Mee Godard is one of the top producers in Beaujolais, I was simply blown away by her wines when I quickly visited her in 2019. If memory serves, she has a Burgundian approach, she de-stems the grapes so it’s not the region’s trademark semi-carbonic method she uses. I’m not sure if that applies to her Beaujolais Villages 2022, but it’s a great wine. Continue reading
90+
Another standout Hungarian kadarka: Szekretár 2025
Hungarian kadarka 10 years ago mostly meant a dull, 80 point wine, but producers really raised the game in recent years and pushed the variety to a new level – there are now many reaching the 90 point mark (I’m referring to the original, conservative and absolute 100 point scale, where serious wines start at 90, regardless of region or variety – today many critics use it differently, just think about the sometimes crazy Suckling scores). With their 2025 release Szekszárd producer Szekretár has now joined the top league.
Mark Haisma Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffots 2022
My second Mark Haisma wine, and it hints at the house style, as it’s similar to its Bourgogne little brother.
Lovely Burgundy: Domaine Didier Fornerol Hautes Côtes de Nuits Rouge 2023
Easily the most exciting Burgundy I opened this year. How sad is that the domaine’s last vintage was 2024 – but that’s life.
Standout Cotes du Rhone: Saint Cosme 2024
Saint Cosme’s entry level Rhone red blew me away almost two years ago – and I think I even underrated it. It was clear that I would try the next vintage, so here it is, the 2024. To be more precise, the 2025 is already on the market, but let’s focus on its predecessor. It’s great.
Mark Haisma Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022
I wanted to taste a wine from Mark Haisma since I read about him in Jamie Goode’s Wine Science book (in the chapter about using whole bunches in the ferment), but his wines are not easy to find. After a lot of search I found merchant Wijn op Dronk in the Netherlands, who delivers to Luxembourg where a friend of mine lives – it’s complicated, but at the end I received the bottle when he visited Budapest.
A great yet affordable Crozes-Hermitage: Emmanuel Darnaud “Mise en Bouche” 2022
I don’t think it’s easy to find value in the Northern Rhone, but I actually found some amazing wines in the last few months for fair prices. One of them was this beauty, which is a textbook example of syrah from the region, weighing in at a perfect 12,5% ABV. Highly recommended!
Great value garnacha: Herència Altés Garnatxa Negra 2025
A new producer to me, and the first experience could not be more positive. This garnacha blew me away, I did not expected such a vibrant wine – I definitely need to try other bottlings in their range.
Beautiful syrah: Les Jarlotiers Saint-Joseph 2024
Les Jarlotiers is a brand exclusive to Vinatis and it consists of six Rhone Valley wines. I found the Syrah 2024 and the Crozes-Hermitages 2024 of the lineup both quite unripe, while the cheap Cotes du Rhone 2024 amazed me, it’s a standout for its category and price. The Saint-Joseph is a step up in price (15€) but also in quality – a fascinating syrah.
New wave kadarka: Sauska 2023 from Villány
The previous vintage of this kadarka was partly aged in oak, but in 2023 they only used amphora and Clayver – I’m happy to see that such a big producer moved to a more transparent style. In fact I never tasted a red from this address that I loved this much. Continue reading









