Cellar candidate

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Boxler's Brand Grand Cru Riesling, from steep granite slopes above Turckheim. Warmer-site fruit than Sommerberg but with the same precise dry register.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Boxler's E parcel selection on Sommerberg, a 70-year-old vine block on steep south-facing granite above Niedermorschwihr. Sharp, mineral, slow to age.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Albert Mann's selection from the heart of Schlossberg, the original 1.5 hectare epicentre of the Grand Cru. Biodynamic, structured for the cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Albert Seltz's Zotzenberg Sylvaner, the only Sylvaner permitted on a Grand Cru in Alsace. Seltz led the campaign for Sylvaner's recognition on Zotzenberg.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Barmes-Buecher's Hengst Riesling from calcareous-marl slopes above Wintzenheim. Biodynamic, limestone-driven, dry and slowly developing.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Beck-Hartweg's Frankstein Riesling from coarse granite around Dambach-la-Ville. Biodynamic, dry, with the brisk, light register of Dambach granite.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Bott-Geyl's Schoenenbourg Riesling from marl-gypsum slopes above Riquewihr. Concentrated and saline with the cool-climate cut of the cru.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Cave de Ribeauville's Clos du Zahnacker is a near-monopole walled vineyard from the cooperative founded in 1895, complanted with the noble grapes.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Funky · Elegant

Binner's natural-style Schlossberg Riesling. Bone-dry, granite-driven, often with a slight reductive twang from the no-added-sulfite winemaking.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Trimbach's 1.67 hectare monopole inside Grand Cru Rosacker, declassified to Alsace AOC by family preference. Piercing dry Riesling that needs a decade to unwind into wax, citrus and Vosges granite salinity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Trimbach's flagship Riesling blends Grand Cru Geisberg and Osterberg fruit. Dry, structured, smoky, built to age but rich enough to drink young.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Dirler-Cade's Kitterle Riesling from terraced sandstone slopes above Guebwiller. Smoky, dry, structured; biodynamic since the mid 2000s.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Domaine Agape (Hunawihr) Rosacker Riesling from limestone slopes in the cru that also houses Trimbach's Clos Sainte Hune. Organic and bone-dry.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Etienne Loew's Muschelkalk Riesling from limestone-marl slopes around Westhoffen in north Alsace. Demeter biodynamic, dry, structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Emile Beyer's Pfersigberg Riesling from limestone slopes above Eguisheim. Biodynamic, dry, structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Frederic Mochel's Altenberg de Bergbieten Riesling from marl-gypsum slopes in north Alsace. The family is a long-established landholder on this Grand Cru.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Gustave Lorentz's Altenberg de Bergheim Riesling from calcareous slopes above Bergheim. Organic, dry, structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Grossi Laue (Alsatian for 'great growth') is Hugel's bottling from their oldest plots in Schoenenbourg and Pflostig. Dry, stony, structured, built to age.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A single 0.45 hectare parcel high on Grand Cru Schoenenbourg, declassified to Alsace AOC because Hugel disagrees with the wider GC delimitation. Hugel's flagship dry Riesling, released as a multi-decade vintage statement.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Medium acidity · Elegant

Botrytised Gewurztraminer at near-Sauternes ripeness, made only in noble-rot vintages. Saffron honey, candied rose and an apricot-jam palate.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Jean Francois Ginglinger's Pfersigberg Riesling from limestone slopes above Eguisheim. Biodynamic, dry, structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Josmeyer's Brand Grand Cru Riesling from steep granite above Turckheim. Concentrated and saline with the family's signature precision.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Josmeyer's Hengst Riesling from calcareous-marl above Wintzenheim. Slower-developing, herbal and limestone-driven.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Kuentz-Bas's Pfersigberg Riesling from limestone slopes above Eguisheim. Dry, structured, saline; biodynamic in the new-ownership era.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Beyer's flagship Riesling, sourced from old vines on the Pfersigberg slopes around Eguisheim. Steely, dry, mineral; built for a long cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Leon Boesch's Zinnkoepfle Riesling from south-facing limestone-marl slopes above Westhalten. Biodynamic Demeter, dry and structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Lucien Albrecht's Pfingstberg Riesling from sandstone-marl slopes around Orschwihr. The maison is a long-established Pfingstberg landholder.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Marc Kreydenweiss's Kastelberg Riesling from steep Steige-schist slopes above Andlau. Biodynamic since 1989; smoky, dry, structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Marc Kreydenweiss's Wiebelsberg Riesling from sandstone slopes above Andlau. The sandstone counterpart to Kastelberg's schist; lighter, more aerial.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Medium acidity · Elegant

Marc Tempe's Mambourg Gewurztraminer, long-lees aged in old foudre. Demeter biodynamic; concentrated rose, lychee and honey.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Marc Tempe's Schoenenbourg Riesling, long-lees aged in old foudre. Biodynamic, structured by the marl-gypsum slope above Riquewihr.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Deiss's complanted Altenberg de Bergheim, with Riesling dominant in the field-blend. Calcareous Bergheim soils, long ageing, profound structure.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Marcel Deiss's flagship complanted Grand Cru, a field-blend of the Alsace noble grapes co-fermented on Mambourg's south-facing limestone. The estate's case for terroir over varietal.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Deiss's complanted Schoenenbourg above Riquewihr, marl-and-gypsum soils, Riesling-dominant. Cooler and more racy than Altenberg or Mambourg.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Andre Ostertag's Riesling from volcanic-sandstone Muenchberg Grand Cru above Nothalten. Sharp, smoky, structured; a Lower Vosges Riesling worth seeking out.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Paul Blanck's Furstentum Riesling from old limestone vines (old vines, vieilles vignes). Concentrated and saline; one of the maison's flagship Grand Crus.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Paul Blanck's flagship Schlossberg Riesling from old vines on Kientzheim granite. The maison was the first to bottle Schlossberg as a single-vineyard wine from 1976.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Mure's Clos Saint Landelin is a monopole inside the Vorbourg Grand Cru, south of Colmar. The Riesling is concentrated, saline, structured by the cuvee's limestone-marl.

Off Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Rolly Gassmann's Kappelweg lieu-dit Riesling from Rorschwihr. Late-released with the maison's signature touch of residual sugar.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Medium acidity · Elegant

Rolly Gassmann's Moenchreben lieu-dit Gewurztraminer from Rorschwihr. Concentrated and saline; the maison aged in cellar 4 to 6 years before release.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Schlumberger's flagship Kitterle Riesling from terraced sandstone vineyards above Guebwiller, often planted on slopes that need monorail access. Smoky, dry, structured.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Schoffit's volcanic Pinot Gris from Clos Saint Theobald. Concentrated, smoky, lightly off-dry; a distinctive Alsace Pinot Gris expression.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Schoffit's flagship Riesling from the Clos Saint Theobald inside Grand Cru Rangen, the southernmost Alsace volcano. Smoky and intensely mineral, structured for decades.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Sipp Mack's Rosacker Riesling from limestone slopes above Hunawihr, the same Grand Cru that Trimbach's Clos Sainte Hune sits in.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Sylvie Spielmann's Altenberg de Bergheim Riesling from calcareous Bergheim slopes. Biodynamic, dry, structured; one of the rare female-run domaines in Alsace.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Jean-Louis Trapet's Schoenenbourg Riesling, an Alsace branch of the famous Gevrey-Chambertin family. Biodynamic, dry, structured; a Burgundian eye on Alsace.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Valentin Zusslin's Clos Liebenberg monopole Riesling, on south-facing limestone above Orschwihr. Biodynamic and structured, with the salinity of a hillside-walled vineyard.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Zusslin's Pfingstberg Grand Cru Riesling from sandstone-marl slopes around Orschwihr. Biodynamic, dry, structured for the cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Stoeffler's Kirchberg de Barr Riesling from limestone slopes around Barr. Biodynamic, dry, with the cru's clay-limestone weight.

Dessert · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Weinbach's noble-rot Pinot Gris from the Altenbourg lieu-dit. Honeycomb, candied apricot and saffron honey; a multi-decade dessert wine made only in exceptional vintages.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Weinbach's flagship dry Riesling from old vines on Schlossberg granite, picked late on Saint Catherine's Day (25 November). The estate's most precise Riesling.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Weinbach's top Schlossberg parcel selection from the very oldest Schlossberg vines (planted in the 1940s). Released only in vintages that yield exceptional ripeness with retained acidity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant

Zind-Humbrecht's Brand Grand Cru Riesling from steep granite slopes above Turckheim. Warm-site fruit with sharp granite mineral lift; richer than Hauserer, drier than Windsbuhl.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Zind-Humbrecht's monopole walled-vineyard Riesling, perched below Grand Cru Hengst on calcareous-marl soils. Pure dry Riesling, often singled out as a benchmark.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Zind-Humbrecht's Clos Saint Urbain Rangen Pinot Gris, full-bodied and lightly off-dry. Honeyed pear, smoke and volcanic mineral grip.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Zind-Humbrecht's flagship Riesling from the Clos Saint Urbain inside Grand Cru Rangen, the volcanic-slope masterpiece. Smoky, intensely mineral, structured for two decades.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Zind-Humbrecht's limestone-driven Pinot Gris monopole, lightly off-dry, structured by altitude and Muschelkalk.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Zind-Humbrecht's Clos Windsbuhl monopole sits high above Hunawihr on Muschelkalk limestone. A cool-climate, slow-developing Riesling, structured for a long cellar.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cantina St. Michael-Eppan's prestige cuvee, released only in vintages the cellar declares the wine worthy. A multi-varietal blend of the cooperative's best parcels (typically Chardonnay-led with Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio); the blend composition varies vintage to vintage.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Nals Margreid's selection Chardonnay Riserva from the Baron Salvadori estate in Magre on white chalky gravel soils at 220-350 metres. South-southeast exposure; vines on 30-year-old espalier with high planting density. Producer-confirmed clean notes of Abate pear and kiwi.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Hofstaetter's single-vineyard Pinot Bianco from the Mazon plateau at 450 metres on biostimulant-mineral-rich Werfen sedimentary rock. The compact rock prevents deep root growth, creating positive stress that yields a Pinot Bianco of marked minerality and elegant structure.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Alto Adige's first wine to carry the official Vigna single-vineyard designation (1987 vintage). Pinot Nero from clay-limestone soils on the Mazon plateau, with the north-west facing rows cooled by the Ora wind from Lake Garda.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Nals Margreid's selection Pinot Nero Riserva from the Berg vineyards in Magre near the southern Bassa Atesina end of the cellar's reach. A value alternative to the famous Mazon-zone Pinot Noirs - same Bassa Atesina terroir, lower price.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Dark ruby with purple highlights Lagrein Gries Riserva: intense dark-fruit, violet and black-pepper aromatics; punchy palate carried by fresh acidity and firm tannins, very coherent.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Fruity

Cantina Kurtatsch's single-vineyard Gewurztraminer Riserva from the warm Brenntal site northwest of Kurtatsch. The red loamy soils give multifaceted aromatics (lychee, roses, mango, caramelised orange peel, lavender) on a creamy-textured, muscular palate. Up to 20 years cellaring capability.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Cantina Kurtatsch's flagship single-vineyard Merlot from the Brenntal UGA (Additional Geographical Unit) north of Kurtatsch, one of the warmest sites in Alto Adige (up to 40C). Powerful and dark-fruited yet retains alpine character; the cellar's terroir-emblematic red.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Manincor's flagship Bordeaux-style cuvee blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the Castel Campan vineyards above Lake Caldaro. Demeter biodynamic; styled for long cellaring with firm tannin structure and dark-fruited depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Elena Walch's single-vineyard Chardonnay Riserva from the Castel Ringberg estate above Lake Caldaro - the family's monopole. Full-bodied, creamy and saline, structured for long-haul cellaring on the porphyry-limestone soils of Caldaro's western shore.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Alois Lageder's flagship single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from the spectacular steep slope of Roemigberg above Lake Caldaro. Planted to Cabernet in 1986 and Demeter-certified biodynamic; cherry-red colour with ruby shimmer, concentrated aromatics, full-bodied with elegant present tannins.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Deep luminous ruby cellar-aged Santa Maddalena: aromas of cherries, laurel and a hint of cacao beans; expressive red-berry and cherry, concentrated with fine spice and structure, fine tannins ending in a lengthy red-berry finish.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Tramin's late-harvest Gewurztraminer aged for nearly ten years inside the Schneeberg silver mine at 2000 metres altitude before release. Off-dry, intensely mineral, with botrytis-adjacent honey and saffron notes; among the more rare aromatic whites in Italy.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Tiefenbrunner's single-vineyard Mueller-Thurgau from the Penon-Fennberg plateau at 1000 metres (3280 feet) - an Italian single-vineyard wine at approximately 1000 metres altitude. Light straw-yellow with greenish reflexes; intensely aromatic with mineral notes that increase with age. Part of the Vigna selection range since 2017.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Peter Dipoli's varietal Merlot from the cellar's southern Alto Adige vineyards. Third of just three wines Dipoli produces, sitting alongside Voglar and Iugum; full-bodied, velvety, structured.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cantina Colterenzio's hyper-limited Sauvignon Blanc Riserva from the oldest parcels of the Lafoa vineyard, planted in the late 1980s with French Sauvignon clones. Strictly limited to 4085 bottles per vintage; awarded White Wine of the Year by Gambero Rosso.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Elena Walch's flagship white cuvee, predominantly Chardonnay with select complementary white varietals. Fermented and aged in new French oak barriques; dense and complex, creamy yet juicy, the wine's name references the alpine altitude of its vineyards.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Peter Dipoli's Bordeaux-style cuvee blending Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the cellar's vineyards across Egna, Magre and Cortaccia. One of just three wines Dipoli produces; structured for long cellaring.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Alois Lageder's single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Krafuss Estate on a hilltop in Appiano at 430-450 metres. Garnet with ruby shimmer; pronounced fruity-spicy bouquet, medium-bodied with savoury fruit and silky tannin. The estate is owned by Roland Riz, Alois Lageder's father-in-law.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Tenuta Kornell's flagship Merlot Riserva from the Kressfeld parcel - the cellar's top offering. Aged in barriques and large oak barrels; full-bodied, velvety and structured for long cellaring.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Kristan Riserva, Egger-Ramer's noble Mediterranean Lagrein crowning glory from the Kristan vineyard: concentrated dark-fruit and violet, structured palate from extended barrique ageing.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Colterenzio's Lafoa Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva from the sunny Lafoa hillside vineyard at 430 metres behind the winery; the parcel was developed by replanting Vernatsch to Cabernet Sauvignon to produce a ripe Alto Adige Cabernet.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Colterenzio's Lafoa-line Sauvignon Blanc - the cellar's selection-tier white from the same Lafoa hillside vineyard as the flagship Cabernet. Full-bodied, structured and saline; established Colterenzio as a Sauvignon Blanc reference alongside Terlano.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Dense purplish-red Lagrein Riserva from 24 months in mixed barrique-tonneau-cask: cassis, plum and blackberry with nutmeg and white pepper oak; supple tannins and animated acidity, chocolate and coffee mid-palate, raspberry-blackberry-orange-zest finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Intense garnet single-vineyard Lagrein from the 2.7-hectare walled Klosteranger site behind the monastery: concentrated dark-berry aromatics surprisingly fresh with coffee and raspberry; firm tannins, fresh acidity and elegant depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Lamarein is the flagship Lagrein of Erbhof Unterganzner, the Mayr family's historic farm in Cardano-Cornaiano. The cuvée anchors the cellar's IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti range.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina St. Pauls's Riserva-line Pinot Nero. The name combines 'Lehm' (clay) and 'Mont' (mountain) - indicating the soil and altitude that form the wine. Decisive and persistent finish with classic Pinot Nero structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Manincor's flagship single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and only white in the cellar's Crown line - styled as a Grand Cru in the Burgundian tradition. From the Lieben Aich location in Terlan at 350 metres on volcanic porphyry, where grapevine roots draw minerals through loamy quartz sand. Demeter biodynamic.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Tiefenbrunner's flagship Chardonnay Riserva from a distinguished Entiklar vineyard adjacent to Vigna AU. Radiant deep straw-yellow with flinty mineral and toasted walnut aromatics; ripe pear, quince and a whisper of citrus zest on the palate with fine tannins and integrated acidity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Tiefenbrunner's flagship Pinot Nero Riserva from select vineyard sites in Entiklar and surrounds. The Linticlarus selection range delivers complex, elegant wines with extended ageing potential; the Pinot Nero is among Alto Adige's reference single-estate Pinot Noirs.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Tramin's selection Sauvignon Blanc, oak-aged on lees from the loamy soils that give the wine its name. Full-bodied, structured and saline, designed for cellaring rather than the bright herbal style of cool-climate Sauvignon.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Lageder's flagship Chardonnay from the best Loewengang parcels in Magre at 230-330 metres. The vines are among the oldest in Alto Adige (approximately 145 years). This was the first South Tyrolean white to position itself on international markets in the 1980s.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Franz Haas's signature white blend, dedicated to Maria Luisa Manna and first released in 1995. A cuvée of Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Kerner.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Tenuta Ritterhof's flagship Lagrein Riserva, labelled MANUS in the cellar's top Rarus selection range. Deep dark and garnet red with an almost black core; aromas of ripe cherries, wild berries and dark chocolate, with juicy fleshy tannins and fine coffee aromas on the palate.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Manincor's selection Pinot Nero from the Mazzon plateau at 400-450 metres, sourced from the oldest vines in the highest position of the family's four hectares of Mazon Pinot Nero. Demeter biodynamic-certified; described by Manincor as the 'Grand Cru of Grand Cru'.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Tenuta Pfitscher's flagship Pinot Nero Riserva from select Pinot Noir parcels in Montagna. Organic; powerful and dark-toned with elegance from the day-night temperature differential. The cellar's calling card from the contemporary ClimateHouse-certified winery.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Tenuta Pfitscher's Riserva-tier Sauvignon Blanc from organic Montagna vineyards. The cellar's selection Sauvignon, lees-aged for texture and structured for medium-term cellaring.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Hofstaetter's Mazon-area Pinot Nero Riserva, sourced from the limestone-sandstone plateau that produces structurally consistent Italian Pinot Noir. Deep ruby-garnet colour, ripe sweet seductive fragrance, with multifaceted notes of forest floor, berries and Amarelle cherry.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Terlano's historical Terlaner Cuvee Riserva blending Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc - the three traditional Terlano white varieties that were already bottled together when the cellar was founded in 1893. Soft, rich and deep, with creamy oak-aged texture and stone-fruit complexity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Elena Walch's supreme Pinot Noir achievement, released in limited 3000-bottle allocations and named after the Egyptian sun god. Sourced from vines 15-61 years old at 400-600 metres at Glen and Barleith; clay-calcareous soils, low-yielding French clones.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Brunnenhof Mazzon's flagship Pinot Nero Riserva from 5 organic hectares on the Mazzon plateau at 400 metres - sandy clay soil, afternoon sun, Ora wind from Lake Garda. The cellar's 'King of Mazon' bottling from north-facing limestone-clay parcels on the Mazon plateau.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Franz Haas's flagship Pinot Nero, first vintage 1987 (released 1990). Sourced from vineyards between 350 and 700 metres with high planting density (8000-12500 vines per hectare); the cellar's signature single-vineyard Pinot Nero from the Mazzon zone.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Franz Haas's top-tier Pinot Nero from the Ponkler vineyard at high altitude. Sits above Schweizer in the cellar's hierarchy; small allocations, structured for long cellaring.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Terlano's single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from sandy quartz-rich soils above Terlano, first vintage 1991. Full-bodied, exotic-fruited and intensely saline, with nine months on the lees split between large oak and stainless steel.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cantina Terlano's library-release Pinot Bianco: late-disgorged bottlings from vintages typically 15 to 40 years old, released annually in small allocations. The cellar's proof of Pinot Bianco's ageing potential; demonstrating Pinot Bianco's 30-year-plus ageing potential.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Single-vineyard Riesling from the Vigna Windbichel parcel planted 1993 at 700-760 m with full southern exposure - exposed to both sun and wind, producing intense aroma development in the grapes.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Kaltern's Riserva-line Pinot Nero from members' best Pinot Noir parcels around Lake Caldaro. Medium-bodied, round and savoury; demonstrates Schiava's lake-side neighbour has serious Pinot Noir credentials.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina St. Michael-Eppan's Sanct Valentin Pinot Bianco - the cellar's flagship Pinot Bianco from selected microzones around Appiano. Full-bodied with creamy lees-driven texture and saline minerality; cellar-worthy and structured.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina St. Michael-Eppan's Sanct Valentin Pinot Nero Riserva from select Appiano microzones at altitude. Selection-tier Pinot Noir from the Sanct Valentin lineup that established the cooperative's international reputation.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina St. Michael-Eppan's Sanct Valentin Sauvignon Blanc from select Appiano microzones. Selection-tier Sauvignon with lees-driven texture and saline minerality, designed for both immediate drinking and medium-term cellaring.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cantina St. Pauls's jewel-in-the-crown Pinot Bianco from steep south-facing Vigna slopes below the church in Missian, aged in clay amphora. Powerful and stately; among Alto Adige's most distinctive Pinot Bianco bottlings via the amphora ageing protocol.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina St. Pauls's Riserva-tier Sauvignon Blanc from mineral-rich limestone soils. The cellar describes how 'Schliff thrives' on the limestone, with the Sauvignon's deep roots forcefully penetrating the scrap of earth on which it grows.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Stroblhof's flagship Pinot Nero Riserva, named for Sepp Hanni and bottled from the oldest vines on the south-east facing Stroblhof vineyard at 500 metres in Pigeno (Appiano). The cellar's top old-vine selection.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Nals Margreid's flagship single-vineyard Pinot Bianco from the Sirmian terraces above Nalles at 500-700 metres on limestone, gneiss, mica, slate and marble soils with porphyry bedrock. Hand-harvested in mid-October; named Italian white wine of the year by Gambero Rosso.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Tenuta Kornell's Staffes Lagrein Riserva from the cellar's Settequerce porphyry and limestone slopes near Bolzano. Full-bodied, firm-tannined Lagrein from the historic estate at the foot of Greifenstein castle.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cantina Tramin's flagship white blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco and Gewurztraminer from porphyry-limestone soils around Tramin. Full-bodied with creamy oak-aged texture and a saline mineral spine; aimed at long-haul cellaring.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Deep garnet Lagrein-dominant cuvee from 50-year-old vines in the Bolzano basin: ripe berry fruit with pepper, clove and graphite, complex barrique-and-concrete raising for 27 months total.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cantina Terlano's flagship white cuvee, blended only in select vintages from the cooperative's best Vorberg, Kreuth and Winkl parcels. Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc combined into the cellar's most ambitious cuvee, total production 1500-3000 bottles per vintage.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Cantina Andrian's flagship Lagrein Riserva. Founded in 1893, the cellar has aged Lagrein in barrique for decades; Tor di Lupo is the modern expression of that programme, eighteen months in French oak.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Trigon is Hans Rottensteiner's barrique-aged Lagrein Gries Riserva from selected Bolzano vineyards, in the Cru tier of the cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Single-vineyard Pinot Noir Riserva from the Ganger monopole in Mazon at 360-380 m on calcareous clay: ripe fruit, cherry, sour cherry and wild berry on the nose with marzipan; elegant and refined with good acidity and spicy notes.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Bold

Brunnenhof Mazzon's premium single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Vigna ZIS parcel, made from highly ripened grapes and aged minimum one year in tonneaux. The producer describes Vigna ZIS as more concentrated, full-bodied and spicier than the Riserva.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Peter Dipoli's Sauvignon Blanc from 3 hectares of terraced slopes in Penon (Cortaccia) at 500-600 metres on sandy dolomitic-limestone soils. First vintage 1990; ten-day fermentation in large acacia barrels and ageing on lees until May.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cantina Terlano's flagship single-vineyard Pinot Bianco from the south-facing Monzoccolo slopes (450-650 metres altitude) on quartz-rich porphyry. Full-bodied, creamy, flint-driven; an age-worthy Italian Pinot Bianco, capable of 20-30 years cellaring.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Concentrated, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon-led Riserva with a small Merlot component: intense blackcurrant, elderberry and blackberry aromatics, complexity that develops further through extended bottle ageing.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Vionnet's prestige Villages cuvée from older parcels: Morgon-influenced depth and structure, with kirsch, incense and a long iron-mineral finish that punches above appellation level.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Lapalu's cellar-selection Brouilly: deeper and more structured than the Vieilles Vignes, with darker fruit, herbal complexity and a savoury, mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Contemplative

Château de la Chaize's mid-tier Brouilly, longer-aged and more structured than the classique, with ripe fruit concentration and earthy Brouilly depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Elegant

Post-2017 renovation cuvée from the L'Espigon parcel: richer and more oak-influenced than the classique, with full body and concentrated dark-fruit structure.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Rustic

Chenas (AOC 1936) covers around 240 hectares between Moulin-a-Vent and Julienas. Domaine des Bureaux produces a concentrated, spicy Gamay that resembles Moulin-a-Vent in structure.

Dry · Rustic · Bold

Dry · Bold · Rustic

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Named for the old mule path across the Chiroubles hillside, this single-parcel cuvée sits at the top of Cheysson's range: granite-driven, mineral, long-finishing Gamay with extended barrel-ageing.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Terres Dorées' Côte de Brouilly from Mont Brouilly: volcanic-mineral depth with dark cherry concentration and the firm, structured grip of the appellation's blue-syenite soils.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Volcanic Gamay from the granite and blue syenite of Mont Brouilly: deep blue-fruit core, stony minerality, firm tannin and long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Named for the chapel atop Mont Brouilly, this single-parcel Gamay shows the deepest volcanic expression of the Côte: dark fruit, tar and rocky mineral structure.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Romantic

Natural Fleurie from Yvon Metras, with the appellation's signature pink granite-driven floral perfume. Zero sulfur and whole-cluster produce remarkable aromatic transparency.

Dry · Elegant · Contemplative

Dry · Elegant · Contemplative

Dry · Bold · Elegant

Dry · Contemplative · Funky

Dry · Elegant · Contemplative

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Old-vine Julienas from the Clos du Fief estate, with the characteristic spice and full cherry fruit of the appellation. Granite and schist soils give mineral depth.

Dry · Bold · Rustic

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Château de Pizay's traditional Morgon from the Côte du Py zone: deeply coloured, iron-mineral and earthy with the Morgon-typical concentration and structure for medium-term ageing.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

La Roche ('the rock') from Château des Jacques is Jadot's most mineral and structured Morgon climat: stony, dark-fruited and firmly built, reflecting the volcanic rocky soils of this parcel.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Jadot's Morgon from the Les Charmes climat within Château des Jacques holdings: iron-mineral, earthy and structured, showing the volcanic depth of Morgon with Burgundian barrel precision.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Cote du Py Gamay from the volcanic-schist hill at the heart of Morgon. Dense, structured, with high acidity and an iron-mineral finish that rewards cellaring.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Structured Cote du Py Morgon from a reliable traditional producer. The volcanic schist soils give pronounced minerality and a firm tannic grip.

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Rustic · Bold

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Pacalet's natural Morgon from the volcanic Côte du Py hill: deep kirsch and iron-mineral concentration, earthy tannin and a long, volcanic finish characteristic of this iconic terroir.

Dry · Contemplative · Elegant

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Duboeuf's single-domaine Morgon, sourced from the Jean Descombes estate on the Côte du Py: earthy, iron-mineral Gamay with concentration and the structure that distinguishes Morgon from other Beaujolais crus.

Dry · Contemplative · Rustic

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Classic Gang of Four old-vine Morgon: structured and mineral, with dark cherry and an iron-schist spine. Needs time to open but rewards patience.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Pizay's old-vine Morgon from deep-rooted Gamay on the volcanic schist: kirsch, iron and leather concentration with the structured, long finish characteristic of aged Morgon.

Dry · Rustic · Contemplative

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Contemplative

Old-vine Morgon from Guy Breton with the characteristic zero-sulfur freshness of the natural Beaujolais school. Earthy, mineral, and age-worthy.

Dry · Rustic · Bold

Dry · Rustic · Bold

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Estate Moulin-a-Vent from the chateau adjacent to the appellation's iconic windmill. Dense, structured Gamay from granite and manganese soils; one of the cru's more powerful expressions.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Old-family Moulin-a-Vent from the Diochon domaine, a long-established family producer. Old vines on granite and manganese soils give serious, age-worthy Gamay.

Dry · Rustic · Bold

Dry · Bold · Elegant

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Bold · Elegant

Dry · Bold · Elegant

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Bold · Contemplative

Dry · Bold · Rustic

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Duboeuf's Moulin-à-Vent from multiple selected parcels: structured, dark and mineral with the appellation's Pinot-like depth and firm ageing spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Jadot's flagship Moulin-à-Vent from Château des Jacques combines the manganese-rich granite soils with Burgundian barrel-ageing discipline: the resulting wine is Gamay at its most Pinot-like, with real ageing potential and deep mineral structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Vissoux's Moulin-à-Vent from the Trois Roches lieu-dit: Gamay at its most Pinot-like, with the appellation's distinctive manganese-mineral depth, firm structure and long ageing potential.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Ducroux's prestige Régnié from Demeter-certified biodynamic farming: deep cherry-and-clay concentration, wild-yeast complexity and firm mineral structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

The prestige selection of Chateau de la Riviere, sourced exclusively from the estate's oldest Merlot vines in a single 1.5-hectare plot and aged entirely in new French oak. Produced only in the best vintages; a luxury expression of Fronsac terroir.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The second wine of Ausone, sourced from the youngest Cabernet Franc and Merlot vines on the same limestone hillside. Crisp, elegant and distinctively mineral, with a fruity register that opens earlier than the grand vin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Elegant

Merlot and Cabernet Franc from 27 classified hectares at the foot of Saint-Emilion's slope. Generous, opulent and structured, with dark cherry, violets and cedar complexity; certified organic from the 2021 vintage.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

From just 7 hectares of steep limestone slopes, Ausone is a wine of concentration, precision and mineral tension. Cabernet Franc dominates, giving iron-rich structure, dried-flower fragrance and an extraordinary seamless finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

From 16.5 hectares of ancient underground cellars carved into the limestone of Saint-Emilion's plateau, Beau-Sejour Becot offers silk and velvet textures with floral aromatics, dark fruits and a crushed-stone mineral lift. Recent vintages show increasing use of amphora for freshness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Premier Grand Cru Classe B from the Saint-Emilion limestone plateau. Owned by the Wertheimer family (Chanel), Canon produces Merlot-dominant blends of great classical finesse and ageing capacity, with cedar, mint and graphite precision.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cabernet Franc-dominant Saint-Emilion of silky: violets and graphite on the nose, an opulent yet precise palate of black cherry and tobacco, seamless tannin structure and a finish of uncommon length.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Merlot-dominant Pomerol with an unusually significant proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon giving structured backbone. Rich and concentrated with cassis, graphite, and leather; requires a minimum of 8-12 years in good vintages.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

Saint-Estephe Deuxieme Cru Classe (1855) with an oriental spice and incense aromatic signature seldom found in Pauillac wines. Merlot-rich for Saint-Estephe, delivering suppleness alongside the appellation's characteristic mineral-tannic power.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The most Cabernet-dominant Right Bank premier cru in Bordeaux: near-equal thirds of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classe A in 2022. Combines peony and iris fragrance with electric energy, grainy Cabernet tannin and remarkable mineral length.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Merlot-led first-growth Pessac-Leognan red combining cassis and graphite with earthy tobacco and cedar. Velvety tannins and exceptional length set it apart from Medoc peers.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

One of the world's rarest and most sought-after dry whites, Haut-Brion Blanc blends Semillon richness with Sauvignon Blanc precision. White peach, orange blossom, and mineral salinity build to a honeyed, lingering finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Bold

La Mission Haut-Brion combines the gravel terroir of Talence with intense, brooding dark fruit. Blackberry, scorched earth, and graphite underpin a structured, powerful palate with velvety tannins and a finish that rivals the great first growths.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Originally sold as Laville Haut-Brion until 2009, this is among the most complex dry whites of Bordeaux. Semillon richness and Sauvignon Blanc freshness fuse with 100% new oak to produce a wine of extraordinary mineral precision and creamy depth.

Dessert · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Festive

Premier Cru Classe Sauternes (1855), with an exceptionally high Semillon content (up to 100% in some vintages) that delivers a concentrated, pure expression of noble rot. Pineapple, candied citrus, honeycomb, and powdered ginger with vivid acidity; the 2013 renaissance under Silvio Denz transformed quality.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The archetype of Pauillac first-growth: Cabernet-dominant, with penetrating lead pencil and cassis aromatics, precise fine-grained tannins, and a finish that evolves over decades.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Unique Pomerol with an equal Cabernet Franc-Merlot split giving a perfumed floral lift and structural precision rarely seen in the appellation. Biodynamic farming since 2014; produced from just 4.5 hectares on the Pomerol plateau.

Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The most structured and austere of the Pauillac first-growths. The L'Enclos parcel of old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon delivers extraordinary concentration and mineral tension; legendary longevity requires patience of decades.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

The most opulent of the Pauillac first-growths; Mouton Rothschild emphasises blackcurrant concentration, dark chocolate, and an extrovert aromatic generosity that sets it apart from the pencil-mineral restraint of Lafite and Latour.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Bold

From an estate documented since 1305 under Bertrand de Got (later Pope Clement V), one of the longest continuously documented vineyards in Bordeaux. Cabernet-and-Merlot blend delivering cassis, graphite, and tobacco with refined tannins; in great vintages approaches first-growth complexity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

From 42 hectares at Saint-Emilion's highest point (110m), Pavie delivers concentrated, structured Merlot-dominant blends with extraordinary mineral depth. Pairs elegance with considerable power; requires minimum 15 years to fully integrate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Known for its silky texture and unusually high 32% Merlot for a Left Bank estate, Pichon Lalande bridges the power of Pauillac with a suppleness and perfume reminiscent of Margaux. Louis Roederer ownership since 2006 has brought further precision.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

Pauillac second-growth with an unusually high Cabernet Sauvignon proportion for the appellation. AXA Millesimes' investment since 1987 has lifted consistency dramatically; the 2022 vintage drew especially strong critical praise in bottle.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Pauillac Cinquieme Cru Classe (1855); achieved full Demeter biodynamic certification in 2014, an early date among classified Medoc estates. Distinctive use of amphorae alongside barrique ageing. The wines combine Pauillac's classical structure with a biodynamic freshness and earth energy distinctive to the estate.

Dessert · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

One of the most consistent Premier Cru Classe Sauternes, with Rieussec's distinctive high Semillon content yielding a wine of great concentration and rich tropical fruit. Honey-drenched pineapple, orange, mango, and caramel with vibrant acidity and a very long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Savoury

Francois Mitjavile's Cotes de Bourg cult wine, modelled on the exacting principles of his Saint-Emilion estate Tertre-Roteboeuf: very late harvesting, low yields, and 100% new oak since 1996. Pushed the Cotes de Bourg to its quality ceiling.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Pessac-Leognan Cabernet, Cru Classe de Graves rouge (1959 classification), elevated by the Cathiard family's acquisition in 1990. Cassis, graphite, and tobacco define a precise, structured palate; 60% new oak ageing adds cedar and spice. Reviewer-points tuples on scores array.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

From Saint-Emilion's highest plateau (over 100m), Troplong Mondot produces Merlot-dominant blends of great richness and depth. Thick and concentrated without being heavy; dark plum, coffee and stone character with remarkable ageing potential.

Dessert · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytised sweet Sauternes; the sole Premier Cru Superieur in the 1855 Sauternes classification. Semillon-dominant with intense noble-rot character: beeswax, saffron, apricot, and honey balanced by electric acidity. Ages for decades and improves for 50 or more years in great vintages.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

The benchmark Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel of Moulis: Cabernet-dominant with dark fruit, pencil lead and licorice, offering genuine structure and ageing potential well beyond its humble classification.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Archetype of refined Saint-Julien: cassis and dark cherry on a bed of Gunzian gravel minerality, with perfectly integrated silky tannins and an exceptionally lengthy finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Timeless Saint-Julien classic: a Cabernet-dominant blend with classic Médoc pencil shavings, licorice and cassis, built for patience with rich powdery tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Romantic

The most perfumed of the Médoc first growths: haunting floral aromatics of roses and violets above a core of concentrated cassis, extraordinary saline minerality, and tannins demanding decades of patience.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Classified Third Growth performing at first-growth level: extraordinary richness from an unusually high Merlot proportion, with Thomas Duroux's biodynamic conversion delivering added aromatic complexity and freshness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The great unclassified Médoc: Sociando-Mallet produces wines of classed-growth quality from Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, with muscular Cabernet-Merlot structure, minty cassis, and a distinctive saline minerality.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury

A revived Fifth Growth finding its stride under the Merlaut family: Cabernet-forward Haut-Médoc structure with dark fruit, cedar and characteristic menthol freshness from deep gravel soils near Saint-Julien.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

A cuvée in its own right rather than a simple second wine: structured Saint-Julien Cabernet with its own distinct terroir personality from western parcels of the estate, offering outstanding value relative to the grand vin.

Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Saint-Julien Deuxieme Cru Classe (1855) in the super-second category: extraordinarily concentrated cassis fruit with near first-growth precision, dense tannins demanding patient cellaring of 15 or more years.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

100% Cabernet Franc from two old-vine parcels aged 65-100 years at the pied de cote. Produced in tiny quantities (5-9 barriques) only in exceptional vintages, this is a monument to the iron-mineral potential of old Cabernet Franc on Saint-Emilion limestone.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Micro-estate garagiste Pomerol with supremely hedonistic Merlot character: mocha-laced plum and violet aromatics, a voluptuous, fleshy palate, and remarkable concentration from just 400-600 cases per year.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

100% Merlot from 11.4 ha of blue clay at Pomerol's centre. Silk-and-velvet texture with truffle, chocolate, and dark cherry at its core; structurally imposing yet hedonistic, with a finish that stretches for minutes.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Pomerol's most Cabernet-Franc-inflected grand vin: 30% Cabernet Franc gives an aromatic lift and structural precision that sets VCC apart from Merlot-dominant peers. Sensuous and silky in great vintages, with decades of ageing potential.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A richer, broader grand cru with citrus, honey and hazelnut over a saline, powerful frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A powerful, saline Batard with citrus, honey and hazelnut over a tightly wound mineral frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A powerful, broad Batard with citrus, honey and hazelnut over a saline, mineral frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A powerful, structured grand cru spanning two soil types, with dark fruit, iron and a firm, mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A powerful, brooding Bonnes-Mares with dark fruit, iron and a firm, ageworthy structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A structured, dark-fruited Bonnes-Mares with earth, spice and firm tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A negociant grand cru Chablis, mineral and saline with citrus, white flowers and a stony depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A rich, powerful grand cru from the steepest Bougros slope, with citrus, stone fruit and a saline depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A famous Chablis monopole spanning Vaudesir and Preuses, taut and saline with citrus, white flowers and stony depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Laroche's prestige cuvee from old Blanchots vines, rich and saline with citrus, white flowers and stony depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

The benchmark Chablis grand cru: powerful and saline, with citrus, oyster shell and a long mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

The most collected Chablis grand cru: intensely mineral and saline, with citrus, oyster shell and an endless finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Unoaked Les Clos of pure transparency, intensely mineral and saline with citrus and oyster shell.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A precise, organic Les Clos, mineral and saline with citrus, oyster shell and a stony depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A classic Les Clos with a long history, mineral and saline with citrus, oyster shell and a stony finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A powerful Les Clos, mineral and saline with citrus, oyster shell and a long stony finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A rich yet racy grand cru, with citrus, white flowers and a deep, saline minerality.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Powerful, brooding Chambertin in the Leroy style: concentrated black fruit, spice and a firm mineral spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The grand vin of Gevrey: powerful and structured, with dark fruit, spice and a long, mineral, age-worthy frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Biodynamic Chambertin of finesse and energy, with dark berry, spice and a saline, mineral lift.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

More perfumed and aristocratic than Chambertin itself, with rose, dark fruit and a silken, mineral length.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Faiveley's flagship grand cru from old Clos de Beze vines, deep and perfumed with dark fruit and fine, firm tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A blend across the Corton hill's red climats, structured and dark with iron, spice and a firm frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Leflaive's flagship grand cru: taut, mineral and citrussy, with white flowers and a saline, persistent finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A precise, mineral grand cru with citrus, white flowers and a saline, tightly wound finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru from Jadot's Les Demoiselles parcel acquired in 1991, intense and saline with citrus, hazelnut and a long, mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The most delicate Dujac grand cru, all rose, red berry and silk over a fine mineral frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A finer, more perfumed Ponsot grand cru, with red fruit, spice and a savoury, mineral length.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A dense, structured Clos de Vougeot with dark fruit and earthy power in the Leroy idiom.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A rich, generous Clos de Vougeot with dark fruit, spice and a fleshy mid-palate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

An elegant, perfumed Clos de Vougeot with red and black fruit and silky tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A dense, structured Clos de Vougeot from the estate's Vosne base, with dark fruit, spice and firm tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Whole-cluster Morey grand cru of perfume and spice, with red and black fruit and a savoury, herbal lift.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Ponsot's flagship from very old vines: powerful, savoury and long-lived, with dark fruit, earth and a mineral spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A more powerful, structured style from the Corton hill, with dark fruit, iron and firm tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A structured Corton red, with dark fruit, iron, spice and a firm, mineral frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A powerful Corton monopole, dark and structured with iron, spice and an ageworthy frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A powerful, structured grand cru white with citrus, hazelnut and a mineral, ageworthy core.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A powerful, ageworthy grand cru white, with citrus, hazelnut and a saline, mineral core.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

Maison Louis Latour (founded 1797) farms around 9 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne: citrus, hazelnut and a long saline core.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A cult grand cru white: flinty and reductive, with citrus, hazelnut, gunflint and a saline, endless finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A precise, mineral grand cru white with citrus, hazelnut and a saline, ageworthy core.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

From a near-monopole holding on the Corton hill, a powerful, ageworthy white with citrus, hazelnut and saline depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A well-priced grand cru white, mineral and fresh with citrus, hazelnut and a saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

A mineral grand cru white from the Corton hill, with citrus, white flowers and a saline depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The most approachable DRC grand cru young, with bright red fruit, spice and supple texture.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Fragrant and silky Echezeaux with bright red fruit, rose and a fine mineral thread.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Structured and earthy, with dark cherry, spice and a firm, mineral backbone.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

DRC's other monopole: darker and more muscular than Romanee-Conti, with violet, black fruit and a spiced, savoury core.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A cooler, more savoury grand cru, with red and black fruit, herbs and a mineral, lacy finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A structured Corton red with dark fruit, iron and a firm, savoury palate.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

The grandest of white Burgundies in DRC's hands: honeyed, spiced and powerful, with a saline, near-endless finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

The grandest white Burgundy in Bouchard's hands: powerful and saline, with citrus, honey and a long mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

The white-Burgundy reference at its summit: profound, saline and tightly wound, with citrus, honey and an endless finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

From a sliver of Le Montrachet, profound and saline with citrus, honey and an endless mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant

From a tiny parcel, a profound and saline Montrachet with citrus, honey and an endless mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Biodynamic Musigny of extraordinary perfume and depth, with floral lift over a dense, mineral core.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

From Roumier's roughly 0.1-hectare Musigny parcel: ethereal perfume over a deep, mineral core.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A tiny biodynamic Musigny, perfumed and silky with rose, red fruit and a mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A perfumed, silky Musigny from biodynamic vines, with rose, red fruit and a fine mineral depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The largest owner of Musigny makes its grandest wine from old vines: aristocratic perfume over a profound, mineral core.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The most opulent and broad-shouldered of the DRC reds, with dense black fruit, spice and a velvety, generous palate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Opulent and dense Vosne grand cru, layering black fruit, spice and earth over a velvety frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Plush, deeply fruited Richebourg shaped by the Henri Jayer school, with dark berry, spice and polished tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The Vosne monopole at its most ethereal: rose, spice and dark berry layered over a silken, near-weightless palate of extraordinary persistence.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The most delicate and lacy DRC grand cru, all rose, red berry and silk over fine-grained tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Pure, finely chiselled Gevrey grand cru with dark cherry, spice and a mineral, lifted finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A vintage single-terroir Blanc de Blancs from Avize and Cramant: citrus and white flowers over wet chalk and toasted nuts, with intense minerality, saline depth and racy tension.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

A vintage Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs prestige cuvee: floral notes with hazelnut and chestnut bread over a creamy, full-bodied palate of baked goods, mango and candied chestnut.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The house prestige cuvee: fresh bread and citrus oil over yellow orchard fruit, verbena and macadamia, full-bodied and chiseled with a vinous core cloaking brisk acids.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Contemplative

Bollinger's barrel-fermented vintage cuvee: a marine nose of sea breeze, oyster shell and gunpowder smoke over hazelnut, with orchard fruit and fine vanilla on a savoury palate.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Recently disgorged La Grande Annee held far longer on lees: oak and toasted coconut over dried apricot and mandarin, bone-dry yet fruit-packed with a very long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A toasty, tropical vintage Blanc de Blancs: candied lemon and baked pineapple with coffee and floral tones, the round palate cut by minerality and high acidity on a long, pure, dry finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Deutz's Pinot-led prestige cuvee: ripe orchard fruit over toast and spice, the palate vinous and deep with mineral structure and a long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A stately old-vine Cramant Blanc de Blancs fermented in old oak without malolactic: citrus and white flowers over toasted nuts and chalk, with creamy texture and saline mineral depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

A single-vintage prestige cuvee of silky, sculpted precision: white peach and candied citrus over a smoky, saline mineral core that the house calls its first plenitude.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Dom Perignon held to its second plenitude: a generous, plump wine of slate and crushed rock over apricot, honeysuckle and mint, with a stretched, energetic glide.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Ruinart's prestige cuvee, a Grand Cru-only pure-Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs in a firm, muscular, reductive style with chalk and long, lingering flavour.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

A rare Blanc de Blancs-based prestige rose: copper-hued and complex with mature Pinot, apricot and spice over gunpowder toast, vanilla and layered citrus.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A single walled-vineyard Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs of intense purity: bone-dry, dense and saline with crystalline brightness and Krug's intellectual austerity.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Krug's expression of a single year: citrus and stone fruit over toasted nuts, spice and honey, with vinous depth, fine chalk and a complex, savoury, very long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A single-vineyard Blanc de Blancs from a walled vineyard inside the city of Reims: citrus and white flowers over chalk and subtle toast, taut and racy with saline mineral depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Laurent-Perrier's flagship blends three great vintages: lemon sherbet, ripe pear and yellow plum over lime, peach and chalk, with intense fruit, stylish restraint and toasty layers.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The original prestige cuvee, created for a tsar: zesty candied lemon and pollen over roasted hazelnut and vanilla, with incredible tension and a chalky, honed precision.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Champagne's great single-clos wine from a steep south-facing walled vineyard: ripe apple, candied ginger and mandarin peel over oyster shell and jasmine, with a toasty undercurrent and depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A benchmark single-vineyard Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs from old vines: spring flowers, white fruit and citrus over marzipan, with slate and crushed-rock energy and saline length.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Pol Roger's Pinot-dominant prestige cuvee honouring Churchill: orange oil and confit lemon over brioche and honey, with bright saline cutting a core of apricot, mint and sage.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The Chardonnay-led prestige cuvee, now its own house: candied citrus and white flowers over honey and spice, the palate creamy with chalk and a long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

One of Champagne's most mystical wines, made only in declared years from a single Grand Cru village: citrus and white flowers over iodine and chalk, with crystalline, racy intensity and extraordinary length.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Anselme Selosse's Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from three Cote des Blancs villages: yellow apple and quince over toasted nuts, honey and smoke, with an oxidative, vinous depth and a long savoury finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Funky

A solera-based Avize Blanc de Blancs of extraordinary intensity: dried apricot, walnut and curry spice over honey and smoke, with oxidative depth, vinous power and saline length.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Selosse's extra-brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs: ripe orchard fruit and toasted hazelnut over honey and chalk, with vinous oxidative richness and saline mineral depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Taittinger's vintage Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from Cote des Blancs Chardonnay: citrus and white flowers over chalk, with creamy texture and saline length.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Savoury · Elegant

A single-vineyard Sezannais Blanc de Blancs: ripe citrus and white flowers over toasted nuts and chalk, with vinous oak-framed depth, saline minerality and a long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

A Grand Cru Chouilly Special Club Blanc de Blancs: lemon and lime with heady lily and sweet vanilla, very fresh with a beautiful chalky character and a saline cut.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The house prestige cuvee named for Madame Clicquot: dried fig, apricot and ripe pear over hazelnut, the palate richly balanced with yellow plum and tropical lift on a fresh finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

A prestigious old-vine red from a once-abandoned terraced vineyard, dense and mineral with graphite and savoury spice, built for long ageing.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

Portugal's most iconic dry red, made only in exceptional years from Douro Superior fruit: a structured, ageworthy wine with cedar, tobacco and a long mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant

A refined, Bordeaux-influenced Douro red from the Symington and Prats partnership: silky and polished, prizing elegance and freshness over power.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A plush, approachably fruited Vintage Port from one of the oldest Port houses, built around the Quinta da Roeda estate.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A single-quinta Vintage Port from the Symington home estate at Pinhao, made in years Dow's does not declare a classic Vintage, in the drier Dow's house style.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

The driest of the classic Vintage Ports, built around Quinta do Bomfim and Senhora da Ribeira fruit, with a firm structure and a notably dry, savoury finish.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A structured Vintage Port from Portugal's most historic native house, with concentrated dark fruit and a firm ageing spine.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A single-quinta Vintage Port from Fonseca's source estate in the Tavora valley, declared in off years, with the house's opulent black fruit and minty lift.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

Fonseca's Vintage is the lush, exotically fruited counterpoint to Taylor's: opulent black fruit and a perfumed minty lift over firm structure.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

The richest and sweetest of the classic Vintage Ports, built on the warm Malvedos and Tua fruit, with opulent black fruit over a firm spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

Niepoort's flagship old-vine Douro red, from very old field-blend vineyards: concentrated yet fresh, with graphite minerality and fine-grained structure for long ageing.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Elegant

A classic, fresh-styled Vintage Port from this artisan family house, with pure black fruit, fine tannins and a notably fresh, lifted structure.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A well-priced single-quinta Vintage Port from this family producer at Sao Joao da Pesqueira, with black fruit and a firm structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

A concentrated, oak-aged Cima Corgo red from the Amorim estate, structured and fresh with dark fruit and cedar spice.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

Quinta Nova's top old-vine red, dense and mineral with cedar and graphite, made only in the best years.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

The flagship old-vine red from the Gaivosa estate in the cooler Baixo Corgo, structured and mineral with a long fresh finish.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A single-quinta Vintage Port from the Pacheca estate, with black fruit and a firm structure for ageing.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

A polished estate red from the large historic Romaneira property between Pinhao and Alijo, ripe and fresh with fine tannins and cedar spice.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A fresh single-quinta Vintage Port from the riverside La Rosa estate, with black fruit and a firm structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

A benchmark old-vine field-blend Douro red, ripe yet structured, balancing dark fruit and savoury spice with the estate's signature freshness and ageability.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

A single-vineyard old-vine field blend from a plot of pre-1920 vines, dense and structured yet fresh, with graphite minerality and a long savoury finish built for the cellar.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A single-quinta Vintage Port from the Crasto estate, fresh and structured with concentrated black fruit.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

One of the rarest and most legendary wines in the world, from a tiny block of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines, declared only in exceptional years and capable of ageing for generations.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant

A pure, elegant single-quinta Vintage Port from the famous Pinhao estate, with fine tannins and graphite-edged black fruit built to age.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

An award-winning oak-aged red from the Pego estate above the river at Valenca do Douro, concentrated and structured with dark fruit and cedar.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

An oak-aged Pinhao valley red, ripe and structured with dark fruit and cedar, from the architect-designed Portal estate.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A single-quinta Vintage Port from Sandeman's flagship Cima Corgo estate at Valenca do Douro, concentrated and structured for ageing.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

An organic single-quinta Vintage Port from the Tedo-Douro confluence, with black fruit and a firm ageing structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

One of Portugal's most sought-after dry reds, from the historic Douro Superior estate where Barca Velha was born: powerful yet refined, with cedar, graphite and a long structured finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold

Vallado's flagship old-vine Douro red, named for Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira: concentrated and structured yet fresh, from low-yielding old vines.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A powerful single-quinta Vintage Port from the grand Douro Superior estate, foot-trodden in granite lagares, with dense black fruit and a mineral, ageworthy structure.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A structured Vintage Port from one of the most recognised Port houses, with concentrated black fruit and a firm spine for ageing.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

Taylor's declared Vintage is the firm, structured benchmark of the style: dense black-fruit concentration over grippy tannins built for decades in bottle.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative

A single-quinta Vintage Port from the Vista Alegre estate near Pinhao, with black fruit and a firm structure.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant

The most elegant and floral of the Symington Vintages, built on Quinta da Cavadinha fruit, with fine tannins and a fresh, perfumed character.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative

The wine that launched Wine & Soul, from a tiny plot of ancient field-blend vines at Vale de Mendiz: dense and mineral yet fresh, a benchmark of the modern Douro.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The Riserva flagship of Barone Pizzini, organic and declared only in the best vintages. Chardonnay-Pinot Nero blend with 7 years on lees and a saline patisserie finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Bellavista's Riserva, named after founder Vittorio Moretti and released only in declared vintages. Chardonnay-Pinot Nero blend with 7 years on lees, candied citrus and patisserie depth over a graphite finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The deepest of Bellavista's Vintage tier (Pas Operé means 'extended on lees with low dosage'). Chardonnay-led with 60 months autolysis and a saline, patisserie-cream finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

100 percent Pinot Nero Riserva from the historic Palazzo Lana vineyard in Borgonato. Eight years on lees deliver dried cherry, hazelnut and a graphite minerality.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees Riserva Franciacorta from organic Bersi Serlini. The cellar's anniversary cuvée marking the family's milestones at Provaglio d'Iseo.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Maurizio Zanella's prestige cuvée, named after his mother Annamaria Clementi. Oak-fermented base wines and 8 years on lees produce a layered, autolytic Riserva with patisserie depth and a saline, mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Pinot-led Riserva Rosé from saigne with eight years on lees. Wild strawberry and rose petal aromatics over a creamy patisserie palate and a long graphite-tinged finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Maurizio Zanella's Bordeaux blend named after the founder, vinified at Erbusco and matured 18 to 24 months in French barriques. Blackcurrant and graphite aromatics with firm tannin and a long cedar finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

100 percent Pinot Nero from Ca' del Bosco's Erbusco still-wine vineyards, oak-matured for 12 to 14 months. Sour cherry and raspberry aromatics with violet, forest floor and a fine-tannin finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Single-vintage Chardonnay-led Extra Brut with low dosage and 48 months on lees. Lemon zest and hazelnut aromatics with patisserie cream and a saline mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees Riserva Franciacorta from organic Camossi at Erbusco. Brioche-and-almond traditional-method sparkling.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees Riserva Franciacorta from Castel Faglia. Brioche-and-almond traditional-method sparkling.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Castello Bonomi's single-vineyard Millesimato from a lost (perdu) cru on Monte Orfano. 100 percent Chardonnay with 4 years on lees.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Castello Bonomi's Riserva Lucrezia in the Etichetta Nera (black label) format. 100 percent Chardonnay with 5 years on lees from the Coccaglio cellar (Tenute in Franciacorta group).

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Cavalleri's Pas Dosé Riserva (SE for the Selezione Esclusiva label). Five years on lees and zero dosage strip the wine to its chalky moraine spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Contadi Castaldi's Riserva, named Mariella, 100 percent Chardonnay with 60 months on lees and the autolytic patisserie cream of the Riserva tier.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees Riserva Franciacorta from family Faccoli at Coccaglio.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Ferghettina's Pas Dosé Riserva, 100 percent Chardonnay vinified clean and aged at least 33 months for the Riserva tier in its angular flat-bottle format.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Le Marchesine's prestige Millesimato Secolo Novo. Forty-eight months on lees and oak fermentation deliver patisserie cream and saline minerality.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees art-label Riserva Franciacorta from Majolini. Cuvée bottled with an Aligi Sassu artwork label, the Sardinian-Brescian painter who decorated the Majolini chapel.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Monte Rossa's prestige Millesimato Cabochon, the cellar's flagship single-vintage. Sixty months on lees deliver patisserie cream and a saline finish from the moraine hills.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Il Mosnel's flagship Millesimato Extra Brut. EBB stands for Extra Brut Bianco. Forty-eight months on lees deliver yellow apple, candied citrus and a saline patisserie finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Il Mosnel's Pas Dosé Riserva, named for the Questione d'Etichetta project. Sixty months on lees and zero dosage strip the wine to its mineral spine.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Muratori's Riserva del Gelso, named after a heritage mulberry tree on the estate. Chardonnay-led blend with 5 years on lees and a saline patisserie finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees Riserva Franciacorta from Quadra. The cellar's flagship Tonus long-lees cuvée.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Uberti's prestige Riserva, named after Francesco I Uberti. Chardonnay-led blend with 7 years on lees and an autolytic patisserie depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Uberti's Pas Dosé Sublimis. Four years on lees and zero dosage strip the wine to its chalky Erbusco terroir.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Long-lees Riserva Franciacorta from Tenuta Villa Crespia. The Brolese Riserva cuvée in the Muratori group's Villa Crespia line at Adro.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The estate's flagship red, blending the three indigenous Friulian reds (Refosco, Schioppettino, Pignolo). Black plum, tobacco and graphite over a fine grainy tannin and a long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Late-harvest dry Friulano with brief drying on the vine before harvest. Honey, almond cream and candied citrus over a long saline finish, the most concentrated dry Friulano statement Bastianich makes.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Joe Bastianich's flagship white blend (Chardonnay, Sauvignon, dry-vinified Picolit). The Picolit gives the unique wax-and-honey aromatic register. Vespa Bianco was the first wine Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich released after acquiring the Cividale del Friuli estate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Manferrari's barrique Chardonnay Selezione, the estate's oak-led answer to white Burgundy. Vanilla, almond cream and yellow stone fruit over a saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Nicola Manferrari's classical Collio Friulano, with longer lees ageing than the everyday norm. Yellow apple and bitter almond over a saline almond-skin finish with cellar potential.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Nicola Manferrari's flagship Collio Bianco, three-variety field blend with extended lees ageing. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a wax-and-honey palate with the structural depth of grower Champagne.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Bordeaux-blend Friulian red from Bressan. Cabernet Franc-led blend matured in large Slavonian oak botti in the traditional house style.

Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Native Friulian Pignolo from cult Bressan at Farra d'Isonzo. Pignolo was nearly extinct before Carlo Bressan and Alessandro Dorigo led the revival; the variety is among Italy's most tannic native reds.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Late-harvest Verduzzo Friulano from cult Bressan. The cellar's dessert bottling from air-dried grapes.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

The estate's Friulian field-blend orange wine of Chardonnay, Malvasia Istriana and Friulano. Yellow apple and almond aromatics over a tea-tannin saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The estate's Bordeaux blend from the Gorizia hillside, with no added yeast and four years in Slavonian botti. Black plum and leather over an iron mineral dusty tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Damijan Podversic's extended-maceration Ribolla from the Gorizia hillside, two months on the skins with no added yeast. Dried apricot and honey over a tea-tannin finish.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Late-harvest Picolit from Dario Coos in the Colli Orientali. Picolit is one of Italy's rarest grapes thanks to its floral abortion, which leaves clusters with very few berries.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Doro Princic's textbook traditional Collio Friulano. Yellow apple and bitter almond aromatics over a saline almond-skin finish, often cited as the most reference of reference Friulanos.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Princic's textbook Collio Pinot Bianco, yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish. Often cited as the most cellar-worthy serious Italian Pinot Bianco alongside Schiopetto.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The Riserva tier of Edi Keber's sole Collio Bianco, with three years on lees in Slavonian oak. Yellow apple, almond cream and wax over a long saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Franco Toros's Collio Friulano from the Novali holdings above Cormons. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a long saline finish, cellar-worthy in the textbook traditional style.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Franco Toros's serious Collio Merlot with 18-24 months in barrique. Black plum and tobacco over a fine grainy tannin and iron mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Franco Toros's Collio Pinot Bianco, often cited as one of Italy's most cellar-worthy serious Pinot Bianco bottlings.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

International-varietal field blend (Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Riesling Italico) vinified the same qvevri-and-Slavonian-botti way as Ribolla. Yellow stone fruit, dried orange peel and walnut over a tea-tannin amphora finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Josko Gravner's flagship Ribolla Gialla, fermented six to seven months on the skins in buried qvevri after his 2001 conversion to the Georgian amphora method. Dried apricot and orange peel aromatics over a tea-tannin palate and a saline pithy finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Indigenous Pignolo from Oslavia, fermented in qvevri and aged six years in Slavonian botti. Dried black cherry and leather over a graphite, firm-tannin core with the distinctive amphora signature.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Merlot-led Bordeaux blend vinified in qvevri the Gravner way. Black plum and violet aromatics with leather and iron mineral over a firm tannin spine.