France 🇫🇷

Every vintage since 2005, Philippe Raoux, owner of Château d'Arsac (Margaux), has invited a different winemaker to oversee the harvest on a plot of approximately ten hectares. This year, he has entrusted the reins to a Zulu winemaker, Ntsiki Biyela.

A land, a vineyard, a person. "The idea is to demonstrate that, of these three essential elements in winemaking, the third prevails."

Philippe Raoux smiles. Since 2005, he's invited a different winemaker to his vineyard, Château d'Arsac, every year. And he gives them carte blanche. Their mission: to choose the vineyard plots on the property, direct the harvest, oversee the vinification, blending, and aging of the wine, until finally creating his cuvée.

Selected from among internationally renowned professionals, seven winemakers produced "their" wine from the same material. They stayed at the estate seven or eight times for the duration of an adventure similar in format to an artist residency.

All the invited winemakers were given nicknames. Michel Rolland, aka "The Magician," inaugurated the series in 2005, followed by another Frenchman, Denis Dubourdieu, "The Professor." Later, the Italian "Poet" Andrea Franchetti, the Frenchmen Stéphane Derenoncourt ("The Autodidact") and Éric Boissenot ("The Médocain"), Californian Zelma Long ("The Scientist"), and Argentinean "Virtuosa" Susana Balbo, flexed their talents.

Each worked about ten hectares to produce a vintage of around 30,000 bottles. "The results are astonishing," enthuses Philippe Raoux. "It's as if we asked musicians from different backgrounds to play the same score. Today we can compare the vintages and discern in each the strong personality of these winemakers."

"This experience also increases our open-mindedness; each of the invited winemakers has specific requests for working in their own way," he continues. Some asked for the barrels to be placed outside during the day and brought inside at night. For others, it was necessary to split the entire vine, or remove the branches from the bunches to keep only the grapes attached to the main stalk...

Conceived with Jean-François Moueix and Dominique Renard, but later developed by Philippe Raoux, the concept is unique

Called "The Winemakers' Collection," the collection is commercially available with imagery borrowed from the movies. Each vintage's label features a black-and-white portrait of its producer, like a movie poster.

Retailing for between €300 and €350, the box set containing the first six volumes of the collection features a Hollywood-style pop-up setting, complete with spotlights and a folding producer's chair.

This fall, Zulu winemaker Ntsiki Biyela will arrive from South Africa to produce her eighth vintage, dubbed "Season 8" in honor of the American TV series. A box set featuring the first four female guests is already in the works. And like her predecessors, Ntsiki Biyela will have her name engraved on a bronze plaque embedded in the cellar floor: "Winemakers Boulevard."

The ninth estate in the Vignobles Jeanjean collection is located in the prestigious Pic St. Loup appellation, north of Montpellier, a name derived from the distinctive 658-meter-high mountain that dominates the region. A unique and omnipresent place for all Montpellier residents, but above all, a renowned and recognized appellation.

The Pic St. Loup is a place of legends, hikes, and winemakers. In this setting, the Domaine des Rocs embodies all the freshness of the Pic.

It is in fact one of the coolest and most humid appellations in Languedoc, at the foot of the Cévennes, which produces delicate, elegant and fresh wines.

The estate's 13 hectares are mainly planted with Syrah and Grenache.

This wine pairs very well with all red meats, but also with tasty cheeses.

Intense ruby red. Aroma: plum, ripe blackberries, thyme, sage. Palate: blackberry jam, cloves, licorice, spices, herbaceous notes, full-bodied, balanced. Excellent with eggplant parmigiana, stew, beef barbacoa, roast lamb, roast beef, ribs, steak.

Situated in a region packed with historical interest, this award-winning Domaine is perched on a hilltop overlooking the Saône Plain in Mâcon. Close by is the Paleolithic archaeological site Pech de l'Aze, which proves that agricultural activity has gone on in this region since the Iron Age. By comparison, at Domaine des Terre Gentilles, winemaking has been taking place over a considerably shorter space of time but with equal cultural significance. Most of this Domaine's vineyards were originally cultivated by monks at the Medieval Christian Abbey at Cluny. Established in 1921 by Jean-Pierre Marillier, this award-winning 36-hectare family-owned estate is now expertly run by son and rising star winemaker Mikaël Marillier who is now creating benchmark Mâcon-Village wines.

For wild turkey, which has more of a gamey character, pork or chicken, this is a very good pairing.

The first estate in the Jura region to adopt organic farming practices, Le Clos des Grives has been Ecocert certified since 1968.

Made from 100% Savagnin Olle grapes, this wine boasts a delicious and inviting nose with notes of hazelnut.

On the palate it is round and silky, with spicy notes and pronounced hazelnut flavors, all complemented by a finish of remarkable persistence.

The Saint-Joseph appellation covers 1,200 hectares and is located on the right bank of the Rhône River. The soils are homogeneous, primarily granite rock and rarely limestone. The slopes are steep, and the vineyards are planted on terraces. The white wines (20% of production) are made from the Marsanne and Roussane grape varieties.

This producer ages its white wines in wooden barrels for up to ten months, giving the wine a slightly oaky flavor that places it among the best produced in the Saint Joseph district.

The wine is harvested strictly by hand, without the use of machinery that could damage the rows.

Complex and aromatic, with notes of white flowers, honey, apricot, peach and lime
On the palate: Fresh, mineral and lively, with a lovely lemony and velvety persistence.

On the nose we find notes of white fruit, as well as hints of flint and citrus peel.

Good with white fish, seafood, but it is at its best when tasted with white meat, chicken, rooster, pork thanks to its aging in wood.

Vegetarian dishes and vegetables, even fried ones, make an excellent accompaniment. It can also be served as an aperitif or with soft cheeses.

2015 "Eole" Château de Cordes - Minervois: One of the areas that produces the highest quality wine in the south of France, an incredibly fresh wine from Shiraz/Syrah and Grenache grapes that give a deep and intense flavor, a wine with fruity flavors with aromas of fruit such as raspberry or blackcurrant, excellent to pair with beef, specifically with an excellent beef stew or veal.

2015 Château Chevalier Lescours - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru - This vintage was strongly influenced by a spring that was already warm in May, an almost perfect summer that made this wine rich and intense, with hints of berries, blackcurrant and almost smoky flavors thanks to its aging in wood.

Pair with dishes such as venison, chamois, poultry or beef.

A very versatile wine for special occasions.

2019 Château L'Etoile de Viaud - Bordeaux

On the nose, it is fruity, elegant, and lively, offering richness and concentration, freshness, and a fine texture. It reveals notes of plump blackcurrant, strawberry, and subtle blackberry notes combined with hints of violet, small black berries, as well as hints of licorice and toasted bread. On the palate, it is fruity and balanced, offering a savory structure and pleasantness.
On the palate, this wine expresses notes of black cherry, plump and juicy raspberry and small notes of plump and juicy blackberry combined with small touches of plump and juicy blueberry, as well as hints of toasted bread, vanilla and very fine notes of chocolate.
The tannins are well-constructed. The finish is powerful. Good

2022 Henri de Bareuil - Chablis

The palate is greeted by a vibrant acidity, perfectly integrated with flavors of lemon, green apple and a subtle saline note that is always pleasant.

It pairs perfectly with oysters, prawns, Mediterranean fish, and with fresh cheeses.

Also good as an aperitif wine.

2023 Mâcon, Grand Vin de Bourgogne Marcel de Normont - Mâcon -

A fruity and rounded wine that at the same time maintains great freshness and a small creamy note on the finish, with many hints of lemon, green apple, and passion fruit.

excellent as an aperitif with cured meats and young cheeses, or with white meat appetizers and seafood appetizers such as molluscs and crustaceans.

2022 Raoul Gautherin & Fils "Vieilles Vignes" - Chablis

Straw yellow in color with golden hues, this wine features notes of lemon zest and peach blending with sensations of sweet almond, spring flowers, and delicate spices.

On the palate, the perfect combination of freshness and sapidity, classic of an excellent Chablis.

Excellent for a substantial dinner featuring fish, shellfish, and various types of white meat.

2021 Le Grand Noir "Réserve" - Languedoc -

The wine has a generous, fruity aroma, imbued with notes of blackcurrant jam, cherry, blackberry, undergrowth and spices thanks to its main grapes, Shiraz and Granaccia.

Excellent to drink with veal and red meat stew, or slightly mature cheeses

De Saint-Gall's Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs has an elegant structure and is produced exclusively from Chardonnay grapes grown in the Côte des Blancs.

Notes of citrus, white flowers, hints of dry pastry and mineral nuances enrich a creamy and agile body, with a slender freshness and a pleasant fine bubble.

Recommended with oysters and aperitifs such as canapés, perfect for celebrating special occasions in the company of those who really matter.

2023 Dampt - Chablis -

It is a classic style that balances the flinty minerality with the soft and creamy fruit.
Hints of lemon, green apple, spring flowers such as peach.
A classic Chablis, a reference for those who want to drink a classic bottle of excellent Burgundy wine.
Excellent with white meat and any type of fish, crustacean or mollusc.
Not recommended as an aperitif as it is such a complex wine.