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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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ834.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ1,100.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 95 (DC) | د.إ2,385.00 | |||||
Decanter (95)The 0.81ha vineyard for these grapes is at the top of the hill, resulting in very cool conditions for the vines. This terroir produces a spicy, vivacious wine with notes of cassis and mulberry, accented with smoke and new leather. The 2020 vintage was aged half in new casks and half in two-year-old barrels to give a wine with plenty of finesse and high-toned elegance, yet one that in no way lacks solid ‘Nuits’ character. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN (NM)) | د.إ2,200.00 | |||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (92-94)The 2022 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Damodes 1er Cru is aged in 50% new oak and completely de-stemmed. This is pleasingly floral on the nose, with wilted roses filtering through the raspberry and redcurrant fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a keen line of acidity. This is very elegant in style, with a composed and transparent finish. What a lovely Les Damodes from Faiveley. |
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Burgundy | 5 | 91-93 (VN) | د.إ2,445.00 | |||||
Vinous (91-93)Bright ruby-red. Captivating violet and lavender lift to the aromas of black cherry, menthol and bitter chocolate. Juicy, energetic and sharply delineated, showing terrific thrust to its dark fruit, licorice and spice flavors. I would have picked this blind as a 2013. This will require at least several years of bottle aging. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ1,570.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ1,655.00 | |||||
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (JS) | د.إ785.00 | |||||
James Suckling (94)Incredible aromas of blackberries, blueberries, minerals and stone. Wow. Full-bodied, silky and firm. So polished. Sexy. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91-93 (BH) | د.إ2,915.00 | |||||
Burghound (91-93)A ripe and brooding nose offers up notes of both red and dark currant, raspberry and a really lovely array of floral elements. The mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is at once finer and more delineated though notably less concentrated and powerful while the lingering and equally firmly structured finish possesses a different texture as the 100% whole cluster vinification is more obvious. Good stuff here as well in a built-to-age style. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 93-95 (VN) | د.إ3,140.00 | |||||
Vinous (93-95)The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Carrières 1er Cru, which contains 100% whole bunch, has a vivacious bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, a light tobacco scent emerging with time, then pressed rose petals/white flowers. The palate is underpinned by fine tannins, taut and fresh with wonderful salinity and tension on the finish. Superb. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91-93 (BH) | د.إ3,270.00 | |||||
Burghound (91-93)An airy and perfumed nose features notes of spice, red currant and a lovely array of floral nuances. There is excellent vibrancy to the solidly concentrated and unusually powerful medium-bodied flavors that are also quite compact on the lingering and balanced finale. Once again, this is firmly austere and a wine that will need at least half a dozen years of keeping first. |
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Burgundy | 4 | 92-94 (VN) | د.إ2,200.00 | |||||
Vinous (92-94)The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru had a very tardy malo and consequently had been dosed with SO2 just 10 days earlier. Containing 60% whole bunch, this has a generous red cherry and cranberry fruit, pressed flowers and brown spices. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, a crisp line of acidity, grippy in the mouth but with ample freshness on the finish. Excellent, though cut from a different cloth due to its more clayey soils. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (WA) | د.إ3,770.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (92-94)Cordon-pruned, low-yielding and situated in a sunny climat, this cuvée sometimes gets very ripe, but the 2023 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées is beautifully balanced, revealing aromas of dark berries, potpourri, spices and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and harmonious palate. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91-93 (VN) | د.إ2,915.00 | |||||
Vinous (91-93)The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny Lavrottes 1er Cru, which sees 50% new oak, was showing some reduction when I visited the domaine, though there appears to be fine fruit concentration. The fresh, vibrant palate is vivid and tensile, offering crisp, slightly chalky tannin and crunchy red fruit mixed with blueberry toward the finish. There is good backbone here, and so this will deserve at least four to six years in bottle. Excellent. |
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Burgundy | 3 | 91-93 (WA) | د.إ2,055.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (91-93)Notes of cherries, raspberries and cassis mingle with hints of forest floor and spices in an incipiently complex bouquet, introducing the 2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Lavrottes, a medium to full-bodied, rich and structured wine that Felettig observes is always one of the slowest-evolving wines in the cellar. Mineral and youthfully firm, this is promising for the future. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (WA) | د.إ2,700.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (92-94)The 2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Lavrottes opens in the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums and forest floor, complemented by hints of sweet spices and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, mineral and incisive, it's concentrated and youthfully tightly wound, concluding with a youthfully grippy finish. This will take its time to come together, as is generally the case, but it's very promising. |
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Burgundy | 10 | 89-92 (IB) | د.إ1,365.00 | |||||
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (89-92)A small amount of whole bunch and a lot of sorting. The 2021 Chambolle has a rich deep purple colour with a fairly full deep dark fruit on the nose. Nothing overly weighty, a bit of grenadine alongside the dark raspberry fruit, good acidity, lively and fresh with fine persistence Drink from 2025-2030. Tasted: December 2022 |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | د.إ589.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 3 | - | د.إ1,525.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-93 (IB) | د.إ2,210.00 | |||||
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-93)Made from purchased grapes. 30% whole bunches does not impinge on a vigorous purple colour. Impressive density with a noble grain, dark raspberry fruit, some blackberries, with a good fruit-acid balance and grainy tannins to add to the structure Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Dec 2024. |
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Burgundy | 2 | 90-92 (WA) | د.إ1,220.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (90-92)The 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges Village is a fine follow-up to the excellent 2018 rendition, bursting from the glass with notes of wild berries, orange rind, warm spices and rich soil tones. Medium-bodied, lively and precise, it's deep and concentrated, with a seamless profile and beautifully powdery tannins. Cropped at a modest 30 hectoliters per hectare, it's a cuvée that seems to go from strength to strength as yields fall. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 87-89 (VN) | د.إ1,610.00 | |||||
Vinous (87-89)The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Village, which contains 60% whole bunch, perhaps does not quite display the cohesion of the Vosne-Romanée at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a high-toned floral entry, exuberant and quite showy, though without the same breeding as the aforementioned. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 90-92 (IB) | د.إ1,710.00 | |||||
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-92)Made from two-thirds Chaillots to one-third Lavières. 10% whole bunch. A full purple. The nose is a little less expressive than the Vosne Romanée but very typical of the appellation, plums and red berries together. There is a good depth of fruit behind, deepening further back on the palate, then a fresh finish with lively tannins and good acidity. Drink from 2026-2031. Tasted: December 2022 |
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