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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Burgundy | 1 | 93-95 (VN) | HK$17,386.00 | |||||
Vinous (93-95)The 2018 Chablis La Forest 1er Cru is a big step up in all dimensions from the preceding 1ers in the cellar. Powerful, rich and also intensely mineral, the Forest is so vivid and so inviting. All the signatures of this site as interpreted by Vincent Dauvissat are ampled up in large-scaled Chablis endowed with tremendous personality and class. In a word: superb. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 93-95 (VN) | HK$7,850.00 | |||||
Vinous (93-95)The 2018 Chablis La Forest 1er Cru is a big step up in all dimensions from the preceding 1ers in the cellar. Powerful, rich and also intensely mineral, the Forest is so vivid and so inviting. All the signatures of this site as interpreted by Vincent Dauvissat are ampled up in large-scaled Chablis endowed with tremendous personality and class. In a word: superb. |
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Burgundy | 3 | 92-94 (VN) | HK$1,519.00 | |||||
Vinous (92-94)The 2019 Chablis Forêts 1er Cru has one of the most marine-influenced aromatics from Dauvissat, well-defined sea spray and oyster shell notes emerging with time. The palate is beautifully focused and powerful, offering dried honey and light spice notes, and gradually building toward the stem-ginger-tinged finish. Excellent. |
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Burgundy | 6 | 95+ (WA) | HK$1,519.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95+)A striking young wine, Dauvissat's brilliant 2020 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest unfurls in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, orange oil, pear, oyster shell, freshly baked bread and smoke, framed by a deft touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's taut and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structuring and a long, searingly mineral finish. Recent years have delivered so many brilliant renditions of La Forest that it's hard to pick a favorite between the likes of 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2019, but the 2020 is certainly a worthy entrant into the competition, and it's worth a special effort to seek out. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 96 (WA) |
HK$14,540 - HK$17,775 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2023 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is nothing short of superb in bottle and ranks among the year's most authoritative wines. A pure, marine-inflected opening—iodine, lemon peel and oyster liquor mingled with beeswax and dried apricot—precedes a concentrated yet tensile palate of taut muscularity. Bright acidity and abundant chalky extract lend the wine a bracing, kinetic edge, culminating in an intensely saline, persistent finish. Dauvissat here once again affirms its status as one of the site's greatest interpreters. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 93 (BH) | HK$26,585.00 | |||||
Burghound (93)(from a .30 ha parcel in Côte de Bréchain). Here the airy and expressive nose is even more floral in character with its notes of acacia, rose petal and even a suggestion of gardenia on the aromas of ocean breeze, wet stone and shellfish. The more refined and highly energetic if less concentrated medium-bodied flavors tighten up noticeably on the focused, moderately austere and overtly stony finale. This seductive yet serious effort is going to require at least a few years of patience and should repay up to a decade of keeping if you wish to see it at its probable peak. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$20,200.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)A bottling that regularly excels chez Dauvissat, the 2017 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet opens in the glass with delicate aromas of citrus peel, grapefruit, crisp green apples and white flowers, with only subtle hints of the oyster shell to come. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with a deep and tight-knit core, striking tension and a searingly mineral finish. Séchet—where Dauvissat owns a 0.8-hectare parcel—is located in the Vaillons Valley, but its windier situation and soils richer in active limestone mean it's typically much chalkier and more tensile than the other climats that make up Vaillons. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 90-92 (VN) | HK$6,690.00 | |||||
Vinous (90-92)The 2018 Chablis Sechet 1er Cru is creamy, open-knit and wonderfully inviting. Soft contours and expressive aromatics give the wine much of its early accessibility; I imagine it will drink well with just a few years in bottle, although it should age gracefully for a number of years as well. Dried flowers, ginger and spice add attractive touches of complexity on the finish. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91-93 (VN) | HK$4,885.00 | |||||
Vinous (91-93)The 2020 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru is very pure on the nose, though not quite as mineral-driven as the 2019, that I tasted last year (also from barrel). But the aromatics are very elegant. Ditto the palate, which delivers fine acidity, impressive concentration, white peach and dried mango flavors and plenty of spice toward the finish. Excellent. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 89-91 (VN) | HK$1,325.00 | |||||
Vinous (89-91)The 2021 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru has a more backward bouquet compared to Dauvissat's other cuvées, ergo it demands a lot of encouragement from the glass. It doesn't quite slip out of second gear. The palate is more promising with fine concentration, good depth and spicier than usual; although, it just needs a little more mineralité to develop on the finish. |
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Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru Sechet
(12x75cl)
2023
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Burgundy | - | 95 (WA) |
HK$13,635 - HK$16,660 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet, from the stony core of the Vaillons climat, is particularly impressive from bottle. Cool-toned aromas—lemon oil, spring blossoms and oyster juice—set the stage for a wine built around tension. Medium- to full-bodied, taut and precise, it delivers striking concentration and a crystalline, incisive core that culminates in a saline, bone-dry finish. Racy and oceanic, with deep reserves, this stands among the highlights of the domaine’s premier cru range this year. |
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Burgundy | 3 | 94 (WA) | HK$1,445.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)As is almost invariably the case, Dauvissat's 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is sensual and perfumed, wafting from the glass with aromas of orange oil, peach, jasmine and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's vibrant and fleshy, with an ample core of fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$6,755.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)As is almost invariably the case, Dauvissat's 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is sensual and perfumed, wafting from the glass with aromas of orange oil, peach, jasmine and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's vibrant and fleshy, with an ample core of fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 16.5+ (JR) | HK$1,420.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (16.5+)Pale-mid lemon. Markedly purer fruit, or at least less mature and ripe than the Sécher. Fine, driving, steely acidity. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92 (BH) | HK$1,355.00 | |||||
Burghound (92)(from one-third Beugnons and two-thirds Châtains). A markedly more floral-infused nose reveals additional notes of white pepper, tidal pool, iodine and plenty of citrus elements. There is a bit more volume to the beautifully textured medium weight flavors that possess excellent punch while keeping a similar level of refinement on the balanced, focused and lingering finale. This is pretty much textbook Vaillons that is built-to-age. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92 (BH) | HK$6,400.00 | |||||
Burghound (92)(from one-third Beugnons and two-thirds Châtains). A markedly more floral-infused nose reveals additional notes of white pepper, tidal pool, iodine and plenty of citrus elements. There is a bit more volume to the beautifully textured medium weight flavors that possess excellent punch while keeping a similar level of refinement on the balanced, focused and lingering finale. This is pretty much textbook Vaillons that is built-to-age. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$16,020.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)Reflecting the influence of its deeper soils, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is, as ever, slightly more forthcoming than Séchet. Tangerine, peach and orange peel introduce the wine, preceding a full-bodied, layered and textural palate. Its generous attack is tempered by tangy acids and a chalky grip that keeps everything in sharp focus. Ample and undeniably charming today, its track record suggests that patience will be amply rewarded as it accrues further complexity with age. I would be inclined to open my bottles a decade or more after harvest. |
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Burgundy | 5 | 89-91 (VN) | HK$940.00 | |||||
Vinous (89-91)The 2018 Chablis is very pretty, nuanced and light on its feet, with silky, floral notes of lemon confit and white flowers. Dauvissat's village Chablis is classic and understated. I have seen it blossom with a few years in bottle, which I suspect will be the case here as well. |
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