| Country: | France |
| Region: | Burgundy |
| Winery: | Capitain Gagnerot |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2015 |
| Bottle Size: | 900 ml |
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.
"Rich aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate, tobacco and licorice. Oyster shell, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, well integrated tannins. Polished, silky layers with a long finish. Gorgeous ripe and bright fruit in the center palate. Best in a long time. Try from 2025."
Review:
-James Molesworth (Wine Spectator) 96 Points
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
-James Suckling 95 Points
-La Revue du Vin de France 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
Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 38.3 acres spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
About the Vineyard:
Clos de Vougeot grand cru was acquired by Étienne’s grandfather, Gaston Grivot, in 1919. The total holding is 4.6 acres from the middle of the vineyard to the lower wall and the average vine age is 40 years old. A good Clos de Vougeot should be a complete wine without any one feature standing out. It is a perfect balance of power, aroma, and flavor.
Wine Production:
The grapes are destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 40-70% percent for the grands crus.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
-Jasper Morris MW 97 Points
Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 15.5 hectares spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
About the Vineyard:
Echézeaux grand cru is a large vineyard of 38 hectares divided into 11 individual climats. Grivot’s parcel is in the climat of Les Cruots and lies at the southern end of Echézeaux near the premier cru of Les Suchots. A good Echézeaux should have rich fruit, considerable earthiness, and be very complete on the palate.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
-Decanter 97 Points
-Wine Spectator 97 Points
Échezeaux is loyal to its appellation through the finesse of its attack on the palate and its overall balance. But it's also a wine with pronounced acidity, which gives it freshness and structure and bestows upon it a sometimes austere finish.
"The 2020 Échezeaux Grand Cru Les Rouges du Bas bursts with aromas of ripe cherries, berries and plums, mingled with notions of rose petals, raw cocoa and loamy soil. Full-bodied, ample and dramatic, it's broad and enveloping, with succulent acids and a rich core of fruit." - 95 Pts. William Kelley (Robert Parker)
Review:
-William Kelley (Robert Parker) 95 Points
-Neal Martin (Vinous) 93 Points
Joseph Drouhin Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Producing communes: Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
Site: Bâtard-Montrachet straddles Puligny and Chassagne. It lies right below the famous Montrachet vineyard. Bâtard is one of the greatest white wines of the Côte de Beaune.
History & tradition: according to the often told story, the lord of Puligny in the Middle Ages divided his estate between his children: the eldest was the « chevalier » (knight), the daughters were the « pucelles » (young virgins) and the son born out of wedlock was the « bâtard ».
Soil: located on a mild slope, the soil is a brownish limestone mixed with gravel. The secret of this exceptional terroir comes from the unique interaction between the deep layers of limestone and the roots of the vines.
Tasting a wine of this stature is always cause for emotion. The golden colour has bright reflections. After some aeration, the aromas reveal their rich intensity: grilled bread, almond, honey, exotic wood...What is striking is the structure of the wine, its « monumental » grandeur. There is even a touch of tannin that provides an added dimension. A voluptuous finale, seemingly without end, with precious notes of preserved and ripe fruit..
Supply: this wine comes from grapes harvested on some parcels of the Drouhin Family Properties as well as from grapes and musts purchased from supply partners according to rigorous specifications.
Harvest: grapes harvested by hands in open-work crates. If necessary, a careful sorting is proceeded.
Vinification: slow pressing in a pneumatic press. The juice of the last press is separated from the free run-juice. The juice is transferred into wine barrel after a little settling.
Ageing: the alcoholic fermentation as the malolactic and the ageing are being processed in oak barrels. The proportion of new barrels is around 30%.
The ageing lasts between 18 to 21 months.
Origin of the wood: oak grown in French high forest.
Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation. The data obtained is completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.
Capitain Gagnerot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay
SOILS
Soil from the Later Bathonian era, white marl and limestone.
VINIFICATION / MATURING
Harvested by hand, sorted and destemed.
After a light press of around 4 hours, alcoholic fermentation in oak barrels at around 20°C.
Maturation in oak barrels (10% new barrels) for 6 to 8 months.
ALCOHOL
13,5°
TASTING NOTES
Colour : Gold with pale green reflects.
Nose : White flowers notes, sightly honneyed. Smoky, spicy (cinnamon) and fruity (apricot, pinapple) notes, supported by a fine minerality.
Mouth : Large and complex.
FOOD ACCORDANCE
Foie gras, lobster.
The Domaine Gagnerot was established in 1802. In 1864 Marie, Jean-Baptiste’s unique daughter, marries François Capitain, wine trader, native of Champlitte. Together, Jean-Baptiste and François establish the Domaine Capitain-Gagnerot.
After the phylloxera crisis wich ravaged the Burgundian vineyard from the 1870s the the 1880s, Marie then widowed, decides to keep the domaine and to replant it vines. The succession is since made from father to son.
After the Second World War, Roger Capitain inherits 3 hectares of vineyards and a wine trade. His two sons, Patrice and Michel, take over the domaine upon his retirement.
Today, the domaine comprise 16 hectares of vineyards in full ownership, and it is Pierre-François and Delphine, Patrice’s children, who now oversee its destiny, supported by their spouses.
Terroir
The particularity of Burgundy is to produce on diversified terroirs wines elaborated with a single grape variety, which emphasize the specificity of every appellation : Pinot Noir for red wines, Chardonnay for white wines.
Our terroir refers to the specific characteristics of grounds, subsoil, weather conditions and vines, but it is also the result of man’s work and knowhow, refined over a long history.
Located at the junction of Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, the highly defined vineyard of Ladoix is ideally situated on the Coteau de Corton, the only hillside in Burgundy to produce both white Grand Crus and red Grand Crus.
This famed hillside has a geologic profile which comprises two types of soils:
• Marl limestone convenient for great white wines;
• Clay and limestone, yielding red wines of great finesse.
Winemaking
Our wines are produced in accordance with reasoned culture principles, applying at the same time the principles of integrated farming and as often as the weather conditions allow it, those of biodynamic farming. We work in harmony with the vineyard and its ecosystem, by favoring natural treatment products and by limiting our interventions to the minimum, in order to obtain a healthy harvest.
Vineyards are regularly earthed up and ploughed to ensure that the vines draw in depth the typicality and the expression of their terroir. Plowing also avoids rapid erosion of the soil, therefore ensuring optimal growing conditions for the vines.
A rigorous selection of plants, a thorough pruning and an early thinning out of leaves allow the control of quality and yield. To always obtain the best of each plot, there only remains to select the most favorable harvest date for an optimal maturity and quality. We believe that great wines are born in the vineyard.
Completely hand-harvested, grapes are sorted out and destemmed before being placed in tanks to be vinified.
The fermentation of Pinot Noir is naturally made, in open tank, without yeast addition, during 12 to 15 days following the harvest, in a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The wine is punched-down twice a day at the beginning of wine-making.
Wines are exclusively matured in oak barrels during 12 to 18 months. After the malolactic fermentation and a light filtration, they are bottled.
After racking of the must, our Chardonnay ends its alcoholic fermentation in barrels at a temperature between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius to ensure that it retains all its aromatic freshness.
After a minimum 10 month maturing in cask, wines are racked, filtered and bottled.
To protect the character of our wine and its terroir, we do not use more than 10% of new wood.
We believe that wood is solely a support in making good wine, and a slight touch of it is enough to achieve that goal.
Our viticulture and wine-making reflect our will to make genuinely fresh wines, which are the expression of our rich terroir, and of the elegance of the great grape varieties of Burgundy.
The fermentation of Pinot Noir is naturally made, in open tank, without yeast addition, during 12 to 15 days following the harvest, in a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. The wine is punched-down twice a day at the beginning of wine-making.
Wines are exclusively matured in oak barrels during 12 to 18 months. After the malolactic fermentation and a light filtration, they are bottled.
After racking of the must, our Chardonnay ends its alcoholic fermentation in barrels at a temperature between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius to ensure that it retains all its aromatic freshness.
After a minimum 10 month maturing in cask, wines are racked, filtered and bottled.
To protect the character of our wine and its terroir, we do not use more than 10% of new wood.
We believe that wood is solely a support in making good wine, and a slight touch of it is enough to achieve that goal.
Our viticulture and wine-making reflect our will to make genuinely fresh wines, which are the expression of our rich terroir, and of the elegance of the great grape varieties of Burgundy.
Domaine Nico le Paradis Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The cool climate vineyard that belongs to Laura and her sister Adrianna Catena feels like paradise itself to Laura. It is lined by trees and fruit orchards, with majestic views of the Andes. Inside the 12 Hectare vineyard, there is a little house with two tiny bedrooms and a kitchen, where Laura dreams of spending a whole month reading books-Laura's version of paradise. The little house is affectionately named Chateau Laura. About the Vineyard The tiny parcel where Le Paradis is grown was planted in 2011 with Dijon 667 Clones over two acres. Wine Production The grapes from this small parcel were elaborated in 15 separate microvinifications.
All the microvinifications were fermented with indigenous yeast. 20% of the microvinifications were fermented with 100% whole clusters in oak roll-fermentor of 600L and low temp (22 Celcius degrees). 40% were fermented with 20% whole cluster in small vats of 800L and 40% fermented in small vats of 800L without sulfites until 4%V/V of alcohol.
Review:
-James Suckling 94 Points
Orin Swift Machete is made from Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache.
Machete is one of Dave Phinney’s signature Orin Swift reds — a dark, dense California blend led by Petite Sirah, with Syrah and Grenache, aged in French oak. Brooding and plush, it layers black fruit, cracked pepper, cigar box, and dark chocolate, carrying the swagger and striking artwork that made Orin Swift a cult name.
Winery Info: Orin Swift Cellars was founded by Dave Phinney in St. Helena, Napa Valley, in 1998. Built on boldly sourced fruit from across California and instantly recognizable, provocative label art, Orin Swift has become one of the most talked-about names in modern American wine.
Review:
The 2020 ‘Machete’ is a proprietary blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache that was stored in 34% new French oak for 14 months before bottling. A soft texture greets you as green peppercorns greet you alongside black currant jelly, cigar ash and dark chocolate shavings with kirsch cordial notes. Considering the vintage, this is a really good effort.
–Owen Bargreen, 92 Points