France

Domaine Parent Showcases Their New 2023 Burgundy Releases in London Alongside an Impressive Array of Back Vintages…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye-catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard as Anne prepares to hand over the reins of winemaking and marketing to the 13th generation – her niece Constance Fages-Parent.

The new 2023 Burgundy releases.

As Anne prepares for a slightly more sedate mentoring role in her semi-retirement, she recently returned to London with Constance to showcase the domaine’s new 2023 releases in bottle alongside a seductive array of back vintage wines for collectors and connoisseurs. Having tasted the 2023 releases last November in Burgundy at the domaine with Anne, it was fascinating tasting the full range again in bottle, after the wines have had extra time to harmonise, flesh out and integrate. While tasting the En-primeur samples, it immediately became apparent that the Parent 2023 wines were among the most serious expressions of the vintage, revealing depth, concentration and ample structure in this more accessible, charming Burgundy vintage.

Anne and Constance in London.

During her tenure, Anne Parent has been a trailblazer in biodynamics and a real force for strict vineyard management. Hence, the domaine has managed to stay very much at the top of the tree in the Burgundy quality hierarchy. Tasting the 2023 releases and a superb selection of back vintages in London merely served to reconfirm the domaine’s true “first growth” standing in Pommard.

The 2023 New Releases from Domaine Parent:

Domaine Parent Bourgogne 2023, 12.5% Abv.

A true introduction to the joys of the Parent wine range. Pure, bright and deliciously red fruited showing red currant, red cherry and wild strawberry nuances. The entry is zippy and fresh, the palate delicately chalky with powdery accessible tannins and deliciously tangy acids that lend a mouthwatering succulence. Silky, soft and ready to enjoy in its youth. Drink from 2025 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 90+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2023, 12.5% Abv. 

This is a blend of lower slope Volnay and Pommard vines of over 50 years in age. Full of intricate black berry fruits, this wine displays depth and complexity, a delicate smoky limestone minerality and a spicy, mint-tinged salty cassis finish. Accessible but still very serious. Drink from 2026 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard Les Noizons 2023, 13% Abv. 

The delightfully complex aromatics show a beautifully expressive side of red and black berry fruits, black cherry, pink musk and salty cassis. Impressively chalky tannins, seductively bright crystalline acids and a pithy, black fruited finish. Pure class with superb balance and persistence. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

Beautifully dense, dark smoky aromatics full of limestone dust, pithy cherry skins and earthy red berry fruits. The palate is restrained but fleshy with a glycerol opulence, silky powdery tannins and a long, focused, incredibly precise finish with polished marble tannins. A very complete wine. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

The aromatics are dark and aromatic with notes of black cherry, salted liquorice, and creme de cassis. The fruits are taut and powerful, tight grained and mineral laden with an impressive core of concentration, a liquid minerality and a lovely long, compact length. Power packed and broody. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2023, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics are laden with red berry fruits, red plum and earthy savoury notes. Delightfully fleshy and fresh on the palate backed by mouth watering acids, a glycerol mouthfeel and an accessible cherry fruited finish. Creamy, succulent precision with super purity and accessibility. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

From 85-year-old Pinot Noir vines grown on brown and red clay soils that offers a more generous expression. Shows dark and alluring aromatics of black cherry, kirsch liquor and damson plum, liquorice and saline creme de cassis nuances. There’s a translucence to the fruit purity, crystalline acid brightness and a beautiful precision that shows some similarities to its neighbour Les Croix Noires. Massive concentration, opulence and depth. Very special site. Drink from 2026 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

The 2023 sees 40% whole bunches used with 40% new French oak from fruit grown on a lighter, finer grain of clay soils without much depth. The intricate aromatics show incredible precision and focus, power with elegance, with smoky limestone notes, satin soft tannins, and a generously long, concentrated finish. An utterly compelling offering. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2023, 13.5% Abv.

The complex aromatics shows red and black berry fruits, black orchard fruits, with high toned perfumed notes of kirsch cherry, purple rock candy, and blue berry nuances. The concentrated fruit envelops your palate, coating your mouth with silky powdery precision, before a long, persistent, focused classical finish. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2023

From Chardonnay vines grown on deep limestone soils on the hill of Corton, just above the Les Bressandes vineyard. The wine is rich and expressive, full of ripe citrus fruits, buttered toast, honeycomb and leesy biscuity nuances. Sleek and bold in the mouth, there is a polished accessibility, a classy light touch elegance, bright racy acids and a long, distinguished, concentrated finish. Quite tight at the moment so might need a few more years in the cellar. Drink from 2027 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An impressive selection of Parent back vintages.

Domaine Parent Back Vintages:

Domaine Parent Pommard Les Croix Blanche 2019

A fabulous perfumed aromatics bristling with saline cassis and black cherry notes. The palate is pure silk, delightfully fine grained yet still powerful with great depth, intensity and length. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2019

Beautifully intense aromatics are packed full of red and black cherry, black sweet plum and a delicate sappy note in the finish. There is a classical 2019 breadth and depth, with opulent red and black fruits, a tangy acids and the signature tight knit silky tannins. A wine with great presence and depth. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2019

A wine with clear opulence and fruit forward density, aromatically brimming with red and black cherry, wild strawberry over a delicate limestone minerality. The wine shows a beautifully supple depth and concentration, fabulous generosity, a fleshy, spicy peppery depth but with great length. Really quite superb. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2018

This 2018 shows a slightly more earthy savoury black fruited aromatics with hints of gun smoke, sappy spice and peppery wild strawberries. The palate is incredibly polished, fairly strict and linear but beautifully polished with silky tannins and a soft, tangy generous acidity. A more ethereal expression. Drink now to 2035.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2018

An intricate aromatic melange of savoury red berry fruits, sous bois, tilled earth and subtle dusty limestone hints. There is incredible tension and precision on the palate with a very fine grained linear texture, savoury red orchard fruits, and a beautifully focused, harmonious finish. Plenty of class on display. Drink now to 2038.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2021

Beautiful intensity is written all over this wine, with aromatics of violets, red and black berries, black cherries and saline notes. The acid intensity matches the fruit focus and precision with piercing depth, a strict structure but also fabulous concentration. Wow. A real beauty. One for the cellar. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Grand Cru Corton Les Renardes 2020

This reveals a classical Burgundy nose showing stewed wild strawberries, red cherries, salty red liquorice with an underlay of earthy, herby, spicy sapidity. The palate entry is deliciously sweet fruited with an enticing interplay between savoury red fruits, frais des bois, sweet creamy supple tannins and a peppery, spicy, gun smoke mineral finish. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2020 (Magnum)

This is a really impressive white full of pedigree and precision. The aromatics boast lemon and herb spice, sweet crystallised lemon peel and lemon Bon Bons. The delicate leesy notes follow to the palate that shows a notable freshness, well integrated tangy acids, and a long, long, dry honeycomb finish. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Archive vintages served alongside a delicious meal at Medlar, Chelsea.

The Domaine Parent wines are imported into the UK by Burgundy speciality merchant Musigny Wines. Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine to request an allocation of new 2023 releases and back vintages.

The De Schepper Family Innovates with Their Pure Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux Cuvée “Le Createur”…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The De Schepper family owns five wine estates in Bordeaux as well as the De Mour negociant firm that is tasked with distributing their wines, more often than not, direct to international merchants and retailers. In my experience of tasting and reviewing their wines for the past decade, this is a firm that prides itself on its values, based on human expertise passed down through generations, technical mastery of all stages in the winemaking process, as well as upmarket product ranges developed via exclusive partnerships. 

Within their product range, the special pure Cabernet Sauvignon cuvée of Château Haut Breton Larigaudière was created and named “Le Createur”, a literal translation of the family name of the owners “De Schepper”, a name of Flemish origin, in honor of Emile De Schepper, who bought the estate in 1964 and started the extensive renovation of the château. “Le Créateur” is an endless and tireless search tor the perfection of the personality of a specific vintage. I recently cracked a bottle of their 2015 vintage to assess how this pure Cabernet Sauvignon is looking after 10 years from vintage.

Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere Le Createur 2015, Margaux, 13.5% Abv.

This pure 100% Cabernet Sauvignon shows a beautifully complex and intricate aromatics of fresh violets, black cherry, dried bay leaf spice, red currants and black plum with hints of tilled earth, black tea and fresh tannery leather. The palate displays a beautiful crunchy freshness and definition with powerful linear tannins and a stony minerality supported by layers of creme de cassis and black berry fruits, a delicate wood spice, freshly brewed tea and delicate herbal notes on the long creamy finish. Drink this classy wine now and over the next 10+ years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Kei Shiogai Stuns Burgundy Collectors with His Phenomenal New Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2023 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Burgundy is full of talented wine makers, but every now and then, a new name comes along almost out of the blue, with incredible flair – this is Kei Shiogai – a superstar in the making. Originally from Japan, Kei left Tokyo to travel to New Zealand as he was so interested in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After a short spell there, he was strongly encouraged by locals to pursue his passion in the true home of these varieties – Burgundy – where studied viticulture and vinification in Beaune and Dijon.

Kei arrived in Burgundy and proceeded to work with several top producers including Philippe Pacalet, Domaine Rousseau and Domaine Roulot. Indeed, his earlier vintages in Beaune were produced while he was still working at Domaine Roulot. Even with his 2020 vintage, Kei started to turn heads and draw attention to his wines with their incredible elegance and purity of fruit produced from modest “village level” sites. But it is of course with fruit sourced from the more premium Grand Cru sites that Kei has really started to redefine his own stylistic talents. With limited stocks due to arrive in the UK shortly, it seemed the perfect moment to review his second Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru release. 

Kei Shiogai Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy

The 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Kei Shiogai is another exceptional expression with incredible attention to detail, showing aromas of limestone minerality, white flowers, pear fruits, lemon grass, sweet herbs, and buttered white toast nuances. On the palate the wine is taut yet elegantly textured and densely layered with a notable chalky dry extract but also seamlessly creamy, harmonious, and balanced. A decidedly more serious terroir driven, linear, minerally infused expression of Corton-Charlemagne than some of the more buttery mainstream examples on the market. Undeniably profound and a real high point in Kei’s 2023 white range. Drink from 2025 to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96-97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Kei Shiogai wine are available on allocation from his exclusive UK importer, Musigny Wines. Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine

Beyond Bordeaux – The 2025 Global Fine Wine Offering from La Place de Bordeaux…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

For the past few years, Bordeaux negociants have been supplementing their wine businesses by offering their distribution expertise acquired globally over many decades, to distribute alternative premium fine wines from around the world. CVBG have been one of the largest proponents of the “Beyond Bordeaux” wine category and accordingly, host an impressive fine wine tasting for the trade in London annually. Below are a selection of my scores from the 2025 offerings.

The impressive tasting of Beyond Bordeaux hosted in London by Negociant CVBG Dourthe.

Massetino 2023, IGT Toscana, 15% Abv.

Plush, exotic and lifted with aromatics of cherry kirsch liquor, cassis, sour plum and subtle brûléed vanilla nuances. Super sleek polished texture showing overt stony mineral tannins with a picante, grippy extract on the finish. Plenty of tension belies the 15% alcohol.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marchesi Antinori Solaia 2022, IGT Toscana, 13.5% Abv.

Deep dark broody aromatics full of macerated black berries, damson plum and black cherry compote with a dusting of brûléed vanilla pod spice. Fleshy and silky soft, fulsome but also very characterful with a classical weightless concentration and elegance. A very polished expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marques de Riscal Tapias 2022, Rioja DOC, 15% Abv.

Shows dense layers of black berry, damson plum and ripe wild strawberry. Ripe tight core with muscle but also precision. The oak is still dominant now but should integrate further and age gracefully.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

F. ALGUEIRA Dolio 2021, Ribera Sacra, 13% Abv.

Layered aromatics with dark bramble berry fruits, a graphite dusting, crushed stones and a hint of smoky reduction. Sleek and precise with a savoury plummy sweet – sour ripeness neatly tucked between bright linear acids and fine chalky tannins.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau Cheval Blanc Petit Cheval Bordeaux Blanc 2023, 13.5% Abv.

A 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 17% Semillon blend, this new release shows a juicy opulent crystalline aromatics full of vibrant yellow grapefruit citrus, fresh fennel, ripe gooseberries and lemon grass spice. Deliciously full with a harmonious texture that’s mouth coating, almost creamy, finishing with a delicious purity and clarity. Superb. 

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cheval des Andes 2022, Mendoza, 14% Abv.

Cool integrated perfumed aromatics offering a classy balance and purity of blueberry, cassis and damson plum. Beautifully fine grained displaying a polished texture. A true class act with superb balance.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Errazuriz Sena 2023, Valle de Aconcagua, 13.5% Abv.

Beautifully aromatic perfumed fragrance of violets, white blossom and hints of saline cassis, black cherry and ripe blueberries. Seamless and silky, but also delightfully vibrant and fresh with a piercing black fruit concentration while remaining classically light on its feet. Very classy expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Appassionata Pinot Noir 2014, Chehalem Mountains AVA, Oregon, 13% Abv.

Enticingly fresh aromatics with delightful tertiary hints of freshly brewed tea and sous bois, bold orange and pomegranate nuances. Sleek, soft and very pure, this balances savoury red berry fruits and a bramble berry intensity with citrus, orange vermouth spices and blood orange notes on a very sleek polished finish. Wow. Impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting with Ernie Loosen.

Dr Loosen Wines:

From 130 year old seven hectare plots of Riesling from Ernie Loosen’s Great Grandfather (out of a total 40 hectares in Wehlener Sonnenuhr) Being the 2nd biggest holdings after JJ Prum. 

Riesling Dry 2019, 12.5% – 95+/100

Riesling Kabinett 2019, 9.5% – 97/100

Riesling Auslese 2019, 9.5% – 98/100

 

L’Aventure Optimus 2022 Red Blend – 95/100

L’Aventure Cote A Cote 2022 – 95+/100

L’Aventure Estate Reserve 2022 – 97+/100

Verite La Muse 2022, Sonoma County, 14.5% Abv.

Mostly Merlot, wood spice, black berry, plum pip, with smoky graphite and crushed gravel. Super sleek and polished, seamless, showing sappy leafy black fruits, cedar spice, black tea and a spicy grippy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Verite La Joie 2022, Sonoma County, 14.5% Abv.

Tightly packed with cedar, spice, chai tea, graphite and real mineral presence. Fruits are dark, taut and full of tension, acids are crisp but with a marble like polish. Tight, classical and serious.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Verite Le Desir 2022, Sonoma County, 14.5% Abv.

Tight dark and broody, this is a classy, tight black fruited expression, offering up hints of aromatic complexity. Red berries, sweet cedar and red currant fruits with a lurking leafy, red cherry intensity. Sublime balance and harmony.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Beautiful blend of Cabernet vineyards from Spring Mountain with 3% Merlot for extra interest. Delicious black currant, black forest gateau, plums and blueberry compote. Lovely balance with impressive balance and fleshy generosity.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Inglenook Blancaneaux 2023, Napa Valley, 13.7% Abv.

40% Viognier with Roussanne and Marsanne. Lovely cool precision, stony minerality with smoky flinty reduction, spice and dried herbs. Mouth coating, intense but good freshness.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Napa Valley, 14.1% Abv.

Small warmer vintage with slightly higher yields than 2021, showing blue and black berries, cassis, dried herbs and sweet cedar spice. A harmonious palate showing restraint with intensity and concentration, silky balance and a blueberry, black currant finish. Classical but impressive intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Inglenook Rubicon 2022, 14.3% Abv.

85% Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot – Sweet herbs, sappy cedar, saline black currant, with black and blueberry, liquorice and creamy, graphite tannins. Full, powerful, incredibly complete.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Coonawarra, 13.5% Abv. 

Quite an ethereal, musky, dusty Cabernet aromatics with blueberry, cassies, black cherry and black berry rock candy. Sublime balance, silky soft tannins with a creamy velvety mouthfeel, tangy acids and a salty black berry fruited finish. The oak is almost imperceptible. Very classy.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2023, 12.5% Abv.

Lovely lemon and lime intensity spiced up by a complexing, well judged smoky reduction. Crisp, crystalline, deliciously lean. This is a truly delicious, grown up fine wine Chardonnay.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2022, 14.5% Abv.

Restrained subdued aromatics, with hints of liquorice, blue and black berry and a spicy, granitic, mineral grippy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds RWT Bin 789 Barossa Shiraz 2023, 14.5% Abv. 

Sweet and exotic aromatics full of  black berry, hoisin plum sauce, sweet Christmas spices and a smoky savoury depth with very dry, mineral grippy tannins. Very serious.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% Abv.

Subtle aromatics of black berry, dried mint leaf, chocolate peppermint crisp and sweet dried herbs. Full and creamy, powdery chalky tannins, a cool tangy acidity and a long, focused finish. Very precise.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, 14.5% Abv.

Sweeter black fruits, mulberry and damson plum, over tilled earth, graphite and chai tea. Dense, complex and textural, pinpoint, focused and tight grained. Dusty chalky tannins, liquid minerals and a picante, pithy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Penfolds Grange 2021, 14.5% Abv.

Beautiful aromatics of incense, plum sauce, black cherry, and sweet Christmas spices with a kiss of salty black liquorice. Full in the mouth with a textured, grippy tannin frame, plenty of chalky minerality and an unctuous, fleshy, grippy finish. Plenty of premium winemaking on display here.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cloudburst Chardonnay 2023, Margaret River

Fabulous lemon lime intensity with an intricate smoky reductive vein. Wet stones, lemon grass and fabulous depth. Cool classy and restrained, this is top drawer cool climate Chardonnay.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cloudburst Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Margaret River

A vibrant, distinctive terroir driven expression that oozes terroir… wet stone minerality, tea leaf, graphite, black currant leaf, tobacco and kelp. Deliciously maritime, saline and focused with amazing energy and inner character. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Yalumba Florita Riesling 2015, Clare Valley, 12.3% Abv.

Lemon cordial, lime confit, white flowers and hints of butter, ginger and passion fruit crunch. Dry, pristine, very classy!

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jim Barry The Armagh 2022, Clare Valley, 14% Abv.

An incredibly fragrant aromatics, fully perfumed with rose petal, incense, rose hip, tangerine peel, pink musk, talc, red peppercorns and vibrant red berry fruits. Incredibly cool sleek and silky, this is Armagh elegance at the next level. Fabulous purity, weightless concentration and spectacular elegance. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Yalumba The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz 2020, Barossa Valley, 14.5% Abv.

Dark broody black and blue berry fruits, beautifully complex, integrated aromatics of black currant, liquorice and salted caramel. Incredibly harmonious and balanced, this is a sublime Barossa expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Rising Star of Saint Emilion – Tasting a Vertical of Chateau La Croizille 2007 – 2024…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

La Croizille is a wonderfully situated Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé Chateau that was acquired by the Belgian De Schepper – De Mour family in 1996 and whose wines are sold mostly in the Benelux. The 5 hectares of vines belonging to the Château benefit from the same remarkable soils, on the borders of the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion in the commune of Saint-Laurent des Combes, as famous chateaux such as Tetre Roteboeuf, Rocheyron and Troplong Mondot.

After 1996, the De Schepper family commenced on a large investment spree, bringing the estate into the modern winemaking era, combining its sought-after terroir with high-end technology and traditional know-how to create a wine with great opulence, finesse, modernity, and personality under the watchful eye of highly respected head winemaker and technical director, Jean-Michel Garcion.

Technical Director Jean Michel Garcion

I have been following their wines since I was introduced to the chateau in 2014 when I travelled to Bordeaux to run the 30th Bordeaux Marathon, and I can confirm that all the hard work and focus applied by Jean Michel and his team has paid off handsomely with both Chateau La Croizille and the neighbouring property, Chateau Tour Baladoz, also owned by the De Schepper family, being upgraded from Saint Emilion Grand Cru status up to the Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé classification commencing with the 2022 vintage. A hard earned and well-deserved recognition of the continuity of excellence at these two high quality Chateaux.

The Chateau La Croizille on the limestone cote.

So to celebrate this momentous reclassification, I have updated my vertical tasting notes for La Croizille to include not only all the bottles I retasted at the Chateau in September 2023, but also fittingly, to include the latest 2023 Grand Cru Classé vintage release that will be bottled next year. These are wines to seek out, drink and add to your cellar collection while they still offer excellent value for money in the context of the region’s premium Saint Emilion reds. 

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2007, 13% Abv.

The vineyards on the clay-limestone plateau yielded a spectacularly good offering in 2007. Notes of polished mahogany, earth, tannery leather, cherry kirsch liqueur and black current rise out of the glass. Wonderful berry concentration, elegance and subtle evolution are hallmarks on this expertly crafted wine. It will be hard not to finish the bottle once you open this beauty. Drink now to 2030+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2010, 13% Abv.

From this epic vintage, notes of polished mahogany, boot polish, black cherry kirsch liquer and black current confit rise imperiously out of the glass. Wonderful concentration, elegance and freshness are all wrapped together with a most expertly integrated lick of new French oak. This is everything you would want from an iconic vintage and a real testament to winemaker Jean-Michel’s true skills. Drink now to 2035+. (Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.

A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, like the 2012, this is another impressive vintage showing fabulous depth and complexity with time in the glass albeit from one of the greatest ever vintages bestowed upon Bordeaux! Dense, dark and opaque in the glass, the aromatics boast exotic notes of cherry kirsch liquor, molasses, demerara sugar and black plum. This is, as expected, a very complex, sophisticated expression, with ripeness and plenty of dry extract, chalky mineral tannins and great underlying power whilst retaining a seductive, spicy, seductive finesse. You’d really want to have some of this in your cellar.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted September 2023.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2011, 13% Abv.

The 2011 shows attractive floral perfume aromatics, polished oak, cherry confit, cherry liquer and saline black current leaf intensity. Superb concentration, sleek textured elegance and freshness and a smattering of the most attractive French oak vanilla spice notes. A noble and impressive follow up to the 2010 and a wine that will happily grace the tables of the most discerning connoisseurs. Drink now to 2029+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2012, 13% Abv.

A dark cherry black opaque colour greets the drinker. Initially, the nose is broody and closed. But a little glass swirling and coaxing starts to elicit some of the more classical elements of the bouquet… black berry, black cherry pith, cassis, dusty limestone minerality, hints of graphite and a gloss of buttered brown toast. The oaking is almost imperceptible, revealing a very restrained and quite classical expression from this “drinking” Bordeaux vintage. The palate has all the sleekness, suppleness, and accessibility that you’d expect from a 2012. A soft fine-grained texture with polished powdery tannins, chalky grip and spicy, plummy, peppery black cherry and black berry fruit. It’s all packed into a very classical, medium bodied parcel, that delivers pleasure now but also suggest it is structured enough to be holding back a few surprises in reserve for drinkers in 5 to 8 years’ time. (Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.

Another great vintage from the Chateau, this 2012 shows seductive aromatics of damson plum, juniper and black cherry with hints of liquorice and melted tar. The palate offers the friendly face of generous, opulent, succulent Merlot while retaining a tight knit textural elegance and focus. With just a hint of nutty, savoury tertiary development on the finish, this is undoubtedly a wine that is standing the test of time and defying its age. Great to drink now but certainly no rush.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted September 2023.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014, 13% Abv.

This wine is ripe and rich with beautifully plush classical right bank allure and a soft textured, elegant cassis pastille fruit concentration. A complex wine already in its youth, the layers of mocha, cocoa powder spice and sweet damson plum coat the tongue and thrill the palate. This wine has real depth of fruit, vibrant freshness, and superb length. A class act from some of the best terroir in St Emilion.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2015, 13% Abv.

The neighbour of Francois Mitjavile’s Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf, La Croizille is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. True to the vintage, this wine has a spectacularly profound quality, and indeed the 2015 La Croizille could be among their greatest ever vintages produced. Certainly on par with the epic 2005, 2009 and 2010, the 2015 has a nose that is seductively perfumed, lifted out of the ordinary by cherry blossoms and an exotic undertone of cherry kirsch liqueur. The caramelized oak notes tease like sprinkles on a chocolate cake! The palate too is dark, dense, powerful, and packed full of opulent exotic flavours of Chinese plum sauce, tart cherry confit, sweet cassis and vanilla pod spice. The balance is exceptional, spreading broad and wide across the palate. This is right bank Bordeaux at its seductive, classical best. Plump yet fresh, dense, sweet fruited and gravelly, yet never losing focus. Oh, and the finish goes on and on like a Duracell bunny! What an impressive wine. (Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted December 2017.

From another warm ripe harvest, 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon blend shows impressive classicism and restraint with dark broody notes of juniper and ripe sloe berries, black cherry, and cassis with a pronounced maritime, kelpy salinity. The palate is generously soft textured and elegant, supremely supple yet fresh, showing that this wine is in a very happy place at the moment. Slightly reined in again on the finish, it’s an impressive creation that will appeal to a broad church of Bordeaux lovers.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted September 2023.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2016, 14% Abv.

The 2016 Château La Croizille has a dense, opulent profuse blueberry fruited nose, high-toned and showy, with all the mineral limestone complexity of its prestigious neighbours such as Tertre Roteboeuf, Troplong Mondot and Rocheyron. The palate is showing some elegant restraint and class with sweet ripe tannins, surly brambly red and black fruits, and an earthy, foresty, rather masculine, slightly introspective finish. So seductive and noble, this wine speaks of great St Emilion terroir with very intelligent winemaking. A superb effort. (Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)  – Tasting of barrel sample at En-primeur April 2017.

This is of course a great vintage and on great terroir, iconic wines are produced. This 2016 speaks with a quiet confidence, fabulously focused and intense. On the nose there is a clearly defined purity, clarity, and precision that combines ripeness and restraint, fruit intensity and minerality. A superbly precise wine with pinpoint tannins, a silky finesse, pithy black currant, and black cherry fruits framed by a smoky, chalky mineral tannin veil on the finish. Very impressive indeed.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted in bottle September 2023.

Chateau La Croizille Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2018, 14.5% Abv.

Wonderfully complex aromatics of stewed black cherries, black orchard fruit compote, with hints of liquorice, wood smoke and graphite. The palate is opulent and densely fruited with a pronounced air of ripeness, warmth and sweet fruit, impressively layered in the mouth. On the finish, the flamboyance is reined in, retaining a seamlessly creamy texture but without and obtrusive sweetness. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted September 2023.

Chateau La Croizille 2019 Saint Emilion Grand Cru (Barrel Sample)

Plush, broadly aromatic but beautifully soft toned with dulcet notes pink musk, purple rock candy and black currant with a fabulously generous glycerol concentration, harmonious breadth and depth and a subtle, vanilla dusted, brûléed blueberry muffin finish. Delicious expression. Power with elegance.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted En-primeur April 2020.

Chateau La Croizille 2020, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 14.5% Abv.

The 2020 vintage comes from another warm ripe solar harvest year, and this wine shows impressive depth and breadth of texture, with dark broody notes of cherry kirsch liquor, juniper and ripe sloe berries, rose petals, black cherries, blueberries, and black currant with a signature limestone maritime salinity. The palate is generously soft textured, broad but elegant, supremely supple yet impressively fresh with exotic layers of black currant and salty black liquorice. A remarkably elegant, pure and accessible expression with real gravitas that shows a true sense of Saint Emilion limestone terroir. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille 2021, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe, 13.5% Abv.

A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Bordeaux vintage has been pulled up by some critics for producing wines on the left bank offering lighter, more elegant accessible wines, many patently for earlier drinking. But on the right bank,  and especially on top of the limestone Côte in Saint Emilion, some exceptional expressions were produced. With illustrious neighbours Troplong Mondot and Le Tertre Roteboeuf making noteworthy wines, La Croizille joins the party with another seriously delicious wine, the last vintage produced before being reclassified as an illustrious Grand Cru Classé. Dark and opaque in the glass, the rim is vibrant and bright, with aromatics packed with black plums, earthy black currants and macerated black cherries, intermingling with floral hints of violets, lilac, sweet Asian spices, vanilla pod and hoisin plum sauce. The texture is fabulously luxurious and sleek, medium bodied and beautifully polished with soft silky sumptuous tannins underpinned by well-integrated tangy acids. This is a majestic Saint Emilion that offers an abundance of finesse, elegance, and accessible class in keeping with a finer boned, classical vintage. Many consumers, however, will look at the 2021s as a welcomed return to greater vintage restraint and classism. Drink now and over the next 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (Barrel Sample)

Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins, and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – Tasted En-primeur April 2024.

Chateau La Croizille 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, 14.5% Abv. (Barrel Sample)

A beautifully dark, dense, and seductively opaque in the glass, this 2024 Saint Emilion reveals a deep black berry fruited aromatic underbelly with notes of violets, sweet cigar box, cedar spice, graphite, and blueberry compote with a subtle dusting of vanilla pod oak spice. Notably restrained on the nose, the palate shifts into a higher gear to reveal a plush, silky, harmonious palate with soft supple tannins, seamlessly integrated acids, and soft-toned black and blueberry fruits in the mouth. The extraction has been incredibly gentle, coaxing only the purest and finest characters from this reduced grape harvest. This is undoubtedly a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 2024 vintage weather chaos. A truly standout, classically restrained expression from Saint Emilion’s limestone cote. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW) Tasted En-primeur April 2025.

For ex-cellar prices and vintage availability, contact Anthony Crameri.

Email: anthony_crameri@orange.fr

Domaine Anne Parent Releases an Impressive Line-Up of En-primeur Burgundy 2023 Wines… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. With a history going back many generations, Etienne Parent was rumoured to have sold wine to Thomas Jefferson back in 1787. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye-catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard.

Anne Parent has also been a trailblazer in biodynamics and a real force for strict vineyard management. Hence, the domaine has managed to stay very much at the top of the tree in the jostling for position in the village hierarchy. Her supreme confidence has led to the wines having an assertiveness, yet a true Burgundian opulence that is hard to resist. The wines are silky and plush – you really can finish a bottle with ease. From the everyday Bourgogne Pinot Noir to the mesmerising Crus of Pommard, all are hand-crafted with care and attention to detail.

The Parent label is instantly recognisable throughout the upper quality echelons of Burgundy, and the family is rightly proud of their hard-earned global reputation. In a competitive fine wine world where so many domaines have taken their eye off the ball, Anne has kept her love of the vineyard, her family history and future very much close to her. Part of this long-term planning has seen Anne bring her niece Constance Fages-Parent into the running and marketing of the domaine’s wines as preparations are slowly put in place for the next chapter in the history of this famous Burgundy winery.

Constance and Anne Parent

I recently travelled to see Anne and Constance in Burgundy to taste a selection of the newly released 2023 wines. Speaking to Anne about the new releases, she confirmed… “2023 was a generous vintage with great quality at the domaine. Perhaps not quite the gravitas of the exceptional 2022 vintage, but the wines are marked with beautiful fruit purity and opulence with accessibility.”  

Tasting the 2023 wines with owner Anne Parent

The 2023 growing season brought both challenges and rewards: after a cool, rainy July, a late heatwave in August and early September ensured optimal ripeness. Harvest began in mid-September, with yields around 46–48 hl/ha and moderate alcohol levels (12.5–13.2%). Vinification was deliberately gentle, with reduced punching down and delicate extraction, restrained use of new oak, and a focus on preserving fruit purity above all.

Burgundy 2023 En-primeur Notes:

Domaine Anne Parent Monthelie Blanc 2023

Made from an AOC that is primarily 90% red / 10% white, this 2023 was picked early to retain acidity and vinified with 35% new French oak. The wine shows complex aromatics with leesy biscuit notes, a supple fleshy breadth with savoury waxy lemons and a white toast and oatmeal complexity on the finish. Really delicious. Drink from 2026 to 2034.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru 2023

100% new French oak used with no batonnage. Incredibly taut, mineral and stony with limestone and struck flint over zesty lemon and lime fruits, tart green apple and a beautifully supple, fleshy breadth with well-integrated acids and a pronounced fruit concentration on the finish. Understated power hiding under the minerality and terroir veil. Drink from 2026 to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Cote d’Or 2023

All fruit was destemmed and aged in older oak. Very intense perfumed aromatics bursting with life, boasting sweet violets, rose petals and luscious layers of raspberry and black cherry. The palate shows a fine textural breadth and equilibrium, finely balancing forest berry fruits, strawberry compote and cool, creamy mineral tannins. A truly classy Bourgogne. Drink from 2026 to 2032.

(Wine Safari Score: 90-91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2023

100% destemmed fruit with slightly longer maceration on skins in larger 600 litre barrels. The resulting wine reveals deeper and darker aromatics laced with black cherry, damson plum and exotic cherry kirsch liquor notes. Beautifully dense and creamy texture with extra depth and opulence, plushness and mouth coating concentration. Lovely intricacy and complexity in an accessible style. Drink from 2026 to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Ladoix 2023

The aromatics show a beautiful melange of red and black berry fruits with intricate notes of dried herbs, potpourri and rose petals, gun-smoke and limestone minerality. Broad and beautifully dark fruited on the palate with a creamy black cherry compote concentration, plush fleshy tannins and a broad, comforting, reassuring power. Ladoix over performs once again. Drink from 2026 to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2023

From Pinot Noir grown on brown and red clay soils that offers a more generous expression. Dark and alluring aromatics of black cherry, kirsch liquor and damson plum with an exotic sloe berry hint. The palate shows a beautiful creamy breadth and understated power with an impressive depth, powdery tannins and tangy freshness. Understated power combined with a little Pommard intrigue and intensity. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023

40% whole bunch used with 50% new French oak from fruit grown on a lighter, finer grain of clay soils without much depth. Yields a fabulously fragrant expression bursting with life, packed full of perfumed violets, creme de cassis, black cherry and blueberry compote. The chalky candied pink musk nuances make this an incredible complex and compelling offering with seamless limestone tannins and a fantastic intense finish. A truly elegant Pommard classic. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2023

From Pinot Noir grown on deep limestone soils on the hill of Corton, just above Les Bressandes. The wine is rich and expressive, full of ripe brûléed fruits, black cherries and a bramble berry savoury depth. Sleek and supple in the mouth, there is a polished accessibility, light touch elegance, bright racy acids and a long, distinguished, concentrated finish. Very classy indeed. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Domaine Anne Parent wines are imported into the UK by Musigny Wines. The 2023 En-primeur releases are currently being offered in September 2025 by Musigny Wines. Email andrew@musigny.wine to request a 2023 EP offer and discuss an allocation.

Domaine Parent Presents an Impressive Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots Vertical at Their Cellars…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. With a history going back many generations, Etienne Parent was rumoured to have sold wine to Thomas Jefferson back in 1787. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard.

With the domaine’s vineyards certified organic and biodynamic, Domaine Parent aspires only to precisely express the balance between power and finesse and, of course, the unique essence of each vineyard. The result is wines that, due to their unique character, find a prominent place on the gastronomic tables of the world alongside other great Burgundy wines. During my last visit to the domaine in November 2024, Anne very kindly presented an incredible vertical of Premier Cru Les Epenots. Their Pommard 1er Cru “Les Epenots” comes from Domaine Parents own vineyard plot where old vines of 53 years of age rub shoulders with 26-year-old vines on a clay-limestone soil to reveal the true power and expression of Pommard Pinot Noir at its best.

Anne Parent

After manual harvesting carried out with the utmost care, the grapes are meticulously sorted on tables, one of which is a vibrating sorter. Subsequently, the bunches are destemmed and the berries macerated in a cold soak for three to five days. Temperature controlled fermentation, punching down and pumping over two to three times a day accompany the winemaking process. In total, the wine remains in the vat for 18 to 20 days. Then, the wines are aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 30% to 50% of which are new, before being bottled at the estate.

Premier Cru Les Epenots 2017 to 2023 Vertical:

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023

40% whole bunch, 50% new French oak. A fabulously fragrant expression bursting with life, packed full of perfumed violets, creme de cassis, black maraschino cherry and blueberry compote. The chalky candied pink musk nuances make this an incredible complex and compelling offering with seamless limestone tannins and a fantastically intense finish. A true classic for the vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2022

40% Whole bunch and 50% new French oak. Creamy, dense and plush with black cherry and damson plum spice. Full, harmonious, creamy and broad. A stunning expression. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2021

100% destemmed. Explosive aromatics! The perfume and lift is turbo charged, full of cherry blossom, cassis, oyster shell, and black berry. The texture is linear, taut and fresh with a seductive texture, pinpoint polished tannins and an incredibly fine grained, compact structure. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2020

40% Whole bunch in 50% new French oak. Dense, dark and richly fruited with salty cassis, savoury plum and bramble berry fruits with a hint of tilled earth. The acids are soft, the tannins sweet and the texture open knit, fleshy and generous with a long, brûléed, creamy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2019

50% Whole bunch. From a warm vintage, it’s very easy to taste. Tightens up a bit but still another very attractive wine with red and black fruits, chocolate, earth and savoury cured meats. Intense with subtle truffle nuances and a creamy generous concentration. An easy to appreciate expressive wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2018

Normal crop, but a more austere, classical vintage. Complex earthy nose full of gunsmoke, tilled earth and earthy red currant fruits with a subtle savoury tertiary complexity. Compact mid palate, supple acids, soft stony mineral tannins with a polished savoury, meaty finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2017

Beautifully bright and expressive with an earthy hint, savoury black currant, raspberry and tart tangy acids with impressive energy, vibrancy and an exotic high toned finish. Drinking beautifully now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Majesty of the Fitou Region On Full Display with This Attractive 2021 White Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine de la Rochelierre is a 15 hectare property in Fitou, right on the French south coast just north of Perpignan, run by Jean-Marie and Emilie Fabre. When I returned to the UK 25 years ago, you couldn’t walk into a supermarket, a high street wine shop or an indie merchant without finding an array of primarily red but also white Fitou wines. Somehow, in the clamour for big name Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone Valley wines, ancient quality wine producing regions like Fitou have been somewhat usurped by more fashionable, more marketed regions. But the promise of quality certainly remains.

At Domaine de la Rochelierre, they use the Cousinié method to care for their vines, a combination of organic and biodynamic principles without fully subscribing to either school, and their Cuvée Camille is a positively joyful blend of southern varieties, featuring 50% Vermentino, 30% Roussanne and 20% Grenache Blanc – which spends just a couple of months in barrel before bottling. Surely it’s time that value and quality seeking drinkers rediscover the magic of the Fitou region again?

Cuvée Camille 60 & XV, Domaine de la Rochelierre 2021, IGP Pays d’Oc, 13.5% Abv. 

The 2021 is an excellent white wine vintage across France in what was a much cooler, fresher vintage. Accordingly, this classy white shows exuberantly pithy aromatics of yellow grapefruit, lime peel, fresh fennel root, green herbs and a wet Granite minerality. The palate is deliciously crisp and fresh with a fine supporting weight of yellow citrus fruits, wet stones, white peach, nutty nougat, garrigue herbs and a pithy phenolic grape skin grip on the finish. What a beautifully versatile, food friendly wine. Drink now on release and over the next 3 to 4 years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines are available in the UK from Private Cellar for £98 per 6 inc. (£16.33pb)

http://www.privatecellar.co.uk

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa – Tasting the Astonishing Wines of One of Burgundy’s New Superstars… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

There is simply no denying the global wine trade’s perpetual fascination with Japanese winemakers, whether they are plying their trade in New Zealand, in France’s Jura region or in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. The focus, precision, balance, and purity they managed to coax out of their grapes is simply next level, whether the fruit is grown by themselves or bought in from the negociant market. Over the past two years, I have been privileged to visit one of the most exciting Japanese producers several times, namely Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa in Gevrey Chambertin.

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa’s new cellars in Gevrey Chambertin.

This domaine, located in Jean-Marie Fourrier’s father’s old cellars, was founded in 2000 by Japanese sommelier and oenologist Koji Nakada and his Korean wife Jae Hwa Park. The journey started back in 1996 when Koji Nakada moved to Burgundy to study oenology at the University of Beaune, after which Koji started a wine business with negociant fruit, bottling a maiden Nuits Saint Georges Vieilles Vignes in 2000. Their first domaine plots of land were only purchased several years later in 2012, including treasured vines in the village of Gevrey Chambertin and Marsannay.

Koji Nakada in Gevrey Chambertin

Koji Nakada’s respected negociant label, bottled under the Lou Dumont name, is a combination of the name of their goddaughter, Lou, and the French translation for ‘mountain’, which pays homage to the regions of Japan and Korea where Koji and Jae Hwa grew up. The Kanji symbol on the label – sky, earth and man – refers to the natural elements whose perfect balance is a key ingredient for making fine wines, allowing the unique characteristics of site and terroir to shine through in the wine’s purity, elegance, and complexity.

The tiny La Brunelle Gevrey Chambertin vineyard just behind the winery.

As a winemaker, Koji Nakada’s goal is to produce pure, authentic Burgundy wines that clearly show their unique terroir, made from grapes grown with organic viticulture and a minimal intervention approach in both the vineyards and the cellar, using indigenous yeasts for fermentation and only adding low quantities of sulphites at bottling. Koji also pays special attention to very light touch pumping over and punch downs to ensure utmost purity during extraction. Today, Koji and Jae Hwa produce a stunning array of red and white wines from over a dozen different appellations with fruit purchased from respected premium vineyards with vines averaging 30 to 40 years of age. 

Tasting in London with Koji.

On the first of my two visits to Koji’s cellar in November 2024 with his exclusive UK importer Musigny Wines, we arrived only to be told that Koji was still in Champagne tending his precious 1.5 hectares of vines in the Aube region where he makes some stunning Champagne. So we were shown around the winery by Koji’s wife Jae Hwa and also tasted with their tall, semi-pro tennis playing cellar assistant. On our return visit, Koji was back from Champagne and was pleased to show us around the labyrinth of old and new cellars under Jean-Claude Fourrier’s old house. 

My tasting notes below are a combination of bottle and barrel tastings from these two cellar visits but also include some subsequent additional notes taken during Koji’s recent Michelin star tasting dinner at Cornus Restaurant in London hosted by his UK importer Musigny Wines.

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Coteaux Bourguignons Blanc 2022, 13% Abv.

Parcel purchased in 2012 near Nuits St Georges, pulling out the Aligote and replanting Chardonnay. Potential for 2000 bottles but allows the younger vines to settle by only making 700 bottles. Incredible aromatics of struck match, flint, sweet pear, bergamot, and wet limestone. The palate is delicate yet intense, fabulously bright and concentrated with tangy lemon pastille, green apple, salty toasted sourdough, and a gently phenolic chalky finish. Absolutely delicious expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa La Hautes Cotes de Nuits Violette Pinot Noir 2022, 13% Abv.

1 hectare vineyard near Gevrey producing a meagre 1,500 bottles. First vintage 2019. 80% whole bunch. 30% of grapes vinified in oak barrels, 70% in Stainless. Biodynamic cultivation. Bright and striking cherry ruby red in the glass, the aromatics tower out the glass, perfumed, seductive, beautifully perfumed with notes of violets, rose petals, pink musk, red cherries, cranberries, and hints of darker saline black currant. The balance and precision are pinpoint, the texture silky soft, powdery, and incredibly elegant. The concentration is intense yet weightless, crystalline, and beautifully red and black fruited, finishing with tangy acids and mouth-watering pithy wild strawberry nuances. Simply astonishing quality.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Bourgogne Pinot Noir “Vieilles Vignes” 2022, 12.5% Abv. 

80% whole bunch used. 30% of grapes vinified in oak barrels, 70% in Stainless. 70% of vines over 60 years old, some of the vines planted in 1908. The aromatics on this beauty are a little more earthy and dark fruited with pink musk, lilac, earthy strawberry, damson plum, and earthy black berry. The wine is impressively structured by the bright vibrant acids that are caressed by silky tannins, before pithy tangy red and black berry fruits, hints of wood spice and a long limestone mineral finish. Once again, beautiful clarity, finesse and purity. Wow.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Marsannay En Leautier Rouge 2022, 13% Abv.

A profoundly enticing aromatics of perfumed violets and lilac, white flowers, intense black cherry and saline earthy bramble berry fruits. The precision on the palate is majestic, crystalline yet lifted, cool and steely yet oh so genteel and seductive. The energy and purity very impressive, the focus, energy and strict structure classical and mineral. Beautifully sappy and mineral, this is a spectacular bottle of Marsannay that defies its appellation status but ably justifies the cult status bestowed on this great estate.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Maison Lou Dumont Marsannay “En Combereau” 2022, 12% Abv.

An enticing aromatics suggest seductively complex notes of violets, a blue and black berry fruit melange, and subtle soy and umami notes. The mouthfeel is a little more rich, tangy and fruit forward with only 50% wholebunch versus 80% on the Domaine Marsannay. The acids are bright and vibrant, the fruits crunchy and very intense. This offers incredible sweet fruited opulence with precision, brightness and crispness but perhaps with slightly less high toned perfumed intricacy seen in his domaine bottling.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Maison Lou Dumont Gevrey Chambertin 2022, 12.5% Abv.

Same production as domaine wines with a slightly lower 50% whole bunch portion employed and only 20% barrel fermentation. The aromatics are rich, dark fruited and complex with notes of earthy black berry fruits, pomegranate, blood orange, and a perfume of violets and white flowers, earthy musk and subtle rose petal hints. With Koji working these Gevrey vineyards, this negoc fruited red wine is much closer to his domaine style. The fruit profile is so cool, crystalline and pure, seductively sweet fruited and attractive, offering up a phenomenal quality not generally seen with most Negoc-fruit wine styles. This is a very serious expression of Gevrey that will definitely seduce a new generation of Burgundy drinkers.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Aligote 2023, Premeaux-Prissy, Burgundy

From over 100 year old vines (1908) from a vineyard near Nuits Saint Georges, fermented and aged in new oak. Shows attractive rich savoury notes of lemon and oak meal biscuit, buttered white toast, with seductive nutty hints. There is great intensity and concentration, vibrant energy and power, finishing with lemon herbs and delicious pithy white citrus. A unique style.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Marsannay Le Desert Blanc 2023

From grapes sourced from within Les Champ Perdrix. Rich and expressive with toasty savoury aromatics of grilled nuts, waxy lemon peel, honeycomb, oatmeal, and leesy biscuit notes. The stony soils reveal themselves on the linear palate with ginger, lemon balm and limestone minerality. Rich but taut. Simply fabulous.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Bourgogne La Violette Rouge Vieilles Vignes 2023

A beautifully complex aromatics of saline cassis, piercing red cherry, incense, lipstick perfume and an incredible fragrant intensity with an enticing reductive hint. The acids are deliciously tangy, the tannins taut and stony with an intense limestone minerality, black cherry and black currant intensity. Wonderfully mineral and mouth-wateringly saline. Delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Gevrey Chambertin La Brunelle 2023

0.1-hectare parcel delivers a broody, slightly reductive hint of smoky black plum, bramble berries, and earthy meaty, savoury black currant aromatics. The precision and focus on the palate are simply superb, revealing sleek, polished limestone mineral tannins, fresh glassy acids and an elegant, sweet berry fruited generosity on the finish. Really attractive style. Total class.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100Greg Sherwood MW)

UK importer Andrew Pavli with Koji Nakada in London recently for a private client tasting dinner.

Maison Lou Dumond Fixin 2023

Another incredibly cool fine and fresh expression with delicate rose petal purity with hints of violets, cranberries, and tart red currant over undertones of limestone minerality. The purity is pinpoint, the palate tightly packed with saline black cherry and picante black currant fruits beautifully framed by polished mineral tannins, finishing with clear linearity and wound spring tension. A delicious glassful of wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Maison Lou Dumond Gevrey Chambertin 2023

From the Belle Vigne lieu dit, the aromatics are elegant and delightfully perfumed with rose petals, violets, black berries and subtle saline limestone minerality. The purity is exceptional, with notes of oyster shell, nori seaweed, black cherry and pithy mineral spice. Lovely tension, purity and stony depth slightly out of the norm for this juicy accessible ‘23 vintage. Very classy but super serious too.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Gevrey Chambertin La Brunelle 2017

Revisiting an archive Gevrey Chambertin La Brunelle 2017 release… shows a beautiful earthy savoury bramble berry depth, blue and black berry fruits, sous bois and hints of blood and iron. The purity and focus is clearly evident, layered with peach pith, wild strawberry, sweet guava, and exotic tart red plum nuances. The tannins are fine grained and spicy, the finish savoury and super sleek, revealing not only the class of the vineyard but also the winemaker.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Lou Dumond and Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Email Andrew Pavli to check vintage availability or to request a new vintage allocation:

andrew@musigny.wine

Bordeaux En-primeur 2024 Highlights – Part 3: Tasting the Wines of Chateau Tour Baladoz Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It is certainly no secret that 2024 was yet another very complicated viticultural vintage. A very wet year, especially during the autumn and winter months, this wasn’t however the whole story as appellations like Pauillac, for example, actually experienced less rain than its 10-year average. After the drought affected vintages of 2018, 2020 and 2022, the 2024 growing season got off to a promising start before the onset of spring brought hail and the early signs of what was to become a season-long battle with mildew disease pressures. 2024 represents the lowest yields across Bordeaux since the forsaken 1991 vintage. 

A grey and gloomy May saw cool temperatures that slowed vine growth and resulted in uneven flowering, especially for the Merlot vines. But as summer finally arrived in late June, the mood shifted. Drier, sunnier conditions settled in through August and into September, bringing with them a welcome window for ripening, particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested in improved conditions right up into mid-October.

Speaking to various vignerons about the vintage, many are quick to avoid generalisations, explaining that the conditions in their own vineyards could, in many instances, be vastly different from conditions in their near neighbour’s. Success in 2024 was about timing – timing of spraying, strict fruit selection and of course down to one’s very own terroir and soil types in the vineyards. In general, gravel and certain types of clay were well-equipped to deal with over-saturation – gravel soils naturally having excellent drainage, whilst some types of clay can retain more water, preventing it being returned to, and diluting, the fruit. Limestone soils, like those found on the cote at Chateau La Croizille and neighbouring Chateau Tour Baladoz, also worked well producing wines with freshness, classical restraint, and structure.

It is almost certainly this willingness to talk up the vintage as well as emphasize the individuality of various Chateaux terroirs, that has led to the 2024 vintage being coined a “micro-climate vintage”. As always, quality will be varied and surprises will be plentiful, but there is no denying that the conditions favoured premium Chateaux in the Medoc, Saint Emilion and Pomerol, where strict selection for Merlot was essential, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc often flourished in the drier, later ripening conditions, often yielding wines with great promise.

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2024, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

This youthful Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé displays a gracefully classy aromatic profile with a vivid perfumed fragrance of dried violets, rose petals, and sweet white blossom over compact dark black berry fruits, damson plum, blueberry, and black currant confit nuances. There is a pronounced dusty, limestone minerality neatly intertwined with the dark berry fruits before slowly yielding once again to a stern graphite mineral vein. The palate is lip-smackingly bright and vibrant, the acids mouth-wateringly crunchy and crisp, underpinned by sleek tart blue and blackberry fruits, hints of black cherry and drying mineral limestone tannins. A well-managed, thoughtfully extracted expression of Saint Emilion Merlot that is undoubtedly moulded in a cooler, more elegant acid driven style than even the 2021. This juicy mouthful should flesh out further with more time in barrel and offer plenty of accessible medium-term drinking. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Chateau Tour Baladoz wines are available to ship direct from the Chateau to merchant. Please contact Anthony Crameri for current vintage list and prices:

anthony_crameri@orange.fr