Wines

93+ Points! The very recently bottled 2021 Terra de Cuques Blanc was produced with 90% Pedro Ximénez and 10% Muscat with a moderate 13% alcohol, the minimum required by the appellation. It's serious, with good freshness, a little reductive at first but then more expressive with abundant notes of pollen and a honeyed touch, with a little skin contact that gives it character and some notes of quince and fine tannins. There's finesse and elegance and it's very clean. They have food in mind when they do the wines, so there is a constant search for freshness. There is a good demand for whites, and they sell everything, but the planting of white vineyards is limited. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! Subtle green spice and cement to the squeezed lemon and grapefruit, with a hint of nori-like umami. Dry, creamy and sleek, with medium to full body and lovely texture to the neutral fruit, though not lacking in substance. Very contained. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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• The vines are grown in the commune of Chavanay, called the “Vignes d’à coté” because it’s mainly vines next this appellation.
• The soil is granitic and alluvial. Naturel cover cropping to avoid erosion.
• No insecticides with respect to soil and vine balance, few treatments (depending on weather and the necessary) and small amount of organic fertilizer. Vigor and yield control, leaf-thinning and green harvesting to promote grape ripening.

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96 Points! Brilliant all the way, the 2020 Hermitage Chante-Alouette Blanc is a white readers should snatch up. All Marsanne from a mix of both granitic sites and more loess sites, brought up a mix of demi-muids and tank, it has a gorgeous perfume of honeyed peach, quince, crushed stone, and toast. With bright acidity, medium to full body, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for 15+ years or more. It’s a quintessential Hermitage Blanc. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! Shows impressive concentration, with a layer of melon, quince and heather supported by a foundation of wet stone. Lightly honeyed and well-defined, the palate shows beautiful integration and drive. Reveals echoing notes of dried verbena, white tea tannins and salted, buttery brioche on the lingering finish. Drink now through 2037. - Wine Spectator

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From the importer: The domaine’s top red wine is the cuvée Charles de Batz, which was the original name of d'Artignan. The wine is composed of 90% Tannat with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are between 50 and 100 years old. After being completely destemmed, the Cabernet and Tannat are fermented separately in cement tanks. During this time, a bit of micro-oxygenation or microboullage takes place. The wine then goes into oak (50% new) in an underground cellar where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After 12 months in wood, it is blended and bottled after a very light filtration.

Very ripe, rich Madiran that takes no prisoners. This wine succeeds in obtaining more fruit than tannin! The color is nearly opaque—wine doesn't get much darker than this. It displays notes of black fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry) along with just a hint of red fruit. There is a cedar-like creaminess to the oak which is extremely well-integrated. Tannins pick up on the finish but, let's face it, this is Madiran and that is to be expected. These tannins seem to dissolve when the wine is matched with richly flavored meats like leg of lamb, duck, goose or game.

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96 Points! A big, ripe, opulent, and sexy white, the 2021 Hermitage Blanc has honeyed orchard and quince-like fruit, medium to full body, some acacia flower and spicy nuances, a layered, decadent mouthfeel, and that rare mix of freshness and richness that's so hard to deliver. - Jeb Dunnuck

80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne, 40-50 year-old vines...

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Marsanne 85%, Roussanne 15% from 30-40 year-old vines in Le Paradis sur Mauves, La Ribaudy sur Chavanay and Rochecourbe sur St Pierre de Boeuf

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92 Points! A step up, the 2021 Saint Joseph Le Lombard Blanc is more rounded and complete, with beautiful honeyed quince, spice, and dried herbs in a medium-bodied, round, supple package that's already a joy to drink. - Jeb Dunnuck

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Winemaker Notes: "When Jenn and I were dating we were up in San Francisco eating at La Ciccia, a great little Italian food spot, and asked the server for something to drink that they thought would go with our food choices and that also would be a bit off of the beaten path. The wine we ended up being served was awesome and my first time drinking a skin contact white. Over the years as this style of wine has gained popularity I have tasted many more. For me there is an “orange wine” style which to me is more funky, austere and sometimes flawed. In my mind there is the other side of skin contact whites, the bottles you keep going back to, unctuous and intriguing. So this is not orange wine, meaning it wasn’t made from oranges and it isn’t orange in color just to fit a trend. It is about ⅔ marsanne and ⅓ grenache blanc, both from Demetria Estate. Each variety was fermented separately on the skins, marsanne for two weeks and grenache blanc for about 5 days. Color is light amber, nose is fresh cut flowers and flavor is deep while remaining delicate. As I taste this wine I want crudo scallops or even better a good ole quesadilla mar y tierra."

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94 Points! The 2018 Hermitage Chante-Alouette Blanc just about always delivers incredible quality, and it sells for a fraction of the single vineyard releases. Classic Hermitage notes of buttered citrus, honeysuckle, acacia flowers, and spice all flow from this richer, beautifully textured, balanced Hermitage that has enough density and depth to keep for 10-15 years or more. It's well worth seeking out and I'd be happy with a case in the cellar. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Lovely, with a mix of fresh and dried peach, yellow apple and quince flavors, along with honeysuckle, salted butter and heather notes. The long finish has a nice tease of quinine for contrast amid the fruit. - Wine Spectator

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94 Points! Extremely perfumed with violet and blueberry aromas that follow through to a full body with creamy, refined tannins. Wonderful depth, due to the compact fruit and vertical line of tannins. Black pepper to the dark fruit. Better in two or three years. Try after 2022. - JamesSuckling.com

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91 Points! A full-bodied red with aromas of black cherries, blackcurrants, violets and black licorice. Tannic and chewy with a firm core of dark fruit. Try from 2023. - JamesSuckling.com

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98 Points! Almost off the charts, the NV Pedro Ximénez Solera 1830 comes from the oldest Solera blend of the estate and spent on average more than 50 years in American oak casks, with some lots going back to 1830. Black, inky, and massively concentrated and rich, it has an insane bouquet of crushed raisins, figs, coffee liqueur, and caramel. While powerful and just about over the top, it stays clean and balanced, and just keeps on going on the finish. It’s another wine to sip after a meal. - Jeb Dunnuck

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97 Points! A true gem is the NV Amontillado Solera Fundación , a solera blend that spent 50 years or more in American oak casks, with some of the blend going back to the original blend started in 1729. It’s a tiny production release but offers extraordinary notes of caramel, toasted nuts, iodine, and blue cheese-like characteristics. Deep, full-bodied, thick and opulent on the palate, it stays balanced and light, and is a sensational, truly special Amontillado fitting for a special occasion. - Jeb Dunnuck

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94 Points! Always one of the leading whites in the appellation, the 2017 Les Oliviers Blanc from the Gonon Brothers comes from a single terroir located just outside of Mauves, in the southern part of the appellation. Sporting a vivid gold hue as well as killer notes of quince, buttered citrus, honeyed minerality, and white flowers, it’s full-bodied, has bright acidity, and is perfectly balanced. I’d be happy to put this stunning white in a blind lineup of top Hermitage Blancs. Drink it any time over the coming decade or more. - Jeb Dunnuck Learn More

92 Points! An excellent introduction to this extreme category. Intense caramelized-grapefruit character with plenty of toffee aroma. However, for a pedro ximénez, this has a certain lightness of touch and the sweetness is restrained. Long, raisiny but clean finish. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com Learn More