On the Bench -four French wines that beautifully balance tradition, freshness, and value.
Château Faget, Saint-Estèphe 2023
Chevalier Noël, Bordeaux Supérieur 2020
Château Hauterive, Médoc 2022
Château Bellevue la Forêt, Fronton 2024
Château Faget, Saint-Estèphe 2023
A small, high-quality producer...
Murmure de Larcis Ducasse 2019
The whisper of place
The 11-hectare vineyard sits on the hallowed south-facing slopes of Saint-Émilion’s renowned La Grande Côte (Côte du Pavie), in the limestone and Molasse du Fronsadais soils between...
A Wine for One’s Home
Cambodian businessman and entrepreneur Edward Chea has taken a long and somewhat circuitous route to wine. It is a journey that has involved travelling the world over and cultivating...
Le Nardian Grande Vin de Bordeaux Blanc 2023
Just south of Saint Emilion, this tiny 1.8-hectare vineyard sits in the commune of Lugaignac. Its south-facing slopes of clay and limestone are planted to old-vine,...
Tasting with Toto
My dear friend Mr Seila sometimes goes by his digital moniker ‘Bong Toto.’ In Khmer, ‘Bong’ means older brother, though ‘Oun Proh’—younger brother—would be more accurate when I address him.”
Toto is the...
Mas Amiel Origine 2017
Varieties: Grenache (from old vines more than a century in age), Carignan, Syrah
Region: Maury, Roussillon
Maturation: 2 years in large oak casks
From the ancient lands of the Cathars, in a valley of...
The Bishop with the Bad Hand
The Maury AOC wine region in Roussillon, southwest France, lies deep in rugged Cathar country; It has a rich history of grape growing and wine production dating at...
The Italian Blend of the Century
I arrived late afternoon at the Fantini affair, in the lofty chambers amid the grandeur and chic of the Rosewood hotel. I found myself high above a familiar...