Decanter: Warm, rich, lively and imbued with blackberry, plum, cherry and violets. This is ample but accessible, with a leafy tone to the fruits. An excellent reading of pure Malbec and well worth seeking out." - 95 points
The bluest of Chateauneuf du Pape bluebloods, the Vielles Vignes cuvee from Grand Veneur is, once again, the highest rated wine of a very, very fine vintage in the Southern Rhone. Established in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in...
PRIMA Notes: Thierry is a fourth-generation winegrower in the Sancerre region, situated near the village of Bué, one of the finest districts for high quality Sauvignon Blanc (and Pinot Noir) thanks to the unique mix of soil types in the...
PRIMA Notes: Patrice and Michele’s son Maxime has joined the family business now too and their wines are still known for a precise and laser-like focus one rarely finds even in the most exalted cuvees much less cuvees like this...
Featured here is the 2020 La Reserve Ventoux, sourced from vineyards ranging in age from 20-35 years old, grown at 1500 feet in elevation at the base of Mt. Ventoux. The wine is fermented in stainless steel after a period of maceration to gain...
Those of us in the wine business, well, those of us who truly love wine anyway, make no pretense towards absolute impartiality when it comes to judging our favorites. We form deep emotional attachments to some wines and they become more like old...
Grapes: Muscat + Ugni Blanc
Region: Hautes-Alpes, France
Vintage: NVViticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay + Limestone
Vinification: Direct press, then fermented in tank. 2nd fermentation in bottle
Aging: 12...
Vinous Media: The 2019 Malartic Lagravière was picked from 17 September to 11 October at 46hl/ha and sees 65% new French oak for an intended 18 months. It has a lovely bouquet with disarming blackberry, briary and subtle marine scents, just a...
Bochet-Lemoine is a small house based in the village of Cormoyeux, which is part of the 'Magic Triangle' with the villages of Romery and Fleurie la Riviere. Jacky Bochet has 8.5 Hectares of vines, most of which are in one contiguous plot on a south...
2019 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone 'Les Champauvins'
2022 was the year of the Cotes du Rhone at PRIMA! It seems like everything we tried from either 2018 or 2019 was either delicious, well-priced or both! It was really hard to pick a favorite...
Climate change hasn’t been kind to a lot growing regions around the world but Irancy, on the other hand, is a real beneficiary of these warmer, drier summers as this northern outpost of Burgundy has historically struggled to ripen its fruit. ...
The Petit is blended from around 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and a similar amount of Merlot (a portion of which dates from the 1850s) and the rest old vine Cabernet Franc and an ancient clone of Petit Verdot; it’s a gorgeously glossy red whose glorious...
Domaine le Clos des Lumières is a 50-hectare family farm founded in 1946 by the grandfather of the domaine’s current vigneron, Gerald Serrano. The ambitious, talented Serrano was the first to actually bottle wine here rather than sell...
Isabelle Garrault is well placed to create the perfect Sancerre. She’s the ninth generation Garrault to farm these vineyards which are now over 40 years old, and she displays a delicate touch with her fruit- hand harvesting her...
Poor Cahors. For years this southwestern French appellation has had to live down a reputation for rustic, tannic Malbec-based reds that often required decades to mature and, even then, you could never be sure what you were going to get when you opened it...
Wine Enthusiast: Firm and dry, this is a powerful wine dominated by tannins. However, intense black-fruit flavors are going to give the wine richness and density as it develops. Drink from 2021. 91 points
What do you do when your spouse insists on great White Burgundy but you’re too cheap to spend an arm and a leg to keep peace in the family? The obvious answer is to buy Macon Village and lie about the price. With a wine like the 2020...
Importer's Notes: The robe is golden for this champagne, adorned by fine and delicate bubbles. The nose is strong, dominated by hints of small black berries, and unravels its complexity bit by bit with black chocolate and silex rock aromas, topped...
Winery Notes:
To the eye: Pale yellow color, bright and clear On the nose: Complex yellow and floral fruits. Palate: Fruit with white flesh, round and full. This wine can be enjoyed as an aperitif as well as at the table with foie gras, fish,...
Winery Notes: Blend : 40% Muscat, 40% Riesling, 20% Pinot Gris Softly light yellow glares the blend Alsace One 2017 in the glass. On the nose first of all fresh and mineral, light notes of fruity lychee, paired with exotic flavours. The...
Importer's Notes: Grolleau, a varietal native to Touraine, has played a major part only in Rosé d’Anjou in the past, as it is prone to very high yields. When yields are limited, however, and the vines are very old and cultivated 100...
PRIMA Notes: Joseph Cattin’s ‘Cuvee Tradition’ Pinot Noir. Cattin is the largest family-owned concern in Alsace. They been producing wines since 1720 and the current generation of Cattin here is its twelfth! Most of...
PRIMA Notes: The family’s holdings of the 1er Cru Vaillons are quite small (only 3.67 hectares), spread out over six different parcels in several prized sub-climats. The average vine age is a remarkable 43 years which contributes to the...
PRIMA Notes: The Chamiot family has owned vineyards in Apremont for generations, and the young Romain has recently taken over from his grandparents to continue the family business. They farm seven hectares scattered among 30 parcels dotted...
Importer's Notes: Produced from equal parts of these varietals, the fruit for this wine comes from Chidaine’s estate-grown, bio-dynamically farmed vineyards located just north of the Cher river between the villages of Montrichard &...
PRIMA Notes: The Baldi Pain Extra Brut is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, aged in oak casks and finished with a very low dosage in order to let the fruit express its grandeur. Sourced from vines planted in 1965 and now farmed...
Importer's Notes: Among Lignier’s ever-impressive trio of Morey-Saint-Denis premier crus, “La Riotte” tends to be the most feminine, gentle, and lithe. Located on a gentle part of the slope at the foot of the grand cru...
Wine Enthusiast 94 Points: This producer, with vineyards that are in the process of conversion to organic, has made a dense, richly structured wine. Generous black cherry fruits and ripe tannins promise plenty of aging. The property lies just up...
Wine Spectator: This is lively, with bright black cherry and blackberry coulis flavors racing along, lined with a fresh sanguine note and backed by a minerally edge on the finish. A flash of bay leaf in the background adds range. Drink now through 2030...
Importer's Notes:
A blend between a parcel from Beaumont-en-Véron with the alluvial soils of the left bank of the Vienne River, along with press wine from all the other cuvées of the domaine. Blend aims to highlight the harmony of...