France

Tasting the Iconic Grand Cru 2021 Burgundy Releases from Pierre Millemann Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Pierre Millemann grew up between Anjou and Alsace where his grandparents lived and where he spent all his holidays. His father and grandfather, both wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs, quickly started transmitting their passion to him. Pierre started studying in Paris. During his first internship, he met René Renou, an important figure in the wine industry, soon becoming his mentor. Fascinated by the development of the vine, Pierre understood very quickly that the concept of “terroir” was the key. This is why he went to work in the vineyards and cellars, first in Germany, and then at Chateau Carbonnieux in Pessac-Léognan, and finally at Champagne Charles Heidsieck.

He went back to university to perfect his knowledge, obtaining a Diploma in Oenology and then a National Diploma of Oenology from Dijon. Pierre continued to gain experience, occupying several winemaking positions around France, but it was in the Jura, where he worked as a cellar master, that he met his wife Stephanie, and the mother of his daughter, Charlotte. 

Tasting with Charlotte Millemann

In 2003, thanks to their joint experiences and the very positive results obtained at the estates where they collaborated, Pierre and Stéphanie founded their own oenology consultancy. In constant search for new techniques, Pierre completed his training with a master’s degree in Oenology Research in Dijon, and then started training future oenologists at the University of Burgundy, as a part-time lecturer. The family now works together with the best estates in Burgundy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the United States, and recently, Charlotte joined the family business and started training with her father.

After nearly two decades of consulting, Pierre started his own eponymous label in 2017, dedicated to making single barrels of the greatest Grand Cru Burgundies. While his portfolio has grown slowly over the years, his iconic Millemann signature wines represent not only incredible rarity but also encapsulate a unique set of winemaking skills that guarantees the utmost quality which is manifest in every single bottle of wine released. The choice of the parcels is made with the greatest of care from specially selected grapes, which Pierre has designed, defined and structured an oenological approach that is the most faithful to the terroir and his own biodynamic principles and winemaking vision.

Pierre Millemann Corton Renardes Grand Cru 2021, 13.5%

Lifted perfumed aromatics with hints of dried herbs, thyme, dried mint leaf and notes of red cherry, raspberry herbal tea and a stony limestone minerality. Incredible tension and frame, the structure is bold and linear with seamless mineral tannins with a warming, spicy undertone of cherry and cranberry purity. Incredible power, elegance and precision. A very substantial expression of Corton Grand Cru.

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

Pierre Millemann Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru 2021, 13% Abv.

This Grand Cru reveals a deep, dense, dark broody nose with a smoky allure and hints of sweet sappy sandalwood, red plum, red currant jelly and spicy red apple with a pronounced mineral limestone foundation. Beautifully tangy and rich fruited with a sweet and sour red plummy depth, incredible tension and focus with polished marble tannins and cool, fresh crystalline acids. Wonderful focus, power and intensity with a substantial depth and frame.

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

Pierre Millemann Clos de La Roche Grand Cru 2021, 14% Abv. 

A beautifully expressive wine full of perfumed aromatics with hints of violets, rose petals, cherry, black currant and exotic hints of musk. The palate is super polished and seamless, with firm but velvety tannins, creamy black saline fruits and a laser-like precision. Deliciously stony, mineral and classical with a regal black fruited balance and finesse. A truly astonishing wine.

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

Pierre Millemann Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2021, 13% Abv. 

A big wine that is now beautifully settled in bottle, exhibiting a dark broody expression with earthy notes of red and black plum, with brûléed hints of black currant compote, warm brown toast and raspberry nuances. Full bodied, there is big power and intensity on the palate with saline blue and black fruits, an energetic invigorating freshness, and a delicately earthy, savoury finish. Impressive concentration and intensity with the trademark Millemann seamless textural precision and focus.

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

Tasting in Nuits Saint Georges with Charlotte Millemann in November 2023.

Pierre Millemann Chambertin Grand Cru 2021, 13% Abv. 

This Rolls Royce of a wine displays a delicate perfumed nose with subtle earthy hints, pressed violets, blood orange and pomegranate hints over a dusty crushed limestone mineral prominence. The palate shows notes of salinity and black currant earthiness, subtle leafy sappy spice complexity, silky fine-grained tannins and an elegant, sumptuous persistence. Delightfully earthy, intense but also very softly spoken. True class.

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

Pierre Millemann Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021, 13.5% Abv. 

A crystalline lemon-yellow colour leads you to a seductive aromatics of lemon oil, lime pith, lemon grass and a delicately smoky struck flint intensity underpinning a sleek, saline intense mouthfeel that shows a keen juxtaposition between minerality and piercing fruit concentration. The texture is silky, fresh and simply dreamy, seductive and incredibly alluring. Such brilliance, invigorating purity with true fine wine classicism.

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

(Wines tasted in November 2023 at Pierre Millemann Wines in Nuits Saint Georges and again in bottle in London on the 15th May 2024.)

The Pierre Millemann Wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Musigny.Wine

Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine

Creating Sparkling Magic in the Montagne de Reims – Tasting the Grand Cru Grower Champagnes of Petit & Bajan…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

The greatest traditional method sparkling wines from around the world have always held a special place close to my heart, and there are simply none better than the incredible method champenoise creations of Champagne. Since 2006, when I wrote my Master of Wine dissertation on sparkling wine, much has changed in the world of Champagne, with the era of premium “grower Champagnes” finally becoming a mainstream category around the world.

Not to be scoffed at, the great Grandes Marques of Champagne have done a wonderful job of building a strong regional brand message around the world over the past 150 years. But the moment for grower Champagnes has well and truly arrived with their intense terroir focus, attention to detail, and all-round unrivalled quality … and all at eminently affordable price points where most of the cost of the bottle is focused on the contents and not branded marketing. 

I was first introduced to the exceptional wines of Petit & Bajan by London wine merchant Andrew Pavli several years ago, and in November 2024, I paid my first visit to the winery located in Avize, to explore the magic of their wider Champagne range. These are undoubtedly some of the most characterful and chiselled terroir driven Champagnes I have tasted in a very long time. So forget the Veuve Cliquots and Moet et Chandons, top boutique grower Champagne is where it’s all happening for connoisseurs and collectors alike.

Richard and Véronique Petit’s son Brice leading our tasting.

Champagne Petit & Bajan is the chiselled jewel of Richard and Véronique Petit. Together, they cultivate two of the greatest terroirs of Champagne: Avize and Verzenay, classified Grand Cru vineyards. After many tastings and deep reflection, at the end of 2008, the high potential of their own terroirs was turned into the reality that is now the Petit & Bajan brand. The richness of their heritage has shaped the entire range’s development. Every little detail counts … and that is how Richard and Véronique manage to access the pure, precise, and stylish quality that is to be found in the Champagnes of Petit & Bajan.

Champagne Petit & Bajan Nuit Blanche Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, 12% Abv.

This 100% Chardonnay cuvee was disgorged in October 2024 and is based on the 2019 vintage. The aromatics are intense and lifted full of saline sea breeze, preserved lemons, lime peel zest, lees and savoury biscuit notes. Full and focused with a chalky minerality, a racy freshy lemon and herb complexity and a compact creamy mousse on the finish. This is really quite superb.

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

Champagne Petit & Bajan Ambrosie Grand Cru, 12% Abv.

A 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir blend disgorged in September 2024 based on the 2019 vintage. The wine offers up a rich creamy aromatics with notes of crystallised citrus fruits, custard cream, dried herbs on freshly baked ciabatta, and subtle condensed milk nuances. The palate shows a solid core of lemon citrus and savoury yellow orchard fruits, a chalky spicy vinous depth, with a pithy fresh lemon pastille length and power and a long, salted brioche persistence on the finish. 

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

Champagne Petit & Bajan Obsidienne Brut Grand Cru, 12% Abv.

This cuvee with 3g/l RS is 100% Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru vineyards of Verzenay and Verzy, that was disgorged in October 2024. For the Obsidienne, the Pinot Noir is vinified like a Chardonnay, to reveal aromatics that are spicy and savoury, with apple blossom, struck limestone, flint and gunsmoke, before hints of lemon grass and savoury cured meat notions. Medium to full-bodied and generously plush with a beautifully creamy mid-palate mousse, great breadth and depth, tangy lemony acids, and a long red fruited savoury length. A very complete Champagne that is really quite impressive.

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

Champagne Petit & Bajan Promise Brut Grand Cru, 12% Abv.

The seductive Promise cuvee is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a 4g/l RS dosage based around the 2019 vintage. Showing a beautifully floral white blossom nose with leafy waxy hints, lemon grass, savoury leesy hints with an earthy brioche undertone. Fabulously vibrant fresh acids on the palate combine with an elegant creamy mousse, notions of sherbet dusted lemon bon bons and an incredibly long, tangy finish. Impressive harmony and finesse. 

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

Champagne Petit & Bajan Nymphea Brut Rose Grand Cru, 12% Abv.

A bold Rosé Brut offering from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir vinified as a still red wine from the warm 2020 vintage. The complex lifted aromatics show raspberry coulis, pithy wild strawberry, and subtle bramble berry hints. Beautifully full and plush on the palate, there is impressive fruit purity, elegance and incredible drinkability, nothing overblown or forced, making for a delightfully charming Rosé that’s seriously accessible. A real standout cuvee in the Petit & Bajan range.

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

Petit & Bajan Cueillètte Privée 2022 Grand Cru Pinot Noir, Côteaux Champenois, 12.5% Abv.

An accomplished 100% Pinot Noir Coteaux Champenoise Grand Cru made from Verzenay & Verzy fruit. Wild and savoury on the nose, the aromatics are packed with ripe bramble berries, damson plum, and wild strawberry with subtle hints of freshly tilled loamy soils, Italian mixed herbs, oregano and thyme, with just a faint complimentary wood spice. Plush, full, and opulent on the palate, there are red forest fruits and bramble berry notes dusted with cinnamon, clove and Xmas spices. Silky tannins, a cool creamy texture with lovely purity and length make for another serious offering.

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

The Petit & Bajan wines are imported into the UK by Andrew Pavli at: http://www.Musigny.wine

Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine

An Exceptional De Mour Bordeaux Selection For a New Generation of Bordeaux Drinkers Produced by Winemaking Talent Jean Michel Garcion Reviewed and Rated…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

There are very few moments of the year that are more suited to drinking fine Bordeaux reds than in the chilly winter months and for the past several decades, the big name, big ticket Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux reds from the Medoc have dominated the media column inches with their hundreds of years of history and famous Chateaux names used to seduce consumers. While the wines are often exceptional in quality, their big-ticket pricing when offered En-primeur through negociants have resulted in a large number of consumers being left behind with the wrong messaging. In reality, with the influence of longer and warmer summers in recent years, the true quality of affordable Bordeaux wine has never been better, and that’s before you encounter a winemaking genius like De Mour group winemaker, Jean Michel Garcion.

The De Schepper family now owns five wine estates in Bordeaux as well as the De Mour negociant firm that is tasked with distributing the 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. All of the family’s estates have obtained ISOO 14001 and HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certification and Jean Michel’s focus is firmly on maintaining a constantly high quality at all price points.

I recently selected four exciting wines from the De Mour portfolio which are not represented by other Bordeaux negociants, giving De Mour total control over their own pricing, distribution methods, and sales and marketing, offering real tangible benefits to a new generation of Bordeaux consumers. The family purchased their fifth estate in 2004, Chateau Lacombe Cadiot, a handsome Bordeaux Supérieur estate located in Ludon, increasing the total area under vines to 55 hectares. After recently updating the Fine Wine Safari vertical tasting notes on their superb flagship winery, Chateau La Croizille, situated between Chateaux Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf, and bordering on their other Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé property, Chateau Tour Baladoz, I thought I would highlight some of the other exceptional wines in their range.

Chateau Tour Baladoz 2021 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 13.5% Abv.

I first tasted the 2021 Chateau Tour Baladoz at En-primeur time in 2022 as an unfinished barrel sample, and then again as a finished bottled wine, in September 2023 at the winery with winemaker Jean Michel Garcion. Revisiting the wine in September 2024, after another year in bottle, has benefitted the wine immeasurably. A classical right bank blend of 85% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc but with an exotic 5% sprinkling of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Carménère and Malbec, the aromatics reveal a sophisticated wine with an enticing heady perfume of pressed violets, moist tobacco leaf, blue and black berry fruits, gravel and graphite, and a piercing maritime crème de cassis intensity with a distinctive salted toffee and vanilla pod spice kiss from the 70% new French oak used for 15 months of maturation. On the palate, the wine has fleshed out and gained impressive weight since last tasted, coating the mouth with luxurious creamy fine-grained tannins, sweet black currant, black cherry, and mulberry fruits, finishing with a concentrated, hedonistic Merlot opulence. Once again, this wine shows that superior terroir combined with a striking winemaking prowess, can negate difficult vintage conditions. A very classy wine indeed, to drink on release until 2034+.

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

Chateau Lacombe Cadiot

The Chateau Lacombe Cadiot 2020 is another impressive Bordeaux Supérieur made by Jean Michel Garcion and is sourced from a 15-hectare vineyard bringing together a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot from vines that are on average 25 years old and grown on classic loam and clay soils in Ludon-Médoc, just down the road from the famous Chateau Cantemerle Cru Classé Haut Medoc estate. The wine was matured for 12 months after fermentation, 60% in oak barrels including 25% new oak, and the remainder was aged in vats. This is certainly a wine with a pedigree, with the previous 2019 vintage scoring 97/100 in the Decanter World Wine Awards blind tastings as well as an admirable ‘sighted’ 94/100 on A Fine Wine Safari.

Chateau Lacombe Cadiot 2020, AOC Bordeaux Supérieur, 14% Abv.

This is a striking wine that displays a dense, dark, opaque purple black colour in the glass. On the nose, this succulent Merlot laden blend offers up rich aromatics of perfumed violets, lilac, bay leaf spice, sweet blackberries, salted black liquorice and black cherry before notes of ripe black plums and freshly baked blueberry crumble. Medium to full bodied in the mouth, the palate revels in the creamy plushness and ample ripeness of the 2020 vintage, framed by a lively, accessible core of black currant fruits, black raspberries, and a sappy cinnamon spice on the finish. The tannins are sweet and rounded yet ever present, charming, and generous, adding a delicate frame to the expressive fruit concentration. A delightfully well-proportioned wine that showcases Jean Michel’s masterful winemaking experience that has, for a large part, been fine-tuned over many vintages in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Hence, the right bank similarities with this Médoc expression are no coincidence. Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

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

Nativus 2019, AOC Bordeaux, 15.5% Abv. 

This 100% Merlot red boasts a rich, heady aromatics packed with lilac, Parma violets, savoury black currants, tobacco leaf, black breakfast tea, pink musk and hints of warm blueberry crumble. There are overt notions of rich sweet oak which is incredibly well integrated into the fabric of the wine, balanced by the plush, opulent black plum and black cherry fruit concentration. Full, broad, and fleshy, the mouthfeel is comfortingly dense and creamy, revealing sweet ripe tannins and a soft caressing low acid elegance. A powerful Bordeaux red expression that offers a plush, hedonistic fruit gravitas over structured minerality and classicism. Enjoy with a nice chunk of cote de boeuf for the full fireworks! From 2024 to 2030+.

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

Lady de Mour 2022, AOC Margaux, 12.5% Abv.

The 2022 Lady de Mour is produced from premium grapes grown in Arsac in the Margaux appellation on gravelly sand and gravel clay soils. The vines are on average 22+ years of age and planted to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. In the 2022 cuvee, the blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot that is aged for between 12 to 18 months in French oak barriques with normally a 30% new oak portion. The high-density plantings at 10,000 vines per hectare yield a wine that that is beautifully intense, floral, and perfumed, revealing notes of Parma violets, rose petals, black cherry pastille and pink musk over blue and black berry fruits, purple rock candy, and subtle notes of cherry cola. Regarded as one of the finest vintages on the left bank in almost a decade, this 2022 speaks confidently of Margaux’s textural complexity, weightless concentration, and supreme elegance, with a palate packed full of sweet crème de cassis, tart blueberries, and black cherries dusted with a salted caramel and vanilla pod spice. Undeniable seductive and fabulously harmonious, boasting an impressive fruit balance with the silkiest of tannins. This is undoubtably another masterclass in precision winemaking from Jean Michel Garcion. Drink now and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

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

The wines from the De Schepper family are available through their own in-house negociant, De Mour. Contact Anthony Crameri to find out more about all available labels, vintages, and ex-cellar pricing.

Contact: anthony_crameri@orange.fr 

The True Appeal of Petit Chateaux Bordeaux – Tasting the Impressive Chateau Moulin Lafitte 2018…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

While so many column inches are written about the great wines of Bordeaux every year, much of this commentary is restricted to the top 25, or perhaps the top 50 Cru Classé Chateaux of the Medoc. The charm and appeal of these great historical Chateaux is clear for everyone to see, however, everyday wine consumers are far more likely to first encounter the delicious wines from the many Petit Chateaux in Bordeaux, located on both the left and right bank of the Gironde, long before they ever graduate to the classified Cru Classé growths. Drinking and enjoying wines like Chateau Moulin Lafitte, is a key part of many consumers Bordeaux journey.

The small 13.5-hectare Bordeaux property of owner Eric Couthures is located in Saint-Pierre d’Aurillac on the northern banks of the Garonne river just east of Barsac and Preignac. The average age of the vines is 30+ years old with most of the vines planted on primarily clay rich soils at a density of 3,000 to 5,000 vines per hectare. In these clay rich soils, Merlot thrives, forming up to 40% of the final Chateau Moulin Lafitte blend depending on the vintage, along with up to 30% of Cabernet Sauvignon for added structure and density, and 30% Cabernet Franc for textural elegance, perfume, and finesse. At the Chateau, De Mour head winemaker Jean Michel Garcion acts as technical director, crafting these three cultivars into classical red blends that are aged in vats for between 8 and 12 months before bottling. I recently tasted the 2018 vintage that is currently on release in many European markets and was suitably impressed.

Chateau Moulin Lafitte 2018, AOC Bordeaux, 13% Abv.

An opaque red plum colour in the glass with a bright garnet rim, the aromatics on the 2018 cuvee are evocative, deep, and broody, with ample notes of potpourri, dried mint leaf, white flowers, freshly tilled earth and subtle notes of ripe wild dark berries, pink musk, spiced plums, black currant compote and sweet sappy cedar spice nuances. The medium bodied palate shows a sleek, polished mouthfeel with harmonious tight grained tannins and a controlled power, perfectly balanced by soft, fleshy black berry fruits, spicy black cherry, hints of black tea, and a pithy vibrant freshness on the finish. Masterfully assembled, this blend combines the generosity and plushness of the Merlot fruit with the ample structure and authority of the two Cabernet grapes, fashioning an impressive, classically styled savoury Bordeaux with harmony and finesse. At almost 7 years old, this 2018 is approaching peak drinkability! 

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

The wines are distributed by De Mour Wines. Contact Anthony Crameri for further vintage and ex-cellar pricing information.

anthony_crameri@orange.fr

Tasting Burgundian Rising Star Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet 2022 Releases – A Celebration of Terroir and Passionate Artisanal Winemaking…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The force of gravity is more intense in Burgundy. Why else would time move so slowly there? Occasionally, a domaine will pass from father to daughter, or from mother to son. Sometimes a few rows of vines may be sold from one grower to another. But as the sun sets over the top of the region’s south-east facing slopes, it sets on the same patchwork of Grand Crus, Premier Crus and Village wines generation after generation.

Romanée-Conti is Romanée Conti, and Chambertin is Chambertin. Yet spend enough time amongst the vines and occasionally you’ll spot an anomaly. In Gevrey-Chambertin, the anomaly is a young man with a look that’s more Santa Barbara County than Hospices de Beaune: hipster beard, possibly a sleeve tattoo under his plaid shirt, an easy, laid-back personality. It’s Michael Le Guellec who is definitely not part of the old guard, but scratch below Michael’s surface and you’ll find that his vineyard land has been in his family since 1920, with some of his oldest vines planted just ten years later. You’ll find a respect for tradition – for Michael’s winemaking grandfather of course, but also for the terroir, for the environment, and for the style of wines typical of Gevrey-Chambertin: rich, flavoursome, powerful, and muscular, yet with incredible finesse. Pinot Noir that can only come from one place on earth. 


Michael Le Guellec in November 2023.

For now, the domaine is still relatively unknown. Since Michael’s grandfather retired in 1990, winemaking has been on the backburner, and it’s only since Michael took over with his friend Arnaud Ducouet in 2018 that the renaissance has begun. That the domaine is already producing such exquisite wines is no accident. With winemaking overseen by Pierre Millemann, it is no surprise that the wines are luscious and elegant. This is a grower destined to become one of the must-haves of Gevrey-Chambertin. For the time being, just a few thousand bottles are being produced each vintage – from Clos Champ, the only walled vineyard in the lieu dit (planted in 1930) and from Les Jeunes Rois (planted in 1965). Other vineyards are being reworked before they’ll be considered worthy to produce wines under the domaine’s label. Eventually around 15,000 bottles could be made – and the whole world will want them. These are fabulous wines being made by imaginative, energetic, and passionate young people who want to carry their region forward, while remaining true to its history. They’re also an absolute steal… for now.

The total Pernand-Vergelesses production.

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles Blanc 2023, 13% Abv.

Another new wine and a rather pleasant surprise to taste it for the first time in the Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet cellars especially seeing as their consulting oenologist is Pierre Millemann, who’s own top Corton-Charlemagne white 2022 made from grapes just down the road, was recently rated 99/100 in Decanter Magazine. This new Pernand Blanc is still embryonic but already shows a certain ripeness and aromatic complexity for a warmer year, with notes of honeysuckle, waxy citrus rind, lemon pastille, white peach and warm white toast wafting out the glass. The palate is taut and crystalline with a chiselled acidity, hints of freshly baked buttered pastries and a pronounced stony, liquid limestone minerality on the finish. All components tasted from new large oak barrels but already this wine shows a wonderful core of fruit with vibrant acids and a certain linearity on the finish. An utter delight.

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

Looking up to the home of Michael Le Guellec.

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Bourgogne Cotes de Nuits Village 2022

Produced from grapes sourced from vineyards lying between Brochon and Fixin, the 2022 reveals a rich, intense aromatic tapestry of violets, purple rock candy, blueberry and vanilla spice. Creamy and cool, the wine shows a fabulous balance and purity with saline black currant and pithy black cherry hints. Full and compact with a sleek mid palate density and a vibrant, energetic finish. Really quite superb.

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

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2022

This famous lieu dit is blended from a mixture of new and used oak barrels and displays a smoky, intense aromatics of piercing black fruits, cassis, black cherry, and black berry oyster shell reduction. Full and very fine with notable intensity, weightless concentration, supple sweet tannins, tangy mouthwatering acids, and a soft, seamless, harmonious finish. 

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

Looking into Clos Champ… the walled monopole.

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Champ 2022

Produced from a wonderful old 0.8 hectare walled vineyard planted in 1930, like its sibling Les Jeunes Rois, it is a majestic blend of new and older oak portions that show a multi-layered elegance with great minerality and limestone linearity, freshness, and focus. Subtle oaking lends an added presence to the perfumed aromatics of Parma violets, black cherry, blueberry, and bramble berry fruit notes tempered on the palate by a cool glassy freshness, sweet tangy acids with purity but also great focus. A vibrant, concentrated wine that’s beautifully balanced and shows plenty of promise.

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

‘Clos Champ’ Mini Vertical Tasting: 2019 to 2021

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Champ 2021, 13% Abv.

This small, concentrated vintage exhibits a spicy complexity of crushed limestone, gun smoke, and sappy spice with delicate notes of frais de bois, red plum and earthy red currant confit. The palate is incredibly compact, cool and concentrated with superb purity and precision, a beautifully harmonious creamy mouthfeel and a long, blood orange and pomegranate-tinged fleshy finish. Cool and very classy.

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

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Champ 2020, 13.5% Abv.

The 2020 vintage consisted of six barrels with a 30% whole bunch portion included in the fermentation. The aromatics are wonderfully vibrant, with a lifted exotic perfumed expression and the exoticism of a warm dry vintage. The nose shows strawberry and raspberry notes over dusty crushed limestone minerality before a sleek, fine grained polished texture with savoury red fruits, spicy blood orange, strawberry compote, and a creamy, sappy savoury finish. 

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

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Champ 2019, 14% Abv. 

Another rich, savoury expression that opens with perfumed aromatics and lifted exotic red fruit nuances, strawberry compote, kirsch cherry and earthy red currant. The texture is soft and fleshy, quite gentle, silky, and harmonious with a supple, elegant spicy finish. 

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

The wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Andrew Pavli at http://www.Musigny.wine

Contact: andrew@musigny.wine

The Excellence of Chateau Margaux – Tasting the New Margaux du Chateau Margaux 2017 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The pursuit of excellence has always led Chateau Margaux to produce a second wine, which took the name of Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux in 1908. Over the years, the selection has become more and more rigorous, thus improving the quality of Pavillon Rouge and consequently, that of the third wine. The maiden 2009 release was aged in barrels with the same care as Pavillon Rouge and was bottled after fifteen months, thus giving birth to the first vintage of Margaux du Chateau Margaux.

After a relatively dry 2016, the first months of 2017 brought the necessary rain required to keep the water table balanced. Winter temperatures weren’t particularly cold. The vines budded around April 4th, but Chateau Margaux wasn’t wary enough of the spring-like temperatures and a frost on the nights of April 27th and 28th served as a reminder that, above all, winegrowers are dependent on nature. The choice location of their vineyard plots allowed them to limit frost damage and only 10% of their red vines were affected.

Summer 2017 more or less resembled summer 2016: warm and very dry through July and August. Light rainfall in early September was the only thing that disrupted a rare opportunity to produce a third great vintage after 2015 and 2016. The Chateau had just harvested their white grapes when heavy precipitation dashed their hopes of a truly standout year. Harvest for the reds finally commenced between September 12th and October 3rd in exceptionally fine weather conditions.

Margaux du Chateau Margaux, AOC Margaux, Bordeaux, 13.5% Abv. 

A delicately spicy, cedary, perfumed  aromatics with violets and rose petals and an ample plummy fruit complexity, joining notes of graphite, black chai tea, bay leaf, black currants and salty black cherry. The 2017 is a perfect melange of elegance, weightless concentration and mineral classism with a seductively creamy breadth and a beautifully elegant, textured depth. This wine delivers finesse with power like only the Margaux appellation can. Really beautiful and probably the bargain on-trade Bordeaux choice. Drink now to 2032+.

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

Margaux du Chateau Margaux is distributed exclusively to the premium on-trade in the UK by Flint Wines.

Jerome Galeyrand – One of the Hottest New Burgundy Talents in the Cote d’Or: Tasting the Sensational 2022 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It is always a great pleasure to travel to Burgundy to taste with the vignerons themselves in their own cellars. But the privilege is amplified when you visit a producer like Jérôme Galeyrand who is currently being lauded as one of the most talented vignerons in Burgundy at the moment and a domaine “at the top of its game.” Jérôme Galeyrand is a discreet, soft spoken and incredibly thoughtful winemaker whose wines are personified by perfumed precision, refinement, purity and elegance – wines that are not only serious, but seriously delicious to drink.

Originally from the Loire Valley, Jérôme came into winemaking after working for over eight years in the French food industry. After several harvests working for Domaine Alain Burguet in Gevrey-Chambertin from 1996, Jérôme embarked on his own project culminating in the purchase of his own first tiny vineyard plot of 0.05 hectares in Les Retraits in Comblanchien. Since then, Jérôme has grown his domaine to its current 5.25 hectares of vines. His viticulture is largely organic for 70% of his vineyards and sustainable for the remaining 30% of vines. No pesticides are used, and all vineyard rows are ploughed. Some wines include whole-clusters, and the vinification is carried out as delicately as possible with limited use of SO2, which helps contribute to his wines’ refinement and purity. After being manually basket pressed and fermented with natural yeasts, all wines are aged in oak barrels, 12 months for whites and between 18 to 24 months for reds.

Jérôme Galeyrand produces a little over 2,000 cases per year depending on the vintage, but the highlights of his exceptional range are undoubtedly his four famous reds: La Justice, Billard, Croisette and Les Retraits, which renowned Burgundy critics like William Kelley and Jasper Morris MW consider to be in a class of their own. As with all Burgundies of this quality and refined elegance, these are undoubtedly wines for the connoisseur. But don’t miss out on Jérôme’s superb white wines and especially his characterful Aligoté cuvées that exemplify the newfound quality this cultivar is capable of producing. 

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Antonin Bourgogne Rouge 2022

Crisp, fresh and beautifully bright. This perennial over performer is lively, vibrant and fresh with layers of red cherry, raspberry and bramble berry fruits, powdery mineral tannins, great linearity and a long finish. 

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Marsannay Le Village 2022

 Dark, black fruited and attractively plummy with an earthy bramble berry and damson aromatics. Tantalisingly tangy and racy, the palate is fresh and fleshy with ample tension, tart cherry and cranberry fruit concentration, soft supple tannins and a long linear finish. Wonderful focus.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Cotes de Nuits Village Rouge 2022

Already shows a deep, complex, earthy, savoury red berry plummy aromatics with subtle smoky, sappy, leafy hints, and an attractive, sweet berry fruited intensity on a long savoury saline finish. 

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Fixin Village 2022

This is a complex and impressively expressive wine already showing a smoky, saline reductive nose boasting salty black currant, oyster shell and damson plum. Really impressive breadth and depth from the outset, a harmonious balance and cool, compact racy acids that hold a lot of charm and energy. A very classy effort indeed.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin ‘La Justice’ 2022

 This is always a wine with stature and presence, and the 2022 is stony and saline with crushed oyster shell nuances, salty cassis, pithy black currant and a cool, broad, plush elegance with real balance and purity but also classically racy acids and a long, harmonious length. Really impressive craftmanship on display here from this famous lieu dit.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin Billard 2022

Another one of Jerome’s most famous cuvees, this 2022 reveals an exotic melange of rose petals, savoury black berry, wild brambly fruits and subtle stony limestone nuances. Plush, full, and fleshy on the palate with impressive depth and balance, Galeyrand fans are going to be seduced by the generous weight of fruit and a voluptuous breadth. 

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes En Croisette 2022

Made from beautiful old vines planted in 1900, this 2022 is succulent, deep, dark and broody packed with aromatic layers of blackberry fruits on the expressive nose. Everything just falls seamlessly into place on the palate with exotic purple fruits, black berries and a damson plum intensity. A compact, chalky, and incredibly complete expression of old vine Pinot Noir majesty at its finest.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Fixin Champs des Charmes 2022

Another of Jerome’s flagship cuvees made from old vines planted in 1960s. Reveals a piercing aromatics of black currants, pithy black cherry, oyster shell, and saline nori seaweed hints. Full and dense, plush and generous in the mouth with incredible texture, fleshy opulence and a savoury plummy, earthy depth. Another very complete, harmonious wine. Simply gorgeous.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Marsannay Clos du Roy 2022

The 2021 cuvee caught the eye of many serious Burgundy collectors and impressively, the 2022 vintage is another super impressive wine showing an incredibly lifted and perfumed personality on the nose with pressed violets, spring blossoms and pink flowers together with red currants and delicate musk notes. Superb balance and a harmonious structure with a compact, saline, sumptuous mouthfeel. Very impressive indeed and probably one of the stars of the vintage for Jerome.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Cotes de Nuits-Villages Les Retraits 2022

While this is not made from one of Jerome’s most famous appellations, the Les Retraits has fast become one of his most sought-after wines. The 2022 is incredibly complete, fabulously silky and round with notable balance and harmonious depth, finely balancing a creamy concentrated structure with soft, elegant, silky tannins while never losing its bright, mouth-watering, brambly fruited energy. A beautiful wine that punches well above its weight.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Aligoté 2022

Medium to full bodied, this deliciously fleshy Aligoté boasts evocative aromatics of Glacé orange peel, lemon rind and citrus oil with tangy vibrant acids, a salty briney freshness and a fabulously cool, classy finish with a subtle stony liquid mineral kiss on the finish.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Aligoté Chaumant Blanc 2022

A real stand out wine for me while tasting with Jerome, it possesses a delightfully bright, tangy, vibrant aromatics of orange peel, citrus oil, and ripe tangerine with a chalky talc minerality that simply seduces the palate! In the mouth, the wine is jam packed full of salty, briney Jura’esque picante oyster shell salinity, a stony limestone minerality, massive extract concentration and a long, understated dry mineral finish.  I absolutely loved it. Top drawer Aligoté!

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Aligoté Bouzeron 2022

Another impressive Aligoté expression from this unique terroir, boasting juicy aromatics of glacé apples, white citrus, smoky lemon peel, freshly baked apple strudel, and mineral limestone hints. The palate shows impressive depth and balance but with an understated, restrained intensity, finishing with a simply delicious, tangy, dry grippy persistence.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Bourgogne Chardonnay Orane 2022

Made from Chardonnay grapes sourced from 0.42 hectares located in Brochon and Flagey-Echezeaux, the aromatics show succulent melon and white peach nuances, white citrus and an earthy, savoury, leesy depth. Charming elegance, a notable fruit acid harmony and a pithy, vibrant finish. Simply spot on!

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Cotes de Nuits Villages Blanc 2022

The aromatics on this Cotes de Nuits Villages Blanc made from a massale selection of old Chardonnay vines boast complex layers of sweet citrus, lemon oil, wet chalk and a dusty, cedary wood spice hint. The balance and harmony is very impressive, seamlessly interwoven with a smoky limestone minerality before a truly energetic, zippy finish. A delightful white Burgundy.

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

Domaine Jérôme Galeyrand Marsannay Les Champs Perdrix Blanc 2022

Made from seven-year-old vines, the 2022 Les Champs Perdrix reveals a seductively rich, mineral, smoky nose, with tangy orange citrus, pear drop, orange cordial, and a smoky limestone minerality. The palate is fabulously cool and genteel with layers of tangy acidity, orange peel zest and a plush, fleshy saline depth. Truly delicious!

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

The wines of Jerome Galeyrand are imported exclusively into the UK by http://www.musigny.wine and are available on allocation. Contact: andrew@musigny.wine

The Age of Bourgogne Aligote: Part 9 – Marc Soyard Tercet Bourgogne Aligote 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a little while since I’ve added to my ‘Age of Bourgogne Aligote’ series, but after tasting another incredible wine from Burgundy wunderkind, Marc Soyard, the excitement of drinking top Aligote was well and truly reignited again. But who is this incredible new talent that is taking Burgundy drinkers by storm? To find out, you have to step off Burgundy’s well-trodden paths and head up a less promising gravel track north-west of Dijon to where you’ll find the home of Marc Soyard – possibly one of the region’s newest and most sought-after winemaking talents. Away from Burgundy’s golden slopes there are places never visited by tourists, where one can also discover winemaking geniuses like Marc.

If you head the wrong way out of Dijon (north-west instead of south) and turn up a dusty track at just the right place, you might just find yourself at Domaine de la Cras – the winemaking home of Marc Soyard. Even though his front door also has a small plaque announcing the name of his winery, you won’t be sure that you’ve come to the right place until this big, friendly, gregarious winemaker opens the front door and welcomes you into one of the newest sources of great Burgundy wine.

Marc spent seven vintages working with the famous Jean-Yves Bizot, and you can see that the pupil too has become a master of his trade. While his most noted wine is his Pinot Noir from Pommard, his intelligent handling of Aligote show just how fresh, delicious and energetic this cultivar can really be. This is a superb wine made with emotion, feeling and precision. These are definitely wines worth seeking out.

Marc Soyard Tercet Bourgogne Aligoté 2023, 11% Abv.

A dulled bronze yellow in the glass, this opulent 2023 expression from Marc Soyard captures the true essence of premium Aligoté beautifully. The aromatics are packed full of lemon and lime zest, honeysuckle, white flowers, lemon oil, Pink Lady dessert apples, and warm buttered white toast drizzled with melted honey. Medium to full-bodied in the mouth, the wine displays a generous tart apple and pear fruit concentration and a fleshy ripeness, all wonderfully underpinned by deliciously mouthwatering tangy lemony acids. The genius and talent of Marc Soyard to elevate a relatively modest grape like Aligoté to such heights of fruit texture, concentration and harmony speak of his brilliance as a winemaker. Drink now and over the next 3 to 6+ years.

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

The Domaine Marc Soyard wines are available exclusively to UK trade and private clients from http://www.Musigny.wine

A Brace of New Iconic Burgundies Released By the Maestro Jerome Galeyrand – Tasting His Riveting New Meursault and Clos de Vougeot 2023 Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It is always a great pleasure to travel to Burgundy to taste with the vignerons themselves in their own cellars. But the privilege is amplified when you visit a producer like Jérôme Galeyrand who is currently being lauded as one of the most talented vignerons in Burgundy at the moment and a domaine “at the top of its game.” Jérôme Galeyrand is a discreet, soft spoken and incredibly thoughtful winemaker whose wines are personified by perfumed precision, refinement, purity, and elegance – wines that are not only serious, but seriously delicious to drink.

Jérôme Galeyrand produces a little over 2,000 cases per year depending on the vintage, but the highlights of his exceptional range are undoubtedly his four famous reds: Gevrey Chambertin La Justice, Billard, Croisette and his Les Retraits Red from the Cotes de Nuits-Village appellation, which will now be joined by two new scintillating heavy hitting wines… a white from Meursault and a new Grand Cru red from Clos de Vougeot in the Cotes de Nuits.

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Meursault 2023, Burgundy

When news started to leak out that Jerome Galeyrand had produced a tiny amount of Meursault, merchants worldwide instantly started the desperate scramble to secure a treasured allocation. Jerome’s winemaking style has been intricately developed and cultured over the years, seducing drinkers with his phenomenal Aligoté expressions and his pristinely complete reds. This new Grand Vin Blanc from Meursault represents yet another new pinnacle for Jerome’s fast evolving winemaking career. The aromatics on this embryonic white are icy cool, pure, and fine, showing elegant notes of white citrus, freshly sliced fennel, white pear, yellow apple, and dusty crushed limestone. But its on the palate where you see the complete synergy of Jerome’s precise winemaking style come to the fore, slowly opening to reveal a medium-bodied Chardonnay with a satiny bright sheen, elegantly fleshy and soft textured yet simultaneously crystalline, pure, and bright, seductively offering up concentrated layers of hazelnuts, yellow citrus, ripe white pear, and a subtle, mouth-wateringly fresh dry chalky finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Jerome Galeyrand Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy

As if a new Meursault from Jerome was not enough to get the international wine trade into a complete frenzy, this new white wine will be joined by a couple of barrels of Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru red, produced from vines situated near to the water tower centre left in the Clos when looking down from the castle. Frustratingly, I walked the vineyard with Jerome in January 2024 but was sadly not able to taste the wine in barrel back then. Thankfully, my patience has been rewarded and a “work-in-progress” sample made its way to me in July 2024, and this exciting new wine is everything one could have hoped for. This Grand Cru is built around two barrels of Clos de Vougeot Pinot Noir, one a new French oak barrel and one aged in a multiple passage French oak barrel, blended together to reveal a fabulously multidimensional wine loaded with aromatics of sweet red and black berries, rose petals, sweet Asian spices, and subtle blood orange nuances. The palate is broad and creamy, tight knit, expertly balancing optimally ripe sweet berry fruit concentration with chalky fine-grained tannins and deliciously tangy bright acids. But it’s the final elegantly muscular assembly and the pristine purity of the wine that really resonates. I feel privileged to have tasted this phenomenal wine in its youth as the queue to try and secure merely a bottle or two of Jerome’s masterpiece will no doubt be a challenge given the worldwide demand for his wines.

(Wine Safari Score: 95-96+ Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2023 barrel sample.

The wines are available from the Burgundy specialist merchant http://www.Musigny.wine in the UK. The Meursault 2023 was released for £550 IB per 6. Price not yet available for the Clos de Vougeot 2023.

Andrew@wimbledonwinecellar.com

Tasting the First and Second Wines of the Jacky Lorenzetti Bordeaux Stable with Sporting Wine Club…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

As owner of one of Europe’s foremost rugby squads, Racing 92, together with four quality Bordeaux wine chateaux, Jacky Lorenzetti has many commitments on his time, but his love of wine and sport always manages to shine through the pressures of a larger business empire. As President of Racing 92 rugby club, he changed its name from Racing Metro back in 2015 and helped establish it further as one of the most successful clubs in the French Top 14 rugby championship.

Jacky Lorenzetti has always had a fine appreciation of the great wines of the Médoc region. Jacky and his wife Françoise first purchased Chateau Lilian Ladouys and its 46 hectares in 2008, and then went on to purchase Château Pédesclaux in 2009. In 2013, Jacky teamed up with Emmanuel Cruse taking over 50% of Chateau d’Issan, a fine 1855 Margaux Grand Cru Classé certified winery.

Château Lilian Ladouys – Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel – St Estephe: In 2008, Jacky and Françoise Lorenzetti acquired the estate after falling in love with it. When tasted, Lilian Ladouys always reveals a rich and crisp structure with ripe tannins and refined oak which melts into an explosion of fruit. It has the opulence and length of a Saint-Estephe fine wine. Thanks to the appellation’s limestone-clay subsoils, its power is balanced out by a wonderful sensation of freshness. The recent upgrade to Exceptionnel has catapulted Lilian Ladouys into wine lovers’ consciousness all round Europe.

Chateau Lilian Ladouys Le Devise de Lilian 2017, St Estephe, 13% Abv.

Soft silky very elegant, supple red fruits, red currant pastille, black currant and red plum. Exotic and easy going with silky tannins. Great drinkability for an accessible vintage.

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

Chateau Lilian Ladouys 2016, St Estephe, 13.5% Abv.

Earthy, raisined black cherry, liquorice, savoury plummy aromatics. Super slky and soft textured with supple tannins, cedar spice and delicate weightless cherry fruit concentration. A serious effort from a blockbuster vintage in Bordeaux.

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

Château Lafon Rochet – Grand Cru Classé en 1855 – Saint Estephe: Lafon-Rochet is a close neighbour to Lilian Ladouys and is among the greatest terroirs of St-Estephe. The vineyards are mainly located around the château in a large contiguous plot, not far from Cos d’Estournel, Cos Labory, and across the stream in Pauillac, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.

Chateau Lafon Rochet Les Pelerins de Lafon Rochet 2019, 14% Abv.

Dark black broody aromatics with smokey black berry, graphite, and blue berry nuances. Palate shows exotic sour cherry fruits, black currant, parma violets and a delicate, soft textured weightless intense finish. Very classy indeed.

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

Chateau Lafon Rochet 2016, St Estephe, 14% Abv.

Rich earthy savoury nose with a warming feel of ripeness and depth with hoisin plum sauce, freshly tilled earth, with a beautifully intense and tangy fresh palate with creamy black currant, blueberry muffin, silky tannins, and a sweet savoury polished finish. Very classy from this impressive Bordeaux vintage.

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

Château Pédesclaux – Pauillac: The Chateau classified in 1855 is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Pauillac, and in the world of the great Pauillac, Château Pédesclaux is the image of its terroir: complex and powerful. In this mosaic of soils, clays promote power and bold expression of elegance. Emmanuel Cruse, co-owner of Château d’Issan, is General Manager of Pédesclaux, and his lineage coming from a long line of proprietors and merchants that have been present in the Medoc since the 18th century, make his expertise in the Bordeaux market very well recognized and respected.

Chateau Pedesclaux Fleur de Pedesclaux 2016, Pauillac, 13% Abv.

A delicious Pauillac with an unusually high 67% of Merlot supported by Cabernet. Nose shows mint chocolate, cocoa, creme de cassis, red currant and sweet vanilla oak spice. Plush and loose knit with creamy soft tannins and tangy acids, this is a deliciously forward fleshy wine with black currant, dried herbs and minty, purple grapey candied menthol nuances on the finish. Simply delightful.

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

Chateau Pedesclaux 2014, Pauillac, 14% Abv.

Earthy and savoury with violets, cigar wrapper, graphite, and menthol cassis nuances. Sweet fruited, elegant and soft textured with fruit purity, salty cassis, thyme, Cabernet blackberry, menthol black currant cough sweets and a delicate, succulent finish. Lovely precision and purity for an almost 10-year-old wine.

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

Chateau d’Issan Moulin d’Issan 2019, Haut Medoc, 13% Abv.

Made from fruit sourced from Chateau d’Issan’s Haut Medoc property, this is a 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. A wonderfully soft, plush expression with a fleshy, supple concentration, sleek spicy tannins and a delicious red currant, black berry, and plummy mouth coating breadth. Really pretty, archetypal Bordeaux, with impressive precision and focus and a lovely Merlot dominated fleshy finish. A deliciously affordable all-rounder.

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

Chateau d’Issan Blason d’Issan 2016, Margaux, 13% Abv.

Officially the second wine of Chateau d’Issan, the classy 2016 shows lovely leafy, sweet cassis notes with hints of black currant, sweet black plum, peach tea and subtle dried violet and potpourri notes. Compact and plush, dense and creamy with sweet tannins, opulent fleshy fruits and a deliciously elegant, savoury, plush mouthfeel. Really classy with classical Margaux power and precision.

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

The Jacky Lorenzetti stable of Bordeaux fine wines are imported into the UK by Simon Halliday at Sporting Wine Club and are available for retail by the bottle from specialist fine wine merchants like Museum Wines.

www.sportingwineclub.com

www.museumwines.co.uk