The poor soils and eastern exposure of Campo alla Cerqua produce a wine of grace and mineral driven complexity. Within the lineup, the wine stands out for its finer, silkier texture and its decadently perfumed aromatics.

Colle alle Macchie sits at the top of a separate hill from where the rest of the wines are located and sourced. Thus, here is a differing profile of the Tabarrini single site wines, with clay rich soils and unrestricted southern exposure providing extra opulence in the glass.

Made in the traditional way, Tabarrini’s Montefalco Sagrantino Passito is a decadent dessert wine built from the region’s famed varietal. The Sagrantino grapes are left to dry on straw mats for three months before fermentation, concentrating the flavors and sugars to produce a bold and fragrant style of sweet wine.

Les Galuches is an organic 7ha plot of Cabernet Franc in sandy soils of Chinon. The wine sees little in the way of winemaking manipulation, allowing the purity of the fruit to shine.

Tommasi’s traditional approach to Amarone favors elegance and balance, with deep fruit complemented by spicy, earthy flavors. The grapes come from the family’s choicest plots in the Valpolicella Classica region. Through its commitment to quality and tradition, Tommasi has established itself as one of the principal ambassadors of Amarone in the world.

This wine is made by refermenting the juice from the Valpolicella on the warm Amarone grape skins, in the typical “Ripasso” method, which imparts a rich character and personality to the wine. The grapes are sourced from three of most prestigious Tommasi vineyards: Conca d’Oro, La Groletta and De Buris.

A blend of 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella and 5% Corvinone, the wine is vinified in stainless steel for about 9 days, then passed through the warm Amarone grape skins for about 12 days. It is then aged for 18 months in Slavonian oak barrels of 65 hl.

Intense ruby red, the Ripasso has a nose that recalls spicy black pepper and raisin, while the palate is intense and spicy, with lots of sweet red cherry flavors.

This Valpolicella comes from the historical Tommasi family vineyard of the same name. Perfectly situated on one of the region’s most famous hills, Monte Masua, it produces what may be the best grapes for the production of Valpolicella Classico Superiore. Careful cultivation of the vineyard, a rigorous selection of grapes and meticulous vinification all contribute to the production of this fresh, elegant Valpolicella.

A blend of 60% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 15% Molinara, it sees 15 months of aging in large Slavonian oak casks of 65 hl. The aromas recall dried spices, leather and cherry and the flavors are intense, with spicy, sweet cherry flavors. Beautifully balanced and very expressive, Rafael pairs wonderfully with a platter of cured meats and cheeses.

Guigal’s mastery of growing and producing white wine varieties in the Rhône Valley is exemplified in this wine of immense breadth and power, elegance and expression.  Intensely aromatic nose of white flowers, citrus and a touch of vanilla, on the palate the presence is undeniably penetrating, with a deep minerality joining the notes above. Guigal is today the single most important producer by value and volume of white wine in the Rhône, with 25% of their production dedicated to whites. Nalys is 18% planted to whites, very high for the area, and in fact at one point it is believed the estate produced the majority of the entire appellation’s white wine production.

Translated as “holy stones”, a play on the soils and history of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the second red wine to Château de Nalys is an altogether different animal.  Differing varietal and plot selections, fermentation, and aging result in a wine that is rich and ample, yet offers immense direct and approachable pleasure; a wine of red fruits, supple structure and brightness.

In comparison to the Grand Vin, this wine relies both on varieties and plots that bring freshness, and a vinfication entirely in stainless steel and foudres that emphasizes that freshness.

The realization of the Guigal family’s dream of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: three extraordinary vineyards coming together in an intensely expressive, utterly complete wine. The Grand Vin defines the estate style with a precision of fruit, spice and minerality and notably, a beautifully composed structure that unfolds and builds (and builds).

As with all the Nalys wines, the Grand Vin is produced from all three vineyards, but notably 50% of the blend comes from La Crau, which lends the intense structure. The wine is primarily intense old vine Grenache, with a large portion of Syrah, and then additions of several other varieties, including most of the estate’s Mourvedre.

Translated as “holy stones”, a play on the soils and history of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the second white wine to Château de Nalys has a character all its own, with a strongly different varietal and plot composition, and like its red Saintes Pierres counterpart, a fermentation, and aging geared towards emphasizing freshness. The hallmark seamlessness of Guigal’s white wines is especially evident in this wine, which is unlike any Châteauneuf white we have experienced in its grace and lift. The beautifully balanced freshness and fleshiness, prominent floral and citrus notes, a complete wine. Guigal is today the single most important producer by value and volume of white wine in the Rhône, with 25% of their production dedicated to whites. Nalys is 18% planted to whites, very high for the area, and in fact at one point it is believed the estate produced the majority of the entire appellation’s white wine production.

Domaine des Baumard’s Quarts de Chaume is renowned the world over as the greatest example of this small, 110 acre vineyard (of which Baumard owns 15), since 2011 recognized as the first official “Grand Cru” of the Loire Valley. The sweet wines from this subregion of the Côteaux de Layon are from vineyards planted along the southeastern stretch of the Layon river. The perfectly exposed, steeply terraced vineyards allow the Chenin Blanc grape to ripen perfectly in most years, often enriched by the development of botryitis. Always long-lived, in great vintages Quarts de Chaume can be almost immortal, improving for decades.

Marcel Guigal is the single person most responsible for bringing this historically great wine region to prominence. The Northern Rhône Valley is the cradle of wine civilization in France, with vineyards planted today on the same spot where they were planted 2,500 years ago by Romans, and it offers a completely unique profile of wines that are so expressive and bring so much pleasure, yet satisfy the most intellectually thirsty drinker. To put it simply, Marcel Guigal transformed Côte-Rôtie, the world’s perception and love for the wines, and now with his son he has not stopped leading his obsessive attention to detail and quality.

The Guigal family lives and works just 45 minutes north of Saint-Joseph, but it was circumstance in 1999 that brought them to several extraordinary sites in Saint-Joseph they eventually purchased. They are not only converts, but among the most vocal advocates about the extraordinary depth and complexity that wines from the great sites of Saint-Joseph can display. The wines can share some of the same smoldering black fruit and spice character as their neighbors across the river in Hermitage, but they are less brooding, more composed when young, and in general wines of finesse rather than power.

Guigal’s Hermitage Rouge is a true expression of the Northern Rhône Valley, where the red wines have a profile unlike anywhere else in the world, an irresistible combination of warm flavors of red and black fruit and exotic spice notes that bring great pleasure.

Hermitage is one of France’s most spectacular and famous appellations within the Rhône, producing small quantities of extraordinarily intense and ageworthy red wine and tiny amounts of dry white. The entire vineyard consists of 309 acres planted on a single granite hillside on the banks of the Rhône. In Guigal’s hands, the Hermitage Rouge is a racy wine, that manages to remain seductive.

Guigal’s Vignes de l’Hospice is one of the finest sites in the Northern Rhone Valley. This steeply terraced vineyard used to be divided into three, but Guigal now owns majority of this parcel in order to restore perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. In fact, Guigal is often asked when they will produce a fourth “LaLa,” and their response is that their fourth single vineyard phenomenon of the Northern Rhone is already being produced: the Vignes de l’Hospice.

Crozes-Hermitage is the “entry” appellation to the Northern Rhône Valley, but there are very clearly quality vineyard sites that can produce wines of appealing complexity and depth. While not much Crozes-Hermitage white is produced, Guigal has become the most important producer of white wine in the Rhône Valley, and from their vineyards and in their hands, Crozes displays an expressiveness and brightness while also capturing the warmth of the area. Explosive and exotic floral and fruit aromas and flavors meld with intense mineral notes, and the silky, powerful concentration of flavors has an appealing roundness that finishes remarkably fresh.

The Synthesi Aglianico del Vulture is true to its name: the word means “synthesis,” and the wine is made from grapes grown in different sections of the Vulture region. Synthesi is an Aglianico intended for drinking young, and is an excellently priced example of what the grape is all about. 

The white wine from Château Recougne is one of the hidden gems in the Milhade family portfolio. The soils and climatic conditions in Bordeaux’s ‘Right Bank’ are generally best suited to red grapes, and it is the rare exception to find a vineyard suitable for the production of white wine. Within the large Recougne Estate vineyard, the Milhades discovered a 10Ha parcel with deep clay-limestone soil over and iron-rich clay pan – a perfect setting for Sauvignon Blanc. From this parcel they produce a delightful Bordeaux Blanc, offering the typical zest and snap which makes these wines so perfectly suitable for oysters and seafood of all kinds.

A result of its quality, Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Rouge comes from the “Saint-Joseph” vineyard that gives the appellation its name. This site convinced the Guigals to work in Saint-Joseph and help to restore the historic perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. The 100% Syrah wine has complex and deep black fruit, floral, spice and mineral characteristics. Despite its concentration and powerful attack, the wine retains the trademark elegance that Saint-Joseph offers.