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 | 97 (VN) | HK$32,940.00 | |||||
Vinous (97)A Burgundy of tension and bracing energy, the 1996 Rousseau Chambertin is simply magnificent on this night. Time in the glass brings out the wine's stunning inner sweetness and perfume in what is an utterly glorious expression of Pinot Noir and Chambertin. I imagine the 1996 will still be compelling in 30 years' time. Today is transcendental and deeply beautiful. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 93 (VN) | HK$199,905.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)The 1998 Chambertin is one of the real surprises in this tasting. From a vintage that never got much of a look, Rousseau's Chambertin is a pure and total delight. It is not the most complex wine in the vertical, nor is it the most pedigreed, but it is absolutely exquisite, as all of its elements are in perfect balance. The plum, sweet tobacco, menthol and red cherry flavors, along with the wine's soft, open-knit personality, make the 1998 impossible to resist today. Readers looking for a vintage of the Rousseau Chambertin that is peaking will find much to admire in the 1998. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98 (VN) | HK$48,345.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)Yet another stunner, the 1999 Chambertin halts all conversation around the table. Muscular, dense and explosive, the 1999 is a vertical, imposing Burgundy that is also clearly built for the long haul. Even with all of its full-throttle, unrestrained power, the 1999 possesses captivating inner sweetness that soars out of the glass with remarkable purity. What a wine! |
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Burgundy | 3 | 95 (VN) | HK$25,100.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)The 2000 Chambertin Grand Cru is youthful in appearance with just very slight bricking. The bouquet is well-defined with quite precocious red fruit laced with orange blossom and crushed stone, yet it does not possess the complexity of the preceding vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins, perfectly judged acidity, velvety, so much so that this is the one vintage that is quite Vosne-like in style. Coheres beautifully on the finish. No, not a top-ranking Chambertin from Rousseau, but so delicious. Tasted at the Rousseau Chambertin vertical at La Vienne. |
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Burgundy | 5 | 96 (VN) | HK$29,710.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)Rousseau's 2002 Chambertin is in the zone. Succulent, racy and open, the 2002 is ready to deliver pleasure. The purity of the fruit alone is striking. Even so, the 2002 is still very much at the early part of its first plateau of maturity, as the flavors remain very bright and fresh. In this vertical, the 2002 comes across as a wine of immediacy, with a bit less structure and overall energy than the very best vintages. I say that with some hesitation, as the 2002 is exceptional. It is just a little less exceptional than a few of the other wines in this vertical. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-95 (VN (ST)) | HK$169,585.00 | |||||
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (92-95)Medium red. Precise, scented nose combines red cherry, minerals, stones, iron and rose petal. Penetrating, minerally and precise, with vibrant flavors of red cherry and raspberry. Conveys a real small-berry depth and intensity of flavor and offers great energy and verve. Not at all a fat style of 2003-or of Chambertin. Especially strong on the back half, finishing with terrific thrust and length. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 100 (DC) | HK$38,065.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)Medium-full colour. Closed-in but rich, concentrated nose. Good grip here. Medium-full body. Ripe, balanced, fresh and very profound and elegant. Exceptionally fine, complex fruit. Good as his Clos de Bèze is, this is, as always, just that bit superior. A great wine. |
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Burgundy | 2 | 96 (BH) | HK$91,610.00 | |||||
Burghound (96)It's as though the Clos de Bèze and Chambertin have switched places in 2006 as here the nose is positively kaleidoscopic with a huge range of aromas and spice elements along with a hint of menthol. There is excellent freshness and vibrancy to the pure, round, rich and focused full-bodied flavors that carry obvious muscle and minerality on the deep, powerful and hugely long finish. This is an extremely impressive effort and one of the finest wines of the vintage. Not surprisingly, this hasn't changed a great deal since my last review except that the length is now even more phenomenal and the supporting tannins are a bit more apparent. While it's true that the balance is so good that that this could be enjoyed now, it would be unfortunate to leave so much upside potential unrealized and thus I would advise waiting for at least 5 more years first though it should easily be capable of rewarding 8 to 10. Tasted several times since my original review with consistent notes in the sense that they have become progressively more positive. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 96 (BH) | HK$34,590.00 | |||||
Burghound (96)It's as though the Clos de Bèze and Chambertin have switched places in 2006 as here the nose is positively kaleidoscopic with a huge range of aromas and spice elements along with a hint of menthol. There is excellent freshness and vibrancy to the pure, round, rich and focused full-bodied flavors that carry obvious muscle and minerality on the deep, powerful and hugely long finish. This is an extremely impressive effort and one of the finest wines of the vintage. Not surprisingly, this hasn't changed a great deal since my last review except that the length is now even more phenomenal and the supporting tannins are a bit more apparent. While it's true that the balance is so good that that this could be enjoyed now, it would be unfortunate to leave so much upside potential unrealized and thus I would advise waiting for at least 5 more years first though it should easily be capable of rewarding 8 to 10. Tasted several times since my original review with consistent notes in the sense that they have become progressively more positive. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 100 (DC) | HK$353,155.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)This is very lovely indeed. Lots of depth and energy. Excellent fruit. A really profound, vigorous and classy wine. Beautiful! |
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Burgundy | 1 | 100 (DC) | HK$194,395.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)This is very lovely indeed. Lots of depth and energy. Excellent fruit. A really profound, vigorous and classy wine. Beautiful! |
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Burgundy | 1 | 100 (TA) | HK$67,240.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (100)What does perfection taste like? I've sampled this wine twice - once in Gevrey and once in London - and I have no hesitation in saying that this is it. There's 100% new oak here, but the wine has digested it, like an lion swallowing an antelope. Sikly, fine and effortlessly structured, it's the kind of wine that makes Burgundy lovers dewy eyed. Still a ittle closed at this stage, but this has everything in place for a long life: concentration, fruit, vanilla oak and structure. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98+ (VN) | HK$26,340.00 | |||||
Vinous (98+)Bright medium red. Very pure but very reticent nose hints at blueberry, raspberry, licorice, game and woodsmoke. Delivers a compelling combination of fine-grained texture, deep sweetness and restrained power; still youthfully compressed but already boasts thrilling mouthfilling perfume of tart red fruits, spices and saline minerality. This spectacular Chambertin broadens out on the back half without giving any impression of weight. A wine of uncommon depth and class, with no sign of overripeness. With its salty, crushed-rock minerality, this wine saturates every square millimeter of the palate and stimulates the salivary glands on the sensationally long finish. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 98+ (VN) | HK$175,215.00 | |||||
Vinous (98+)Bright medium red. Very pure but very reticent nose hints at blueberry, raspberry, licorice, game and woodsmoke. Delivers a compelling combination of fine-grained texture, deep sweetness and restrained power; still youthfully compressed but already boasts thrilling mouthfilling perfume of tart red fruits, spices and saline minerality. This spectacular Chambertin broadens out on the back half without giving any impression of weight. A wine of uncommon depth and class, with no sign of overripeness. With its salty, crushed-rock minerality, this wine saturates every square millimeter of the palate and stimulates the salivary glands on the sensationally long finish. |
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