An unusual amphora-aged cuvee from Jean-Claude. 250 cases produced, mostly younger vines.

`Translucent ruby-red. Smoky, mineral-tinged red fruit, spicecake, game and potpourri aromas are complemented by suggestions of allspice and licorice. Juicy bitter cherry and red currant flavors slowly flesh out and turn sweeter with aeration. Fine-grained tannins lend gentle grip to a long, red-fruit-dominated finish that hangs on with strong, spicy tenacity.` 93 Points Josh Reynolds

`Glistening ruby. Vibrant, spice-accented red and blue fruits and pungent flowers on the highly perfumed nose. Sappy and seamless in the mouth, the spine of juicy acidity adding energy to plush boysenberry and raspberry preserve flavors. Shows sharp definition and repeating florality on the persistent, gently tannic finish, which leaves sweet red fruit and smoky mineral notes behind.` 93 Points Josh Reynolds

`Brilliant violet. Vibrant, mineral- and spice-accented red and blue fruit and floral scents convey outstanding purity and sharp focus. Silky and penetrating on the palate, offering sappy raspberry, boysenberry, candied rose and smoky mineral flavors that deepen and turn sweeter with aeration. Closes impressively long and precise, with resonating florality and polished tannins that sneak in late.` 94 Points Josh Reynolds

`Deep magenta. Mineral-inflected red and blue fruits on the assertively perfumed nose, along with hints of incense, exotic spices and pungent flowers. Alluringly sweet and penetrating in the mouth, offering intense boysenberry, raspberry and lavender pastille flavors braced by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Fine-grained tannins add gentle grip to a wonderfully long, juicy finish that strongly echoes the red fruit and mineral notes.` 93 Points Josh Reynolds

`Lapierre`s 2020 Morgon offers up aromas of plummy fruit and raspberries mingled with hints of petals and spices. Medium-bodied, satiny and enveloping, its succulent core of fruit is framed by melting tannins and mouthwatering acids. This thirst-quenching, fruit-driven Morgon is one of the purest, most precise young wines I`ve tasted from this address in recent years.` 91 Points William Kelley

`Dark, bright-rimmed magenta. Bright and energetic on the perfumed nose, displaying intense red and blue fruit, exotic spice and lavender qualities and a hint of smoky minerality. Sappy and precise on the palate, offering penetrating black raspberry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors; hints of licorice and succulent herbs build with air. Fine-grained tannins add grip a very long, penetrating finish that echoes the mineral note and leaves a hint of smoky bacon behind.` 92 Points Josh Reynolds

`hile not as backward as the 1996, the opaque purple-colored 1995 is a tannic, unevolved, dense, concentrated wine that will require 8-10 years of cellaring. The 1995 exhibits pain grille, black currant, mineral, and subtle tobacco in its complex yet youthful aromatics. Powerful, dense, concentrated cassis and blueberry flavors might be marginally softer than in the 1996, but there is still plenty of grip and structure to this big wine.` 90 Points Robert Parker

`The 1976 Pichon-Lalande is certainly one of the better Left Bank wines of a middling Bordeaux vintage. Cedar and a soupçon of espresso tincture the red berry fruit, along with just a touch of tomato vine, as noted in previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied and loose-knit, the Merlot expressive with flecks of bell pepper toward the leathery finish. It ain`t gonna last much longer, but it still surpasses many of its peers. Tasted at a vertical tasting at the château.` 87 Points, Neal Martin

`The highlight in this range, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon captures the richness and exuberance of the vintage while keeping a classic, mid-weight feel. Sweet red cherry, plum, cedar, herb and smoke add shades of nuance in a hugely appealing Cabernet Sauvignon that will drink well for another two decades plus. This is the first Frog`s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon made from estate fruit.` 93 Points Antonio Galloni

`Bright ruby. Vibrant, multifaceted nose combines black raspberry, plum, bitter chocolate, leather, tar and smoke, plus a floral nuance. Bright, focused and very intensely flavored, with lovely sweetness and noteworthy detail. Bitter chocolate and dark berry notes, with a sweet overlay of oak. A structured, delineated wine with compelling density and sappy verve. The very long finish features fine, complex tannins. A superb example that really captures the potential of this cool, European-styled vintage.` 92 Points Steven Tanzer

`The 2015 Zinfandel East Bench, 100% Zinfandel from Ridge`s Dry Creek estate, is deep, pliant and generous, all qualities that make it easy to drink and enjoy, even today. Succulent dark cherry and plum fruit flavors add to the wine`s up-front personality. Bright acids perk up the finish, but this is a decidedly fruity style.` 92 Points Antonio Galloni

Released circa 1994

`The new release of Kalin Cellars Cuvée W chardonnay comes in at 13.9 percent octane and offers up a beautifully mature and complex bouquet of fresh apricot, honeyed apples, tangerine, toasted almonds, salty soil tones, brown butter and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, bright and zesty, with a superb core of fruit, great soil signature and superb length and grip on the precise, complex and very classy finish. The octane does show just a bit on the backend, as there is a whisper of warmth, but I can forgive it this in the face of the climate change we have been living in the face of since the late 1980s. I would’ve loved to have seen this wine at 13.2 or 13.3 percent, but it was not to be in 1996, and these old Wente Clones have still turned out a superb wine even at their higher octane level. 2020-2035.` 92 Points John Gilman

From the Mesnil-sur-Oger lieu-dit Les Hautes Mottes. Disgorged 4 Febuary 2020. Dosage 2 g/l. Very nicely balanced racy aperitif or food champagne. Amazing persistence and some real lacy

After Philippe`s recent retirement, his son Tony has taken over at the domaine - the quality of the wines remains excellent, altough the new labels are not to everyone`s tastes!

After Philippe`s recent retirement, his son Tony has taken over at the domaine - the quality of the wines remains excellent, altough the new labels are not to everyone`s tastes!

After Philippe`s recent retirement, his son Tony has taken over at the domaine - the quality of the wines remains excellent, altough the new labels are not to everyone`s tastes!

From 60-year-old vines on a rocky limestone slope, aged 18 months in oak

`The les Granges bottling from Mathieu Baudry is his young vine cuvée, made to be drunk young and crafted from twenty-five year-old vines that grow in alluvial deposits of gravel and sandy soils right on the flats near the banks of the Vienne River. The 2020 version is quite stylish, offering up a deep and nascently complex bouquet of sweet dark berries, cassis, tree bark, cigar smoke and a lovely base of gravelly soil. On the palate the wine is bright, fullish and tangy, with a good core, fine soil signature and grip, moderate tannins and a long, well-balanced and classy finish. Though this is certainly approachable out of the blocks, a couple of years in the cellar will certainly pay dividends with more complexity and melted tannins. It is so nicely balanced in 2020 that I could easily see it keeping twenty-five years in bottle, despite it being made to drink young!` 91+ John Gilman

`Sourced from a single vineyard located at the bottom of Chinon`s slope on alluvial/clay soils, the 2019 Chinon Les Grézeaux is currently a bit shy in terms of revealing its fruit flavors. It’s also a hint reductive with its smoky bacon characters, but that`s unimportant. What matters is the core of fruit and excellent focus. It`s very relaxed and fluid with mouthwatering acidity. The tannins are more serious than the front and midpalate would have suggested and betray a little grittiness. Aged 15 months in cement, this could be opened in one to two years, but the concentration and structure offer drinking over a decade.` 93 Points, Rebecca Gibb, Vinous

`The 2020 Bourgueil Rosé d`Equinoxe is a Blanc de Noirs made from Cabernet Franc. It`s dry and matured in oak, giving a seamless roundness while lending structure. A twist of tannic grip on the finish makes this a really pleasing, food-friendly win.` 90 Points, Rebecca Gibb, Vinous

`The 1997 Vouvray Moelleux Reserve, a luxury cuvee crafted only in the finest vintages, displays scents of cumin, yellow plums, and loads assorted spices. It is a magnificently focused and balanced wine that is crammed with kumquats, blood oranges, quince, peach, candied grapefruit, and flowers. This medium-to-full-bodied, exceptionally pure and elegant wine will easily last 30 years. Bravo! ` 95 Points Pierre Rovani

`mild red robe; smoky aroma, with bacon on top of red fruits – the bouquet is lithe, cautious. A careful red fruit Grenache starts the palate – it comes with a measured tread. Has pretty fine length – is in no hurry. The wild raspberry flavour is not flashy, unlike many 2007s. There is tannin and a sense of some burn on the finish. From 2011. 2021-23 ` ***(*) John Livingstone-Learmonth

`Maturing, matt plum robe; a hint of burnt aromas on the nose, with some raspberry and a little tannic edging. Big start, comes in a brooding style, has sound juice in the mid-palate, then straightens and runs on with clean acidity. Still young. More full and beefy than some Brune et Blondes recently. Chunky, solid palate that lasts well. There is a Viognier influence on the aftertaste, not the bouquet, as it has aged. More to come. Esp 2007 on. 2020-23 Feb 2006, Stockholm` ****(*) John Livingstone-Learmonth

The ‘Confidential Wine Culture’ of St-Joseph has long clutched Domaine de Gouye tight to its chest, as it did his neighbour and long-time friend Raymond Trollat. The Gouye family have most of their vines in the lieux-dit of Gouye, high up on the hills over St-Jean de Muzols. Separated by a ravine from Aubert and Pichonnier, Trollat’s old plots. Philippe has 3 hectares here mostly planted between 1955 and 1975. Due to its high altitude, the wines manage to retain freshness even in warm years. It is a phenomenal terroir, worked with absolute conviction in the old methods by Philippe Desbos. As well as Trollat, he had much in common with Elizabeth Fogier, a female vigneron of St-Jean de Muzols who defended the old style in the 1980s and 1990s, living an unpretentious and steady farmers existence like Philippe and his family do now. Hens cluck at your feet, a horse to plough. Not much changes here.

After Philippe`s recent retirement, his son Tony has taken over at the domaine - the quality of the wines remains excellent, altough the new labels are not to everyone`s tastes!

The ‘Confidential Wine Culture’ of St-Joseph has long clutched Domaine de Gouye tight to its chest, as it did his neighbour and long-time friend Raymond Trollat. The Gouye family have most of their vines in the lieux-dit of Gouye, high up on the hills over St-Jean de Muzols. Separated by a ravine from Aubert and Pichonnier, Trollat’s old plots. Philippe has 3 hectares here mostly planted between 1955 and 1975. Due to its high altitude, the wines manage to retain freshness even in warm years. It is a phenomenal terroir, worked with absolute conviction in the old methods by Philippe Desbos. As well as Trollat, he had much in common with Elizabeth Fogier, a female vigneron of St-Jean de Muzols who defended the old style in the 1980s and 1990s, living an unpretentious and steady farmers existence like Philippe and his family do now. Hens cluck at your feet, a horse to plough. Not much changes here.

The ‘Confidential Wine Culture’ of St-Joseph has long clutched Domaine de Gouye tight to its chest, as it did his neighbour and long-time friend Raymond Trollat. The Gouye family have most of their vines in the lieux-dit of Gouye, high up on the hills over St-Jean de Muzols. Separated by a ravine from Aubert and Pichonnier, Trollat’s old plots. Philippe has 3 hectares here mostly planted between 1955 and 1975. Due to its high altitude, the wines manage to retain freshness even in warm years. It is a phenomenal terroir, worked with absolute conviction in the old methods by Philippe Desbos. As well as Trollat, he had much in common with Elizabeth Fogier, a female vigneron of St-Jean de Muzols who defended the old style in the 1980s and 1990s, living an unpretentious and steady farmers existence like Philippe and his family do now. Hens cluck at your feet, a horse to plough. Not much changes here.

The ‘Confidential Wine Culture’ of St-Joseph has long clutched Domaine de Gouye tight to its chest, as it did his neighbour and long-time friend Raymond Trollat. The Gouye family have most of their vines in the lieux-dit of Gouye, high up on the hills over St-Jean de Muzols. Separated by a ravine from Aubert and Pichonnier, Trollat’s old plots. Philippe has 3 hectares here mostly planted between 1955 and 1975. Due to its high altitude, the wines manage to retain freshness even in warm years. It is a phenomenal terroir, worked with absolute conviction in the old methods by Philippe Desbos. As well as Trollat, he had much in common with Elizabeth Fogier, a female vigneron of St-Jean de Muzols who defended the old style in the 1980s and 1990s, living an unpretentious and steady farmers existence like Philippe and his family do now. Hens cluck at your feet, a horse to plough. Not much changes here.