31,000 visitors in 2026 compared with 42,000 the previous year – and 61,500 in the record year of 2019. A decline of almost 50 per cent, with fewer than half the number of exhibitors (3,400 instead of 6,900). ProWein’s loss of international standing cannot be downplayed when more than 63,000 people visited Wine Paris the previous month. An impressive record, despite sluggish sales and global crises. ProWein, by contrast, has lost entire regions and many flagship presentations (Napa Valley Vintners, Primum Familiae Vini). Due to a lack of top-tier wines, my annual top 10 red wine list has become again a selection of the best still wines at the fair overall. As always, I have excluded German wines due to alternative tasting opportunities.
Despite this preliminary remark, I must of course note that ProWein remains an inspiring event where a wide variety of discoveries can be made. My coup de cœur outside the top 10: Melnik Family Tree 2023 from Villa Melnik. The wine is a blend of varieties of the indigenous Melnik grape from south-west Bulgaria. It comprises the ‘parent variety’—the broad-leaved (‘Siroka’) Melniska vine—grown in bush training, as well as five modern clones. The result is impressively spicy and complex, with good length and without any overripeness (93p.).
1. Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2023
The fact that my favourite dry white wine of the year was even available in Düsseldorf is down to a remarkable change of ownership (and subsequently, of importer). Domaine William Fèvre, which owns 70 hectares in Chablis, including the largest area of Grands and Premiers Crus, belonged to the Henriot champagne house until 1998, before it was acquired, along with William Fèvre, by the Pinault family’s Artémis Group. However, Artémis soon parted ways with both. Now owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) since early 2024, DBR export manager Amélie André presented the portfolio at the stand of the new German importer, Véritable.
The acidity-driven, mineral-rich wines of Chablis are suffering greatly from climate change. However, a spectacular bottle of Fèvre’s Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots from 2015 had recently shown me just how superbly their director, Didier Séguier, can handle heat and drought. Premiers Crus from 2022 and 2023 (Beauroy, Montée de Tonneree, Vaulorent) were correspondingly fresh and in excellent condition. Grand Crus Bougros and Les Preuses from 2023 were a touch finer and more concentrated. The crown jewel of the collection, however, is undoubtedly Les Clos from the same year. The use of oak (40 per cent used barriques) is more subtle here than at other estates that bottle a Les Clos. As young as the wine is, it nevertheless displays an impressive, chalk-driven complexity, with racy acidity and a long finish (95p.)
2. Famille Hugel Riesling Schoelhammer Vendage Tardive 2015
Sometimes revolutions happen quietly. When Alsace introduced its Grands Crus in 1975, three of the region’s most prominent estates opted out of the system. Léon Beyer, Trimbach and Hugel considered the criteria far too lenient at the time. In 2015, Domaine Hugel finally came to terms with the classification. And so the two top wines, Sporen (Gewürztraminer) and Schoenenbourg (Riesling) – known internally as ‘Grossi Laüe’ – finally became Grands Crus after all. In Düsseldorf, Jean Frédéric Hugel, representing the 13th generation (!) of the family, presented the first vintages of 2015 and 2016 under the new designation with great enthusiasm. Now, almost ten years after the harvest, these wines reveal a timeless greatness – a contemplative moment amidst the turbulent trade fair atmosphere.
But Jean Frédéric Hugel had an even greater surprise up his sleeve: Riesling Schoelhammer 2015 as a Vendage Tardive, the only late harvest ever produced from this iconic plot. Semi-dry in style, with striking, tension-filled phenolics, the wine is perfectly balanced yet of enormous density. An Alsatian monument! (98pts.)
3. Pia Strehn Rosé Lovestory 2023
It was thanks to a chance meeting in Paris with friends from the US that I came to know Pia Strehn and her wines. What a stroke of luck, as they have led me to wines that lie well off the beaten track I usually follow. At ProWein 2026, they were my greatest discovery. Pia Strehn is synonymous with rosé wines from Deutschkreutz in the Austrian Burgenland. That naturally means Blaufränkisch, but not exclusively so. Added to this are organic viticulture and, inspired by the great rosé crus of Provence, ageing in barriques and as little direct fruitiness as possible. Even ‘Der Elefant im Porzellanladen’ elicits a subtle ‘wow’ from the taster. This is taken to new heights with the top cuvée Lovestory Rosé 2023, where the Blaufränkisch vines grow on chalky soils at an altitude of 280 metres. It’s hard to believe how much structure a wine with such low colour intensity can possess without losing a single drop of its drinkability (94p.).
4. Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto 2020
Following last year’s presentation of the magnificent 2021 vintage, Giacosa’s importer Consigliovini/Schlumberger took a step back and presented the preceding 2020 vintage. Although it did not quite match the elegant structure and grandeur of the 2021 (more here), it was nonetheless highly impressive. The Falletto vineyard in Serralunga is wholly owned by the Neive-based winery. It is also the name of a winery located here, which Bruno Giacosa acquired in 1982 along with the vineyard. Giacosa’s wines made from his own grapes were then labelled under ‘Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa’. Giacosa’s daughter Bruna has, in turn, recently shortened this to ‘Falletto di Bruno Giacosa’. Be that as it may: 2020 is certainly the most approachable of the trilogy of top vintages comprising 2019, 2020 and 2021. Accessible by Giacosa’s standards, of course, even though the tannin structure is already very fine. Apart from that, it offers aromas of blackberries, cherries and a hint of smoke, whilst being very dense, with fine acidity and without any overripeness (96p.).
5. G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2022
It was in Düsseldorf that I first had the opportunity to taste the portfolio of G.D. Vajra from the Vergne sub-zone of Barolo. Just as impressive as the wines was the story that Giuseppe Vajra (and his wife Sophie) told about his winery and his family. Vajra is a man who combines the qualities of a farmer, a historian and a philosopher. And one could have listened to him for hours on end. His wines, too, tell great stories, starting with the Freisa, the Riesling and the Dolcetto – grape varieties with which G.D. Vajra sets the standard in Piedmont. And one could, of course, write about Luigi Baudana, the estate in the municipality of Serralunga di Falletto, which the family acquired in 2009 from the childless owners.
But at this point, however, the focus should be on the top wine in G.D. Vajra’s current range, and in my opinion, that is the Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2022. The vineyard is organically farmed – the estate has been the third-oldest organic producer in Piedmont since 1971. The vineyard, just a stone’s throw from the village of Barolo, lies on the western edge of the appellation at an altitude of up to 480 metres. Where the grapes used to struggle with phenolic ripeness, they now have the advantage thanks to climate change. In a hot year like 2022, they retain their freshness and structure. Bricco delle Viole 2022 is powerful, yet at the same time enchants with its floral notes, which overlay the refined fruit and spice notes (97p.). “More Pink Floyd than AC/DC,” says Giuseppe Vajra, comparing it to the Barolo Ravera from the same year.
6. Ornellaia 2023
The 2023 vintage is the second release from the new team led by Technical Director Marco Balsimelli and oenologist Denise Cosentino. Whilst the 2022 debut was very successful, it was, due to the vintage, a little ‘too big’ for my taste; the 2023, however, is a real hit. Above all, this year’s Ornellaia shows that Balsimelli is continuing the approach of his predecessor Axel Heinz, focusing on balanced, precise wines. Interestingly, the wine’s blend is almost identical to the previous year’s: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot. Indeed, 2023 was a challenging year, but one without heatwaves and with sufficient rainfall. The estate has named this year’s wine ‘La Vitalità’. This is fitting, as the wine’s power and spice are underpinned by an invigorating acidity. Yet, of course, it lacks neither the refined, slightly oaky bouquet nor the luxurious texture that define a great Ornellaia (97p.).
7. François Feuillet Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru 2018
A Grand Cru from Burgundy, and from a domaine that is highly regarded in France (and internationally) no less? It was as hard to find at ProWein as the proverbial needle in a haystack. Behind the name François Feuillet lies an unusual story – two, in fact. That of the industrialist of the same name, who has amassed an impressive portfolio of vineyards in the Côte de Nuits since the early 1990s. And that of the winemaker David Duband, who took over his family’s estate in Chevannes in 1991 and now also produces the wines of François Feuillet.
Latricières-Chambertin certainly does not possess the class of a Chambertin or Clos de Béze. But the site can, of course, produce excellent wines, even if they turn out somewhat more forward due to the slightly deeper topsoil over the limestone subsoil. This bottle possessed a seductive bouquet of raspberries and wild strawberries with good density and a very velvety texture. A hint of liqueur points to high ripeness, and the rather soft acidity also suggests that the wine is not made to last forever (95p.).
8. Château Lynch-Bages 2019
It was a relief that the Union des Grands Crus was still presenting its wines in Düsseldorf in 2026 at all. However, the number of exhibitors had shrunk once again. Not a single estate from Sauternes, for example, was present! And I’d rather not even mention the pitiful exhibition space … But there was some good news too. As in Paris, the association had brought a second vintage to ProWein: the 2019s. As these are a cut above the current 2023s, it was no surprise that they were the highlight of the Bordeaux presentation – and overshadowed much of the rest of the ProWein offering.
Lynch-Bages showed classic greatness in 2019! The château had only recently demonstrated to me, with the 1985 vintage, just how magnificently the wines age and what a combination of sensuality and elegance they can develop with age. With intense sweet cherry and blackberry on the nose and a complex density on the palate, the 2019 is not one of the archetypal Pauillac wines. But it naturally scores far higher than its official classification as a 5ème Cru would suggest (98p.).
9. Château Léoville-Poyferré 2019
Since the 2000 vintage, Poyferré has once again been competing with Barton for the runner-up spot amongst the once undivided Léoville estates, behind Las Cases. As much as I appreciate the elegance of Léoville-Barton, I see Poyferré coming out on top in 2029. Even if William Kelley is certainly right. Among the three Léovilles in 2019, the Poyferré, with a Merlot content of around 35 per cent, is certainly the most opulent. And yet, after its overwhelming fruit-driven phase, the wine has retreated somewhat and is currently showing its serious, structured side. The rather pure fruit is certainly also a result of the cold maceration lasting up to eight days. The structure, on the other hand, comes from the fairly long vatting time and the 80 per cent proportion of new oak. 2019 is certainly not an early-maturing vintage at Léoville-Poyferré (96p.).
10. Château Brane-Cantenac 2019
The Baron de Brane once owned what would later become Mouton-Rothschild. However, he sold it in order to devote himself entirely to his estate on the Cantenac plateau near Margaux: Château Brane-Cantenac. It is no wonder that, like Mouton in its day, it was classified as a 2ème Cru. Today, the estate belongs to Henri Lurton, and during a brief visit to Margaux in 2018, I was impressed by how much this modest yet focused estate manager has reduced the proportion of the Grand Vin in favour of the second and third wines, Baron de Brane and Margaux de Brane. In any case, The Wine Advocate has named the 2019 vintage the best Brane Cantenac of the modern era. And it was a real ‘wow’ wine in Düsseldorf too, with tremendous freshness and an intense, fruity-spicy yet somewhat wild bouquet (97p.). Not just this year, but a wine offering spectacular value for money.
Image credits
Featured image: Messe Düsseldorf / ctillmann
All other photos: Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
