France is the largest wine producing country in the world. The history of French wine traces back to Roman times. French wine is controlled by the AOC system, Appellation d'Origine Controlee. This system guides as to what grapes are allowed to be grown in each region. The system was created using hundreds of years of growing history and the use of terroir. Terrior is a French wine term that encapsulates all the variables that apply to a wine's tastes…such as soil, climate, and the area the grape is grown.
France is home to many grapes that have now been cloned throughout the world. Not only have France's grapes been replicated, but so have their wine making styles. Even though they are the strongest player in the wine producing world, they now have competition from the new world wine producing countries.
Mas Redonne Bandol Rose is made from 55% Mourvèdre, 35% Cinsault, 10% Grenache.
Nice light salmon color, typical of Bandol.
The wine expresses some citrus, Pomelos (a delicious type of grapefruit) and lots of white fruit aromas and minerality.
The flavors are fresh, fruity and very aromatic with tons of apricot and mango.
Grilled salmon, chicken dishes as well as salads, sushi and sashimi.
Mas Redonne Tournier Bandol Luisa Jeanne is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Syrah.
The wine takes its name from a goddess, Luisa Jeanne. It has a deep red color with dark brick hues, a very intense and complex nose with strong sensations of dark fruit, compote, spice, earth and garrigue, with a minty touch. Palate intense, complex and silky, full and opulent with olfactive sensations and a slightly mineral saline aftertaste accompanied by rich but ripe tannins wrapped in a fruity robe. Approachable, long, harmonious, elegant.
Late manual harvesting of left grapes, their selection according to ripeness, harvesting parcel by parcel, variety by variety, separate vinification. Long fermentation with natural yeasts to oxygenate the must, gentle extraction of color and tannins, decanting and dipping of the matoline cap to absorb the tannins and make the wine silky and expressive. Aged for 18 months in old foudres.
A gastronomic wine for major occasions, ideal for red meat, game, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate and Provençal cuisine.
The wine takes its name from a goddess, Luisa Jeanne. It has a deep red color with dark brick hues, a very intense and complex nose with strong sensations of dark fruit, compote, spice, earth and garrigue, with a minty touch. Palate intense, complex and silky, full and opulent with olfactive sensations and a slightly mineral saline aftertaste accompanied by rich but ripe tannins wrapped in a fruity robe. Approachable, long, harmonious, elegant.
Maurice Martin Macon-Villages is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
White gold color with silver or greenish reflections , shiny and soft. Aromas suggest broom, acacia, green apple, lemongrass, citruses. A fresh, dry and fruity, nervous with a good balance.
The grapes for this wine is coming from 3 famous part of the Maconnais' region: Chaintré, Pierreclos and Ozenay.
The wine went through malolactic fermentation. It has been gently filtered before bottling.
Very easy to associate with his very complete balance : grilled fish, creamy risottos, antipasti, salads, sushis, very pleasant at the aperitif.
Maurice Martin Pouilly-Fuisse is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Fruity and floral aromas intertwined with vanilla and toasty notes. Harmonious, well balanced and elegant wine.
The grapes for this wine is coming from 2 famous part of the Maconnais' region: Vergisson and Solutré, famous for their Rocks. Hence, the minerality is coming from these rocky soils.
The wine went through malolactic fermentation.
It has been gently filtered before bottling.
Excellent with white meats and fish.
Meyney Saint Estephe is made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot.
The vineyards planted on a perfectly drained siliceous gravel soil provide ideal conditions for the maturity of the grapes and result in a very deep black color wine with spicy notes and a distinguished style.
The 2020 vintage embodies what Bordeaux does best - a great classic vintage, complete, complex, rich and unctuous.
Review:
"Attractive aromas of ripe dark berries with dark spices, walnut, chocolate nibs and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with a dense, velvety texture and plush, fine-grained tannins. Very textural and creamy with a deep core of ripe dark fruit and a succulent finish. Try after 2025."
- James Suckling, 93 pts
Domaine Michel Magnien has evolved into a Burgundy producer of a singular style and philosophy from cellars located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. In 1993, Frédéric Magnien persuaded his father Michel to begin domaine bottling. The domaine is now certified biodynamic by Demeter and the wines are produced without the use of new oak.
The domaine’s 45 acres are spread across the villages of Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vosne Romanée, with holdings in several premier cru and grand cru vineyards. These include the grand crus Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, and Charmes-Chambertin. Frédéric Magnien maintains an average vine age of 50 years.
Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Climats d'Or" is a blend of five premier crus in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis: Cheseaux, Charrières, Clos Baulet, Chaffots, Monts Luisants. The wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks followed by several months aging in half terracota amphora & half used pièce. Around 20% whole clusters were included in the cuvée.
Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Climats d'Or" combines the structure of Gevrey-Chambertin with the perfume of Chambolle-Musigny. This wine shows fresh red berries on the nose with notes of violets, spice, and earth. Old vines and heavier soils give this wine weight and richness on the palate.
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.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Michel Thomas Sancerre Blanc Silex is 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
Intensely aromatic and concentrated Sauvignon from the Silex soils, this is a wine of great concentration and excellent balance. Aromas of fresh herbs, with flavors of citrus, ripe gooseberry, apple and a hint of gunflint. A delicious apéritif and the classic match for goat cheese or asparagus.
The special bottling "Silex" is limited each year to between 400-500 cases. They grow grapes on three soil types: 40% Terre Blanche-Argilo-Calcaire, 40% Caillottes-calcaire, 20% Le Roc-Silex. This wine come from the hardest stone soil on the vineyard giving it pleasant notes of fruit and a very dry flavor: This wine is bottled using traditional methods without filtration, allowing for a authentic and natural taste to the wine.
A delicious apéritif and the classic match for goat cheese or asparagus.
Thomas Sancerre Rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir.
Vines are 20-55 years old.
Terroir (soil type) is a blend of "Caillottes" and "Terre Blanche".
Everything is machine harvested (which means it is 100% destemmed).
50% Direct press + 50% Saignée (bled) with 12-24 hours of skin contact maceration.
The alcoholic fermentation is done in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
Right before bottling, the wine is fined with Bentonite (very light filtration with oenologic clay).
Tasting Notes:
Light, bright pink. Redcurrant, strawberry and chalk on the nose, with a touch of singed orange gaining strength with air. Dusty red fruit and citrus flavors are braced by tangy minerality, which adds lift and cut. Uncompromising in the best way, finishing with excellent clarity and echoes of lemon and orange zest.
Food pairings:
This is a very versatile wine. You can have it on its own in the summer time as an apéritif. But it is also excellent with Hors d'Oeuvres and terrines. It will compliment any white meat dish and poultry. You can also enjoy it with salmon or exotic food (slightly spicy sushi).
Thomas Sancerre Rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir.
Vines are 20-55 years old.
Terroir (soil type) is a blend of "Caillottes" and "Terre Blanche".
Everything is machine harvested (which means it is 100% destemmed).
50% Direct press + 50% Saignée (bled) with 12-24 hours of skin contact maceration.
The alcoholic fermentation is done in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
Right before bottling, the wine is fined with Bentonite (very light filtration with oenologic clay).
Tasting Notes:
Light, bright pink. Redcurrant, strawberry and chalk on the nose, with a touch of singed orange gaining strength with air. Dusty red fruit and citrus flavors are braced by tangy minerality, which adds lift and cut. Uncompromising in the best way, finishing with excellent clarity and echoes of lemon and orange zest.
Food pairings:
This is a very versatile wine. You can have it on its own in the summer time as an apéritif. But it is also excellent with Hors d'Oeuvres and terrines. It will compliment any white meat dish and poultry. You can also enjoy it with salmon or exotic food (slightly spicy sushi).
Michelet Courtaullt Chablis AOC is made from 100% Chardonnay.
Golden colored and very aromatic with white flowers, fresh fruit, lime, citrus aromas as well as a bergamot. Pleasant mouthfeel, supple, crisp, fruity flavors. There is a touch of acidity, revealing a deliciously integrated minerality.This Chablis is produced from vineyards located on slopes benefiting from a mainly south, southwest sun exposure in villages of the Northwestern part of the Chablis area (Lignorelles, Beine, Villy and Chablis).
Ideal as an aperitif, the wine is an excellent companion to seafood, smoked salmon for example.
Michelet Petit Chablis is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Golden color. White flowers, fresh, lime and citrus aromas. Pleasant mouthfeel, supple, crisp, fruity flavors.
Machine harvested at full maturity (around Sep. 25th - lasts 12-18 days); pneumatic press; fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 8-10 days; M.L (2 months after the harvest); aging on the lees until February; racking; fining if necessary; cold stabilization; filtration right before bottling in April.
Ideal as an aperitif, the wine is an excellent companion to seafood.
ER2 is characterized by the intensity that is the signature of the grand crus of the Côte des Blancs and by the complexity of its perpetual reserve. A delicate, slightly coppery, pink.
The wine is aged on lees in the dark in our cellars for three years.
Chardonnay 75% – Pinot Noir 25%. This edition has been made from a base of the 2017 vintage. Disgorged in April 2021. Dosage: 4.5 G/L.
This second edition made up of 75% of Chardonnays of different ages benefits from the richness of the 2012 vintage and the perfect balance of the 2014 vintage that occupy a large place in the heart of an intensified perpetual reserve.
The remaining 25% of young Pinot Noirs from the terroir of Vertus energize the delicate mineral, saline and iodized expression of the Chardonnay and heighten the wine’s aromatic expression.
Review:
"This graceful rosé Champagne layers a rich base of roasted almond, toast and smoke accents with nectarine and pureed raspberry fruit, oyster shell, blood orange zest and chalk notes. Fresh and fluid on the palate, with a creamy mousse consisting of fine, pinprick-sized bubbles. Long, rich finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2030." Wine Spectator 95 Points
ER3 is the very essence of balance and delicacy – the intensity of Côte des Blancs grand crus and the complexity of its perpetual reserve are combined with immense finesse.
ER3 reveals an extremely delicate, blush pink hue. The nose is superb, with a beautifully complex and delicate aromatic palette that offers up aromas of white flowers, redcurrant, and wild strawberry, before unveiling slightly smoky notes. With a particularly fine and ethereal effervescence, the mouth is fresh and vibrant with superb white fruit and citrus evolving into more complex notes of candied fruit, soft spices, and toasted almonds. The finish is incredibly persistent, underpinned by a magnificent chalky minerality.
The wine is aged on lees in the dark in our cellars for three years.
Chardonnay 75% – Pinot Noir 25% / This edition has been made from a base of the 2018 vintage. / Disgorged in May 2022. / Dosage: 4.5 G/L.
Review:
"This graceful rosé Champagne layers a rich base of roasted almond, toast and smoke accents with nectarine and pureed raspberry fruit, oyster shell, blood orange zest and chalk notes. Fresh and fluid on the palate, with a creamy mousse consisting of fine, pinprick-sized bubbles. Long, rich finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2030. 750 cases made."
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Dame Voyageuse is made from Grenache 90 % Mourvèdre 4% Syrah 4 % Counoise 1% Vaccarese 1% .
Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Dame Voyageuse is a more approachable version of the La Reine des Bois. It is meant to be enjoyable early compared to her sister Cuvée which is made for the long run.
Color : deep ruby red, opaque.
Aromas : red fruits, changing to touches of leather, black truffles and coffee.
Palate : fat, concentrated and full flavored with a very long liquoriced and fruity finish.
Ageing potential : 6 to 10 years.
Surface : 5 Ha.
Yield : 30 Hl./Ha.
Vineyard age: 60 Years
Terroir : Clay-siliceous on pebble stones
Harvest : by hand
Vinification : 100 % destemmed, long 30 days maceration with a maximum of 34° C temperature.
Estate bottled
Review:
"Moving to the 2019s from bottle, the Grenache-heavy 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Dame Voyageuse offers a beautiful array of both red and black fruits as well as classic Provençal notes of lavender, peppery garrigue, and flowers. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully textured on the palate, this is another terrific vintage for this cuvée, which remains an incredible value in the market today. It will drink nicely for 10-12 years if stored correctly."
- Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021), 95 pts
Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Dame Voyageuse Grenache 90 % Mourvèdre 4% Syrah 4 % Counoise 1% Vaccarese 1% .
Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge Dame Voyageuse is a more approachable version of the La Reine des Bois. It is meant to be enjoyable early compared to her sister Cuvée which is made for the long run.
Color : deep ruby red, opaque.
Aromas : red fruits, changing to touches of leather, black truffles and coffee.
Palate : fat, concentrated and full flavored with a very long liquoriced and fruity finish.
Ageing potential : 6 to 10 years.
Surface : 5 Ha.
Yield : 30 Hl./Ha.
Vineyard age: 60 Years
Terroir : Clay-siliceous on pebble stones
Harvest : by hand
Vinification : 100 % destemmed, long 30 days maceration with a maximum of 34° C temperature.
Estate bottled
Review:
"A fragrant and spicy Chateauneuf that marries richness and structure with finesse and fascination. The fine tannins build beautifully at the self-confidently dry finish, where spicy and chalky elements mingle beautifully, with just a hint of milk chocolate neatly accenting this. A complex blend based on grenache. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (August 2022), 94 pts
a Plume du Peintre - "feather of the painter" - wines (Lirac, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Tavel) are only made in select years representing outstanding quality.
Deep ruby red, opaque. Aromas of red fruits, mocha, touches of leather, black truffles and coffee. Fat, very concentrated and full flavored, with an infinitely long liquoriced and fruity finish.
Pairs well with red meats, sauce dishes, game animals (woodcock, wild boar) and semi mature cheeses.
Review:
"Lastly, and a tiny production cuvée based on 100% Grenache brought up in new barrels, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Plume Du Peintre reveals a saturated, almost inky purple color as well as a mammoth-sized bouquet of black currants, bloody meats, lead pencil, tobacco, chocolate, and crushed stone, it nevertheless has notable purity, a full-bodied, layered, seamless texture, no hard edges, and a thrilling finish that offers more and more minerality. with time in the glass. You don't see wines like this often today, but this is a singular, heavenly Grenache that's going to need 4-5 years of bottle age and live for 30-40 years if stored correctly given its concentration, structure, and purity. Hats off to the team at Domaine de la Mordorée for continuing to push the envelope and making incredibly singular wines!”
- Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021), 98+ pts
Clos du Val Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 1% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
This fresh and vibrant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is brimming with aromas of blackberry, mulberry, cassis, and violet. On the palate, bright flavors of cranberry, red plum, cherry, and lavender are intertwined with supple tannins, balanced acidity, and a long, smooth finish.
Review:
"Sleek tannins, guided by sweet earth, slate, purple plum and black olive. Savory notes of fig, toasted cedar, and black tea meld with blackberries. Well structured and impeccably balanced."
-Tasting Panel 96 Points
Manoir du Carra Beaujolais Cru Fleurie Vers le Mont is made from 100 percent Gamay.
Intense red color, subtle fruity and floral aromas of violet, berry and cinnamon. It also has a distinctive aroma of Peony and Lily flowers, typical of the "Sur le Mont" terroir. Ample in the mouth with plenty of ripe red and black fruit flavors. The structure is full and the tannins are round and elegant. Even better after a few years of cellaring.
Of the top ten Cru sites of Beaujolais, Fleurie is one of the top three. The wines show finesse, fullness, and flavor. Fleurie does age well for 3-5 years from vintage. The area was named for a Romain General named Floricum, not for the word flower in French. The size of this AOC is 875 hectares of grapes (2,161 acres) and about 180 examples of this Cru are available on the market. This Cru is known as the “Queen of Beaujolais” and the earth is slightly unusual for having blue color, due to magnesium in the soil.
Intense red color, subtle fruity and floral aromas of violet, berry and cinnamon. It also has a distinctive aroma of Peony and Lily flowers, typical of the "Sur le Mont" terroir.
It is ample in the mouth and has a lot of ripe red and black fruit flavors. The structure is full and the tannins are round and elegant.
Even better after a few years of cellaring.
Excellent with red and game meats, and cheeses.