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Monopole

A Fench term referring to a single vineyard or Climat with just one owner.

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A Fench term referring to a single vineyard or Climat with just one owner.

Most commonly used in Burgundy where vineyard holdings have been divided through hereditary title. Upon the death of the owner the land is split equally between all children. It is common for a single vineyard to have multiple owners. The Grand Cru, Chambertin, in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin had 23 owners with 40 producers last time I looked. Each owner may have as little as a few rows of vines yielding just enough fruit to make a single barrel of wine.

Famous Monopoles include La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche (both owned by Domaine de la Romanée Conti) and La Grand Rue (Francois LaMarche) in Vosne-Romanée, Clos de Tart (owned by Francois Pinot of Latour since 2017) in Morey-Saint-Denis, and, Clos des Ruchottes (Armand Rousseau) in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Outside Burgundy think  Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, Château-Grillet and Trimbach’s Clos Sainte Hune.

Some clearly denote Monopole on the label others do not.

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Château Doisy-Daëne Barsac 375ml 2015

Semillon | France, Barsac

Always one of my favourite sweet Bordeaux makers! I've always had a soft spot for Doisy-Daëne. The defining difference, beautiful balance. 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 60% Semillon from 50+ year old vines. "The 2015 Doisy-Daene has a detailed bouquet, very correct, nothing showy or flamboyant as is typical of Denis Dubourdieu's Barsac. The palate is extremely well balanced and very pure: citrus fruit infusing the honeyed botrytis, veins of white peach and quince, leading to a very precise and
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Lamy has 2.4-hectares in the 1er Cru Les Frionnes, with vines planted in 1935, 1960 and 1985. It’s a southeast-facing site with old, decomposed limestone/clay soils and a plethora of small rocks in the topsoil. The vines are adjacent to the Derrière chez Edouard, but this is a slightly warmer site and is therefore picked earlier. Frionnes gives both pulpy fruit and vibrant, saline freshness along with a compact, rocky close. “Habitually one of the domaine's more mineral wines, the
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The C + C Blanc de Blancs is blended from nine parcels across both north and south-facing hillsides in Cramant and Chouilly. Here the soils are deeper, with silty clay overlying the chalk. This, with a good dose of southern exposure, makes for a much more hedonistic wine. The blend is split between Cramant (70%) and Chouilly (30%). Although tempted to bottle each village separately, Suenen has found the two villages work even better as a blend: the textural finesse of Cramant marrying perfe
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98 MFW SR 95

Willi Schaefer Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2021

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

AP: 17 22. The 2021er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese is a fruity-styled wine made from grapes harvested in the prime Redellay sector. It offers a beautifully and gorgeous nose of tangerine, fine floral elements, whipped almond cream, vineyard peach, cinnamon, and bergamot. The wine proves superbly balanced on the palate and shows a lot of finesse as fine creamy elements give a velvety side, which is well wrapped into fine spices and zest. The finish shows a lot of energy and presence, but
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