Immerse yourself in the exquisite refinement of Pomeaux 2018, a harmonious amalgamation of French sophistication and artisan skill. This majestic vintage hails from the heart of France's illustrious Loire Valley, embodying a profound richness associated with the region's celebrated viticulture. Produced meticulously by Thierry Puzelat, a globally recognised vintner, Pomeaux 2018 articulates a unique crafting process that marries traditional cultivation methods with modern winemaking techniques. Each grape is hand-picked, ensuring meticulous selection and authentic, intense flavours.

Imbibers will savour its opulent blend of red and black fruits, embellished with delicate notes of spice and cocoa. Its firm, yet smoothly integrated, tannins underpin an intriguing complexity, promising excellent ageing potential. Pomeaux 2018 is a lusciously well-rounded dessert wine, accentuating the producer's flair for coaxing layered aromatics and well-balanced sweetness. With its alluring depth of character and lush, lingering finish, Pomeaux 2018 stands as a testament to French winemaking prowess. An indulgent treat to enliven your fine wine collection.

Wine Spectator (90)

This fresh, elegant Champagne is harmonious, with a refined mousse and subtle flavors of persimmon, biscuit, golden raisin and chalky mineral.

James Suckling (97)

Grilled bread with flowers, pears and apples. Lots of perfumes. Lavender and some herbs and nutmeg. The palate is tight and solid with fine phenolics and a long, intense finish. Pure and extremely linear and lively. Sophisticated and thought-provoking. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (97)

After 15 years of searching, they have come up with a blend of 85% Bobal and 15% Moravia Agria that they thought worthy of carrying their surname, which is what the new top of the range 2018 Ponce is. It was produced with grapes from a vineyard in Villanueva de la Jara planted with Bobal and Moravia Agria on stony soils with sand and limestone mother rock (tosca). They vinified the two varieties separately and then selected the two 600-liter barrels that showed more elegance and finesse. After fermenting with 100% full clusters and indigenous yeasts, the wine from those barrels was kept longer with the lees in a 4,500-liter oak vat. What came to my mind was Monty Python: "And now for something completely different!" It's only 12.5% alcohol, and the color is surprisingly light, almost like a Trousseau from the Jura. The nose is reticent, insinuating and nuanced, shy rather than showy but with detail and changing by the minute. Wet chalk, flowers, herbs and a smoky/flinty touch develop slowly. The palate reveals great inner strength, energy and light, focused and precise, with beautiful symmetry. There is rusticity, elegance and length, chalky and with an almost salty finish. This has to be the most elegant wine ever produced by Ponce and possibly the most elegant Bobal ... in the world? This is more Burgundian than Rhône. It has all the ingredients and balance to develop nicely and for a long time in bottle. 1,991 bottles were filled in February 2020. There will also be a white Ponce in the future.

Burghound (86-89)

A notably ripe yet attractively fresh nose speaks of both red and dark berries along with soft earth nuances. There is fine volume to the relatively full-bodied flavors that possess a lovely mid-plate texture before concluding in a mildly rustic and warm finish. Still, this is really quite good and worth considering as a quality option for an all-around house red.

Wine Advocate (89-91)

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Charmes has a lovely, well-defined, vibrant bouquet with brambly black and red fruit – blackcurrant pastilles emerging with aeration in the glass. The palate is firm in the mouth with good backbone. Plenty of clean and pure black fruit with dash of black pepper sprinkled lightly on the masculine but long finish. Fine.

Wine Advocate (89-91)

The 2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes was slightly reduced on the nose, but on the palate there feels like a little more depth and extraction compared to Laurent Ponsot’s other 2013 crus with succulent ripe tannins, plenty of blackcurrant and wild strawberry fruit with a dense finish that will require some bottle age. I just like the way this stays true to what one expects from a Chambolle-Musigny, but it does not go that extra mile.

Vinous (88-90)

(this, the Gevrey and the Charmes-Chambertin were the only 2006s that had been racked as of early November) Good full red. Sappy raspberry and cherry aromas show a slightly liqueur-like aspect. Fat and dry, with a red raspberry flavor complicated by notes of iron, smoke and meat. A concentrated, soil-driven wine that's a bit heavy and lacking in high notes for Chambolle. (There's no Morey villages in 2006 as the vines were replaced after the 2005 harvest.)

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2012 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru is tighter and more laconic on the nose compared to the Griotte, which is usual. With a little encouragement there is just a suggestion of brine, something from the deep dark sea. The palate is fresh and vibrant right from the start with fine tannins, very smooth in the mouth with impressive density and weight. This is a vin de garde for sure, with a lovely touch of white pepper lingering on the aftertaste.