Château Coutet

The 2017 vintage of the Château Coutet Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, the wine chosen by Gourmet Odyssey, was selected for inclusion in Le Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2022, with a 92/100 rating.  “A perfect example of the depth and radiant complexity of wine, aged in concrete vats and oak barrels without anything else added.”  The guide also gave a rating of 95/100 for the 2018 Les Demoiselles, a select wine that is produced without using any fuel and almost no electricity to try and reproduce as closely as possible a full bottle of wine found at the winery dating back to 1750.

Le Guide des Vins Zéro Pesticides gave four stars to the 2016 Château Coutet Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. “A big wine with lots of fruit, and a lovely balance between tannins, acidity, and fruit.  Great work to age the wine.”

Château de Jonquières

Le Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2022 chose the 2019 Lansade red from Château de Jonquières as their top pick, rating it 92/100.  It’s also the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey apprentice winemakers.  “Carried by its lovely tannic structure, the Lansade proves to be elegant, with myrtle and floral notes.”  The guide also selected the 2020 Lansade white wine, the 2018 La Baronie red, and the 2020 White Label.

Le Guide Bettane+Desseauve 2022 dedicated a whole chapter to the Terrasses du Larzac wines, an appellation that they place at the peak of all the southern French wines, noting the unique wines where the freshness, linked to the altitude of the vines, is the common thread.  They selected the 2018 La Baronnie red wine amongst the best of the best, rating it 89-100 for its lovely fruit, delicate tannins, and length.

Château de la Bonnelière

Chinon was also chosen for a more in-depth review in Le Guide Bettane+Desseauve 2022 for this “old Loire Valley appellation that is in great form and ready to regain its rightful ranking of one of the truly great wine-making regions.”  The guide highlights Marc Plouzeau, the owner and winemaker at Château de la Bonnelière as being one of the pioneers of organic winemaking in Chinon, and awarded 91/100 for both his 2018 Chapelle red wine and his 2019 Silice white wine.

Château de la Bonnelière was selected by the Guide Hachette des Vins 2022, “a safe bet in the Chinon winemaking world,” for their 2019 La Roche red wine.  “A mineral touch develops into a rich fruity wine that marries well with the soft tannins and mellow oak.  A classic and refined Chinon wine.”

Domaine Chapelle

The Guide des Vins Zéro Pesticides chose three of Domaine Chapelle’s wines.  The 2016 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Morgeots red and the 2016 Santenay Premier Cru Beaurepaire red both received two stars. The 2017 Santenay Premier Cru Les Gravières white received one star, “tender on the palate, underpinned with a soft mineral freshness.”