2023 French Wine

France Côtes Catalanes in Rousillon has a lot in common with Spain. Including the grape the Spanish call Cariñena and the French Carignan. This is full of rich, dark, blueberry/blackberry cobbler fruit with a nice... Read More

Pinot Blanc is often the overlooked grape in Alsace, but – especially in these warming times – its ability to hold onto crisp, refreshing, acidity is prized! Done all in tank, this shows pretty scents and flavors of... Read More

Smells great, tastes even better, crazy good price for high quality white Burgundy. That’s really what you need to know here, but we’ll try to give you a little more. It’s from vineyards on the Puligny border... Read More

I certainly didn’t expect to write this, but Sylvain Bzikot’s 2023 village Puligny Montrachet is even better than his outstanding 2022 edition. It’s from several plots of vines above the village of Puligny including... Read More

From the south of France, this is easy-drinking Pinot Noir that will satisfy at table as well as just sipping with a crowd. Dark black and Bing cherry fruit show on the nose and palate with a fine juiciness that lifts the flavor... Read More

There’s a good argument to be made that the best place in the world to make dry Chenin Blanc is Savennieres, on the north side of the Loire river across from Coteaux du Layon (where sweet wines reign). This is a benchmark... Read More

One of the finest values in the shop, this is “the black wine” of Cahors at its most friendly and fun-loving. Around 85% Malbec and 15% Merlot given 18 months in concrete, it’s loaded with juicy black cherry,... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Cabernet Franc has been grown and bottled here since 1813 in a cooler slice of Anjou. The cooler soils and intensive biodynamic farming give consistent freshness even in the face of climate change warmth.... Read More

Lower ABV Ch Marie du Fou wines showcase the traditions of the Mourat family and the tiny region of Fiefs Vendeens at the end of the Loire River as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. A blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon... Read More

Organic/Bio Pure, fresh, flavorful Sancerre grown organically and made all in cool stainless steel. There’s a lot going on here, with swirling aromas and flavors of white grapefruit, lemon, tangerine skin and the traditional... Read More

Lower ABV I certainly wouldn’t try to tell the 2023 Chauveau Pouilly Fume La Charmette apart from a $40+ Sancerre when tasting blind. Not surprising: its from the same Sauvignon Blanc grapes, Kimmeridgian marl and limestone... Read More

Organic/Bio Only 1er Cru for white since 2001, Sous Fretille is on the limestone rich and south-facing lower slopes of a hill next to Corton. Made all in barrel (25% new), it’s a lovely, almost delicate, expression of white... Read More

Lower ABV Burgundy's other white grape shines here in a zesty wine with richness and vibrancy, cut and depth. Aromas and flavors of crunchy pear, white pepper, orange peel and salty stone sing out in a wine that balances roundness... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Jeremie Huchet is making some of the most exciting wines in the western Loire region of Muscadet, including this generous example from vineyards on a hill overlooking the Maine River. It’s from organically... Read More

Lower ABV Melon de Bourgogne grown on schist soils gives more cut, energy and freshness than pure limestone, and schist around 15 inches under the top-soil is the secret to this delicious seafood and sipping white. Green apple,... Read More

Organic/Bio The kind of wine we often call “cheerful.” There’s plenty of substance to the ripe red cherry and redcurrant fruit and a whiff of the wild herb and black olive notes the French call “garigue.”... Read More

Lower ABV Think of Coteaux du Giennois as the front door to Sancerre (technically the “back door” since it’s down river, but that doesn’t sound nearly as good!). The limestone soils here were given over... Read More

In the deep south of Languedoc, growers discovered that flooding their vineyards for 40 days in spring could kill the phylloxera louse, and that's how Ferrandiere still farms it's own-rooted vines just 12 miles from Carcassonne.... Read More

Lower ABV There's a lot going on here if you want to geek out and try to describe it, but the top -line is that it's really good Chenin with a touch of barrel that goes down almost too easily. The flavors of quince, apple,... Read More

From vines north of Sancerre, this is mostly Pinot Noir with a splash of Gamay and while calling it a charming Bistro Pinot is accurate, it undersells the quality here by a fair bit. The cherry and mulberry fruit flavors are dark... Read More

Frank Faugier is a little charismatic, definitely funny, and not terribly serious about anything other than making truly terrific Syrah in Crozes-Hermitage. He worked for Mars in Lyon for a while before coming back to his family's... Read More

Organic/Bio The vineyard’s very steep slope and poor soils want to give highly mineral and structured Chablis, while the root virus that impacts all plantings here naturally suppresses yields and gives deep concentration.... Read More

Organic/Bio The clonally diverse very old vines here are the pride of the estate and are providing cuttings for replanting other vineyards over the next decade or so. You can pretty much smell the vine age here in a nose that’s... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV From the steep slopes of the wandering valley known as Vau de Vey. A wine of fine richness and volume with plenty of stony Chablis minerality and precision. It's delicious right now (although give it... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Not much to add to JancisRobinson.com's glowing 17.5/20 point rave: Certified organic. Fermented in barrel using their proprietary yeast made from their own vineyard. Full natural malo. The wine spends... Read More