France - All Red Wines
France stands as the epitome of excellence when it comes to crafting red wines that showcase the diversity of terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking traditions.
In Bordeaux, the renowned Left Bank vineyards of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion epitomize the artistry of winemaking. These prestigious estates craft red wines that blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, resulting in wines of depth, structure, and complexity. The wines from the Right Bank, such as those from Pétrus, Château Ausone, and Château Cheval Blanc, offer elegance, refinement, and a focus on Merlot as the dominant grape variety.
In Burgundy, the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune regions are home to iconic vineyards like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, and Domaine Armand Rousseau. These vineyards produce world-renowned Pinot Noir wines that showcase finesse, complexity, and a captivating expression of their unique terroirs.
The Rhône Valley boasts appellations such as Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In Hermitage, producers like Jean-Louis Chave and Domaine Jean-Louis Grippat craft powerful and age-worthy Syrah-based wines with immense structure and complexity. Côte-Rôtie is known for its elegant and perfumed Syrah wines, while Châteauneuf-du-Pape combines a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre to create bold and full-bodied wines.
Moving to the Loire Valley, the vineyards of Chinon and Saumur-Champigny shine with exceptional Cabernet Franc wines. Producers such as Charles Joguet and Domaine Guiberteau showcase the region's ability to craft wines of finesse, with notes of red fruits, spice, and a characteristic herbal undertone.
Finally, in the south, the Languedoc-Roussillon region is celebrated for its bold and robust red wines. Vineyards like Mas de Daumas Gassac and Domaine Gauby produce powerful and expressive wines that highlight the region's warm climate and diverse terroirs.
France - All Red Wines
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Bordeaux | 1 | 97 (WE) | د.إ13,340.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (97)Effectively half-and-half Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this is a tremendous wine. With very fine tannins, spice from a touch of wood and swathes of ripe fruits give this wine its concentration and its huge potential. The wine has weight and a dark, dense structure that will allow it to age for many years. Drink from 2027. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 99-100 (JS) | د.إ4,360.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99-100)This shows the purity of Angelus. I have never tasted a wine from here with such incredible clarity. Full body, full fruit and full beauty. Super silky tannins. A joy to taste. Makes you want to drink it. 62% merlot and 38% cabernet franc. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | 99-100 (JS) | د.إ6,995.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99-100)This shows the purity of Angelus. I have never tasted a wine from here with such incredible clarity. Full body, full fruit and full beauty. Super silky tannins. A joy to taste. Makes you want to drink it. 62% merlot and 38% cabernet franc. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WE) | د.إ6,648.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (100)This is a rich, perfumed wine, with dense tannins and intense layers of black plum and spice. The palate is firmly built yet broadened out by plump dark-fruit tones and honed by a solid, dry core. Drink from 2025. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 96 (DC) | د.إ6,650.00 | |||||
Decanter (96)Emmanuelle has been making wine here for 22 years now. The freshness of the Merlot in 2017 reminds her of 2001 - I would certainly agree, and maybe with a hint of 2014 too. It's a beautiful wine, voluptuous but elegant. These vines were not frosted, but the Cabernet Franc produced less than usual, and they also made an extremely careful selection overall, leading to a yield of 30hl/ha. The wine has great complexity, which is a standout character in 2017, with bilberries, charcoal and plush damson - the Angelus signature of power and glamour. There is good tannic density here and it will clearly merit long ageing. 85,000 bottles of Angelus produced, representing around 80% of total production. Matured in 100% new oak. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) | د.إ1,620.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)I loved the 2018 Château Angélus from barrel last year and it blew me away from bottle, epitomizing the new, fresher, more elegant style of the estate while still bringing classic Angélus richness and power. The 2018 is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in new oak, with a portion of the Cabernet Franc in foudre. A vivid purple color is followed by a vibrant bouquet of blackberries, crème de cassis, crushed violets, spring flowers, and cedar pencil. Beautifully concentrated, full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced on the palate, it has gorgeous tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and awesome length. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved, picking up additional depth and richness, while never showing a hint of oxidation. Pure perfection, it's going to benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades. This is a sensational, magical wine from this talented team, led by winemaker Emmanuelle d'Aligny-Fulchi. Comparing this to the more opulent 2005 and 2009 over the coming decades will be an incredible experience. |
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Bordeaux | 3 | 100 (JD) | د.إ6,650.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)I loved the 2018 Château Angélus from barrel last year and it blew me away from bottle, epitomizing the new, fresher, more elegant style of the estate while still bringing classic Angélus richness and power. The 2018 is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in new oak, with a portion of the Cabernet Franc in foudre. A vivid purple color is followed by a vibrant bouquet of blackberries, crème de cassis, crushed violets, spring flowers, and cedar pencil. Beautifully concentrated, full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced on the palate, it has gorgeous tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and awesome length. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved, picking up additional depth and richness, while never showing a hint of oxidation. Pure perfection, it's going to benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades. This is a sensational, magical wine from this talented team, led by winemaker Emmanuelle d'Aligny-Fulchi. Comparing this to the more opulent 2005 and 2009 over the coming decades will be an incredible experience. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (JS) | د.إ7,280.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Redcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Leave it in the cellar for at least eight years. Try after 2029. |
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Bordeaux | 3 | 98 (JS) | د.إ17,880.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Redcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Leave it in the cellar for at least eight years. Try after 2029. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (JS) | د.إ6,650.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Redcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Leave it in the cellar for at least eight years. Try after 2029. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98-99 (JS) | د.إ7,750.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98-99)This is wonderfully refined and balanced with such pretty depth. Full-bodied and so polished and pure. Subtle at first, then it takes off and keeps coming. Sophisticated. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98-99 (JS) | د.إ6,865.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98-99)This is wonderfully refined and balanced with such pretty depth. Full-bodied and so polished and pure. Subtle at first, then it takes off and keeps coming. Sophisticated. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) | د.إ7,060.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95-96)Beautiful depth here, with currants and blackberries, as well as hints of fresh herbs and wet earth. Medium-to full-bodied, layered and long, with depth and beauty. Savory. Impressive for the vintage. Persistent. |
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Bordeaux | 10 | 98-100 (WCI) | د.إ9,945.00 | |||||
The Wine Cellar Insider (98-100)Deeply colored, the wine is all about its elegance in the texture. The fruits offer a level of purity and refinement that was not present in older vintages. Perfectly balanced, vibrant, long and intense, the wine is incredibly sensuous, velvety, and silky. The level of concentration remains, but the sensation here is now one of sensuality, balance, and sophistication. The silky, pure, red and black pit fruits with a cool touch of orange rind remain with you for close to 60 seconds. Fermentation at cooler temperatures and no sulfur during the fermentations helped maintain the wines elegance and purity. The wine blends 60% Merlot, and 40% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV, 3.65 pH. Harvesting took place, September 6 - September 28. |
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Bordeaux | 14 | 97-98 (JS) | د.إ7,141.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97-98)The transparency of fruit and the finesse is really something here. There’s depth and beauty to the pristine, fresh fruit. Full-bodied and muscular with wonderful tannins that provide tension and form. Subtle and weightless, this is a thought-provoking young wine. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. |
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Bordeaux | 15 | 97-98 (JS) | د.إ7,183.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97-98)The transparency of fruit and the finesse is really something here. There’s depth and beauty to the pristine, fresh fruit. Full-bodied and muscular with wonderful tannins that provide tension and form. Subtle and weightless, this is a thought-provoking young wine. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) | د.إ5,960.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Only the second release of this cuvée (it was first produced in 2016 and will be produced in 2019 as well), the 2018 Château Angelus Hommage A Elisabeth Bouchet is 100% Cabernet Franc coming from a single parcel of vines averaging between 60-80 years in age. It was vinified in stainless steel and the aging spanned 18 months in new French oak. It's another magical wine from this château that somehow manages to marry serious power and richness with a sense of purity and elegance, as well as complexity, that's something to behold. Deep purple-hued, it offers a sensational array of blackcurrant and cassis fruits intermixed with truffle, spring flowers, and a subtle meaty, baking spice character that develops with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it's flawlessly balanced, has ultra-fine tannins, and an expansive, seamless, heavenly mouthfeel. Everything is in the right place, and it has perfectly integrated oak along with a gorgeous finish. There are just 849 bottles produced, with a few larger formats, so I expect this to be just about impossible to find in the marketplace (nor will it be cheap), but it's as fine a Saint-Emilion as has ever been made. It needs a decade of cellaring, and I suspect it will have 40-50 years of overall longevity. |
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Rhone | 1 | - | د.إ1,590.00 | |||||
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Crafted in the Southern Rhône Valley, the Anglore Lirac 2019 is a remarkable expression of Eric Pfifferling's expert winemaking prowess. Cultivated under the Mediterranean sun, in the mineral-rich terroir of Lirac, this unique blend benefits greatly from the old Carignan and Grenache vines it’s sourced from. Produced organically with no added sulphites, through the process of spontaneous fermentation, the Anglore Lirac 2019 delivers a harmonious balance of fruit and terroir, capturing the rich essence of its environment. The wine reveals a stunningly rustic palette, boasting of stewed cherries, laced with hints of baking spice and a mesmerising earthiness. Turning towards a velvety textured, medium-bodied composition, it delivers a complex and lingering finish. The character and finesse of the Anglore Lirac 2019 cement it as a leading example of natural wines from the Rhône region, not just a joy to savor but a true testament to Pfifferling's dedication to quality and authenticity. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 91 (VN (NM)) | د.إ808.00 | |||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (91)The 2020 Château Angludet is the product of a crop that suffered frost damage earlier in the season with a reduced percentage of Merlot. It has a lovely nose, maybe not quite as "brisk" as I described out of barrel, yet harmonious with those appealing black fruit laced with iris flower and violet. The palate is medium-bodied, the 30% aging in amphora imparting the spiciness, the liberal dose of black pepper towards the still gritty finish. Lovely length, lovely Margaux, lovely d'Angludet. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 94 (WA) | د.إ4,335.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers Vieilles Vignes is absolutely superb, bursting from the glass with aromas of earthy cherries and berry fruit, mingled with notions of rose petal, smoked meats and blood orange. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, velvety and multidimensional, with excellent concentration, ripe acids and a strikingly long, penetrating finish. Production was low this year, but this Sentiers is well worth a special effort to seek out. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ2,065.00 | |||||
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The 'Anne et Herve Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Fuees 2016' is a sophisticated red Bordeaux wine, embodying the expertise of French winemaking. This masterpiece originates from the small village of Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, a region acclaimed for crafting world-class Pinot Noir. Produced by Anne et Herve Sigaut, a husband-wife team renowned for their organic vineyard practices since 1990, their craft imprints the narrative of their terroir in every bottle. Only mature vines, aged 40-60 years, are deemed suitable for yielding the nuanced grapes for this Premier Cru. The 2016 vintage, marked by its assertive tannins and striking acidity, presents an opulent bouquet of red and black fruits and a touch of spice. It exudes an enviable longevity, testament to careful ageing in oak barrels. A treasure among wine enthusiasts, Anne et Herve Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Fuees 2016 promises an exquisite experience. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94+ (WA) | د.إ21,285.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (92-94+)The 2017 Richebourg Grand Cru reveals a lovely bouquet of Asian spices, plums, raspberries and rose petal, with only subtle hints of the savory nuances of soil and espresso to come with bottle age. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with satiny tannins and a broad, open-knit profile. This is a precocious, dramatic Richebourg in the making, and while it will never rival the depth and concentration Gros achieved in 2016 and 2015, it will certainly turn heads in its youth. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 96 (VN) | د.إ14,675.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)The 2017 Richebourg Grand Cru has a supremely well-defined bouquet of vibrant red cherries, crushed strawberry, orange zest and crushed stone, developing more floral scents with time and conveying wonderful breeding and real panache. The extremely well balanced palate reveals layers of red berry fruit, lightly spiced, with just a subtle tang of marmalade toward the finish. Impressive in terms of weight and body, this deserves several years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ21,170.00 | |||||
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Bordeaux | 1 | 97 (DC) | د.إ1,355.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)The vines of Belair-Monange are split between limestone on the plateau and clay limestone on the slopes. This is a stand-out wine, poised and silky but still in the Moueix muscular house style in 2015. Tannins are fully present and fully committed. In the glass, the floral side opens up, and there's impressive salinity on the finish where you can practically lick the limestone. Excellent; one to put away for eight to ten years. |
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Beaujolais | 1 | 94 (VN) | د.إ1,620.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)Vivid red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe, spice-accented red berries and cherry liqueur, smoky minerals and a hint of incense. Energetic, mineral-laced blueberry and bitter cherry flavors show very good depth and take on a hint of candied licorice with air. Smooth, harmonious tannins add framework to the impressively long, floral-tinged finish, which leaves behind a sweet touch of red fruit preserves. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 95-98 (IB) | د.إ9,055.00 | |||||
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-98)A bright fresh mid purple. The bouquet is superb, in a really lush and almost creamy red berry fruit, not as wild as some until a little savoury touch at the finish. Complex, a fine weave to the texture, with pure red berry fruit coming out at the finish. Despite its location I tend to think of Bonnes Mares as a Morey style Grand Cru, but you can certainly see the touch of Chambolle in this. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted: November 2023. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 87-89 (IB) | د.إ551.00 | |||||
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (87-89)A fine even purple. A nose of charm and delicious, adequately ripe, dark red fruit. Energetic fruit, with a touch of sandalwood, tightly wound with quite high acidity. Just slightly dry at the finish, though compensated by surprising length. Drink from 2024-2026. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 86-89 (BH) | د.إ711.00 | |||||
Burghound (86-89)Outstanding Top Value. A wonderfully fresh and ripe nose combines notes of red currant, plum and a whisper of earth. The sleek, delicious and vibrant middleweight flavors terminate in an inviting and refreshing if lightly rustic finish. This is very good for its level plus it offers short to mid-term aging potential. |
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Burgundy | 3 | 94-96 (VN) | د.إ5,565.00 | |||||
Vinous (94-96)The 2021 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is a little more "gourmand" on the nose, cohering with time in the glass, loamy, almost peaty aromas emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-honed tannins. Lovely symmetry here, with a slight creaminess in texture towards the finish, where it feels very persistent. This is a lovely Charmes-Chambertin that should evolve wonderfully in bottle. |
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