Unfined, unfiltered and fermented and aged in concrete, this is a stunning Beaujolais Cru from Elisa Guerin, the kind of wine that showcases the brightness, energy and vivacity of the best Gamays from the northern part of the region. Elegant, nuanced and hauntingly perfumed, it combines aromas of rose petal and violet with a racy raspberry and pomegranate palate and a spicy undertone from whole bunch fermentation.
Country: France
Where Next For Appellations?
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Massive hailstones ravaged Chablis last year and fires consumed thousands of hectares in Galicia last month: climate change is accelerating. Grape-growing conditions in classic regions simply aren’t the same as...
The Rewards of Patience
by Tim Atkin
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2023 Domaine Huchet Muscadet Chemin des Prières, Loire Valley
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Who’s Bashing Bordeaux?
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Americans call it putting lipstick on a pig. I was listening to one of Corney & Barrow’s Bordeaux Unpicked podcasts the other day. Yes, that’s right, podcasts plural. There are...
2024 Arbousset Tavel Rosé, Rhône Valley
( £13, 13.5%, Tesco )Tavel tends to make rosés that appeal to red rather than white wine lovers. As such, they are richer, denser and fuller-bodied than the much paler Côtes de Provence style. This wine from Domaine d’Arbousset is a case in point, a serious, savoury, richly coloured cuvée of mostly Grenache with lesser amounts of Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah. Wild strawberry, hibiscus and rooibos tea flavours are framed by subtle tannins and racy acidity.
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( £15, 13%, Majestic )Beaujolais is so famous as a red wine region that people forget that it also produces a small amount of white wine made from Chardonnay. Indeed, some of its vineyards neighbour the Mâconnais, the southern outpost of Burgundy to the north. This is a delicious, textured white from William Trouillet, whose family domaine also make grander and more expensive Pouilly-Fuissé for Majestic. Perfumed, fresh and very lightly wooded, it has notes of cream, citrus and wet stones and a hint of brioche.
2023 Tesco Finest Sancerre Rosé, Loire Valley
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Bordeaux needs a break. It was once regarded by the French themselves as the greatest of wine regions, but now youngsters are drinking less (and less wine) – just as...
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