Domaine de Villeneuve10110 Bar-sur-SeineThis was the most dynamic cooperative in Champagne from the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, producing richer, crisper, fruitier Champagnes than some Marne-based...
VRANKEN
42 avenue de Champagne51200 EpernayThe house of Vranken is owned by Belgian Paul Vranken, whose ideas on quality I do not share but who undoubtedly has one of the most clever commercial brains in the...
CHÂTEAU LA CARDONNE
AOC Médoc Cru Bourgeois SupérieurThis property was purchased by the Rothschilds of Lafite in 1973 and has since been expanded andrenovated. This wine is matured in wood for 12 months, with 50 percent...
VINTAGE BRUT
Not more than 80 percent of any year’s harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne, so at least 20 percent of the best years’ harvests are conserved for the future blending of nonvintage wines. Some houses...
NON VINTAGE BRUT
No wine depends upon the winemaker’s blending skills more than nonvintage Champagne, which accounts for more than 75 percent of all Champagne sold. Although nonvintage Champagnes are not usually the finest...
SERGE MATHIEU
Les Riceys 10340 Avirey-LingeyMathieu, a small grower in the Aube, consistently produces excellent Champagnes that are beautifully focused, have much finesse, and a real richness of fruit for such light and elegantly balanced wines. Entire ra...
CHAUVET
41 avenue de Champagne51150 Tours-sur-MarneA small, quality-conscious house situated opposite Laurent Perrier, Champagne Chauvet is owned by the Paillard-Chauvet family, who are wonderfully eccentric. They are related to Pierre Paillard in Bouzy, Bruno Paillard in Reims, and the Gossets of Aÿ. I have always enjoyed Chauvet’s Carte Vert blanc de blancs, which is an excellent nonvintage blend of exclusively grand cru wines, and...
PAUL DÉTHUNE
2 rue du Moulin51150 AmbonnayAs one of the more consistent growers, Paul Déthune always makes good vintage and rosé, but is best known for his prestige cuvée, the luxuriously rich, big, deliciously creamy...
DEUTZ (GM)
16 rue Jeanson 51160 Aÿ-ChampagneThe profitability and quality of Deutz suffered from underfunding until Roederer acquired it in 1983. Its resurgence began a little shakily with the 1985 vintage but was...
CHÂTEAU CAPLÉON-VEYRIN
AOC Listrac Cru Bourgeois SupérieurSimply called Château Cap-Léon originally, the vines of this property are planted in two plots of claygravel soil over marl.RED Deep-colored, full-bodied, richly flavored...
CHÂTEAU CANTEMERLE
AOC Haut-Médoc 5ème Cru ClasséIn 1980, new stainless-steel fermentation vats replaced the old wooden ones that had been responsible for some stingy vintages. Also discarded were all the old casks, so...
CHÂTEAU CAMENSAC
AOC Haut-Médoc 5ème Cru ClasséSituated behind Château Belgrave, this property was renovated in the mid-1960s by the new owners, the Forner brothers, who are of Spanish origin, and later established Marquès...
CHÂTEAU BRANAS GRANDPOUJEAUX
AOC MoulisThese excellent and rapidly improving wines are aged in wood for 18 months, with 100 percent new oak.RED Thanks to an increase in Merlot, this wine has plenty of accessible fruit, charming aromatic...
CHÂTEAU BRILLETTE
AOC MoulisCru Bourgeois SupérieurThis château’s name reputedly derives from its glinting, pebbly soil. The wine is matured in wood for 12 months, with 40 percent new oak. RED These are attractively colored...
CHÂTEAU CAMBON-LA-PELOUSE
AOC Haut-MédocCru Bourgeois SupérieurUnder the same ownership as Château Grand Barrail-Lamarzelle Figeac, this estate was classified cru bourgeois in 1932, but not included in the Syndicat’s 1978 list....
CHÂTEAU LE BOURDIEU VERTHEUIL
AOC Haut-Médoc Cru BourgeoisSituated between Vertheuil and St.Estèphe, this château was classified cru bourgeois in 1932, but not included in the Syndicat’s 1978 list. This wine is matured in wood for...
CHÂTEAU BOUQUEYRAN
AOC MoulisA big improvement in quality and value since this 32-acre (13-hectare) property was leased by Philippe Porcheron of nearby Château Rose Saint-Croix. Wines are matured in wood for 18 months with...
CHÂTEAU BISTON-BRILLETTE
AOC MoulisCru Bourgeois SupérieurThis top-quality Moulis property ages its wines in wood for 12 to 15 months, with up to 35 percent new oak. RED Wines that are very rich in color and fruit with a full,...
CHAMPAGNE
If you have become accustomed to the quality and character of good Champagne, there really is no other sparkling wine that will satisfy you—and the very best of Champagne’s competitors are just as expensive...
BURGUNDY
Villages with double-barreled names are the key to Burgundy’s greatest wines. This is because these villages hijacked the names of their most famous vineyards, so that humble village wines could sell...
ASTI DOCG Piedmont
Formerly sold as Asti Spumante, the spumante (which means “sparkling”) has been removed because it has become tarnished by cheap products that also use the term. It is now known simply as Asti and has...
CHÂTEAU BERNADOTTE
AOC Haut-MédocConsistently performing above its class, this château is situated on fine, gravelly ground that once had the right to the Pauillac appellation and formed part of a cru classé. The quality has improved since the property was purchased in 1996 by the redoubtable Madame Lencquesaing, who also owns Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande. This wine is now matured in wood for 12 months, with 30 percent new oak.RED These...
ARNEIS DI ROERO DOC
PiedmontThese wines are produced from the ancient Arneis grape grown in the hills north of Alba. Formerly a vino da tavola, the high price and reputation of these wines ensured they would eventually become...
CHÂTEAU BEL-ORMETRONQUOY- DE-LALANDE
AOC Haut-Médoc Cru BourgeoisThis property has a confusingly similar name to Château Tronquoy-Lalande, St.-Estèphe. Steady improvement since the mid-1990s has turned the once four-square character of these wines into a more classically structured style. This wine is matured in wood for 12 to 14 months, with 10 percent new oak.RED These are firm, fruity, classically structured wines. Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Merlot 55%, Cabernet...
NORTHWEST ITALY Wine
This area includes the great wine region of Piedmont as well as the regions of Liguria, Lombardy, and Valle d’Aosta. Generally, the wines are fuller and richer than those of northeastern Italy, which...
CHÂTEAU BELGRAVE
AOC Haut-Médoc 5ème Cru ClasséSituated on a good gravel bank behind Château Lagrange, the wine, which is matured in wood for 24 months with up to 50 percent new oak, has improved consistently throughout...
CHÂTEAU BEL-AIR LAGRAVE
AOC Moulis, Cru BourgeoisThis growth was classified cru bourgeois in 1932, but not included in the Syndicat’s 1978 list. The wine is matured in wood for 18 to 20 months, with 70 percent new oak.RED These...
Types of Grape: ALIGOTÉ
This is a thin-skinned grape of unexceptional quality grown in Burgundy and Bulgaria. It makes tart wines of moderate alcoholic content, but in exceptionally hot yearsthey can have good weight and richness....
CHÂTEAU BEAUMONT AOC
Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois SupérieurA large property that consistently produces wines of good quality. This wine is matured in woodfor 12 months, with 30 percent new oak.RED These are aromatically attractive...
CRÉMANT DE BORDEAUX AOC
This was introduced in 1990 to replace the old Bordeaux Mousseux AOC (which was phasedout on December 31, 1995). Although preferable to a lot of poorly produced Loire sparkling wines, there is nothing...
Types of Grape: SÉMILLON
In Sauternes and Barsac, this is the grape susceptible to “noble rot.” Some say its aroma isreminiscent of lanolin, but as pure lanolin is virtually odorless, the comparison hardly conveys the Sémillon’s...
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