While the 1855 classification is the most famous and influential classification on the Left Bank, there are several other classifications in operation today. Here’s everything you need to know about Bordeaux’s Graves classification, the Crus Bourgeois and Crus Artisans Bordeaux has several different classification systems. While the Right Bank has only Saint-Emilion’s system (one that…
“A true first-growth chateau embodying elegance, nobility, and beautiful concentrated fruit, Lafite is clearly living up to its immortal reputation.” – Robert Parker Château Lafite Rothschild is one of the most famous wine estates in Bordeaux and the world. One of the Left Bank’s five First Growths, the Pauillac property is renowned for producing wines of…
There are exceptions to almost every rule in 2022 – and, as ever, it’s essential to asses wines individually. Here, however, we break down the region by commune to offer an overview of how each subregion fared in this fascinating vintage The Left Bank The gravel soils of the Left Bank are beautifully free-draining…
“Lynch-Bages has been one of the most popular and successful wines to emerge from Bordeaux.” – Robert Parker Château Lynch-Bages is one of the largest and best properties in Pauillac, in the Médoc. While officially classified as a Fifth Growth estate, it regularly competes with the First and Second Growths when it comes to quality…
The 2022 vintage broke records in France for its hot, dry conditions – but the wines it produced are far from solar. Fresh from a week spent digging into the vintage with producers and tasting the wines, Sophie Thorpe reports on the remarkable year and the wines it produced There’s been a lot of hype…
Primeurs is the most anticipated week of the year for the fine wine industry. Bordeaux’s top châteaux open their doors, inviting trade and critics to taste the previous year’s vintage from barrel. Our Senior Buyer Rachael Ryan reports on her first experience of the region, the week and 2022 – a year that shows remarkable…
After weeks and months of tasting, the world’s leading wine critics are announcing their verdict on the latest Bordeaux vintage. Here you’ll find a round-up of what they’re all saying, with a summary of each report and the wines they rated most highly, updated and added as they’re released James Suckling James Suckling was the…
Le Pin doesn’t really do events. I guess it doesn’t need to. This tiny 2.7-hectare property produces on average 600 cases each year and the wines are instantly snapped up on release by collectors lucky enough to be privy to the merchants’ miniscule supply. But the team at Vinfolio’s sister company FINE+RARE, after much searching, collated…
“It quickly became the poster child and catalyst for the qualitative revolution in St Emilion and since 1988 there has not been a hiccup”. – Robert Parker Château Angélus is one of Saint-Emilion’s finest properties. Angélus is one of the few Saint-Emilion properties today that has remained under family ownership since its inception over 237…
“This estate has produced only exceptional wines over the last three decades.” -Robert Parker Château Margaux is one of Bordeaux’s most historic and famous estates. The only classified First Growth in Margaux, it epitomizes the appellation’s elegance, while producing wines with fantastic aging potential. Margaux’s roots date back eight centuries. The Margaux site was originally…
Driving through Napa and Sonoma, the land still bears the scars of 2020. The wildfires that raged through the region have left a long-lasting mark, whether it’s lengthy reconstruction efforts or the stark, charred tree trunks that cover the mountains. But it’s more than that. To an outsider, the fires feel intangible, terrifying yet somehow…
Second wines are no longer à la mode. In Bordeaux, these junior siblings – traditionally made with declassified fruit from the Grand Vin – are being rebranded as alternate expressions of a château. While this has fast become a familiar trope among the region’s master marketeers (who wants to suggest that anything is lesser?), for…
