Richebourg bottles vinous

One Night in Taipei: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 1995-2017

France: Burgundy, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

This was an invaluable overview of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Richebourg—an opportunity to really examine a single cuvée, to observe how it interacts with the heterogeneity of growing seasons that leads to differing results in the bottle. It was also a timely reminder that despite this domaine’s lofty reputation, no bottle is beyond criticism.

Five line up at chevalier vinous

A Century of...Fives

France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

My annual "Century of..." article revisits vintages on their decennial anniversaries. This year, we dive into Fives.

Cf june162025

Cellar Favorite: 1990 Hennebelle

cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux, featured

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

The 1990 Hennebelle is a pertinent reminder of the glories of Bordeaux, how a modest quarter-century-old Haut-Médoc could deliver such pleasure.

Hamachi vt

Vinous Table: L’Ardente, Washington, D.C., United States

Vinous Table, featured

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

Located just a few blocks from Capitol Hill, L’Ardente offers unpretentious, straight-down-the-line Italian fare that has earned a reputation for quality. The atmosphere is lively and the sommelier team is impressive.

Cf june092025 widescreen

Cellar Favorite: 2021 Château Simone Palette Blanc

France, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

The 2021 Château Simone Blanc serves as a pertinent reminder of just how good wines from Provence can be.

Nm market report cover 2

Bordeaux: The Crisis Laid Bare

France: Bordeaux, featured

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

Bordeaux is facing its biggest crisis since the 1930s. After speaking candidly to people in and outside of Bordeaux, I felt a duty to depict the sheer scale of the calamity the Bordeaux wine industry is up against.

Bordeaux 2015 cover

Bordeaux 2015 At Age Ten

France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

The 2015 vintage in Bordeaux was warmly received on release, but 2016 stole the limelight just 12 months later. How is the vintage faring now that the wines have reached age ten? Blindfolds on.

Cf june22025

Cellar Favorite: 1988 Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé

cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Champagne

Neal Martin, Jun 2025

If you have bottles of the 1988 Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé left in your cellar, do not hesitate to crack them open now.

Yquem cover

The Innings Continues: 1948 to 1995 Yquem

France: Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux Verticals and Retrospectives featured, featured

Neal Martin, May 2025

I have tasted a great deal of mature Bordeaux wine, including Sauternes, but I have not yet achieved the magic number of 100 different vintages from a single estate. I mentioned my goal to Lorenzo Pasquini, Yquem’s head winemaker, when visiting in April, and he promised to do his best to help, cracking open a selection of mainly off-vintages that filled some of the gaps.

Cf may272025

Cellar Favorite: 1977 Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill

United States: California, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, napa

Neal Martin, May 2025

Even in its fourth decade, the 1977 Volcanic Hill shows little ageing in the glass, attesting to what is reputedly Diamond Creek’s longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon.