Winery BurggartenCabernet Sauvignon

When most winemakers retire, their most important legacy is the wines they made, tucked away in cellars around the world. But Serge Férigoule of Domaine le Sang des Cailloux leaves more than just his superlative red and white Vacqueyras. Diary of a winemaker Every day of his working life, Serge took notes of climatic observations from his vineyards, filling stacks of notebooks. They will provide an invaluable insight into a changing climate for generations to come. Scroll down to see Matt Walls& ...

Whenever I visit Domaine Richaud, just outside the village of Cairanne, the winemaking team remind me of friends I made at free parties in the 1990s in fields and disused warehouses. I’m not talking dreadlocks and dogs on strings, but there’s always an anarchic frisson in the air. You get the impression they know how to enjoy themselves. Perhaps it’s to be expected, given the radical furrow Marcel Richaud has ploughed. He’s approaching 70 now, but still thrums with pent-up energy, his ice-blue e ...

For many, the appeal of modern-day Napa Cabernet is found in its unabashed excess. The Napa Valley, after all, is epitomised today by bold, fruity wines with an over-the-top ripeness, alcohol and muscularity. However, a recent retrospective tasting spanning 50 years of production from Bella Oaks Vineyard was a thrilling reminder that historically, a very different style of Napa Cab existed. And while climates have changed and winemaking styles may shift, beneath the excess, Napa is still a place ...