Bavencoff Meursault Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Clear golden and green robe. Meursault shows a green golden color, leaning towards bronze as it ages. Limpid and brilliant, it exhibits silver highlights. The young wine is redolent of toasted almonds and hazelnuts in a floral and mineral (flint) setting. Butter, honey, and citrus fruits are also present. On the palate it is rich and ample with a nice balance between freshness and smooth nutty flavors. .
Aged in French oak barrels (50% new).
Noble and fine-textured fish or meat, blue cheeses and foie gras.
Bavencoff Pernand Vergelesses Blanc is made from Chardonnay.
The wine offers a white gold or pale yellow color turning into darker gold with age. It boasts aromas of white flowers, (may, acacia) developing into notes of amber, honey and spices. On the palate it is mineral, harmonious and easy to like.
Aged in new oak barrels (Allier).
Sushi, fresh-water fish in white sauce, and for pasta or a seafood risotto.
Bavencoff Montagny Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Montagny presents a typical robe of a Burgundy Chardonnay: A pale yellow color with discreet green reflections. The color will change to golden yellow with age. On the nose, it develops delicate honey and vanilla aromas. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, it offers a slightly oily texture typical of the great whites of Burgundy, rich and fresh flavors (vanilla, honey, golden apple, toast). The finish is long and mineral.
This wine goes perfectly with veal in sauce, scallops in butter and herbs, and most fish. Also to drink with hard mountain cheeses: Comté, Beaufort.
Beatus began with a dream and a friendship. Our dream was to make wine in Châteauneuf du Pape, one of the first regions to inspire the desire to pursue winemaking in general, and of working with Grenache in particular.
We developed a long-standing friendship with Anne-Charlotte Melia-Bachas, Proprietor of Chateau de la Font du Loup, who approached us with the idea to craft a wine together a number of years ago.
This has all come to fruition with Beatus, a wine that we have decided to make ongoing, every year — since tasting the exciting results of the first vintage in barrel.
The vineyard parcel selected for this wine is a single plot of 80-year old Grenache at the top of La Crau in Châteauneuf du Pape, the highest location in the AOC. It sits on a north-facing slope that helps guard against the sometimes intense summer heat that can affect the surrounding areas.
This plot is called “Le Poteau” and has been generously granted to us by Anne-Charlotte as the core of this wine, with supplementation of Syrah and Mourvèdre from surrounding parcels also grown on the Chateau de la Font du Loup estate, to round out the blend.
The winemaking is directed by myself and carried out by Anne-Charlotte, Stéphane Dupuy d’Angeac and their team. It is our hope to bring you one of the finest expressions of Grenache from this special region each and every vintage.
Yields from this block are very small due to the age of the vines, therefore only up to 100 cases of Beatus will be produced each year, depending on the conditions of the vintage.
Our first release was in November of 2022.
– Winemaker Todd Alexander
Review:
"The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is mostly very old vine Grenache (there are small amounts of Syrah and Mourvedre) from the sandy soils of the Le Poteau parcel in the Font du Loup lieu-dit. It saw a touch of whole clusters in the ferments and, I suspect, was brought up in neutral vessels. It’s as seamless as they come, offering a classic nose of red and black berry fruits, Provençal garrigue, spice box, and loamy earth. This medium to full-bodied beauty has wonderful complexity, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. While it's already drinking great today, it should easily evolve for 10-15 years. It's a seriously good bottle of Châteauneuf du Pape!"
Jeb DUNNUCK, 95 Points
Bella Union by Far Niente Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
The 2021 Bella Union Napa Valley Cabernet possesses beautiful and intriguing aromas of dark plum, black cherry, hints of clove and barrel spice. The palate is well-structured with velvety tannins complemented by generous layers of fruit flavors of blackberry, fig, and raspberry preserves that give way to a melting finish.
Review:
With small percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, this exquisitely aromatic and textural Cabernet begins with a perfume of crushed violets and black cherry. Concentrated flavors of blackberry liqueur, vanilla, and sandalwood flow across chewy, velvet- lined tannins.
-Tasting Panel 95 Points
The word "Balade" is French for wandering. This is a fitting term for our annual exploration of single-vineyard Pinot Noir & Chardonnay blocks on the west coast. Each vintage, we will bottle only the most compelling and nuanced expression of pinot noir from a single selected vineyard and release it as a limited bottling.
Tasting Notes
Beautiful golden hue with enticing aromas of honeyed almond, vanilla custard, ripe pear, and hints of lemon zest. On the palate, lush notes of apricot, crisp green apple, and a touch of toasted hazelnut come forward. This wine has a well-balanced mouthfeel that dances on the palate with bright, lively acidity and subtle minerality, offering a stunning
expression of a coastal driven Chardonnay.
Review:
Creamy, desirous notes of lemon curd bathed in toffee nougat reach a peak as it settles across the mouth thanks to a fine acid structure. Baked pear smooths out on mid-palate, with buttered croissant on the elegant, lengthy finish - The Tasting Panel, May/June 2025
-Tasting Panel 95 Points
Rudi Pichler is among the elite growers of the Wachau producing wines of precision, power, and longevity. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling make up 95% of the production with the remaining 5% shared between Weißburgunder and Roter Veltliner. Rudi Pichler belongs to the prestigious Vinea Wachau and vinifies under the strict parameters of their codex.
Yields are kept low between 30 and 35 hectoliters per hectare with botrytis carefully removed by hand. Grapes are crushed by foot and receive between three and 36 hours of maceration on the skins. Vinification is entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided.
Hochrain, a name meaning "high place," is a southeast-facing terraced vineyard in Wösendorf sitting between 200 and 300 meters of elevation. The vineyard consists of an unusually high content of loess, a mineral-laden soil that produces wines that are especially broad and rich.
Review:
“A stunning wine for this grape that is also rather easy to understand. The Reine Claude plum and peppery nose is complex, but already charming. As exciting as the simultaneously creamy and succulent mid-palate is, what makes this medium- to full-bodied gruner veltliner really stand out is the extremely long, crushed rock finish.”
James Suckling 96 Points
Clos des Cazaux Gigondas Le Souiras is 100% Grenache.
“Le Souiras” is the terroir located at the very South end of the Gigondas appellation. Here, in the midst of the Dentelles de Montmirail, an extraordinary calcareous massif, we planted grapevines on slopes surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation.
We are situated at an altitude of 250 meters, where the nights are cooler. The terroir is stony with a layer of grey and blue clay under the topsoil. The slopes face West and are protected from the strong summer sun by the Montmirail hill. Due to this ideal microclimate, our old Grenache grapevines contain all the complexity and balance of this sunny terroir.
Color : Dark intense ruby color.
Bouquet : Notes of little red fruits, white pepper, caramel and juniper.
Palate : The first impression is arresting and generally qualified as round, complex and dense.
The aromas of black cherry, mocha and white pepper are very intense. The palate is powerful, elegant and velvety.
The finish is long, with very silky tannins and a very slight bitterness that gives this exceptional Grenache an impression of freshness.
Review:
"A brilliant wine that has so much to love, the 2022 Gigondas Le Souiras is all Grenache that was brought up in barrels. It exhibits a vivid ruby hue as well as classic kirsch and blackberry fruit intermixed with peppery garrigue, spice, and ample Provençal nuances. This medium-bodied, fresh, focused 2022 has a beautiful sense of elegance, fine tannins, and the balance to evolve gracefully over the coming 10-12 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (December 5th 2024), 94 pts