Lapierre Raisins Gaulois 2024Effortlessly joyful and dangerously drinkable, this opens on freshly picked cherry, raspberry candy, and red currant, with a lift of violet and a faint whiff of fermenting grape skins that signals its playful intent. The palate is feather light and gliding, all juicy crunch and sappy acidity, with barely there tannins and a subtle granitic snap keeping it from veering into simple quaff. Hints of white pepper and wet stone flicker on the finish, which

but the one downside to those wines is that they often need a few months to a year for the mid-palate to plump up and gain some wait

Light on its feet yet expressive

powerful yet etched with precision

Cabernet Franc from this storied Chinon site opens with cool river-stone minerality

That lift and concentration carries through as the mixed berries become even more concentrated while beautifully balanced bright acidity leads to moderate tannins on the finish

he is vinifying small cuvees focused on obtaining the pure expression of the terroir

roasted tea

and very much about place rather than power

Importer commentary:

mushroom tart

year in and year out

started producing their own domaine Barolo