France
The vast and diverse wine regions of France, each with its own unique terroirs, grape varieties, and winemaking techniques, are a treasure trove.
In Bordeaux, the birthplace of some of the world's most iconic wines, esteemed vineyards such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Château Haut-Brion produce exceptional red wines, showcasing the art of blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The region is also renowned for its exquisite white wines, with vineyards like Château d'Yquem and Domaine de Chevalier producing legendary sweet wines.
Moving to Burgundy, the vineyards of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, and Domaine Armand Rousseau capture the essence of the region's revered terroir, crafting exquisite red wines from the Pinot Noir grape. Meanwhile, Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Coche-Dury are celebrated for their world-class white wines, predominantly made from Chardonnay.
The Champagne region, known for its sparkling wines, boasts illustrious houses such as Krug, Dom Pérignon, and Moët & Chandon, as well as grower-producers like Pierre Péters and Jacques Selosse. These vineyards create exceptional sparkling wines using the traditional method, offering a symphony of delicate bubbles, elegant flavors, and vibrant acidity.
In the Rhône Valley, iconic vineyards like Chapoutier, E. Guigal, and Château de Beaucastel produce remarkable red wines in the northern appellations of Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Cornas, showcasing the elegance and power of Syrah. Further south, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is celebrated for its rich and full-bodied red blends, with Château Rayas and Clos des Papes leading the way.
In Alsace, vineyards such as Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and omaine Trimbach craft exquisite white wines, including Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris, expressing the region's unique terroir and varietal character.
These are just a few highlights among the diverse array of wines that France offers. From the Loire Valley's crisp whites and elegant reds to the Languedoc-Roussillon's bold and robust wines, each region presents its own vinous treasures.
France
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Vinous (96)
Deep violet color. Displays expansive, oak-spiced dark berry preserve, candied licorice, smoked meat and potpourri aromas with a bright, mineral overtone. The mineral note repeats on the palate, which features vibrant blueberry, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and mocha flavors that slowly open up with aeration. Closes impressively long and smoky, with reverberating minerality and building tannins. 50% new oak.Inc. VAT£379.18 -
Inc. VAT£306.80 -
Wine Advocate (93-95+)
The inky black/blue-colored 2015 Saint Joseph Les Royes from the Courbis team was brought up in one-third each of new, once and twice-used barrels. It offers sensational notes of crème de cassis toasted bread, licorice and pen ink in a massive, rich, concentrated, layered style that is shocking in its depth and richness. It's a crazy good St Joseph.Inc. VAT£475.61 -
Vinous (92)
Good deep red. Slightly roasted red fruits and dried spices on the nose and palate. Sweet, thick and mouthfilling; almost Rhône-like in its ripeness without coming across as heavy. Finishes with noble tannins, excellent length and surprising vinosity.Inc. VAT£1,749.84 -
(6x75cl) 2010Inc. VAT£658.40 -
(6x75cl) 2010Vinous (91)
(these 2010s were bottled in September of 2012): Medium red. Sexy, soil-inflected aromas of raspberry and earth. Smooth, sweet and deep, with lovely juicy acidity and smoky minerality giving lift and shape to the mid-palate. The tannins fade into the fruit on the very pure, persistent finish. Excellent energy here.Inc. VAT£816.80 -
Vinous (92+)
Good bright red. Complex, ripe aromas of raspberry, cherry, iron, minerals, spices, pepper and truffley underbrush. The sweetest, supplest and most refined of these 2011s, offering lovely harmonious acidity to its red fruit, red licorice and mineral flavors. Really coats the mouth and vibrates on the long, firmly tannic finish, which features a late burst of ripe but lively red fruits. Winemaker Yves Confuron says the 2011s here have similar precision to the 2010s but more middle, although he believes that the wines have shut down following the September 2013 bottling.Inc. VAT£762.72 -
(6x75cl) 2012Tim Atkin MW (96)
The fact that Yves Confuron manages to make such impressive wines at this Pommard domaine, while also running his own family estate makes you wonder at his levels of energy. This is typically aromatic and spicy, with evident whole bunch characters on the nose and palate. It's also a very ethereal Pommard, with fine tannins and a focused, mineral finish. The tannins are there, but they support rather than dominate the wine.Inc. VAT£782.44 -
(6x75cl) 2017Decanter (94)
Big, bold, ferrous and rich, this is true to the domaine's aim to produce serious, slightly forbidding wines that take a long time to soften in bottle. Blood, iron and a butcher's shop full of guts and fresh meat, this needs a decade but will reward your patience.Inc. VAT£750.72 -
Vinous (87-90)
Very good dark red. Reduced aromas of redcurrant and mocha. Rich and savory, with lively red fruit flavors complicated by spicy and meaty nuances. This nicely dense wine really spreads out to coat the palate. Finishes with dusty, late-arriving tannins and very good length.Inc. VAT£765.20 -
Vinous (93)
Glass-staining ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, vanilla and smoky minerals, plus a sexy floral note in the background. Gently sweet and expansive on the palate, offering supple blackberry and cherry compote flavors that show sharp clarity and very good depth. Seamless and focused on the persistent, smoke-tinged finish, with velvety tannins providing framework. 20% new oak.Inc. VAT£398.81 -
Vinous (94)
Deep ruby. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities, along with smoky mineral and botanical herb nuances. Sweet and seamless in texture, offering intense cherry-cola, blueberry and violet pastille flavors that are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Supple, fine-grained tannins build steadily on an impressively long, focused finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes. The average age of these vines is approaching 75 years now.Inc. VAT£398.81 -
(12x75cl) 2015Jeb Dunnuck (96-98)
Coming from a selection of Granite terroirs and aged all in new oak, the 2015 Saint Joseph Sensonne offers an incredibly pure, silky style as well as pedal-to-the-metal aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, toasted spice, violets and incense. It's a big, rich, concentrated beauty that's already approachable given its fruit, yet has the depth, balance and purity to keep for two decades.Inc. VAT£611.95 -
(24x37.5cl) 2016Vinous (91)
Brilliant violet color. Lively, mineral-tinged aromas of fresh cherry and dark berries, smoky minerals and violet. Smooth, sappy and energetic in the mouth, offering gently sweet black raspberry, floral pastille and allspice flavors and a zesty touch of cracked pepper. Shows very good clarity and spicy cut on the floral-tinged finish, which is framed by gentle, harmonious tannins.Inc. VAT£393.67 -
Vinous (92)
Deep, brilliant magenta. An expressive bouquet displays mineral-accented red and blue fruits, along with subtle white pepper, peony and allspice flourishes. Juicy and penetrating in the mouth, offering lively cherry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that turn sweeter with air. Closes with subtle tannins and persistent red berry and mineral notes. Raised in large, neutral oak barrels.Inc. VAT£304.01 -
An exquisite oil painting of the liquor world, Courvoisier Cognac Fine Champagne Limoges Napoleon NV is an exceptional example of cognac craftsmanship. Expertly blended in the Courvoisier house, situated in the town of Jarnac in the Charente region of France, this esteemed spirit combines both Grande and Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie, qualifying it as a 'Fine Champagne' cognac.
Bearing the difference between its predecessor Napoleon, non-vintage (NV), makes this an affordable luxury. The production process involves distillation in traditional Charentais copper pot stills and long maturation in Limousin oak casks, resulting in a flavour profile that boasts rich, earthy tones of cocoa, coffee, and hazelnut, rounded-off by a satisfyingly lengthy finish.
The bottle, designed in a classic decanter style, features an elegant porcelain casing by Limoges, renowned for their opulent porcelain artistry. Savour the Courvoisier Cognac Fine Champagne Limoges Napoleon NV, a truly extraordinary cognac- a testament to French savoir-faire.
Inc. VAT£838.63 -
(12x75cl) 2011Inc. VAT£573.10 -
(1x75cl) 2011Inc. VAT£91.46 -
(12x75cl) 2016Inc. VAT£486.29 -
(6x75cl) 2017Inc. VAT£351.40 -
(12x75cl) 2019Inc. VAT£495.85 -
Inc. VAT£273.12 -
Inc. VAT£218.52 -
(6x75cl) 2023Vinous - Neal Martin (94)
The 2023 Coutet has a fresh and quite saline bouquet with yellow plum, sea spray and quince scents that unfold with time. The palate is well balanced with a very harmonious and mellifluous opening, a killer line of Coutet's signature acidity that imparts superb mineralité on the finish. Wonderful.Inc. VAT£264.80 -
(1x75cl) 1955Inc. VAT£396.25 -
(12x75cl) 2004Inc. VAT£580.30 -
Wine Spectator (95)
Offers fascinating aromas of cooked apple, clove and honey that follow through to a full body, with superlively acidity and spicy blanched almond and honey character on the palate. Long and powerful, showing amazing botrytis character, with so much spice and richness, yet also freshness. Even better than the superb 2006. Best after 2015. -JSInc. VAT£585.84 -
Wine Advocate (92)
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very floral, exuberant bouquet with white peach and grapefruit soaring from the glass. It is very pure and vivacious. The palate is harmonious with what feels like more sucrosity than on previous occasions. It is not viscous in texture, suggesting high acidity to slice through all that sweetness (a typical Coutet trait, as it turns out.) The finish displays touches of ginger and dried orange rind that linger nicely in the mouth, although the general impression is that it needs several years to “calm down.” Tasted January 2012.Inc. VAT£458.64 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2010 Coutet has quite an intense bouquet with linseed oil and wax resin infusing the dried honey aromas, then orange pith and a touch of saffron. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. Harmonious and extremely well focused, this conveys a sense of energy on the finish that makes you want to return for another sip. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Inc. VAT£574.30 -
(1x75cl) 2010Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2010 Coutet has quite an intense bouquet with linseed oil and wax resin infusing the dried honey aromas, then orange pith and a touch of saffron. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. Harmonious and extremely well focused, this conveys a sense of energy on the finish that makes you want to return for another sip. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Inc. VAT£111.20
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Vinous (96)
Deep violet color. Displays expansive, oak-spiced dark berry preserve, candied licorice, smoked meat and potpourri aromas with a bright, mineral overtone. The mineral note repeats on the palate, which features vibrant blueberry, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and mocha flavors that slowly open up with aeration. Closes impressively long and smoky, with reverberating minerality and building tannins. 50% new oak.In Bond£296.00 -
In Bond£235.00
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Wine Advocate (93-95+)
The inky black/blue-colored 2015 Saint Joseph Les Royes from the Courbis team was brought up in one-third each of new, once and twice-used barrels. It offers sensational notes of crème de cassis toasted bread, licorice and pen ink in a massive, rich, concentrated, layered style that is shocking in its depth and richness. It's a crazy good St Joseph.In Bond£355.00 -
Vinous (92)
Good deep red. Slightly roasted red fruits and dried spices on the nose and palate. Sweet, thick and mouthfilling; almost Rhône-like in its ripeness without coming across as heavy. Finishes with noble tannins, excellent length and surprising vinosity.In Bond£1,421.00 -
(6x75cl) 2010In Bond£528.00
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(6x75cl) 2010
Vinous (91)
(these 2010s were bottled in September of 2012): Medium red. Sexy, soil-inflected aromas of raspberry and earth. Smooth, sweet and deep, with lovely juicy acidity and smoky minerality giving lift and shape to the mid-palate. The tannins fade into the fruit on the very pure, persistent finish. Excellent energy here.In Bond£660.00 -
Vinous (92+)
Good bright red. Complex, ripe aromas of raspberry, cherry, iron, minerals, spices, pepper and truffley underbrush. The sweetest, supplest and most refined of these 2011s, offering lovely harmonious acidity to its red fruit, red licorice and mineral flavors. Really coats the mouth and vibrates on the long, firmly tannic finish, which features a late burst of ripe but lively red fruits. Winemaker Yves Confuron says the 2011s here have similar precision to the 2010s but more middle, although he believes that the wines have shut down following the September 2013 bottling.In Bond£617.00 -
(6x75cl) 2012
Tim Atkin MW (96)
The fact that Yves Confuron manages to make such impressive wines at this Pommard domaine, while also running his own family estate makes you wonder at his levels of energy. This is typically aromatic and spicy, with evident whole bunch characters on the nose and palate. It's also a very ethereal Pommard, with fine tannins and a focused, mineral finish. The tannins are there, but they support rather than dominate the wine.In Bond£636.00 -
(6x75cl) 2017
Decanter (94)
Big, bold, ferrous and rich, this is true to the domaine's aim to produce serious, slightly forbidding wines that take a long time to soften in bottle. Blood, iron and a butcher's shop full of guts and fresh meat, this needs a decade but will reward your patience.In Bond£607.00 -
Vinous (87-90)
Very good dark red. Reduced aromas of redcurrant and mocha. Rich and savory, with lively red fruit flavors complicated by spicy and meaty nuances. This nicely dense wine really spreads out to coat the palate. Finishes with dusty, late-arriving tannins and very good length.In Bond£617.00 -
Vinous (93)
Glass-staining ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, vanilla and smoky minerals, plus a sexy floral note in the background. Gently sweet and expansive on the palate, offering supple blackberry and cherry compote flavors that show sharp clarity and very good depth. Seamless and focused on the persistent, smoke-tinged finish, with velvety tannins providing framework. 20% new oak.In Bond£291.00 -
Vinous (94)
Deep ruby. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities, along with smoky mineral and botanical herb nuances. Sweet and seamless in texture, offering intense cherry-cola, blueberry and violet pastille flavors that are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Supple, fine-grained tannins build steadily on an impressively long, focused finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes. The average age of these vines is approaching 75 years now.In Bond£291.00 -
(12x75cl) 2015
Jeb Dunnuck (96-98)
Coming from a selection of Granite terroirs and aged all in new oak, the 2015 Saint Joseph Sensonne offers an incredibly pure, silky style as well as pedal-to-the-metal aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, toasted spice, violets and incense. It's a big, rich, concentrated beauty that's already approachable given its fruit, yet has the depth, balance and purity to keep for two decades.In Bond£470.00 -
(24x37.5cl) 2016
Vinous (91)
Brilliant violet color. Lively, mineral-tinged aromas of fresh cherry and dark berries, smoky minerals and violet. Smooth, sappy and energetic in the mouth, offering gently sweet black raspberry, floral pastille and allspice flavors and a zesty touch of cracked pepper. Shows very good clarity and spicy cut on the floral-tinged finish, which is framed by gentle, harmonious tannins.In Bond£296.00 -
Vinous (92)
Deep, brilliant magenta. An expressive bouquet displays mineral-accented red and blue fruits, along with subtle white pepper, peony and allspice flourishes. Juicy and penetrating in the mouth, offering lively cherry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that turn sweeter with air. Closes with subtle tannins and persistent red berry and mineral notes. Raised in large, neutral oak barrels.In Bond£212.00 -
An exquisite oil painting of the liquor world, Courvoisier Cognac Fine Champagne Limoges Napoleon NV is an exceptional example of cognac craftsmanship. Expertly blended in the Courvoisier house, situated in the town of Jarnac in the Charente region of France, this esteemed spirit combines both Grande and Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie, qualifying it as a 'Fine Champagne' cognac.
Bearing the difference between its predecessor Napoleon, non-vintage (NV), makes this an affordable luxury. The production process involves distillation in traditional Charentais copper pot stills and long maturation in Limousin oak casks, resulting in a flavour profile that boasts rich, earthy tones of cocoa, coffee, and hazelnut, rounded-off by a satisfyingly lengthy finish.
The bottle, designed in a classic decanter style, features an elegant porcelain casing by Limoges, renowned for their opulent porcelain artistry. Savour the Courvoisier Cognac Fine Champagne Limoges Napoleon NV, a truly extraordinary cognac- a testament to French savoir-faire.
In Bond£685.57 -
(12x75cl) 2011In Bond£439.00
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(1x75cl) 2011In Bond£73.00
-
(12x75cl) 2016In Bond£368.04
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(6x75cl) 2017In Bond£274.23
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(12x75cl) 2019In Bond£377.32
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In Bond£209.00
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In Bond£163.50
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(6x75cl) 2023
Vinous - Neal Martin (94)
The 2023 Coutet has a fresh and quite saline bouquet with yellow plum, sea spray and quince scents that unfold with time. The palate is well balanced with a very harmonious and mellifluous opening, a killer line of Coutet's signature acidity that imparts superb mineralité on the finish. Wonderful.In Bond£200.00 -
(1x75cl) 1955In Bond£327.00
-
(12x75cl) 2004In Bond£445.00
-
Wine Spectator (95)
Offers fascinating aromas of cooked apple, clove and honey that follow through to a full body, with superlively acidity and spicy blanched almond and honey character on the palate. Long and powerful, showing amazing botrytis character, with so much spice and richness, yet also freshness. Even better than the superb 2006. Best after 2015. -JSIn Bond£451.00 -
Wine Advocate (92)
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very floral, exuberant bouquet with white peach and grapefruit soaring from the glass. It is very pure and vivacious. The palate is harmonious with what feels like more sucrosity than on previous occasions. It is not viscous in texture, suggesting high acidity to slice through all that sweetness (a typical Coutet trait, as it turns out.) The finish displays touches of ginger and dried orange rind that linger nicely in the mouth, although the general impression is that it needs several years to “calm down.” Tasted January 2012.In Bond£345.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2010 Coutet has quite an intense bouquet with linseed oil and wax resin infusing the dried honey aromas, then orange pith and a touch of saffron. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. Harmonious and extremely well focused, this conveys a sense of energy on the finish that makes you want to return for another sip. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.In Bond£440.00 -
(1x75cl) 2010
Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2010 Coutet has quite an intense bouquet with linseed oil and wax resin infusing the dried honey aromas, then orange pith and a touch of saffron. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. Harmonious and extremely well focused, this conveys a sense of energy on the finish that makes you want to return for another sip. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.In Bond£90.00
