Neal yir 2025 vinous

2025: The Year in Review

featured, General Interest

Neal Martin, Dec 2025

Time to look back on another year that was crazily busy from the start. As usual, I round up the wines, restaurants and of course, the music that made my 2025 one to remember. And to think…it’s not even over yet!

Battle royale cover vinous

Battle Royale! Bordeaux 1961, 1982, 1990 & 1995

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

Neal Martin, Dec 2025

In this Battle Royale, four renowned Bordeaux vintages enter the ring to see who comes out on top. Take a ringside seat for a wrestling tag match between 1961, 1982, 1990 and 1995. Let the “battle” commence!

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Cellar Favorite: 1967 Certan de May

France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Nov 2025

Travelling back in time, Bordeaux is full of lesser-known pockets of excellence—often dismissed vintages where one or two appellations bucked the trend. Nineteen sixty-seven is one of those.

Cf nov32025

Cellar Favorite: 2013 Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury Le Corton Grand Cru

cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy

Neal Martin, Nov 2025

"Unicorn" is a word frequently misappropriated with respect to wine. In this case, the word is merited.

Cf oct272025

Cellar Favorite: 1949 Lagrange (Saint-Julien)

France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Oct 2025

Provenance is the most important factor that determines the quality of a mature claret. A magnum of 1949 Château Lagrange that was recently served blind at the estate in Saint-Julien exemplified this.

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Cellar Favorite: 1998 Grand Mayne

France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Oct 2025

The 1998 Grand Mayne probably marked my introduction to this Saint-Émilion estate. Now at 27 years of age, this might actually represent the best bottle I have encountered.

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Vinous Table: Anthocyane Wine Bistrot, Beaune, France

Vinous Table, France: Burgundy

Neal Martin, Oct 2025

This new bistro lies in the heart of Beaune, close to Place Carnot. It's a useful addition to the town's culinary scene with an intriguing wine list that features small, hip producers and hard-to-get names.

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Cellar Favorite: 1966 Trotanoy

France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Oct 2025

The 1966 Trotanoy comes from a golden era for this Pomerol estate and epitomizes everything great about mature Pomerol

Burgfest 2025 cover

A Vintage with Issues: Burgundy 2021

featured, burgfest, burgundy, France: Burgundy

Neal Martin, Oct 2025

The cool 2021 growing season in Burgundy marked a departure from the run of “solar” vintages, hailed by some as a return to classicism and dismissed by others as a year of underripe wines. The annual Burgfest tasting presented the opportunity to examine over 400 reds and whites, tasted blind by peer group, to see how the 2021s have shaped up.

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Cellar Favorite: 2015 Domaine Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine

France: Rhône & Beaujolais, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites

Neal Martin, Oct 2025

The 2015 Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine is an exquisite Northern Rhône wine that, after a decade, is revving its engines, ready for a long and delicious life ahead.