Again back at you with the best of wines news of France. By the way for the non Romans LXV is no 65, The wines of France are just super simply awesome and a great tradition. Often imitated, some time equaled ,but never surpass! Therefore, let me tell you some news shall we. Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Domaine Tariquet, an important producer of white wine and armagnac in the Gers, faced in particular with a succession of bad harvests, was placed at its request in the procedure of creditors protection by the commercial court of Auch, after four bad successive harvests due to unfavorable weather ,and to deal with developments in local and international markets, the Domaine Tariquet has decided to act rather than undergo and initiates a strategic reorganization project , This initiative aims to ensure The sustainability of the activity by providing the domain with an organization and funding adapted to its new CAP, while preserving the continuity of its operation, All explained by the domain itself, The domain with 1,125 hectares of vines, is the one of the largest in size in France. Volume close to the historically low levels of 2017 and 2021.
The Champagne shipments in 2024 reached 271.4 million bottles, recording a 9.2% drop compared to 2023, the Champagne committee announced last Saturday January 18 2025 in a statement. In 2024, the French market represented 118.2 million bottles, a drop of 7.2% compared to 2023 ; internationally, exports amounted to 153.2 million bottles, a decline of 10.8 % compared to 2023. However, the share of exports 56.4 % of the total remains significantly higher than sales on the national market, which confirms the reversal observed in recent years,” said the Committee. Webpage :
https://www.champagne.fr/en/find-out-more/champagne-at-a-glance
The Maison’ Krug , for many the best champagne in the world has a solemn portrait of Joseph Krug presiding over the new winery that the French house inaugurated nine months ago in Ambonnay
, a small town in the French region of Champagne, half an hour from Reims. It is not the only painting. A, graffity with his name, Joseph 2.0, hangs from one of the walls of the huge room that collects the story of Krug just one hectare, 7,000 square meters of vine 100% with Pinot Noir, from which only 15,000 bottles are produced per year to 3,000 euros the bottle ! In the new winery, perhaps the most avant -garde in the region, all Krug production is carried out, from the pressing to the bottling. Here the great referents of the house are elaborated: the emblematic Krug Grande Cuvée, Clos du Mesnil, Krug Rosé
, and vintage champagne and prestigious cuvées that are made only in exceptional years. The inauguration of the Ambonnay winery has coincided with the launch of the 172 edition of the Grande Cuvée and the 28 of its rosé of the 600,000 bottles that are made annually in the winery, half a million are lGrande Cuvée. In each edition up to 300 wines of different vintages of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay are assembled. The bottles remain seven years in the depths of the winery until they come to light. And as an edition emerges, another enters. At this time, the winemakers finalizes the 179 edition of its Grande Cuvée and the 35 of the Rosé . Although the winery belongs since 1999 to the French luxury giant LVMH , also owner of other champagne firms, the Krug’s are still in the direction of the House, Their first market remains the Japan, a country that fascinated it and where he opened a market that today it represents 30% of its sales. It is followed by the United States and Italy, The Grande Cuvée edition 172: Assembly of 146 different 11 -year -old wines, the youngest of 2016 and the oldest of 1998. Its final composition is 44% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier. Particularly floral, you can enjoy with jabugo hams, oysters.. also with desserts like TarteTatin cake. The Krug Rosé 28 Edition: Prepared with 32 different six -year wines, the youngest of 2016 and the oldest of 2010. Its final composition is 58% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 17% Meunier. It can be enjoyed with foie gras, lamb, game. It is not recommended for sweet desserts. The official Maison Krug: https://www.krug.com/the-house-krug
A huge family estate in the middle of the Côte des blancs is reborn, that of the Lordon family , in
Vertus , around the ruins of the old Saint-Sauveur monastery. An enclosure cultivated for 900 years, vaulted and condemned cellars of the medieval era which only ask to be renovated, old massal selections, and a young generation the head full of ideas, all the ingredients are there to build one of the most beautiful brands in Champagne. On the Côte des Blancs , the Lordon family reigns over 18 hectares. Viticulturer since 1750, it mixes with many old dynasties of Vertus, in particular the prior which the old house is today renovated by Barons de Rothschild. In the great era of the 19C, early 20C, some of the bottles were marketed at the Imperial Court of Japan, but the occupation and looting of the domain by the nazis during WWII gave a stop to this beautiful boom. Except that in the 1990s, the estate ended up being abandoned,The abbey was founded by Thibaud Iᵉʳ, count of Champagne, in 1080! The Benedictines notably maintained the pack of dogs of these great lords. The monastery experienced its hour of glory in the 14C when the monks paid part of the ransom of King John II the Good retained hostage in London, and that to thank them, the latter took them under his protection, granting them high and low justice rights. Unfortunately, the French revolution has been there. In 1795, confiscated by the State, the abbey was sold ,and demolished the church and the claustral buildings ; there is still part of the building of the abbey, in particular what became in the 19th century A master’s house, but also the cooler who descends under the vineyards, very old vaulted cellars, the remains of the old cemetery of the monks in the park, the organ of the 16C moved to the church of Vraux, a very beautiful statue of Urbain II found in a barn, this Champagne Pope who called to the crusade, What was born “Princess of Cleves”. high-end from the most beautiful terroirs on the Côte des blancs, such as the Ferrés mountains, this place north of Vertus which adjoins the Mesnil-sur-Oger, The official Champagne Princesse de Cléves: https://champagneprincessedecleves.com/pages/notre-maison
Something that brings me wonderful memories is the ” Les Échappées en Loire “ organized byt the Loire Wine Interprofesion that from August 31 and September 1, 2025 , an oenotourism event focused on the discovery of the Loire vineyard. Known for 20 years under the name of « Vignes, Vins, Randos »
or vines, wines, hikes (yes we started too), This year more than 50 “escaped” will be offered to discover through walks and animations, the wine landscapes and the terroirs of the Loire wines of Nantes, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, as well as the IGP Val de Loire, spread over 42,000 hectares and 14 departments from Vendée to Puy-de-Dôme. Saumur-Champigny, Vouvray, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, etc.. It is a total of 13 Loire appellations that will open their doors for a weekend, Webpage : https://www.echappeesloire.fr/
To the West of Chalon-sur-Saône, at the gates of the côte de Beaune boom the ridges of this flagship vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise , whose white and red wines draw their character from a mosaic of marine-limestone land . We are in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise , on a limestone relief that stretches from north to south, separating, to the west, the limestone buttresses from the granitic massif of Mont-Saint-Vincent and to the east, the plain of the Saône. The côte Chalonnaise is a hinge between north and southern Burgundy. South of Chagny, at the limit between the Côte de Beaune and the côte Chalonnaise
, the limestone layers of the basement bow, the trays give way to hills and cuestas. The Mercurey
vineyard is planted on the sides of two valleys perpendicular to the coast. Again, wonderful memories with the family staying in wine houses and doing my road warrior trips in the area, a wonderful area that needs to be discovered more and its wines too, The official wines of burgundy on Mercurey: https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/wine-and-terroir/our-vineyards/the-cote-chalonnaise-and-couchois/the-cote-chalonnaise-and-the-couchois-historical-winegrowing-terroir,2472,9316.html
At the Place de la Concorde in Paris, see the Hôtel de Crillon . The prestigious palace, which now belongs to the Rosewood Hotel group, is steeped in history since it is within its walls that Queen Marie-Antoinette has regularly stayed. One of the salons also bears her name, as is the famous terrace overlooking the Place de la Concorde. But the place that interests us today is in the basements of the palace. The sommelier en chef of the Crillon, Xavier Thuizat, best worker and best sommelier in
France , set off to discover a place as majestic as confidential: the cellar in Grands Crus. He just inherited a small stock of 450 bottles of his predecessors. But apart from that, nothing at all, empty cellar. He went on, to ;buy 40,000 bottles at the time to create the entire cellar from A to Z. Ready to welcome the greats of this world around the impressive table placed in the center and under the ceiling entirely made to the wood chisel. In total, thirteen countries are represented here ; therefore an incredible diversity they were numerous in these places to taste delicious great vintages from our vineyard or elsewhere . Among them, Johnny Hallyday, which Xavier Thuizat reveals that he was dinner in one of his last public outings, a few months before his disappearance in 2017. This story from the La revue du vins de France magazine,
6 errors to avoid to keep your wine bottles well
1 – Wine should not be exposed to light
2 – Wine should not be kept in the fridge
3 – The wine should not be kept in a hot room
4 – Wine should not be kept next to fragrant food
5 – Wine should not be kept next to vibrations
6 – The wine should not be kept standing
Even thus I am a nostalgic fan of the Brie de Meaux, this one from Coulommiers , a creamy and subtle cheese is not bad at all, Originally from the city of the same name in Seine-et-Marne (77), it would have emerged in the Middle Ages, a period at which the first written traces are found. It is therefore older than the Brie to which it is often compared. Already much appreciated at the Court of Kings of France, it has been able to cross the centuries by retaining its traditional manufacture. It is developed from heated cow’s milk and seeded with lactic ferments and rennet. The dough is then molded with a ladle and left to drain naturally, without pressing. Once unmolded, the Coulommiers is salted dry and refined in a damp cellar for 4 to 8 weeks. It then develops his characteristic white crust … and all his flavors. Both soft and slightly salty, rich with a nice point of acidity, it is a complex delight that captivates the taste buds and accommodates many wines, Chablis an acid frame and unparalleled minerality. These perfectly decide with the creamy sweetness of the Coulommiers . On the side of the Loire Valley, Sancerre is also essential. Here, the Sauvignon Blanc is adorned with white fruit scents and lemon acidity that comes to bring a welcome lightness to this rich dish. You can choose a Beaujolais-Villages or a Fleurie , one of the vintages in the region, to savor bottles full of fruit. On the program, a string of fresh red fruits and some spices that come to raise it all. Finally, go into the Loire with a Chinon . The red fruits are very present, supported by a lovely vegetable note. To know more of the Coulommiers and other cheeses of my France, the guide of cheeses: https://www.leguidedufromage.com/brie-de-coulommiers-io170.html
This is just in and could not wait for the next some wine news from France so here it is with an unique map for this series of posts of the interregional council of Cru Bourgeois: The new ranking of bourgeois wines, distinguishing Bordeaux wines from high quality Médoc, has just been unveiled. 170 domains have been rewarded. With three grades: Simple bourgeois raw bourgeois (120), superior bourgeois (36) and an exceptional raw bourgeois (14). The mention Crus Bourgeois aims to reward the quality wines produced in the Médoc sub-region, which is among the most prestigious names in Bordeaux, like Pauillac and Margaux. Despite a overhaul in 2020, the ranking, second in importance behind that known as “1855”, was again revised to aim for more eclecticism and rigor.
There you go folks, another wine episode of my belle France! The wines news from France that is, superbe, sublime, wonderful, gorgeous, enjoy without moderation but accompanying a meal, family table just perfect. See you in the vineyards of my belle France, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I,
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 