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
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Burgundy | 2 | - | HK$3,355.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 90 (VN) | HK$19,490.00 | |||||
Vinous (90)The 2020 Meursault Sous Le Dos d'Ane offers traces of orchard fruit, hints of linseed and hazelnut, nicely focused and gains intensity in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a slightly tangy entry, hints of orange rind and fresh pear and moderate depth with a tensile and slightly pithy finish. |
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Burgundy | 2 | 92+ (WA) | HK$15,935.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (92+)The 2022 Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d'Ane exhibits aromas of pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread and stuck match, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and racy palate that's pure and precise, concluding with a chalky finish. As readers may remember, this parcel, formerly planted to red, abuts Pierre Morey's Meursault Perrières, and the soils are very stony. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 94-97 (VN) | HK$251,010.00 | |||||
Vinous (94-97)(there's just a single 350-liter barrel of this juice, made from vines planted along a north-south axis): Bright, light yellow. Reduced aromas of apricot, peach, iodine and grilled, smoky oak. Large-scaled, solid and sweet but with strong lemony acidity and iodiney crushed-stone character enlivening the stone fruit and orange blossom flavors. At once powerful and airy, finishing with a tannic impression and outstanding extract and length. This wine may well need a decade in barrel to digest its oak. Incidentally, Rémy told me he uses 15% new oak for the village wines, 20% for his premier crus and 25% for the grand crus. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91 (BH) | HK$4,930.00 | |||||
Burghound (91)(Outstanding Top Value) A markedly more floral-suffused nose reflects notes of lemon zest, spice and the essence of pear. There is fine volume and intensity to the generous yet beautifully defined medium-bodied flavors that deliver excellent length on the very dry but not really austere finale. Note that this fine effort is sufficiently compact to repay 5 to 8 years of keeping. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | HK$6,775.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 91-93 (WA) | HK$27,010.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (91-93)The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon is excellent, and a clear step up over the Puligny Village, something that can't be taken for granted. Offering up aromas of lemon, beeswax, white flowers and blanched almonds, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny and nicely concentrated, with tangy acids, chewy extract and a long, precise finish. It's promisingly tight-knit and should develop further before it's bottled. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91 (BH) | HK$25,870.00 | |||||
Burghound (91)A notably ripe but not really exotic nose attractively layered and fresh aromas that combine floral nuances with those of citrus peel, pear and soft spice hints. There is good energy to the medium weight flavors that possess solid detail on the palate coating finish that is at once clean, dry and, minerally and still a bit youthfully austere. This is a quality 2018 that is coming along nicely and is a wine that could easily be enjoyed now though I would advise holding it for another few years in the hopes that more depth will progressively develop. Drink: Try from 2026+ |
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Burgundy | 1 | 93 (VN) | HK$7,125.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has a very fine bouquet with dew-speckled green apples, petrichor and lime gradually unfolding in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with an almost piercing line of acidity, yet it remains very well-balanced with ample weight on the sapid finish. Very fine. |
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