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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Rhone | 1 | - | HK$930.00 | |||||
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Rhone | 1 | 93 (VN) | HK$930.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)The 2023 Côte-Rôtie Ampodium breathes out alluring orange rind, crushed violets, fresh-cut ripe blackberry, red plum and fragments of black cherry. Stemmy tones add more complexity. Round and concentrated, the 2023 hits the mid-bodied palate with immaculate fresh clarity, easing the last impressions with juicy dark cherries and finely expressed spicy tones. |
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Rhone | 1 | - | HK$3,640.00 | |||||
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Rhone | 1 | - | HK$3,580.00 | |||||
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$33,760.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)One of the genuinely great, mature Côte Rôties out there today , the 1999 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde has everything you could want in a wine. Gorgeous amounts of ripe red and black fruits, spring flowers, charcuterie, violets, and spice define the bouquet and it’s full-bodied, multi-dimensional, and seamless on the palate. From a year that yielded concentrated yet fresh, classic wines, this beautiful, magical wine is going to cruise in cold cellars for another decade. |
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Rhone | 1 | 94 (VN) | HK$1,530.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)Bright red. Explosive, intensely perfumed bouquet encompasses smoky red and dark berries, cherry, fresh and dried flowers and an intriguing minerality. Deep in concentrated blackberry and raspberry preserve flavors but also boasts superb freshness and clarity. The bright, tangy finish doesn't want to quit, throwing off notes of floral pastille, graphite, tobacco and sweet red and dark berries. The wine's tannins are overwhelmed by sweet fruit. |
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Rhone | 1 | 99 (WA) | HK$18,865.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (99)Truly blockbuster stuff, and a wine that will compete with the ’99 when it’s at full maturity, the 2010 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde gave up a spectacular array of sweet red and black raspberry, cassis, violets and underbrush. A full-bodied, impeccably balanced, yet concentrated and massive Côte Rôtie, it has world-class tannin quality, a stacked mid-palate and blockbuster length. It will need another decade to show some maturity, and hold nicely through 2040. |
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Rhone | 1 | 97 (WA) | HK$11,630.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)I think the best wine here (at the moment anyways) is the 2012 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde. More reserved and closed initially, it has subtle, yet seductive notes of black raspberry, blackberry, toasted spice, smoke earth and cured meat that gradually open up in the glass. This is followed by a full-bodied, dense, substantial Cote Rotie that has awesome polish to its tannin, a great mid-palate and a smoking finish. It too needs short-term cellaring, but will keep for 2-3 decades. |
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Rhone | 1 | 97 (WA) | HK$4,675.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)I think the best wine here (at the moment anyways) is the 2012 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde. More reserved and closed initially, it has subtle, yet seductive notes of black raspberry, blackberry, toasted spice, smoke earth and cured meat that gradually open up in the glass. This is followed by a full-bodied, dense, substantial Cote Rotie that has awesome polish to its tannin, a great mid-palate and a smoking finish. It too needs short-term cellaring, but will keep for 2-3 decades. |
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Rhone | 1 | 95 (VN) | HK$1,890.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)Brilliant ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes fresh raspberry and boysenberry, potpourri, floral oils and smoky minerals. Lively, palate-staining red and dark berry and floral pastille flavors are complicated by powerful spice and mineral notes that expand with air. Closes on a gently tannic note, showing outstanding clarity and excellent mineral-driven persistence and leaving sweet dark berry notes behind. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (WA) | HK$1,290.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2016 Cote Rotie La Cote Blonde (from the lieu-dit of the same name—not a blend of sites) is a terrific effort. It blends the structure of la Viallière with the elegance of la Landonne, making it a truly complete and compelling bottle. Some mocha, black olive and meaty notes lend it a savory cast, while the palate is creamy and concentrated, firm but silky. It's medium to full-bodied, with a fine, licorice-tinged finish that lingers a good long time. It should drink well for 20+ years. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (WA) | HK$7,660.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2016 Cote Rotie La Cote Blonde (from the lieu-dit of the same name—not a blend of sites) is a terrific effort. It blends the structure of la Viallière with the elegance of la Landonne, making it a truly complete and compelling bottle. Some mocha, black olive and meaty notes lend it a savory cast, while the palate is creamy and concentrated, firm but silky. It's medium to full-bodied, with a fine, licorice-tinged finish that lingers a good long time. It should drink well for 20+ years. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (WA) | HK$1,355.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)Even better than last year, the recently bottled 2017 Cote Rotie La Cote Blonde was singing when I tasted it back in July. Floral and berry notes accent mocha-tinged aromas in this medium to full-bodied wine. It's silky, long and intense, with a couple of decades of life ahead of it. It's simply difficult to describe the waves of savory complexity this wine now shows, coupled with a succulent texture and tremendous length. |
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Rhone | 4 | 98 (WA) | HK$6,070.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)Even better than last year, the recently bottled 2017 Cote Rotie La Cote Blonde was singing when I tasted it back in July. Floral and berry notes accent mocha-tinged aromas in this medium to full-bodied wine. It's silky, long and intense, with a couple of decades of life ahead of it. It's simply difficult to describe the waves of savory complexity this wine now shows, coupled with a succulent texture and tremendous length. |
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Rhone | 1 | 97-99 (WA) | HK$1,415.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97-99)The most tannic of the "big three" bottlings this year, the 2018 Cote Rotie la Cote Blonde features elegant hints of mixed herbs entwined around bold boysenberry fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, with plentiful fine-grained tannins that firm up on the long finish. Embryonic, but oh so promising, it should blossom in another five years or so. |
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Rhone | 1 | - | HK$13,655.00 | |||||
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Rhone | 2 | - | HK$5,550.00 | |||||
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Rhone | 3 | 100 (JD) | HK$13,055.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)The 2022 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde is a stunning, flawless effort offering a complex array of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with graphite, crushed stone, and wildflowers. Full-bodied, silky, and multidimensional on the palate, it has incredible depth, perfectly ripe tannins, and remarkable purity of fruit. This profound, age-worthy wine deserves 7-10 years of bottle age and will have 30+ years of prime drinking. The floral, perfumed, exotic, and incredibly seductive character here is reminiscent of Guigal's Côte Rôtie La Mouline. Don't miss this wine. Drink 2032-2062. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96 (JD) | HK$1,395.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (96)The 2023 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde brings a touch more ripeness and exuberance than the Ampodium cuvée, offering exotic red and black fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed stone-like minerality on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, layered, and silky on the palate, it has beautiful tannins, a juicy, lively mouthfeel, and a gorgeous finish. It's pure Côte Blonde in its perfume, complexity, and elegance. Give it just a few years and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2028-2048. |
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Rhone | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$5,775.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)The 2016 Cote Rotie Cote Brune boasts fantastic aromas of violets, tea, herbs, leather, raspberries and olives—the kind of complex aromas that compel multiple nosings. I hesitated to take a sip for fear the spell would be broken, but this wine lives up to that promise. It's medium to full-bodied, but so silky, so effortless to drink, so long, elegant and complex on the finish that I was rendered speechless in the cellar. My original notes include the phrases blown away and pretty [expletive] great. |
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Rhone | 1 | 99 (WA) | HK$2,640.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (99)Have I shortchanged Rostaing's incredible 2017 Cote Rotie Cote Brune? Swirling notes of roses, herbal tea and lavender potpourri impart kaleidoscopic complexity on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is creamy-ripe in texture yet silky, lithe and downright sexy. Firm tannins on the lengthy finish leave a lasting impression of longevity, of restrained intensity that should carry this wine at least two decades into the future. |
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