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(Vouvray “la Goutte d’Or”- Domaine François Pinon) I had never previously tasted the 1990 Vouvray “la Goutte d’Or” from Domaine François Pinon and this has to be one of my absolutely favorite wines from the vintage! This is not as heavily botrytized as say, the 1990 la Goutte d’Or from Domaine Foreau, but it is so deep, intensely flavored and precise that it has to be ranked at that same exalted level, despite it not being as rich and powerful. In fact, this has more of a 1989 character than a 1990 one, which is as high a praise as I can come up with for Vouvray, as 1989 is unequivocally my favorite vintage in the Touraine in the last forty years! The wine offers up a stunningly beautiful and vibrant bouquet of apricot, tangerine, tea leaves, salty soil tones, barley sugar and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with a great core, bright, zesty acids and stunning complexity and balance on the refined and endless finish. Sheer brilliance! (Drink between 2019-2070)John Gilman | 97 JG

The 2023 Cheverny Blanc from François Cazin is crafted from its customary blend of eighty percent sauvignon blanc and twenty percent chardonnay, with the two grapes fermented together and aged in stainless steel and older oak foudres. The wine is bright and classy, offering up a refined nose of gooseberry, green apple, a beautiful base limestone soil, lovely grassiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely round on the attack from the chardonnay component, with a fine core of fruit, lovely acids and grip and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is really lovely. 2024-2034. 92.John Gilman | 92 JG