Producer profiles – Decanter https://www.decanter.com The world’s most prestigious wine website, including news, reviews, learning, food and travel Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:39:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2019/01/cropped-Decanter_Favicon-Brand-32x32.png Producer profiles – Decanter https://www.decanter.com 32 32 Marqués de Murrieta masterclass: DFWE NYC 2024 https://www.decanter.com/premium/marques-de-murrieta-masterclass-dfwe-new-york-531651/ Fri, 14 Jun 2024 09:27:59 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=531651 Marqués de Murrieta masterclass
Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell, presented his family's iconic Marqués de Murrieta wines from Rioja's historic Ygay Estate.

An exceptional tasting of some of Rioja's most sought after wines...

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Marqués de Murrieta masterclass
Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell, presented his family's iconic Marqués de Murrieta wines from Rioja's historic Ygay Estate.

With a soaring view looking down on the island of Manhattan, Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell, presented his family’s iconic wines from the historic Marqués de Murrieta estate during the final masterclass of the 2024 Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC.

Dalmau explained that he was eager to share his family’s historic story and wines with Decanter’s US audience, and that the American market – New York and Miami in particular – is by far Marqués de Murrieta’s most important export market.

The masterclass and the wines on display told a story of three single vineyards within the revered Finca Ygay estate. Dalmau led attendees through an understanding of the terroir and growing conditions of these singular blocks within Ygay’s 300-hectare vineyard holdings.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for all eight wines tasted at the Marqués de Murrieta masterclass in New York



DFWE NYC 2024: the Marqués de Murrieta masterclass wines


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Volnay's new generation takes the reins https://www.decanter.com/premium/volnays-new-generation-takes-the-reins-531224/ Fri, 14 Jun 2024 07:00:01 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=531224 Volnay's new generation
Thibaud Clerget, Domaine Y Clerget

With a selection of 14 wines...

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Volnay's new generation
Thibaud Clerget, Domaine Y Clerget

Without Volnay, there is simply no joy,’ declared historian Claude Courtépée in his 18th-century work on the Duchy of Burgundy. The delights of the wine from this village have been known since before the dukes constructed their château there in the 11th century, while today’s wine lovers are discovering them again thanks to the able work of a new generation of winemakers.

While generational change is always occurring, it seems there are currently an unusually high number of fresh faces in Volnay, including the young winemakers Clément Boillot, Pierrick Bouley, Thomas Bouley, Marc-Olivier Buffet, Thibaud Clerget and Maxime Dubuet-Boillot.

To this, one should add Clothilde Lafarge, although her parents Frédéric and Chantal are still very much involved in the family domaine.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for wines from Volnay’s new generation



Wine selections and tasting notes by Charles Curtis MW:

Alcohol levels given where available


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Nathan Kendall: Rising star of New York's Finger Lakes https://www.decanter.com/premium/nathan-kendall-rising-star-of-new-yorks-finger-lakes-528737/ Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:27:44 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=528737 Nathan Kendall
Nathan Kendall. Credit: Rachel Orlyk

A look at home-grown Finger Lakes talent, Nathan Kendall...

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Nathan Kendall
Nathan Kendall. Credit: Rachel Orlyk

Driving down Route 14 in Dundee, New York, a clear day reveals rolling hills of grape vines along either side of Seneca Lake. Seneca is the largest and deepest of the 11 glacially carved Finger Lakes in upstate New York. The lush terrain and diverse microclimates across its 61 kilometres are home to over 60 producers, including Nathan Kendall.

His name is becoming increasingly familiar to those watching New York’s growing wine scene. Kendall has topped various wine industry recognition lists over the last few years as a rapidly rising star in both New York and American wine. He calls the attention ‘truly humbling for a small-town person.’


Scroll down to see notes and scores for 10 wines from Nathan Kendall



10 wines from Finger Lakes maestro Nathan Kendall


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Wynns’ John Riddoch: an Australian Cabernet icon https://www.decanter.com/premium/wynns-john-riddoch-an-australian-cabernet-icon-446184/ Sun, 02 Jun 2024 07:00:50 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=446184 Wynns John Riddoch
Wynns chief winemaker Sue Hodder with the John Riddoch line up.

The latest release back to the inaugural 1982 vintage…

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Wynns John Riddoch
Wynns chief winemaker Sue Hodder with the John Riddoch line up.

In September 2020Wynns Coonawarra Estate‘s 2016 John Riddoch became the first Australian wine distributed by La Place de Bordeaux.

Beloved in Australia, this famed Cabernet Sauvignon, now reaches a prestigious network of international fine wine buyers and collectors in more than 100 countries.


Scroll down for 14 vintages of Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon



John Riddoch: the pinnacle of Wynns Coonawarra Estate

Updated 07/05/2024 to add additional vintages. Wines are listed in vintage order, with the most recent release first. 


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Dermot Sugrue's bold next step in English winemaking https://www.decanter.com/premium/dermot-sugrues-bold-next-step-in-english-winemaking-530646/ Thu, 30 May 2024 09:07:52 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=530646 Dermot Sugrue

With reviews for the latest releases...

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Dermot Sugrue

It’s lucky that Irish-born Dermot Sugrue thrives on stress. The past few years have been a whirlwind for the supremely talented, Sussex-based winemaker, who has 20 years of experience under his belt with a raft of well-known English winery names.

In that time he has left Wiston Estate, where he worked for 16 years, moved house, got married, had a baby, and then – with investment from Robin Hutson, owner of The Pig hotel group, and actor Hugh Bonneville – built a new winery for the wines he makes under his own Sugrue South Downs label, from several sites his team manage in East and West Sussex.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for Dermot Sugrue’s sparkling wines



Dermot Sugrue wines:


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Six icon wines from Rioja https://www.decanter.com/premium/six-icon-wines-from-rioja-529478/ Tue, 28 May 2024 16:01:34 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=529478 Rioja icon wines
The historic winery of Marqués de Murrieta.

Six Rioja wines that stand the test of time...

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Rioja icon wines
The historic winery of Marqués de Murrieta.

Leaving aside its most traditional meaning as a devotional image of Christ, an icon has come to mean ‘a person or thing serving as a representative symbol’, a symbol that may or may not be worthy of veneration, but certainly merits respect.  I have selected six wines from Rioja that, I feel, meet this criterion. 

The choice was relatively easy, although some very worthy contenders didn’t make the final line-up, including Artadi’s El Pisón, Telmo Rodríguez’s Remelluri and Benjamin Romero’s Contador, as well as several others. I have focused on wines and wineries that lend an historical perspective, and that capture the very best of the notion of tradition in this celebrated DOCa.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for 12 wines from six iconic Rioja wineries



See notes and scores for 12 wines from six iconic Rioja wineries


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Torbreck: profile plus 16 new releases and older vintages from this cult Barossa label https://www.decanter.com/premium/torbreck-profile-and-12-new-wines-from-this-cult-barossa-name-462540/ Sun, 26 May 2024 07:00:29 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=462540 Torbreck

Among Australia's most collectable wines…

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Torbreck

Years ago when interviewing Ian Hongell, he dismissed generic stereotypes about South Australia’s Barossa Valley: ‘it’s not one flat paddock!’ Back then he worked for Peter Lehmann. Today Hongell is chief winemaker and general manager at Torbreck, a winery that shot to fame in the 1990s by cherry-picking the best of that ‘paddock’.

Influential US critic Robert Parker gave rave reviews for Torbreck’s opulent Shiraz-based wines, sourced from select dry-grown, old-vine parcels, vinified in small batches and seamlessly constructed. Parker awarded 100 points to the inaugural 2005 vintage of The Laird, Torbreck’s flagship single-vineyard Shiraz, now among Australia’s most expensive wines.


Scroll down for scores and tasting notes of 16 Torbreck wines



Torbreck: 16 new releases and older vintages tasted and rated


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The Chappellet family and the forging of Napa's Cabernet identity https://www.decanter.com/premium/the-chappellet-family-and-the-forging-of-napas-cabernet-identity-528315/ Thu, 23 May 2024 08:00:37 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=528315 chappellet
Dominic Chappellet in the barrel room at Chappellet Vineyard & Winery

With 10 tasting notes from this renowned estate...

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chappellet
Dominic Chappellet in the barrel room at Chappellet Vineyard & Winery

In the mid-1960s, American businessman Donn Chappellet began doing some soul searching and started to imagine life as a winemaker. He had co-founded Interstate United Corporation, a food services business that, at its apex, employed 8,000 workers and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Then, in 1966, at the age of 34, he sold his shares and moved his family from Los Angeles to a remote part of Napa Valley called Pritchard Hill, which is now home to a bevy of Napa giants, including Bryant Family, Colgin, David Arthur, Continuum, Realm, Ovid and, of course, Chappellet.

Today, Chappellet is regarded as one of Napa Valley’s greatest assets, known for its powerful, structured, mineral-driven and ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignons. Beginning in September 2023, Chappellet has offered stocks of its 2019 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon and 2019 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon wines on La Place de Bordeaux through Les Vins d’Ailleurs, a branch of courtier (broker) Bureau Barre & Touton.


Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 10 Chappellet wines



Cristaldi’s pick: a taste of the Chappellet range


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Best Pauillac 2023 wines tasted en primeur https://www.decanter.com/premium/best-pauillac-2023-wines-tasted-en-primeur-528835/ Mon, 20 May 2024 07:00:26 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=528835 Pauillac en primeur 2023

An in-depth look at the Pauillac en primeur 2023 wines...

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Pauillac en primeur 2023

All Bordeaux 2023 coverage:

Verdict & top-scoring wines | How the weather conditions shaped the vintage | Decoding the yields | Wine styles: what to expect

Appellation analysis

St-Estèphe | St-Julien | Margaux | Pessac-Léognan | St-Emilion | Pomerol | Haut-Médoc | Dry whites  | Top value | Sauternes & Barsac


Pauillac: The best wines showed an extra level of rare opulence

Average yield: 47.1hl/ha
Variance from 2022: +36%


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top Pauillac en primeur 2023 wines



See the top-scoring Pauillac en primeur 2023 wines


Search all 500+ Bordeaux 2023 en primeur ratings published


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Argentina harvest 2024: Another unusual year, but excellent quality https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/argentina-harvest-2024-another-unusual-year-but-excellent-quality-529343/ Wed, 15 May 2024 04:00:41 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=529343 Mendoza
Mendoza vineyards...

The 2024 harvest in Argentina was once again extremely challenging...

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Mendoza
Mendoza vineyards...

Following record low yields for the 2023 harvest, there were high hopes for a stable 2024 vintage in Argentina – but nature had other plans. Erratic weather resulted in one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

The Zonda wind – the hot, dry gale that swoops down from the Andes – took an usual turn from September. Pablo Richardi, winemaker at Flechas de los Andes explains that ‘it wasn’t so much the intensity of the Zonda as its persistence. We had three days of wind when the vines were already vulnerable, with tender buds and leaves. The wind reduced the canopy and dried out plant tissues, making them less productive’.

The weather was cool and dry until mid-January when a heat wave saw temperatures hit 40 degrees, hastening ripening in vineyards all around the country. In some places the heat was so intense that vines shut down.

Low yields, but not as low as 2023

Vines were already fragile going into this tricky season, courtesy of the late spring frosts in the preceding vintage. ‘The 2024 harvest produced more fruit than last year, but it was still 15% below average,’ said Germán Di Césare, chief winemaker at Bodega Trivento.

A cool, dry spring in Mendoza and the rest of Cuyo saw significant snowfall accumulate in the Andes mountains. The subsequent snowmelt swelled rivers to a degree not seen in many years. This is significant in Argentina, where the majority of vineyards rely on irrigation.

Perfect balance

Alejandro Vigil, President of Wines of Argentina and the winemaking director at Catena Zapata, said, ‘The 2024 harvest was quite unusual. Although it was hot overall, we experienced “high lows” rather than extremely “high highs”. As a result, sugars that concentrated during the day were consumed overnight, with acidity retained, providing perfect balance. This vintage is extremely encouraging. The incredible whites and reds from high, cool areas remind me a lot of the extraordinary 2021 vintage.’

‘The incredible whites and reds from high, cool areas remind me a lot of the extraordinary 2021 vintage.’

Mendoza

Di Césare reported, ‘The vineyards all across Mendoza are remarkably healthy. Uco Valley sub-regions had their differences, depending on the impact of the preceding season’s frosts and how the vines bounced back. Overall, we saw low yields but excellent concentration among the reds.’

Pablo Durigutti, winemaker at Durigutti Family Winemakers, added, ‘Micro-frosts reduced yields in Las Compuertas in Luján de Cuyo, but we achieved good concentration and typicity in the Malbec. Cool, rainy days were good for ripening. We are seeing silky tannins and well-defined fruit.’

Richardi said, ‘After the January heatwave we expected an early harvest, but actually we were able to wait for just the right time. The first samples are showing moderate levels of alcohol and gentle, rounded, mellow tannins. Lower yields often mean better quality and I think this will be an excellent year, with easygoing, well-rounded wines.’

San Juan

‘In the Pedernal Valley in San Juan, a cold, dry winter was followed by the wind, impacting yields – but not quality. Both whites and reds, especially Malbec, look promising’, said Paula González, winemaker at Pyros Wines.

High-altitude vineyards

In the Calchaquí Valleys, ‘the changing climate and Zonda reduced yields by about 30%’, reported Alejandro Pepa, oenologist at El Esteco.

Thibaut Delmotte, winemaker at Bodega Colomé, said: ‘Early ripening produced fresh, healthy fruit for white wines and the February and March rains ensured balanced ripening for the reds, promising excellent quality and fantastic aromas.’

Patagonia

Down south in Patagonia, Hans Vinding-Diers, owner of Bodega Noemía, said: ‘The rainy winter and windy spring in Río Negro gave way to a roasting January but the harvest went smoothly. The Pinot Noirs in particular are showing surprising elegance and the Malbec and Cabernets appear to have developed perfectly.’

Juliana del Águila, from Bodega del Fin del Mundo in Neuquén, added, ‘the mild winter followed by a cool summer resulted in really healthy fruit. Yields were lower but we are seeing concentrated aromas, colours and flavours, with moderate to low alcohol. The standouts are the Semillón, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Syrah.’

The 2024 harvest in Argentina was once again extremely challenging. While quantities may be lower than hoped for, quality looks to be extremely high for both white and red wines.


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Walls: Exclusive first taste of M Chapoutier's Sélections Parcellaires 2023 https://www.decanter.com/premium/walls-exclusive-first-taste-of-m-chapoutiers-selections-parcellaires-2023-529202/ Tue, 14 May 2024 08:54:40 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=529202
Michel Chapoutier

What do they tell us about the 2023 vintage...

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Michel Chapoutier

Every year, Michel Chapoutier launches his Rhône single-vineyard wines way before his neighbours, and bang in the middle of the Bordeaux en primeur campaign to boot. You have to admire his chutzpah. Chapoutier never was a shrinking violet, and his wines are just as bold.

I’ll be visiting the Rhône in October this year to taste the 2023 vintage in more detail, working my way through every appellation, both north and south. In the meantime, this tasting always acts as a tantalising scent on the wind, a whisper of what’s to come.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the 2023 Sélections Parcellaires



Matt Walls’ exclusive first taste of M Chapoutier’s Sélections Parcellaires


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First taste: Alvaro Palacios 2023 new releases https://www.decanter.com/premium/palacios-2023-new-releases-528220/ Sat, 11 May 2024 07:00:50 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=528220
The line-up of 2023 new releases from Decendientes J Palacios, as well as library vintages, presented at a tasting in the winery cellar in Bierzo in March 2024.

Alvaro Palacios introduces his 2023 releases and 2021 single vineyard wines...

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The line-up of 2023 new releases from Decendientes J Palacios, as well as library vintages, presented at a tasting in the winery cellar in Bierzo in March 2024.

The en primeur tasting of the Palacios portfolio is an annual highlight for wine lovers and collectors, bringing together top wines from Priorat, Rioja and Bierzo.

This year’s event was held in the atmospheric underground cellar at the spectacular Descendientes de J Palacios (DJP) winery in Bierzo, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores of Palacios’ 2023 new releases, as well as 10 library vintages



See tasting notes and scores for Palacios’ new 2023 releases and museum wines


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Wynns Coonawarra Estate: Producer profile https://www.decanter.com/premium/producer-profile-wynns-coonawarra-estate-388953/ Fri, 10 May 2024 08:30:56 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=388953 Wynns Coonawarra Estate winery
Wynns Coonawarra Estate

The winery that put Coonawarra on the map for wine drinkers in the 1950s...

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Wynns Coonawarra Estate winery
Wynns Coonawarra Estate

Wynns Coonawarra Estate is the undisputed grandaddy of Coonawarra. The winery is the oldest and longest-continuing producer of wine here, owning the cream of the region’s vineyards. Its fame is second to none.

So is the quality of its wines, which under senior winemaker Sue Hodder, has never been better. No wonder Wynns is one of the jewels in the crown of its owner, Treasury Wine Estates, topped only by Penfolds.


Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of new releases and older vintages from Wynns Coonawarra Estate



Wynns Coonawarra Estate: new releases and more…

The following are a selection of tasting notes of the current 2024 releases and older vintages from a number of Decanter contributors. Click here to read about Wynns Coonawarra Estate’s icon Cabernet John Riddoch and tasting notes of 12 vintages


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Regional profile: Champagne's Marne Valley https://www.decanter.com/premium/regional-profile-champagnes-marne-valley-526558/ Tue, 07 May 2024 10:09:09 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=526558 Marne Valley
Vineyards of Famille Moussé in Cuisles.

Magnificent Meunier from the Marne...

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Marne Valley
Vineyards of Famille Moussé in Cuisles.

It is September 2023 in the vineyards of Champagne Christophe Mignon in the village of Leuvrigny. As an early autumn heatwave takes hold, a harvester stops to pick an enormous bunch of grapes, dark purple and pristine.

Snipping the bunch in two, he looks up at me and shrugs his shoulders; beneath the purple exterior is a layer of green, unripe berries. ‘This is 2023!’ he says, with more than a dash of exasperation.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Tom Hewson’s top picks of Marne Valley Champagnes



Tom Hewson’s picks of the best Champagnes from the Marne Valley


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First Taste: Leeuwin Estate Art Series new releases https://www.decanter.com/premium/first-taste-leeuwin-estate-art-series-new-releases-526723/ Sun, 05 May 2024 07:00:20 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=526723 Leeuwin Estate
Leeuwin Estate's Art Series trio.

New releases from one of Margaret River's founding wineries...

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Leeuwin Estate
Leeuwin Estate's Art Series trio.

The name Leeuwin Estate evokes two immediate associations: Chardonnay and quality. Now a third-generation family winery, the Margaret River estate’s vineyards were founded by Denis and Tricia Horgan in the early 1970s, under the guidance and encouragement of Robert Mondavi. The first commercial vintage was 1979 and the Hogans planted the region’s first Chardonnay vines of the Gingin clone from Moondah Brook Vineyard cuttings in 1975.

Under the team of viticulturist John Brocksopp and winemaker Bob Cartwright, the Leeuwin Estate name was quickly catapulted to international recognition when the 1981 vintage of Art Series Chardonnay was ranked top in a blind tasting of global Chardonnay by Decanter. The international acclaim put Leeuwin Estate on the map, as well as the little-known Western Australian wine region called Margaret River.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for seven Leeuwin Estate Art Series wines including two new releases



See notes and scores for seven Leeuwin Estate Art Series wines including two new releases


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Brothers in arms: Champagne Pierre Paillard https://www.decanter.com/premium/brothers-in-arms-champagne-pierre-paillard-527770/ Thu, 02 May 2024 10:18:40 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=527770 Champagne Pierre Paillard
The historic cellars of Pierre Paillard.

The evolving excellence of a family-run Champagne house...

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Champagne Pierre Paillard
The historic cellars of Pierre Paillard.

Champagne’s stories are often told by soloists – the legendary cellar master, the visionary grower, the lone rebel elevating a previously unremarkable village to cult status. It’s a little rare to find not only a genuine double act but, at a time when many of independent Champagne’s established names of the 1980s and 1990s are wondering if the next generation will take on the keys to the cellar, a sibling act.

Antoine and Quentin Paillard are just that, though. It would be easy to assume that Antoine and Quentin’s choice of estate vehicle – their father’s ancient but immaculately maintained Citroen 2CV van – was a spot of kitsch, something for the visitors and the Instagram feed. It quickly becomes clear, though, as we rattle along the chalky vineyard paths, that while there may be more than a touch of nostalgia behind the decision to keep the car they saw their father drive around the village of Bouzy as children – it wouldn’t have survived if it couldn’t do the work.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for 13 Pierre Paillard Champagnes



See notes and scores for 13 Pierre Paillard Champagnes:


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First Taste: Billecart-Salmon's 2012 releases https://www.decanter.com/premium/first-taste-billecart-salmons-2012-releases-527769/ Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:11:07 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=527769 Billecart-Salmon 2012
Billecart-Salmon has launched the 2012 vintage of both the Elisabeth Salmon Rosé and the Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs.

Billecart-Salmon's 2012 shines, from bottle and magnum...

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Billecart-Salmon 2012
Billecart-Salmon has launched the 2012 vintage of both the Elisabeth Salmon Rosé and the Louis Salmon Blanc de Blancs.

Even though 2012 has become one of Champagne’s most celebrated recent vintages, ‘the beginning of the season was horrible,’ says Billecart-Salmon’s president Mathieu Roland-Billecart, ‘frost, hail, mildew, sunburn – we had the lot.’

Yet Roland-Billecart says there was a glimmer of hope: ‘we pulled out a great vintage because, as we say here, “août fait le moût”, or in other words, “August makes the must”.’

The weather in August made good on the early summer chaos, producing small yields of grapes that were unusually concentrated in sugars, aromas and acidity.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Billecart-Salmon’s new 2012 releases



Billecart-Salmon’s 2012 releases tasted and rated:


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By Farr: revered Australian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay https://www.decanter.com/features/by-farr-revered-australian-pinot-noir-and-chardonnay-526549/ Sat, 27 Apr 2024 07:00:50 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=526549 Photo of Nick Farr of By Farr in the vineyard smiling
Nick Farr

A meeting with the enigmatic Nick Farr...

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Photo of Nick Farr of By Farr in the vineyard smiling
Nick Farr

In a small pocket of the far southeastern corner of mainland Australia lies the Moorabool Valley, a lush, cool, undulating oasis etched into a barren, windswept plain about 20 minutes’ drive from the city of Geelong. Once part of the ocean floor, the region was uplifted some 20,000 years ago following millennia of volcanic disruption, resulting in a complex geology of limestone and basalt.

Today, when it comes to capturing this marginal terroir in a bottle, one name stands out: By Farr. Known for disruption of its own, this small-but-mighty producer’s success story is built upon decades of iconoclastic grit, unwavering integrity and fierce determination. ‘I’m never content,’ says Nick Farr, second-generation winemaker and current custodian. ‘I’m always striving for better in the vineyard.’


Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of eight By Farr wines



By Farr: revered Australian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay


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First Taste: Laurent-Perrier's Grand Siècle Les Réserves Itération No. 20 https://www.decanter.com/premium/first-taste-laurent-perriers-grand-siecle-les-reserves-iteration-no-20-518294/ Thu, 25 Apr 2024 08:38:02 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=518294 Grand Siècle Les Réserves

Something special is coming...

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Grand Siècle Les Réserves

For only the second time since the creation of Grand Siècle, Laurent-Perrier has released a long-aged and late-disgorged version of its prestige cuvée. One that has spent 21 years ageing under cork: the Grand Siècle Les Réserves Itération No. 20.

It was in 2021 that Laurent-Perrier finally started revealing the individual vintages behind each of the releases of its prestige cuvée Grand Siècle, the same year that it started numbering each new release, or itération, of this flagship wine.

Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt, granddaughter of the cuvée’s creator, Bernard de Nonancourt, explains why this rare wine will be released in 2024.


Scroll down to see Anne Krebiehl MW’s tasting note and score for Grand Siècle Les Réserves No 20



Anne Krebiehl MW’s tasting note and score for Grand Siècle Les Réserves No. 20


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Walls: Exploring Côtes du Rhône Villages Massif d'Uchaux https://www.decanter.com/premium/walls-exploring-cotes-du-rhone-villages-massif-duchaux-527736/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 09:02:23 +0000 https://www.decanter.com/?p=527736 Massif d'Uchaux

An awful lot of wine is made under the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation. Around 167 million bottles in 2022, to be precise. And while much of this is pretty average, a small proportion transcends the appellation. The greatest of all is Château de Fonsalette. It’s one of the three estates owned by Emmanuel Reynaud. […]

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Massif d'Uchaux

An awful lot of wine is made under the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation. Around 167 million bottles in 2022, to be precise. And while much of this is pretty average, a small proportion transcends the appellation. The greatest of all is Château de Fonsalette.

It’s one of the three estates owned by Emmanuel Reynaud. The most famous of the three is Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. And although Fonsalette is not as well known, the wines are still extremely desirable. Hedonism Wines in London currently sells the 2009 at £580 per bottle.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 22 Massif d’Uchaux wines to try



22 wines to try


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