France
France
Remoissenet Père & Fils 1969 Vosne-Romanée
French Red
Pinot Noir comes from the Vosne-Romanée appellation in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. The appellation covers vineyards in Vosne-Romanée and neighbouring Flagey-Échezeaux and is reserved for red wine. Limestone mixed with clayey marls is characteristic, with soil depths ranging from tens of centimetres to one metre. The plots have an easterly exposure and may lie at the top or foot of the slope.
Château Léoville Poyferré 2010 Saint-Julien
French Red
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for fifty-six percent of the blend, with Merlot at thirty-four percent, Petit Verdot at seven percent and Cabernet Franc at three percent. Mindel gravel terraces lie over sandy-clay subsoil. Blackberry, black cherry and orange peel accompany a full body, round creamy tannins and a flavourful finish. Violet edging appears around the rim.
Château Rousselle 2016 Côtes de Bourg 6 L
French Red
Red and black fruit, raspberry, blueberry and cherry are joined by liquorice, dried wild herbs and mineral tones. The palate is soft, creamy, fruity, round and concentrated, with a long finish. The vineyard is planted mainly to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec on limestone slopes beneath brown clay. The wine ages for twelve months in French oak barrels.
Remoissenet Père & Fils 1967 Volnay
French Red
Deep cherry-red colour accompanies mushrooms, Asian spice and sous-bois. Dark cherry, earth, rhubarb and strawberry open in the glass, and the profile gains detail with air. The mature expression also shows beautiful colour, a pleasing structure and fine grain. The wine comes from Volnay in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune, where Pinot Noir forms the appellation's red wines.
Domaine Faiveley 2021 Meursault
French White
Chardonnay grows on limestone, marl and clay soils with east and southeast exposures. Brilliant pale-yellow colour accompanies white and yellow fruit with light woody notes. The palate is round and full, with vanilla and toast and a slightly acidic finish. The wine spends fourteen months in French oak barrels, less than one third new, with regular stirring. The vineyards are farmed organically.
Champagne Bruno Paillard Dosage Zéro
French Sparkling
Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir form a 50/25/25 blend with zero dosage. White fruit and fresh almond are joined by chocolate, toast, raspberry, star anise and candied chestnut. The palate is lively and generous, with a chiselled texture, saline notes and a long finish. Bottle ageing lasts three to four years on lees, followed by at least six months after disgorgement.
Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
French White
Chardonnay grows on Kimmeridgian marl with a south to southwest exposure. The lower slope has deeper brown soil, while the upper slope is whiter and more clay-rich. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place partly in stainless steel and partly in barrel. Peach, apricot and hawthorn appear in a powerful, mineral profile with reserve and austerity. Malolactic fermentation is completed before blending.
Domaine Les Astrelles 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin
French Red
Pinot Noir comes from three small lieux-dits. The nose is compact, while the mouth is direct and fluid, gaining intensity through the middle. The flavour is persistent and the profile is delicious. The bottling carries the Gevrey-Chambertin village appellation and is certified organic. During this growing season, the domaine harvested the cuvée without using whole clusters.
Champagne Nakada-Park 2020 Vignes de Courteron Brut Nature
French Sparkling
Pinot Noir forms this Blanc de Noirs Champagne. Fine perlage accompanies a fruity nose with yeast and bread-crust notes, while the palate is fresh and elegant. Fermentation and maturation take place in oak barrels, and dosage is zero. The wine comes from a 0.2-hectare parcel, with 2,400 bottles produced and disgorgement in November. The vineyard is farmed organically.
Champagne Nakada-Park 2020 Vignes de Gyé-sur-Seine Brut Nature
French Sparkling
Pinot Noir grows on sandy and limestone soil at Gyé-sur-Seine. Fermentation and maturation use oak barrels, and dosage is zero. Lemon, understated crustacea and blackcurrant leaf appear in a nuanced profile with precision, complexity and tension. Brightness and harmony are also present. The wine undergoes bottle fermentation and forty-two months of bottle ageing; disgorgement took place in November. The vineyard is farmed organically.
Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur 2018 Volnay Premier Cru Les Pitures
French Red
The Pinot Noir comes from a site near the Pommard border and beside Clos des Ducs. Vines span plantings from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s and cover just under one hectare. Broad, sanguine fruit is accompanied by firm, elemental structure and a sense of elegance. The wine is rich, full-bodied and powerful, with a muscular middleweight profile and a slightly warm finish.
Château Phélan Ségur 2022 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc form a 56/40/2/2 blend. Almost-black colour has purple reflections. Juicy black fruit, spice, subtle floral notes, black cherry, rose and cedar are present. The palate is fleshy, flavourful and mellow, with power, density, richness and silky, assertive tannins. The finish is persistent and balanced, with menthol notes.
Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée No. 747 Extra Brut
French Sparkling
This Extra Brut Champagne includes reserve wine. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier form the blend, and dosage is 1.5 grams per litre. Candied lemon, mint, white pepper, mandarin peel and graphite appear with rich texture and vibrancy. Warm bread, vanilla cream and sweet spice join generous fruit and a chalky finish. Vinification and ageing use foudres on lees, without filtration or fining.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2011 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
French White
Pale, bright yellow-green colour accompanies aromas of lime, apple, powdered stone, quinine, mint and white pepper. Citrus fruit, spice, white flowers and fresh herbs appear in a fresh, elegant profile that is precise, brisk and seamless. The Chardonnay was made entirely in stainless steel. The long finish has mineral and white-flower notes, with salinity, penetration and concentration also present.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
French White
Chardonnay comes from the domaine's oldest vineyard and is aged equally in stainless steel and old barrels. Bright pale-yellow colour accompanies peachy fruit salad. Petrol, citrus, white flower, pear and sea-shore elements are present. The wine is plush and very ripe, with a creamy texture and a faint phenolic quality. Mineral complexity and a strikingly long finish are also present.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
French White
Chardonnay comes from a Chablis grand cru climat situated between Valmur and Blanchots. The site once had enclosing walls. Pale golden colour carries green glimmers. Mineral and honeyed notes join citrus and white stone fruit on a delicate nose. The palate is powerful, dense and fleshy with lively acidity. A mineral and saline finish is also present.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots Vieilles Vignes
French White
Rich gold colour shows green reflections. Honey, toast and hazelnut are joined by fresh fruit, lemongrass, verbena and menthol, with vanilla and toasted wood also present. The Chardonnay is powerful and fleshy, combining maturity, freshness and generosity. Fruit, mineral and wood elements are integrated in the profile. Production for this old-vine Chablis grand cru totalled twelve hundred bottles.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
French White
Hand-harvested Chardonnay grows on Kimmeridgian ground with south to south-east exposure. Vinification uses stainless steel, and maturation lasts eighteen months in tank. Pale gold colour carries green reflections. The nose is fine and complex, with citrus, vanilla, fresh butter, hazelnut and an iodized mineral touch. The wine is pure and rich, with an exceptionally long finish.
Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry 2018 Margaux
French Red
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc form a 60/32/8 blend. The vineyard has Pyrenean gravel, ten thousand vines per hectare and an average vine age of forty-five years. Fruit is hand harvested and sorted. The wine ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete, then spends thirteen to fifteen months in barrel, seventy percent new. Balance, depth, freshness and silky tannins appear with lightly woody, toasted notes after aeration.
Trimbach 2005 Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre Gewurztraminer
French White
This Gewurztraminer includes fruit from Osterberg and Hunawihr. Honey, rose petal, peony, sweet pea, bacon fat and cinnamon are present. The palate is rich and firm, with a cool chalky impression. Fifteen grams of residual sugar appear alongside unusually high acidity and palpable extract. Refined and elegant in character, the wine has persistent juiciness, florality and subtle spice.
Palmer & Co 2015 Grands Terroirs Brut Champagne
French Sparkling
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier form a 50/38/12 blend drawn from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards across the Montagne de Reims. Orange blossom, acacia and yellow fruit accompany fried pineapple and tonka bean. The profile is fresh, with citrus, brioche and dried-fruit notes. The wine has a creamy texture and a persistent finish, and dosage is seven grams per litre.
Domaine Rostaing 2022 Cuvée Ampodium Côte-Rôtie
French Red
Syrah from thirteen parcels forms the blend, which ages primarily in old 600-litre demi-muid barrels. Saturated ruby in colour, the wine offers ripe dark berries, cherry, olive, pungent flowers and black pepper. Black raspberry, cherry-cola, violet pastille and star anise are also present. The finish is pliant, sweet and focused, with smooth tannins and tenacity.
Pol Roger 2015 Blanc de Blancs Vintage Champagne
French Sparkling
Chardonnay from Oiry, Chouilly, Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is settled twice and fermented slowly below eighteen degrees in stainless steel. Six years of cellar ageing and hand riddling are part of production. Pale gold with green tints and fine bubbles, the wine offers lemon zest, pastry, mocha, cocoa, confectionery, fresh butter, hazelnut liqueur, toast and tangy freshness.
Adrien Renoir Les 2 Terroirs Rosé d’Assemblage Grand Cru Extra Brut NV
French Sparkling
Pinot Noir grows in clay-rich soils, with ninety-five percent vinified as white wine from Verzy and five percent added as still red wine from Verzenay. Dosage is 0.8 grams per litre. Grapefruit, red cherry, redcurrant and spice accompany an aromatic, incisive character. The wine is medium-to-full-bodied, with tension, minerality, good cut and a saline finish.
Pol Roger 2016 Blanc de Blancs Vintage Champagne
French Sparkling
Chardonnay from six grands crus in the Côte des Blancs is gently pressed, settled twice and fermented slowly in cool stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation, secondary fermentation and cellar ageing are part of the production. Silvery tints and delicate bubbles accompany chalk, flint, white flowers, yellow cherry, dried nuts, citrus and exotic fruit. The texture is delicate and almost crunchy, with lemon and orange zest, toast, and a long saline finish.
Domaine Jamet 2019 Syrah Collines Rhodaniennes
French Red
Syrah grows on micaschist and granite in parcels on the higher slopes around Ampuis and Condrieu. The grapes are destemmed and macerate for about fifteen days. Maturation lasts twelve months in oak barrels that have held five or six earlier vintages. This French red wine is made entirely from Syrah within the Collines Rhodaniennes indication.
Domaine Naudin-Ferrand 2024 Gamay de Bully
French Red
Fresh red fruit and wild pepper accompany pleasant acidity, softened tannins and a light alcoholic profile. The grapes are harvested by hand into small cases, refrigerated, carefully sorted and placed whole into concrete. Fermentation proceeds without added sulphites and with minimal extraction. Early pressing precedes full malolactic fermentation on the lees, followed by early bottling.
Gérard Bertrand 2024 Gris Blanc Rosé 1.5 L
French Rosé
Very pale pink colour shows grey and white highlights. Red-fruit aromas accompany a slight spritz, freshness and fruit. The finish is elegant, fresh and mineral. Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir form the blend. The vineyards lie mainly around Tautavel in Roussillon. The wine rests on fine lees for several weeks before bottling. Low rainfall and abundant sunshine characterize the vineyard climate.
Domaine Jean Bourdy 2020 Côtes du Jura Blanc Chardonnay
French White
Golden colour accompanies fruit, sherry-like notes, yeast, Indian spice and umami. Herbs add an incense-like detail. Nuttiness, ripe pear, baked apple, briny minerality and lively acidity are also present. Made entirely from Chardonnay, the dry white comes from clay-limestone soils and grey marl. Biodynamic vineyard work is certified by Demeter. It may be opened several hours before service.
Domaine Jamet 2020 Équivoque Côtes du Rhône
French Red
Cassis, soaked black cherry, liquorice and ink accompany spice, black fruit, graphite, rose petal and black olive. Smoke is also present. The wine has fine, extended tannins. Syrah grows on schist and is harvested by hand. Vinification uses partial destemming, indigenous yeast and about fifteen days of maceration. Maturation lasts twenty-two months in older oak barrels before bottling.