France - All Red Wines
France stands as the epitome of excellence when it comes to crafting red wines that showcase the diversity of terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking traditions.
In Bordeaux, the renowned Left Bank vineyards of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion epitomize the artistry of winemaking. These prestigious estates craft red wines that blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, resulting in wines of depth, structure, and complexity. The wines from the Right Bank, such as those from Pétrus, Château Ausone, and Château Cheval Blanc, offer elegance, refinement, and a focus on Merlot as the dominant grape variety.
In Burgundy, the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune regions are home to iconic vineyards like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, and Domaine Armand Rousseau. These vineyards produce world-renowned Pinot Noir wines that showcase finesse, complexity, and a captivating expression of their unique terroirs.
The Rhône Valley boasts appellations such as Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In Hermitage, producers like Jean-Louis Chave and Domaine Jean-Louis Grippat craft powerful and age-worthy Syrah-based wines with immense structure and complexity. Côte-Rôtie is known for its elegant and perfumed Syrah wines, while Châteauneuf-du-Pape combines a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre to create bold and full-bodied wines.
Moving to the Loire Valley, the vineyards of Chinon and Saumur-Champigny shine with exceptional Cabernet Franc wines. Producers such as Charles Joguet and Domaine Guiberteau showcase the region's ability to craft wines of finesse, with notes of red fruits, spice, and a characteristic herbal undertone.
Finally, in the south, the Languedoc-Roussillon region is celebrated for its bold and robust red wines. Vineyards like Mas de Daumas Gassac and Domaine Gauby produce powerful and expressive wines that highlight the region's warm climate and diverse terroirs.
France - All Red Wines
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Wine Advocate (99)
The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is just now starting to shed a tiny amount of its abundant baby fat that's been front and center since release. Still, it pulls no punches in its thrilling aromas and flavors of kirsch liqueur, roasted garrigue, black raspberries, incense, cured meats and licorice, and it is about as quintessential Grenache as you can find. Thrillingly concentrated, intense, perfumed and layered with incredible balance, this full-bodied beauty should hit its peak in another 2-3 years and keep for at least a decade after that.Inc. TAX€1,316.87 -
Vinous (94)
Vivid red. Intensely perfumed, expressive aromas of red and dark berry compote, smoky minerals and incense, along with a deep note of black cardamom. Palate-saturating raspberry and kirsch flavors are complicated by suggestions of licorice pastille and candied lavender, with silky tannins adding support. Becomes sappier with air and finishes with excellent clarity and mineral-laced red fruit character.Inc. TAX€927.76 -
Wine Advocate (96)
This was a superb showing for the 2007 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, a brilliant wine that bursts from the glass with a complex and maturing bouquet of red cherries, caramelized orange rind, cinnamon, potpourri and sweet soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, textural and satiny, with a concentrated, layered core, tangy acids and a stunningly long, sapid finish. This has always been a brilliant wine that transcends the vintage, but new dimensions are becoming apparent as it enters its second decade. This was the last vintage bottled under natural cork chez Ponsot.Inc. TAX€2,512.38 -
James Suckling (95)
Wow. Minerals, cedar, almost like warm stones in the heat. And then some spice. A wine that's gorgeous, beautiful to taste now, but you know there's so much more coming to it. Will be better in three to five years. But it's already gorgeous - decant a couple hours in advance.Inc. TAX€1,217.17 -
James Suckling (95)
Wow. Minerals, cedar, almost like warm stones in the heat. And then some spice. A wine that's gorgeous, beautiful to taste now, but you know there's so much more coming to it. Will be better in three to five years. But it's already gorgeous - decant a couple hours in advance.Inc. TAX€920.93 -
Wine Enthusiast (91)
A great success, with its concentration, solid tannins and black, bitter cherry fruit flavors. The wine has spice, licorice and some layers of wood. Certainly, this would be worth aging for 4-5 years.Inc. TAX€782.77 -
Inc. TAX€8,420.63
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Inc. TAX€1,179.76
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Inc. TAX€9,250.38
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Jeb Dunnuck (92)
I also loved the 2007 Rauzan-Ségla. It has a Château Margaux-like bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, incense, flowers, and saddle leather. A classic blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, this medium-bodied, precocious, complex effort has loads of character, resolved tannins, moderate acidity, notable balance, and a great finish. I’ve always loved the charming style of the 2007s, and this is drinking at point today yet will unquestionably keep for another decade or more.Inc. TAX€1,203.97 -
Inc. TAX€1,390.50
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Inc. TAX€4,831.50
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Vinous - Josh Raynolds (90-93)
Medium red. Initially closed nose blossomed with air to display wild strawberry, pomegranate, pungent herbs and Asian spices. Brisk and sharply focused, with medium-bodied red berry and bitter cherry flavors underscored by anise and firmed by chewy tannins. The tannins build on the finish, which is clean, energetic and long.Inc. TAX€1,701.12 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (92-94)
Good dark red with ruby highlights. Sexy, complex aromas of raspberry, minerals and faded rose, lifted by an exhilarating whiff of grapefruit. Lush, concentrated and sweet, but with noteworthy vinosity and sappiness to the tangy red berry flavors. The slow-mounting finish is positively electric, saturating the mouth with perfume. A great showing, and more vibrant than some examples from this vineyard in 2007.Inc. TAX€12,926.84 -
Inc. TAX€1,038.46
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Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (88)
Deep, bright ruby-red. Musky, rather wild aromas of black raspberry, espresso, chocolate, leather and meat. Sweet, soft and stuffed with raspberry, plum and leather flavors. A pliant midweight that finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and lingering notes of leather and pepper.Inc. TAX€968.14 -
Vinous (94)
Good deep, bright red with ruby tones. Redcurrant, cherry, tobacco and earth on the sexy nose. Juicy, suave and laid-back; in a distinctly polite style for a young Chambertin but there's superb depth here; velvety in texture yet almost weightless. Best today on the very long, slowly mounting finish, which delivers mineral energy and captivating lingering sweetness. This, too, is extremely refined BurgundyInc. TAX€3,316.38 -
Wine Advocate (89)
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Trottevieille has a pleasing leathery, undergrowth-scented bouquet that feels fully mature, although there is commendable vigor here (more so than the 2007 Canon). The palate is medium-bodied with crisp and tensile tannin, a keen thread of acidity and moderate depth but impressive focus towards the finish. It is fully mature with those ferrous and bell pepper notes on the finish, but I can see this offering another decade's worth of drinking pleasure, no problem. One to look out for. Tasted February 2017.Inc. TAX€847.57
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Wine Advocate (99)
The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is just now starting to shed a tiny amount of its abundant baby fat that's been front and center since release. Still, it pulls no punches in its thrilling aromas and flavors of kirsch liqueur, roasted garrigue, black raspberries, incense, cured meats and licorice, and it is about as quintessential Grenache as you can find. Thrillingly concentrated, intense, perfumed and layered with incredible balance, this full-bodied beauty should hit its peak in another 2-3 years and keep for at least a decade after that.In Bond€1,075.00 -
Vinous (94)
Vivid red. Intensely perfumed, expressive aromas of red and dark berry compote, smoky minerals and incense, along with a deep note of black cardamom. Palate-saturating raspberry and kirsch flavors are complicated by suggestions of licorice pastille and candied lavender, with silky tannins adding support. Becomes sappier with air and finishes with excellent clarity and mineral-laced red fruit character.In Bond€770.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
This was a superb showing for the 2007 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, a brilliant wine that bursts from the glass with a complex and maturing bouquet of red cherries, caramelized orange rind, cinnamon, potpourri and sweet soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, textural and satiny, with a concentrated, layered core, tangy acids and a stunningly long, sapid finish. This has always been a brilliant wine that transcends the vintage, but new dimensions are becoming apparent as it enters its second decade. This was the last vintage bottled under natural cork chez Ponsot.In Bond€2,075.00 -
James Suckling (95)
Wow. Minerals, cedar, almost like warm stones in the heat. And then some spice. A wine that's gorgeous, beautiful to taste now, but you know there's so much more coming to it. Will be better in three to five years. But it's already gorgeous - decant a couple hours in advance.In Bond€977.00 -
James Suckling (95)
Wow. Minerals, cedar, almost like warm stones in the heat. And then some spice. A wine that's gorgeous, beautiful to taste now, but you know there's so much more coming to it. Will be better in three to five years. But it's already gorgeous - decant a couple hours in advance.In Bond€755.00 -
Wine Enthusiast (91)
A great success, with its concentration, solid tannins and black, bitter cherry fruit flavors. The wine has spice, licorice and some layers of wood. Certainly, this would be worth aging for 4-5 years.In Bond€615.00 -
In Bond€6,995.00
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In Bond€980.00
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In Bond€7,690.00
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Jeb Dunnuck (92)
I also loved the 2007 Rauzan-Ségla. It has a Château Margaux-like bouquet of sweet red and black fruits, incense, flowers, and saddle leather. A classic blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, this medium-bodied, precocious, complex effort has loads of character, resolved tannins, moderate acidity, notable balance, and a great finish. I’ve always loved the charming style of the 2007s, and this is drinking at point today yet will unquestionably keep for another decade or more.In Bond€966.00 -
In Bond€1,155.00
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In Bond€4,015.00
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Vinous - Josh Raynolds (90-93)
Medium red. Initially closed nose blossomed with air to display wild strawberry, pomegranate, pungent herbs and Asian spices. Brisk and sharply focused, with medium-bodied red berry and bitter cherry flavors underscored by anise and firmed by chewy tannins. The tannins build on the finish, which is clean, energetic and long.In Bond€1,395.00 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (92-94)
Good dark red with ruby highlights. Sexy, complex aromas of raspberry, minerals and faded rose, lifted by an exhilarating whiff of grapefruit. Lush, concentrated and sweet, but with noteworthy vinosity and sappiness to the tangy red berry flavors. The slow-mounting finish is positively electric, saturating the mouth with perfume. A great showing, and more vibrant than some examples from this vineyard in 2007.In Bond€10,735.00 -
In Bond€821.00
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Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (88)
Deep, bright ruby-red. Musky, rather wild aromas of black raspberry, espresso, chocolate, leather and meat. Sweet, soft and stuffed with raspberry, plum and leather flavors. A pliant midweight that finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and lingering notes of leather and pepper.In Bond€762.00 -
Vinous (94)
Good deep, bright red with ruby tones. Redcurrant, cherry, tobacco and earth on the sexy nose. Juicy, suave and laid-back; in a distinctly polite style for a young Chambertin but there's superb depth here; velvety in texture yet almost weightless. Best today on the very long, slowly mounting finish, which delivers mineral energy and captivating lingering sweetness. This, too, is extremely refined BurgundyIn Bond€2,745.00 -
Wine Advocate (89)
Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Trottevieille has a pleasing leathery, undergrowth-scented bouquet that feels fully mature, although there is commendable vigor here (more so than the 2007 Canon). The palate is medium-bodied with crisp and tensile tannin, a keen thread of acidity and moderate depth but impressive focus towards the finish. It is fully mature with those ferrous and bell pepper notes on the finish, but I can see this offering another decade's worth of drinking pleasure, no problem. One to look out for. Tasted February 2017.In Bond€669.00