The 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru is another precise, steely classic Chablis from Benoit Droin. The palate is beautifully balanced and poised, showing good concentration and wonderful cohesion and salinity toward the finish. I cannot wait to taste the fi...
Just a gem of a Côtes Du Rhône that shows both the vintage and the producer perfectly, the 2020 Côtes Du Rhône Le Poutet reveals a medium ruby hue as well as a great perfume of sweet ripe strawberry fruits intermixed with sappy flowers, pepper, violets, a...
The third vintage of this mineral and salty sparkling white is the 2017 Izar-Leku, which was produced with a blend of 90% Hondarrabi Zuri and 10% Hondarrabi Beltza grapes from 20- to 60-year-old vines in Zarautz on sandy slate and clay soils. It fermented...
The 2022 Mâcon-Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette has a quite backward nose that needs more tension. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, much more expressive than the aromatics, with a peachy, seductive finish. Lovely. But the nose needs to ste...
The 2022 Mâcon-Uchizy Les Maranches has a more austere bouquet demanding some coaxing from the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a saline entry and fine weight in the mouth. Not complex per se, yet it feels quite long and spicy on the finish. Fin...
A more restrained nose is comprised by aromas of white peach, citrus confit and acacia blossom. There is excellent density to the succulent and saliva-inducing middle weight flavors that possess an appealing underlying tension while exhibiting a lovely sa...