Tasted and Approved - May June 2024

Champagne 

R. Faivre – Reflet Naturel 

Wow, a lovely 100% Meunier cuvée from R. Faivre! Even better in a magnum…

Located in Belval-Sous-Châtillon in the Marne, not far from Reims, the estate showcases its terroir. It is converting to organic farming and puts Meunier—the estate’s star grape—front and center! 

This 100% Meunier cuvée is excellent: yellow fruit, white flowers, a slight oxidative note from the Meunier, lovely vibrancy and structure… Very good!
It’s also excellent value: €30 a bottle, with volume discounts available on our site!! 

An authentic grower Champagne to discover! 

Rare vintage 2013

Wow! A lovely Champagne from a major house! 

Made almost entirely from Chardonnay, with a touch of Pinot Noir, this beautiful Champagne is floral and spicy, with notes of white flowers, citrus, white fruit, honey and marzipan. On the palate, the bubbles are fine, with tension, a certain minerality and a saline hint, alongside delicious pastry notes! 

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White wines 

Alta Mora – Etna Bianco 2019 

A lovely wine tasted blind. 

Everyone agrees: delicious! Golden straw-yellow with green highlights, and a nose of white flowers, peach, smoke and ash. It has richness, noticeable alcohol and lovely acidity. 

We were given a rather helpful clue during the tasting: the wine isn’t French. 

It got us thinking: where can you find this much alcohol alongside such lovely acidity? 

It brings high-altitude vineyards to mind, while some flavors recall Italian whites: peach, ripe citrus, lovely salinity and enough acidity to balance it all with freshness. 

And then it hits us: Sicily, Etna, BINGO! 

So this is the Alta Mora Etna Bianco 2019 cuvée! The vines are located in Castiglione d Sicilia at an altitude of 600 meters, and the wine is 100% Carricante. 

Thanks to the volcano and its high-altitude location, this wine draws energy and structure from its terroir—and salinity from the sea!

Fantastic! As an aperitif or with a meal—starters, salads, poultry, white meats…—it’s perfect for summer! Discover our Italian wines! 

Henri Germain – Burgundy 2014

Superb white Burgundy! The 2014 vintage is renowned for Burgundy whites, and we can only agree! 

There’s beautiful fruit and lovely acidity, with clear secondary flavors of butter and yeast. A wonderful wine for a 10-year-old regional Bourgogne! 

Simone – Palette 2019 

Château Simone (Provence) is known for its reds and rosés, but its whites make an impression too! 

80% Clairette, 10% Grenache Blanc, 5% Bourboulenc, 3% Ugni Blanc and 2% Muscat Blanc! A lovely Provençal blend! Considered one of the finest whites of southeastern France, this wine has a color that evolves considerably, as does its nose, with a broad aromatic range of linden blossom, honey, flowers and hazelnuts. Power and vibrancy on the palate, with a perfect balance between richness and freshness! 

At our opening-night tasting, we also tried several white wines. Here they are:  

Domaine de l’Aitonnement – Vesta 2021 Chignin Bergeron 

This lovely Savoy estate is located in the Maurienne Massif. Its terroir features south-facing slopes and gray marl and schist soils, well suited to the many grape varieties grown there. Maxime Dancoine runs the estate and offers several cuvées worth discovering! 

This Vesta cuvée is a Chignin Bergeron made from 100% Roussanne. A lovely pale gold color and an already highly expressive nose! White flowers, citrus and, above all, exotic fruit and apricot! 

Some of us aren’t always fans of exotic notes in wine, but a lovely acidity lifts everything—so we’re pleasantly surprised! Very enjoyable, unexpected and balanced between fruit, roundness and acidity!

A great estate to discover for both its whites and reds. 

Simon Bize – Savigny Les Beaune Blanc 2020

FAN-TAS-TIC! 

It blew everyone away! Savigny Les Beaune is a lovely appellation, though not necessarily among the most prestigious—but when a winemaker has talent, anything is possible. You could almost think you were in Meursault. 

Everything is beautifully done: complex aromas, tension, lovely purity and characteristic minerality, balancing richness with freshness, yellow fruit, white flowers, flint and hints of yeast. This remarkably precise white doesn’t put a foot wrong. 

Maison Valette – Pouilly Fuissé 2018

A lovely organic, natural Chardonnay with considerable power—hence its place last in the white-wine tasting—for a Pouilly Fuissé!

Complex from the first sniff, it nevertheless needs a little air to release notes of citrus, spice and saline touches. The finish is beautifully saline and complex, and the texture is voluptuous! The natural-wine character may not be to everyone’s taste, but it remains very enjoyable and refreshing! 

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Rosé wines 

The sunny days are (finally) back! Time to taste rosés of every style! 

Arretxea – Irouléguy 2023

A rosé made for the table! We’re glad we weren’t tasting from black glasses, or we’d have been completely stumped! 

This richly colored rosé has a lovely nose of fresh lemon, rhubarb and strawberry. The palate is rounded yet taut, with a beautifully fresh, lingering finish. It would be perfect with smoked fish, salmon tartare or piperade. 

Domaine d’Arretxea, located in the heart of the Basque Country, produces several wines in the Irouléguy appellation of Southwest France. The Irouléguy vineyards lie at altitudes of 200 to 400 meters around Saint Etienne de Baïgorry and Saint Jean Pied de Port, across some fifteen communes. It is one of France’s smallest mountain wine regions, with steep slopes and terraced vines: wonderful exposure, but demanding work! 

Well worth discovering! 

Maxime Magnon Métisse 2021 – Corbières 

Another lovely wine from Maxime Magnon! After tasting the white Bégou and then the red Roseta, we’re delighted to try this AOC Corbières winemaker’s rosé. 

Young winemaker Maxime Magnon trained with Philippe Valette in Mâcon and Thierry Allemand in Cornas! He went on to develop a distinctive style that combines fruit, freshness, finesse, precision and balance! 

Seeing its lovely, clear color, almost like a very pale red, while finally out in the sunshine, we couldn’t wait to taste it… A wonderful start, with a powerful, open nose of garrigue, orange blossom, potpourri and fresh thyme. The palate is silky and substantial, with perfectly integrated tannins. It’s the richly flavored, lively rosé we love: a blend of Grenache Noir (40%), Cinsault (40%), Carignan (10%) and Syrah (10%), with each grape bringing its best! Well worth discovering! 

Domaines Ott: Château de Selle 2023

A lovely Provence rosé blending Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, from vines on sunny, high limestone hills not far from Draguignan! 

A beautiful pale pink color with golden highlights. The nose is highly expressive, with plenty of fruit, especially citrus, alongside flowers and spice. On the palate, a precise opening gives way to lovely vibrancy through the finish, with beautiful aromatics throughout. 

Mas Jullien Rosé 2019 

Served well chilled, this wine is a delight thanks to its pure, intense aromas! Enjoy it as an aperitif or throughout a summer meal. 

Aromas of red fruit, sour cherries and flowers on the nose, followed by a generous, thirst-quenching palate of delicious, tangy fruit: it’s deliciously vibrant! 

Mas Jullien is a leading estate in Languedoc-Roussillon, so don’t overlook its rosés! 

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Red wines 

Domaine des Tours – Merlot Syrah 2008

Wow! What a treat to taste this 2008 Merlot Syrah cuvée! Another success for Emmanuel Reynaud and this VDP Pays de Vaucluse wine. This cuvée receives just as much care as the others, even if Emmanuel Reynaud takes a certain risk by harvesting only at optimal ripeness. The winemaking lets the grapes express an extraordinary terroir of limestone, sandstone, marl and rounded pebbles, all under a Mediterranean climate. 

There’s beautiful fruit, gently evolved after 16 years in the bottle—red fruit such as the raspberry it showed in its youth—along with olive notes and sweet spices! 

Beautiful, as always with Reynaud!

Billes de Grenache 2020 – Clos de la Barthassade 

An explosion of juicy fruit: cherry, orange peel and a touch of cocoa 

Generous, expressive palate, lovely freshness, fine tannins 

Clos de la Barthassade practices organic farming, and some cuvées are made according to biodynamic principles. Discover this estate and its lovely IGP Pays d’Hérault, Terrasses du Larzac and Languedoc cuvées, made by young parents who learned their craft at Trévallon and with Sylvain Pataille. Fresh yet deliciously generous, its wines are wonderful to share with friends, from aperitif through dinner. 

Luis Pato – Vinha Pan 1997 Bairrada

A lovely 27-year-old Portuguese wine! 

Drinking very well today: still plenty of fruit, lovely acidity, softened tannins, leather and a hint of chocolate

The grape is Baga. On the nose, it recalls an aged Grenache, but in a Portuguese style that comes close to a Spanish one, without the oak aging. 

Here are the red wines we tasted at our opening-night event, too! 

Bruno Clavelier – Vosne Romanée Combe Brûlée 2018 

A magnificent Pinot Noir that was a hit! 

Domaine Bruno Clavelier, located in Vosne Romanée, is a leading Burgundy estate. Bruno Clavelier produces around fifteen excellent single-vineyard cuvées! 

Vines around 85 years old go into this cuvée, which won over our guests. The nose offers flowers—roses and peonies—and wild berries, with lovely minerality, graphite, smoke and salinity. On the palate, small red berries dominate, alongside a minerality characteristic of the site, all wrapped up with great elegance! 

Vieux Télégraphe – Châteauneuf du Pape 2021

It’s already drinking well, though it can certainly spend a few more years in the cellar. Like all Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, Vieux Télégraphe is no exception! 

A blend of the appellation’s typical grapes, bringing together the best of each: Grenache (65%), Mourvèdre (15%), Syrah (15%), then Cinsault, Clairette and others (5%)! 

The dark fruit, Syrah’s peppery character and the wine’s finesse are already clear! We can’t wait to taste it again in a few years!  

Domaine Montcalmès – Terrasses du Larzac 2021

Made from 60% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre and 20% Grenache, this wine is already drinking beautifully! A benchmark in Terrasses du Larzac, from one of the area’s most exciting estates—wow! Of course, it can safely spend more time in the cellar. 

The nose offers complex notes of nutmeg, spice, dark fruit and ash, perhaps even a hint of leather already. The palate is fairly firm and spicy and will develop beautifully, though it’s already very enjoyable! 

Succulent, crunchy fruit, fine and precise tannins, lovely concentration and remarkable freshness! 

Another good value. 

Simon Bize – Savigny Les Beaune Les Grands Liards 2020

We also wanted our customers to taste a Savigny Les Beaune from Simon Bize—but this time, a red! 

This was the last red wine we tasted: we placed it there because of its sheer weight and power! 

This wine has beautiful tannic structure and concentrated flavors: everything it needs to age well. It needs several years to mellow and soften. 

There’s beautiful red fruit on the nose, particularly blackcurrant, alongside flowers and spices, with a hint of chocolate rounding out the palate. 

It will be a fine wine in a few years, but it’s still too young right now. 

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Sweet wines 

Domaine de Souch – Marie Kattalin 2002, Jurançon

The first sweet wine of our opening-night tasting was a wonderful discovery! It paired perfectly with little bitter-orange tarts on delicate shortcrust pastry, or small flambéed crêpes with orange zest. 

The nose is intense and complex: exotic fruit, mango, pineapple, papaya, yellow fruit, peach, apricot and honey! On the palate, it’s an avalanche of sensations: great richness, fruit, a silky feel and remarkably fresh acidity to balance it all! We’re loving it. 

You can even spend several minutes just savoring its aromas—it’s quite a pleasure! 

We were delighted to enjoy a Jurançon this much—it blew us away. 

Yquem 2008

We ended this tasting evening in style with a true star that drew every eye. 

Yquem 2008 to accompany more desserts and sweet wines: an absolute knockout. 

Likewise, this is a wine you could enjoy for hours just by smelling it. White fruit, peach, pineapple, honey, crème brûlée, orange marmalade… Magnificent aromas for a 16-year-old Yquem! On the palate, opulence, power, richness and creaminess are balanced by lovely freshness. The flavors are, of course, intensely pronounced, and the finish seems endless. 

We’re loving it. 

Even if you’re not particularly fond of sweet wines or any sweetness in wine, a tiny pour with dessert can win everyone over. 

Finishing with this internationally renowned nectar is a special treat! 

Discover the full story of Château Yquem and the many vintages available to buy on our site!