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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Bordeaux | 1 | 97 (JA) | HK$3,000.00 | |||||
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)The most effortlessly brilliant vintage in St Julien, and Saint Pierre is right up there with the best of examples you can find. Smoky and sculpted, still chewy tannins, firm but confident, liqourice and campfire smoke that displays welcome and generosity - makes you want to pull up a chair next to the embers and grab a friend to share it with. The fruits are brambled hedegrow and crumbled blackberry, with touches of bioche and cream, along with bitter chocolate that adds definition. Mineral tingle to the acidities, and another wash of smoke as it opens. 50% new oak, harvest September 29 to October 17. |
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Bordeaux | 17 | 95 (WI) | HK$1,745.00 | |||||
The Wine Independent (95)The 2017 Saint-Pierre is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps from the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, juicy black plums, and mulberries, plus suggestions of wild sage, pencil shavings, and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate is coated with bright, crunchy black fruits, framed by grainy tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and earthy. Nice |
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Bordeaux | 19 | 94-97 (JD) | HK$5,680.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (94-97)Checking in as a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot from very old vines and still aging in 50% new French oak, the 2018 Château Saint-Pierre reveals a saturated purple color to go with rich, full-bodied aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, graphite, and spicy oak. Rich, powerful, and concentrated, yet also with gorgeous purity and freshness, it’s a serious, age-worthy wine that’s going to need 7-8 years of bottle age but will be very long-lived. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94-97 (JD) | HK$2,299.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (94-97)Checking in as a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot from very old vines and still aging in 50% new French oak, the 2018 Château Saint-Pierre reveals a saturated purple color to go with rich, full-bodied aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, graphite, and spicy oak. Rich, powerful, and concentrated, yet also with gorgeous purity and freshness, it’s a serious, age-worthy wine that’s going to need 7-8 years of bottle age but will be very long-lived. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94-96+ (WA) | HK$4,595.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94-96+)Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Saint-Pierre comes shooting out of the glass with vibrant scents of crushed black and red currants, black raspberries and boysenberries with touches of lavender, tilled soil, pencil shavings and camphor plus a waft of red roses. The medium-bodied palate is charged with energy, featuring densely packed, muscular black and red fruits with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Make no mistake, this estate is on a roll! |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94-96+ (WA) | HK$2,100.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94-96+)Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Saint-Pierre comes shooting out of the glass with vibrant scents of crushed black and red currants, black raspberries and boysenberries with touches of lavender, tilled soil, pencil shavings and camphor plus a waft of red roses. The medium-bodied palate is charged with energy, featuring densely packed, muscular black and red fruits with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Make no mistake, this estate is on a roll! |
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Bordeaux | 5 | 95-96 (JS) | HK$1,530.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95-96)A firm, very structured wine from here, with intense tannins that are very polished and long. Pure fruit. One of the best in a long time. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) | HK$2,235.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95-96)A firm, very structured wine from here, with intense tannins that are very polished and long. Pure fruit. One of the best in a long time. |
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Bordeaux | 5 | 92-94+ (TDB) | HK$2,025.00 | |||||
The Drinks Business (92-94+)Saint-Pierre (St Julien; 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% Merlot; 9% Cabernet Franc; 7% Petit Verdot – the latter, apparently, co-planted with the Cabernet and for the first time in this vintage separately counted; 13.3% alcohol; a final yield of 34 hl/ha; tasted at the UGCB press tasting and at Lagrange with consistent and convergent notes). One of the wines that I had already heard plenty of praise for (from the cognoscenti) before I tasted it. It doesn’t disappoint. There is a lovely cassis fruit here; the palate is very pure and nicely focussed; the oak is beautifully absorbed and incorporated (which has not always been the case here even in relatively recent vintages). There is also a pleasant touch of sweet spice alongside the plum skin and dark berry fruit, an almost slightly wild herbal element and a crushed rock minerality, all of which bring further interest. Above all, though, we have a tender and refined texture chiselled from fine-grained tannins and an impressive plenitude. Still somewhat under the radar (though I have no idea why) and still representing excellent value, this is definitely one to add to the shopping list |
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Bordeaux | 49 | 98 (JD) | HK$2,745.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98)Blackcurrants, graphite, crushed stone, and liquid violet notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien), another deeply colored, powerful, full-bodied Saint-Julien. Coming from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's going to stand with the truly greats from not only this terroir but the entire Médoc. |
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Bordeaux | 21 | 95 (VN (AG)) | HK$1,955.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (95)The 2023 Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is impressive. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, licorice, menthol, chocolate, dried herbs and crème de cassis are dialed up to the maximum. This dark, explosive Saint-Julien hits all the right notes. There's gorgeous textural depth and density in this virile, imposing 2023. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | 90-91 (JS) | HK$2,400.00 | |||||
James Suckling (90-91)A fresh and clean wine with blackberry, blueberry and salty character. Medium body and firm and silky tannins. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 92-93 (JS) | HK$1,495.00 | |||||
James Suckling (92-93)This is very perfumed with a firm and solid, stony tannin structure. Lovely, linear line through this. Full and tight at the same time. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 92-93 (JS) | HK$1,500.00 | |||||
James Suckling (92-93)This is very perfumed with a firm and solid, stony tannin structure. Lovely, linear line through this. Full and tight at the same time. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94 (DC) | HK$870.00 | |||||
Decanter (94)Black chocolate, baked earth, liquorice root and silky smooth tannins greet you on the first attack of this wine. I've never found this the easiest to love of the Durantou range but it is strikingly successful in 2019. Silky and yet slatey in texture, this both eases you through the palate and pulls you up short, slowing things down. Sparks of fresh minerality accompany the pulsing blueberry and raspberry fruits, and the juicy finish makes this one to look out for. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94-95 (JS) | HK$1,620.00 | |||||
James Suckling (94-95)A gorgeous red with so much black fruit and salty, mineral character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with creamy, polished tannins and a long finish. The precision and fine texture is impressive. One of the best I have had for a while. |
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Champagne | 1 | 98 (JS) | HK$39,090.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)This vintage is dense and reminds me of white truffles. Plus, there are bread dough and ripe fruit undertones. It's full-bodied, rich and layered. Fabulous. Seems to grow in density with air. At its peak now. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$19,600.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)A stunning wine through and through, the 1996 Champagne Salon is one for the ages. Tasted at 28 years old in August 2024, it felt youthful and pristine. The house's stylistic focus is fully resonant yet has so much life yet to give, retaining a calling card of compact tension and nerve. On opening, it poured a medium straw hue, hardly suggesting its age, and revealed aromatics of crushed seashells, lemon confit, crystalline salted caramel, and poached apples. The palate sets this wine apart, its mousse highly refined yet lively, with buoyant acidity and chalky richness expanding through the extraordinarily long finish. A profound bottle and a profound wine. If you happen to own or come across a bottle stored well, I would venture to guess it has another 10-15 more prime years ahead of it. |
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