French Wine

Burgundy-trained St?phane Ogier is a northern Rh?ne wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rh?ne blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Viol?s on Le Plan de Dieu supplemented by some from Visan. Soils are a mixture of limestone and blue clay. Average vine density is 7,000 vines per hectare with the average age a very heartening 30 to 50 years. Vines are hand-harvested ? yields averaging 40 hl/ha ? before being sorted in both vineyard and cellar.

 Ogier joined his father Michel in 1997 to work the family vineyards and built a glamorous new winery just south of Ampuis overlooked by the steep C?te R?tie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rh?ne to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.

100% Syrah from Crozes-Hermitage AOC. Deep purple in the glass, with a vibrant, fruity nose. The palate is juicy, supple and balanced, with notes of dark berries and spice. A touch of minerality lingers in the finish.

93/100 Wine Enthusiast, Anna Lee C. Iijima

"Svelte in structure yet pulsating with rich black plum and cassis, this full-bodied Syrah calibrates pure, ripe fruit against complexities of granite, fur and black olive. Matured ten months in oak, it's a velveteen, concentrated sip but brisk and bright too, finishing on fine-grained, upright tannins. Approachable young, the wine will likely drink beautifully through 2030." Drink 2022 - 2030

91-93/100 Jeb Dunnuck

"Leading off the reds, the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes offers a dense purple color as well as ripe, powerful notes of smoked red and black fruits, scorched earth, chocolate, and a touch of smoke meat. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, and balanced."

Idee Folle translates to ?crazy idea?. This is an unusual blend of white wine grapes (Gros Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay) which has had an eau-de-vie added to halt fermentation, retaining the wine?s residual sugars.

This is 100% Carignan from Languedoc in Southern France and exhibits oodles of dark fruit complexity that intermingles with subtle aromatic notes of garrigue. The palate is clean and crisp and once again in the black fruit spectrum, showing superb balance between acidity, tannin and fruit concentration. this wine will drink well now but will also cellar for up to two or three years.

Chardonnay Rose is a pink-skinned, aromatic variety that the Tissots found in one of their vineyards. A selection massale was planted in their Mailloche, Curon, and Bruyères parcels. This is a very rare example of this grape, from one of France's most beloved regions. Pair this dry white with Morbier and Morteau sausages.

This cuv?e is an homage to St?phane Tissot's father, Andr? (known as D?d? or DD) who first began making this wine. It is a blend of Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Poulsard made without sulphur for easy drinking. Its long, gentle fermentation and ageing in hundred-year-old foudres preserve the natural freshness of the varieties. It is bottled with a little more CO2 than most wines to compensate for the lack of added sulphur dioxide. This provides a prickle of freshness, and a quick carafing might be advised. This quintessentially Jurassic red is wonderful for early, easy drinking.

Bouscasse represents the most open and polished wine from Alain Brumont's extensive holdings in the region. The vines are planted on hillsides with yellow and white clay layered over fissured limestone. Bouscasse is meant to reflect the history of the region, made in the style of the 18th century heyday of Madiran.

The wine is big and bold, packed with both fruit and tannins. It has great structure and a dense dusty tannic character that promises great aging but which will be drinking now with a dcent decant.

Tannat 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35% and Cabernet Franc 25%

Trapet-Rochelandet is a small winery with a big name in Burgundy, which has been owned by the same family for many generations and produces elegant Pinot Noirs with silky structure and longevity. This is a beautiful age worthy wine that can last the distance and also drinks beautifully now; especially great when paired with slow cooked duck confit. 

Southern French rose has a well earnt reputation for being the world's standard bearer when it comes to dry, light bodied pale coloured wines. This one ticks all the boxes of a great year round refresher. Its beautiful packaging just adds to the delicious allure. 

A young and vibrant methode traditionelle made in the famous Burgundy region of France and showing lively citrus, apple and rock mleon fruit backed up by keen acidity.

After the pressing, grapes musts are cleaned out and prepared under cold conditions during 24 hours. The fermentation takes place in low-temperature conditions. For a more intense freshness, the malolactic fermentation is not realized. Wines are then taken away and raised on fine dregs, before being stuck and filtered to prepare them for the second fermentation. They stabilize wines by cold process to avoid any tartaric haste. The second fermentation is generated by the addition of yeasts and sugar inside the bottle. The Wines are then aged on their lees for 1 year in our temperature-controlled cellars.