There are people in life who you hang out with and feel energised and then there are others who suck your spirit - like the Death Eaters à la Harry Potter. The 2019 Touche Mitaine is thankfully the former. It is a...

The 2015 L'Amiral is an impressive, savory, refined Cabernet Franc that is almost Bordeaux-like in its classicism. This cuvée is only made in what the producer deems to be an exceptional year, and then aged in barrel for...

The Fosse-Sèche 2019 Eolithe is absolutely beautiful again in its purity, freshness and iron-scented floral and fruity expression of violets and licorice as well as perfectly ripe cherries, cranberries, black and red...

Ripe grapefruit and nettles on the nose, following through to a medium-bodied, silky palate, where the juice turns more lemony, though the light pithy grapefruit grip remains and, together with dry minerals gives a tight...

(94+ points) Situated just 100 meters from the estate, the 2022 Sancerre Les Denisottes plot spans a modest 1.3 hectares of clay and calcareous soils known as “terres blanches” in Sancerre. Evoking a pure, delicate...

The grand vin at this domaine, the clos in question is positioned next to the cellars, on the left bank of the Vienne. The vines, aged between 70 and 80 years, are rooted into the calcareous soils of the slope. This...

This terroir, situated near the estate, comprises sand, clay and chalky soils. Evoking a deep, complex bouquet of wild dark berries, violet, menthol, spices, licorice and loamy soils, the 2020 Chinon Les Varennes du Grand...

97+ Bottled just two weeks prior to my visit, the 2017 Chateau Grillet was still looking awfully good for having been fined, filtered and stuck into a confined space. It's a forward, opulent vintage, boasting flamboyant...

(96 - 98 points) I tasted three different components of the 2018 Chateau Grillet. First, from the top of the property, a round, lush, silky, long wine (94 - 96). Second, from just behind the château, a more exotic...

A real burst of fresh apricot and peach, lemon verbena and green tea. This has the salt and power of Château-Grillet, the confit lemon peel on the finish, the salted nuts. Very full-bodied indeed, very rounded and long...

The 2020 Château-Grillet knocks it out of the park. Vinified from just-ripe fruit harvested between the 26th and 31st of August, it dazzles with outstanding purity and complexity. Fragrant linden blossom, chamomile and...

An elegant, firmly structured red, featuring fresh red currant, smoked meat and dusty herbs driven by salty, tangy acidity. Reveals crushed tobacco leaf and black tea that add nice range, with an iodine spine providing...

This youthful Loire red has a touch of funk on the nose that slowly dissipates with aeration to reveal a wealth of red-berry fruit and some wild herbs. On the fresh, medium-bodied palate there’s plenty of depth and some...

A tangy, harmonious red, with dusty earth and potpourri merging with bitter cherry and dried currant. Delivers a refined profile, thanks to tangy acidity and silky tannins, with gamy underpinnings and an iodine note...

Faint aromas of roasted meat, almost animal, on the nose, but very pure impressions on the palate. All crystalline black fruits, with suggestions of minerality on the finish.