The best winemakers of Galice

I’m fortunate enough to taste a fair amount of fine wine each year and I have come to the conclusion that each of us is forced to build our own stylistic preferences, regardless of the appellation or classification of a wine. Instead of simply choosing a bottle of Bordeaux over Barolo, for example, most of us probably aim to drink each on the right occasion and, in doing so, carve out our individual preferences for these wines. My personal bias – which I must confess, to be fair and transp ...

Cheval Blanc 2021 was released en primeur this morning (19 May) at €390 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, up by around 3% on the 202o-vintage opening price last year. Liv-ex said the new release was still cheaper on the market than the well-regarded vintage trio of 2018, 2019 and 2020. UK merchants offered the 2021 wine at £4,740 (12x75cl in bond), it said. It marks another relatively early release for Cheval Blanc, with this year’s Bordeaux en primeur campaign just getting started. Cheval Blanc 202 ...

When asked which is the most exciting appellation in the Rhône, there’s one that currently springs to mind before all others: Tavel. I have to be honest with you: I don’t buy much rosé. So, given that Tavel is, according to The Oxford Companion to Wine, ‘one of France’s few all-rosé appellations,’ my response might be unexpected. The Oxford Companion is technically correct, of course – the wines made here are paler than a typical red wine. But compared to other rosés, that’s where the comparison ...