Vinous - Antonio Galloni (90)

Bright straw color with delicate bubbles. Intensely perfumed bouquet displays pear skin, nectarine, honeysuckle and citrus zest. Precise and clean on the palate, offering lively citrus fruit flavors and a deeper note of peach pit, this sparkling wine is more an expression of the variety than the process. A floral quality echoes on the long, spicy finish. Given the quality of their fruit, it is understandable why Huet concentrates on this purer kind of sparkling wine rather than the more widespread Champagne method, which masks the flaws of most overcropped chenin blancs harvested by machine in Vouvray.

Vinous (95)

Deep, shimmering violet. Powerful, spice-tinged red and blue fruit preserve and floral pastille aromas are complemented by suggestions of musky earth and licorice. Alluringly sweet and seamless in the mouth, offering sappy, mineral-driven black raspberry, cherry liqueur, lavender and five-spice powder flavors that expand through the back half. Finishes extremely long and nervy, with harmonious tannins building steadily and adding solid grip to reverberating cherry and floral notes.

James Suckling (95)

Racy wild strawberries and raspberries with white pepper, agave and dried herbs. Fresh, medium-bodied palate with silky, refined tannins spreading evenly across the palate. Juicy and bright finish with lovely, herbal allure. Extremely drinkable now, but will hold, too.

James Suckling (95)

Racy wild strawberries and raspberries with white pepper, agave and dried herbs. Fresh, medium-bodied palate with silky, refined tannins spreading evenly across the palate. Juicy and bright finish with lovely, herbal allure. Extremely drinkable now, but will hold, too.

Vinous (93)

The 2021 Morgon Côte du Py, matured in used barrels, has a more complex bouquet than the Corcelette: a melange of red and black fruit, potpourri/lavender, and a faint hint of curry leaf that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a fine backbone considering the growing season. This is very fresh and saline with quite a strict finish. You could attempt this now though I would be intrigued to age this for another two or three years before broaching.

Vinous (93)

Vivid ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, potpourri, earth and smoky minerals. Supple, deeply concentrated and alluringly sweet, offering juicy, spice-kissed raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that slowly turn livelier with air. Delivers an appealing blend of depth and energy and closes with superb clarity and strong persistence, leaving notes of juicy red berries and candied violet behind.

Wine Advocate (95)

Jean-Paul Brun's 66-year-old vines in this prime lieux-dit have yielded a superb 2018 Fleurie Grille-Midi, a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with complex aromas of black raspberries, rose petals, smoked meats and violets. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and satiny, with a bottomless core of concentrated fruit, velvety tannins and ripe acids, concluding with a long and sapid finish. This is a brilliant, age-worthy Fleurie worth special effort to track down.

Wine Advocate (95)

Jean-Paul Brun's 66-year-old vines in this prime lieux-dit have yielded a superb 2018 Fleurie Grille-Midi, a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with complex aromas of black raspberries, rose petals, smoked meats and violets. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and satiny, with a bottomless core of concentrated fruit, velvety tannins and ripe acids, concluding with a long and sapid finish. This is a brilliant, age-worthy Fleurie worth special effort to track down.

Wine Advocate (91)

The 2016 Brouilly Cuvee Vieilles Vignes has a perfumed, floral bouquet with delightful wilted violet and blackcurrant scents, very harmonious and cohesive. The palate is well balanced with succulent tannin; there is a fine backbone here with impressive focus toward the finish. There is just a prickle of white pepper right on the finish. Tighter, more backward than the 2015, this should nevertheless age with style.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2018 Morgon Côte du Py derives from both higher-altitude and lower-lying parcels, and it is a great success this year, offering up a lovely bouquet of dark fruits, cherries, smoked meat and licorice. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with a fleshy and concentrated core, fine girdling tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a long and sapid finish.

Vinous (94)

The 2022 Morgon Côte du Py has an absolutely delightful bouquet. Much more charming than the Corcelette, it shows exquisite delineation with perfumed, mineral-laced red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, very focused with a touch of Indian spice toward the detailed finish. This has a long life ahead. It’s so refined and elegant.

Experience the epitome of Beauijolais grandeur with the Jules Desjourneys Fleurie Chapelle Bois 2020. Produced in the spellbinding vineyards of Fleurie, in the heart of the French Beaujolais region, this exquisite wine is the brainchild of meticulous viticulturist, Fabien Duperray. Employing organic practices in the lush hillside vineyards, Duperray meticulously nurtures Gamay grapes, compromising nothing in the pursuit of impeccable quality. This exquisite Fleurie is aged in Burgundian barrels adding to its complex structure and enhancing the purity of the Gamay fruit.

The Jules Desjourneys Fleurie Chapelle Bois 2020 titillates with a profound bouquet of crushed black cherries, wild berries and spices, underpinned by subtle earthy undertones. On the palate, it boasts a silky yet generous body with a vibrant acidity and mineral-infused finish that elegantly lingers. This remarkable blend showcases the distinctive charm and meticulous craft that Jules Desjourneys wines are renowned for. Truly a quintessential Beaujolais indulgence.

Discover the elegant sophistication of Jules Desjourneys Moulin-a-Vent Styx 2016. Hailing from Burgundy, France, this cherished red wine exemplifies the fine craft of winemaker Fabien Duperray, known for his meticulous old-world techniques and measures to guarantee quality. Drawing from the vineyard's rich granitic soils, Jules Desjourneys Moulin-a-Vent Styx 2016 displays an exquisite synergy of intense berry flavours and a robust mineral structure.

This wine is a sublime result of 100% hand-harvested Gamay grapes, whole-cluster fermented to elegantly preserve the unique character of each bunch. The aging process involves 20 months in well-seasoned oak barrels which contributes to the layers of complexity, adding notes of spice that meld perfectly with the velvety tannins and rich fruit backdrop. The Jules Desjourneys Moulin-a-Vent Styx 2016 promises a wine of great longevity and evolving depth, perfect for enthusiasts of a truly refined vintage.

Wine Advocate (94)

Deep and complete, the 2018 Morgon opens in the glass with notes of cassis, plums, smoked meats and cracked pepper. Medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, it's seamless and beautifully balanced, with powdery tannins and succulent acids. This is another terrific wine from Julien Sunier.

Wine Advocate (91+)

Offering up aromas of dark chocolate, roasting game bird and small wild berries, the 2016 Côte de Brouilly is medium to full-bodied, bright and fleshy, with a crunchy core of fruit, racy acids and a long, chalky finish. Like the Fleurie Clos Vernay, it will demand and reward time in the cellar.

Vinous (91+)

From granite and quartz soils, the 2020 Fleurie La Clos Vernay has a perfumed rose petal scented bouquet with ample red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, quite tensile and steely, broody on the finish. Give this 3-4 years in bottle.

Vinous (90)

The 2020 Fleurie La Joie du Palais comes from a steeper vineyard and is de-stemmed by hand (30% whole bunch). It has an incense scented bouquet, hints of lavender and violet petals. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, quite fleshy in the mouth, more red fruit laced with crushed stone on the finish. Very fine, perhaps a couple of years in bottle required.

James Suckling (97)

What a sensational perfume this Morgon has! So rich and sensual, yet so refined and complete on the enveloping yet delicate palate. Mind-blowing concentration at the breathtakingly long finish that builds to a gigantic climax. Drink or hold.

Blend:
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting notes:
The color is strong with golden yellow reflections. On the nose, the attack is powerful and deep, revealing notes of candied citrus, pineapple and elderflower. On the palate, aromatic complexity, finesse and persistence. The finish is carried by a fresh and delicate wood that gives way to the salinity of the terroir.

Blend:
100% Chenin Blanc
Tasting notes:
Deep nose of verbena and fresh apricot. The fresh and slender mouth stretches with a saline persistence and a slightly brioche finish.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The 2020 Morgon Côte du Py Javernières is brilliant, unwinding in the glass with aromas of wild berries, spices, rose petals, loamy soil and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with impressive reserves of ripe tannin and sapid fruit, it's seamless and lively, concluding with a long, resonant finish. As ever, this is built to age, and it will reward patience, even if its youthful charms are considerable.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Pale smudgy garnet colour (and beautifully simple label). This wine is so pure and gorgeous! But gosh how the price has risen since I bought a case only a few vintages ago. It's a great advertisement for minimal intervention and purity. Direct fruit and not a trace of oak. Long and reverberant. Already drinkable but there is no hurry whatsoever.

Vinous (90)

First harvested in 2014, this 10,000-vine plot was created by basically exploding large blocks of flint with dynamite to obtain a flint-rich vineyard full of large rocks. The result is a creamy, silken 2019 Pouilly-Fumé Barre à Mine that is welcoming; flavor-wise, it's all ground almonds and oyster shell with masses of acidity. There's a firmness on the finish due to the flinty soils, providing upright structure and freshness, but once again, as with other 2019s, the alcohol gets in the way of the finish. An appetizing yet structured wine.

Vinous (93)

Produced from a flint site that needed to be blown up to make the terroir and made from relatively young vines, this is initially a tender and supple style with a whiff of gunsmoke/flint, a taut line of precision that runs through its core, a mere hint of green herbs reminding you that Pouilly is a Sauvignon producer and even a hint of white pepper. It's a powerful style that has an attractive sense of bitterness holding it together. At just 13%, this is wonderfully balanced, aromatic and driven in this vintage. You may even feel this sense of spice that warms the palate, almost like you've had a warming Indian curry - it's not the alcohol but something else - maybe it's the lint. Unique and intriguing.

Vinous (86-88)

The 2019 Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes was reduced by 60% in quantity by frost. A mix of six parcels with 40% whole cluster, it offers quite earthy red berry fruit on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy red fruit, fine grip and sour cherry toward the finish. Give this a year in bottle.