Producer: Dehours et Fils
The Dehours Champagne Brut Grande Reserve is the result of an assemblage of Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a great percentage of vin de rèserve, fermented according to Solera methods, embraced by Jerome in 1998.
Producer: Gerard Perseval
Gérard Perseval combines his extensive knowledge of biodynamic viticulture and his profound respect for nature to create structured and complex wines, treasures in bottles capable of exciting the senses.
Producer: Jacquesson
The NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 744 is soft, open-knit and caressing. The natural radiance of the vintage comes through in the wine's ample, creamy feel. Apricot, spice, dried flowers, hazelnut and lightly honeyed notes are all beautifully laced together.
Producer: Jacquesson
For the 2018 harvest in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (68%), Avize and Oiry (32%), the previous winter was exceptionally rainy, this was followed by a mild, stormy spring. The weather changed from June onwards, becoming fine and dry, resulting in a particularly early harvest: we started picking on 30 August and finished on 11 September. The vines were in perfect...
Producer: Jacquesson
NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 743 (2015 base) is soft, open-knit and caressing. The natural radiance of 2015 comes through in the wine's ample, creamy feel. Apricot, spice, dried flowers, hazelnut and lightly honeyed notes are all beautifully laced together.
Producer: Bouquin Dupont Fils
A wonderful champagne, 100% Chardonnay of Avize from vineyards more than 60 years old. A base of citrus fruit melted with the scent, and taste, of a custard where there are also two drops of lemon juice. Delicious and enjoyable.
Producer: Jacquesson
2017, the harvest from Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers (66%) Avize and Oiry (34%). Winter and Spring were exceptionally dry; the beginning of Spring was mild but, in April, destructive frosts ravaged the vineyards, especially in the Côte des Blancs. Temperatures then rose and the weather was good until July. The end of the growing season was hot but very wet. The...
Producer: Jacquesson
2019. Winter was mild and dry. Spring frost struck three times and mainly caused damage to our Chardonnay vines, hence the predominance of the Pinots in this cuvee. Summer was dry with heatwaves that caused sunburn. We harvested a very high-quality crop with moderate yields from 12th to 22nd September. The wines are structured, balanced, long and complex....
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The 2021 Montevertine is a huge, potent wine. Dark, rich and explosive, the 2021 possesses tremendous depth, maybe too much. Readers will have to be patient. The inclusion of new vineyards in the Docciole sector have altered Montevertine; it's now a darker, more virile wine from mostly younger vines, in relative terms. In bottle, I find it a bit stylistically different from the house style.
Producer: Tenuta San Guido
The 2021 Guidalberto is a delicious wine from Tenuta San Guido. Dark, plush and enveloping, the 2021 offers plenty of near and medium-term appeal.
Producer: Jurij Fiore & Figlia
Jurij is the son of the great Tuscan oenologist Vittorio Fiore and he's today one of the most exciting and promising wine makers in Tuscany. Less than 100 cases are made for each of these rare gems.
Producer: Podere Poggio Scalette
The 2018 Il Carbonaione is one of the most elegant editions of this flagship wine I can remember tasting. Il Carbonaione is usually a rich, bombastic wine, but the 2018 is sleek, gracious and remarkably refined.
Producer: Montevertine
The 2013 Le Pergole Torte is another wine that has gone into a shell over the last year. Bold, pungent and powerful, the 2013 possesses striking fruit and overall presence, but it is presently totally shut down. Today, the tannins are forbidding, to say the least. The 2013 Pergole Torte is a wine for the exceedingly patient.
Producer: Poggio di Sotto
Poggio di Sotto was established in 1989 and is located on a hill to the south-east of Montalcino. Since its foundation, the estate has become famous for the high quality of the Sangiovese that it cultivates and has quickly achieved cult status
Producer: Jurij Fiore & Figlia
The 2022 Lassù a Lamole offers lemon oil, mint, jasmine and crushed rocks. A wild, eccentric white, the Lassù a Lamole is certainly compelling.
Producer: Tenuta San Guido
The 2019 Guidalberto is a stellar wine. Rich, ample and resonant, the 2019 possesses superb depth and textural richness, both signatures of this warm, dry vintage. The 2019 Guidalberto hits it out of the park on that level.
Producer: Podere Poggio Scalette
The 2021 Il Carbonaione is a regal, elegant wine. Silky, beautifully perfumed and persistent, the 2021 is everything I want from Il Carbonaione. All the purity of Sangiovese caresses the senses in a wine that is both textually intense and also light on its feet. Dark red-toned fruit, rose petals, cinnamon, new leather and cedar are some of the many...
Producer: Montevertine
The 2000 Pergole Torte is bright, fresh and lifted, with surprisingly mid-weight structure and lovely overall balance. The 2000 is a delicate, polished Pergole Torte with terrific balance and a real sense of sensuality.
Producer: Tenuta San Guido
Saturated dark ruby. Sultry aroma of crushed blackberry complicated by a whiff of cinnamon. Layers of earthy, mouthfilling blackberry flavor are supported by gauzy tannins and a welcome core of acidity, followed by white pepper and graphite on the pliant finish. Supple and elegant.
Producer: Montevertine
The 2019 Le Pergole Torte is all class and refinement. At the same time, the 2019 is quite reticent at this stage. In this tasting, the Pergole Torte comes across as more refined and aromatically expressive than the Montevertine, with lovely brightness driving the red berry fruit. Elegant and sophisticated, the 2019 is a wine to treasure for the next...
Producer: Jurij Fiore & Figlia
The 2022 Chianti Classico Sonocosì is fresh and light in body, all of which make it a good choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. This north-facing site at 550 meters in altitude yields a lithe, aromatically expressive Classico loaded with character. Vinification and aging in oak keeps the flavors vibrant.
Producer: Biondi Santi Tenuta Il Greppo
The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Annata is bright, finely sculpted and capable of drinking well for another 20+ years. Sweet red cherry, chalk, mint, rose petal and cedar add shades of nuance on the finish. The 2004 is a gorgeous, vivid wine that still needs time.
Producer: Tenuta San Guido
The 2019 Guidalberto is a stellar wine. Rich, ample and resonant, the 2019 possesses superb depth and textural richness, both signatures of this warm, dry vintage. The 2019 Guidalberto hits it out of the park on that level.
Producer: Jurij Fiore & Figlia
The 2021 Chianti Classico Altolà is a new wine in the range from vines in the new Montefioralle UGA. It offers a beguiling mix of dark red cherry, plum, iron, incense, tobacco, licorice and blood orange. Deep and powerful, with tons of nuance, the Altold is another superb wine in this range from Jurij Fiore & Figlia. The purity of the fruit is just...
Producer: Tenuta Antinori
Antinori's 2003 Tignanello is a terrific effort. This is a delicious Tignanello to enjoy now and over the next decade. The high altitude of the vineyards was clearly an asset in 2003.
The 2021 Montevertine is a huge, potent wine. Dark, rich and explosive, the 2021 possesses tremendous depth, maybe too much. Readers will have to be patient. The inclusion of new vineyards in the Docciole sector have altered Montevertine; it's now a darker, more virile wine from mostly younger vines, in relative terms. In bottle, I find it a bit stylistically different from the house style.
