2022 Futures
Under the name « gems », we refer to unsung producers who make admirable wines due to their excellent vineyards and their own talent.
These wines are always produced in very small amounts, in vineyards maintained as gardens by gifted and meticulous wine-growers. Even if they do not make the headlines of magazines, they highly deserve to be discovered and tasted for their exemplary quality.
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A 4 ha plot selection from Château Rigaud, La Mauriane is not yet another luxurious cuvée on the right bank but a wine built on fine grain tannins where the brilliance and precision of the fruit prevail. A true gem in the right bank !
Quarin : 93/100 « Beau nez intense, fin, fruité, pur, mûr. Bouche fondante, aérienne, savoureuse et parfumée, avec de la classe dans le toucher et une longue finale séveuse. C'est très bon. »
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
- Potential alcohol:
- 14.5%
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In 2008, Denis Durantou acquired this Château for which he fell in love at first sight. A splendid 12 hectare clay-limestone vineyard on the first line of the Dordogne hillside, Montlandrie is in Castillon (which it directly overlooks) the equivalent of Ausone in Saint-Émilion.
As in his other properties (L'Église-Clinet, Les Cruzelles, La Chenade...), Denis Durantou used all his know-how and perfectionism to produce a fresh and floral wine, with a crisp and juicy fruitiness. Few Bordeaux wines are as deserving of the term "vibrant wine" as Montlandrie.Bettane & Desseauve : 92/100 « On sent la puissance au nez qui se confirme dans une attaque ample et une suite énergique terminant sur une note poudrée en finale. Un cru qui va gagner en nuances au fil des semaines.»
Quarin : 95/100 « Superbe nez très aromatique, profond, fruité, fin, floral et complexe. Ultra fondant en entrée de bouche, avec une texture minutieuse au développement et de la classe dans le toucher, le vin prend peu à peu du corps et de la puissance. Il s'achève long en fondant, sans jamais perdre la pulpe de sa chair. Une réussite exceptionnelle. »
Galloni : 92-94/100 « The 2022 Montlandrie is a powerful, driving wine. A wine of size and volume, Montlandrie offers tremendous intensity as well as vibrancy. Gorgeous. »
Martin : 90-92/100 « The Cabernet components in the blend defined the nose that leans toward the Left Bank. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth texture, white pepper and clove, quite structured for this Côtes de Castillon with a similar sapid finish as the Les Cruzelles. »More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
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Started in 2003, the Clos Louie adventure is a textbook case: a dolly vineyard (2.3 ha) on a beautiful clay-limestone terroir of Castillon, careful biodynamic cultivation, double manual sorting during the harvest, low-intervention vinification, gentle maturation in 500-litre demi-muids.
Louison et Léopoldine is the other Clos Louie wine, a tribute to Cabernet Franc (80%) from 50-year-old vines. Clean, bright fruit and remarkable aromatic freshness: a real nugget!More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
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Second wine of Clos Manou, the Médoc as we like it: generous, sweet and balanced by a good vivacity. A real treat!
Quarin : 89/100 « Nez fruité, pur et précis. Bouche délicieuse, suave et profonde en finale dans sa saveur. C'est aussi bon que le 2016. »
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
- Potential alcohol:
- 15%
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A small estate (12 ha), carefully tended and vinified with constant regularity, Deyrem Valentin is one of the most typical Margaux crus. Distinguished by the Revue du Vin de France among the hidden nuggets of the Médoc, "its Margaux wines draw a delicious balance".
Promoted to "Cru Bourgeois Supérieur" in 2020.
Quarin : 91/100 « Bouche moelleuse de part en part, avec du goût, du corps et de la puissance en finale. Le vin s'achève long, sur une tannicité plutôt parfumée. »
Galloni : 87-89/100 « The 2022 Deyrem-Valentin is quite deep and powerful, but the wine also feels in conflict with itself and not totally settled. It will be interesting to see what happens with élevage. »
Martin : 90-92/100 « The 2022 Deyrem-Valentin has a perfumed bouquet that unfurls in the glass. Fine delineation.The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit and a firm grip nicely balanced with a fresh, gently caressing finish. Prudent winemaking here. »More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
- Potential alcohol:
- 14.5%
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The most flamboyant, sensual and extroverted Pomerol ever, under the direction of Michel Rolland. But also one of the rarest (800 cases per year).
Revue du Vin de France : 92-95/100 « Une partition toujours aussi hédoniste, mais cette année dans une version particulièrement raffinée, sans tapage, qui ne joue ni la puissance ni le volume. La robe est tendre, la texture aussi, en dentelle, coulante, caressante, déliée. La douceur du propos assume son caractère solaire, jusque dans le souffle alcoolique, qui pourtant n’entrave pas la spontanéité de parfums précieux. »
Bettane & Desseauve : 97-98/100 « Il y a tout dans ce vin aérien doté d'une présence tannique que l'on ne sent pas. Elégant et sensuel, il ira loin en portant cette aromatique florale complexe qui font les millésimes de légende du cru. Un funambule. »
Le Point : 15,5/20
Quarin : 98/100 « Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, pur et délicatement épicé. Pulpeux en entrée de bouche, particulièrement parfumé au milieu, avec de la classe dans le toucher et un corps fondant, le vin évolue juteux, savoureux, profond, tout en délicatesse de chair, sur des arômes nobles. C'est long, tout en pulpe et superbe. 100 % merlot. »
Galloni : 94-96/100 « The 2022 La Violette is a gorgeous wine that marries the richness of the year with the energy of the Pomerol plateau and the brightness of the year. The 2022 is rich and quite deep, but never heavy. »
Martin : 94-96/100 « It is much more refined and less ostentatious than the style of this Pomerol a decade ago. Very pure black fruit, finely judged acidity, a La Violette that is going out to seduce. Fine length and persistence, this deserves several years in bottle, representing a modern-style Pomerol. This feels very well executed. »2.15.0.0More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
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An oenologist by training, Ms. Papon-Nouvel owns two tiny properties at the bottom of Saint-Émilion near Canon-La Gaffelière: Petit Gravet Aîné (2.4 ha) and Clos Saint-Julien (1.3 ha), where the vines are mainly old cabernets francs. From the vine to the cellar, she manages all the stages in the production of her wines on her own and, whatever the vintage, her talent as an instinctive winemaker gives wines of natural elegance and exemplary sweetness.
Bettane & Desseauve : 92-93/100 « Rebond final harmonieux pour ce vin plus en structure qu'en arômes dont on mesure le potentiel. »
Galloni : 94-96/100 « Floral, perfumed and exceptionally vivid, the 2022 Petit Gravet Aîné is sublime. All the elements are so well balanced. In 2022, the Petit Gravet Aîné is exquisite. »
Martin : 90-92/100 « The 2022 Petit Gravet Aîné feels a bit "hemmed in" on the nose at the moment, but it opens with aeration with blackberry, iodine and light briny scents. The palate is medium-bodied, with succulent red fruit, blood orange and orange rind. Fresh with a lively, what feels like a slightly carbonic finish. »More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
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Mrs Papon-Nouvel's other grand cru (with Petit Gravet Aîné). Same organic culture, same sensitivity, same style, with extra flesh and depth. Great wine! Great wine, logically promoted to grand cru classé in 2022.
Quarin : 94/100 « Nez intense, fin, fruité et mûr. Pulpeux en entrée de bouche, ample au milieu, avec du gras partout, le vin évolue puissant, long et très parfumé. »
Galloni : 95-97/100 « The 2022 is one of the most exquisite wines I have ever tasted here. This salivating and wonderfully vibrant Saint-Émilion is lights out. »
Martin : 91-93/100 « The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a gentle build in the mouth. There's a fresh Cabernet Franc-driven finish. The more I sip this, the more I like it. »More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
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Rocheyron is the result of a friendly and professional partnership between Sylvio Denz (Faugères and Lafaurie-Peyraguey) and Peter Sisseck (Pingus). Since 2010, they have been investing in this small 8-hectare vineyard, located entirely on the asteriated limestone plateau characteristic of Saint-Émilion: tilling the soil, conversion to organic farming (certified in 2020), gentle vinification at low temperatures... Rocheyron is constantly progressing, and each year offers wines with an unequalled tannic softness.
Martin : 92-94/100 « The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very pure with a fine backbone, light saline notes commingling with cracked black pepper toward the finish. Fine crescendo on this Saint-Émilion. Excellent. »
More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025
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A small estate located near Troplong-Mondot and Valandraud, acquired in 2009 by Jacques Thienpont (already owner of Ch. Le Pin). A wine that is as exceptional as it is confidential (6 hectares)!
Bettane & Desseauve : 95/100 « On apprécie la fraîcheur florale des tannins et leur énergie. sa texture veloutée et corsetée contribue à la réussite de ce 2022 qui évoluera parfaitement avec le temps. »
Quarin : 95/100 « Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité, pur et mûr. Moelleux en entrée de bouche, moelleux au milieu, avec un fruité plus sudiste qu'attendu, le vin fond au palais, sur une bonne longueur savoureuse et sans angle tannique. »
Galloni : 93-95/100 « The 2022 L'If is a powerhouse. This brooding, virile Saint-Émilion packs a huge punch. »
Martin : 93-95/100 « It's finely structured with a touch of licorice popping up on the finish, overtly spicy on the aftertaste. This is a very well-crafted Saint-Émilion from Jacques Thienpont and team - no wonder it is gaining a loyal following like Le Pin. »More- To keep or to drink:
- Available 1st quarter 2025