New Arrivals

Le Volte is consistently one of the best-value drinking reds you can find anywhere in the world, and the 2022 is no different. Bright, fresh fruit adorns the palate alongside nice levels of acidity, making this incredibly moreish. Whilst high-toned and perfumed, the palate has a lovely texture to it. There aren't many better options for mid-week drinking than this.

Liam Mckeown, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd (February 2024)

For many years now and since the turn of the 21st century, Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron has been performing exceptionally well, in both the challenging and more favourable vintages. Their best Merlot plots are located next to Ch. Latour, and although this provides just 20 percent of the blend this year, it contributes a lot to the whole – providing dignified elegance and the cooling freshness we are finding in the top performers of 2014. There is a layered complexity here, fine, grainy tannins and generosity of fruit. A creamy texture fills the finish, enhanced by a prolonged, lingering, spicy undercurrent. It is a very good result.

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot

The fear with removing the oldest vines from a blend is that the main bottling might suffer, but the average age of the other vines is still impressive at over 50 years old and the result is a wine of real intensity, with arguably more freshness, purity and elegance than usual. An ethereal and delicate expression of the clos. Drink 2020-2026.

Château des Quarts was created in 2012 by two of our favourite vignerons, Dominique Lafon and Olivier Merlin, who are old friends. The vineyard is managed by Olivier and the wine made in his facility at La Roche Vineuse. This monopole vineyard of 2.23 hectares in Chaintré is surrounded by a high stone wall, facing east, overlooking the Saône valley. The 2017 vintage saw the 100-year anniversary of the planting of the oldest parcel of vines in the Clos des Quarts. The key to their longevity is riparia rootstock and an old-school training and pruning regime.

To celebrate the centenary, Dominique Lafon and Olivier Merlin, custodians of the special property and vineyard, have decided to bottle the wine made from these ancient vines separately. Production is 10 barrels, equating to just 1,500 magnums, which are offered in individual wooden cases.

Ben has made this monopole wine since 2006. The vineyard is almost in the middle of the village and the wine is ebulliently cherry-fruited. Ben adds some polish (using a third whole-bunch this year). This is quite a major wine for Ben, with 13 and a half barrels this year. Drink 2022-2027.

It is fair to say that Ben is very happy with 2017, describing it as the kind of vintage he would sign up for every year. The whites, he says, are beautiful, and not far from 2014 in style, with purity, finesse, great definition and balance. He describes the reds as pretty, appealing and with body to support ageing, while highlighting the importance of lower-yielding old vines for serious ageing. He eloquently explains that there is no “black sheep” in 2017, that no village has underperformed. For reason of space, the limited volumes of Grands Crus have not been included in this brochure. Since the 2014 vintage, all white wines are bottled under screwcap.

Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.

The yield was 40 hectolitres per hectare this year: that doesn't represent a great yield, but it is much better than recent years, in particular 2013. I always buy this wine for my own cellar and will be doing so again. Soft and really approachable, this is a gentle wine. Shy, but pretty on the nose, it is decadent and could be enjoyed very early; but that's not to say it won't age well, all the component parts are singing in harmony: ripe, fleshy fruit, freshness, attractive acidity and silky, fine tannins. The finish is soft too. This is so silky and enjoyable, even when tasting a barrel sample.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Tasting here is always very special as we are offered the three previous vintages to ‘compare and contrast’. This is very rare in Bordeaux as the vintage variance is so striking. Our experience here just showed us after a week of only tasting 2009s where this vintage really is. We bought a lot of 2007 and 2008 of this underrated château and they are showing beautifully but the 2009 literally blows them both into a different dimension. Sumptuous amounts of raspberry fruit just wafts from the glass. This is so clean and pure on the palate too, with layer after layer of minerality enhanced with generous puppy fat to round it off in a dramatic way. Totally classy, really breathtaking.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Domaine de Chevalier always seems to know how to please. The 2008 has a fantastic, opulent nose of liquid blackcurrants and a concentrated, intense palate of dark cassis fruit but with that lovely freshness indicative of the vintage. This is a wine with plenty of flesh on its bones, but one which combines power with grace and balance. Ripe, grainy tannins and a savoury, mineral finish complete this very rewarding wine.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

The 2010 Solaia is even better than the Tignanello. Here, too, it is the wine's energy and sheer vibrancy that stand out most. Blackberry jam, graphite, tar, espresso, violets, crushed rocks and spices all take shape in the glass. The 2010 is a wine I have followed since its infancy, and it has never failed to deliver the goods. Earlier this year I had a chance to taste every vintage of Solaia back to the inaugural 1978. It is still early, but there is little question the 2010 is one of the greatest – if not the single greatest Solaia ever made
97/100 Antonio Galloni - Aug-2013

Le Serre Nuove may be known as Ornellaia’s little brother but it certainly does punch above its weight. The magical bouquet envelops your senses into a frenzy, such is the array of juicy red fruit and floral complexity here. The palate forms layers of dark red berry fruit, cedar, leather and exotic spice.

There’s a lovely opulence to the fruit whilst also exuding elegance and freshness which is particularly impressive. The velvety tannins melt in your mouth, leading to an immensely satisfying and lingering finish. This is an extraordinary wine, which should find a home in all cellars.

Hugo Dale, Account Manger, Berry Bros. & Rudd (August 2023)

Glistening violet. Smoke- and mineral-accented cherry and black raspberry scents are complemented by tobacco, violet and cracked pepper suggestions. Silky in texture and lively on the palate, offering gently sweet dark berry, cherry compote and floral pastille flavours firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. The spicy note returns an impressively long, penetrating finish with good clarity and subtle, fine-grained tannins.

Drink 2023 - 2031

Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com (September 2019)

Belonging to the Mouton stable, and with a prestigious location right next to both Mouton and Lafite, Ch. Clerc Milon is a fresher, lighter style of 2008 which has a delicious hint of creamy raspberry fruit to the more classic blackcurrant backbone. Fine with exceptionally fine tannins this has a lovely rounded finish with more than a hint of the savoury minerality of the vintage.

Pale straw with a very faint, green tint, En la Barre is muscular yet also elegant, offering a huge volume of fruit in the mouth, crisp acidity, perfumed red fruit notes, cherries and an excellent finish on which the fruit lingers.

Overall yields were better than Antoine feared in 2014, but some of his vineyards, including those used for his Bourgogne Blanc and Meursault En la Barre as well as part of Poruzots, were particularly badly hit by the hail. He picked from 13th September and has made his usual range of outstanding, ageworthy wines which will not be bottled until next summer. The secret to his style is not clarifying the juice out of the press, and no stirring of the lees.

Dominique has this parcel on a fermage contract. It's an elegant expression of Beaune, with a bright purple colour, floral aromatics and rich fruit on the palate.  The tannins are silky, seductive and perfectly integrated with the fruit. A wonderful, floral finish. Drink 2021-2026

After the famine of 2016, this year is something of a feast, at least in the case of the reds. Sadly, the whites, which Dominique praises as having excellent clarity, are in slightly smaller volumes than 2016. The good news is that the full range of red wines has been made, and in good volume too. Dominique is effusive in his praise for the 2017 reds, describing them as appealing, with beautiful balance, a lightness of touch, refined tannins and a floral character with stunning red fruit.

This parcel is located at the foot of Cote de Py. Very floral on the nose alongside ripe black fruits retaining good freshness. We can also discern animal and leather notes compared to the straight Morgon adding a layer of complexity. Elegant on the palate with lovely bright blue fruit. Still, a more rustic Beaujolais compared to the rest of the range but will age very well. Give this one some time in a Carafe before drinking.

Yoan Bernard, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The nose has lovely aromatics of strawberry and cream alongside a striking wet stone freshness. The palate is linear with good tension which balances the 14% alcohol. Fresh strawberries combined with ripe chalky tannins gives this Regnie a lovely balance. 100% destemmed, lovely.

Yoan Bernard, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The new vintages see 50% cement tank and 50% large 500l wood barrels; however, the 2018 was aged in 100% cement vats for 18 months.

This cuvée  comes from a selection of 70-year-old vines, which sit just behind the winery. Lovely dark fruit aromas of cherry and fresh plum predominate, intertwined with black pepper and a stunning wet stone freshness. The palate has lovely notes of sweet spices alongside bright black fruits. Offering good length and balance, this is a lovely entry level Chinon.

Drink 2024 - 2032

Yoan Bernard, Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

From Gilly-les-Citeaux and below Chambolle. Dense dark purple. Ripe raspberry but better balanced than En Bollery. Spicy finish, and I enjoy the wealth of fruit.

Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (December 2021)

Pitures is François’s only Volnay from the north of the village. It’s a higher vineyard close to Pommard and stylistically very different; François refers to it as a distant cousin. Certainly, there’s a Pommardian dash about the wine, with a sturdiness and more pronounced tannins. In 2019, it works really well, with the deeper creases seemingly ironed out.

Drink 2025 - 2038

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This parcel of 60-year-old vines is at the top of the vineyard, alongside Drouhin’s Clos des Mouches. This fine vineyard makes wines of persistence and density, with fine, linear tannins. Drink 2024-2030.

The 2016 Pauillac de Château Latour is a compelling, sumptuous wine that shows just how magnificent the year is. How can this be a third wine? Dark and ample in the glass, Latour's Pauillac possesses tremendous breed right out of the gate. Black cherry, graphite, licorice, spice and leather all meld together in the glass. Floral overtones develop nicely with time. Only the (relatively) lighter structure suggests the Pauillac's place in the château's hierarchy. Everything else is first class all the way. The Pauillac is a blend taken from parcels outside the core holdings in the famed enclos, plus younger vines in the enclos. Drink 2022-2036
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com (March 2021)

Crisp, classic Cabernet aromas of blackcurrant and tobacco lifted with hints of dark cherry and rosemary. A pleasing, measured mid-weight appeal and a freshness that really brings this wine to life. On the palate the primary dark berry and cassis notes are joined by notions of forest floor occasional hints of black pepper then a savoury yet sapid blackcurrant finish. Despite this wines immediate appeal there is also some gentle tannic grip that will ensure it drinks well for a number of years to come. Very easy to drink and neatly presented in a classic Pauillac mould.
Peter Newton - Private Account Manager

Possessing more overt fruit and body than the 2012, this Brunate, layers toasted nuts with cherry and savoury graphite and tar notes. Amazing grip and clean acidity underpin the dense, ripe fruit on the core of the wine. Contained power. Drink from 2025+.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Calcareous soils, with smaller and paler red berries compared to the Cerretta. Dark cherry, blackberry and bramble, and crushed petals on the nose. Mineral and saline on the palate, with a juicy red fruit core, tightly woven tannins, wonderful tension and poise. Linear and precise, with outstanding potential to age. drink 2023+
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

Most Exciting Wines of the Vintage: Hermitage Rouge, Domaine Marc Sorrel
A taste of this fabulous elixir confirms what a great site the hill above Tain-Hermitage really is. A seductive red fruit nose with hints of garrigue, leads to a punchy palate with notes of olives and flowers, as well as berry fruit and chocolate. This is beautifully made, proper Hermitage.
(Chris Pollington, BBR Fine Wine)

Marc Sorrel is a phenomenal wine maker and his Hermitage Rouge was a real wine moment for everyone that tasted it. The power that you expect from top Hermitage was there, along with fine detail and huge complexity. This will age gracefully for a long, long time and is among the best produced in this revered appellation.
(Matt Tipping, BBR Fine Wine)

Sourced from three sites (Les Plantiers, Les Bessards and Les Greffieux) all assembled at harvest time, this Hermitage wine has attractive floral aromas redolent of violets, and a creamy rich palate which underwrites the astonishing complexity of what is supposed to be the junior wine.
(Simon Field MW BBR Buyer)

A wine of the vintage candidate in 2008, Troplong Mondots offering was produced from yields of 41 hectoliters per hectare and achieved 14.5% natural alcohol. A classic blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it offers copious quantities of blue and black fruits, a full-bodied opulence, sweet tannin and a fabulous texture as well as finish. Already drinking beautifully, it will be even better in 2-5 years and should last for 20 years. A great effort for the vintage, it couldnt happen to a more deserving proprietor, Christine Valette. Bravo!
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 02/05/2011

One of several highlights of 2008, Ch. Léoville-Las Cases is an example of how brilliant St Julien can be in a good year. Interestingly it was also virtually the only estate in the Left Bank where Cabernet Franc really seemed to work in 2008 and the successful addition of a heady 12% in this blend adds a voluptuous perfume to the 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. Intensely concentrated with dense blackcurrant cassis, vanilla, a creamy texture and tannins which are linear but softened by a massive coating of black fruit, this is most definitely a must-buy wine this vintage.

This Nuits-St. Georges, Clos de la Maréchale has a heavenly and hedonistic nose with black cherries and sweet ripe fruit in abundance. The fruit is really velvety and is rounded off with an elegant finish.

Deep ruby, softening in colour around the rim, packed with pencil lead, cigar box, slate, mint leaf, chewy tannins, great quality with an innate confidence. It has walls to scale and a ton of life ahead, an exceptionally enjoyable 2000 vintage that remains young—70% new oak.

Drink 2022 - 2040

Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (March 2022)

"This stunning wine is one of the vintage's great successes. Administrator Thomas Duroux has fashioned a modern day version of Palmer's brilliant 1966. Displaying a rare combination of power and elegance, this dense purple-colored offering exhibits notes of blackberries, truffles, flowers, incense, and camphor. Long, classic, and medium to full-bodied with stunning texture and richness, this superb effort is a candidate for the finest Margaux of the vintage."
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - 30-Jun-2007

This property seem to be able to deliver exceptional wines whatever the weather due to arguably one of the best terroir in Bordeaux and a dedicated wine making team who is adverse to trends and do not manufacture their wines. This year is no exception, the nose is intense and layered with cassis and blackberries. Once on the palate the power and drive is instant, covering all parts with meaty, powerful black fruits. The length is firm and focused but the tannins are very ripe. This vintage will open up quite quickly but with such power and balance this is also built for the long term.

Max Lalondrelle, Fine Wine Buying Director, Berry Bros. & Rudd

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

This Fourth Growth St Julien estate has been performing consistently well for the past several vintages and 2014 is no exception. The nose is pretty, attractively perfumed, fresh and expressive. The palate is dominated by rich, fleshy fruit. There is a purity here, great precision and ripe tannins which grip, and offer an intense focus. High acidity, complexity and a persistence on the finish suggest this wine has excellent potential for aging. Elegant and fine, it is a wine that the château can be proud of. Bravo indeed.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Fine, bright colour, this has a brilliantly concentrated nose, showing power and muscle, plus beautiful fruit. It is an astonishingly gorgeous mouthful of fruit with richness, density, and a lovely finish. This is accessible, adorable, but with the structure to age well.

Jean-Philippe is serene in the knowledge of the quality of his 2014 vintage. The grapes were entirely healthy, there were no problems in vinification, the maturation process is happening as it should and the wines are set to give a great deal of pleasure all round. There is less reduction than last year, so they will be accessible reasonably early, while still having good keeping potential.

Of the 13 plots which make up this wine, the key ones are Beaurenard in the north-west, Charbonnière on the central Crau plateau and Gallimardes in the south... in other words, this has a richly diverse provenance. The blend is 80 percent Grenache, 10 percent Mourvèdre, seven percent Syrah and three percent Cinsault. The wine displays classic aromas of thyme, sous-bois and macerated plum and an equally classic palate, which is long and unnervingly complex.  
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The forebears of sisters Sophie and Catherine Armenier have been making superb wines since 1344 it seems, maybe modifying their techniques a little along the way, but not too much. Biodynamic in all but the letter, they are based close to Beaucastel, but their plots, albeit more modest in total surface area, are more widely spaced over the appellation, with the most significant holdings in the areas around Courthézon and on the central Crau plateau. Low yields are key to the exceptional quality of the wines.

Made from equal proportions of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre and aged in new barrique, this is the closest the Rhône comes to a Pomerol. The velvety texture coats a most generous fruit basket. This will need a decade to really sing; the 2005 is not quite as good and is still very closed!

La Nerthe is one of the few Rhône properties where the property perfectly captures the grandeur of the wines. Our Fine Wine team loves to visit because everything, including the elegance of the wines, makes them think they are in Bordeaux. Christian Voeux is particularly pleased with the 2010 vintage, which, he advises, shares the rigour and precision of the 2005 and the generous fruit character of the 2007. As the 2007 la Nerthe was our best-seller of that particular vintage, these are words that we are happy to hear.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

This wine is built mainly around Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah, but the palate reveals it to be a careful construction from all thirteen Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties. Counoise lends smoky, tannic complexity, while Cinsault adds softness and elegance. All in all it’s a classic Beaucastel, with black fruits, truffles, spice and bitter chocolate notes all present.

The outstanding wine in 2007 is equally brilliant in 2008. Deep purple in colour with exceptional power on the nose. Some fresh mulberry fruit at the start leads to more complex flavours and even a touch of bacon on the palate. Stems used in the vinification. Brilliantly put together. Very long finish, suffused with energy.
(Jasper Moris MW, BBR Buyer)

The vineyard is farmed by Benjamins right-hand man, Jean-Charles Carr, and the Clos de la Cave des Ducs is the epitome of perfectly balanced Volnay not massive but with an exquisite delicacy of red and black fruit and great persistence.

This wine is still very backward but it will certainly be dark in colour and exceptionally concentrated. We will have to wait to understand the detail of the fruit. 75% stems were retained.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Sylvie feels that her 2012s will benefit from a long maturation in barrel; the wines were certainly at a very backward stage of development when we tasted them in November. There was no hail in Gevrey- Chambertin but the poor flowering conditions restricted her crop to 25 hl/ha overall and she began picking on 24th September.

In contrast to the sullen 2018, Jamet's 2017 Cote Rotie Terrasses is more open at the moment, with attractive notes of strawberry and raspberry compote framed by velvety tannins. It's full-bodied, with enough stuffing to carry it at least another decade, probably longer.

Just a few steps up the hill and a solid stone wall apart from the old family domaine now home to his brother, Jean-Luc Jamet continues to build and expand his brand-new cellars. As it had been some time since my previous visit, we had some catching up to do, and we went through a few short verticals of the domaine's wines, as well as a quick barrel tasting of the lots destined for the 2020 Cote Rotie Terrasses.

Drink 2022 - 2035

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (January 2022)

Reduction. This is completely different from the Beaux Monts, particularly in terms of size and weight as there is real muscle to the impressively concentrated and ripe medium-bodied plus flavors that culminate in a hugely long finish that coats the palate with dry extract. The supporting tannins are also markedly firmer and it's clear that this will require around 15 years to completely realize its full, and considerable, potential yet it should be approachable after 10 years or so. In a word, impressive.
Allen Meadows - burghound.com - Jan 2014

Bachelet's 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes has turned out beautifully in bottle. Soaring from the glass with aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with sweet spices, licorice, rose petals and orange rind, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with terrific concentration, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. As readers will remember, this cuvée incorporates the domaine's holdings in Les Evocelles this year.

Drink 2025 - 2055

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)

A perfumed and very pretty nose speaks mainly of various red berries and soft earth. The delicious, succulent and rounded flavours possess good vibrancy while exhibiting only a touch of rusticity on the moderately firm finale.

Drink from 2023 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2021)

From a single 1.5 hectare monopole vineyard in Bizay. Fermented in 600-litre demi-muids.

Almost sour citrus, like lime pickle? Very structured, with taut acidity. Honey too, but overall the acid and citric sharpness rules. Quite an onslaught, but in a good way. 

Drink 2017 - 2027

Richard Hemming MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2017)

The potential alcohol content was record high from the start, especially in Aÿ, with 11.1% straight away. Denis, just like me, sees great similarities between 2015 and 2019, but where the sharpness and freshness is better in 2019. It is not the acidity, but rather the mineral salt that gives the freshness together with the sense of umami the concentrated grapes give. Here, there is a swirl of exotic fruit and honey and a dry smokiness that I’ve learned to associate with the cluster of aromas that transforms over time into the note of railway on a hot summer’s day. It might sound fuzzy, but it makes perfect sense.

The combination of heated rail, dry gravel, dandelions and nettles that thrive in the embankment gives a concentrated, warm dryness strongly reminiscent of the character the grapes acquire when the temperature crosses the vine’s pain point on a few hot summer days. 41 degrees in the shade was a heat record in Champagne, especially a lot of shade, which the vineyards in Champagne cannot boast of, so the effect is reminiscent of that which arose in 1947, 1959, 1976, and 2003. Hence, this aroma was less marked in 2019. Let’s see if I’m right in 10 years when I expect “The Famous Note of Railroad Track” to appear in this beauty.

Richard Juhlin, The Champagne Club (June 2024)

For a 2021 this is brimming with sour cherry fruit, plus herbal and savory complexity. Fascinating interplay of fresh and ripe elements on the concentrated and lively medium-bodied palate. Long crisp finish with wet stone minerality. Only the third vintage from this new producer! Sustainable. Drink or hold.

Stuart Pigott, Senior Editor for JamesSuckling.com (March 2023)

Stacks of redcurrant and oolong tea character give this sleek, but substantial Chiroubles plenty of appeal. Crisp and zesty finish with plenty of wet stone character. Only the third vintage from this new producer! Sustainable. Drink or hold.

Stuart Pigott, Senior Editor for JamesSuckling.com (March 2023)

Frederic only uses a horse to work this vineyard and the grapes are 100% destemmed. The nose exhibits succulent aromas of roses and bright strawberry, some Pinotage here! Great tension on the palate coupled with a lovely salinity and velvety tannic structure. This is utterly delicious.

Yoan Bernard, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Les Vergers comes from 67 year old vines and is located right beside Chateau des Vergers from where it holds its name. The nose here is Chambolesque with loads of elegant red and black fruit alongside perfumed floral notes, piercing intensity, complexity and elegance - wow. On the palate we find the same elegance and concentration, great ripe tannins. This is much more delicate and ethereal compared to the Regnie Vernus parcel.

Yoan Bernard, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The grapes here come from two parcels; l'Eveque, which Frederic sold in 2024, and Champs Levrier which will become the main source of grapes for this label going forwards. The nose is perfumed and boasts of violets and fresh cassis. On the palate, the same cassis is precise and full of freshness combined with well-integrated chalky tannins. Good balance and length and lovely integration of wood.

Yoan Bernard, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Vinified with 50% whole cluster.

A fresh, cool, and airy mix is composed of perfumed aromas of rose petals, violet, red currant, and a background hint of earth. There is a first-rate intensity to the mineral-driven and muscular medium-weight flavours that exhibit terrific persistence on the firm and moderately rustic finish. Pommard villages wines rarely get much better than this, though it is necessary to have extended patience.

Drink from 2028 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2018)