Posts in France
2025 Bordeaux Right Bank: Saint-Émilion and Pomerol

Where the Left Bank impressed with structure and precision, the Right Bank was about texture. We spent the first half of our trip across the Médoc and Pessac-Léognan, and the wines were stunning. But the moment we crossed to the Right Bank, the whole character of the vintage shifted under our feet. Where the usual suspects of the Haut-Médoc and the Graves showed depth and promise, the Merlot- and Cabernet Franc-dominated wines of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol gave us something more generous—silky, expressive wines layered with minerality.

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2025 Bordeaux Left Bank: The Appellation-by-Appellation Report

The 2025 Left Bank delivered across all four major appellations—but not uniformly, and not in the way recent vintages have prepared us for. Pauillac produced wines of extraordinary density off half the usual crop. Saint-Julien was the steadiest appellation of the entire campaign, top to bottom. Margaux, rescued by sixty millimeters of rain at exactly the right moment, was the appellation of the vintage. And Saint-Estèphe's clay gave the commune a tension the south had to chase. Here is what we found.

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Billecart-Salmon's 2018 250th Anniversary Cuvée: Two Centuries of Champagne, One Bottle

A Champagne Made for America — and Only Available Here

The Billecart-Salmon 2018 250th Anniversary Cuvée celebrates 200 years of the house and 250 years of American independence. It's U.S.-exclusive, built from Grand Cru and Premier Cru fruit, and one of the most precisely balanced wines we've tasted from the record-hot 2018 vintage. Power and acidity in equal measure.

[Read the full review →]

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K&L NYC Pours Its Cellar for the 50th Anniversary

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, K&L Wine Merchants' New York store is opening its cellar—free—for 50 consecutive days. Krug, Cristal, Sassicaia, Pingus, Mouton-Rothschild, Dal Forno, Bollinger La Grande Année, Dominus, Peter Michael and more, poured daily from 2–5 PM at 270 Madison Avenue (corner of 39th). No sign-up. No ticket. Just show up. Three 2 oz pours per visit, two visits per week per person. The full 50-day lineup is below.

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Marc Colin 2024: The Complete Côte de Beaune

Domaine Marc Colin is one of the great family trees of modern Burgundy—the estate behind Caroline Morey, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, and Joseph Colin. The original domaine remains every bit their equal. The 2024 lineup covers the full Côte de Beaune—Saint-Aubin Premier Cru at $89.99, Chassagne, Puligny, and a Montrachet Grand Cru that earned 96–98 from Vinous. In one of the greatest White Burgundy vintages in a generation, these wines deliver at every level.

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Domaine Jean Chartron 2024: From Village Puligny to 98-Point Chevalier-Montrachet

Few estates tell the story of Puligny-Montrachet as completely as Domaine Jean Chartron. Founded in 1859 and led today by Jean-Michel Chartron, the domaine produces some of the most precise, mineral-driven White Burgundy on the Côte de Beaune. The 2024s are exceptional. Village Puligny and Chassagne at $99.99. A Premier Cru "Clos de la Pucelle" at $179.99—95 Decanter. And their monopole Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru "Clos des Chevaliers"—98 points from both Decanter and Jeb Dunnuck.

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Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard’s 2024s Are the Best Value in Chassagne-Montrachet

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is one of Chassagne- Montrachet's finest value producers—and the 2024 vintage is their best argument yet. Led by Céline Fontaine and Frédéric Robert (formerly of Domaine Armand Rousseau), the estate crafts richly textured, mineral-driven White Burgundy that consistently outperforms its price. Critics agree: 91–96 points across the board. Village Chassagne at $79.99. Six Premier Crus at $129.99–$159.99. Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru at $499.99. In a landmark vintage for White Burgundy, these are the bottles to buy.

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2024 White Burgundy: A Once-in-a-Generation Vintage With One Serious Catch

The 2024 White Burgundy vintage is one of the greatest in 25 years; the wines are crystalline, precise, and classically Burgundian. The catch: yields are down 40–80%. These wines will disappear. 2024 belongs alongside 2014 and 2017 as a modern benchmark for White Burgundy. Don't sleep on 2023 Red Burgundy either. It's drinking beautifully now, built to age.

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