Winery GRMLe Pré du Moine Bordeaux Clairet

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 ...

This was the first year that Pierre Clape, of Domaine Clape, had witnessed frost on the slopes of Cornas; from these parcels he lost 40% of his crop. On the flat, however, it was much worse – here he lost 90%. Like almost everybody else, he had to raise alcohol levels – here by adding concentrated must – to achieve 12% alcohol. The last time they had to do this was in 2008. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Cornas & St-Péray 2021 wines See all 400 Rhône 2021 tasting ...

The first established AVAs were named in the 1980s, with new designations coming as recently as 2022. 1983 was a particularly important year, as the majority of Sonoma’s appellations were founded during that time, however even today there remain a few proposed AVAs for Sonoma County currently awaiting approval. Diversity is key in Sonoma County. Amongst 24,000ha of vines, over 60 grape varieties grow and thrive. Sonoma is most known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay however, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauv ...