Wines

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

92 Points! The 1999 Springflat Shiraz has dense, opaque purple color, a real intense, minty, creme de cassis nose, with some spicy new oak. The wine is certainly not shy at 15.3% alcohol, but the power is well-harnessed, and the wine is primarily a big, full-bodied, thick, juicy fruit bomb with plenty of texture, purity, and length. It should drink well for 7-8 years, perhaps longer. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com June 2001