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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(3x150cl) 2023Vinous - Antonio Galloni (95)
The 2023 Marquis d'Alesme is sleek and silky right out of the gate. Dark blue-toned fruit, lavender, mocha, licorice and crushed flowers all grace the palate. Margaux at its most delicate.د.إ4,584.58 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (95)
The 2023 Marquis d'Alesme is sleek and silky right out of the gate. Dark blue-toned fruit, lavender, mocha, licorice and crushed flowers all grace the palate. Margaux at its most delicate.د.إ783.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2017 Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er Cru has perhaps the most "airy" bouquet, it is very transparent at the moment, but the palate is much tighter and backward. There is good backbone here, but it is sulking and it is probably one of the Domaine’s wines that will require the longest bottle age. It has an almost Pommard-like austerity towards the finish. Excellent but one of the more challenging wines from the domaine.د.إ3,730.00 -
The Wine Cellar Insider (94)
Elegant, silky, fresh and vibrant, the fruit is soft, polished, ripe and pure. If you look closely, you can already find the floral nuances along with licorice, cherry, black raspberry and smoke. Give this 8-10 years and it is going to be a beauty!د.إ916.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)
The 2023 Marquis de Terme is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur. Rich and explosive, the 2023 offers up a heady mix of dark red fruit, blood orange, incense, cinnamon and pomegranate. The stylistic direction here over the last few years has been quite positive.د.إ805.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (83-85)
The 2017 Marsau, 14-hectares on clay soil, offers light brambly red fruit on the nose that lacks a little depth and concentration compared to other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, sharp on the entry with quite high acidity, leading to a straightforward, slightly austere finish.د.إ403.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17.5)
Smoke, leaf litter, black cherry, very fine, misted tannins. Dry and stately. Lots of structure and not so much fruit power as some other vintages. Lovely expressive nose though – a really delicate example.د.إ1,440.00 -
The Fleur Morange Mathilde 2018 is a singularity in the realm of Saint-Émilion grand crus. This magnificent wine is a testament to the expert craftsmanship of its creators, Véronique and Jean-François Despagne. Cultivated from 100-year-old Merlot vines on a solitary hectare of limestone and clay soil, it captures the essence of one of the most revered wine appellations in Bordeaux.
The 2018 vintage proffers a fine balance of freshness and power, expressing a bouquet of ripe blackberries, black currants, and underlying earthy notes. This full-bodied wine, matured for 18 months in new oak, offers a lusciously dense palate, with a prolonged finish portraying the elegance and complexity of its terroir.
Fleur Morange Mathilde 2018's remarkable quality and charm resoundingly affirm the Despagne estate's commitment to preserving and propagating Saint-Émilion’s distinguished wine heritage. It's a captivating addition for any wine lover's collection.
د.إ704.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020د.إ1,295.00 -
As an expert fine wine connoisseur, I must extol the virtues of the Maxime Cheurlin Noellat Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019. This exquisite wine hails from the heart of France's famed Burgundy region, a testament to Cheurlin Noellat's domain of centuries-old vineyards. The product of meticulous viticulture and traditional winemaking techniques, Maxime Cheurlin himself supervises the wine's development. The sublime Pinot Noir grapes are harvested manually and ferment naturally in wooden casks, a process that gives the wine its distinct character. On the palate, the Maxime Cheurlin Noellat Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019 offers a refined mix of black cherry and red berry notes, complemented by a delicate touch of earthiness and balanced tannin structure. Its admirable ageing potential and remarkable eloquence make it a coveted addition to any cellars. The Maxime Cheurlin Noellat Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019 stands as a splendid embodiment of Burgundy's classic virtues and Maxime’s committed steering of his ancestral legacy.
د.إ1,510.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (92)
The 2017 Mazeyres is bold, juicy and super-expressive. Mocha, espresso, licorice, grilled herbs and menthol all develop nicely, with floral and savory overtones that add brightness and lift. The Cabernet Franc is especially notable in both the wine's flavor and structural profile. I would prefer to drink this perfumed, expressive Pomerol over the next decade or so. The 2017 is very nicely done. Tasted two times.د.إ1,360.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (90-93)
The 2018 Mazeyres is absolutely gorgeous. Bright, exquisitely perfumed and nuanced, Mazeyres shows just how attractive the best wines from Pomerol's sandier soils can be. Floral notes add lift to a core of red/purplish berry fruit, with striking textural depth and nuance that builds in the glass. Although quite accessible, Mazeyres also offers a good bit of depth while retaining its mid-weight personality. Tasted four times.د.إ1,130.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)
The 2019 Mazeyres is bright, effusive and so inviting. Blood orange, mint, rose petal, white pepper, espresso and incense are some of the many notes that soar from the glass. Mazeyres is not a big or obvious wine. Instead, it is a Pomerol that is all about understatement and class. As always, the Cabernet Franc is a strong marker.د.إ746.00 -
د.إ1,545.00 -
(6x75cl) 2019د.إ836.00 -
Vinous (95-97)
The 2019 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is quite closed on the nose, offering discreet blackberry, raspberry and light violet aromas that you might mistake for a Vosne-Romanée. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins. This is a juicy Clos de Vougeot, a little savory and quite peppery on the finish, which you might misconstrue as a result of some stem addition. Sculpted with Jean-Nicolas Méo's finest chisel, this is a wonderful Clos de Vougeot.د.إ4,740.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-97)
Apart from 2017, Jean-Nicolas Méo only makes one commercially available cuvée of his substantial holding of Clos de Vougeot. Even purple throughout. This is a sturdy, weighty, richly dark fruited, multi-layered wine, with great potential for the long term. Ripe but not exaggerated. Tasted: December 2021.د.إ6,755.00 -
Wine Advocate (88)
Aromas of cherries, spices and rich soil tones introduce the 2019 Bourgogne Côte d'Or Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied, supple and charming wine that's lively and expressive, with succulent acids and a pretty core of fragrant fruit. This lovely wine was produced from domaine-grown grapes.د.إ1,465.00 -
Burghound (86-89)
(mostly from Pr meaux vines). Ripe aromas of various dark berries, warm earth and a whiff of the sauvage lead to attractively textured and rich flavors that possess fine mid-palate density, all wrapped in a rustic and robust finish that offers better than average complexity for a wine at this level. (86-89)/2024+د.إ1,295.00 -
د.إ1,130.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (91-94)
Mid purple. A softer richer dark fruit bouquet after Feusselottes. There is a spicy, peppery finish here which I didn’t expect, alongside the dark blackberry finish. Is it a type of minerality showing? Something to do with a little extra ripeness here? Intriguing. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Nov 2024.د.إ2,815.00 -
Burghound (88-90)
The is also very pretty with its array of cool and pure red, earth and soft spice nuances, all of which is trimmed in just enough wood to notice. The delicious, round and sappy middleweight flavors possess solid mid-palate concentration and a seductive texture before culminating in a bitter pit fruit and mildly austere finish.د.إ1,970.00 -
د.إ2,235.00 -
Wine Advocate (92-94)
The 2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers is showing especially well, unwinding in the glass with notes of sweet wild berries, plums, sweet soil tones and smoked meats. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, textural and concentrated, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Like many of Méo's 2018s, I suspect it will offer a broad drinking window.د.إ4,025.00 -
Wine Advocate (92-94)
The 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers is showing particularly well—just like its 2018 predecessor at the same stage of its élevage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, wild berries, rich soil tones, spices and grilled meats, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with lively acids, beautifully refined tannins and a charming, gourmand profile.د.إ2,750.00 -
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées is brilliant, unfurling in the glass with an exquisite bouquet of sweet red berries, cherries, orange rind, smoked duck and exotic spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and enveloping wine framed by velvety tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long and youthfully chalky finish. From a parcel planted in the 1930s, I often think that Aux Brûlées is Méo's finest wine; and while I'd give the Cros Parantoux the edge this year, it is a superb effort.د.إ6,920.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18.50)
Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Rich array of aromas on the nose. Ambitious with lots of stuff covering a pretty massive charge of tannins. Just slightly inky. Exciting finish. Very persistent. Classic build with lots of ambition. Everyone thought this was Montrose! VGVد.إ1,635.00 -
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Intense Indian ink on the nose. Give me my calligraphy pen! Rich and round. Very glamorous. So much effort has gone into every drop of this …. VGVد.إ886.00 -
James Suckling (95-96)
A very dense yet tight and focused red with blackcurrants, blackberries and hints of spices and walnuts. Full-bodied, very compact and long. Intense finish.د.إ548.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2019 Meyney has a divine bouquet, so pure and winsome with floral red berry scents, beautifully integrated new oak and superb precision. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy to the point where you can almost overlook the backbone of this Saint-Estèphe. It could have been blowsy, yet it retains superb balance and feels luxuriant and long on the finish. This is a stellar showing easily eclipsing its performances either in barrel or just after bottling. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.د.إ569.00
