France
The vast and diverse wine regions of France, each with its own unique terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking techniques, are a treasure trove.
In Bordeaux, the birthplace of some of the world's most iconic wines, esteemed vineyards such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion produce exceptional red wines, showcasing the art of blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The region is also renowned for its exquisite white wines, with vineyards like Château d'Yquem and Domaine de Chevalier producing legendary sweet wines.
Moving to Burgundy, the vineyards of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, and Domaine Armand Rousseau capture the essence of the region's revered terroir, crafting exquisite red wines from the Pinot Noir grape. Meanwhile, Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Coche-Dury are celebrated for their world-class white wines, predominantly made from Chardonnay.
The Champagne region, known for its sparkling wines, boasts illustrious houses such as Krug, Dom Pérignon, and Moët & Chandon, as well as grower-producers like Pierre Péters and Jacques Selosse. These vineyards create exceptional sparkling wines using the traditional method, offering a symphony of delicate bubbles, elegant flavors, and vibrant acidity.
In the Rhône Valley, iconic vineyards like Chapoutier, E. Guigal, and Château de Beaucastel produce remarkable red wines in the northern appellations of Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Cornas, showcasing the elegance and power of Syrah. Further south, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is celebrated for its rich and full-bodied red blends, with Château Rayas and Clos des Papes leading the way.
In Alsace, vineyards such as Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and omaine Trimbach craft exquisite white wines, including Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris, expressing the region's unique terroir and varietal character.
These are just a few highlights among the diverse array of wines that France offers. From the Loire Valley's crisp whites and elegant reds to the Languedoc-Roussillon's bold and robust wines, each region presents its own vinous treasures.
France
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Savour the superb Tortochot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2014, a prodigious epitome from the famed Charmes-Chambertin region of Burgundy, France. Renowned winegrower Domaine Tortochot meticulously crafts this unique Grand Cru, guaranteeing prestigious quality. This splendid 2014 vintage is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, hand-harvested from the illustrious limestone-rich vineyards. Connoisseurs will appreciate the structured yet refined palate, boasting layered red fruit flavours with a noticeable influence of ageing in French oak barriques. The expressive profile culminates in a beautifully balanced, enduring finish, demonstrating the authentic terroir character unique to Charmes-Chambertin. Geared towards longevity, the Tortochot Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2014 showcases Tortochot's unwavering dedication to quality, perfectly encapsulating this lesser-known producer's commitment to traditional winemaking methods. Don't miss this distinguished example of Burgundian brilliance, an eloquent testament to the Grand Cru status. Quite simply, a masterful expression of both fruit and site.
د.إ6,685.00 -
Presenting the remarkably grand Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corvees 2016, hailing from the esteemed Domaine Tortochot in the heart of Burgundy, France. This vivacious red wine is crafted with Pinot Noir grapes, exclusively cultivated within the renowned Les Corvées vineyard. This delicate process involves intricate, low intervention vinification in oak barrels; a testament to Chantal Tortochot's fourth-generation vineyard mastery.
The Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corvees 2016 exudes a profusion of ripe red fruits, layered with smoky, earthy undertones, exemplifying the unique terroir of Gevrey-Chambertin. Embodied within its medium-bodied elegance, it reveals a noteworthy balance of acidity and tannins, with a lingering finish; a characteristic treasured amongst dedicated connoisseurs.
Crafted with passion and tradition, a bottle of Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corvees 2016 serves not only as a refined compliment to a gourmet dinner but also a reflection of Domaine Tortochot's enduring legacy in the arts of viticulture and winemaking.
د.إ1,410.00 -
Hailing from Gevrey-Chambertin, the heart of Burgundy's red wine district, the Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2017 stands tall. Domaine Tortochot, lauded for their commitment to organic viticulture, meticulously crafts this stunning Pinot Noir. Unfettered by artificial substances, the unique vines impart a character that is innately Burgundy.
Off the vine, Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2017 proudly sports an intense rubellite hue, a prelude to its elegance. Each sip reveals layers of complexity, densely packed with rich aromas of dark fruits, rustic spices, and earthy undertones, underpinned by silky tannins.
Matured for 12 months in French oak barrels and rested for additional 6 months in tank, this fine wine exhibits striking depth and a remarkable finish. A testament to the masterly art of winemaking, Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2017 certainly deserves the spotlight in a discerning connoisseur's collection.
د.إ1,080.00 -
Introducing the distinguished Tour Marbuzet 2017, a truly captivating Bordeaux blend that caters to accomplished palates. This Grand Cru Classé encapsulates the essence of France's esteemed Saint-Estephe appellation, with decades of esteemed viticulture traditions reflecting in every sip. The vineyards of Domaine de l'Estournel, the producer of this rich libation, sit on gravelly soils, enabling the blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to express their flavours masterfully. The microclimate and the painstaking attention to detail during the vinification process result in a wine of complex elegance and robust character. The Tour Marbuzet 2017 leads with sumptuous notes of ripe blackcurrants and cherries, interwoven with subtle hints of spice and leather. This is undoubtedly a wine that proffers both immediate gratification and the potential for a graceful ageing. Enjoy the Tour Marbuzet 2017, an exquisite blend of France's winemaking prowess and centuries-old terroir.
د.إ563.00 -
Wine Advocate (89-91)
The 2018 Tour de Marbuzet is deep garnet-purple colored and scented of cedar, cassis, black cherries and herbs with earth and rocky hints. The palate is full-bodied and firm with good expression and concentration.د.إ704.00 -
Indulge in the celestial brilliance of Tour Marbuzet 2020, a delicate but lavish expression from Saint-Estèphe in France. Known for its prestige and consistent superiority, Château Tour Marbuzet meticulously selects its grapes from mature vines, cultivated on garonne gravel-soil. Embodying a dexterous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, Tour Marbuzet 2020 radiates a beautiful deep garnet colour, evoking notes of smoky oak and dark berries.
Produced under the experienced hands of Hervé Duboscq, this vintage wine's well-structured tannins and robust body gracefully integrate with its generous fruit character and spicy undertones, leaving an impressively long and savory finish. Behind each bottle of Tour Marbuzet 2020 is a testimony to Duboscq's dedicated winemaking technique, ensuring every sip is a symphony of balanced intensity and aromatic complexity.
Marvel at Tour Marbuzet 2020, an epitome of Saint-Estèphe's class, precision and craft. A delight for the seasoned connoisseur, adding elegant charm to any fine wine collection.
د.إ462.00 -
(6x75cl) 2016James Suckling (96-97)
This is superb: a triumph for the vintage considering how complicated it was in St.-Emilion. Elegance with power. Full-bodied, intense and forthright. Wonderful length and depth. Better than the 2015.د.إ813.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93+)
The 2017 Tour Saint Christophe is a dense, richly constituted wine loaded with tremendous energy and pure power. It is also a bit shut down; so I would prefer to give it a few years in bottle to be at its best. Black fruit, chocolate, leather, licorice and spice build into the potent, virile finish. This is a wine with tremendous promise.د.إ981.00 -
(6x75cl) 2017Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93+)
The 2017 Tour Saint Christophe is a dense, richly constituted wine loaded with tremendous energy and pure power. It is also a bit shut down; so I would prefer to give it a few years in bottle to be at its best. Black fruit, chocolate, leather, licorice and spice build into the potent, virile finish. This is a wine with tremendous promise.د.إ882.00 -
James Suckling (96-97)
Blueberry and blackberry character with hints of white pepper and chalk. Salty, too. Full-bodied, tight and polished with fantastic texture and length. Very closed and tight with gorgeous tannin quality.د.إ712.00 -
James Suckling (96-97)
This is tight with finesse and focus. Minerally and salty with an ultra-fine palate and polished tannins. It goes on and on and on. Strength and finesse at the same time. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc.د.إ1,135.00 -
James Suckling (96-97)
This is tight with finesse and focus. Minerally and salty with an ultra-fine palate and polished tannins. It goes on and on and on. Strength and finesse at the same time. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc.د.إ712.00 -
The Wine Cellar Insider (95-97)
Deep, and dark in color, and equally dark and deep in its fruit, the nose pops with perfectly ripe dark red and black fruits, licorice, smoke, cherry blossoms, crushed rocks and stones. The wine has depth, sensuality, luscious textures and layers of ripe,opulent fruits. The finish lingers with layers of black and red fruits with dark chocolate that feel as good as they taste. This could be the finest vintage of Tour Sant Christophe ever produced, and that is really saying something. The wine is made from blending 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc. You can age for 20-25 years. Or if you like,you can also enjoy this on the young side.د.إ663.00 -
James Suckling (92-93)
This is already nicely salty and chalky with crushed stones. Medium-to full-bodied with medium, firm tannins and a medium, juicy finish.د.إ460.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (96)
Spice-laden red and black fruits, leafy tobacco, savory flowers, and new leather notes all shine in the 2022 Château Tour Saint Christophe, another brilliant wine from this team. I love its complexity, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with fine tannins, a layered, elegant mouthfeel, beautifully integrated oak, and a great finish. Based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc brought up in 25% new French oak, give bottles 3-5 years if you can and enjoy over the following 15+.د.إ689.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96)
I have not been looking at a lot of 2015s recently, so it is really interesting in how this has opened up substantially on the nose, with already some secondary characteristics in the bouquet, albeit with a more youthful fruit on the palate. Then come the tannins, followed by a slightly more evolved finish with mulberries in the mix.د.إ8,535.00 -
Burghound (97)
Interestingly this is aromatically quite similar to the nose of the Latricières though there is just a bit more wood in evidence plus a hint of menthol. By contrast there is more size, weight, power and muscle to the big-bodied and equally mineral-driven flavors that also brim with copious amounts of dry extract that coats the palate and buffers the very firm but not hard tannic backbone on the driving, hugely long and youthfully austere finale. This is an exquisitely poised Chambertin that is very much built-to-age and is going to need a minimum of 10 years and once again, is a wine that should last for decades. In a word, brilliant.د.إ14,690.00 -
د.إ14,225.00
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The wines of Domaine Trapet are the epitome of Burgundian elegance, purity, and finesse. Vinification techniques depend on the vintage but generally consist of a brief period of cold maceration, followed by fermentation in open top wood fermenters with partial inclusion of stems (30 to 50%). Maceration is long and slow, with delicate extraction via punch-down and then gentle pump-overs in the later stages. Sulphur is added only at bottling, in minute doses.
The three magnificent Grand Crus Domaine Trapet owns in Gevrey-Chambertin are in top echelons and again in 2016, Le Chambertin under Jean-Louis’ care, has received outstanding reviews. The Trapet Pere & Fils Chambertin Grand Cru 2016 is awarded a 95-97 pts from Neal Martin (Wine Advocate) and 93-96 pts from Allen Meadows (Burghound).
د.إ10,230.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
Not currently available.د.إ7,830.00 -
Vinous (90-92)
(the yield here was just 15 hectoliters per hectare, according to Jean-Louis Trapet): Good bright medium red. Deeper on the nose than the preceding village wines, offering aromas of plum, currant, roast coffee and cocoa. Graceful, fine-grained wine, offering very good depth, intriguing saline minerality and noteworthy precision. More floral than herbal. The persistent finish features a subtle sweetness and suave tannins that saturate the sides of the tongue. This will be Trapet's only premier cru bottling from the 2016 vintage.د.إ2,810.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin La Petite Chapelle 1er Cru, blended with 80% whole bunch, has a tightly-wound bouquet with crushed stone infusing the blackcurrant and raspberry scents, a nuanced Earl Grey scent percolating through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, finely-chiselled tannins, very good weight with just a hint of menthol that enhances the finish.د.إ4,710.00 -
Vinous (96-98)
The 2019 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru, which contains around 60% whole bunch, has a well-defined bouquet of ebullient dark berry fruit laced with light woodland and earthy scents. So much vigor and coiled-up energy! The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful balance, supple tannins, perfectly judged acidity and a crescendo of flavors toward the splendid, mineral-driven finish. The cooler microclimate really benefited this cuvée in 2019, and it is one of the Trapet’s finest contributions to the vintage.د.إ10,300.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin "Ostrea" comprises around 70% whole cluster this year and comes from parcels around the village of Brochon. This has an elegant bouquet of gorgeous wild strawberry and raspberry preserve aromas, the oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and well-judged acidity, and so juicy that it is nigh impossible to detect the stem addition. This might well constitute the best "Ostrea" I have tasted from Trapet.د.إ4,050.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)
(5-Star wine) Still in barrel, unracked. Rich deep purple with a heady ripe raspberry fruit. But it is fresh, clean, mineral and intense on the palate with a lovely supple fruit backed by clean energy. Darker fruit, but significantly more weight. In fact, this is astonishingly concentrated at the back of the palate. There are plenty of tannins here, but easily enough fruit.د.إ4,150.00 -
Vinous (92)
The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Ostrea comes from vines that have now been rewired higher according to Jean-Louis Trapet. It has a more mineral-driven, reserved bouquet compared to the Gevrey-Village, fragrant and beautifully defined, the 40% whole bunch lending freshness. The palate is fresh and vibrant with gentle grip, good weight, taut and fresh with a saline, Morey-like finish. Classy, for Burgundy-lovers who like their Pinot a bit cerebral.د.إ2,000.00 -
Colour: Amber colour, almost mahogany
Nose: Very complex, combining wooden, vanilla, old Porto, dry fruits, nuts to floral notes (dry rose), but also spicy (clove and pepper), cigar wooden box
Palate: Light and elegant structure, rich and wooden notes. It is perfectly well-balanced and the length is exceptional The Lafite Cognac, given its rarity and long ageing, shows a complexity, suppleness and exceptional aromatic persistence which make it ideal to enjoy as a digestive at the end of a meal.
د.إ2,735.00 -
Vinous (96)
I am utterly blown away by the 2010 Alpilles Rouge, a re-release from the winery’s cellar. Still so fresh and vibrant, the 2010 is just stunning in its beauty today. Time in bottle has brought with it lovely complexity, especially in the aromatics. On the palate, though, the 2010 is so young. Swaths of tannin and bright acids suggest the 2010 still needs time to be at its best. As for the wine’s pedigree and quality, those are unmistakably world-class. Readers who can find the 2010 should not hesitate. It’s one of the rare values in fine, ageworthy red wine. This bottle was released from the domaine in 2020.د.إ3,990.00 -
As an eminent expression of Provençal wine, Trevallon Alpilles Rouge 2016 is born of balance and subtlety. This masterpiece hails from the sought-after appellation of Les Alpilles at the iconic Domaine de Trevallon. A jewel amongst French viticulture, the domaine meticulously employs organic practices and low yields, resulting in exceptional quality.
Trevallon Alpilles Rouge 2016 is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, each conveying their unique personality whilst harmonising beautifully. The wine evolves over 24 months in oak, culminating in an intense, robust character with an elegant finish. Its palate reveals a melange of black fruits, herbal notes and a whispering spice.
Produced by Eloi Dürrbach in the heart of Provence, Trevallon Alpilles Rouge 2016 reflects the rich, diverse terroir of its birthplace. Dürrbach's commitment to minimal intervention, both in the vineyard and the cellar, honours the natural essence of the wine, offering a true taste of Provence's finesse. A true connoisseur's delight, Trevallon Alpilles Rouge 2016 personifies articulate winemaking.
د.إ3,990.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (91)
The NV Trilogie was a fantastic wine, a blend of three vintages of declassified fruit from Le Pin. There are two or three different blends, this one comprising 2013, 2014 and 2015. Again, served blind, I stupidly guessed Saint-Émilion! I know that Jacques Thienpont and Fiona Morrison dislike the speculation that shrouds Trilogie due to its connection. Affordability was their original intention, but you cannot fight market forces and the truth is that this is a delicious, surprisingly complex multi-vintage blend. As one of the only people that ever tasted the declassified 2013 Le Pin, serving as a guinea pig for Jacques on one visit, I can vouchsafe that he made far better use of the fruit that year.د.إ9,365.00
