2020 French Wine

The importer Boutinot makes a lot of their own wines, including this one from old-vine Grenache discovered growing down south between Corbieres and the Sea. Done all in steel, it’s dark, gutsy, powerful and a bit wild, with... Read More

The 3rd wine of this 2nd growth estate comes from younger vines and is mainly Merlot with just a touch of new French oak. Lovely aromas of red fruit and spice with a silky mid-palate and velvet finish that sustains nicely. Ready... Read More

Lower ABV Just straight-ahead, classic, bone dry, Melon de Bourgogne with a touch of amplitude and texture from time spent “sur lee” after fermentation. Granny Smith apple, green melon and lime zest aromas and flavors... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV The most common reason today for not drinking white Bordeaux is just not knowing what the heck it is. This lovely, no oak, example will fix that. From Graves, south of the city of Bordeaux, and the best white... Read More

Here’s a terrific, hand-crafted, Bordeaux with big fruit, a velvet mouthfeel, and wide-open personality that invites enjoyment with summer cookouts and more elegant dinners, too. It’s about 85% Merlot plus Cabernet... Read More

Danielle Meunier's great-grandfather purchased this estate around 1860 and was winning awards in Paris by 1912. In 1959 her parents began bottling all of the production which Danielle continued on taking over in 1972. Although... Read More

A classic “burger Bordeaux” built to make everyday sipping just a touch more special. It’s around 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet and delivers classic Bordeaux aromas and flavors of black and redcurrant fruit with... Read More

Christophe Pinard took a different path to crafting this plump and easy-drinking Bordeaux Merlot. From a family of Cognac winegrowers, he came to Bordeaux in 1991, purchased 30 acres of land, and built himself barns, cellars and... Read More

Moulinat is a true family estate in Entre Deux Mers, currently run by the 5th generation of the Sage family who have owned the property since the early 1800s. The vineyard is first rate, with calcareous limestone soils leavened... Read More

Fronsac on the Right Bank shares soil type with St Estephe on the Left Bank and displays some of the same power and grip as well. In a warm, rich, vintage, here that structure is matched with terrific dark fruit. As Suckling says... Read More

Not left bank or right bank, but instead Entre-deux-Mers terroir in your glass. In English it translates into between two seas, which is the geographical area situated between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne in Bordeaux. With... Read More

A delicious and ready to enjoy old-school Chateauneuf based on most of the permitted red grapes (and some white ones, too) with a bit of velvet to the texture. As Suckling describes it in his 94 point review, “A very herbal... Read More

Lower ABV From old vines in one of the oldest named vineyards of Sancerre, this gets the full luxury treatment: old vines, organic and biodynamic farming, hand harvest, and fermentation and a full year’s aging in barrel.... Read More

Frank Faugier is number 1 on my, Winemakers I wish I could get into the shop for you to meet list. He's a little charismatic, definitely funny, and not terribly serious about anything other than making truly terrific Syrah... Read More

Lower ABV Our first thought on tasting this was, “Wow – kind of like a darker and more playful Marcillac!” A better way to say it is that this deliciously captivating red is at once plump, ripe and full of dark... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV A delicious take on Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, grown and made seriously to delivery serious amounts of fun. The wines of Bourgueil are darker and more gutsy and Chinon or St. Nocolas Bourgueil, but also... Read More

Wildly complex, nicely ripe, perfectly balanced and ready to drink Gigondas for less than you’d expect to pay. There’s probably more Mourvedre here than strictly legal and certainly more of the deep earth, rose petal... Read More

Organic/Bio We could go on and on about how the soils here are identical to Chateauneuf du Pape across the river, how the Jaume family farms their vines organically and to very low yields, and how that use a blend of concrete... Read More

Organic/Bio The Subrin family's vines are near the southernmost point of Beaujolais at 400 meters elevation (Cret = hill) in what they've made into an increasingly diverse bio-zone of birds, trees, hedges, and biodynamically... Read More

Sandwiched between Switzerland and Burgundy, Jura Chardonnays show a touch of mountain wine minerality and a good dose of Burgundy flavors and textures. Here 90% Chardonnay and 10% Savagnin done in tank showcases the Burgundy... Read More

Morgon’s finest vineyard site and 60-70 year-old vines deliver an intense Beaujolais with the velvet feel of Morgon and some Moulin-a-Vent power and grip. The fruit is ripe and dark with deep minerality that gives freshness... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV If Thibert's 2020 Macon-Verze is full of boundless energy and confidence, his Pouilly-Vinzelles (from next door to Fuisse) has all the same energy but starts off a bit gawky and unsure. Give it a splash... Read More

Organic/Bio Named for Catherine Faller’s father (who passed away young and left Catherine, her sister and mother with the estate), this comes from the slices of the family’s home Clos des Capucins vineyard where sand... Read More

No, it's not a La La (if you care about that!) but this is one of the finest introductions to the joys of Cote Rotie we know of. The style here is to bring forward the fruit and deliver more flesh than you'll often find... Read More

If there were a prize for most consistently delicious red wine under $20 in the world...well, here's your winner!