The old adage about necessity being the mother of invention springs readily to mind when you hear the story of Jean-Luc Pasquet. In 1970, he took over a Cognac vineyard at Chez Ferchaud, a few kilometres southwest of Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, from his uncle Albert Brisson. Things got off to an excellent start. The weather was glorious and the 1970 harvest was abundant – ideal when your business model is predicated on selling to the big Cognac houses that dominate the industry. Life, in other words, was good. But then came the oil crisis and a downturn that badly affected trade in Cognac, prompting Jean-Luc to think again. Amy Pasquet, his daughter-in-law, takes up the story. ‘He said, “I have some really unique terroir; I’m going to make my own label,”’ she explains. And so, in 1977, Cognac Jean-Luc Pasquet was born. Soon, Jean-Luc’s Cognacs were picked out and praised by a German journalist, prompting interest from Germany, Sweden and the UK – and the company, today run by Amy and her husband, Jean-Luc’s son Jean, hasn’t looked back since. Cognac is replete with individuals like Jean-Luc Pasquet. Often they are the unseen drones of a multibillion-euro industry, toiling in vineyard, winery, distillery and cellar to fuel the engines of the quartet of titans that dominate global trade: Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin and Courvoisier. But to those in the know, they shine a new and very different light on a corner of rural France that continues to produce the finest brandy in the world. ‘Cognac is so artisanal when you go outside of [the big four houses],’ says Amy. ‘I think a lot of people coming from the world of Scotch and other spirits think it’s kind of boring. But you have 250 artisanal brands with their own vines – it’s a joy to explore.’ Cognac is so artisanal when you go outside of the big four houses – it’s a joy to explore – Amy Pasquet As well as being the source of high-quality, excellent-value and sometimes downright quirky Cognacs, these small producers provide enthusiasts with no shortage of fascinating rabbit holes of flavour and provenance down which they can happily vanish. They are the antithesis of the blended VS, VSOP and XO bottlings that dominate shelves and back bars from Shanghai to San Francisco. Jean-Luc Pasquet’s vineyards – 15ha (37 acres) now, spanning the Grande and Petite Champagne crus – are all farmed organically, which is no small feat in this Atlantic-influenced, notoriously humid part of western France. The Pasquets rely heavily on weather stations and apps to ensure the vines get the right treatment at the right time. ‘Our two vineyards are only 5km [3 miles] apart but they have very different microclimates,’ says Amy. As if organics didn’t make life difficult enough, the Pasquets are also huge fans of Folle Blanche, the grape variety that dominated the pre-phylloxera Cognac vineyards but has fallen heavily out of favour since, on account of being fiendishly difficult to farm. (About 98% of Cognac plantings are now Ugni Blanc.) An annual JL Pasquet bottling of a 10-year-old cask of Folle Blanche is a perennial highlight. Jean-Luc Pasquet set up his business as a négociant; this meant he could bottle other people’s Cognacs, as well as his own, though he had no need to do so in the early years. In 2018, however, demand was such that the company ran out of its own aged stock. What resulted was L’Esprit de Famille, later renamed Trésors de Famille single-cask bottlings of Cognacs produced by small grower-distillers – known as bouilleurs de cru. It began with Le Cognac de Bernadette, a 1974 Cognac from Bouteville in Grande Champagne, and it has continued with bottlings of Le Cognac de Paul, Claude and André-all namechecking the producers in question. ‘For me, all of these vintners are the unsung heroes of Cognac’, says Amy Pasquet. ‘They’re selling to big houses, making really fine products and never getting any credit.’ It’s one thing to know that there are many dozens of small producers out there, but quite another to be able to track down their Cognacs, short of conducting your own painstaking tour, cellar door by cellar door, of the Charente region. Here specialist retailers such as The Whisky Exchange are a great place to start, unlike the multiples, they take the trouble and have the space to stock a much broader range of smaller producers and interesting bottles. If this were Scotch whisky, of course, enthusiasts on a quest for obscure single malts would turn to independent bottlers but that concept is far less common in Cognac. The superb selection offered by David Baker’s Hermitage Cognacs has long been an exception to this rule, as are the releases of Cognac Sponge from bottler Decadent Drinks, then there’s Through The Grapevine (TTG), an independent bottling offshoot of French retailer La Maison du Whisky in association with Italian importer Velier. Now managed by Antoine Bouchard, TTG was revamped two years ago, with Bouchard setting out to create a rolling annual release programme of single-cask Cognacs spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s in colour-coded bottles designating the region’s different crus. Unlike most Cognac operators, TTG encourages its partners to minimise any reduction in alcohol, everything is geared to reject homogeneity. ‘The idea of TTG is to unearth the “hidden gems” of the region, not to go towards the big four like Hennessy – although they’re doing a great job, don’t get me wrong’, says Bouchard. ‘We want to emphasise that the big brands are blending subregions, thus erasing, in a way, the identity of the grape and the distillate. Instead, we want to focus on how the soil influences the final product.’ The result, in the most recent round of TTG releases, is an eclectic selection of idiosyncratic Cognacs. There’s everything from a benchmark Grande Champagne from Jean Fillioux (Lot 63, signifying a blend of mainly 1963 eaux de vie with a little 1965) to a totally out-of-the-box Château de Beaulon 1988 Fins Bois. Created by the remarkable Christian Thomas in the far south of the region, close to the Gironde Estuary, it’s bottled at a muscular 55.2% ABV and eschews the ubiquitous Ugni Blanc for a unique blend of obscure grape varieties: Colombard, Montils, Folle Blanche and Folignan. If Beaulon waves the flag for Fins Bois, TTG’s remarkable Mauxion 45 (yes, 45 as in 1945) does the same for the often overlooked Bons Bois cru – although it’s sadly out of stock now. ‘It’s really about showing that there is no subregion inherently better than another’, says Bouchard. ‘To me, Bons Bois Cognacs are amazing and it’s such a shame that Grande Champagne is seen as the greatest cru.’ While a terroir-focused, provenance-rich approach to Cognac remains predominantly the preserve of smaller operators, others are taking note. Delamain – a specialist in long-aged Cognacs of XO grade and above – is now managing its own Grande Champagne vineyard, as is Hine. And Frapin, with its 240ha (600-acre) estate at Château de Fontpinot, has always been rooted in the soil surrounding its vines. Drinkers around the globe are changing and Cognac – ever so slowly – is changing with them The largest operators remain predominantly focused on their core VS, VSOP and XO blends, but the philosophy is shifting here, too. ‘For me, the approach for Cognac has to be much more precise, like the grands crus we have for our wine regions in France,’ says Baptiste Loiseau, cellar master at Rémy Martin. ‘We see more and more small producers going with much more information on the label.’ In 2022, Loiseau released Rémy Martin L’Étape in France, a 7,000-bottle release that blended 14 eaux de vie sourced from growers across Grande and Petite Champagne who have achieved HVE (High Environmental Value) certification – complete with a paper wrapper featuring grower testimonials, a map and a QR code for more information. Rémy Martin Tercet, meanwhile, highlights the respective roles of wine grower, distiller and blender. At Martell, cellar master Christophe Valtaud has created the Martell Single Cru Collection – a six-strong range of Cognacs including three Discovery Edition products (Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois), two Aged Editions (Grande Champagne XO, Borderies XXO) and one Vintage Edition (Borderies 1999). As well as showcasing Martell’s signature Borderies origin, these Cognacs challenge preconceptions, particularly the younger Discovery Edition trio. ‘Before tasting, people think that the Petite Champagne will be the best, but the best Cognac at this stage and the biggest pleasure to drink is the Fins Bois,’ explains Valtaud. ‘Fins Bois eaux de vie find balance more quickly than Petite Champagne, which is more spicy and a little bit less easy to drink. People think that Fins Bois and Bons Bois are not the best, but it’s not always the case.’ Drinkers around the globe are changing and Cognac – ever so slowly – is changing with them. ‘In England, America and China, I see the new generation wanting to know what the size of the cask is, or how many bottles we produced in this special vintage,’ says Delamain cellar master Charles Braastad. ‘I think that this is our time; the world has become more informed and more interested. People just want to know what it is that they are drinking.’

In this 2024 article for Club Oenologique, Richard Woodard speaks to Cognac’s foremost innovators to find out how times are changing for the spirit – propelled by a particular focus on provenance.

In this 2024 article for Club Oenologique, Richard Woodard speaks to Cognac’s foremost innovators to find out how times are changing for the spirit.

Reimagining Cognac from the ground up

Because of the technical demands of its wines, Champagne has often been associated more with the skill of the people and technology behind the bottles than with the land itself. Yet in the 1980s, amid a period in the wine world dominated by industrialisation, a handful of quality-focused grower-producers began championing terroir-driven Champagne, laying the foundation for the nuanced, expressive wines we celebrate today. Thanks to them, the names of Champagne’s grands crus are firmly etched in the minds of today’s connoisseurs. We can now delve even deeper into individual lieux-dits through an ever-expanding array of single-vineyard Champagnes. For decades, Philipponnat’s 1935-initiated Clos des Goisses from Aÿ’s monumental slope stood alone. The modern single-vineyard boom began in 1979 with Krug’s Clos du Mesnil, and the growth since the 1990s has been exponential. Through site-specific Champagnes, we have learned to thirst for such terroirs as Ambonnay Les Crayères, Cramant Le Bâteau, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Les Chétillons. The modern single-vineyard boom began in 1979, and the growth since the 1990s has been exponential Elevating the ‘autres crus’ Equally significant is the rise of Champagne’s autres crus, the once-overlooked villages without premier cru or grand cru designation. Montgueux and the Côte des Bar in the south have become particularly dynamic regions. Thanks to vigneron Emmanuel Lassaigne’s work at Jacques Lassaigne, Montgueux’s majestic Chardonnays are in high demand – not only by the major houses, which prize their structured elegance, but by discerning consumers seeking unique expressions. Another quickly rising village is Les Riceys – Champagne’s largest cru, with well over 800ha (1,980 acres) – where Olivier Horiot and Domaine Alexandre Bonnet showcase Pinot Noir’s distinctive power. If the classification were reassessed today, neither of these villages would remain autres crus. Following in the footsteps of the consistently magnificent Cédric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Champagnes, the list of exciting producers in the Côte des Bar continues to expand, reflecting the subregion’s dynamism. Recently, I’ve been impressed by the bright, transparent non-interventionist style of Domaine de Bichery (Neuville-sur-Seine) and the sheer expressiveness of Clandestin (Landreville). The Champagne septet Chardonnay always remains in fashion in Champagne, but it is thrilling to see more regional expressions emerging. Among the most striking are Ulysse Collin’s single-vineyard wines from the up-and-coming Coteaux du Petit Morin, just south of the Côte des Blancs. The Sézannais and Vitryat regions are establishing themselves strongly, as is Montagne de Reims, which offers a wealth of exceptional Chardonnay sites. One of my personal favourites is Rilly-la-Montagne’s chalky Les Blanches Voies terroir, where both Vilmart & Cie and Huré Frères craft magnificent wines. Meunier, long out of fashion, has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence thanks to the passionate growers of the Vallée de la Marne. Once again in the spotlight through the work of, for example, Tarlant, Jérôme Prévost and Egly-Ouriet, today producers such as Nicolas Maillart, Gounel-Lassalle and Laherte Frères are elevating Meunier to unprecedented heights. Despite this progress, I believe Meunier still has vast untapped potential to reveal. In Champagne’s Pinot Noir heartland of the Grande Vallée de la Marne, houses such as Bollinger and Philipponnat are cementing their authority with a string of pure Pinot Noir releases. But what’s notable today is that the new wave of blancs de noirs is no longer chasing cult benchmarks like Bollinger’s Vieilles Vignes Françaises and Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay – bottlings famed for their unapologetic richness. Instead, the spotlight is shifting to a fresher, more contemporary interpretation of Pinot Noir. Consider the precision of Nicolas Maillart’s Montchenot or the electric verve of Domaine La Borderie’s De Quoi Te Mêles-Tu?; these are wines embodying a new aesthetic that privileges finesse over power. In a nod to its past, Champagne is tentatively reviving its forgotten heritage grapes Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Let’s not overstate the trend – plantings of these cépages still account for just 0.4% of the region’s vineyard area, up only a fraction from 0.3% a few years ago – but the trajectory is undeniable: over the past two decades, these varieties have expanded by 45ha, now covering 136ha in total. The south of Champagne has quietly kept the flame alive, where Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris continue to offer an unmistakable local accent. Domaine Alexandre Bonnet’s Blanc de Blancs, for instance, is half Pinot Blanc, half Chardonnay. Arbane may remain an infamously meagre producer, yet vignerons such as Laherte Frères see real promise in Petit Meslier, particularly in the era of climate change, thanks to the piercing freshness it brings to the glass. Evolution, not revolution Freshness, rather than ripeness, has become Champagne’s new obsession. With harvests creeping into August and fruit coming in under a blazing sun, the challenge now is to preserve acidity, not to coax maturity. The old orthodoxy of 100% malolactic fermentation is giving way as more producers choose to let a streak of crisp malic acid sharpen their blends. Even the sacred formulas of brut Non-Vintage cuvées are being rewritten. Previously, reserve wines were prized for softening edges and adding richness, but today they are reimagined as a safeguard for vitality. Louis Roederer has gone so far as to reinvent its flagship Non-Vintage, now called Collection, introducing a perpetual reserve stored in gigantic vats – a safeguard of freshness that now defines the wine’s very DNA. Simultaneously, it has evolved from an ‘ageless’ Non-Vintage, with no reference to its base year or disgorgement, into a collectable, complete with edition numbering, like the Jacquesson 700 series or Lanson Création. The moment has finally arrived in Champagne to stop concealing the base year and other technical details and instead to celebrate them with pride. Falling sugar levels and minimal intervention The shift in Champagne’s taste profile goes hand in hand with a steady trimming of dosage. Despite the buzz in sommelier circles and wine-press headlines, the ultra-dry styles remain a statistical footnote: barely 3.6% of exported Champagnes carry less than 6g/l (extra-brut or brut nature). Yet the broader reality is unmistakable: sugar levels are falling fast. Dom Pérignon’s 2015 Vintage, for example, sits at just 4.5g/l. It’s not only prestige cuvées chasing purity; the entire region is recalibrating as even the world’s most popular Champagne, Moët & Chandon Impérial, is dropped down to a record low dosage of 6g/l. The old rationale of softening searing acidity with sugar has lost its purpose. In today’s warmer vintages, the dash of sugar is ‘seasoning’, tempering phenolic bite and extending the wine’s length and deliciousness. Few regions have leaned on sugar as heavily as Champagne. Traditionally, it has been added three times: first to enrich the must for higher alcohol (chaptalisation), then to spark the second fermentation in bottle, and finally as the sweetening dosage. Today, however, the pendulum is swinging towards authenticity, and sugar is a villain there. In a move pioneered by Agrapart in 2007, some vignerons are replacing industrial sugar with preserved grape must from the previous harvest to ignite the second fermentation (or, if bottling later, with the juice of the new season). Since the 2019 vintage, Fabrice Pouillon of Champagne R Pouillon & Fils has gone a step further, crafting his Champagnes entirely without external sugar. Even when dosage is applied, it comes from grape juice itself. It’s a small revolution – one that redefines purity in a region that was once synonymous with sweetness. If the first wave of Champagne’s game-changers sometimes veered into excess with bone-dry bottlings, overpowering oak, and (too) low sulphites, the next generation has found its stride with impressively sound and exciting wines, often achieved through minimal-intervention techniques. With offerings that are precise, vibrant and true to site, producers such as Jules Brochet and Domaine de Bichery exemplify this new, confident minimalism. For those chasing innovation, Famille Moussé is a must-visit. Cédric Moussé, a true inventive force, equips his ultra-sustainable winery with every tool and gadget imaginable. In the village of Cuisles, he has even launched Champagne’s first cooperative to cultivate vineyards with the aid of robots. For a greener future At the same time, Champagne is getting greener. Comité Champagne is pushing for a collective effort, while the grandes maisons are turning corporate ambition into vineyard action. The EPI Group trio (Piper-Heidsieck, Charles Heidsieck and Rare Champagne) were the first in the region to achieve B Corp certification. Pernod Ricard’s houses – GH Mumm and Perrier-Jouët – are championing regenerative viticulture. Ruinart, the sustainability flagship of LVMH’s Champagne empire, houses a landmark vitiforestry project across its vast Taissy holdings. But the movement is not confined to big brands – for example, Aurélien Lurquin and Domaine La Borderie are doing impressive work. And while small houses remain Champagne’s most visible champions of organics and biodynamics, it is Louis Roederer that has rewritten the scale: with 130ha now certified organic, it alone represents almost 6% of Champagne’s total organically certified vineyard area (2,240ha as of the end of 2024). As transportation makes up the lion’s share of Champagne’s carbon footprint, producers are finally looking at rationalising their packaging. Cédric Moussé recently developed the lightest bottle so far, which will enter the market in two years’ time. He also transitioned from traditional metal capsules to recyclable paper ones, which reportedly have a carbon footprint just 20% of that of aluminium. Ruinart deserves high praise for its Second Skin bottle cover, moulded to the contours of the bottle. Fully recyclable and made from 99% paper, the case is marketed as nine times lighter than its predecessor. Beyond the sustainability gains, it elegantly addresses a quality concern: Ruinart’s hugely popular Non-Vintage Blanc de Blancs in clear glass is now protected from light-strike – a phenomenon that can rapidly degrade Champagne yet is overlooked by consumers and the trade alike. Moving away from clear glass is not just a matter of quality, it is also a sustainability imperative, as these bottles require new, rather than recycled, glass for production.The Champagne landscape has never been more thrilling. Beyond the classic offerings, you’ll find late-disgorged gems, rosé de macération, clos and other site-specific expressions; perpetual reserves; and cuvées aged in a multitude of vessels from oak and sandstone to glass and clay amphorae, each promising a fresh take on the region’s tradition. Today’s younger buyers crave brands that marry luxury with ethics, and Champagne is responding. The rules are changing, the classics are evolving, and the next sip could redefine everything you thought you knew. Browse all Champagne listings 

Can Champagne evolve while preserving the traditions that define it? Writing for Club Oenologique in 2026, Essi Avellan MW draws on her recent tastings to explore the trends and exceptional wines shaping Champagne today and redefining luxury for a new generation of connoisseurs.

Writing for Club Oenologique in 2026, Essi Avellan MW draws on her recent tastings to explore the trends and exceptional wines shaping Champagne today.

Terroir vision: the future of Champagne

It was the vision of Jacques Perrin in particular – who farmed the property organically from 1950 onwards – that cemented Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Château de Beaucastel reputation. Today his sons – Jean-Pierre and François – are at the helm, with fifth-generation Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Cécile (Jean-Pierre’s children) and Charles, Mathieu and César (sons of François) also all work full-time at the estate. All seven of the children worked in wineries around the world before returning to the family estate.  A visionary estate The estate was one of the first in Southern Rhône to become organic (in 1950) and then biodynamic (in 1974), making the vineyard better prepared than most for the climate change effects over the last 30 years.  “Beaucastel is the largest Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate in one contiguous plot and it stands at the most northern limit of the appellation. It is a vineyard which is therefore very exposed to the Mistral winds, which has a huge cooling-down effect,” Emmanuel explains, protecting the vineyard from extreme temperatures.  The vineyard is based on a limestone bench covered by a rather atypical mix of clay and sand, topped with diluvium “galets roulés” (pudding stones). It is an incredible terroir that, Emmanuel explains, “allows us to combine power and finesse even in the driest vintages. It has always been considered a benchmark terroir in the area and was in fact a cru before the Châteauneuf appellation was created.”  
The biodynamically farmed old vines have also helped offset the ever-increasing drought pressures in the region. “We are extremely fortunate to have older vines,” Emmanuel says. “The galet roulés covering our vineyards also help prevent water evaporation. So all in all we’ve managed to make great wines even in warmest and driest vintages.” That hasn’t stopped the domaine, however, from continuing to adapt their methods to better cope with the ever-present threat of climate change. “We are learning more and more every year and continue to implement changes we deem necessary.” Alcohol levels in the region have undoubtedly risen, an effect that the estate looks to counter. 
When Jacques Perrin was in charge, he created a very specific vinification technique which he later patented. He would heat up the must to 80˚C, to start fermentation quickly while allowing Jacques to use less Sulphur, helping fix the colour of the wine, particularly with the Mourvèdre grape which has a tendency to lose colour with age. But this method also reduced the greener flavours in the wine, that came from less ripe grapes. 
Today’s climate, however, does not face the same issues, with consistently riper fruit. As a result François and César have phased out this technique, instead opting to whole-berry fermentation, and even whole-cluster ferments for varieties like Syrah, to naturally reduce alcohol levels. These days they also pick earlier, opting for more freshness whereas in the past it was always the goal to maximise ripeness, something that no longer is an issue for the region.  “The estate is always looking at ways to counter the issues of climate change,” Emmanuel continues. “For example, some of the younger Syrah vines are today producing very powerful wines so we are either co-ferment with some Grenache, reincorporating some of the stems in the vat or carry out whole-cluster fermenting,” helping to find better balance in
the wines. In the vineyard too, the team is constantly looking for ways to improve. “We recently tried spraying clay on leaves to limit photosynthesis,” Emmanuel says. The initial experiments have proved positive, but it is still too early to see the long-term effects on the wine
and requires further testing. 
But this experimental approach is everywhere in the property. They continuously make alternate blends that they age in the Beaucastel cellar and over time compare with their main cuvées to see how well the final blend develops versus a different potential version of
the same wine: Emmanuel states the cellars are full of these experiments. 
The domaine has also been assessing how the Beaucastel wines age with different fining techniques. “We do a lot of comparative tastings and assessing of older experimentations. For example, we recently did a horizontal of Château de Beaucastel 1996, where each bottle was fined differently, and identified which fining technique works best for ageing the wine – this is crucial in the development of our knowledge and helps us to make sure decisions taken in the moment are the best ones for the future.” 
Hommage à Jacques Perrin What is distinctive about Château de Beaucastel and the Hommage cuvée in particular is the high proportion of Mourvèdre in the blend. The Hommage is typically made up of 60% Mourvèdre. Emmanuel explains, “Hommage is from our Courrieux lieu-dit parcel, where Mourvèdre was first replanted (post-phylloxera) in 1910. As Mourvèdre is such a late-ripening
varietal, Château de Beaucastel needs an outstanding Indian summer to hope for an Hommage vintage. The decision thereafter is taken during the blending tastings. 
“When tasting the foudre of Courrieux back in 1989, François and Jean-Pierre were overwhelmed by the outstanding quality and knew that it had to be bottled on its own. Jacques Perrin’s intuition for the best blend from the estate revolved around a dominant proportion of Mourvèdre. As a tribute to their visionary father, they followed his instinct and
dedicated this unique cuvée to him.”  Production remains tiny despite the huge demand for the wine. In recent vintages, production has been around 6,000 bottles per year. The only difference in the vinification process of Hommage versus their other cuvées is an extra six months’ ageing in 4,000-litre foudres. All the winemaking is fairly hands-off, vinifying all the varieties separately apart from the Muscardin, Vaccarèse and Terret Noir which – due to the tiny quantities – are co-fermented. The reductive varieties – Syrah and Mourvèdre – are fermented in open-top wood fermenters and the remaining oxidative varieties are fermented in concrete tanks prior to the all-important blending sessions with the family.  The 2018 vintage has already been fantastically reviewed, awarded a potential perfect 100 points from the Wine Advocate, with reviewer Joe Czerwinski describing it as “full-bodied
but incredibly silky, combining great purity, richness and length into a seamless, elegant package that should give immense pleasure for decades to come.” The success of the 2018 vintage, according to Emmanuel, was “down to the perfect ripening conditions in mid-October, allowing them to bring the grapes of this late-ripening variety in at perfect maturity – 2018 was fantastic for Mourvèdre.” 
The grapes of the Southern Rhône 
Château de Beaucastel proudly uses all 13 permitted varieties of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. Some even say 18 varieties, since varieties like Grenache, Terret, Clairette and Piquepoul all have a black, pink and grey clone of the variety mixed within the vineyards. “Each variety brings its own attributes that differ depending on the vintage, but also depending on the amount you use or the blend you make,” says Emmanuel. “For example, when you open a young Beaucastel, it’s very Grenache-driven, even when there is a similar percentage of Mourvèdre. It’s only few years later that Mourvèdre will finally come to the
fore, revealing game, leather and savoury characteristics. “Individually, Mourvèdre brings power and structure, but when you open an older Beaucastel it delivers freshness and silkiness. Grenache Noir brings kirsch, plum and cassis fruitiness. Syrah adds color, tannin and spices, and when blended with Mourvèdre and Grenache it
brings truffle notes.  Counoise can be considered the Pinot Noir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and has a distinctive white pepper note. Cinsault adds freshness, Muscardin and Vaccarèse are very floral and add freshness, Terret Noir is light even in colour and adds acidity. The white varieties of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc bring elegance and freshness. Clairette is very aromatic and brings unctuosity. Bourboulenc adds tension with notes of almond and vanilla, Piquepoul richness and Picardan adds a lot of bouquet.   “For us it is very important to have all the varieties to make an elegant and balanced wine. However, above all, it is the knowledge and the art of blending, passed on from generation to generation of the Perrin family, that is the key to understanding the real expression of Château de Beaucastel terroir.” With experimentation at the heart of the Perrin philosophy, the infinite potential of blends when using so many grapes in the wine keeps the extended Perrin family busy monitoring their blending decisions as the wines develop with age. With the 2018 Hommage, it looks like
all their experimentation is paying off. Explore all current Château de Beaucastel listings or browse more Editorial 

Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Château de Beaucastel dates back to the 16th century, but it was only after the Perrin family took control of the estate in the early 1900s that it became one of the most iconic and well-respected wine producers in the Southern Rhône.

Exploring the largest Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate, Château de Beaucastel, and how it became one of the most iconic and well-respected Southern Rhône producers

Château de Beaucastel, beyond tradition

Château de Beaucastel: Beyond tradition

Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a long history, becoming the new home for the Pope in the 14th century, but its prestige as a wine region is comparatively short. Although it is France’s oldest appellation (the first to be officially classified in 1923), the wines only really gained notoriety in the second half of the 20th century. More recently, its full-bodied, fruity style found appeal among American critics – namely Robert Parker, who helped increase its following across the Atlantic. But, despite the success of estates such as Ch. Rayas, there is little fanfare around the region. Isabel Ferrando’s dynamism, therefore, is a refreshing change. Her story is one of revolution rather than evolution. With every step in her career, she has made bold decisions – decisions that have brought significant attention, praise and a legion of fans. For her, such an approach aligns neatly with the philosophy of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “The only limit is to respect the appellation. That is the only limit,” says Ferrando. With 13 permitted varieties (or 22 if you count both white and red grapes) and five very different, distinct soils, countless expressions of the appellation are possible – and, for her, this is why it’s a very modern appellation. Everyone is given the freedom to “paint their picture”. Although the region might be famous for its galets roulés (large round pebbles that reflect heat and add to ripeness), this is just one of its terroirs. “There are five different soils in Châteauneuf – chalk, limestone, clay, sand, galet stones that each have a strong influence on the appellation,” she explains. “There is one singularity,” she admits, “and that is a lot of fruit.” She feels that Châteauneuf is united by its “fruity but serious” profile – however, beyond that, there is incredible variety – from more floral to darker, more savoury styles. “The vines on clay produce a fatness in the wine. The sandy soils bring a silky texture and tenderness to the tannins. The chalk gives a sensation of powder,” she says, highlighting how each soil type contributes to the final wine – providing a palette for any winemaker to produce a wine that fits their sensibility. This freedom made the region a perfect fit for Ferrando – who decided to give up her job in banking to become a winemaker 20 years ago. Then a new mother, she initially thought that being her own boss would allow her to spend more time with her family. That didn’t actually happen, she admits, “But when you become a mother or father, you become someone else – you look at life differently. I wanted to go back to nature,” she says. “I didn’t want to raise my daughter in a city. I was born in the countryside, and I needed that for my daughter.” After training for a year in Gigondas under Dominique Ay (at Domaine Raspail-Ay) she found a domaine for sale in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and jumped at the opportunity. She might have been new to the region, a woman in a male-dominated industry with no background in winemaking, but that wasn’t going to put her off. Fortunately, she made some good friends – most notably the late legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Henri Bonneau who was instrumental in the establishment of Domaine Saint-Préfert. When she arrived, the vineyards were not in good shape, with many vines diseased and in need of replanting. Traditionally, producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape blend plots together to capture the complexities of the different soils and varieties etc. But, if she was to make a wine of quality, this was not possible for Ferrando. So she identified the best plots and bottled those separately (as her Réserve Auguste Favier and Collection Charles Giraud cuvées), while she set about replanting the rest of the vineyards. The young fruit from her new vines was dedicated to her Cuvée Classique Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Single-vineyard bottlings were quite a radical move in the appellation – but such was the quality of these low-production, old-vine bottlings that Ferrando’s wines rapidly earned recognition. She went further to challenge convention in the region, crafting three varietal wines in a region that was built on blends. These cuvées – a Clairette (Cuvée Spéciale Vieilles Clairettes), Cinsault (Cuvée F601) and Grenache (Cuvée Colombis) bottling – are remarkable wines. There is no other 100% Cinsault produced in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.“The Cinsault is absolutely perfect in Saint-Préfert,”, says Ferrando. “Nowhere else in Châteauneuf-du-Pape do you get these floral aromas.” She describes the grape as the Pinot Noir of the Rhône. Production is tiny – limited to just 800 bottles a year – and it is not cheap at £500 a bottle. But, for those lucky enough to taste it, it is beguiling. The Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski rated it as his top discovery of 2020. Her 100% Clairette is another oddity for Châteauneuf-du-Pape and almost as rare. Only bottled in magnums (800 a year) – this is a wine that Ferrando believes can age 50 years or more. “Clairette is my vision of white wine in the Southern Rhône.” She wants to counter the claim that white Châteauneuf-du-Pape is fat and fruity. “With Clairette, you can produce very fresh and deep wines,” she says, “it gives a lot of freshness, tension and salinity to the whites.” The wine was inspired by her mentor Henri Bonneau, who convinced Ferrando to bottle these 80-year-old vines separately. In the early days of Saint-Préfert, Ferrando invited Bonneau to a feast of tête de veau – and Bonneau arrived with a magnum of an unlabelled white wine. During the meal, Bonneau started to cry – he told Ferrando that the wine was the last bottle from the cellar made by his father – a 1947 100% Clairette – showing how well good Clairette could age. “It was a very special moment,” notes Ferrando. The wine was incredibly fresh and in perfect condition. He asked Ferrando again to create another 100% Clairette – like his father’s. The first vintage was 2009. Once the wine was picked and fermented Bonneau would come to the winery, taste the wine and insist she not bottle the wine yet. It was not ready. “It was risky,” says Ferrando, “but he insisted.” After 18 months she could hold off no longer and bottled it. Tasting the wine, she was amazed by its tension. It was special. The first magnum of every vintage was given to Bonneau as a thank you. After 20 years in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Ferrando is one of the appellation’s brightest stars. But she hasn’t stopped challenging the status quo. After building one of the most celebrated brands in the appellation, Ferrando overhauled her range in 2020 – discontinuing many wines and changing the estate’s name to Famille Isabel Ferrando. Few people would have the guts to take such a chance, but a meditative period over Covid-19, the death of her husband and the evolution of her vineyards all prompted her next radical change. “The resistance of people to change is apparent, it is comfortable to stay the same,” she admits. But, for Ferrando, she had to change. Over 20 years, she’d nurtured her vineyards back to health, her young vines had reached maturity and her biodynamic farming had brought biodiversity back into her vineyards. “The vineyards changed and so the wines had to change too,” she explains. Ferrando now had the quality of fruit to be able to produce a single, flagship Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvée – a wine that represented her terroir and her winemaking style. While she still produces her Vieilles Clairettes, F601 Cinsault and Colombis cuvées, she has sacrificed her top-scoring Auguste Favier and Charles Giraud reds to produce what she feels is a true representation of her estate and sensibility. The wine captures her obsession with freshness, balanced with concentration – playing with the different textural qualities of her soils and varieties. With this refreshed focus from the 2020 vintage, Ferrando decided to bottle the wines under Famille Isabel Ferrando – trusting that her customers will follow the wines under this new name. Ferrando’s daughter seems to have inherited her mother’s revolutionary approach. At 22, she decided to abandon her business studies to tackle a degree in viticulture in Beaune – to the complete shock of her mother. While currently her daughter is learning about winemaking at some of the best estates around the world (including at the likes of Domaine Roulot, Eisele Vineyard, Mullineux and more), she has already had an influence at Saint-Préfert. It was under her guidance that Ferrando hired a young agronomist engineer who has been planting trees and cereal crops in the vineyards to improve biodiversity. Ferrando is clearly excited– still spurred on by change, despite her success. Tasting the new wines from Famille Isabel Ferrando is a wonderful experience. We were among the first to taste the 2021 vintage. The white Châteauneuf-du-Pape is divine – offering such beautiful freshness, salinity and depth, with a finesse that I can’t remember tasting from the region. And the reds, even at such a young age, already taste so balanced, pure and refined. Ferrando might be a radical and modern vigneron, but her wines are timeless. Browse all Famille Isabel Ferrando listings or read more Editorial

Isabel Ferrando is one of the stars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As she once more tears up the rulebook to relaunch her wines under Famille Isabel Ferrando, we discuss her journey so far, and why she believes Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the most exciting wine regions in the world today.

Over 20 years, Isabel Ferrando has been challenging convention in Chateauneuf-du-Pape – she explains why it’s so essential to never stop evolving

Talking to Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s Isabel Ferrando

The challenge to change: Isabel Ferrando

Alcuni dei primi ricordi di Nicolas Champagneux riguardano la vita tra le vigne – il trambusto della vendemmia con i suoi nonni. Non è la fatica che ricorda, ma “des bons moments de famille”, mi racconta – lo spirito conviviale che pervadeva l’aria. È cresciuto nel cuore della Côte-Rôtie, trascorrendo fine settimana e vacanze nel vigneto di famiglia – un’ampia porzione di Les Grandes Places, un sito rinomato nel comune di Verenay, dove il suo bisnonno piantò le viti all’inizio del XX secolo. 
 Les Grandes Places è un sito straordinario – il produttore più famoso è probabilmente Jean-Michel Gérin. Nella parte nord della Côte Brune, in un anfiteatro esposto a sud-ovest, questo pendio scosceso ha suoli friabili di mica scistosa che permettono alle radici delle viti di penetrare profondamente nella roccia madre. È casa di alcune viti molto vecchie – come quelle centenarie coltivate da Champagneux – e produce vini di grande eleganza ma con una potenza scura e carnosa. Champagneux possiede quasi due ettari qui, detenendo le maggiori superfici. 
 Lo zio di Nicolas, André, prese in gestione il vigneto dopo i nonni, mentre suo padre Gérard andò a lavorare in fabbrica. All’epoca non c’erano abbastanza risorse per permettere a entrambi i fratelli di unirsi all’attività di famiglia, e la Côte-Rôtie non era così ricercata come oggi. A parte un paio di barrique per consumo personale, la famiglia non vinificava, coltivando il sito e vendendo quasi tutta l’uva a Guigal, uno dei nomi più famosi del Rodano settentrionale. 
 Infatti, oltre al vigneto di famiglia, Nicolas trascorse molto tempo da Guigal – dopo che suo padre Gérard lasciò la fabbrica per dirigere il loro team di viticoltura. Dai 16 anni, Nicolas lavorava lì durante le vacanze per guadagnare un po’ di soldi. Quando compì 18 anni, dovette trovarsi un lavoro: era deciso a non lavorare in ufficio e amava stare all’aria aperta, così finì per diventare elettricista ad alta tensione – lavorando con correnti di 20.000 volt. “Non eri mai nello stesso posto, ogni giorno era diverso, ogni compito era diverso – quindi non c’era monotonia”, racconta. Spesso finiva presto la giornata e – contadino nato e cresciuto, poco incline al concetto di riposo – andava ad aiutare nel vigneto di famiglia. Quando suo zio morì, non c’era nessun altro che potesse prendere in mano il domaine – così decise di farlo lui, determinato a preservare l’eredità familiare. Scelse di tenere l’uva e iniziare a produrre vino con il nome di famiglia, desideroso di vedere gli sforzi dell’anno racchiusi in bottiglia. Sapeva come lavorare le vigne ma non aveva mai sognato di diventare vignaiolo – tuttavia, senza lasciarsi scoraggiare dalla sfida, imparò sul campo. Era il 2014, e i suoi vini si sono rapidamente guadagnati una reputazione nella regione. La cantina di famiglia aveva l’essenziale, ma le prime annate furono realizzate con il minimo indispensabile – con una nuova cantina costruita nel 2016 (Yves Cuilleron ha fornito consulenza al progetto). 
 Quasi un decennio dopo aver lasciato il mondo di tralicci, trasformatori e conduttori, la vita può seguire un ciclo annuale, ma resta tutt’altro che monotona. Nicolas lavora da solo e apprezza l’indipendenza che ciò comporta – gestendo il proprio tempo ed essendo il proprio capo. “C’è ancora molto da fare e ogni anno è diverso”, mi dice. Sperando che un giorno suo figlio si unisca a lui – nato nel 2009, suo zio mise da parte una riserva di vino di quell’annata, parte della quale verrà rilasciata per il suo 20º compleanno nel 2029. 
 Il cambiamento climatico è in cima ai suoi pensieri, con vendemmie ora a inizio settembre e persino agosto, rispetto a ottobre ai tempi dello zio. Se prima faticavano a raggiungere il 13% di alcol potenziale, oggi i suoi vini si attestano spesso al 14-14,5%. Ora lavora con inerbimento, defoglia meno e utilizza una piccola parte di grappolo intero negli anni più caldi per preservare la freschezza dei vini. Per il resto, poco è cambiato nel decennio da quando ha iniziato – continua a lavorare nel modo più semplice possibile, cercando di tradurre in vino le vigne tra cui è cresciuto. Ed è esattamente ciò che fa: i vini sono eleganti espressioni di Les Grandes Places, profumati e setosi, con un fine grip tannico e una salinità sapida sottostante, invecchiando magnificamente – come ha mostrato una mini verticale delle annate 2015, 2016 e 2017. I vini di Nicolas Champagneux 
 Dalle sue quattro ettari di vigne, Nicolas Champagneux produce tre vini: un IGP Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes La Rémise e due Côte-Rôtie, Les Grandes Places e La Dédicace, tutti realizzati al 100% con Syrah. 
 La Dédicace proviene dalle viti più giovani di Les Grandes Places, con una “modesta” età media di 40-60 anni. Circa 6.000-7.000 bottiglie vengono prodotte di questo “baby” Grandes Places. 
 Les Grandes Places proviene invece dalle viti più antiche, con una media di poco superiore ai 100 anni, alcune piantate nel 1910. Solo circa 1.500 bottiglie vengono prodotte di questo vino ogni annata. 
 Entrambi i Côte-Rôtie sono vinificati esattamente nello stesso modo, per lo più diraspati con una piccola parte di grappolo intero aggiunta nelle annate più calde e fermentati con lieviti indigeni, raggiungendo un massimo di 28-30°C e restando sulle bucce per circa tre settimane. Il vino trascorre poi 20-24 mesi in vecchie botti prima dell’imbottigliamento. Nicolas Champagneux Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: una degustazione verticale 
 2022 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: Pieno di intensità speziata – chiodi di garofano e cardamomo insieme a un tocco di pepe di Szechuan. Il palato offre una succosità lussureggiante, stratificata con frutta scura concentrata di ciliegia e un accenno di tapenade nera, con tannini avvolgenti e il tutto rinfrescato da una linea di vivace acidità. Un neonato ora, da avvicinare dal 2030. 
 2021 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: Un 2021 davvero notevole, equilibrato e potente, il Les Grandes Places di Champagneux ha bisogno di aria ma rivela gradualmente spezie di pepe e delicati fiori di violetta. C’è però potenza e corpo al palato – più di quanto ci si aspetterebbe dal naso elegante, con una fermezza sapida, tannini flessibili ma strutturati e acidità succosa. È scuro e meditativo, gotico nei suoi toni floreali struggenti, con un lungo finale salino e appetitoso. Da approcciare dal 2027. 
 2017 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: Il 2017 Les Grandes Places combina delicati aromi floreali con una nota ferrosa e sanguigna al naso, che introduce un palato stratificato di frutti di rovo. I tannini sono rotondi, morbidi e setosi, con un’acidità vivace che attraversa la frutta concentrata, mentre il lungo finale è profumato di pepe bianco e violette. 
 2016 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: Questo 2016 è in uno stato splendido. Incenso intenso si fonde con frutta dolce di ciliegia e un tocco di fumo al naso, conducendo a un palato in cui ci si immerge – il vino è morbido e flessuoso, con onde di frutta dolce, ma il tutto tagliato da un bordo salino e sapido. Fresco e perfettamente equilibrato, da decantare e godere ora e per il prossimo decennio. 
 2015 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: Il più austero della trilogia 2015, 2016 e 2017, questa è un’annata potente e impressionante di Les Grandes Places – con tutte le migliori caratteristiche dell’anno. Il vino è scuro e profondo, compatto e ancora sorprendentemente primario, con profumi di ciliegia nera e mora. Al palato mostra però una purezza e un’intensità straordinarie, con una qualità cristallina della frutta, abbondante acidità a bilanciare la concentrazione e tannini fermi. Note affumicate e saline persistono in bocca, con un accenno di petali floreali nel finale. Da decantare se aperto ora, ma sarà ancora migliore se saprete aspettare qualche anno. 
 Esplora tutte le attuali etichette di Nicolas Champagneux, incluse varie annate precedenti, o leggi di più sul Rodano.

Sono passati quasi dieci anni da quando Nicolas Champagneux ha preso in mano le vigne di famiglia e ha iniziato a produrre vino con il suo nome, diventando la prima generazione a farlo. Abbiamo incontrato il vignaiolo per scoprire di più sulla sua storia e sul percorso intrapreso finora.

How the talented young vigneron in Cote-Rotie has taken his family’s legacy and created a new domaine that is one of the Rhone’s most exciting 

Nicolas Champagneux – building on his birthright 

Nicolas Champagneux: costruire sul suo diritto di nascita

Burgundy expert Jasper Morris MW has had his finger on the region’s wine pulse for several decades. Especially for FONDATA, he profiles eight domaines to watch, producers that are bringing vital energy and fresh winemaking talent to the celebrated wine region 

Jasper Morris MW on eight of Burgundy’s most exciting domaines – including Eleni & Edouard Vocoret, Chantereves, Alvina Pernot and more 

The new Burgundians – Jasper Morris MW 

The new Burgundians

The Rhône Valley has enjoyed a consistent string of vintages over the last decade or so. The Northern Rhône in particular has seen a prolific set of back-to-back vintages stretching to 2015. The Southern Rhône has managed to produce excellent wines during this time too, but yields have been badly affected in the last few years; thankfully, 2020 gave them a healthy crop. Producers compare 2020 to 2006, 2010, 2016 and even 1990 – all memorable, age-worthy vintages with great character. Similarly, to 2016, 2020 was an “easy” growing season throughout the valley. Good rainfall at the beginning of the year set up the vines nicely for a hot, dry summer, with no mildew or rot in the vineyards. For Ch. de Beaucastel's Marc Perrin, “It was difficult to find something wrong with the vintage.” If anything, he noted the strong winds in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, particularly in the northern part, saw high levels of evaporation, which brought greater concentration to the grapes but reduced the yields. Despite this, production levels were much higher than the challenging 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages (with severe drought in 2019, poor flowering and huge mildew outbreaks in 2018 and frost in 2017 seeing yields badly affected in the appellation). Stéphane Usseglio noted how successful flowering was in 2020, particularly for Grenache, setting up for good yields overall. Although the summer saw hot daytime temperatures, cool nights helped retain a noticeable freshness and balance to the wines in 2020, compared to the richer, more tannic wines of 2019, noted Perrin. There was no pressure to rush the harvest with any impending disruptions to the weather, and no serious rainfall arrived until long after everything had been picked. The higher yields and clement weather meant Usseglio could afford to wait, allowing for concentration to build up and pick at optimum ripeness. In the Northern Rhône, there hasn’t really been a below-average vintage since 2014. Recent years have, however, seen a new normal when it comes to daytime temperatures and resulting alcohol levels (which regularly hit 14-14.5%). According to Chapoutier, though, the vines have adapted and, even with more sun intensity and higher temperatures, are consistently producing balanced wines with great acidity. While in numbers 2020 might compete with the heatwave of 2003, the resulting wines are very different thanks to the way the vines have adapted over the last 20 years. Nicolas Champagneux agrees and believes the acidities of his Côte-Rôtie are getting higher along with the alcohol, balancing the wine. In the Southern Rhône, 2020’s alcohol levels are very similar to previous warm years but the wines, according to Usseglio, “have a better freshness”. He thinks this is thanks to the winter water reserves, helping maintain a sufficient flow of nutrients to the vines to see them through the summer. Usseglio’s vines didn’t shut down at all – something he thinks is at least in part due to his biodynamic farming. It is this practice, he believes, that has contributed to “high mineral salt concentrations, and hence more freshness and mineral structure in the wines”. Both the whites and reds we have tried from the Northern and Southern Rhône are hard to fault. The whites from Chapoutier were exceptional. While Beaucastel’s Marc Perrin has a slight preference for the reds in the Southern Rhône, the whites we tasted were very elegant, pure, highly concentrated and beautifully balanced. The reds have fantastic richness, resolved tannins and freshness too. For Nicolas Champagneux, 2020 is “a typical sun-blessed year” for the Northern Rhône, comparing it to 2018. “This vintage offers a nice combination of fruit purity and terroir expression with rather solid structure and good acidities,” he says. He thinks the vintage will be “long-lived, while offering enjoyable wines in their relative youth” . For Perrin, the red wines’ balance, intensity and concentration remind him of 1990 and 2010. The wines are quite approachable, yet also have the potential for long ageing. For Usseglio, 2020 is a “terroir-driven vintage, offering elegant, vibrant wines”. For him 2020 has “a splendid fruit purity” and “good concentration”, but is fresher, with better aromatics than recent warm vintages. “I find the wines very enjoyable. I have to say maybe a hybrid between the silky, lush fruit of the 2016 and the mineral core of the 2010.” That’s a combination that will no doubt get any fine wine collector excited. This is a vintage not to miss. The vintage in summary Outstanding vintage Compared to some of the best vintages in the last 20 years – 2016, 2010, 2006, 1990 Balanced, concentrated and fresh reds Ideal growing season saw few issues in the vineyard Early-season rainfall kept the vines hydrated through the hot and dry summer Cool night-time temperatures extended the ripening season, retaining plenty of acidity/ freshness in the grapes Ambient weather throughout harvest allowed winemakers to pick at optimum ripeness Healthy yields saw good volume and good quality grapes in both the Northern and Southern Rhône Read more Editorial

Speaking with some of the region’s top vignerons in both the Northern and Southern Rhône about 2020, it is smiles all round. Not since the outstanding 2016s has there been such universal praise for a vintage. 

Not since the outstanding 2016s has there been such universal praise for a wine vintage in the Rhone Valley. Producers compare 2020 to 2006, 2010, 2016 & 1990

Rhône 2020 vintage report

Rhône 2020: the stars align

The growing season The winter was mild with plenty of rainfall to replenish water reserves. The mild winter, combined with a dry spring, led to early budbreak, followed by a cold snap in April and May with pockets of hail and frost, and late flowering. June brought a heatwave – kicking off a warm, dry summer. Between June and mid-September, seven in 10 days exceeded 30˚C. At Domaine Saint-Préfert, Isabel Ferrando saw the mercury rise as high as 44.3˚C on 28th June. Having sufficient canopy to shade the grapes sufficiently was key, with a risk of sunburnt grapes – something not everyone escaped. Stéphane Usseglio reported that June’s rainfall was the same as in 2017, putting it amongst the driest years since 2004.  While the spring frost and hail had caused little significant damage, a torrential hailstorm on June 15th caused serious damage in Crozes-Hermitage. Golf-ball-sized hailstones pounded vineyards for 20 minutes and some producers lost as much as 80% of their crop. Fortunately, it was a localised attack. The dry weather meant the fruit at harvest was disease-free, with picking starting in early September. Some rain arrived on 18th September (15mm), welcomed by producers such as Ferrando who felt it added additional balance to the grapes. The growing season’s dry conditions produced small berries that produced very little juice, meaning yields were down by up to 40% (or more in Crozes). The wine made, however, benefited from more concentration thanks to the high skin-to-juice ratio. The wines Much as with Burgundy 2019, producers were surprised by the level of acidity in the juice and wines, which offsets the ripeness and concentration of the warm conditions. Where producers picked at the right moment, the resulting wines are outstanding and have great balance. In general, the South fared better than the North, with Grenache and Mourvèdre better suited to handling the hot, dry conditions.  Stéphane Usseglio describes the 2019s as "rich, complex, profound and velvety, opulent as Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be, yet surprisingly fresh, given the nature of the vintage.” He felt that his biodynamic practices (certified since 2015) were key in countering the effects of warmer years like 2019; using a chamomile tea spray to reduce hydric stress, for example. He is also tweaking work in the winery, with fermentation temperatures in recent years now cooler – around 26˚C (previously 32˚C) – to preserve the wines’ fresh fruit character. His vineyards are divided equally between stony and sandy soils, but felt both produced different but excellent, concentrated and lush wines in 2019. It was, however, the old-vine Grenache on
La Crau that goes into his Cuvée Impériale that stands out, and he feels it is the finest rendition of the wine since 2010.  Isabel Ferrando also emphasised the balance of the wines – with a natural concentration and acidity that implies long ageing potential. She felt that her Colombis cuvée – sourced from sandy plots – really excelled, as did her plots of Cinsault and Clairette. Saint-Préfert’s old-vine Cinsault (planted in 1928) is now going into a varietal wine, F601 and it is “explosive, full of fruit” in 2019; while she found Clairette’s natural minerality and liveliness, meanwhile, really comes through in the vintage. Overall, she finds the wines “spectacular, deep and energetic”; it is undoubtedly, in her view, a great vintage. Perrin noted the balance, finesse and complexity of the year; while Chapoutier highlights the elegance of the reds and particular minerality of the whites. Claire Darnaud at Delas compares the vintage to 2009 in style, but with more minerality holding everything together – something she attributes to the granite in her vineyards. This mineral feel is what for her prevents the wines feeling overly ripe or plump. Usseglio compares the 2019s to the stunning 2016s, but with a little something extra. He considers it “a hybrid between the concentrated and muscular 2005, and the elegant 2006”. Others are comparing the year to 1990; but the ageing potential of the best wines is clear.  The critics’ view Not everyone’s reports on the vintage have been published but the year has so far been well reviewed. Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski noted late last year that the few 2019s he’d tasted “the reds… show ample ripeness and concentration without any evidence of cooked fruit, while the 2019 whites as a group look excellent, particularly those from Clos des Papes and Domaine du Pegau.” Josh Reynolds (Vinous) describes 2019 as “a vintage of extremely high quality and… the fifth straight stellar year for the region”. He emphasises the freshness and detail in the wines – a surprising trait in a year with such hot, dry conditions – with “an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity”. Jeb Dunnuck (who will report fully on the wines once bottled) feels they are a step up from the 2018s, offering “more depth, concentration, and richness, all while showing considerable purity of fruit and elegance”. Like the producers, he notes the wines’ “focused and lively” style, with “impressive aromatics” and no sign of over-ripeness. He also highlights the beautiful tannins the warm conditions produced, feeling they are concentrated with “serious potential” and feeling it will be “near the top of the pyramid in modern-day vintages”. Browse all Rhône wines

The 2019 vintage has produced some stunning wines across France. As with Bordeaux and Burgundy, it has proven to be an excellent year for the Rhône – one in a series of stunning “nines” (joining the ranks of 1979, ’89, ’99 and 2009). We talk to some of the region’s leading producers

2019 Rhône vintage report on an excellent year that produced wines of concentration and balance


Rhône 2019 vintage report

Rhône 2019: vintage report

Famille Perrin

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Per ordini di alto valore consigliamo la spedizione con un corriere terzo. Gli articoli spediti tramite terzi rimarranno in OWC fascettate.

A causa della quantità richiesta, non potrai selezionare una data di ritiro. Ti preghiamo di inviare la richiesta e ci coordineremo con il nostro magazzino per confermare direttamente con te la data di ritiro.

A causa della quantità richiesta, non è possibile procedere con l'acquisto. Ti preghiamo di selezionare un servizio di terze parti oppure di modificare la quantità (è consentito un massimo di 48 pezzi).

A causa della quantità richiesta, non sarà possibile selezionare una data di spedizione al checkout. Ti preghiamo di inviare la richiesta e ci coordineremo con il nostro magazzino per confermare direttamente con te la data di consegna.

Fino a 499 bottiglie in deposito, la tariffa è di 39¢/bottiglia al mese oppure un addebito mensile minimo di 50 $ (copre fino a 142 bottiglie). Per oltre 500 bottiglie, la tariffa di stoccaggio è di 35¢/bottiglia al mese.

Lo stoccaggio viene addebitato a 40 HKD per cassa da 12 bottiglie al mese. Si applica una tariffa minima mensile di stoccaggio di 80 HKD, che copre fino a 24 bottiglie.

Tariffa di stoccaggio standard

Selezionando la spedizione tramite terzi, ti assumi la piena responsabilità del rispetto di tutte le normative e autorizzi Vinfolio a trasferire gli articoli alla parte indicata nelle tue istruzioni. Gli articoli spediti tramite terzi rimarranno nel loro imballaggio originale.

Gli orari di ritiro sono tra le 8:30 e le 12:00 e tra le 13:30 e le 16:30, dal lunedì al venerdì. I vini al Will Call che non vengono ritirati entro 10 giorni lavorativi saranno trasferiti in deposito e soggetti a una tariffa di stoccaggio di 1,50 $ per bottiglia.

Gli articoli verranno reperiti e spediti al nostro deposito di vini all'avanguardia per la migliore conservazione possibile, dove potrai organizzare il ritiro presso il nostro indirizzo di magazzino a Napa.

Ritiro in sede (Napa)

Hai inserito la password errata troppe volte. Il tuo account è stato temporaneamente bloccato. Attendi cinque minuti prima di riprovare.

Sembra che tu stia visitando da {country}, ti invitiamo a scoprire il nostro sito {nationality}.

Stai navigando da {country}?

Non siamo in grado di elaborare il tuo ordine se contiene sia biglietti per eventi sia un prodotto vinicolo o un distillato nella stessa transazione. Per procedere, rimuovi dal carrello i biglietti dell’evento oppure il prodotto. Potrai quindi completare l’acquisto.

Controlla il tuo carrello

Password dimenticata

Siamo nelle fasi finali dellaggiornamento alla nostra nuova piattaforma di trading. Come parte di questa transizione, stiamo attualmente migrando tutti gli inventari di proprietà dei clienti per garantire unesperienza fluida e senza interruzioni.

La nostra nuova e migliorata piattaforma sarà pronta per te venerdì 4 aprile.

Grazie per la tua pazienza — non vediamo lora di mostrarti cosa arriverà.

Ops, qualcosa è andato storto

Non abbiamo trovato nulla da mostrare qui.

Non abbiamo trovato alcun risultato da mostrare qui.

Si prega di notare: potrebbero essere applicati costi di consegna, dazi e IVA

Il nostro sito è temporaneamente in manutenzione.

Modalità manutenzione

La pre-autorizzazione di un metodo di pagamento consente al tuo Account Manager di effettuare pagamenti per tuo conto, senza verifica del pagamento.

Pre-autorizza

Questa transazione è stata bloccata per un errore di autenticazione.

Errore di autenticazione

La tua carta di pagamento è scaduta. Controlla i dati e riprova.

Carta scaduta

Fondi insufficienti per saldare l'importo. Controlla i dati e riprova.

Fondi insufficienti

Questa transazione è stata bloccata dal fornitore di pagamenti per possibile attività fraudolenta.

Transazione bloccata

Scegli un metodo di pagamento diverso e riprova.

Errore sconosciuto

mostra tutti gli articoli che attualmente conservi con noi. Questi articoli possono essere venduti, consegnati o trasferiti.

Presso {shortName}

La tua allocazione verrà annullata. Sei sicuro di voler continuare?

Il tuo articolo pre-ordinato verrà eliminato. Sei sicuro di voler continuare?

La tua richiesta di consegna verrà annullata. Sei sicuro di voler procedere?

rappresenta tutti i vini che sono in tuo possesso e che sono stati consumati.

Questo è il prezzo che hai pagato per questo articolo.

Prezzo di costo

Dopo aver aggiunto il nuovo indirizzo, verrai reindirizzato a questa pagina.

Crea un nuovo indirizzo

La tua notifica verrà eliminata. Sei sicuro di voler continuare?

Il prezzo minimo al quale sei disposto a vendere. Se il prezzo di listino scende al di sotto di questo valore, la tua inserzione verrà rimossa.

mostra tutti gli articoli che hai pre-ordinato, inclusi i vini en primeur, e tutti gli articoli nella tua watchlist.

Futures

È possibile impostare un prezzo minimo per gli articoli in vendita basato su una percentuale del valore netto unitario attuale.

Puoi impostare un prezzo di mercato per gli articoli che stai vendendo basato su una percentuale del valore netto unitario corrente.

mostra tutte le azioni che hai effettuato sugli articoli nel tuo Portafoglio.

raggruppa ogni azione per tipo - Acquisto, Vendita, Consegna e Trasferimento in entrata - così è chiaro a colpo d'occhio cosa è successo a ciascun articolo.

Storico

mostra tutti gli articoli attualmente in transito da o verso {shortName}.

In transito

La consegna locale è gratuita per ordini superiori a 1.800 HK$ (in un'unica destinazione). Per ordini inferiori a questo importo, la consegna costa 150 HK$ fino a quattro casse e 50 HK$ per ogni cassa aggiuntiva.

Le spedizioni partono da €15 in Italia e da €45 verso la Svizzera e il resto d’Europa per un massimo di 48 bottiglie (75 cl). I costi variano in base alla destinazione. Per spedizioni più grandi è possibile richiedere un preventivo.

La data indicata di seguito è quella in cui il tuo ordine verrà spedito dal nostro magazzino locale. La data di consegna finale, insieme ai dettagli completi di tracciamento, ti verrà fornita una volta che il nostro team avrà elaborato la tua richiesta.

Puoi organizzare il ritiro presso il nostro negozio al 22° piano, 8 Wyndham Street, Central Hong Kong.
Gli orari di ritiro sono dalle 9:30 alle 18:00, da lunedì a venerdì.

Puoi organizzare il ritiro presso il nostro magazzino STI INTERNAZIONALE SPA, in Viale del Lavoro 57, 37051 Bovolone, Verona.
Gli orari di ritiro sono dalle 8:30 alle 12:30 e dalle 13:30 alle 17:30, dal lunedì al venerdì. Siamo chiusi nei giorni festivi.

Questo è il valore di mercato stimato attuale per questo articolo.

I prezzi impostati manualmente verranno sovrascritti. I vini già inseriti non sono interessati.

Aggiorna tutti i vini non inseriti al prezzo di mercato corrente.

Imposta tutto al prezzo di mercato

rappresenta tutti i vini attualmente presenti nel tuo Portafoglio che non sono conservati con noi. Premi l'icona

La mia cantina

Nome

Prezzo netto

Nuovo portafoglio disponibile

Nuovo portafoglio

Non hai alcuna fattura in questo momento.

mostra tutti gli articoli del tuo Portafoglio che sono attualmente sul mercato.

In vendita

mostra tutti gli articoli attualmente presenti nel tuo Portafoglio. Da questa pagina puoi eseguire azioni individuali su di essi.

Panoramica

mostra tutti gli articoli attualmente in attesa di un'azione da parte dell'utente.

In sospeso

Questo è il prezzo di mercato dinamico dell'articolo al netto del margine di negoziazione.

Questo è l'importo del profitto che riceverai se la tua inserzione verrà venduta.

I pagamenti pre-autorizzati consentono transazioni automatiche per tuo conto, garantendo pagamenti fluidi e senza complicazioni. Questo permette di elaborare addebiti ricorrenti, abbonamenti o pagamenti programmati senza approvazione manuale ogni volta.

Il numero di casse che desideri mettere in vendita

Il tuo articolo del catalogo verrà archiviato. Sei sicuro di voler continuare?

I tuoi articoli del catalogo verranno archiviati. Sei sicuro di voler continuare?

Prima di richiedere la consegna, puoi modificare la quantità per ciascun articolo nella tua selezione qui sotto.

*Il prezzo di mercato è dinamico e può variare. Al momento della vendita, dal prezzo finale sarà detratta una commissione di negoziazione del 10%.

Prezzo di mercato totale*

Il prezzo fisso personalizzato al quale desideri vendere ciascun articolo.

Dividi in {caseSize} singole bottiglie da {bottleSize}cl.

Titolo

mostra tutti gli articoli che attualmente conservi con noi. Questi articoli possono essere venduti.

Disponibili per la vendita — gli articoli conservati con {name} sono idonei per essere inseriti nel marketplace.

Profilo

Questo articolo si trova presso FINE+RARE.

Questo articolo si trova presso FINE+RARE HOME Hong Kong, ed è disponibile per la consegna o il ritiro in sede. La maggior parte delle consegne a Hong Kong può essere effettuata entro 3 giorni lavorativi; la data esatta sarà comunicata al momento dell'organizzazione della consegna. Le consegne internazionali richiedono tempi più lunghi, ti preghiamo di contattarci per maggiori dettagli.

I vini venduti en primeur saranno rilasciati dal produttore dopo limbottigliamento, tipicamente 18 mesi dopo la fine della cosiddetta campagna. Il tuo vino sarà poi conservato da FINE+RARE in un deposito doganale fino a quando deciderai di richiederne la consegna.

Ci riforniremo di questo articolo al prezzo garantito dalla nostra rete di fornitori e organizzeremo una spedizione rapida a FINE+RARE.
 I tempi di consegna dipendono da molte variabili, ma in genere per un approvvigionamento rapido sono 2-4 settimane.
 Una volta confermato l'ordine, ti terremo aggiornato sulla data di arrivo prevista.
 Ogni articolo viene controllato all'arrivo dal nostro team di esperti e le fotografie sono disponibili su richiesta (si prega di notare che potrebbero essere applicati dei costi).

Reperiremo questo articolo attraverso la nostra rete di fornitori e ne organizzeremo la spedizione a FINE+RARE.
 I tempi di consegna dipendono da molte variabili, ma una stima media è di 6-12 settimane.
 Una volta confermato lordine, ti terremo aggiornato sulla data di arrivo prevista.
 Ogni articolo viene controllato al momento della ricezione dal nostro team di esperti, con fotografie disponibili su richiesta (si prega di notare che potrebbero essere applicati dei costi).

Famille Perrin

Filtro

Attendere prego

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