Tasted and Approved - May June 2024

Champagne 

R. Faivre - Reflet Naturel

Wow, a very lovely 100% Meunier cuvée signed R. Faivre! Even more nice in magnum…

Located in Belval-Sous-Châtillon in the Marne, not far from Reims, the estate is a terroir revealer, committed to organic conversion and showcases meunier, the star of the estate! 

This 100% meunier cuvée is great: yellow fruits, white flowers, a slight oxidative side of meunier, beautiful vivacity and structure… Very good!
Let's also add that it's very good value for money: €30 for a bottle (discounted prices to be found on our site!!)

A true grower Champagne to discover!

Rare vintage 2013

Wow! Very lovely Champagne from a great house!

Almost entirely Chardonnay (with a touch of Pinot Noir) for this very beautiful floral and spicy Champagne, studded with white flowers, citrus, white fruits, honey and marzipan. On the palate, the bubbles are fine, there is tension, a certain minerality and a saline touch, with indulgent and pastry notes! 

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White Wines 

Alta Mora - Etna Bianco 2019 

Very lovely wine tasted blind. 

It's unanimous: delicious! Golden straw yellow robe with green reflections, a nose with aromas of white flowers, peach, smoke, ash, there is alcohol and beautiful acidity, with richness. 

We were given a clue (quite nice) at the tasting: the wine is not French. 

Thinking about it: where can you have so much alcohol but beautiful acidity? 

One thinks of high-altitude vines, certain flavors remind of Italian whites, notably with notes of peach, ripe citrus, lovely salinity and acidity well present to balance everything with freshness. 

And there: illumination! Sicily, Etna, BINGO! 

So it is the Cuvée Alta Mora Etna Bianco 2019! The vines are located in Castiglione d Sicilia, at 600 meters altitude, 100% Carricante. 

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

Awesome! As an aperitif, at the table (appetizers, salads, poultry, white meats…): perfect for summer! Discover our Italian wines!

Henri Germain - Bourgogne 2014

Superb white Burgundy! The 2014 vintage being renowned for white Burgundies, we can only confirm it! 

There's beautiful fruit, lovely acidity and one can clearly taste the secondary flavors of butter and yeast. A very lovely wine for a generic Bourgogne appellation that is 10 years old! 

Simone - Palette 2019 

Château Simone (Provence) is known for its reds and rosés, but the whites do not leave one indifferent!

80% Clairette, 10% Grenache Blanc, 5% Bourboulenc, 3% Ugni Blanc and 2% Muscat Blanc! A beautiful Provençal blend! This wine is considered one of the greatest whites of the southeast, with a very evolving color, just like the nose with its very broad aromatic palette: linden, honey, flowers, hazelnuts. Power and vivacity on the palate, the balance between richness and freshness is perfect! 

During our opening evening, we also tasted several white wines which are as follows:  

Domaine de l'Aitonnement - Vesta 2021 Chignin Bergeron

This very lovely Savoie estate is located on the Maurienne Massif: the terroir is described by south-facing slopes, gray and schistose marl soils for the greatest pleasure of the many grape varieties cultivated there. Maxime Dancoine is at the head of this estate and offers several cuvées to discover! 

This Vesta cuvée is a Chignin Bergeron 100% Roussanne. A lovely pale gold color, an already very expressive nose! White flowers, citrus, but especially exotic fruits and apricot! 

Some of us are not always fans of exoticism in wines, but everything is lifted by beautiful acidity: so we are quite surprised! Very pleasant, astonishing and balanced between fruit, roundness and acidity!

A great estate to discover, in white as well as red. 

Simon Bize - Savigny Les Beaune Blanc 2020

AWE-SOME! 

A revelation for everyone! Savigny Les Beaune, beautiful appellation, but not necessarily among the most prestigious: as soon as a winemaker has talent, everything is possible. One could almost believe oneself in Meursault.

Everything is well done: the aromas are complex and there is tension, beautiful purity and typical minerality, between richness and freshness, yellow fruits, white flowers, gunflint and other yeasts. Flawless for this white of great precision. 

Maison Valette - Pouilly Fuissé 2018

A very lovely organic and natural Chardonnay, quite powerful (hence its place as the last in the tasting of whites) for a Pouilly Fuissé!

Complex from the first nose, it nevertheless requires a bit of aeration to release notes of citrus, spices and saline touches. Very beautiful saline and complex finish, the texture is voluptuous! You either love or are less fond of the natural side, but it remains very pleasant and refreshing! 

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Rosé Wines 

It's (finally) the return of beautiful days! Enough to taste rosé wines of all styles! 

Arretxea - Irouléguy 2023

A gastronomic rosé! We are pleased not to be tasting in black glasses, otherwise we would have been lost! 

Very lovely nose of fresh lemon, rhubarb and strawberry for this rosé with an intense robe. It's an enveloping and taut mouth, with a very lovely fresh persistence. 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 (Southwest). The Irouléguy vineyard is situated at an altitude between 200 and 400 meters around Saint Etienne de Baïgorry and Saint Jean Pied de Port, across about fifteen communes. It is one of the smallest mountain vineyards in France with steep terrain and terraced vines: beautiful exposure but great difficulty! 

To discover! 

Maxime Magnon Métisse 2021 - Corbières 

Yet another very lovely wine from Maxime Magnon! After tasting the Bégou in white, then Roseta in red, we are delighted to taste this winemaker's rosé in AOC Corbières. 

Maxime Magnon, young winemaker, trained with Philippe Valette in Mâcon and Thierry Allemand in Cornas! He then distinguishes himself with a very precise wine style, which combines fruitiness, freshness, finesse, precision and balance! 

Seeing this lovely robe that approaches a very light and clear red, finally being in the sun, we are very eager to taste… Beautiful introduction with a powerful, very open nose, notes of garrigue, orange blossom, potpourri and fresh thyme. The mouthfeel is smooth and substantial with perfectly melted tannins. This is a vinous and nervous rosé as we like it: a blend of grenache noir (40%), Cinsault (40%), Carignan (10%) and Syrah (10%) where each grape variety brings out the best! To discover! 

Domaines Ott: Château de Selle 2023

Very lovely Provence rosé, blend of grenache, cinsault, syrah, with vines located on high sunny limestone hills not far from Draguignan! 

Beautiful pale pink color tinged with golden reflections, the nose is very expressive with lots of fruit (citrus), flowers and spices. On the palate, it's a precise attack that gives way to beautiful vivacity through to the finish, all with beautiful aromatics. 

Mas Jullien Rosé 2019

Served very chilled, one delights in the pure and intense aromas of this wine! As an aperitif but also at the table, it can accompany an entire summer meal! 

Aromas of red fruits, morello cherries and flowers on the nose, then a full and thirst-quenching mouth on a flavorful and tangy fruit: it's indulgent and very lively! 

Mas Jullien is a great estate of Languedoc Roussillon, so one must not miss the rosés!

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Red Wines 

Domaine des Tours - Merlot Syrah 2008

Wow! Great to taste this Merlot Syrah 2008 cuvée! Yet another success for Emmanuel Reynaud and this wine in VDP Pays de Vaucluse. This is a cuvée, just as cherished as the others, even with a certain risk-taking since Emmanuel Reynaud harvests only at optimal maturity. The vinification lets the berries express the amazing terroir of limestone, sandstone, marl and rolled pebbles, cradled by a Mediterranean climate.

One can taste very beautiful fruits, slightly aged over 16 years in bottle (red fruits like raspberry in its youth) and notes of olive, as well as sweet spices! 

Very beautiful, as always with Reynaud!

Billes de Grenache 2020 - Clos de la Barthassade 

Explosion of juicy fruits: cherry, orange peel, cocoa touch 

Generous and expressive palate, beautiful freshness, fine tannins 

The Clos de la Barthassade works in organic agriculture and certain cuvées are made according to biodynamic principles. Discover this estate and its lovely cuvées in IGP Pays d'Hérault, Terrasses du Larzac or Languedoc, run by young parents who trained at Trévallon and Sylvain Pataille. Between freshness and indulgence, a very beautiful estate to enjoy with friends, from aperitif onwards or at the table.

Luis Pato - Vinha Pan 1997 Bairrada

Very lovely 27-year-old Portuguese wine! 

Tastes very well today: still fruity, lovely acidity, melted tannins, leather and a chocolatey touch

The grape variety used is Baga; it reminds one of an old grenache on the nose, but in the Portuguese style, which approaches the Spanish style, but without the wood (aging). 

Here are also the red wines that were tasted during our opening evening! 

Bruno Clavelier - Vosne Romanée Combe Brûlée 2018 

A magnificent Pinot Noir that was successful! 

The estate Bruno Clavelier, located in Vosne Romanée, is a great Burgundian estate. Bruno Clavelier produces about fifteen parcel cuvées of excellent quality!

Old vines of about 85 years are used for this cuvée which conquered our guests. A nose of flowers (roses, peonies) and wild berries, endowed with beautiful minerality, graphite, smoke, salinity. On the palate, small red fruits dominate, with a certain minerality specific to the climat, all wrapped in a very elegant manner! 

Vieux Télégraphe - Châteauneuf du Pape 2021

Already drinking well, this is a wine that can certainly wait a few years in the cellar without any problem, like all Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vieux Télégraphe is no exception to the rule!

Blend with the typical grape varieties of the appellation to have all the qualities of each: Grenache (65%), Mourvèdre (15%), Syrah (15%), then cinsault, clairette and others (5%)! 

One can already clearly taste the black fruits, the peppery side of syrah and finesse! Looking forward to tasting again in a few years!  

Domaine Montcalmès - Terrasses du Larzac 2021

60% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre and 20% grenache, this wine already tastes very well! A reference in Terrasses du Larzac and one of the most prominent estates in the area, wow! Obviously, it can wait confidently in the cellar. 

On the nose, there are complex notes of nutmeg, spices, black fruits and ash, even already a bit of leather; it's a fairly firm and spicy palate that will age very well, but all things considered, already very pleasant! 

Crisp smoothness, fine and precise tannins, lovely concentration and remarkable freshness! 

Yet another good value for money. 

Simon Bize - Savigny Les Beaune Les Grands Liards 2020

We also wanted to have our customers taste a Savigny Les Beaune from Simon Bize, but in red! 

This wine was the last red wine tasted: we placed it in this position due to its very massive character! 

Indeed, this wine has a beautiful tannic structure and concentrated flavors: everything a wine needs to be built for aging. It indeed needs to develop a patina and soften over several years. 

We still have beautiful red fruits on the nose, notably blackcurrant, as well as flowers and spices, a certain chocolatey touch comes to complete everything on the palate. 

This will be a great wine in several years, still too young at present. 

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Sweet wines 

Domaine de Souch - Marie Kattalin 2002, Jurançon

First sweet wine of our opening evening: a very beautiful discovery! The pairing being perfect with small tarts with bitter orange on a lovely shortcrust pastry, or small crepes flambéed with orange zest. 

The nose is intense and complex: exotic fruits, mango, pineapple, papaya, yellow fruits, peach, apricot and honey! On the palate, it's an avalanche of sensations: lots of richness, fruit, a smooth touch, quite impressive freshness to balance everything! We are delighted. 

One can even smell it for several minutes, it's quite delightful! 

We were delighted to enjoy a Jurançon so much, it really blew us away.

Yquem 2008

Finishing this tasting evening in beauty with a real star that attracted everyone's attention. 

Yquem 2008 to continue with desserts and sweet wines: a real bomb.

Similarly, this is a wine that can be appreciated for hours by the nose alone. White fruits, peach, pineapple, honey, crème brûlée, orange marmalade… Magnificent aromas for a 16-year-old Yquem! On the palate, the opulence, power, richness and smoothness are balanced by beautiful freshness. The intensity of flavors is obviously pronounced, and the finish infinite. 

We are delighted. 

Even when one doesn't particularly like sweet wines or any form of sugar in wine, a very small tasting portion with a dessert can delight everyone. 

Finishing in beauty with this internationally renowned nectar is a small pleasure! 

Discover the entire history of Château Yquem as well as numerous vintages available for purchase on our site!