Owner Jose Sanfins is also the Director at the 3rd growth Château Cantenac Brown. 100% aged in Oak Barrels, this beautifully complex wine with a velvety finish is made from 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and can be aged for up to 20 years. This wine is a beautiful deep ruby colour. Richness and density are both apparent in a wine that will eventually turn into bold ripe black fruits. A wine for both the present and the future. "Well-delivered slice of Médoc with clear, dark cassis fruits from an estate

The husband-and-wife team behind A23’s wines, Thomas and Gunhild, have a unique approach to winemaking. Above all else, they aim to produce wines that capture the essence of the grape they are using. While many winemakers are all about terroir and a taste of place, for Thomas and Gunhild, the grape’s the star. The A23 Chardonnay shows how effective this approach can be. Chardonnay is a wonderfully complex, multifaceted grape and its beauty shines through here. Its inviting bouquet of red apples,

The husband-and-wife team behind A23’s wines, Thomas and Gunhild, have a unique approach to winemaking. Above all else, they aim to produce wines that capture the essence of the grape they are using. While many winemakers are all about terroir and a taste of place, for Thomas and Gunhild, the grape’s the star. The A23 Syrah is a fantastically complex, silky-textured, well-structured wine. Deeply coloured, the bouquet blends black fruits and black pepper with a touch of purple flowers. The powerf

Nicknamed by the winemaking team as their ‘Buddy’ wine, the 921 Le Coq Rosé was created to be a joyous, easy-going wine. Produced from a blend of Grenache with a little Syrah and other local varieties, it’s a pet project only made in relatively small quantities. Fermented in concrete and stainless-steel tanks, it is fruit-driven yet has admirable depth and complexity. Taste Lovely ruby pink in colour, the nose is a mix of red cherries and strawberries with a touch of raspberry jam. Medium-bodied

Nicknamed by the winemaking team as their ‘Buddy’ wine, the Chateau de Gourdon 921 Le Coq Rouge Cotes du Rhone was created to be a joyous, easy-going wine. Produced from a blend of Grenache with a little Syrah, Cinsault and other local varieties, it’s a pet project only made in relatively small quantities. Fermented in concrete and stainless-steel tanks, it is fruit-driven yet has admirable depth and complexity. A cold maceration and long, slow fermentation giving a well-extracted wine that’s ro

Produced from a mix of sustainably grown Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier vines, this is classic Cotes du Rhone Blanc. As with so many of Chateau de Gourdon’s wines, the Fontaine du Sud is fruit-driven and allows the natural brilliance of the vineyard and vine to shine through. Following a gentle pressing the wines are fermented at low temperatures (typically around 13.5 °C) and then allowed to rest on their lees over the winter. The resulting wine is fresh, complex,

Produced using sustainable methods on light, sandy soils of Mont-Joli the Chateau de Gourdon Jolie Balade is an arrestingly elegant style of Cotes du Rhone. Produced from a classic blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan and Mourvèdre, sensitive vinification methods such as destemming and ageing in cement vats keep this wine refined and well-delineated. Each grape’s characteristics shine through to give an intense, fruit-driven glassful. Vivino Rating: 4.1 (Jul 2024) Taste Deep ruby with ta

A traditional blend of Grenache (60%) and Syrah (40%), Chateau de Gourdon Vase de Pierre Cotes du Rhone is unusual in being so elegant and refined. Despite boasting an impressive 15% alcohol, its structure is fine and complex. This is achieved by de-stemming the Syrah, giving both grapes long (30 day), cool fermentations and keeping oak ageing to a minimum. The result is an impressively intense, but beautifully rounded wine. Taste Deep purple, the bouquet is dominated by fresh black fruits – blu

The Chateau de Gourdon Terrasse a L'Ombre is made under the relatively rarely seen Côtes du Rhône Village "Suze-la-Rousse”. A blend of old vine Grenache and Syrah, each plot is harvested individually and several ‘tries’ may be attempted to ensure only perfectly ripe grapes are picked. To ensure the wines reflect the character of the vine and vineyard, they are fermented in stainless steel using natural yeasts. Taste With its wonderfully deep, saturated colour and bold bouquet of crushed plums, b

2020 was a glorious year for Bordeaux and the vintage’s quality filtered down to the petit chateaux as the Bois de Rolland Cuvee Prestige 2020 shows. A year of extremes that saw everything from drought to deluges, hail to heat waves, all set against the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a vintage where winemakers needed to be on their guard. Those who were watchful saw reduced harvests of exceptionally ripe grapes that produced wines of wonderful quality. Taste Deep cherry red, the bouquet blends red be

Bourgogne Aligoté an can be produced throughout Burgundy. Domaine Albert Bichot prefer to use fruit that’s gives its wines the freshness and minerality that makes Bourgogne Aligote such an interesting wine. Their wines are produced from selected vineyards in Auxere, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Nuits and the grapes are hand picked. The wines is made in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks to preserve it freshness and bite, and are given 8 months ageing on their

This Montagny Premier Cru is round and delectable on the palate with lovely vivacity and minerality. With notes of oak, vanilla and brioche. It is round and delectable on the palate with lovely vivacity and minerality. The finish is long and fragrant with flowers of almond and both raw and cooked apple. "Very attractive nose of fresh pineapple and yellow grapefruit with delicate oak and a touch of something floral. Medium-bodied with nice creaminess from sur-lie aging, which complements the live

The Viré-Clessé appellation, located between Tournus and Mâcon, is the most recent of the Mâconnais region’s village appellations (1999), exclusively made from Chardonnay grapes. The vineyards, for the most part, are planted on hillsides, where a local type of soil derived from white limestone called “cray” can be found. This delicious Vire-Clesse is from one of Burgundy's finest. Predominant aromas of fine intense fruit, the nose reveals a touch of lemon, mango and subtle floral notes. The pala

90 Points - Decanter. The Albert Bichot Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Reserve is a seriously impressive sparkling wine. It’s made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from fruit grown in Burgundy’s southern Cotes Chalonnaise and Cote Maconnais regions. Produced using the champagne-style methode traditionnelle which involves a secondary fermentation in the bottle after which it rests for 18 months before release. With 10% of the wine being given 6 months of oak-ageing and with 15% reserve wines bei

A wonderfully complex Blanc de Blancs champagne from the outstanding 2015 vintage. Michel Genet and his team are 'manufacteurs de Grands Crus' and their MG BB Vintage offers aromas of pastries with fragrances of fresh nuts and candied fruits, followed by tobacco, menthol anise and eucalyptus. This has a rich aromatic palette and powerful finish. About the Producer “Manufacteurs de Grands Crus”. Michel Genet like to call themselves “manufacteurs” (“artisans”) from the word’s Latin origins in manu

90 Points - Jeff Leve. Château Vrai Canon Bouché hails from Canon Fronsac and since 2005 it has become one of this commune’s leading wines. Its single vineyard is planted with a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc and is hand-tended like it was a garden. The owners have steadily reduced the use of chemicals and have deployed natural methods to restore the soil’s vitality. 2017 was a particularly successful year for the property. Writing in the Wine Insider, Jeff Leve awarded it 90 points

93 Points - Decanter. Chateau Meyney 2020 is probably the best wine this impressive property has produced since its acquisition by Crédit Agricole Grands Crus in 2004. 2020 was an exceptional year in Bordeaux and the conditions seem to have agreed with Chateau Meyney’s well-placed vines. Scoring 93 from Falstaff Magazine and Jeff Leve who described it as, ‘Rich, ripe, supple and lush, the wine is polished, fresh and offers layers of fruit-filled pleasure with every sip’, this is a seriously good

Blason d’Issan 2017 is the second wine of the illustrious Margaux Grand Cru Classe, Chateau d’Issan. Composed of a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon mainly from the estate’s younger vines, in 2017 it produced a wonderfully stylish, elegant wine that is typical of this famed commune’s greatest wines. The Blason d’Issan is designed to drink well young but has the capacity to develop over several years. It is widely regarded as one of Bordeaux’s best-value second wines. Vivino Rating:

95 Points - Decanter. The Chateau Cantenac Brown 2016 is another fantastic wine from this esteemed property. Composed of a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot, it’s a sensational wine that bears all the hallmarks of this great vintage. The years of hard work and investment that have flowed into this estate have paid significant dividends and Cantenac Brown is now back where it belongs amongst the finest wines in Bordeaux. Compared to its neighbours Chateau Palmer and Chateau Margaux,

Clos-La-Gaffelière is the second wine of Château La Gaffelière, one of the oldest family-owned estates in Saint Emilion. It is also one of the most prestigious having been ranked as a Premier Grand Cru Classe in the original 1955 Saint Emilion Classification. It lies to the south of the town of Saint Emilion on the Saint Emilion plateau neighbouring Chateau Ausone and Chateau Pavie. The vineyards are predominantly Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc. There’s a noticeable elegance to it, though i

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast. La Mission Haut Brion produced a typically brilliant wine in 2008. While the vintage as a whole has been somewhat overshadowed by the 2009 and 2010, the 2008s are often exceptional and offer great value for money by comparison. Robert Parker awarded this classic blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc 95 points praising its ‘Medium to full-bodied and concentrated with good acidity, freshness and delineation.’ Neal Martin gave the 2008 96 po

Even in the context of Pomerol, Clos l’Eglise is a tiny property. In an average year, its 5.98-hectare vineyard (which isn’t a walled ‘clos’) yields only 2,800 cases of wine, and given its rising popularity, stocks are quickly exhausted. The secret to its success – alongside the huge investment by its owners the billionaire Garcan-Cathiard family – is its sandy-gravel topsoil, hard-pan subsoil and climate which is drier in the summer and winter than further west in the Medoc. Critics have raved

Zédé de Labégorce is the second wine of Château Labégorce, one of Margaux’s oldest estates with a history dating back to the fourteenth century. The estate lies on the plateau to the northwest of Chateau Margaux and just to the north of Chateau Lascombes. In keeping with the rest of the commune, Labégorce produced exceptional wines in 2020. The Zédé de Labégorce shows all of Margaux’s style and elegance but has a powerful structure thanks to the heat and the high levels of Cabernet Sauvignon in

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Chateau Petit Bocq made the most of its scattered Saint Estèphe plots and selected only the finest fruit for its Grand Vin in 2017. This Cru Bourgeois Supérieur is made up of 50% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petit Verdot from vineyards that border the likes of Cos d’Estournel and Montrose.  Known as one of the best value wines in all of Saint Estèphe, it’s been described as a ‘…seriously structured wine. It also has density and solid black fruits that are r