After the Napa Valley Vintners moved from Düsseldorf to the Seine last year, this time the German top wine association VDP came to Paris for the first time with 25 wineries. In addition, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) took the annual presentation of the bottled vintage as an opportunity to also present a more mature one. Thus, (almost) every château presented a wine from the great 2019 vintage alongside its 2023 vintage. A wonderful idea, even if it significantly increased the frequency of the tastings (which usually begin in the morning). My selection of 12 wines this year contains (almost) no dry white wines due to the focus on Champagnes and reds. The fact that Wine Paris has an endless number of other wonderful discoveries to offer beyond the absolute top segment is exemplified here by Turley Winery. Tegan Passalacqua produces small quantities of single-vineyard wines here with age-old Zinfandel or Petite Sirah from California. And at prices that would only get you an entry-level wine in Napa.
1. Lenkey Naspolyás Furmint Magnum 2011
In the run-up to the fair, a lively event scene has developed, making it worthwhile to arrive on the Sunday before the fair. This year, Hungary hosted the “Furmint & Friends Party” at the Gallery Joseph in Paris. One of the highlights was the presentation of the Lenkey winery from Mád, currently the most important production site in the Tokaj region. Lenkey specializes in single vineyards, some of which undergo very long maturation. That evening, it presented a 6 Puttonyos Aszú from Furmint from 2003 (the current vintage) as well as the dry blend Urágyá 2018 (Hárslevelű 60%, Furmint 40%). This was followed by the pre-release of the single-varietal Furmint Naspolyás 2011. The grapes were pressed in old basket presses, and just 600 magnums were bottled – still without labels, only a sample is shown in the picture. I tasted many dry Furmints last year, not least during two trips to Hungary. This complex, very expressive and ageless wine perhaps demonstrated most emphatically the great potential of the grape (95p.).
2. Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2019
Château Mission Haut-Brion is not a member of the UGCB and does not actually present at trade fairs. Yet the winery, which was purchased in 1983 by the Dillon family, owners of Haut Brion, is considered by some to be the sixth Premier Grand Cru. But as part of Domaine Clarence Dillon, it is a member of the exclusive Primum Familiae Vini association. And there, at least, it was possible to taste the excellent second wine, La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, especially from mature vintages. This year, however, I actually had Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2019 in front of me. The vintage has an unusually high Merlot content of 53 percent. In addition, there is 39.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. The wine has always been considered a potential 100-point candidate. And even now, it is approaching perfection (99p.). Perhaps nothing characterizes the wine as well as Lisa Perrotti-Brown’s comment: “A wine of impeccable breeding, both decadently flamboyant and provocatively graceful.”
3. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2019
The 2023 vintage in the bottle was the big topic of the UGCB tasting. Even though it was a very good vintage (more on that in a moment), it was somewhat overshadowed by the outstanding 2022. This is not uncommon. Probably due to the difficult situation on the Bordeaux market, the organizers had come up with something special for this year. Each winery was to present a pair of siblings from 2023 and 2019.
In the case of the 2023 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, this would not have been necessary, of course. Sure, its predecessor had received 100 Parker points and was, in my opinion, one of the stars of this vintage (here). At least in the selection at Wine Paris, its successor this year was also in a class of its own (97p.). But then there was also the 2019 vintage. With 23 percent Merlot, this wine has a significantly higher proportion in the blend than 2023 (14%) or 2022 (17%). But according to the winery, it was the best Merlot quality ever. Be that as it may, the first maturation does the wine phenomenal good. It is a monument to the “neoclassical” Bordeaux style and, although less concentrated, is also somewhat fresher and more balanced than the 2022 (98p.).
4. Château Clinet 2019
At Château Clinet in Pomerol, the difference was somewhat more pronounced. Not that 2023 produced a bad wine here, on the contrary. James Suckling was right to say that this year the right bank was superior to the left bank. And even if the vintage is not one of the greats, it still belongs to the “fictional second league,” as Neal Martin noted. Château Clinet 2023 displays all the qualities of a very well-made Pomerol, but its very modern style makes it a little too polished (95p.). Its counterpart, the 2019 (80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon), is a wine of great class. It was considered early on to be the greatest Clinet in the history of the estate. Due to its relatively high Cabernet Sauvignon content, the tannins are noticeable, but they structure the sensually complex Merlot excellently. A wine that has developed wonderfully in the bottle and yet is only just beginning to reach its drinking maturity (97p.).
5. Château Lascombes 2023
Château Lascombes is one of the few wineries in the Médoc to have produced a better wine in 2023 than in the previous year. The main reason for this is the spectacular change of ownership at the end of 2022. At that time, it was announced that Lawrence Wine Estates had purchased the Château, which is classified as a 2ème Grand Cru Classé. The group, which is primarily active in Napa, then made a coup in March of the following year by hiring Axel Heinz as winemaker. Born in Munich, Heinz is an oenological child of Bordeaux, where he most recently worked at La Dominique. After moving to Bolgheri in 2005, he was responsible for the cult wineries Ornellaia and Masseto. This ultimately made him a star in his field. He had already personally represented the winery at the last Wine Paris. And with the 2022 vintage, he brought a wine that was typical of the previous era. Too much extraction and new wood – and that in a decidedly hot vintage.
This year was different. On the one hand, the 2019 vintage showed that good wines had been produced at Lascombes even before the Lawrence Group took over. In fact, the distinctive wood was balanced by freshness and vitality, which make the wine remarkable (94p.). 2023 is certainly the weaker vintage in itself. But the Lascombes from this year already shows something of Axel Heinz’s vision for its future. He wants to concentrate on the best historical parcels for the first wine – a selection process that is still ongoing. The Margaux character is to be brought out more clearly. The proportion of new wood will be reduced, and toasting, cask sizes, and cooperages will be adjusted. At the same time, Cabernet Sauvignon is becoming more important in the blend due to climate change. Château Lascombes 2023 shows the progress: with pure, floral fruit, good, complex texture and well-integrated tannins (95p.). According to Heinz, Lascombes is set to become a benchmark wine for the appellation once again. The winery is well on its way to achieving this.
6. Brunello di Montalcino Giodo 2021
At the Giodo stand, I had the opportunity to meet Bianca and Carlo Ferrini again. I had last seen them at the end of 2019 in Tuscany for a FINE report on their Giodo winery. At that time, the new cellar had just been completed. It is now fully operational, and the young winery’s portfolio has also expanded. Rosso di Montalcino is now produced on 1.5 hectares, after the Consorzio approved the corresponding area for production. Then, since the 2021 vintage, there is Prètto, which means “pure” in Tuscan. It is Giodo’s fruit-forward, slightly more charming Brunello di Montalcino. To Wine Paris, the Ferrinis brought above all two vintages of their Grand Vin. One was the powerful yet elegant 2020 (97p.), which Gambero Rosso had voted Italy’s “Red Wine of the Year 2026.” In my opinion, the following vintage, the Brunello di Monalcino from Giodo from 2021, is even greater. A Sangiovese with a unique vertical tension and electrifying salinity (98p.).
7. Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
When I first saw the Napa Valley Vintners’ joint stand in Paris this year, it took my breath away. That’s because one of my absolute favorite wineries, Spottswoode from St. Helena, was also represented in 2026. Founded in 1972, it is one of the last remaining “old” family businesses in Napa Valley. Beth and Lindy, the daughters of the founding Novak family, now run the winery and produce one of the most brilliant Cabernets in the USA year after year. Elegant and moderate in alcohol, yet profound, without any excess and never overly woody. And despite numerous 100 “Parker points,” the price is not completely weird.
Three vintages of the Cabernet Sauvignon , 2023, 2022, and 2016, were now on the table in Paris! As a result, I messed up the photo and had to recreate one with a bottle from my cellar (see right). 2016 is not considered the greatest vintage in the estate’s history, but it tastes juicy, with polished tannins and fresh acidity (95p.). 2022 is powerful due to the vintage, but tamed in its fullness and already beautifully developed (97p.). 2023, on the other hand, is still completely cocooned, but endowed with enormous freshness and complex, spicy fruitiness. A great success (98p.)!
8. Outpost True Vineyard 2023
My second major Napa encounter did not take place in the middle of the California presentation, but in a French hall. This is because one of the US wineries currently making headlines is actually French-owned. Outpost, founded in 1998 by Frank Dotzler in Howell Mountain, became the property of AXA Millesimes in 2018. I was already familiar with the place. This is where winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown also makes the wines for Schrader Cellars, which I wrote about once.
As with Schrader Cellars, clone selection is a crucial issue here. It is said that, especially in True Vineyard, clonal diversity is the basis for the complexity of the wine. For example, one parcel is planted with so-called “suitcase clones” from Château Lafite-Rothschild, while another comes from Screaming Eagle (P clone). Anyway, we tasted the Estate Cabernet and the two wines from True Vineyard. First, the 2023 blend The Immigrant (39%CS|33%M|28%CF) – complex, herbaceous, cool. And finally, the single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vineyard, 2023 and 2022. Both are typical Mountain Wines in their structured, purist style. But here too, 2023 has the edge with a ravishing hint of menthol freshness (98p.).
9. Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte Duoro 2019
My trip to Portugal in 2024 left a lasting impression on me. That’s why I eagerly accepted the offer to get to know the wines of the so-called Duoro Boys at Wine Paris. This is a small winegrowers’ association, more of a club, with currently four active members. They want to demonstrate to the world not only the quality of their port wines, but also the class of their still wines. In Paris, Quinta da Crasto, a winery that has been independent since 1994, hit the mark. After a remarkable introduction, Miquel Roquette from the owner family particularly presented his two single vineyard bottlings to me. Vinha da Ponte (here from 2019) and Vinha Maria Teresa (from 2020) are both field blends from vines over 100 years old. DNA analysis revealed 54 different grape varieties in Maria Teresa! Both are extraordinary red wines of impressive precision and enormous density. Maria Teresa showed more generous, open fruit, whereas da Ponte presented itself as somewhat more closed and serious and probably has greater potential (96p.).
10. Porto Niepoort [Proposal] Vintage 2024
Niepoort is primarily known in the German- and English-speaking world for the “new” Douro. Dirk Niepoort, a fifth-generation member of the family that owns the estate, acquired his first vineyards in the late 1980s. In 1990, he produced the first vintage of Redoma. It was the beginning of a still wine revolution that inspired the entire region. Today, dry, unfortified wines account for 80 percent of Niepoort’s production. These include some of Portugal’s best red (Charme) and white (Coche) wines. The winery has also earned much of its reputation through national and international collaborations. After working in numerous locations around the world, Dirk Niepoort’s son Daniel helped establish the FIO winery on the Mosel. Daniel is now increasingly focusing on Portuguese production and is now head winemaker at Niepoort Wines. Nevertheless, he found the time to present his company’s wines in Paris.
However, I was interested in the classics this year. After all, the house, founded in 1842 by Dutchman Franciscus Marius van der Niepoort, had produced exclusively port wines for four generations. Because very little of it made it to the UK, the house remained in the shadows for a long time. It was only in the wake of the dry still wines that international attention turned to Niepoort’s port wines. Since the 2017 vintage, which received 99-100 points in Wine Advocate, these have also been in the spotlight. After a still restrained Colheita 2014, I tasted the 30 Years Old Tawny (2025 bottling). The oldest tawny at Niepoort – which beats many older versions from other houses in terms of density and complexity (95p.). Ready to drink upon release, this is a category that Daniel Niepoort wants to focus on more in the future. This was followed by a barrel sample from the 2024 Vintage. After what is becoming an unusually “classic” late harvest without climatic extremes, this gives cause for the highest hopes. Impenetrable, highly concentrated and energetic, with the potential to become legendary (98p+).
11. Vallado Porto Very Very Old
Quinta do Vallado was founded in 1716 and came into the possession of the Ferreira family in 1818. For over 150 years, it formed the backbone of the family’s port wine production under the Casa Ferreira brand before this was sold to Sogrêpe in 1987. Since 1993, the family has been producing wines from the Quinta do Vallado, which remains in their possession. Still wines – but also port wines, especially tawnies, i.e., non-vintage ports that are aged oxidatively in wooden barrels. Francisco Spratley
Ferreira’s presentation began with a 10 Year Old White, a wonderful category that is almost overlooked in Germany. Things got serious with the 40 Year Old Tawny. And with the 80 Year Old Tawny, I thought we had reached the summit. Very dark in color, with tobacco, leather, spice box, and iodine tincture on the nose. Structured and viscous on the palate, with good acidity and enormous length (97p.). But then came the Very Very Old Port, which has an average age of 100 years. If I understood Francisco Ferreira correctly, 45% of wines from 1888 were blended with 45% from 1955 and a tenth of younger ports. It is an almost spiritual experience and a unique plea for mature port (99p.)!
12. Disznókő Kapi Vineyard Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos Furmint 2017
Tokaj was one of my main topics in 2025, leading me to meet László Mészáros, the estate director of Disznókő, in Hungary. Once at the winery in Mád and then as the leader of a Tokaj masterclass at the Budapest Wine Summit. I met him again twice in Paris. First at “Furmint & Friends” and finally at his stand – or more precisely, joint stand. Like Outpost (or Château Pichon Baron and a few other big names), Disznókő belongs to the Axa Millésimes group. Here, László Mészáros finally presented me the two 6 Puttonyos Aszús from the winery, which I had not yet tasted. Regarding the special significance of Disznókő and its style, I refer to my Tokaj article (here).
At this point, I will just say that the Kapi Vineyard in particular is probably the most faithful expression of Disznókő’s special single-vineyard approach. Unlike the estate’s classic 6 puttonyos Aszú, it is not a cuvée of different parcels. In fact, originating from the heart of the old Disznókő vineyard, it was first bottled in 1999, six years after the estate’s first Aszú. Its greatness is not due to its sugar content. In any case, at 164 grams, it has less than its counterpart (187 grams) or the crème de tête called Aszú V.P.T.S. (278 grams) or even the Eszencia (326 grams). But it is the brilliant acidity of the slope, located at an altitude of 150 to 180 meters, that gives it its fascinating elegance. In the dream vintage of 2017, the magnificent botrytis formation also played its part. There may be Tokaj Aszú wines that are more powerful and perhaps also more multi-layered. But none are as balanced and pure in all their majestic generosity as the Kapi (97p.).
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