The Winery Details of Unknow region

As a wine critic, witnessing a relatively unknown estate rise up and receive the recognition it deserves can be a bittersweet feeling. From a purely selfish point of view, you watch the prices rise inexorably so you can no longer afford to drink wines from that estate as often as you once did. But primarily you’re delighted for the owners and for those who have discovered their wines. Scroll down for Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for five vintages of Domaine Gonon St-Joseph {"c ...

In the UK wine calendar, wine merchants concentrate on selling certain regions at the same time every year. For Burgundy, it’s January; Bordeaux starts in April. Others, like the Rhône, aren’t quite so specific, but merchants do seem to agree that autumn is the right time to turn their attention to this part of France. Following a number of Rhône-focused tastings, and with my full report on the 2021s coming out soon, I have tasted and rated wines that are available to buy in the UK now and my re ...

Our feet crunched through layers of dry oak leaves as we climbed a pebbly path towards the vineyards behind the farmhouse. Roots go deep here. Not just the tall oaks and squat vines, but families too. I walked the vineyards at Mas de Libian with Hélène Thibon, but it was her father Jean-Pierre that greeted me when I arrived. Hélène’s sister Catherine was out front with Bambi the horse, ploughing the sandier plots. Later, we tasted in the winery with Hélène’s son Aurélien. Three generations of a ...