July Mixed Dozen 2023 - Bastille Day Celebration Dozen

La Cidrerie, created in 1950 by François Sehedic father, has been specialized in the production of drinks from apples to cider of ancient varieties specific to the Breton terroir and particularly to the prestigious Fouesnant. Marie Laure Séhédic and her husband Christian Daniélou continue today to highlight the area. The cider house holds organic and biodynamic certification.
Traditional cider from Brittany with a funky twist to its bright and inviting nose. A touch of sweetness that finishes nice and dry and is wonderfully rustic in its style. This is true farmhouse cider.

Previously labelled 'Unique' Sauvignon Blanc. With a new name and spanking new label designed by the talented French-based artist Louise Sheeran, the package here now reflects the quality of the wine inside. Cropped from mature vines rooted in the sandy clay soils of Cheverny's Fougères sur Bièvre, Blanc de Salvard is 100% Sauvignon Blanc raised on lees without any oak.

This is how sauvignon blanc should be. Racy, minerality at its core but tamed with white fruits, nectarine, a little hint of something tropical delicately in the background and packed with flavour without being a one-dimensional tropical fruit bomb. This a great example of what a little care and attention can turn this somewhat ubiquitous grape into something so freakin delicious.

This is always such a delicious wine and if there was wine that represented what Hugel do and how well they do it, the Gentil would do it with aplomb.
Famille Hugel was established in 1639 by Hans Ulrich Hugel and is one of the regions most loved producers and largest landholders with in excess of 120 hectares of vineyards to their name. Situated in Riquewihr the estate has over the years built an enviable reputation for the consistency and quality of its wines.

Pretty florals, a hint of rose petal, grapefruit and citrus rind, white pepper, sweet spice, it has it all. The 21 looks a little racier then the previous vintage and is all the better for it. The sweet spice notes and ripe fruit are all hung on a fine bead of sherberty acid and fine phenolic grip. Mid-weight but with tons of energy and zip. What a cracker!

The Croix de Bezard make a pitch-perfect picpoul - say that 5 times fast. Selected from older vines (over 25 years old) in prime vineyard locations around the Bassin de Thau, the grapes are harvested at night at perfect maturity and softly pressed to steel to reserve the fresh fruits and delicate aromatics.

A lovely citrus, pithy hit that melts away into a mandarin rind and pear fruit freshness on the nose. Its light and easy but there is a gentle phenolic grip to the palate that takes it up another level from many wines of the region. The juicy lemony fruits coat the palate with a soft white pepper sprinkle and a hit of iodine, ocean spray on the finish. Love it!

The Félicette wines originate from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France, along its southern-most coastline of the Mediterranean. Coming from vineyards between Narbonne and Béziers, the grapes are de-stemmed, undergo cold maceration and gentle ferments. The Félicette Blanc is mostly Grenache Blanc, with a little Viogner.

Yum! Such and intriguing and inviting nose. A little fresh mint, sliced pear and a hint of apricot are all wrapped in a zest and punchy nose. This is pure and plush, no oak used to trick it up relying on grenache blanc slippery textural elements to carry the long palate. A little more apple and tree fruits smashed together with some apricot and peach for good measure. It's a little spicy, it's a little fruity and it has a ton energy and vibrancy to boot. Not exactly heavy but definitely not light either. A great winter white.

35% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 30% Cinsault

Headed up by winemaking duo Clément Minne and Pauline Giraud, this small domaine will be a force to follow and makes an interesting counterpoint to the 'old guard' Bandol producers currently represented in Australia. All fruit is hand harvested, vineyards not owned outright are leased and fully domaine managed, and the wines are not only spectacular, but exceptional value considering the provenance.

The Little G that all the homies want to be.  Made with a lot of care considering its level - grapes are hand harvested and manually sorted for starters.  Provence style through and through, it's of beautiful salmon shade, with a nose of zesty citrus, mandarin and satsuma, the palate fruit driven and crunchy, with some of Gueissard's house style showing through - a teeny bit of guava skin, red currants, tangarine/mandarin juice, and a herbal undertow.  Summer in a bottle.

Lucien Lardy has been producing high-quality but still relatively unknown wines for some time that consistently deliver exceptional value… JOSH RAYNOLDS, vinous.com

Lucien works across several crus in the region, but it is in Fleurie where he really shines. The vines are old, nothing less then 40 years and in some cases, much older. The vines are densely planted and the poor top-soil gives way immediately to the famous granite bedrock below which all flows trough to give the wines their unmistakable minerality.

Pretty with a touch of wild forest notes on the nose with raspberry and red cherry fruit with a little brambly currant in there too. Plenty of crunch and lots of energy that carries the pure red fruits in a juicy and well-proportioned package. The tannins are fine and give the wine a wonderful pliancy. Vibrant, easy but with a serious edge. A great looking release.

Francois Villard was not born into wine; he started out his career as a chef. Today, makes wine from 64 hectares, of which he owns 40 hectares, purchasing fruit from the balance. Villard farms sustainably and waiting for organic certification. Villard tends to harvest later than his neighbors, optimizing ripeness and manages to captures an opulence and a freshness so beautifully in the glass.

Absolutely beautiful nose here with white pepper and a melange of baking spice are punctuated with heady violet florals and that savoury profile that is unmistakable of the norther Rhone. This taste like baby Crozes-Hermitage and might as well be. Sleek and fine on with crushed black cherry and cool blue fruits that wind a long and lush palate. A gentle grip and smoky spice on the long finish compliment the fresh berry fruits wonderfully. Another ripper here.

Delas Freres is a winery of tradition and renewal. Founded 160 years ago in the heart of the northern Côtes du Rhône, Delas wines are crafted by a panel of experts headed by winemaker Jacques Grange. Together, the team makes wines that have been heralded for their intensity of flavour and excellent value. Delas maintains a philosophy of preserving the authentic characteristics of each appellation through separate vinification of the fruit from each vineyard.

The Ventoux form Delas is always in a slightly lighter fresher style. We feel like it often gets over looked but from year to year it offers up the same quality and drinking pleasure of Delas' other rhone bottlings. Here, a little more red cherry and currant fruit is to the fore with white & black pepper sprinkling that slowly fades giving way to more heady luxe spice in the glass. It tips past the mid-point into slightly more fuller then in some years but is plenty vibrant and fresh. Fine tannins support the supple and open fruits. Another winner!

For at least two decades, the Clos la Coutale's wine has been unmistakable in flavour personality and offered terrific value, DAVID SCHIDNECHT, The Wine Advocate.

The earliest part of Clos La Coutale's cellar dates back to 1779, making it one of the oldest domaines in Cahors. Philippe Bernède has been at the helm since 1985 and is the 6th generation of his family to make wine at the 100ha estate, whose vineyards lie on the gentle alluvial slopes that rise up from the Lot River.

Sweet pastille and coulis like wild forest berries, mulberry crushed with charry rocky notes, bracken and anise. It screams of malbec! Roasted pomegranate, dark cherry, crushed berries and a mineral laden palate that's broad and lush, slowly tightening its grip fine, rainy tannins that keep the warm fruits restrained cajoling them around the mouth. Some fresh ground peppercorn and a soft and savoury meaty note on the finish add even more interest. We should be drinking so much more of this.

The team at Gaffeliere effuse to bend to fashion trends but instead walk a middle ground that embrace both tradition and modernity. Their respect of the terroir is linked to their long history in St Emilion and the family origins that go back generations.

The merlot predominant blend from the slope and the foot of the hillside produces a wine that at once contains a subtle sense of power while remaining racy, silky and smooth. There is a wonderful harmony here with the supple and plush merlot layering damson plumb, spice cake notes, wild forest fruits and black peppercorn between the cabernet francs crunchy red cherry and soft, wild herbs. A perfect example of right bank goodness and for an absolute steel.

The Fontarèche property, at the heart of Corbiere in Languedoc-Roussillon, has a long, illustrious and noble history dating back to 1201. Current proprietor, Jacques de Lamy took over from his father, Count Edouard de Lamy in 1957 where the de Lamy family has been in charge of the property since 1682. The estate works with 17 grape varieties, but Carignan is their jewel in the crown. The vines are planted to the semi-desert Mediterranean climate trapped between the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The Atlantic breezes funnel through the mountain ranges that form the backdrop of the region and help to temper the summer heat in the vineyards retaining freshness and vibrancy in the wines.

Wonderfully lifted notes of violets, mulberry and blue fruits all underlined with gentle minerality. The palate is brimming with a core of dark fruits that come together nicely with a focused and energetic finish. It really is surprising the level of subtle complexity at this price point that remains so easy to drink at the same time