Pago de los Capellanes El Picon is made from 100% Tempranillo.
There are afternoons with indigo skies when we approach one of the oldest plots of the estate. Our stroll from the winery follows a line of cypress trees to the corner of a path, and this angle gives its name to our most exceptional vineyard. El Picón is the great symbol and the most profound reality — the sum of enigmas in a beautiful, pure fruit.
The grapes come from the El Picón plot, one of the oldest at the Pago de los Capellanes estate in Pedrosa de Duero: 1.6 hectares of clay-loam soil with surface gravel, very poor fertility and very low yields. The wine is aged 22 months in 225-litre, extra-fine-grain French oak barrels dried over 60 months.
Review:
Built in a classical long-aging style, the 2021 Parcela El Picón is 100% Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, aged 22 months in 225-liter extra-fine grain French oak barrels. Oak dominates the aromatic profile, emphasizing balsamic herbs such as bay leaf and menthol, vermouth-like tones and black fruit. Concentrated yet not tight on the palate, it combines flexible tannins, chalky texture and juicy freshness. Still very young, it promises greater nuance with time. Best approached no earlier than five years from now.
- Vinous (Joaquín Hidalgo) 96 Points
Really seductive, elegant nose with parma violet and almond blossom mingling among sage, cherry leaf and potpourri. Extremely well built, with a firm yet juicy core of plum, cherry, red apple and pomegranate. Cherry leaf poached in tea with smoky allure. Very persistent, with a long, beautiful tail of oregano, thyme, tarragon and saffron.
- Decanter 95 Points
Fresh blackberries with plums, a touch of graphite and fig undertones. The palate is focused, medium- to full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a clean thread of fruit to complement it. Drink or hold.
- James Suckling 94 Points
J. Christopher Appassionata Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Appassionata Chardonnay is the expressive summit of this classic Burgundian variety in the Willamette Valley. Fermented and matured in large (500-liter) oak casks, it rests on the full lees for two years before bottling. It then rests in our cellar for another year before its release, three years after vintage. The wine’s elegant texture, fine structure and extended maturation time ensure a long life for this vibrant Chardonnay.
Whole-cluster pressing; native yeast fermentation in 500-liter French oak barrels; natural malolactic fermentation; 21 months maturation on the lees.
Review:
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Chateau Talbot Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classe is made from 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 5 % Petit Verdot.
The wine presents a delicate and captivating nose of black fruits, fresh tobacco, peppermint and floral nuances. Ripe and juicy fruit flavors of black currants on the palate with well integrated velvety tannins and a beautiful refreshing acidity to the long finish.
For the 2018 vintage, a special packaging with a unique silkscreen printing bottle was created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cordier Family's acquisition of Chateau Talbot
Pair with red meat, roast pork, game meat, poultry, hard cheeses, poached pear.
"Well-built and rather refined for the vintage, with a deep well of red and black currant paste and plum reduction flavors supported by a deeply inlaid iron note, all of which run the length of the wine. Offers subtle savory, tobacco and singed cedar notes that add range, with a savory echo that leaves a mouthwatering feel in the end. Built to cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. - James Molesworth"
- Wine Spectator (March 2022), 95 pts
Review:
-La Revue du Vin de France 96 Points
-Decanter World Wine Awards 95 Points
-Neal Martin (Vinous) 95 Points
-Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux 95 Points
Cheurlin Thomas 'Celebrite' Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
An elegant soft gold color with a refined ring of bubbles. The nose reveals fruity aromas of a complex wine. The mouth is fresh and balanced with a woody finish. A great character with a perfect balance.
Cuvee harvested on the south facing land. The limestone base of the seat is emphasized by a thin bed of Kimmeridgian marl leaving a grayish underground, earth colored by white marl, ground vineyards par excellence. The wine is matured in oak barrel and pipe, second fermentation in the bottle with a minimum of 18 months aging. Reflects the white varieties of the Barrois hillsides.
Cheurlin Thomas Célébrité has rewritten the definition of excellence in Blanc de Blanc Champagnes. As authentic a champagne as can be crafted, the exceptional taste of this Grower’s prestige cuvée is re-writing wine books the world over. An exclusive champagne, produced in limited quantities, Cheurlin Thomas Célébrité is made solely from white grapes varieties and zero added sugar. Célébrité is all natural juice.
Florence Cholet Auxey-Duresses Rouge is made from 100 Pinot Noir 60 year old vines.
Auxey-Duresses exhibits intense and juicy aromas of cherries, raspberries, and spices. This is a charming wine that has harmonious and delicate tannins, and a fine texture in the mouth. Medium-bodied, elegant and complex with great concentration and structure.
Florence Cholet Puligny-Montrachet is made from Chardonnay.
Florence Cholet took the reins of her family's fourth-generation domaine in Corcelles-les-Arts (just east of Puligny and Meursault) in 2019, renaming it from Domaine Christian Cholet-Pelletier. Master's in oenology, with stints at Chapoutier, Château de Pibarnon, Walla Walla and Australia behind her. Roughly 5–7.5 ha across Bourgogne, Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses, Meursault and Puligny. No herbicides or pesticides, ploughed vineyards, hand-harvesting, wild-yeast fermentations since 2017, and a deliberately light hand with new oak.
The 2024: blended from her usual Puligny lieux-dits Les Levrons (60-year-old vines) and La Rousselle (30 years), supplemented this vintage by fruit from Les Enseignères — one of Puligny's great lieux-dits, sitting right beside Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard, with 70-year-old vines — because 2024's crop was so small. That's an unusually strong parcel mix for a village bottling.
In the glass: classic Puligny — pale, slightly shy at first, then yellow apple, peach and melon with floral top notes and a faint spiced/licorice edge. Creamy, concentrated mid-palate, but the 2024 season's cool, wet run gives it fine, lively acidity and a mineral finish. Barrel presence is subtle: a whisper of vanilla, well integrated. ~13.5% abv.
Drinking window: good now with air, but it'll be better with 3–5 years in the cellar. Textbook food wine — shellfish, roast chicken, richer fish, soft cheeses.
Maison Chapoutier Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Bernardine 2021 is made from 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre.
Intense crimson-red in color with a complex but subtle nose of blackcurrant and plum followed by roasted coffee, cinnamon, and cherry. On the palate, it opens into spice, licorice and fruity notes.
Review:
-James Suckling 93 Points
Duorum was founded in the Douro Superior by two of Portugal's most celebrated winemakers — João Portugal Ramos and José Maria Soares Franco, the long-time hand behind Barca Velha. Their Vintage Port is a field blend from old, often centenarian vines and is declared only in the finest years. Powerful and built for the long haul, it is a classic expression of the Douro's greatest sites.
Review:
The 2017 Vintage Port, the first declared vintage here since the 2011, is a field blend from centenarian vines. It is equal parts Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca with 20% Tinta Roriz. This is round and luscious on opening. With some air, it becomes a very different wine, showing its class and its muscle. It shows far more power and pop as it airs out, becoming very persistent. It's always most notable, though, for the rich fruit and velvety texture. It should steadily improve for the next ten to 15 years and age effortlessly for some time after that.
Wine Advocate (Mark Squires) 95 Points