French Wine

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

James Suckling 98+ Points | The Mouton-specific creme de cassis is all there. Al dente, too. The grapes must have been picked at near perfection. Depth and complexity. Black berries, earth, violets and other flowers. Full-bodied yet very hemmed-in with tight tannins, which are precise and polished. You can taste the grape skins and dust of the soil. The length is rather endless. 92% cabernet sauvignon.

Jeb Dunnuck 98+ | Moving to the flagship, the 2022 Château Mouton Rothschild is a massive, full-bodied, incredibly powerful 2022 that takes no prisoners with its ripe black and blue fruits, chocolate, graphite, and smoked tobacco-driven aromas and flavors. Deep, unctuous, and concentrated, with velvety tannins, this legendary Mouton is based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot that's still resting in new barrel. It will unquestionably play with the top wines in the vintage. Harvest here began the 1st of September and finished on the 26th, and the final wine hit 14% natural alcohol, with a pH of 3.89 and an IPT of 76.

Decanter 98 Points | One of my favourite 2022s, technically very brilliant but it’s the texture that wows, generous, fruity, sleek, supple, it gives stone and graphite touches putting the terroir in the glass and overall this just screams elegance and finesse and above all drinkability! Smooth and shiny, silky, sleek, delicious from the first sip Mouthwatering acidity combined with tannins that have the perfect balance of flinty grip, fleshy fruit and cool minerality. Certainly not shouting, they haven't pushed too far at all, more restrained and refined while still delivering a gorgeous mouthful of wine. Classy and refreshing. Concentrated but clean, pure and vibrant. Wonderful, magical - giving the concentration of the hot vintage which is want you want, but this is moreish and so succulent. One you'll want to finish the glass and then have more immediately. 16.4% press - 4% above normal, usually at 12-13%. 49% grand vin. 3.89pH. 76 IPT. Aged 100% in new barrels.

The Wine Advociate 96+ Points | A brilliant wine that likely sits somewhere between the 2019 and 2020 in quality, the 2022 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. Unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of minty cassis, cigar wrapper, violets and subtle hints of loamy soil, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of fruit and a fleshy, elegantly muscular profile. Broad-shouldered and seamless, it concludes with a long, resonant finish. This year the grand vin represents some 49% of the estate's production. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022

James Suckling 98+ Points | So many beautiful primary fruit aromas. Al dente. Peaches. Very floral. Aromatic. Full-bodied and extremely fine tannins with length and beauty that show incredible depth. Superb brightness and reality. Exciting. Cabernet franc freshness and dynamics come through now, even though the blend is 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc.

The Wine Advocate 96+ Points | This estate's shift in the direction of gentler extraction and more reductive, less overtly oaky élevage continues, and this extreme vintage only underlines that. Fermented at cool temperatures (20 to 23 degrees Celsius), and with an increasing proportion of the wine's Cabernet Franc component matured in large wooden foudres, the 2022 Angélus wafts from the glass with deep aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of iris, licorice and pencil lead. Full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a layered core of cool, vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish, it's a brilliant young wine in the making. The 2022 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 

Neal Martin of Vinous writes 95 Points | The 2022 Angélus was cropped at 40hL/ha. It is aged partly in foudres (around half the Cabernet Franc, to be exact) and the remainder in new barrels, the Grand Vin with 14.45% alcohol and 3.65 pH. This takes a few minutes to unfold in the glass. Blackberry, iris petals and crushed stone notes are focused and delineated. There's opulence locked into these aromatics, but that is contained. The palate is medium-bodied with a mineral opening. Graphite and fresh tobacco thread through the layered black fruit, perhaps spicier than recent vintages. A gentle grip on the finish has some wood tannins to resolve, which should be addressed during its élevage. This will need several years in bottle, probably a decade; then I envisage this Saint-Émilion soaring.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2016

Allen Meadows of Burghound writes 90 - 92 Points | A whiff of oak toast can be found on the ripe, fresh and beautifully layered nose of red cherry, raspberry, earth and lovely spice wisps. There is excellent concentration to the solidly powerful broad-shouldered flavors that possess evident underlying material that buffers well the firm and somewhat grippy tannins on the youthfully austere, serious and built-to-age finale. This is a big 2017 and patience will definitely be required.

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

Decanter 91 Points | Peach and fresh strawberry on the nose with touches of blossom. Crisp and light on the palate, beautifully refreshing.

Winemaker Description 

This cuvée is the classic white wine of Montbourgeau. It is usually bottled after 24 to 30 months of élevage in barrel. 

The very special nature of the appellation of L’Etoile produces white wines of exceptional finesse and complexity.

The fermentation occurs in stainless steel but, after malolactic, the wine is racked into small barrel and demi-muids for two years. At that point, the entire production is assembled and left for several months in cuve before being bottled. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2015

Decanter 100 Points | Produced from seriously old vines with an average age of 56 years, DRC’s headline act does not remotely disappoint. Aromatic fireworks of ripe red and black fruits, toast, spice and a note of decadent perfume lead into a complex palate showing pristine flavours of ripe raspberry, dark cherry, spice, cream and minerals that saturate your taste buds. It is lavishly upholstered by sweet, dense filigree tannins and buoyed by fine acidity - the opulent texture and presence of this wine is beyond remarkable. Already, it is open, profoundly expressive and accessible, however its concentration, acidity and structure will carry it through for decades to come. Arguably the ultimate terroir wine, this 2015 is also the epitome of truly great Pinot Noir. Harvested on 10th September with a yield of 22.65hl/ha. Bottled 22nd March 2017. 403 cases produced. Drinking Window 2025 - 2060. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

Allen Meadows of Burghound writes 91 Points | There is a touch of post-bottling reduction, but the underlying fruit seems to be ripe. On the palate there is excellent freshness and verve to the utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors that also exude a more prominent minerality on the beautifully textured, long and well-balanced finish that is shaped by notably fine-grained tannins. This is also lovely and a wine that should be approachable in its youth yet repay up to a decade of keeping, perhaps even slightly more.

Producer Description 

Matthieu Barret is a Biodynamic winemaker from Domaine de Coulet in Cornas. His love of savory Northern Rhone reds brought him to a vineyard in the southern Rhone village of Visan planted exclusively to Syrah and farmed organically and Biodynamically. 

The 2023 Petit Ours (Little Bear), named for Matthieu’s nickname, has a dark berry aroma on the nose accented with black pepper, violet, lavender, black olive and savory spice. Juicy, fresh and vibrant in the mouth with earthy complexity and sturdy tannins.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022

Charles Curtis MW of Decanter Magazine writes 94 Points | Lucie Coutoux explained that although La Maltroie and Champgains (as they spell it) are roughly the same elevations on the band of premier crus, there is more limestone in Champgains that gives a bigger wine. In 2022, this shows ripe notes of passionfruit and lime peel with an accent of hazelnut and hay. The texture is supple and rich, almost fat, but pleasantly so. The grapes are from the domaine's parcel of 0.44 hectares at the top of the slope. Drinking Window: 2027-2050.

Jasper Morris of Inside Burgundy writes 92 Points | A glowing pale lemon yellow. There is a clear white fruit charm to this, a little more chiselled than the softly welcoming Chenevottes, with a limestone length and purity at the finish. Drink from 2027-2032.

Allen Meadows of Burghound writes 91 Points | This is aromatically similar to the Maltroie though with evident floral elements. There is slightly better volume and mid-palate density to the delicious and caressing but punchy medium weight flavors that possess a healthy amount of sappy dry extract while exhibiting better overall depth and persistence. This too should be approachable young but easily repay mid-term keeping.

Expert Review -  Vintage 2021

Jasper Morris, MW of Inside Burgundy writes 96-98 Points | Fractionally denser in colour than Clos St-Denis with a meatier bouquet, some blood orange as well as the traditional blueberry of this vineyard. A little white pepper comes up. This is brilliantly complete, no feeling of a lighter vintage, with superb grace at the finish. Ripe alpine strawberries. 76% whole bunches. Drink from 2030-2038. 

Christy Canterbury, MW of TimAtkin.com writes 97 Points |  Spicy and smoky on the nose, tangy red currants and raspberries soak into the palate. The tingly acidity makes you sit up straight! The mulberry and açai flavors on the palate are complemented by lively minty lift. Dense and structured, this has mercifully eternal length. This beautifully expresses its structuring terroir and the vivid freshness of the vintage.

Neal Martin of Vinous writes 96 Points | The 2021 Clos-de-la-Roche Grand Cru comes from five lieux-dits. This was slightly more reduced than the Clos Saint-Denis, dark berry fruit, briary; a faint touch of seaweed emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-sculpted tannins, harmonious and tensile, again, discretely building with a transparent, lightly peppered finish that lingers in the mouth. Excellent. Drink: 2026-2050. 

Charles Curtis, MW of Decanter writes 96 Points | This wine is a contender for best in class and one of the very best of the vintage across all appellations. The colour is a fairly deep ruby hue, and the wine displays a lovely ripe plummy fruit with accents of mineral, cigar wrapper and earth on the nose. The texture is initially silky and approachable, but with time one sees that this is a powerful wine with lots of tannin behind that; it is a wine built for ageing. This wine has it all. Drinking Window: 2027-2050. 

John Gilman 95 Points | The 2021 Clos de la Roche from Domaine Dujac is also an outstanding young wine. The beautifully complex nose offers up scents of red and black cherries, plums, chocolate, mustard seed, venison, sweet stem tones, a marvelous base of soil and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with fine depth at the core, good soil undertow, ripe, buried tannins and a long, impeccably balanced and vibrant finish. Outstanding juice in the making. 2037-2100. 

William Kelley of The Wine Advocate  writes 93-95 Points | More brooding than the Clos Saint-Denis, Dujac's 2021 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cherries, sweet forest floor and baking spices. Full-bodied, layered and muscular, with impressive concentration and a long, rose-inflected finish, it's another of the range's high-points. 

Allen Meadows of Burghound writes 92-95 Points | from a 1.95 ha holding in 5 different climats). This is also aromatically quite pretty with markedly floral-suffused aromas of poached plum, black cherry and a touch of green tea. There is both fine volume and energy to the powerful yet highly seductive medium weight plus flavors that culminate in a dusty, firm and youthfully austere finale. This is quite compact yet balanced and it stands a very good chance of being excellent in time. Drink: 2036+. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021

Jasper Morris 94-96 Points | Darkish purple colour. The nose is too reduced to speak at first, but the red fruit powers on through. The palate has everything it really should, with a level of energy and waves of fruit over and above the delightful Beaux Monts. Just the right acidity to finish. Drink from 2027-2035. 

Tim Atkin 95 Points | This is the smallest cuvée of Malconsorts that Dujac has made from these vines planted in 1995, in 1976 and in the 1960s. It is a bit cranky now with notable reduction and edgy, leafy freshness. However, the structure is marvelous thanks to the tangy acidity and creamy, lush tannins. Whole cluster spice, ripe red cherries and tobacco fill up the long finish. Give this a few years.

Vinous 94 Points | The 2021 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru has a very appealing, well-defined and poised bouquet with slightly leafy red fruit tones and a touch of dried blood in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It's much more "classic" and drier in style than the 2022, yet I appreciate the structure on the finish. This doesn't quite reach the level I expected from barrel, but it will give at least a decade of drinking pleasure. 

Wine Advocate 92-94 Points | Aromas of dark berries, smoked duck, spices and petals preface Dujac's 2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's structured and compact, standing out as one of the most backward, but also among the most promising, cuvées in the cellar.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020 

Allen Meadows of Burghound | There is enough wood to merit mentioning but not so much as to overshadow the vaguely exotic and ripe aromas of white peach, apple compote, various citrus elements and a whiff of acacia blossom. The wood is also reflected by the big-bodied, powerful and overtly muscular flavors that possess outstanding richness that is buffered by both a firm minerality as well as bright acidity on the strikingly persistent, balanced and robust finale. This is not a CC of refinement but it is indisputably impressive in its fashion and a wine that should age and improve gracefully over the next 12 to 15 years and last thereafter for a similar period. In a word, superb.

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

Decanter 96 Points | This wine is among the best village-level Monthelies that I can remember. Coche produces it from his 0.3ha of south-facing vines in the village and some purchased fruit (which accounts for 15% of the total). The super-ripe cherry fruit is adorned with rose petal and licorice notes, and firm tannins and crisp acidity back up the pretty aromas. Perfect for drinking now for the fruit, or for mid-term ageing. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.

John Gilman 92+ Points | The 2019 Monthélie “Côte de Beaune” from Domaine Coche-Dury is another beautifully sappy bottle in the making, with a more black fruity personality than the Auxey-Duresses. The nose jumps from the glass in an expressive blend of plums, black cherries, espresso, pigeon, bonfire, a lovely base of dark soil tones and a deft touch of new oak. On the e palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and already nicely plush on the attack, with a sappy core of fruit, fine soil signature, ripe, fine-grained tannins and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. Fine, fine juice.

Vinous 91 Points | The 2019 Monthélie Village is a little more backward on the nose compared to the Auxey-Duresses, well defined but just a bit timid at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, nicely structured with dark berry fruit towards the finish. (NM)

Winemaker Description 

Historically owned by the Marcelis family, passionate about viticulture, Château Moutinot is now run by the Helfrich family.

The property concerned with respect for the environment is committed to a High Environmental Value approach and promotes a living land, where human intervention on the vine is limited to what is strictly necessary, in the respect for flora and fauna but also for the health of farmers and consumers. The wine of Château Moutinot is an elegant wine, which combines fruity and gluttony.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Roger Voss of the Wine Enthusiast writes 88 Points | Petit Verdot forms a formidable 30% of the blend of this wine, giving density, structure and spicy black fruits. The wine is worth aging. Drink from 2025.  

Winemaker Description

A Medoc estate with only 3 hectares of vines planted to 30 year old Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines. Fermented in a combination of steel and cement vats making for a Bordeaux that's fruited and delicious and from a very fine vintage.

Winemaker Descxription 

MUSE DE MIRAVAL is a rigorous selection of the château's oldest and best plots and the finest expression of this unique terroir!

Organically farmed.

This rosé cuvée, mostly vinified in egg-shaped concrete vats, is also aged to a lesser extent in special oak barrels (so-called demi-muids). Each of its aromas evokes a chapter in Miraval's history, reflecting the place and its fragrance, which is typical of this Provençal winery. The unique shape of its handcrafted bottle (available only in magnum) and its very own rosé wine celebrate Miraval's timeless style with rare elegance.

Winemaker Description 

Grape varietal : Melon de Bourgogne. Vine age : 40 years. Farming : Ecological Farming. Vinification : Méthode traditionnelle. After initial fermentation in underground cement tanks, the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle and is aged on the lees for 9 months.

The House of Chéreau Carré occupies the most privileged position in the Loire-Atlantique department of France. This family-owned property dates back to the 15th century. The vines here are some of the most prized in the region of the Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine.

The property is managed by Bernard Chéreau, whose family origins span back to the eleventh century. Bernard’s passion for Melon de Bourgogne is evident in the quality of his wines.

Our Professional Notes

Oscar Garcia Moncada, 67 Wine Buyer, writes:  On the nose, you’ll encounter an enticing bouquet of wild red berries—raspberries, strawberries, and red currants. The palate continues the red berry theme, delivering a tangy, fruit-forward experience complemented by a delightful saline minerality that adds complexity. The finish is crisp and dry, with a bright, natural acidity that makes this wine a fantastic choice as an aperitif or a versatile companion to food. 

Winemaker Description

Garnet color. It offers a beautiful aromatic complexity, dominated by blackcurrant and blackberry jam, supported by hints of pepper and cocoa. On the palate aromas of apricot jam, black cherries, plums in the finish, all supported by a tannic texture that tempers the sweetness. Excellent with Fourme d'Ambert cheese.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Wine Spectator 97 Points | This is distinctly floral, with peach, lime blossom, citronella and mineral aromas and flavors. Sleek and elegant, offering intensity through the lingering aftertaste of lemon and orchard fruits. Shows terrific length and harmony. Best from 2026 through 2036. 30 cases imported.

Expert Review - Vintage 2009

The Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | Strong botrytis, very rich, totally honeyed. This is a powerful wine, very straight in its style, packed with the sweetest apricot jam.

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

The Wine Enthusiast by Roger Voss 93 Points |  French historical monument, this chateau is owned by the Cruse family, one of the leading Bordeaux dynasties. This wine is richly textured with dense black fruits and considerable potential. Power and concentration will allow it to age well. Drink from 2026.

Memo Notes Summary 

• Pairing: Its robust structure and elegant tannins make it an ideal partner for savory dishes:

  • Red Meats: Grilled steak (especially an Entrecôte), roast beef, or lamb.

  • Game: Duck confit or roasted game birds.

  • Cheeses: Hard, aged French cheeses.

The Château du Taillan 2019 is an excellent choice for a well-structured, classic Cru Bourgeois that represents exceptional value from a superb Bordeaux vintage.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019