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Organic / Biodynamic

Organic / Natural

The 2023 Fleurie Chapelle de Bois offers a refined bouquet of spice, cranberries, cherries and delicate dried rose and peony petals. On the palate, the medium-to-full-bodied wine maintains a focused and condensed profile, with supple fruit supported by a ripe acidity. A subtle-grained texture imparts the needed dimension, leading to a distinctive finish tinged with a hint of sea salt.

Needing little introduction, the Domaine de la Grand'Cour covers 11.5 hectares, with the majority located in Fleurie (9.7 hectares) and the rest in Brouilly (1.8 hectares). In recent years, Jean-Louis has taken a step back from the day-to-day operations, entrusting his children, Ophélie and Lucas, with leadership. However, upon my arrival at the domaine, I found Jean-Louis driving the tractor in the Chapelle de Bois parcel across the street, so I think it's safe to say that it's only a partial retirement. The domaine farms some of the most revered vineyards in the appellation, all meticulously tended under the Ecocert organic certification since 2009, though their commitment predates formal recognition. In the cellar, the grapes undergo a low-temperature semi-carbonic maceration and ambient yeast fermentation, followed by eight months of aging in a combination of demi-muids, barrels, foudres and tanks, with no added SO2 until bottling. The resulting wines epitomize exceptional purity and are easy to appreciate in their youth, while possessing the structural integrity to evolve gracefully over the years. In 2023, similar to 2022, the family decided to pick their fruit earlier than usual and shorten the vinification length to preserve freshness and elegance. The resulting wines boast more approachable profiles, especially when compared to the 2020 vintage, with lessened concentrations and finer tannins - The Wine Advocate

Organic / Biodynamic

95-97 points Vinous
Pear and pineapple aromas meet fine, floral characters in the 2020 Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu. While this wine's edges are rounded, it is refined and elegant. It has a sense of density on the mid-palate, but it's not about weight or richness despite its demi-sec status. The wine has an intensity and a structured core reflecting the naturally low yields here. While there is 20g/L of residual sugar, a sense of freshness and underlying urgency pulls this wine through, leaving an off-dry impression. Unfinished sample.

95-96 points Wine Advocate
The 2020 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec is clear, pure, subtle, deep and fresh, with highly refined chalky/sandy lemon aromas. Rich and intense yet silky textured and refined on the concentrated palate, this is a juicy, highly elegant, perfectly balanced, persistently salty and mouth-salivating Haut-Lieu with very fine tannins and a long, firm and pretty powerful but elegant and complex finish. Still more stringent than the Le Mont Demi-Sec in the beginning, but after aeration, this is not just a greatly finessed Chenin but one of the finest Haut-Lieu's I have tasted from Huet. Tasted as a tank sample in April 2021.

Organic / Biodynamic

92+ points Wine Advocate
More introverted and shy in comparison to Haut-Lieu, the 2024 Vouvray Clos du Bourg Sec wafts from the glass with aromas of grapefruit, confit citrus, lime and spring flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and phenolic, it's slightly austere with a tannic mid-palate that leads to a gently bitter finish. This refined yet structured wine needs some time in the cellar to chill out. Residual sugar: eight grams per liter.

Organic / Natural

An intriguing white from Viognier and Roussanne. The vines are a minimum of 10 years old. The wine is directly pressed. Maturing is done on fine lees, and then bottled without being filtered. The total SO2 is less than 25mg/l when bottled

Organic / Biodynamic

Organic

97-99 points Jeb Dunnuck
This château has been firing on all cylinders of late, no doubt due to the talents of technical director Nicolas Audebert, and a wine that's going to flirt with perfection is their 2022 Château Rauzan-Ségla. Powerful notes of black cherries, currants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and leafy herbs all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, concentrated texture, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. This is a legit great wine that's going to rival the 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020.

97-98 points James Suckling
The freshness and clarity of the fruit is really something with black currants and cherries. Brilliant. Full-bodied, layered and round with polished tannins. I like the intensity and focus with such precision and gorgeousness. Is this the 2016 plus more?

97 points Decanter
Gorgeously fragranced on the nose with perfumed black fruits and pink flowers - smells very Margaux. Clean and crisp, a beautiful precision from the start with ripe and rich fruit but cool fresh acidity and sleek, fine tannins. A little shy, still compact and tightly knitted, but lovely detail, so well worked, almost delicate but there's still quite fleshy, plush fruit. Excellent concentration but delivered with an easy sleight of hand, expanding with time in the glass. Glamorous, scented, inviting, deep and seductive. A brilliant and totally moreish wine. Yield of 30hl/ha. 3.7pH. 17% press wine. Harvest 2-28 September. Ageing in French oak for 14-16 months, 15% new. In organic conversion. Tasted twice.

Organic

96 points James Suckling
Attractive aromas of blackberries, plum skins, cloves, cardamom, dark chocolate, cedar and graphite. Some wet stones, too. Full-bodied, opulent and broad-shouldered. Structured and refined. It has a deep core of ripe black fruit covered with layers of plush and velvety tannins that linger for a long time on the palate. Really long and even.

96 points Jeb Dunnuck
I continue to absolutely love what this estate puts in the bottle, and it remains an incredible value given its quality. The 2020 Château Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) reveals a deeper ruby/purple hue to go with gorgeous aromatics of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, gravelly earth, and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the more elegant, pure, precision style of the vintage, has perfectly integrated background oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This brilliant Saint Julien will benefit from 4–6 years of bottle age and have 30+years of overall longevity. Bravo.

"A fine and lacy mousse is draped over a firm frame of well-integrated acidity, belying the complexity of this elegant Champagne. A delicately woven tapestry of black currant, piecrust, chalk, spring blossom and lemon zest flavors ends with a lasting note of smoke-tinged minerality. Drink now through 2029." 94pts WS

92 points Wine Spectator
A graceful rose thats lacy and airy in texture, with finely knit acidity enlivening the flavors of ripe cherry and strawberry fruit and lemon chiffon, accented by hints of smoke and spice. Drink now through 2022. 400 cases imported.

91 points Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Rose is very, very pretty. This is a fresh, energetic wine that impresses for its length and persistence. The wiry finish suggests the wine will drink well for a number of years, perhaps more if the fruit fleshes out.

In 2015, chateau owner Bertrand Gourdou was searching through an old desk when he came across a label that his grandfather had made in the early 1970?????s; that wine was called ?????Le pot-de-vin????? which, in French, translates to ?????the bribe?????, which for that era was an audacious play on words for a wine label! This label inspired Bertrand to make a simple, natural wine: biodynamically grown fruit, fermented with native yeast and with a negligible dose of SO2, made in concrete tanks built by his grandfather. The word "pot" also references the old-style bottle shape.

The rouge is 100% Merlot from the IGP Pays d?????Oc, made with no oak in a light-to-medium-bodied style with gloriously fruit, freshness and length. It is, simply put, the quintessential French bistro red.

Rich, viscous, nervy, and wonderfully lemony, Domaine Tempier has created a southern masterpiece. A freshly grilled fish and a hot summer day know no better companion.
Blend: 60% Clairette, 18% Ugni Blanc, 19% Bourboulenc, 3% Marsanne

91 points Wine Spectator
Lovely warmed plum and black currant confiture flavors are starting to settle into a secondary phase as sweet tobacco, lightly singed alder and a perfumy incense note weave around. Nice focused, fine-grained finish. Textbook.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 2,200 cases made. - James Molesworth

This beautiful, elegant 2003 is a top-notch success for Margaux. More accessible and softer than usual, it boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of flowers, black currants, plums, and underbrush. Medium-bodied, velvety-textured, opulent, and complex, it can be consumed now and over the next 10-15 years. - WA90

96+ Points Wine Advocate
The NV Ros?? 27??me Edition, much like the Grande Cuv??e 171??me Edition, was created based on the 2015 vintage and is complemented with 38 reserve wines sourced from nine different years (which makes up 55% of the blend). The youngest reserve wine dates back to 2015, while the oldest goes all the way back to 2005. Additionally, the blend includes 10% Pinot Noir, sourced from A?? and Mareuil-sur-A??. This delightful ros?? boasts a stunning, fresh bouquet of peony, blueberry, grapefruit, blood orange, warm biscuits and spring flowers. It has a medium to full-bodied texture and is both tense and crystalline, with a delicate yet concentrated structure and a salty, lingering and mouthwatering finish. I find the mid-palate particularly fascinating, as it is both fleshy and delicate. This lively and pure Champagne ros?? from Krug is made up of 57% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier.

99 points Jeb Dunnuck
Another utterly brilliant wine from this team, the 2020 Ch??teau La Conseillante is based on 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. Unquestionably in the same league as the 2019, this beauty offers an incredible bouquet of pure blue fruits, cassis, violets, spring flowers, and truffle. This carries to a full-bodied, seamless, incredibly elegant, layered Pomerol offering perfect tannins, the vibrant, focused, structured style of the vintage, impeccable balance, and a gorgeous finish. As always, this wine is more about purity, finesse, and elegance than power. It offers pleasure even today yet should be given a decade in the cellar, and it will be a 40- to 50-year wine. (3/2023)

100 points Wine Advocate
One of the wines of the vintage is the 2020 La Conseillante, a blend of 86% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc that wafts from the glass with inviting aromas of raspberries, red cherries and mulberries mingled with exotic spices, violets and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and vibrant, it's a beautifully elegant, sensual wine with a deep core of fruit framed by powdery tannins, concluding with a long, extravagantly floral finish. This is a Pomerol of striking purity and sophistication. Congratulations to Marielle Cazaux and her team for surpassing even what they achieved in 2016 and 2019 with this brilliant 2020! (4/2023)

James Suckling, 97pts. - "This is more exotic and monstrous than the 2000. It is like a muscle builder, with lots of round and rich tannins and a core of dark fruits like black cherries and blueberries. Still very young, but structured and in need of five more years." (5/2012)

Jeb Dunnuck, 96pts. - "The 2003 Chateau Leoville Las Cases comes from what is still the hottest vintage on record for Bordeaux. (Others that are close are 2006, 2011, 2018, and 2019.) A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc that hit 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.62 (IPT was 75), its deep ruby/plum color is followed by a terrific, almost Pauillac-like bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, freshly sharpened pencils, chocolate, violets, and a touch of chalky minerality. It builds beautifully with time in the glass and is full-bodied on the palate, offering ripe tannins, a round, expansive mouthfeel, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Hats off to the team at Las Cases for such a gorgeous wine from a challenging vintage!" (3/2021)

"Lively and generous Nectar Imperial distinguishes itself by its extravagant fruitiness, its density on the palate and its crisp finish that instantly surprise and delight. Nectar Roses assemblage is built on the intensity of Pinot Noir, the fruitiness of Pinot Meunier, and the freshness of Chardonnay." Winemaker notes

Its red color is sustained and nuanced with coppery shades.Its aromas are intense and deep with ripe berries (wild strawberry, blackberry, black currant) and cherry, nuanced by herbal and heady flowers notes.On the palate it is a succulent blend of richness and elegance, density and creaminess, extreme fruitiness and vibrant freshness.

Ideal for all sweet and sour, fatty-spicy, sugary-spicy or sweet dishes, Nectar Rose offers amazing pairings with foie gras marinated in red wines and red fruits based desserts.

This Camus XO Cognac is crafted using eaux-de-vie from the very small Borderies cru, matured in oak barrels for many, many years. Gloriously floral with oaky cinnamon spice, nutty qualities and fragrant fruit - an excellent example of Borderies Cognac!

This deep and rich Hermitage, from a family run operation, displays smoked cherry and berry plus dark roasted coffee, iron and red meat on the nose.? On the palate the wine is exceptionally chewy, with cassis, orange rind, and chocolate notes backed by bacon, iron and smoke tones. Excellent acidity and density make this is well-structured Hermitage worthy of additional aging to fully reveal itself.? Decant for at least an hour to serve now. - PJ

Absolutely compelling in two tastings of this vintage, the 2000 Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The extraordinary seductiveness, complex aromatics, and purity it exhibits lead me to believe it has reached its window of full maturity. Medium-bodied, with layers of concentration, stunning blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, a subtle dosage of new oak, and a distinctive personality that is elegant while at the same time powerful and substantial, this is a multi-dimensional wine that was extremely approachable and drinkable in both tastings I had of it. The color remains a healthy, even opaque bluish/purple, but there is no reason to hesitate to drink it. It should evolve for another 30-40 years, so there is no hurry either. 100 points - Robert Parker

As one would expect, this is a powerful, concentrated wine with 13.7% natural alcohol (compared to 2005's 13.2%). The pH is quite normal at 3.56, and its relatively high total acidity gives it a classic, fresh, yet backward style. Given how long vintages such as 1982, 1986, and I suspect, 2000 are taking to reach maturity, prospective purchasers of this wine should easily invest in a decade of cellaring, although I suspect it will be closer to 15 or more years before it reveals secondary nuances. A good 40- to 50-year wine, it is a dense purple, full-bodied style of Las Cases, with classic sweet kirsch, graphite and black currant fruit as well as hints of new saddle leather and subtle oak. Backward, layered and multi-dimensional, the wine is stunningly rich, but brooding. Forget it at least until 2020 or later. -WS 95-98

Representing 55% of the production and cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, Cos d'Estournel's final blend in 2010 is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and the rest tiny portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Compared to the massive 2009 (14.6% natural alcohol), the 2010 achieved slightly less alcohol, but also a lower pH, which accounts for its more tannic, backward, huge style. An inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of damp earth, black currants, blackberries, licorice and charcoal. Firm, thick and super-concentrated, it is another outrageously impressive wine that will require 6-10 years of cellaring. It should keep for 30+ years. It is somewhat 2005-ish in its structure and palate impression. -WS 95-97

Organic

65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc from 40+ year old vines planted in clay and gravel. This 5th generation Bordeaux house makes classically rendered, dusty, balanced, thoroughly delicious "baby claret.