The Belargus Anjou Quarts 2020 is an exquisite manifestation of the French viticulture traditions. Crafted in the historical Loire Valley, this seductive wine exhibits aromatic complexity and dynamic vivacity. It is a pure expression of the Anjou terroir, where each vine is nourished by the diverse soil composition of quartz and schist. Belargus, recognised globally, is renowned for producing distinctive wines of incomparable quality.

This 2020 vintage is made from 100% Chenin Blanc – revered for the intense honeyed floral and apple notes it imparts into the wine. Elaborated by organic winemaking methods, Belargus Anjou Quarts 2020 portrays an enthralling balance between acidity and sweetness. Its golden hue and rich texture resonate with the meticulous care and time-honoured technique devoted to its creation.

Belargus Anjou Quarts 2020 is a testament to the winemaker's commitment to sustainable methods and pure, keen attention to detail. It is truly a connoisseur's delight.

Vinous (96)

The ripeness of the 2018 vintage gives an almost Syrah/Viognier character to the Chinon La Croix Boissée, which offers sweet black fruit and a creamy apricot note. Sumptuous yet never ever opulent, it's almost as if the wine's just done a yoga class. Plentiful tannins give the inside of your cheeks a chalky rub, while there's surprising freshness considering the ripeness, leading to a lengthy finish. This is a baby that will turn out to be a great adult.

Vinous (95-97)

Just outside the village, Clos Guillot sits on a slope on clay over limestone. The 2019 Chinon is a serious barrel sample that melts in your mouth with its silken texture. No crushing, very little remontage and a year in used barrels all lend a very gentle touch. The tannins build gradually, coating the mouth with the finest of chalky textures. Excellent acidity keeps things fresh through the finish.

Exuding grace and sophistication, the Butte Bourgueil Mi Pente 2014 is an exquisite testament to traditional French winemaking. Allied with the finest Cabernet Franc grapes handpicked from the sun-kissed hills of Bourgueil in the Loire Valley, this wine is a marvel of nature and human ingenuity. Accurate craftsmanship by the astute vintner produces its signature medium-bodied elegance accompanied by intriguingly complex flavours.

Following the classic Bourgueil style, it is carefully aged for up to 24 months in wooden oak barrels to craft a remarkable bouquet providing a harmonious blend of rich dark fruits and an underlying subtly of earthy undertones. Finely balanced acidity and supple tannins add to its impressively long finish, promising prolonged pleasure.

Butte Bourgueil Mi Pente 2014 indeed captures the essence of the region and the unrivalled skills of its producer. A distinguished selection, it caters to the sophisticated palate of the discerning, experienced wine aficionado.

James Suckling (100)

What a stunning nose of crushed berries, fresh flowers, sandalwood and light vineyard dust. Black olives, too. Very complex. Full-bodied with a beautiful, dense palate of blackberries, chocolate, walnuts and cigar box. Fantastic length and composure. The tannin just rolls over the palate. Very structured. The most classically structured wine ever from here. Goes on for minutes. Outrageous and so polished. A blend of 48% carmenere, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (98)

So aromatic and fresh with dried flowers, sweet tobacco and hints of straw. Red fruit, cloves and green peppercorns. Medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins that are very fresh and refined. Fine, silky and beautiful. Hints of minerals and granite to the dark fruit. Such gorgeous length and beauty. 64% carmenere, 18% cabernet franc and 18% merlot. Extremely long and poised. Cooler wine. From biodynamically grown grapes. Delicious to drink already, but another three to four years will make it even better.

Experience the remarkable Chateau d'Avrille Coteaux de l'Aubance 1989, a manifestation of an exceptional vintage year. This distinct wine from the famed Loire Valley in France boasts the distinctive offering from Chateau d'Avrille, a testament to their meticulous approach to viniculture.

Produced in the small and specialised Coteaux de l'Aubance region, this luscious golden-hued dessert wine is steeped in tradition. The grapes are selectively hand-picked, ensuring only the ripest become part of this tasteful blend. Fermentation in traditional oak barrels develops an exquisite, complex taste.

Renowned for its balance, the Chateau d'Avrille Coteaux de l'Aubance 1989 offers myriad flavours of candied fruit, honey, and gentle spices. Artfully matured for over three decades, it sings a rich, haunting melody on the palate. A classic embodiment of a fine dessert wine, this bottle encapsulates the prestigious history of the Chateau d'Avrille estate.

Wine Advocate (93)

Beautifully fresh in its purple color, the 2015 Anjou Cabernet Franc opens with ripe and fleshy cherry fruit on the nose. On the palate, this is a highly elegant, finessed and concentrated red with crunchy but ripe tannins and refreshing mineral acidity that leads to a long and linear finish. This is a concentrated and elegant Cabernet Franc with remarkable finesse. I'd keep it for another couple of years, though, and then you can surely enjoy it for up to two or more decades.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2016 Anjou Violette is deep, intense, very pure and elegant on the harmonious nose, with perfectly ripe dark and red berry aromas (blackcurrant) intertwined with floral aromas. Silky, finessed and fresh on the palate, this is a very delicate and charming blend of Cab Franc (two-thirds 45-year-old vines) and Cab Sauvignon (one-third 65-year-old vines) with perfectly ripe, concentrated but juicy fruit, a velvety and concentrated texture, very fine and crunchy tannins and enormous intensity, thanks to the low-yielding Cabernets. This is a beautifully finessed and silky-textured Anjou that reveals its concentration and depth only on the finish. The wine was aged in barrels for 18 months and then spent another six months in vat. Bottled in April 2017.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

It’s not just because I’ve visited this spectacular site that I love the Malbec it produces, although that helps. This really is one of the great wines of the world, with amazing perfume of wild herbs and white pepper, layers of red and dark berry fruit, stylish oak, filigree tannins and a finish that lingers on the palate.

Vinous (93)

The 2019 Pouilly Fumé Silex shows an initial tenderness, sitting quietly and not shouting that it's made it into your glass. This is a wine that has its act together, feeling integrated and balanced with plentiful concentration and a savory long finish. A delicate dill note, which is a characteristic of oaked Sauvignon peeks out amid the hush.

Vinous (93-94)

While this was a warm season leading to richness in many wines from the region, the Silex 2020 shows ripe fruit, but there's no sense of being overblown. The fine line that races through many wines relying on flint-based parcels is there, carrying the nectarine and oak-derived vanilla flavors, but its influence never tips into austerity nor firmness. There's a sense of tenderness that runs through its core while remaining light in body.

James Suckling (99)

Fantastic aromas of blackcurrants and other dark fruit with crushed stone, iron and oysters, following through to a full body that shows incredible energy and depth, offering ripe yet fresh fruit, together with bright herbs and earth. Precision and balance of the intensity of the vintage. Layered. Perhaps the greatest Don Melchor ever made. Try after 2022.

James Suckling (100)

This is amazing. The vibrancy and energy in this wine is stunning. The complexity of aromas are breathtaking with flowers, blackcurrants, raspberries and peaches. Full-bodied, yet ever so refined and polished with impeccable texture and beauty. The length is marvelous. This is a testimony to balance, harmony and transparency in a great red. Drink after 2023.

James Suckling (98)

Very perfumed and aromatic with blackcurrant, sweet-tobacco and Spanish-cedar character. Full-bodied with ultra fine tannins that build on the palate and take the fruit and other flavors to an endless finish. More refined than the perfect 2018 and almost as compelling. Drink in 2023 or after.

James Suckling (97)

Deep and serious with black olives, blackberries, blueberries, tobacco leaf, sweet red capsicum, ash, dried meat and a hint of black chocolate. This is a more direct, full-bodied Don Melchor, filled with solid blackberries and wrapped by tight, fine-grained tannins. Long and deep. 92% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc, 1% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Better after 2024.

Vinous (98)

The 2016 Sancerre Clos La Néore is almost Riesling-like in its firm yet fine personality, its unswerving purity and its clear translation of place. Don't expect a seductive Sancerre, this is dry and steely with an appealing bitterness making for a very grown up white wine. It's starting to show early signs of development in its light almond/lanolin character alongside lemon tea. It offers exceptional concentration while being light bodied and provides a steely core of acidity, keeping the wine together and powering on. If you have any in your cellar, I can make myself available for dinner.

Crafted by esteemed winemaker Edmond Vatan, the Sancerre Clos La Neore 2017 is a fine example of terroir-driven vinification. Produced in the heart of France's Loire valley, it's one of the last remaining single plots of Sancerre, offering unrivalled purity and typicity of the region.

The Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos La Neore 2017 demonstrates an exquisite balance of ripe fruit, minerality, and palate-gripping acidity. Hand-harvested from vines averaging 50-years-old on Kimmeridgian marl soils, this prestigious Sauvignon Blanc ferments naturally in old wooden foudres to enhance its inherent complexity.

With a limited production, the wine reveals a striking, crystal-clear golden hue alongside an aromatic profile of citrus zest, ripe apple, and flinty undertones. It's exceptionally layered, showing vibrant fruit, precise acid, and a lingering finish. Best consumed after carefully decanting, Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos La Neore 2017 is a sought-after vintage deserving of a place in the cellars of discerning neophytes and seasoned collectors alike.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

This incredible, isolated site produces one of my favourite Malbecs, not just in the north but also in the whole of Argentina. Pepper, savoury and intense, with expertly handled second and third-use oak, suave tannins, notes of bramble and red berry fruit and long, balanced, nuanced finish. Superb winemaking. 2022-31

Tim Atkin MW (97)

Now striding into its fourth vintage, Alto Los Cuises is a brilliant Malbec from a unique site of bush vines on rocky soils. Fermented with some whole bunches, it’s a red that’s partly inspired by the wines of Burgundy, with sappy, floral white pepper and raspberry flavours, fresh acidity and the faintest hint of wood spice.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Given the price of some Chilean icons these days, Coyam remains one of the best value reds in the country, right up there with the country's top red blends. Based on Syrah and Carmenère with the remaining 19% made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Malbec, Carignan, Tempranillo and Mourvèdre, this is wonderfully detailed and complex. Racy and mineral, with scented oak, mint, wild herb and sweet spice undertones and a core of inky damson and black cherry fruit. 2022-30

Vinous (96)

The 2020 Coyam is a blend of 38% Syrah, 37% Carménère, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carignan, 4% Garnacha, 4% Mourvèdre, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec and 1% Tempranillo from the Los Robles vineyard in Colchagua. It was aged for 18 months, 75% in barrels and the rest in foudres and eggs. A rich purple in the glass. The complex nose features nuanced aromas ranging from blackberry to blueberry and currant with hints of cedar and spice. In the mouth, it’s juicy with a grippy texture and delicate, concentrated but relaxed tannins before the lengthy finish. It seems that the healthy biodynamic vineyard was able to withstand the warmth of 2020. An extremely well-made wine that handled the conditions with aplomb.

James Suckling (98)

This shows superb finesse and balance with wonderful, harmonious fruit and tannin tones that give the wine purity and focus. Dried spices, blackberries, walnuts and tile. Deep, contained structure with pure, fine tannins. The finish is incredible and goes on for minutes. A blend of 56% syrah, 31% carmenere, and 13% cabernet sauvignon. From biodynamically grown grapes. One for the cellar. Better after 2022, but already fantastic.

James Suckling (98)

A complex nose of blackberry, plum, mocha, cigar box, graphite and spice. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins. Creamy-textured and structured with a juicy core. Pure with a velvety texture on the palate, which is layered and balanced and leads to a flavorful finish that lasts over and over. Spicy on the finish with cloves and black pepper. Grilled meat, too. A blend of 52% syrah, 34% carmenere and 14% cabernet sauvignon. From biodynamically grown grapes. Vegan. Try in 2023.

Wine Advocate (99)

After 20 harvests comes their first Cru, the 2018 Cru Truquilemu, which they describe as "Truqui with more stuffing." It comes from a small triangular section with a lower natural yield, with greater concentration and a darker, more brooding personality. It was fermented with more stems than the other Truquilemu and with a bit of Syrah, which adds weight, depth and texture. After fermenting pieces of the vineyard separately over many years, two distinct personalities emerged, and they have bottled them separately since 2018. Truquilemu has become more ethereal after the separation, and this is sturdier, with extra stuffing but more tension. The wine has less alcohol (12.8%, and 12.5% in 2019!!) higher acidity (7.43 grams measured in tartaric acid) and an incredible pH of 3.18, amazing parameters of freshness and restraint. This is not heavier, it just seems to have the same personality but with more layers. It was produced in a very simple and slow way, fermenting in open-top lagars with some full clusters and adding lignified stems to avoid carbonic maceration, with indigenous yeasts; malolactic took 11 months (!), and the aging in used and neutral barrel was extended over two winters. For the 2018 vintage, they filled 3,449 bottles in January 2020.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2019 Cru Truquilemu has even lower alcohol (12.5%) but a little less acidity and higher pH than the 2018. This Cariñena field blend comes from a section of the old Truquilemu vineyard that they have been vinifying for 20 years now and is cultivated with a combination of original methods of cultivating the old vines—i.e., farmed by hand and horse, accompanied by the lens, analysis and scientific ideas of Professor Alvaro Peña [Garage partner] and their in-house PhD in viticulture. This is the fruit of precise focus on small pieces of the vineyard, fermented separately in open-top 1,500- and 2,500-kilo lagar fermenters, using punch-downs and more full clusters and stems than in the regular Truquilemu. They use first-class barrels that are third-use or older and age the wines slowly over two winters, but the wines never have any notes from the wood—the barrels act as neutral containers that allow the wines to breath and develop. The 2018 feels a little more complete than this, which is still amazing. 4,229 bottles were filled in January 2021.

Wine Advocate (92)

There's more and more information on the bottle of the wines, and the 2020 Old Vine Pale now mentions rosé(!) Truquilemu Vineyard Half a hectare and DO Empedrado, an appellation in Maule. All of their labels are so very informative, fun and amusing, and reading them makes you want to drink the wine and even know and support his peasant farmers. And on this 2020, it says Cariñena Monastrell instead of the Cariñena Mataró from previous vintages. But what he told me was even better, "The world has grown up, and the proper rosé category now includes some wonderful darker rosés—including this one, exported to 10 countries. We still think it’s best described: 'first glass of a long lunch' because it makes one hungry like few wines can." Enough said! 3,812 bottles.

Wine Advocate (98)

In 2018, they bottled three Cariñena-based wines from Truquilemu in Empedrado (now a DO) in Maule. The 2018 Truquilemu Vineyard, they reckon, is more focused, sultry and ethereal than ever. It comes from 1.3 hectares and fermented with more full clusters and with a dash of Syrah (around 4%) in the field blend. By taking away the part bottled as Cru Truquilemu, this has become more ethereal. The 2018, an extraordinary vintage, has less alcohol (12.8%), more flavor and, most of all, greater depth with more layers that open up with time in the glass. These wines are as much abut texture and mouthfeel as aromas and flavors, incredibly fine-grained and titillating with lots of light and energy. This is the evolution of a wine produced in the past with slightly different names, with lots 77, 67, 57 and 47. 10,127 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020 and marked with lot #97.

Wine Advocate (99)

There are three Carignan/Cariñena wines from the same vineyard in Truquilemu in 2018, and the 2018 Vigno comes from a section further down along the creek where there's terrific drainage and thus low yield and concentration. It's Carignan with smidgens of País and Monastrell in the field blend, the grapes grown by a mall farmer by hand and horse with traditional methods of dry-farming, uncertified organic for 75+ years. Like all the rest, it fermented in open-top vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used barrels over two winters. None of these wines are about the process, they are about the place and the year. In 2018, the wine finished with 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.2 and seven grams of acidity, parameters that talk about a wine with moderate ripeness and vibrant freshness, from a cooler year in a cool part of Maule. 3,336 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020.