When he’s not advising Bordeaux’s biggest names, winemaking consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt can be found tending Domaine de l’A, his 12-hectare home estate in Castillon.    In 1999, Stéphane Derenoncourt was on the hunt for a vineyard of his own. “My dream was to buy a first growth in St Emilion,” he recalls. “But the bankers […]

With temperatures plummeting across France, the vignerons have been fighting back against the frost. While it’s too early to tell how the vintage will be impacted, Barbara Drew MW talks us through this seasonal peril. No doubt you have seen some of the evocative images coming out of France in the past week; dark vineyards […]

The 2020 vintage is in barrel, and En Primeur season is fast approaching. While our team waits to taste the new vintage, we’ve asked some of our Bordelais friends for their insights. Ch. Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan “It’s a vintage of conviction,” says Guillaume Pouthier, Director at the Pessac-Léognan estate. “We had to adapt all […]

Max Lalondrelle is the Managing Director of Fine Wine at Berry Bros. & Rudd, having previously been our Sales Manager and Bordeaux Buyer. He talks us through 20 years of Good Ordinary Claret.   What’s your role when it comes to Good Ordinary Claret?   I started out in Berry Bros. & Rudd as the Bordeaux Buyer, and the region remains very close to my heart. […]