Recent Posts

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22/01/2018

New Crus Bourgeois classification finalised

It's official: the new Crus Bourgeois classification was adopted at the end of 2017. And the outcome is… the reinstatement of the three former categories – Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Superiors and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel – along with the reintroduction of the five-year ranking in line with the organisation's wishes. The Crus Bourgeois had been talking about it for long enough, and now it's happened. On January 4th, the decree of December 29th was published in the Journal officiel, confirming the change to the Crus Bourgeois classification. The headline news: a return to…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19/01/2018

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: a first-class second cru

"A First-Class Second Cru"... it's hard to improve on Wine Spectator magazine's description of Château Pichon Lalande! The estate, which is now in the hands of the Rouzaud family (Roederer group), has benefited from the efforts of a succession of owners whose passionate efforts have gradually elevated it to "super second" status. Consistency and reputation: it takes a woman's touch The estate can trace its origins back to 1694.  In 1850, following the death of the Baron de Pichon Longueville, his Pauillac estate was split between his two children. His daughter, Virginie de…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:10/01/2018

Bordeaux wines now contain three times fewer pesticides than less than 4 years ago

The topic of pesticides in wine and particularly in the wines of Bordeaux has become a recurring topic in the news and specialised media over the past several years. A UFC Que Choisir study has recently given a rather positive assessment of the changes in pesticide residues in Bordeaux wines, showing that they have been reduced threefold over four years. The consumer protection magazine UFC Que Choisir published a survey of pesticides and Bordeaux wines at the end of December (No. 565, January 2018). The consumer association looked at the pesticide residue content…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:09/01/2018

Auction Report: Rayas & Bonneau

Rare wines and collectors’ bottles from former estates or from producers who have left the stage: iDealwine’s auction catalogues were full of these in the final auctions of 2017. Among them, two giants clashed in Châteauneuf: Domaine Henri Bonneau and the wines of Château Rayas. Two styles and two personalities to which wine lovers simply cannot remain indifferent. Here is a spotlight on the fine auctions of this sale. Jacques Reynaud, Henri Bonneau ... the memory of these two cult figures of Châteauneuf du Pape continues through their wines. The bottles produced by…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22/12/2017

Champagne & sparkling: still highly seasonal wines!

VinoVision Paris – an international trade show for wines from northern France – has published a fascinating analysis which overturns the received wisdom on the consumption of sparkling wines in France... and makes sobering reading for all the champagne lovers here at iDealwine. In the run-up to its 2nd edition, which is to be held from 12-14 February 2018, VInovision Paris has released a number of interesting statistics on sparkling wine consumption, generated by a study conducted by the Kantar Worldpanel institute. Lovers of champagne or other effervescent wines may find this next…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19/12/2017

Obituary: Robert Wilmers from Haut-Bailly

The proprietor of Château Haut-Bailly, a classified cru vineyard in Graves, died at his home in New York on Saturday, 16th December. The world of wine has paid tribute to this businessman who was CEO of the American M&T Bank Corporation and also a great lover of wine and art and supporter of many French and American cultural institutions. An entrepreneur, Mr Wilmers was both a financier and a wine connoisseur. He was Chief Executive of the American M&T Bank Corporation and acquired Château Haut-Bailly in 1998 and Château Le Pape in 2012.…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:08/12/2017

iDealwine’s Tour in Asia

iDealwine has put a strong emphasis in the past few years on developing the Asian market and this strategy is proving very successful. The mature market of Hong Kong, where we opened a representative office in 2013, has been clearly leading the way, followed by mainland China, Japan, Singapore and more recently South Korea. Arthur de Lencquesaing and Alix Rodarie, from iDealwine’s international team recently travelled around the region for a series of meetings, wine fairs, tastings and masterclasses. Debrief! Overall perspective China's economic growth during first half of 2017, was nearly 7%,…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:05/12/2017

Bichot: when Burgundy comes to London

Monday 27th November, in the iconic wine member’s club 67 Pall Mall in London, the spotlight is on the Albert Bichot house. Arthur de Lencquesaing and Léa Fallourd, from the international team based in London, experienced a preview tasting of the 2016 vintage. A unique opportunity to taste and compare their great diversity of wines spread across all Burgundy. 2016 is a vintage which you can acquire with much confidence. When talking with Albéric Bichot, we understand that this vintage is characterized by fully matured grapes, although 2016 was not a relaxing year…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:03/12/2017

Romanée-Conti 2000: new auction record on iDealwine at €17,146

During the online auction that ended online on 15th November 2017 on iDealwine, a bottle of Romanée-Conti 2000 was auctioned €17,146 to a French amateur. This iconic bottle from La Romanée-Conti is setting the new record for the most expensive wine sold on iDealwine since its foundation! The new most expensive wine in the history of iDealwine auctions since its creation in 2000 is, without much surprise, Grand Cru Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2000. For once, a French amateur purchased this wonderful bottle that is undeniably at the top of fine wines, with…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:01/12/2017

Cornas: soaring auctions at the last moment

Cornas appellation has once again been in the spotlight in recent days, with a 1988 vintage from Marcel Judge reaching €572 during the auction of 15th November on iDealwine. Let's focus on the signatures that are currently making the buzz. The Rhône is definitely a region to follow closely. To the North, the appellations Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie offer immense red wines with long ageing potentials, but also treasures in the production areas surrounding them. This is why Cornas continues to see its prices climb. This appellation, which has been booming since the beginning…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:28/11/2017

Wine Symposium at the Lake Como and a vertical tasting of Armand Rousseau, time stopped for a moment

Spend time on the shores of Lake Como, taste incredible wines, meet great wine figures, passionate connoisseurs and talented tasters, equally humble and smart... the story of 3 days suspended at the Villa d'Este between conferences, tastings and haute cuisine. The world of fine wines is fascinating because it is sometimes associated to the elegance of great moments in life. The Villa d'Este offers an incomparable setting, and welcomes each year since 2008 what insiders call the VDEWS (for Villa d'Este Wine Symposium). An almost intimidating name, heralding a high level programme concocted…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:24/11/2017

Grand Tasting 2017: come and meet us!

iDealwine has been a longstanding partner of Bettane+Desseauve, and of the Grand Tasting, the leading wine event they organise. This year, it will take place on the 1st and 2nd of December, in the Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris. We will have several occasions of meeting our customers during this exceptional wine fair that connoisseurs know as unmissable! A few indications on this event and the masterclasses available, for you to get ready! 11 years ago, Bettane+Desseauve created this fair, which gathers the most renowned names from the French vineyard and from the…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22/11/2017

Hospices de Beaune: new records, a raise of €13.5 million

On Sunday 19th November, the 157th charity auction of the Hospices de Beaune was held. A sale that reached the record level of €13.5 million collected, reflecting the frenzy of connoisseurs for great Burgundy wines. An enthusiasm reinforced in recent weeks by the purchase of Clos de Tart by the businessman François Pinault. Last Sunday (3rd Sunday of November), the traditional charity auction of the Hospices de Beaune was held. This hospital institution was founded in 1443 and owns 60 hectares, mostly in Premier Cru and Grand Cru, from legacies and donations. In…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:18/11/2017

Champagne Roederer: exceptional tasting discovering the Cristal Vinothèque

The Roederer house organized a few days ago a breath taking vertical tasting of several vintages of the Cristal cuvée, in white and rosé. At the centre, the latest creation of the smart cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon: Cristal Vinothèque 1995, a wine aged for 20 years in the cellars of the house. A legendary moment, enhanced by a lunch concocted by chef Thierry Marx at the Mandarin Oriental. And with the complicity of the brilliant chef sommelier David Biraud to ensure a service of wines in perfect conditions. The opportunity to revive the…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:13/11/2017

Burgundy Grands Crus: prices keep on soaring | Auction report

The sale of the Clos de Tart had not yet been confirmed. However, during the online auctions of 11th and 25th October on iDealwine, many Grands Crus that we thought were already at the top in terms of price, continued to increase. The most prestigious ones indeed reached new thresholds. Is it a simple focus on attractive Burgundy or a sustainable phenomenon? The answer will come in a few months. For now, let's take a look at the exceptional auctions recorded on iDealwine last month. More than €4,000 for a bottle of Montrachet…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:07/11/2017

Clos de Tart | New owner: good or bad news?

It is now official, the Artémis Group, investment company owned by the Pinault family, bought the 7.53 hectare Clos de Tart, monopoly classified grand cru in Morey-Saint-Denis, Côtes de Nuits. The Mommessin family has been taking good care of this domain since 1932. Therefore, a chapter is closing in Clos de Tart’s history. Thunderclap in the calm world of wine: the Clos de Tart changes hands. This domain has only known three families of owners over nearly a millennium, underlining how endearing it is. Since its founding in 1141 by the Cistercian nuns,…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:02/11/2017

iDealwine in Asia

In November, Arthur de Lencquesaing and Alix Rodarie, from iDealwine’s international department are travelling around Asia to meet customers, take part in wine fairs, masterclasses and present iDealwine to new wine lovers. Asia is the fastest growing market for iDealwine, with 64% growth since January 2017. It represents 13.5% of our turnover. Asian connoisseurs mainly buy Bordeaux or Burgundy grands crus, but have an increasing interest for some niche wines and appellations featured on iDealwine, usually harder to find in traditional Asian distribution networks. In their quest for quality, Asian customers spend, on…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:30/10/2017

Natural wine, Isabelle Legeron MW

Today "natural" wines are moving things and divide connoisseurs. Yet, these wines have their share of mystery. What is basically a natural wine? Isabelle Legeron’s approach is, in this respect, very interesting. This Master of Wine went in the domains, in the fields to lead the investigation: in the light of her tastings and meetings in the French vineyard and around the world, she reports in this book her journey and provides an independent and convinced perspective. Master of Wine Isabelle Legeron is above all a natural wine lover. That's why she wanted…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:26/10/2017

Alcohol easing foreign language conversations

Who hasn’t already felt a little more comfortable speaking a foreign language over a drink? It seems that with moderate consumption, science validates this hypothesis.  Alcohol helping  you to speak a foreign language? This is what Dutch researchers have tried to prove. First of all, don’t worry; we are talking about small quantities of alcohol, of course: this study was conducted with people who had consumed a pint of beer or two glasses of wine. The idea was clearly not to make them drunk, which has rather the opposite effect on your fluency…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:23/10/2017

Lafite: selling a Chinese wine in 2018?

A few days ago, Decanter revealed unpublished information on the upcoming commercialization of the first Chinese vintage of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). This announcement encouraged us to push the investigation a little further... After Chile and Argentina, Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite) conquers China! A country that the group knows well, and for a long time: Christophe Salin, its CEO does not spare his energy to travel the world - especially China – allowing people to discover and taste the wines from Château Lafite, the most prestigious name for Chinese connoisseurs. But…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:20/10/2017

2015 wine: a reference year for Southern French regions

Continuing our saga on the 2015 vintage, let’s head south, with great successes, especially for Bordeaux Grands Crus.

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19/10/2017

2017: a historically low harvest 

After the superb 2015 and 2016, will the 2017 fall under the curse of the vintages finishing by "7"? If the quality is generally there, the quantities are lacking in certain regions or appellations, with a historically low harvest. Complicated weather conditions On 1st October 2017, the French Department of Agriculture reckoned the harvest was going to be down 18% compared to the five-year average[i]. Wine production is estimated at 36.9 million hectolitres, 19% lower than 2016. The harvest is thus historically low, and even lower than 1991, which also experienced a historic…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:13/10/2017

2015 wine: great scores for Northern French regions

The long-awaited 2015 wine announced as exceptional, is now bottled, and can be bought. To guide you through your purchases, iDealwine reviews the situation region by region. And we start with the vineyards from the north of the hexagon, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Champagne, Alsace, Jura and Savoie. Red Burgundies at the top Like almost everywhere in France, in 2015, Burgundy benefited from good weather conditions.  The tone was set in spring: the vintage will be precocious. Flowering took place early June, announcing grape harvest late August and early September. A year also marked by…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:12/10/2017

Pomerol star of Bordeaux | Auction report

The appellation Pomerol has attracted the appetite of amateurs during the online auction which ended on 29th August. Let’s discuss this world-famous appellation, and more particularly a cru which is starting to draw attention to it, Château La Fleur Petrus. On the scale of Bordeaux, Pomerol is simply microscopic: it covers 813 hectares which represents barely 0.7% of the vines planted in the region. The fabulous terroir of the appellation, identified in Roman times, was later exploited by the order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knight's Hospitaller. Pomerol was a popular stopover for…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:12/10/2017

Domaine Leroy: record bids | Auction report

Icon from Côte de Nuits, Domaine Leroy triggers connoisseur’s interest, because of the excellent level of the wines and their rarity; these wines are almost unfindable on the market. The online auction closed on 27th September featured a rare series of grands crus produced by Lalou Bize-Leroy, which inevitably sparked off record bids. The name of Lalou Bize-Leroy and the one of her domain have Grail value in the imagination of wine lovers. As a great figure of the wine world, she enjoys a fine knowledge of Burgundian terroir since she was a…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:28/09/2017

Natural wine: booming at auction

For a few months now, a new phenomenon has emerged on iDealwine online auctions: some marginal wines, called natural wines or “nature” wines have soaring prices. Is this a simple fad or a new long-lasting trend? What should we think of this surprising inflation and will it concern an increasing number of domains? Analysis. Several renowned bottles have seen their prices increase tremendously, like Lafite-Rothschild, Romanée-Conti and Clos Rougeard. For such names to be expensive, it’s quite normal. What’s worrying amateurs is that even lesser very qualitative bottles are becoming more expensive like…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:27/09/2017

Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz: head in the stars

In the kingdom of Pinot Meunier, in Crouttes sur Marne, halfway between Reims and Paris, the vines from Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz have thoroughly become biodynamic, since 2009. Over a few years, Jérôme Diaz became the preacher of this philosophy which glows through his sharp cuvées. Would you like to taste them? Back to basics In his youth, Jérôme Diaz didn’t want to work at the domain. He used to help his parents in the vineyard, but it bored him. He wanted to work in the trade and ended up in an industrial supply company…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:26/09/2017

City Wine Show | Brief recap

iDealwine took part in the City Wine show this weekend. This event in the City of London got several wine producers and merchants together. Little recap of this event, for those who didn’t have the chance to participate or for those who would like to relive the moment! City Wine Show: iDealwine stand iDealwine was present both days on the show, Friday and Saturday. As many New World wines were displayed, iDealwine stood out with its selection of fine wines from France. Some of the bottles really gathered crowds, like the Château Beychevelle…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:25/09/2017

Yquem, Bordeaux 1982, La Tâche, Clos Rougeard | Auction report

The latest auction on iDealwine, which ended on 13th September, was full of rare wines. Focus on some of these exceptional lots. Two auctions per month on iDealwine: the pace is sustained, as nearly 100,000 bottles are sold via our platform at auction. And yet, each sale has its treasures, sourced from Europe finest cellars. The last auction illustrated well this fact. Yquem, huge and exceptional Right in the foreground, this catalog offered an exceptional series of large bottles from the Château d'Yquem. Unsurprisingly, it was the vintage 1990 (Parker points?) – a…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:21/09/2017

Pol Roger, the excellence of champagnes since 1849

With an exemplary regularity, Pol Roger champagnes are recognizable by their winey aromas, depth and roundness; they are often matured for a long time in the house’s cellars and still have a long ageing potential. In 1849, as he was only 18 years old, Pol Roger founded his trading house in Aÿ before settling in Epernay in 1851. In 1855 he began to favour the production of brut champagnes, much appreciated by English consumers. He died in 1899, leaving behind him a house of enviable reputation. At the beginning of the XIXth century,…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19/09/2017

Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret: Burgundy wine between wisdom and ambition

Let’s go to the Côte d'Or, with a focus on Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret located in Vosne-Romanée, between the legendary Château du Clos Vougeot and the small village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The family has been taking care of the vines for more than eight generations! The story begins in 1620. The reputation of Mongeard-Mugneret is due to its old-age, the finesse of its wines, the subtlety of its terroirs and the extent of its domain. The combination of the vines of Eugène Mongeard and his wife Edmée Mugneret gave birth to an important property of 30…

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