Winery Michael GoundreySem Sav Blanc

The Decanter World Wine Awards is the world’s largest and most influential wine competition, and is arguably the most comprehensive and authoritative source of recommendations for wine lovers worldwide. It is the trusted relationship that Decanter – the world’s leading wine media brand – has with an international audience of both consumers and trade that sets DWWA apart from other competitions, alongside world-class judging panels and a rigorous judging process. Wines are judge ...

The moves combine an evolution in management with a sense of continuity at Cheval Blanc, given new MD Pierre-Olivier Clouet has been technical director at the estate since 2008. Clouet initially joined Cheval Blanc as an intern in 2004, and was himself recruited by Pierre Lurton, who has managed the famous St-Emilion estate since the arrival of the Château’s current joint-owners, the Arnault and Frère families, in 1998. Lurton, who had also been director at Cheval Blanc since 1990, will now take ...

It’s no easy task to establish a super-premium wine in an entirely new region, particularly when inviting potential retail partners or distributors to the vineyard involves journeying to a distant corner of the Himalayas in the outer reaches of the Yunnan province, southwestern China. For my journey, after four flights from Bordeaux to Shanghai, Chengdu then Shangri-La, it was a four-hour drive up through stunning mountain passes to the foothills (here, that means 2,200m above sea level) of the ...