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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Loire | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$1,720.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)From low-yielding Cabernet Franc vines that average 45 years of age and root in the silex clay soils of the côte, the 2019 Bourgueil Le Grand Clos opens with a pure, fine and intense, concentrated but also aromatic and fragrant bouquet of dark and red fruits and crushed stones along with refreshing lemony and spicy notes. Round and very elegant on the palate, this is a beautifully balanced Grand Clos with a concentrated finish with tight but fine tannins and a fresh acidity that gives a positive astringency. The aftertaste is long and intense but always in balance and underlines the remarkable finesse of this wine that aged for 12 to 18 months in 400-liter tonneaux. Tasted in June 2021. |
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Loire | 1 | 93+ (WA) | HK$2,690.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93+)From vines averaging 45 years of age on the slopes of the Coteau and aged in oak barrels for 20 months, the 2018 Bourgueil Les Quartiers opens with a deep, intense and toasty bouquet of ripe, black berries and blackcurrants intermixed with spicy tones, cigar box and graphite. Silky, refined and fresh on the palate, this is an elegant, tight but vivacious, silky-textured Cabernet Franc with crystalline tannins and a long finish that is still oak-influenced in its flavors, but the structure, finesse and intensity and the very delicate raspberry flavor in the aftertaste indicate excellent aging potential. Personally, I prefer the crus that were partly aged in stoneware (amphorae) and also for a shorter period, whereas Les Quartiers represents the old Amirault style, before 2014. |
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Alsace | 1 | - | HK$820.00 | |||||
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Yura L'Abeille et le Papillon Pinot Blanc 2023 epitomises elegance from the heart of Alsace. Crafted by the esteemed Yura winery, renowned for their commitment to biodynamic viticulture, this Pinot Blanc undergoes meticulous hand harvesting. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve its pristine acidity, it matures subtly on its lees, enhancing its complexity. The 2023 vintage presents a delicate bouquet of white blossoms, ripe pear, and subtle citrus notes, intertwined with a hint of minerality. On the palate, it is impeccably balanced, offering a smooth texture and a lingering finish. This exquisite wine pairs beautifully with seafood, light poultry dishes, and creamy cheeses, making it a versatile addition to any fine wine collection. Yura L'Abeille et le Papillon Pinot Blanc 2023 stands as a testament to the producer’s dedication to quality and the unique terroir of Alsace, delivering a refined experience for the discerning connoisseur. |
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Rhone | 1 | 94 (VN) | HK$1,185.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)Translucent yellow. A powerful, highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh orchard, pit fruits, succulent herbs and pungent flowers, along with a building mineral element. Stains the palate with juicy pear, nectarine and Meyer lemon flavors that are sharpened by a gingery flourish. Shows excellent clarity on a very long, penetrating finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes. |
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Rhone | 1 | 95 (VN) | HK$9,740.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)Brilliant purple. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes black and blue fruit preserves, spicecake, potpourri and incense. Densely packed and impressively energetic on the palate, offering intense blueberry, cassis, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors that open up steadily on the back half. The floral and spice notes carry emphatically through the impressively long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves a smoky mineral flourish behind. |
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Rhone | 1 | 97 (VN) | HK$2,690.00 | |||||
Vinous (97)Dark violet. Deeply pitched cherry liqueur, blackberry, licorice, olive and incense aromas are complemented by discreet vanilla and woodsmoke flourishes. Showing superb clarity to its lush black and blue fruit, candied violet, fruitcake and savory herb flavors; a peppery nuance lends a spicy lift and bite. Chewy and energetic on the strikingly long finish, which features well-judged tannins and resonating cherry, floral and spice notes. |
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Alsace | 2 | 94-96 (VN) | HK$3,400.00 | |||||
Vinous (94-96)Pale, gold-tinged straw. Intense, pure, utterly captivating aromas of pineapple, passion fruit, caramelized mango, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the mouth, sweet vanilla and toffee apple flavors are at once silky and powerful. Finishes extremely long and pure. A benchmark Gewürztraminer, and a real step up in concentration and complexity from the other 2012 Gewürztraminers at this address. The very old vines grow in two parcels, one planted in the 1920s and the other by Olivier’s grandfather in 1957. Structure-wise, I find this to be very reminiscent of a Rangen Gewürztraminer. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how saline Zind-Humbrecht’s Hengst Gewürzes can be (and in this sense they are certainly Rangen-like). |
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Alsace | 1 | 97 (JS) | HK$950.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)This gewurz is built on a monumental scale with gigantic concentration and structure, easily filling out the huge body. The abundant fine tannins soak up almost all of the unfermented grape sweetness and drive the very long and texturally complex, spicy finish. Already pretty mind-blowing, but great aging potential! From biodynamically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. |
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Alsace | 1 | 93 (VN) | HK$940.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)Bright deep yellow. Smoky camphor, peach and a hint of honeyed pineapple on the showy nose. Enters the mouth fresh, lively and precise, then turns slightly austere, showing noteworthy tannic bite to its orchard fruit and sweet spice flavors. A touch of marmaladey botrytis adds complexity on the lingering, ripe, rich finish. In 2001, high-quality botrytis targeted the Pinot Gris, so that a Sélection de Grains Nobles was produced with the grapes from the vines nearest to the river Thur; it was the grapes from Zind-Humbrecht's other wines in the Clos that were used to produce the bottling I describe here. Check out these numbers: only 13.6% alcohol, 30 g/l residual sugar, and 6.1 g/l total acidity. Utterly irresistible right now; in fact, I don’t think there is much to gain by holding onto it any longer. I remember first tasting this wine when it was released, and it struck me then as uncharacteristically ready to drink from the outset, but the wine's iodiney minerality is starting to take center stage from the fruit elements. In 2001, a cold and rainy September had many producers anxious, but the warmest October on record to that point ensured a clean, glitch-free harvest. “This was a rare year in which we were out harvesting in tee shirts, thanks to 28°C days in October,” Olivier Humbrecht reminisced. And at 36 hectoliters per hectare, 2001 was also a very generous year for production by the standards of the Clos. |
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Alsace | 1 | - | HK$4,730.00 | |||||
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Alsace | 2 | 98 (JS) | HK$8,550.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)The most powerful and deepest pinot gris of this vintage from Zind Humbrecht with a ton of smoke, creme-brulee and mushroom character. In spite of the almost 15% alcoholic content, it is properly dry and has a wonderful liveliness at the finish. Drink or hold. Made from biodynamically grown grapes. |
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Alsace | 2 | 98 (JS) | HK$4,130.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Super smoky, spicy and flinty, this imposing and enveloping pinot gris is barely off-dry. Welcome to a world of smoky and textural complexity on the deep and refined palate. The power and concentration are almost as complete as the ripeness, effortlessly handling the 13.5% alcohol. Super-long, creamy and spicy finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. |
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Alsace | 1 | 95 (JS) | HK$2,580.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95)This self-confidently atypical pinot gris has astonishing acidity that’s got the intensity of a lightning strike. Tons of pineapple and toast character, but also gigantic, lemony freshness at the exceptionally bright finish. May be too extreme for some, but we find this amazing. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. |
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Alsace | 1 | 96+ (VN) | HK$4,325.00 | |||||
Vinous (96+)Bright straw-yellow. Very pure, clean, fresh aromas and flavors of yellow peach, lime, botanical herbs, sweet spices and a touch of orange jam. Then rich and dense, showing real concentration and depth to the lingering, repeating citrus and spice nuances. Finishes with an enticing multilayered quality, not to mention outstanding length. A fantastic wine. In 2016 Humbrecht did not use any grapes from his younger vines to make this wine, because he felt they had suffered some water stress that led to difficult fermentations and ultimately a different-tasting wine. |
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