ageing in mind.

The amount of new oak increases too, but never dominates by the time the wines are mature.

As for the names of the cuvées, La Chana and La Germine both refer to obsolete place names on antiquated vineyard maps (though both are blends of several parcels).

Coteaux de Tupin means hillsides of Tupin, a large lieu-dit under the hilltop village of Tupin. So far, so prosaic.

The etymology of Maison Rouge, meaning red house in English, is more intriguing. David offers two possibilities.

The first is connected to a house in the vineyard that was once owned by the Archbishop of Vienne. Legend has it his robes were red and his house was painted the same colour.

The second possibility is that guest houses in Roman times were painted red so that travellers knew where they could get a bed for the night, and the house in the vineyards was once such a hostelry. ‘Which is true? We don’t know,’ says David.

The tasting

When I visited earlier this year, they generously opened a full vertical of Maison Rouge and Coteaux de Tupin. It was the first time they’ve ever performed such a tasting, so the experience was a first for us all.

The Maison Rouge series came first. Blonde gneiss soils are known for their exuberant fragrance and that’s what this cuvée delivers, with high-toned rose and tobacco aromas. In the spectrum of Côte-Rôtie, this is stylistically central – traditional but not dusty, modern but measured and balanced.

It’s a cuvée you can drink young, but it shows its best typically after seven to 15 years of ageing, depending on the vintage.

Only the 2008, a wet year in Côte-Rôtie, was past its best; even the 2005 has another 10 years ahead of it.

The three vintages of Coteaux de Tupin that we tasted were all superb. Compared to the crowd-pleasing, centrist style of Maison Rouge, it’s a bolder, richer, more velvety expression.

Though this cuvée will be longer lived than a typical Maison Rouge, all three vintages of Coteaux de Tupin were surprisingly approachable already.

The Duclaux family aren’t the only ones to make single-vineyard wines from these lieux-dits. Coteaux du Tupin is bottled pure by Domaine Benoît Roseau, Domaine Martin Clerc and Maison Stéphan.

A Maison Rouge is also made by Domaine Georges Vernay and Domaine Mouton. Stéphane Ogier has just bought some land here too, though it’s not yet planted. Perhaps there will be an opportunity for horizontal tastings next time I’m in the area.

While the single-vineyard wines of Ampuis attract the limelight, those of Tupin-et-Semons remain relatively well priced. But for how much longer? This tasting proved just how good they can be.

Top class single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie:

Related articles

• Walls: The joy of sand
• Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine Verzier, a new future for the northern Rhône
• Walls: Reflections on what makes cuvée Boisrenard so spéciale

The hottest ticket to be had at this year’s Decanter’s New York Fine Wine Encounter on Saturday 7 June was a seat at the Biondi-Santi masterclass.

Not only did the masterclass sell out in record time, but it had a lengthy waiting list – thanks to the quality of wines on offer and the fact that Biondi-Santi’s director of winemaking and viticulture, Federico Radi, was hosting.

Scroll down for notes and scores of the eight Biondi-Santi masterclass wines

Radi captivated attendees from the start, outlining the rich 160-year-old history of the Biondi-Santi family and its Tenuta Greppo estate in Montalcino, and how tradition and terroir are expressed in the wines.

Biondi-Santi produces three wines, and the masterclass line up took guests through each, from the new-release 2022 Rosso di Montalcino, to a comparison of the 2019 and 2015 vintages of Brunello di Montalcino, and then five vintages of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: 2018, 2004, 1997, 1988 and 1975.

Tradition, innovation, longevity

Few Italian wineries are as revered as Biondi-Santi, not only for the ageability of the wines themselves, but for the founding family’s role in the creation and continued development of this Tuscan denomination.

Radi took guests on a potted history of the estate, starting in 1888, when Ferruccio Biondi-Santi made the first wine labelled Brunello di Montalcino (named for the brown colour of the specific Grosso clone of Sangiovese he identified) and continuing through 1967, when his son Tancredi created the production rules under which the denomination was formed.

Tancredi’s son Franco, whose first vintage as winemaker was 1971, was also an innovator and behind the creation of a proprietary clone of Sangiovese Grosso, called BBS11 (Brunello Biondi-Santi 11), registered in 1978 and arguably key to the estate’s signature style.

The Biondi-Santi style, Radi explained, is conceived with longevity in mind through firm tannic structure and acidity, but also marked by great elegance thanks to a notable freshness combined with fruit sweetness which means they can retain great balance and vibrancy for decades.

Did you know?

In 1994, Franco Biondi-Santi held an epic vertical tasting, opening bottles from 1888 to 1988 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Brunello di Montalcino and show the longevity of the estate’s wines.

Italian wine expert Nicolas Belfrage MW, writing for Decanter, gave a perfect score to the 1891 Riserva – the second Brunello in history after the 1888 Riserva, and then a mere 103 years old. Franco said, for him, 1891 was the vintage against which all later vintages should be measured.

Today there are only two bottles left of the 1891 in La Storica, Biondi-Santi’s wine library, where all historic vintages of its Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are kept.

Wines released from La Storica are dressed with the original label from its vintage, including ‘la lunetta’ – the neck label which carries the number of each bottle – and a handwritten date of its departure from the cellar on the back label.

The three wines

Radi explained that while many people think of Rosso di Montalcino as an entry-level Brunello di Montalcino, it is a complex style in its own right. At Biondi-Santi, the Rossos are made using grapes from the youngest vines and aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 12 months.

The annata Brunellos are only made in the best years from hand-selected grapes from vines up to 25 years of age and (since Radi’s first full vintage in 2019) are fermented in a mix of oak barrels, concrete and stainless steel using indigenous yeasts, before ageing in Slavonian oak barrels for 36 months.

Only made in exceptional vintages, just 42 Brunello Riservas have been produced at Biondi-Santi since 1888. Hand-selected grapes come from estate vines 25 years and older and vinified with indigenous yeasts in Slavonian oak before ageing further for 36 months.

Changes and future strategies

In 2017 Biondi-Santi and Tenuta Greppo were bought by French luxury group EPI, which also owns Champagne houses Charles Heidsieck, Piper Heidsieck and Rare as well as Chianti Classico estate Isole e Olena. Radi was appointed the same year.

Since the first Brunello was made in 1888, only Slavonian oak casks had been used at Il Greppo. Now, with no Biondi-Santi family member at the helm for the first time in its history, the latest Riserva release, the 2018, was vinified in barrel, as well as concrete. Barrels again replaced casks for the maturation.

Radi explained that he and the new team aim to honour the legacy of the Biondi-Santi family by following the ethos of ‘Evolution not Revolution’.

‘It is very important for us to preserve this style that is so classic yet always current – a “new classic”,’ he said.

In addition to the introduction of smaller oak vessels as well as concrete, Radi detailed the team’s ‘four pillars’ strategy for the future:

• Regenerative viticulture – to restore health to the soils

• Parcellisation – prime plots on specific soils identified, enabling micro vinifications

• Old-vine massal selection – 40 different clones identified to improve wine complexity.

• New trellising – to manage global warming

Responding to a question from the floor regarding how climate change might affect the Biondi-Santi style, Radi replied: ‘I see our style as a tightrope walker walking on a wire. It can be disturbed by the climate – rain, winds, very cold or extremely hot – but it wants to hold on.

‘We are its balancing pole,’ Radi said of himself and the other ’sensitive professionals’ in the vineyard and cellar negotiating the vagaries of vintage. ‘We help the style not to fall.’

Radi’s recap

A memorable part of this Decanter masterclass – and one that sparked good discussion – was Federico Radi sharing a few personal descriptors for each of the wines he presented to give attendees a grasp of their structure and nature.

Biondi-Santi, Rosso di Montalcino 2022 ‘Crisp and tenacious’

Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino 2019 ‘Dynamic, balsamic, enticing, floral’

Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino 2015 ‘Generous, lush, intense’

Biondi-Santi, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino 2018 ‘The lithe dancer’

Biondi-Santi, Riserva La Storica, Brunello di Montalcino 2004 ‘Solid and trustworthy’

Biondi-Santi, Riserva La Storica, Brunello di Montalcino 1997 ‘Sumptuous’

Biondi-Santi, Riserva La Storica, Brunello di Montalcino 1988 ‘Pure elegance’

Biondi-Santi, Riserva La Storica, Brunello di Montalcino 1975 ‘Welcome to the multiverse!’

Biondi-Santi masterclass: Exploring six decades, back to 1975

Related articles

• Tuscany’s top tier: New vintage releases
• Brunello di Montalcino 2020: Vintage report and 20 top picks
• Biondi Santi: producer profile & Riserva vertical
• Wine Legend: Biondi-Santi, Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino 1975

In the heart of Pauillac, where gravelly soils yield some of the world’s most revered wines, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy sits as the steady hand guiding the legendary first growth Château Mouton Rothschild and its fifth growth sister estates Château Clerc Milon and Château d’Armailhac.

Holding one of Bordeaux’s most coveted roles, he balances a dynastic family’s winemaking history and heritage with nature’s neverending challenges amid a constant demand for excellence. It’s no mean feat, yet his warm smile and unassuming charm make it seem effortless.

Trained in Napa Valley before taking the helm in Pauillac, he exudes a quiet confidence with enthusiastic energy and zero ego. There are no airs and graces, no grand gestures – just a thoughtful, sincere approach to a demanding role: leading three estates to produce wines that speak of place and pursue greatness, vintage after vintage.

Danjoy sees his job in two parts: running the estates and projecting their future. That starts with people. ‘I’m not a micromanager – that’s not my style,’ he says. ‘But I take pride in having a team that gets on well and works toward a common goal with pleasure.’ Overseeing 115 full time staff – and more than 450 during the harvest peak – he juggles logistics as much as vines. ‘It’s about coordinating, maintaining flexibility and playing with nature. When harvest ends and we feel we played our cards right, that’s a satisfying moment.’

Does he feel pressure? Of course. ‘There’s an expectation from ourselves and the outside that we’ll be able to perform well every year,’ he says. ‘But you don’t take this position if you can’t handle that.’

Path to greatness

So, how did he get here? Born in Gabon to French parents, Danjoy spent his childhood ‘all over Africa’ (including secondary school in Casablanca, Morocco), where a connection to farming came naturally. Wine, though, struck a deeper chord during agribusiness studies: ‘It wasn’t just a product – it had complexity, a sense of time and place, and a cultural element.’ A university tasting club and a talk by French winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet, best known for his work at Petrus and Dominus Estate, sealed the deal, prompting a shift into winemaking.

Danjoy made up for a lack of family ties to wine or much hands-on experience with simple determination – interning in Morocco and Bordeaux before a research project on Cabernet Sauvignon’s phenolic ripeness earned him a six-month role at Opus One, the Napa Valley joint project between Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

Upon graduating, he returned the next year to run the 2000 vintage after the previous technical director left. ‘I was 23; it was an unbelievable experience.’

Renowned American oenologist Michael Silacci was eventually hired as chief winemaker, and he called Danjoy back to Opus for a third time to help run the vineyards; Danjoy joined full-time in 2001 as a viticulturist and assistant winemaker.

Today, he praises Silacci’s mentorship: ‘He opened me to the world of wine and gave me such a high level of responsibility. Michael was always saying, “The best thing you can put in the vineyard is your own two feet”, and that stuck with me.’

Danjoy spent these formative years at Opus trying to understand the terroir potential, looking at vines and how they translate into the taste of berries, something that still resonates. Opus was founded on the same concept as a Bordeaux first growth, but pretty much everything else was different – the environment, the culture, the regulations. Tradition is good, but so is innovation and Danjoy learned the benefits of adaptability.

‘Winemaking is all about observation,’ he says. ‘Techniques are like seat belts in cars – they’re just ways to make sure things don’t go wrong.’ Grape ripeness is also key: ‘Just because you can ripen them further doesn’t mean you should’ – precisely the thinking that led to the crafting of such an exquisite Mouton Rothschild 2022 despite record-breaking heat and drought.

Upward steps

After 10 years at Opus, a new challenge was on the horizon, and again, be it through timing, luck or pure destiny, Danjoy found it – or rather it found him. In 2009, in what would be his first job in France, he was appointed director of Château Clerc Milon. His first task was to build a dedicated team at the estate (previously shared with d’Armailhac). ‘There was a lot of work to be done. It was a complex vineyard, but I had a mission.’

Under his stewardship, the wines gained elegance and precision – a precursor to the finesse he would later bring to Mouton Rothschild, where he became managing director and winemaker in 2020, taking over from another of his mentors, Philippe Dhalluin. His new role involved overseeing all three Rothschild estates in Bordeaux.

How did he cope with this new level of responsibility? ‘There’s nothing magic,’ he says humbly, ‘just lots of attention, dedication and hard work. Going from Clerc Milon to running the three estates is a big jump. Was it overwhelming? No, but it’s been a lot to absorb.’

He took over just as Covid hit – which ironically gave him time to focus. Today, each estate has its own team, with shared knowledge and a common goal: synergy. ‘The wines now speak more clearly of their terroir,’ Danjoy says. D’Armailhac is ‘very accessible, with Pauillac classicism in the best sense’; Clerc Milon is ‘precise and energetic’; and Mouton Rothschild embodies ‘grandeur and depth’.

Under his leadership, R&D and sustainability are non-negotiable. Solar panels, rainwater collection, a sheep-grazing project and hedgerow planting all form part of the estates’ environmental commitments. ‘We need to be irreproachable,’ he says.

He remains pragmatic about climate change: ‘We’re not panicking, but it’s happening.’ Exchanges with Opus and Almaviva in Chile (the family partnership with Concha y Toro) offer insights that help guide practices such as cover crop cultivation, canopy management and row orientation. ‘We need to project and anticipate what will be coming in the future, but when you have back-to-back Bordeaux vintages like 2021 and 2022, you have to be careful not to overreact. It’s about fine tuning, not reinventing the model.’

At home, he’s a family man. He teaches his two sons skiing and trout fishing, and dinner time is ‘sacred’. An outdoors enthusiast, he has his own vegetable garden, hikes and rides motorcycles. This year, he’s tackling the Médoc Marathon and a 100km bike ride, albeit somewhat reluctantly. ‘Somehow I got talked into it,’ he says with a smile ‘but it’s good exercise.’

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he and his wife share a love of wine – she has apparently become ‘a very good blind taster’. His tastes are wide ranging: old-vine Carignan, iconic Napa Cabernets. ‘I’m passionate about exploring and want to be exposed to different tastes,’ he says.

Does he have a favourite Mouton Rothschild vintage? ‘There are so many,’ but the 1959 left an indelible mark. Tasting it when he was just 23 years old he ‘expected something good’ but the wine ‘was out of this world, totally sublime’.

Incremental change

Bordeaux’s current struggles – waning demand and economic pressures – aren’t lost on Danjoy. ‘No one is immune,’ he acknowledges, even first growths, but his optimism is unwavering. ‘We make wines that tell stories and make moments special. People are still sensitive to that, even more so nowadays.’

He sees no need to reinvent Mouton Rothschild’s style for younger drinkers either. ‘The wines today have an incredibly wide drinking window,’ he says. ‘You get to understand the estate by drinking fully mature vintages, but young ones are delicious, too.’

I ask if his wines carry a signature. He defers. ‘I don’t think in this way,’ he says, but there’s always evolution and the wines are more ‘contemporary’ now. ‘There’s no intent, but we’re in an environment where we make things that evolve with our preferences.’

The best part of his job? ‘Having access to one of the world’s best terroirs. For [Michael] Schumacher, it would be getting to drive the best cars. When you’re given that opportunity, it’s unique and you should be grateful for it.

Related articles

• Château Mouton Rothschild 2022 label revealed
• Mouton Rothschild reveals 2021 vintage label by Chiharu Shiota
• ‘Unique’ Mouton Rothschild 2021 auction lot sells for €237,500

I have been visiting Bordeaux for 40 years, observing its constant evolution, mostly for the better. Mediocre wines don’t sell, and owners need profits. This has given them an incentive to invest, improve viticulture and adapt to fluctuating market conditions.

The following are three very different properties that have changed radically over the decades, and thanks to a combination of money, passion and imagination, they have been transformed.

Subscribe today to see Stephen’s three improved Bordeaux châteaux

Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves

For almost 90 years, this large Graves estate was owned by the Bordeaux négociant Eschenauer. The wines weren’t bad, but they were very dull. An abundant crop leading to a full cellar was the goal.

In the late 1980s, former Olympic skier and retail tycoon Daniel Cathiard was selling his business and keen to acquire a wine estate.

In Burgundy, any properties for sale were small, but in Bordeaux, he learned, he could buy estates on a larger scale.

‘I was attracted to Smith because it had 80ha in a single parcel,’ he recalls. ‘It was a classified growth, so I sensed a potential that Eschenauer hadn’t yet realised.’

Daniel and his equally dynamic wife Florence, a fellow ski champion and a formidable advertising executive, threw themselves into the project with an ambition that astonished their neighbours.

They added their own cooperage – a rarity in Bordeaux – and created a resort among the vines. A rustic-style hotel was supported by two restaurants, one of which soon shone with a Michelin star or two.

It wasn’t all plain sailing. The chef’s tangled love life affected consistency in the kitchen. And when I dined with the Cathiards during the soft launch of their top restaurant, dusk fell and the frogs that inhabited the adjoining lake turned up the volume.

‘This is unbearable,’ declared Florence. ‘We must do something! Can we shoot them?’ A less radical solution was found, and today the resort flourishes.

Eye for detail

‘We knew our project would work in the long term,’ Daniel reassures me, ‘because there was no competition.’

Its success was compounded once they opened their wine spa, Les Sources de Caudalie, in 1999. Offering immersion in crushed wine skins, the spa became an international sensation, with a wide range of linked beauty products.

Florence always complains that Caudalie, run by their daughter Mathilde and financially separate from the wine estate, employs 1,400 people and has a far higher turnover than the château.

Daniel’s focus remains the wine. ‘We developed the cooperage to show that we really care about every aspect of production. And we’ve always been passionate about sorting grapes. Hand-sorting is tiring for workers, so we welcomed technological developments such as optical sorting.’

The Cathiards also expanded their holdings, in 1994 acquiring Château Cantelys – a little south of Smith Haut Lafitte, and now the source of a more affordable wine – and in 2012 a major portion of neighbouring Château Le Thil, lying just to its northwest.

They are also partners in properties in Pomerol and Sauternes, and own a wine estate in Napa Valley, California.

Forward momentum

As one might expect, Smith is now farmed using biodynamic methods (certified organic in 2019), and horses do much of the ploughing.

Long-term winemaker Fabien Tietgen monitors picking dates intensely and says they tend to harvest reds a bit earlier and whites a bit later.

My own view is that the white wine is now in the very top tier of Bordeaux whites. Daniel, rather immodestly, agrees, and thinks this is due to late picking, the inclusion of Sauvignon Gris in the blend and, of course, a perfect terroir.

The Cathiards aren’t resting on their laurels. Tucked into a corner of the estate is their experimental Chai Furtif, which Daniel translates as ‘stealth cellar’. Here, carbon dioxide is captured during fermentation and converted into bicarbonate of soda; rainfall is cleaned and reused.

‘The grand vin is still produced at our main cellars, but the younger vines are fermented here, with a goal of minimising energy use,’ says Daniel.

To that end, close by is Smith’s latest development, the avant-garde Gaïa building (pictured, above) – a striking example of bioclimatic architecture that harmoniously blends with its natural surroundings, designed by architect Jérémy Nadau.

Opened in April, the structure features a chestnut-shingled roof designed to merge seamlessly into the landscape over time.

Partially embedded into the earth, the building leverages the ground’s natural insulation to maintain stable interior temperatures, enhancing thermal comfort.

Its west-facing facade supports photovoltaic panels, reducing energy consumption, while the east side opens onto the vineyards, offering panoramic views from an elevated tasting room.

Natural ventilation is achieved through strategically placed windows, and rainwater is collected for reuse, reflecting the estate’s commitment to sustainability and innovation in winemaking.

Meanwhile, the wines have never been better.

Château Bélair-Monange

St-Emilion, 1er Grand Cru Classé

For several decades, the Dubois-Challon family co-owned two Bordeaux first growth estates: the revered Ausone and Bélair.

The Château Ausone ownership was complicated, and after court cases, the Vauthier family became the sole owners in 1997. Madame Dubois-Challon entrusted the winemaking at Bélair to Pascal Delbeck, who showed me round both properties in the mid-1980s.

A slightly eccentric, bearded figure, Delbeck liked to invent his own equipment, such as a punchdown machine, and he used organically raised hens to produce the egg whites for fining.

Unfortunately, the wines were inconsistent, and even a great vintage such as 1982 (tasted four times over 20 years) was a disappointment, though I had more positive notes on 1995 and 2000.

Many believe Delbeck picked too early and that his high trellising system blocked sunlight and retarded ripening.

Madame Dubois-Challon died in 2003 and left Bélair to Delbeck. It proved a mixed blessing, as the inheritance taxes were crippling. He compared his situation to that of a spider hanging from a single thread.

In 2006, Delbeck ceded a third-share in the estate to the JP Moueix company, already a major owner of Right Bank properties.

With a foot in that door, it was only a matter of time before Moueix became sole owners in 2008, at which point they renamed the estate Bélair-Monange, in memory of Anne-Adèle Moueix (born Monange), Jean-Pierre Moueix’s mother and Christian Moueix’s grandmother, who settled in St-Emilion in 1931.

No expense spared

Most of the Bélair-Monange vines grow on the celebrated western limestone plateau of St-Emilion, but a nasty problem lurked below.

The limestone had been quarried since Roman times, but extraction was poorly regulated and the quarries, which had galleries four levels deep, were in danger of collapse.

Third-generation head Edouard Moueix says his father Christian didn’t hesitate. Complex works were undertaken to fill some areas with concrete walls and to reinforce the pillars holding up each storey.

It cost a fortune, but without the expenditure the vineyards would not have been viable. The job was completed in 2013. Essential replanting could only begin once the quarries were stable.

Consequently, for many years the estate’s vines were young, which may have prompted the decision to incorporate the 10ha of neighbouring first growth Château Magdelaine, which Moueix already owned.

It saddened many when Magdelaine lost its independence after the 2011 vintage, as it had an intense character and charm of its own, but Edouard believes its inclusion added complexity to the Bélair-Monange wines.

In 2017, they snapped up neighbouring 2.3ha Clos La Madeleine. It had not been well managed, so Moueix replanted the whole vineyard, which is being absorbed into Bélair-Monange from this year.

There was more to come.

Material improvement

The Swiss architectural firm Herzog & De Meuron, which had designed and built Moueix’s Dominus winery in Napa, California in the late 1990s, was commissioned to build a 10,000m 2 winery within the Magdelaine vineyard – a project initiated in 2016 and completed in 2023.

It was constructed in a light concrete and is ‘tied’ to an adjacent 19th-century limestone house via a long concrete roof.

‘Once we had finished reinforcing the quarries, allowing us to start renewing the vineyard, it became obvious we would need a new facility to express in the wines the efforts made in the vineyard,’ Edouard says.

‘[The architects’] passion for wine encouraged them to adapt the aesthetic expression to our many technical requests, offering us a unique tool to fully express the vineyard’s characteristics.’

The winery is equipped with 24 concrete vats from 49-hectolitre to 116-hectolitre and 20 stainless steel vats from 23-hectolitre to 46-hectolitre allowing for optimal adaptation to each vineyard parcel and precise vinification, ensuring the best expression of each individual terroir.

An extra 278-hectolitre vat is only used for the blending of the final wines.

‘We always favour the concrete vats as they allow gentle extractions, resulting in a balanced and delicate wine,’ says Edouard.

It’s evident that the St-Emilion premier grand cru classé under Moueix bears little relation to that once owned by Pascal Delbeck.

Confronted with many problems, the Moueix team took Bélair-Monange by the scruff of its neck, transformed it and enlarged it.

The investment must have been colossal, but in terms of quality, the effort will surely be rewarded.

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey

Sauternes, 1er Cru Classé

In the 1960s and 1970s, Sauternes was in the doldrums.

It was costly to produce. It depended on noble rot (botrytis) for its identity and quality, yet the fungus infected the grapes at unpredictable times, and in some vintages it never arrived at all.

Moreover, maximum permitted yields were less than half those of red Bordeaux.

Botrytis usually arrived in waves, after damp spells, so selective harvesting, sometimes stretching over two months, was required in order to produce a wine with real typicity.

A few estates maintained tradition and quality, but at a cost.

During this period, most first growths produced wines of middling quality. Selective harvesting was rare or perfunctory, chaptalisation (adding sugar prior to or during fermentation, to raise the potential alcohol) was common, and barrel-ageing the exception rather than the rule.

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey also produced lacklustre wines. Then in 1983 a change in fortunes began.

The négociant house of Cordier owned Lafaurie from 1917 to 1984. By 1983, its winemaker Michel Laporte had resumed limited selective harvesting and oak-ageing, and the wines improved.

A year later, GDF Suez, an international energy company, bought the estate. Laporte stayed at the helm until he retired in 2000, and was succeeded by his son Yannick, who remains as vineyard manager.

Suez invested in the estate and restored the château. Later vintages such as 1988, 1989 and 1990 showed that the success of the 1983 was no fluke.

Highest ambition

It’s hard to make money in Sauternes, so it wasn’t surprising when in 2014 Suez put Lafaurie on the market. It found a purchaser in Silvio Denz (pictured, above), a Swiss businessman who owned not only Château Faugères in St-Emilion, but the prestigious glass producer Lalique.

Denz could see a missed opportunity at Lafaurie. He had already created a Lalique-themed restaurant in Alsace and he applied a similar concept here.

‘Because Suez used the château for conferences and training, it was in good condition with plenty of bedrooms,’ says Denz. ‘It wasn’t difficult to transform it into a hotel, and provide a gastronomic restaurant.’

Although oenotourism was nascent in the pretty Sauternes region, there was nothing on this scale, and Denz had the luxury market to himself.

In June 2018, the sumptuous hotel and its no-holds-barred restaurant opened its doors – under chef Jérôme Schilling, it earned its first Michelin star within the year, followed by a second in 2022.

Ahead of the trend

But what of the wine? It was already excellent, but Denz hired the white-wine expert Professor Denis Dubourdieu as his consultant and, after Dubourdieu’s untimely death in 2016, his colleague Dr Valérie Lavigne.

So quality was maintained, and in 2019 Vincent Cruège, who had long worked with André Lurton at Château La Louvière in Pessac-Léognan, was hired as technical director for the group.

Silvio Denz knew well that an estate entirely focused on sweet wine would struggle to be profitable so he changed course.

The historic vineyard classified in 1855 was just over half the 36ha planted today. It would still be used to produce Sauternes, but the remainder would either be leased to other producers, or used for the Grand Vin Sec dry white.

This wasn’t a novel idea. Château d’Yquem had long produced its dry Ygrec, and other first growths produced dry white wine, though hardly of exceptional quality in the past.

Lafaurie became part of a trend in which châteaux Suduiraut and Sigalas Rabaud also participated: releasing high-quality dry white at a fairly high price.

It made sense. The reduction in volume for Sauternes could be recouped by a higher price for such a prestigious product, and by offering alongside it a fine dry white.

In this way, Denz transformed Lafaurie-Peyraguey, and also made it a tourist destination. Sauternes needs solutions to its somnolent image, and Denz’s approach – he calls it ‘cross-marketing’ – may well provide one.

Related articles

• Bordeaux newsletter: Sign up today
• Bordeaux 2015 revisited 10 years on
• Bordeaux’s famous ‘5’ vintages

Gaëlle Goossens, senior winemaker and research and development lead at Veuve Clicquot, took guests on a deep dive into the intricacies of Veuve Clicquot’s top Champagne, La Grande Dame.

As a self-proclaimed ‘geeky wine person’, Goossens was the perfect host for this in-depth masterclass, providing listeners with a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creation and evolution of an icon.

Scroll down for notes and scores for seven vintages of La Grande Dame

The wine line up consisted of four fairly recent La Grande Dame vintages (2018, 2015, 2012, 2008), followed by a selection of Grande Dame wines from the back vintage collection (1996, 1993, 1990).

‘They are very special, very rare, and they are completely different,’ said Goossens of the older vintages. ‘This is what we want to show today: that we have the same cuvée, but different expressions.’

Many will know that the DNA of Veuve Clicquot, thanks to the conviction of its founder Madame Clicquot-Ponsardin, is its extensive use of Pinot Noir across all the Champagnes in its range.

But Goossens took the audience beyond the house’s expertise with Pinot Noir, into the complexities and subtleties of creating the prestige cuvée of one of Champagne’s biggest houses.

The new 2018

The masterclass was also the perfect opportunity for guests to taste the new 2018 vintage of La Grande Dame, launched in April this year.

2018 was a warm vintage with an abundant crop of grapes. 2015 was also a very warm year. But, as guests discovered during the masterclass, the wines couldn’t be more different.

The key is soils and water. ‘In 2015 we lacked water, so the soils suffered from one of the worst droughts of Champagne,’ said Goossens. This lack of water caused the vines to stop maturing the grapes, which Goossens said gave the wines a minty, eucalyptus aftertaste.

Conversely, in 2018 ‘we had rain all year long, so the soils kept fresh and cold’. This is reflected in 2018’s superb balance of warm, sun-kissed fruit and a high-tension, mineral core.

Instead of the usual 10 years of ageing before release, ‘we deliberately released 2018 a bit earlier than what we’re used to’, said Goossens. And here’s the interesting part. She said this is because they realised they were losing the ‘terroir window’.

By releasing after 10 years of ageing, they would have passed the youthful, fresh, mineral, terroir-driven stage of the wine’s life, but it hadn’t quite reached its tertiary stage of development, so the wine would be sat somewhere in the middle phase.

Releasing it earlier allows the wine to show its youthful characters, as well as the influence of the terroir.

‘When we say the art of ageing, it’s not always pushing the boundaries of ageing in terms of length, it’s more mastering the ageing,’ said Goossens.

See our coverage of the 2018 launch here

The nitty gritty

The house’s use of micro-vinifications is one of the keys to its consistency, resulting in lots of small vats of wines with which to choose the final blend.

‘We’ll have a single vat from a single cru, from a single year, from a single variety,’ said Goossens.

To give an idea of scale, that means every year the winemaking team tastes 700 to 800 wines from a single harvest, plus 400 to 500 different reserve wines. ‘To elaborate our blend, we need to taste more than 1,000 wines over several months,’ she said.

The second key element that Goossens revealed is the blind tasting of these wines: ‘If you want to find the best wine, you have to blind taste.’

Creating a vintage of La Grande Dame is as much about strategic decision making as it is about the quality of the vintage.

Managing the stock of reserve wines plays a key role here; enough must be put aside each vintage to ensure there is enough to create the brand’s entry-level Yellow Label each year.

‘So La Grande Dame is only made when we have enough reserve wines in our winery, and when the Pinot Noir is really extraordinary,’ said Goossens.

The goal with La Grande Dame is to put the structure and texture of Pinot Noir alongside minerality and finesse. ‘But it’s extremely hard to find finesse with Pinot Noir, it’s easier to get bigger aromas than finesse,’ says Goossens.

Finding finesse, therefore, is also about where the grapes are sourced from, she said, and this is dependent on the vintage. In a warm year like 2018, grapes were sourced primarily from the cool north-facing slopes of the Montagne de Reims, notably Verzy and Verzenay.

‘What cellar master Didier Mariotti calls “the art of blending” is actually the art of finding the right crus for the right vintage,’ says Goossens.

La Grande Dame: One cuvée, myriad expressions

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 2018

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 2015

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 2012 (magnum)

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 2008 (magnum)

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 1996 (magnum)

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 1993 (magnum)

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 1990 (magnum)

Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame 1990 (jeroboam)

Guests had the rare opportunity to see just how different the same cuvée can taste, depending on the circumstance: from the vintage conditions, to how long it spent on lees, to when it was disgorged, to what format it was bottled in.

La Grande Dame through the ages

Related articles

Decanter’s New York Fine Wine Encounter: Perfect port in a storm

US restaurants with the best Champagne lists

Best Champagne houses to visit