French

Made from 100% Syrah aged two years in barrel the 2016 Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places is a sensational effort from one of the great terroirs in the Côte Brune side of the appellation. Loaded with black and blue... Read More

An exuberantly spicy fresh and ripe nose speaks of red berry fruit liqueur plum anise and clove plus discreet mineral nuances that are set off by enough wood to warrant mentioning. The powerful and sleekly muscular flavors are... Read More

Entirely Pinot Noir the 2019 Champagne Grand Cru Verzy Le Cepage is fleshy with kirsch yellow flowers and orange peel and is structured and dry with savory salinity grapefruit pith and crushed rock. This is a wine that can hold... Read More

As I wrote last year, the young Adrien Renoir took over this four-hectare domaine in Verzy a few years ago, launching his eponymous label in 2019. Working exclusively with estate fruit, he abandoned herbicides in 2015 and attained... Read More

Looking considerably more roasted in style than the 2019 the 2018 Crozes Hermitage la Guiraude features notes of grilled dark-skinned plums and savory black olives. It's full-bodied rich and velvety but with its layers of... Read More

The 2018 Riesling Grand Cru Brand Kirchberg is deep intense and pure on the rich but elegant nose. Lush and refined on the palate this is a round and lush but also salty piquant and finely tannic Riesling with a long and intense... Read More

From vines planted in 1947 facing east and in very poor soil the 2019 Riesling Grand Cru Brand Kirchberg is pure but intense and concentrated on the dense and aromatic nose that also reveals saline notes of crushed stones. On... Read More

The 2018 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Dudenstein opens very pure fresh and airy yet intense on the nose like lemon perfume on crushed flint stones and quartzite. The ripeness is just right. On the palate this is a full-bodied... Read More

The 2020 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Dudenstein is another adorable wine from Jean Boxler. From about 70- 80-year-old vines on deeper marlier soils with a granite layer the 2020 shows a coolish clear and refined bouquet of crushed... Read More

The 2018 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Eckberg is quite similar in the nose to the 2020 showing an intense and concentrated layered bouquet of crushed stones with ripe lemons and phenols. Rich yet vital and pure on the palate... Read More

The intensely yellow-colored 2019 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Eckberg opens with an intense complex and very elegant bouquet of exceptional depth and finesse. Beautiful crystalline stone and citrus aromas lead to a rich and... Read More

A more complex if moderately similar nose offers more in the way of white orchard fruit aromas that are trimmed in subtle wood nuances. There is fine mid-palate density to the delicious and appealingly intense medium-bodied flavors... Read More

A softly floral and earthy nose of both red and dark berries introduces denser and more voluminous medium-bodied flavors that flash focused power on the balanced if firmer finish that makes clear that in contrast to the Chassagne... Read More

Offering up notes of peonies rose petals red berries and spices the 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes is medium-bodied satiny and perfumed with lively acids and a saline finish.

Inky ruby. Spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits licorice smoked meat and olive paste on the intensely perfumed nose. Concentrated blackberry cherry and violet pastille flavors take on a suave floral nuance with aeration.... Read More

A bit tighter in style than the expansive flowery 2018 the 2019 Condrieu Clos Chanson adds pineapple and citrus notes to the ripe apricot flavors. It's medium to full-bodied concentrated and focused with a long mouthwatering... Read More