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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Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-93)
A surprising degree of green to the colour. A light but fine bouquet, all quite discreet, then rather more fruit intensity on the palate, quite linear but not without a little flesh on the bones. Apples washed with lime. Fine and elegant finish. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted: October 2023.HK$7,495.00 -
(6x150cl) 2010Vinous (94+)
Bright, pale yellow-straw color. Musky, reticent aromas of citrus peel, vanilla and white flowers. Chewy and perfumed in the mouth; not yet as thick as the Champ-Canet but sappy and energetic, showing a captivating note of white rose and lovely mineral cut. This tightly coiled, saline wine also boasts terrific length but is very young.HK$25,220.00 -
(6x150cl) 2011Vinous (93+)
The 2011 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes is by far the most closed, unyielding of the wines in this range. Today, it is all about power. The expression of fruit is huge on the palate, but it is going to be a few years before all the elements come together in the glass. Readers who enjoy rich, powerful whites will find much to like here, once the wine settles down a bit. Patience is key.HK$19,325.00 -
(1x75cl) 2016Burghound (94)
Vestiges of post-bottling sulfur don't completely mask the otherwise elegant citrus, white pear and acacia blossom aromas. The detailed, intense and concentrated medium weight plus flavors possess excellent drive on the refined, pure and strikingly long finish. As is often the case, this classy effort takes best in show for the Sauzet 1ers in 2016.HK$1,840.00 -
Vinous (93-95)
The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet les Combettes 1er Cru comes from a single parcel of vines that abuts the Meursault Charmes of Comtes Lafon over the border. It has a strict bouquet of well defined crushed stone aromas, hints of orange blossom surfacing with time in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a lightly spiced opening. Impressive weight in the mouth here. The pithy, stone fruit finish leaves a dash of ginger on the aftertaste. This is an excellent Les Combettes.HK$15,055.00 -
(1x75cl) 2020Wine Advocate (94)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is excellent, offering up aromas of stone fruits, pear, pastry cream, white flowers and fresh croissants, followed by a full-bodied, rich and textural palate, with a broad attack that segues into a layered, multidimensional palate. Powerful and broad shouldered, but nicely balanced, this is a compelling wine from Sauzet.HK$1,760.00 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is excellent, offering up aromas of stone fruits, pear, pastry cream, white flowers and fresh croissants, followed by a full-bodied, rich and textural palate, with a broad attack that segues into a layered, multidimensional palate. Powerful and broad shouldered, but nicely balanced, this is a compelling wine from Sauzet.HK$15,315.00 -
Burghound (93-95)
Sweet Spot Outstanding. Firm reduction completely overshadows the fruit. Otherwise, there is excellent volume to the seductively textured medium weight flavors that exude plenty of minerality that adds lift to the succulent, balanced and gorgeously persistent bitter lemon-tinged finish that goes on and on. This isn't quite as concentrated as the Folatières but it's finer and stunningly long. This may not be the best Sauzet Combettes ever but in time, it should be in the conversation, it's that good.HK$1,945.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Burghound (93-95)
Sweet Spot Outstanding. Firm reduction completely overshadows the fruit. Otherwise, there is excellent volume to the seductively textured medium weight flavors that exude plenty of minerality that adds lift to the succulent, balanced and gorgeously persistent bitter lemon-tinged finish that goes on and on. This isn't quite as concentrated as the Folatières but it's finer and stunningly long. This may not be the best Sauzet Combettes ever but in time, it should be in the conversation, it's that good.HK$11,530.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (94)
The 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru is another that demonstrates quite a lot of reduction on the nose, and it is a little more fixed than others. Yet there is patently a classy wine underneath, and the reduction eases with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with the reduction evident on the entry. There is a keen line of acidity, disarmingly lovely apropos texture with a persistent, sapid and leesy finish. It just needs either a long decant or, preferably, more time in the cellar. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.HK$12,790.00 -
(6x75cl) 2023Vinous - Neal Martin (94-96)
The 2023 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has another riveting bouquet with notes of white peach, orange pith and crushed limestone. It is intense but very elegant and delineated. The palate has exquisite balance and a little more rondeur compared to others. A touch more spiciness emerges toward the finish, with perhaps the longest aftertaste. This is superb.HK$10,090.00 -
HK$2,355.00 -
Wine Advocate (91-93)
The 2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Perrières has a terroir-driven, mineral-rich bouquet, flint and cold limestone. The palate is fresh and saline on the entry, good density here with a little more spiciness than Sauzet's other premier crus. There is an edginess here, tensile and animated with impressive weight on the finish. This is very fine and probably deserves 2-3 years in the cellar. This is one of the domaine's best premier crus in 2014.HK$23,580.00 -
(6x75cl) 2014Wine Advocate (91-93)
The 2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Perrières has a terroir-driven, mineral-rich bouquet, flint and cold limestone. The palate is fresh and saline on the entry, good density here with a little more spiciness than Sauzet's other premier crus. There is an edginess here, tensile and animated with impressive weight on the finish. This is very fine and probably deserves 2-3 years in the cellar. This is one of the domaine's best premier crus in 2014.HK$12,910.00 -
Wine Advocate (91-93)
The 2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières did not quite display the panache of the enticing Les Referts, though it is redeemed by a subtle touch of aniseed, a leitmotif among several other whites within the Côte de Beaune. The palate is very well balanced with a fine thread of acidity, crisp and taut, perhaps less showy and complex than the Les Referts, although there is plenty of freshness on the finish. If you want a strict, no-frills, straight-onto-the-fairway Puligny, this is where to come.HK$8,835.00 -
Decanter (95)
A buttery, ripe apple fruit, with a hint of mineral and a suggestion of beeswax. The palate is rich and hedonistic, although it lacks a bit of the lemony freshness some will love. Sauzet farms 0.6ha in Perrières at the bottom of the premier cru band that gives a rich, dense result. The grapes are lightly pressed and fermented in cask (20% new) before ageing two winters.HK$9,875.00 -
(1x75cl) 2021Vinous (91-93)
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières 1er Cru has a perfumed, crushed rock/flinty bouquet that has more vigour than the La Garenne. The palate is quite weighty in the mouth, with a bit of reduction at the moment, lightly spiced towards the finish. Give this a couple of years in bottle as I appreciate the energy.HK$2,365.00 -
HK$9,825.00 -
Vinous (89+)
Reticent nose hints at pear. Juicy, delineated and tight; seems denser than the 2000, with a stronger acid spine and more nervosite Finishes firm, brisk and young. This will need some time in bottle.HK$15,165.00 -
(1x75cl) 2006Vinous (92)
(from 50-year-old vines) Subtle, musky aromas of peach, nut oil and fresh hazelnut. Fat, sweet and oily, with lovely ripe acidity framing the fresh peach flavor. With its very strong fruit, this is like biting into a perfectly ripe grape. Really stains the palate on the sweet, long finish. This cuvee got a bit of acidification, notes Boudot.HK$1,375.00 -
HK$8,780.00 -
(6x75cl) 2018Vinous (89-91)
The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Village comes from the 12 parcels located around the appellation. It offers attractive dewy green apples, freshly sliced pear and hints of mirabelle on the nose, which needs a few swirls of the glass to awaken. The palate is well balanced with orange zest and citrus lemon and hints of lime, all matched with a fine bead of acidity, the 15% new oak neatly folded into the finish. Recommended.HK$5,600.00 -
Vinous (87-89)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Village comes from the usual 12 parcels situated in 7 lieux-dits. This has a reserved, backward nose that takes time to open in the glass. It’s a bashful thing. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead if acidity but again, it is tight and linear. Just a touch of reduction on the finish indicates that it will be best with 3-4. years in bottle.HK$5,110.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Vinous (89-91)
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Village has a taut and strict nose, well defined, green apple mixed with subtle petrichor/wet pavement scents. The palate is well balanced with lemon zest, lime and a dab of ginger, gently building towards a nicely composed and delineated finish. This should give 8-10 years' drinking pleasure.HK$5,120.00 -
(1x75cl) 2022Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (89-91)
Fresh lemon and lime colour. The little lime note is there again. This is delicious on the palate, fills out a little more, retaining a chalky note. Balanced, precise and long. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted: October 2023.HK$810.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (89-91)
Fresh lemon and lime colour. The little lime note is there again. This is delicious on the palate, fills out a little more, retaining a chalky note. Balanced, precise and long. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted: October 2023.HK$5,195.00 -
(3x75cl) 2022Experience the splendour of fine white Burgundy wine with the Eugenie Chassagne Montrachet Perclos 2022. Exquisitely crafted amongst the verdant slopes of Chassagne-Montrachet, the vines enjoy perfect sunlight exposure, caressed by nurturing winds that embody the Burgundian terroir into each grape. This opulent wine is an homage to the unparalleled winegrowing and winemaking practices revered by Domaine Eugénie, an estate founded in 2006 by François Pinault. The tasteful derivative of Chardonnay grapes, this entrancing elixir showcases a vibrant spectrum of flavours. Indulge in the melange of creamy lemon curd, ripe green apple, toasted almonds with a spume of minerality, precisely encapsulated within a firm structure that promises remarkable ageing potential. You can be certain: Eugenie Chassagne Montrachet Perclos 2022 is more than just a wine. It is the spirit of Burgundy, captured in a bottle.
HK$3,420.00 -
(6x75cl) 2006Wine Spectator (92)
Rich and generous, with vanilla and milk chocolate accenting black cherry, plum and mineral flavors. A powerful red, this is balanced and long, with a sweet, spicy aftertaste. Best from 2011 through 2024. 35 cases imported. -BSHK$17,335.00 -
(6x75cl) 2008Vinous (94+)
Good medium red. Subtle, pure, high-pitched aromas of black cherry, blackberry, violet and licorice. Chewy, intense and penetrating, with plenty of stem-driven energy behind the saline, soil-driven flavors of minerals, dark berries and graphite. There's no easy sweetness here, but this builds impressively in the glass and leaves the taste buds quivering on the very long, lightly peppery back end. These firm tannins will need a decade of patience. Like the Grands-Echezeaux, this wine was aged in 80% to 90% new oak.HK$13,335.00 -
(6x75cl) 2010Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93-96)
(a blend of two tanks, one vinified with destemmed fruit, the other with 50% whole clusters): Red-ruby. Black cherry, licorice and oaky torrefaction on the nose, lifted by minty and peppery nuances. Very sweet and energetic on entry, then sappy and gripping in the middle, combining impressive thickness for the year with noteworthy finesse. Finishes with suave, dusty, fine tannins and subtle notes of spices and wild herbs. Great potential here.HK$15,790.00
