Condrieu is the ancestral home of the Viognier vine and is the source of one of the world’s most exotic white wines. In the mid-20th century, only 20 acres of Viognier remained in Condrieu, leaving the grape and the appellation in serious jeopardy. Guigal was instrumental in bringing this appellation back from near extinction, and today supplements the grapes from their own vineyards with grapes purchased from numerous small growers, ultimately vinifying nearly one-third of the entire appellation.

La Doriane is a luxury cuvée of Condrieu that the Guigals have produced since the 1994 vintage. A great success since the first vintage, the wine always seems richly oaked and very fruity when young, transforming in 3-4 years into a seamlessly complex, aromatic and vibrant wine. La Doriane contradicts the accepted wisdom that Condrieu does not age well.

What a story. Etienne Guigal, working in the cellars of a local winery, is swimming in the Rhone river off the docks near the Château d’Ampuis. He meets a lovely girl, who works as a maid at the Château d’Ampuis, a historic property whose oldest sections date to the 11th century, where Kings of France have visited and slept, and symbol of the town of Ampuis and the world-renowned Côte-Rôtie vineyard area for ten centuries. In 1995, 7 years after Etienne passed away, his son Marcel Guigal purchased the Château, and spent 11 years restoring it, with over 100 people working on the project, all overseen by France’s Chief Architect of Historic Monuments. 

Early on, when the Guigal family learned that there was at one time a wine produced with the Château d’Ampuis name, and they were able to trace the vineyards that were used in this original wine, they decided to produce an exceptional wine that would showcase the best that Côte-Rôtie has to offer.

Baumard’s Savennières are enthralling. The piercing minerality offset by a deep ripeness, the distinct flavors of stone fruits, spices and honeyed notes. The fabulous pleasure they offer when young, and their ability to age seemingly forever: these are special wines, appreciated at the most basic level, and revered by the most knowledgeable.

Savennières is a tiny region located on the northern banks of the Loire River, just across from the town of Rochefort Sur Loire.  The entire appellation consists of fewer than 360 acres of vines, all planted to Chenin Blanc.  The South/Southeast facing vineyards are planted on unique soils composed of schistous volcanic debris mixed with sandstone and granite, imparting a strong, intensely original minerality to the Chenin Blanc grape.  The average yields for the appellation are well below permitted levels, and actually the lowest of any dry french white wines; the resulting wines have stunning concentration and perfume.  The combination of this concentration with the naturally high acidity of the Chenin Blanc grape results in wines capable of lasting and improving for decades.

Finca Decero has become recognized not only for having one of the highest quality vineyards in all of Mendoza but also for catapulting into an elite group of the most highly regarded producers in Argentina. The wines all come from the single Finca Decero vineyard, and the winery’s focus is entirely quality focused. The Owl & The Dust Devil Icon Blend is a red blend that employs Decero’s unique and creative nature with striking packaging which includes a label that brings one on an augmented reality journey.

La Mouline is historically the oldest vineyard site in Cote-Rotie, with walls dating back 2,400 years. Today its vines are also the oldest in the region, averaging 90 years of age, with the oldest dating back to plantings in the 1890s, from the first plantings after phylloxera. Acquired in 1963 from the Dervieux family, La Mouline was Guigal’s first single-vineyard Côte- Rôtie, and the inaugural vintage was 1966.  This 1-HA vineyard is located on the lighter soils of the Cote Blonde,and is planted to about 11% Viognier, aspects that give La Mouline its telltale aromatic complexity and additional softness and roundness; it is often called the most feminine of Guigal’s Côte-Rôties.

One of three single-vineyard Cru Côte Rôtie in the Guigal estate, La Landonne is a remarkable expression of terroir and one of the world’s most coveted wines. And for good reason, as La Landonne is situated on one of the steepest vineyards of the Côte Brune, a 45 degree slope that remarkably requires harvesters to start picking from the bottom of the vineyard and work their way up, placing grape bunches in bins that are set on sleds and dragged up the hill. Along with its position at the northern end of the Côte Brune and the fact it is the last vineyard to ripen, La Landonne is the mirror of the feminine and voluptuous La Mouline: it is a wine of driving power, defined by its dark fruit and structure. Marcel Guigal assembled this vineyard over 10 years though parcel-by-parcel acquisitions from 17 growers. The vineyard was totally replanted in 1975, the year of Philippe Guigal’s birth, and the first vintage was 1978.

La Turque is Guigal’s most recent addition to the single-vineyard Cru Côte-Rôties, coming over as part of their purchase of the Vidal-Fleury firm in 1980. La Turque had produced outstanding wines in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, but had not been used for wine production for nearly 50 years. The Guigals acquired the vineyard and re-planted it in 1980 and 1981, based on Etienne Guigal’s memory of the quality of the wines it produced during his tenure at Vidal-Fleury. The first vintage was the magnificent 1985. In both position and style, it sits between La Mouline and La Landonne: the complex soils lend an exotic character to La Turque, and its concentration and elegance exhibit the virility of the Côte Brune with the subtlety and femininity of the Côte Blonde.

Bollinger’s prestige  cuvée is the vintage-dated La Grande Année, made of roughly two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay. It is produced only when the harvest reaches a perfect balance. This wine ferments entirely in oak barrels, and undergoes its second fermentation under cork instead of crown capsules. It’s filled with aromas of honey, gingerbread and cinnamon, and offers a core of pastry and candied orange flavors on the palate.

In 1976, Bollinger Vintage became Grande Année; then, in 1997, “La” Grande Année, a name simple enough to illustrate its exceptional status. This prestige cuvée made its silver screen debut two years later, in James Bond’s Casino Royale.

A rosé version of La Grande Année is also made in certain vintages. Lily Bollinger agreed to a Bollinger rosé under one condition, it had to be extraordinary, and that is how La Grande Année Rosé was born: the subtle blend between a great vintage champagne and aa small percentage of red wine from one of the House’s emblematic vineyards , La Côte Aux Enfants, located in the village of Aÿ. This plot of Grand Cru is only used for red wine when the grapes are perfectly ripe. To produce a red wine of such high quality in the Champagne region is a challenge: a rare treat, a testament to the House’s expertise in Pinot Noir.

Reflecting its land and its traditional wine making methods, La Grande Année Rosé is famous for its promise of exceptional aging qualities which makes it a great wine for cellaring. The richness of this wine is expressed by a deep colour, perfectly balanced aromas and a lovely vinosity.

Chanson owns 3 hectares in this area, located in the Premiers Crus area of Santenay, a small village in the South of the Côte de Beaune. The plot is at the top of the hill and is positioned on two levels. The large proportion of stones gives to the wine a very special minerality which emphasizes the typicality of the Pinot Noir.

Mounir Saouma likes to describe Chateauneuf-du-Pape as a mosaic, with all the wild traditions and differences together making for very different interpretations. Omnia, Latin for “all,” is his attempt to encompass the entire region’s terroir and winemaking history (and perhaps future) in one glass. The fruit comes from 9 vineyard parcles across all 5 of the Chateauneuf communes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Courthezon, Sorgues, Bedarrides and Orange (in early vintages, when the Saoumas did not have all the vineyards they have today, they would purchase fruit; today, Rotem & Mounir Saouma is 100% Estate). The wine is then vinified and aged in foudres, cement and 500 liter barrels – a little bit of everything.

The aging is as Mounir ages his Burgundies: extremely long, never racked, no fining, no filtration. It would be easy to say that we expected the experience running one of Burgundy’s leading producers, Lucien Le Moine, would show in Mounir’s wines. But the actual results need to be tasted to be believed and understood: a wine with beguiling fruit and savory richness, yet extraordinary finesse and detail.

Mounir Saouma’s story in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape started with a state sale of a small plot in Pignan, one of the most famous vineyard areas of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Within this first vineyard acquisition, Mounir has one plot of 100% Grenache planted in the 1930s which yields naturally at a miniscule 1 ton per acre. From these vines he produces Arioso.

In the northeast of the appellation facing “the giant of Provence”, the massive Mont Ventoux mountain”, Pignan’s exposure brings freshness to the natural high ripeness achieved in this area. The rocky and sandy soils of this original plot add a sense of elegance. When you start tasting you understand why some have compared his wines to the great Rayas wines of the 1980s or, perhaps as expected given Mounir’s renown as owner and winemaker of Lucien Le Moine, to Burgundy. The sheer density of the low yielding, old vines dances with the freshness and elegance provided by the site. On the label is aptly explained: “Arioso is a style of opera somewhere between an aria and a recital. We chose this name for our wine because it is evocative of both the ethereal and profound”.

Burgundy meets the Rhône. An utter respect for tradition, and in some ways a total break. We’ve watched as Mounir and Rotem Saouma, of Burgundy producer Lucien Le Moine, slowly developed their estate and wines in the Rhône Valley, and the results today are too extraordinary and distinct to ignore.

Burgundy meets the Rhône. An utter respect for tradition, and in some ways a total break. We’ve watched as Mounir and Rotem Saouma, of Burgundy producer Lucien Le Moine, slowly developed their estate and wines in the Rhône Valley, and the results today are too extraordinary and distinct to ignore.

The Guigal family has made serious dry rosé wines since the 1940s, and their Côtes du Rhône Rosé, like all their Côtes du Rhône wines, is humble in name only. The wine bursts with irresistible fresh red fruits and yet is also serious and satisfying.  While this Rosé is always a lovely aperitif, its intensity and richness make it perfect for the table, and it pairs well with all manner of cuisines.  And starting with the 2020 vintage, the wine has a stunning new proprietary bottle: a subtle enhancement for an already elegant wine!

Attems Sauvignon Blanc, like others from the region, remains a hidden treasure. The wines can be compared in fruit ripeness to Sancerre, with a more intense bouquet as well as a lusher weight and texture. Attems shows how the value of quality-driven, artisanal producers can be extraordinary.

Volcanic wines are currently one of the hot topics in the wine world, and the Vulcanico Falanghina is having its moment in the sun. The name “Vulcanico” highlights the fact that the grapes are harvested from vineyards near the base of Mount Vulture, an extinct volcano. The Vulcanico combines the freshness, balminess and delicacy of the Falanghina grape with the brightness and generosity that one would expect from a white wine from southern Italy. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks for 10 days and remain in contact with the lees for approximately 5 months.

Lucente is the second wine of Luce, a wine with contemporary style, immediate and great pleasure, and like its elder sibling, an authentic interpretation of Montalcino and the Luce estate.

After the first strict selection of the very best grapes for Luce, the next selection is used for Lucente and is often coming from the younger vineyards planted in the Luce estate. Lucente represents a more approachable expression of the estate’s unique terroir.

The ultimate vision for us, and for many others, of vibrant and perfumed New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Dog Point’s Sauvignon Blanc takes a category of wine and completely transcends it, with an intensity, depth and energy that so obviously sets it apart from the first encounter. Dog Point actually began their history making only the radical Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc, the 2 year barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc that sits entirely out of the category. When they decided to make a pure stainless steel vinified Sauvignon Blanc, they kept the same philosophical foundation: pushing to the ultimate every process to produce top quality, distinctive wine.

They hand-pick fruit at low yields (virtually unheard of in New Zealand), green harvest at times (totally crazy), and ferment partially with indigenous yeasts. This wine has helped make Dog Point such an important advocate of premium wine production in New Zealand, and for New Zealand throughout the world. Don’t forget to leave a bottle or two in the cellar; the wine ages beautifully.

The Guigal family owns some of the most hallowed vineyards in the Rhône Valley and the world and makes some of the most sought-after wines in the world. Yet you are undoubtedly more likely to spend time with them speaking about their Côtes du Rhône Rouge. Given that this particular wine can be the introduction to the entire Rhône Valley for a drinker, as well as the position the Guigals occupy in the Rhône Valley, it is not enough for the Guigals to make a good Côtes du Rhône. They are relentlessly driven to produce a distinctive and outstanding wine that drives interest in exploring the entirety of the Rhône.

The Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rouge offers tremendous warmth, spice and pleasure, but in a decidedly individual fashion. It is, unlike virtually every other Côtes du Rhône, based on Syrah, a Northern Rhône approach that lends greater aromatic intensity and structure, though is far more difficult and costly to produce in the Southern Rhône. The aging also goes far other wine in the appellation in its category, a minimum of two years in a combination of stainless steel and foudres, with a deliberate blending over the course of that time that results in a wine of remarkable harmony and complexity. It is an extraordinary value and a benchmark for the region from one of the world’s most lauded producers.