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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Jancis Robinson (17)
Cask sample. Mid garnet. Pale shaded rim. Intense nose with some sweet-and-salty character. It's not especially weighty but the nose is definitely more intense than that of the premiers crus. Edgy red-fruit and tamarind character. A bold wine. Long with quite a dry finish at this point.HK$6,395.00 -
(1x150cl) 2020Tim Atkin MW (94)
These vines sit at 270 meters and more or less right on the limestone slab of the old quarry. Dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds offer tingly fruit vibrancy that gives the fruit a lofty, airy quality. The tannins tenderly nudge at the sides of the palate and fade gently on the lingering finish. 2023-30HK$3,000.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (94)
These vines sit at 270 meters and more or less right on the limestone slab of the old quarry. Dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds offer tingly fruit vibrancy that gives the fruit a lofty, airy quality. The tannins tenderly nudge at the sides of the palate and fade gently on the lingering finish. 2023-30HK$5,887.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-94)
More crimson than purple, with a lifted nose with strawberry smoky notes from 50% whole bunch. Very pretty indeed. Let’s see if there is enough depth on the palate for grand cru. Yes, there is a delicious weight of cherry and strawberry fruit in the middle with an infusion of white pepper, but nothing dry on the finish. 4 stars if you like whole clusters, three if not. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted: November 2022HK$5,887.00 -
(3x75cl) 2022Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-95)
Mid to deep crimson. Cooked strawberries on the nose. Not really cooked, crushed and peppery really. 50% whole bunches can be seen as well as the limestone aspect of the top of the hill. Almost floral, aiming at a more elegant style rather than a massive one, given the situation. But a very long finish. I was also shown an amphora version of the Corton which had a mid-crimson colour, with a dark raspberry and crushed strawberry nose. Like the Clos de la Mousse, the amphora version comes across as a bit gravelly, the tannins a little more pronounced. Scored for the main version. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted: October 2023.HK$4,070.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020Vinous (93-95)
The 2020 Meursault Charmes 1er Cru has the finest aromatics of Bouchard Père’s Meursault with delineated, very focused citrus fruit, walnut and light white flower scents. The palate is very well balanced with a fine acidic spice, a clever touch of reduction with very good persistence on the finish. Bon vin.HK$7,285.00 -
HK$8,187.00 -
HK$5,834.00 -
(6x75cl) 2014James Suckling (95)
This is so deep and energetic with chalk, sliced apples, lemons, juniper berries and white pepper character. It's dense and layered with fantastic depth. Approachable now and very intriguing, but give it three or four years of bottle age to see its full potential.HK$6,980.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17)
Rounded nose, with spice, butter tones, some stone fruit and ripe lemon. Plenty of weight and power, with just enough freshness to cut through the mid palate. Long and creamy.HK$5,585.00 -
Wine Advocate (92-94)
Offering up notes of pear, white flowers, toasted almonds and beeswax, Bouchard's 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières is medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, with a more tightly wound, introverted profile than the Charmes that preceded it. Built to age, this is a serious Genevrières that I look forward to tasting from bottle.HK$5,290.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (94)
The 2 hectares 65 - with one parcel mid-slope and one further up - of this Premier Cru are always the first that Fr d ric harvests in Meursault. This is a delightful Genevri res, resplendent in floral aromas. The palate shows chamomile, vanilla extract, wild flower honey, pluots and green gauges. The mid-palate has a welcoming sappiness elevated by prancing acidity. 2022-30HK$6,125.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (94)
The 2021 Meursault Les Genevrières 1er Cru is a wine that I must have completely misjudged out of barrel (either that or it just was not showing that day). Here, it has a touch of reduction on the nose, which shaves away some of its nuance and personality, but this improves with aeration and finally I feel that the reduction is just right. The palate is well balanced, quite reductive, but there is a quality Meursault here and it just requires time. Lightly spiced with ample weight on the finish. Tuck this away for three or four years and you will be rewarded. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.HK$3,180.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Vinous - Neal Martin (94)
The 2021 Meursault Les Genevrières 1er Cru is a wine that I must have completely misjudged out of barrel (either that or it just was not showing that day). Here, it has a touch of reduction on the nose, which shaves away some of its nuance and personality, but this improves with aeration and finally I feel that the reduction is just right. The palate is well balanced, quite reductive, but there is a quality Meursault here and it just requires time. Lightly spiced with ample weight on the finish. Tuck this away for three or four years and you will be rewarded. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.HK$5,745.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
(5 Star Wine) The plot by the road is their first Meursault to pick. Half and half from their two plots, as there is much being replanting in the lower plot. Fine pale to mid lemon. Super refined complex bouquet. This beautifully refined quality continues on the palate, a little sandalwood note, a suggestion of verbena along with the golden yet fresh fruit. Nuances throughout but still with a refined generosity of flesh. The Bouchard Père & Fils Genevrières stands out this year! Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: October 2023.HK$5,233.00 -
(1x150cl) 2023Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
5 Star Wine. Racked to foudre. Really quite a magical nose, all the subtleties one hopes for in Genevrières, dancing fruit with pinpoint accuracy, enormously graceful fruit with some lemon tints. Retasted at an event on the eve of the Hospices de Beaune sale, the Genevrières soared even further up the quality scale. Drink from 2029-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.HK$2,000 - HK$2,445
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(6x75cl) 2023Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
5 Star Wine. Racked to foudre. Really quite a magical nose, all the subtleties one hopes for in Genevrières, dancing fruit with pinpoint accuracy, enormously graceful fruit with some lemon tints. Retasted at an event on the eve of the Hospices de Beaune sale, the Genevrières soared even further up the quality scale. Drink from 2029-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.HK$5,375 - HK$6,565
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(6x75cl) 2019Vinous (90-92)
The 2019 Meursault Les Gouttes d’Or 1er Cru has a harmonious bouquet with a more floral aspect than the Boucheres, hints of yellow plum and peach developing with aeration. The palate is well balanced, offering a tang of marmalade on the entry, and a little more saline than the Boucheres, with good length on the finish. This will end up at the top of my banded score.HK$6,895.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
The 2020 Meursault Les Gouttes d’Or 1er Cru has a more complex bouquet than the Bouchères with lanolin, dried honey and hazelnut aromas that unfold in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a zest opening: pink grapefruit, orange zest and a touch of spice, this has good weight on the finish. Fine.HK$4,435.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021HK$6,000.00 -
Wine Advocate (92-94+)
The 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières is very promising, delivering notes of citrus oil, white flowers, mandarin, fresh bread and struck match. Medium to full-bodied, racy and chiseled, it's bright and mineral, with a tight, tangy profile that's defined by the site more than the vintage.HK$6,225.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (95)
Two parcels – one in the upper reaches that gives lemon zest aromatics and one in the bottom in the old quarry that contributes saltiness – combine into a generous, one-hectare holding. Complexity looms on the nose and a similar, sultry concentration follows on the palate. The whole, resolutely suave package is lifted by buoyant acidity. It is very "digestible", as the Bourguignons would say. Baked apples, plentiful sweet spice and bread crust linger on the finish. 2023-35HK$5,750.00 -
(1x150cl) 2023Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
Once again, the complete wine, much more density even than the Charmes, with some of the detail of Genevrières. Grand Vin, from the first sniff and sip through to a majestic finish, pure white fruit, pears and ripe apples, ideal acidity. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.HK$2,185 - HK$2,670
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(6x75cl) 2023Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
Once again, the complete wine, much more density even than the Charmes, with some of the detail of Genevrières. Grand Vin, from the first sniff and sip through to a majestic finish, pure white fruit, pears and ripe apples, ideal acidity. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.HK$5,945 - HK$7,265
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(1x75cl) 2021Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-92)
A normal crop here in the cold of the top of the hill. Fuller yellow, with a slightly backward nose. More muscle than expected on the palate, all in white apple fruit, some density, very much not a rounded old style Meursault (would not be anyway from this site) but this is a good wine with persistence. Drink from 2025-2029.HK$580.00 -
(6x75cl) 2023Vinous - Neal Martin (90)
The 2023 Meursault Les Clous comes from the sector on limestone soils towards the north part of the climat. It has an elegant bouquet with orchard fruit, orange blossom, white flowers and light praline scents. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, just a touch of creaminess that segues into a light stem ginger-tinged finish. Enjoy over the next decade.HK$2,685 - HK$3,280
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Vinous (86-88)
The 2019 Monthélie Clos Les Champs Fulliot 1er Cru comes from 0.9 hectares of vine. It was the second parcel to be picked because of its warm microclimate, yet I find more precision on the Les Duresses. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a mixture of red and black fruit and touches of dark chocolate and tar. There is more elegance and terroir expression on the Les Duresses this year.HK$2,840.00 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93-96)
Urgent, exotic aromas of peaches in syrup, dried apricot and papaya. Dense and firm but very closed; distinctly exotic flavors similar to the aromas. Not currently showing the precision or energy of the Cabotte but then this is almost too young to be tasted. Still a touch of malic acidity remaining. Finishes with great sweetness of fruit and persistence.HK$93,780.00 -
(6x75cl) 2007Wine Enthusiast (98)
From arguably the finest white wine vineyard in Burgundy, this is a powerful wine that shows great weight, but balances that with intense, elegant structure, style and freshness. The flavors are endless and complex, richness combining with the lively character of the vintage. Age for many years.HK$36,990.00 -
(1x300cl) 2009Vinous (95+)
Very pale yellow. Aromas of mirabelle, apple, spices, menthol and white truffle, lifted by a whiff of lime blossom. Juicy and rich but extremely discreet today, with ripe apple and spice flavors coming across as fully ripe but classically dry. There's an almost exotic marzipan note on the back end but strong acidity is keeping the wine under wraps. This will need at least seven or eight years of cellaring to begin to deliver on its considerable potential.HK$23,875.00

