Legendary Wines Gift Set
In this gift set, we’ve brought together four wines from four of France’s most iconic appellations. From Bordeaux’s classified growths to Burgundy’s legendary wines, discover a piece of history with every sip.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Estate and wine: Château de la Gardine, Cuvée des Générations Marie Léoncie
- Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Region: France, Rhône Valley, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Grape varieties: Roussanne, Clairette
- Vintage: 2020
- Colour: White - Golden-yellow colour with elegant highlights.
- Appearance intensity: Beautifully bright.
Aromas of candied fruit, cooked, fermented and flambéed banana, caramel and even rum. Opulent and complex, with dried fruit, gingerbread, honey and white flowers wrapped in vanilla and incense.
- Body: 4/6 - Full-bodied
- Tannins: 0/6 - None
- Sugar: 1/6 - Dry
- Acidity: 2/6 - Soft
- Alcohol: 4/6 - Warming (14%)
- Finish: 5/6 - Rather short (3–4 sec)
This white wine has the power and refinement of the finest white Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, with floral aromas (jasmine, acacia and lime blossom), alongside notes of fruit (apricot, peach and melon) and almonds. It has the round, rich, buttery character of an exceptional white wine. A slightly honeyed finish. A delight for the taste buds.
Oily fish and shellfish such as salmon, king prawns and lobster... Truffled scrambled eggs, curry, tagine, foie gras. Roquefort, Gorgonzola.
Desserts made with yellow or white fruit, tarte Tatin, poached pears.
Gevrey-Chambertin
- Estate and wine: Maison André Goichot, Gevrey-Chambertin
- Appellation: Gevrey-Chambertin
- Region: France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
- Grape variety: Pinot Noir
- Vintage: 2019
- Colour: Red - In its youth, a vivid ruby colour that deepens with age to dark carmine and black cherry.
- Appearance intensity: A bright wine with lovely depth of colour.
Strawberry, blackberry, violet, mignonette and rose are among its youthful aromas, while maturity brings a bouquet of liquorice, leather and fur, with hints of game and woodland floor.
- Body: 4/6 - Full-bodied
- Tannins: 3/6 - Silky
- Sugar: 0/6 - Very dry
- Acidity: 4/6 - Lively
- Alcohol: 3/6 - Generous (13%)
- Finish: 2/6 - Rather short (3–4 sec)
Powerful yet velvety, its tannins give it a firm, robust structure and great ageing potential.
A wine for meat lovers, our Gevrey-Chambertin pairs with game, rib of beef, braised lamb or lamb in sauce. It also goes well with all kinds of cow’s milk cheese, especially those with plenty of character.
Margaux
- Estate and wine: Château Desmirail, Margaux Grand Cru Classé
- Appellation: Margaux Grand Cru Classé
- Region: France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
- Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
- Vintage: 2013
- Colour: Red - Dark, almost black, with garnet highlights.
- Appearance intensity: Intense, deep black.
An intense nose of ripe red and black fruit, fine oak and light toasted notes. Aromas of smoke, leather and fresh raspberry.
- Body: 4/6 - Full-bodied
- Tannins: 4/6 - Firm
- Sugar: 0/6 - Very dry
- Acidity: 5/6 - Sharp
- Alcohol: 3/6 - Generous (12%)
- Finish: 5/6 - Long (9–10 sec)
A direct, fruit-driven opening supported by silky tannins. Oak notes add to its development on the palate.
Pair with game (pheasant or venison) served with foie gras, or roast beef with béarnaise sauce...
Sauternes
- Estate and wine: Château d'Arche, Sauternes
- Appellation: Sauternes Grand Cru Classé
- Region: France, Bordeaux, Sauternes
- Grape varieties: Sémillon, Sauvignon
- Vintage: 2010
- Colour: Gold - Golden yellow with gold highlights.
- Appearance intensity: Bright and luminous.
An expressive nose of white fruit (pear and apple) and floral notes, with hints of honey and candied fruit.
- Body: 5/6 - Powerful
- Tannins: 0/6 - None
- Sugar: 6/6 - Lusciously sweet
- Acidity: 5/6 - Sharp
- Alcohol: 4/6 - Warming (14%)
- Finish: 6/6 - Very long (>10 sec)
On the palate, the opening is fresh and mellow, confirming the wine’s lovely balance. Notes of candied orange and apricot jam are accompanied by subtle smoky hints.
Foie gras, strong cheeses (Munster, Maroilles and blue cheese), bitter dark chocolate mousse...
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You love wine, but wine doesn’t love you back. However hard you sniff the cork for possible faults, all you can smell is cork. You look but see nothing, sniff but smell nothing, sip but taste nothing… Is rosé a mixture of red and white? There’s a long road ahead, but with practice and plenty of tasting, you’ll get there!
You certainly have the desire to become a true master of wine tasting — what you need is practice. You’re clearly drawn to the world of sommeliers, but your senses aren’t quite sharp enough yet and all wines taste much the same. Don’t despair, though: if Bach could become a musical virtuoso despite being deaf, there’s hope that one day you’ll tell a Chardonnay from a Champagne. Train your nose and your taste buds — that’s the way forward!
Perhaps you spend too much time deciphering the label and not enough analysing what’s in your INAO glass. But you have a taste for adventure: you’re curious about everything and fearlessly hack your way through the jungle of vines. You make mistakes, get lost and fall down, but you always get back up. You have the enthusiasm of a budding wine expert: don’t despair, you’re on the right wine route!
You’ve been initiated into the order of fine bottles. You may not yet be a grand master of wine tasting, but you have the discipline and curiosity to get there. Even if you can’t yet pick out subtle notes of yuzu at the end of the second nose of an obscure little wine with pronounced minerality, you know for certain what you like and what you don’t — and that’s already something!
The precision of your tasting is almost uncanny. It’s as though you fell into an oak barrel when you were little! You’re simply brilliant at the art of wine tasting: you’ve mastered the most advanced techniques, and your senses are as sharp as a professional sommelier’s. You certainly know your way around a bottle, to say the least… You’re not far from absolute mastery!
You’re the Mozart of wine tasting, the Picasso of the cellars of Pomerol, the Einstein of pairing aged Savagnin with Comté matured for 36 months and a few grains of salt! At a glance, you can tell Mourvèdre from Tannat. Your senses have reached divine heights: you can pick out the most unexpected aromas in any bottle in seconds. You’ve crossed over to the other side: you no longer taste wine, you write its destiny.
The connoisseur’s corner
The 1855 Classification is the most famous of all French wine classifications. In 1855, for the Paris World’s Fair, Napoleon III called for Bordeaux wines to be classified.
More than 160 years later, the 1855 Classification has changed only twice and remains a benchmark, despite much criticism.