« Cuvée Zaccharie » Côte-de-brouilly

96

« This extraordinary Cote-de-Brouilly manages to be mouth-fillingly rich and wonderfully fresh, floral and darkly volcanic (think smoke and pepper) all at once. Medium- to full-bodied with a compact tannic core and a long, crisp, wet-stone finish. From organically grown grapes. Matured in small oak cooperage. Drinkable now but best from 2026. by Stuart Pigott »

91+

95

« The beautifully integrated oak gives this concentrated Cotes de Brouilly an extra level of intensity and structure, but there's also a wonderful creme de cassis and ripe forest berry character. Very long, compact finish that needs some time to fully open up and reveal all treasures. From organically grown grapes. Matured in small oak cooperage. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. »

97

« Zaccharie se montre étonnant de complexité et de gourmandise. On le gardera au moins 20ans. par Pierre Vila Palleja »

95

93

« The complex smoky nose (think smoked bacon!) pulls you into this remarkably rich and structured wine for the 2021 vintage. Excellent interplay of ripe sour cherry fruit, generous fine tannins and moderate acidity. The finish is still quite firm and smoky, and it needs more time in bottle to fully resolve. A selection of the best grapes from many different parcels. It spends 12 months in small oak from Burgundian coopers, of which just 10% are new. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. »

96

95

95

« This is deep and complex with aromas of dark and purple berries, incense, dried herbs, porcini, cloves and lemon leaves. Medium-bodied, with a firm, tight tannin frame. So focused. Turns mineral at the end with crushed graphite. Tight. Serious. Better after 2024. »

97

20

« Tous les amateurs savent que la cuvée Zaccharie est l'un des vins emblématiques du Beaujolais, mais jusqu'alors elle n'avait curieusement pas encore eu la note maximale dans nos pages. C'est chose faite en 2020, avec un vin au niveau d'un grand cru de Bourgogne. Robe noire, Arômes riches, subtils, de fruits noirs frais, enrobés de notes de violettes, de torréfaction. Bouche parfaite, d'une énorme richesse, charnue, opulente, touteen conservant beaucoup de pureté, de style et de classe. »

93

« Aromas of rich berry fruit, plums, sweet spices, vanilla pod and orange rind introduce the 2020 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie Geoffrey, a medium to full-bodied, deep and layered wine that's serious and concentrated, with lively acids and a long, sapid finish. While this cuvée can sometimes be quite overtly marked by its élevage in barrels, the sheer intensity of the 2020 seems to be well on the way to absorbing its oak. »

96 (TOP 100 of FRANCE 2021)

« Time seems to stop when you smell the ravishing violets and summer flowers offered by this great Côte de Brouilly. Breathtaking harmony and finesse, the power totally underplayed, in spite of the substantial fine tannins that anchor this wine. Super long, spicy and mineral finish. Great aging potential. Drink or hold. »

96

« Zaccharie offre un calibre de grande envergure, où l'élevage magnifie l'impact des vielles vignes. »

18.5

« La cuvée Zaccharie est une fois de plus dans le peloton de tête non seulement de la Côte de Brouilly, mais des crus du Beaujolais dans leur ensemble. Robe soutenue, brillant, arômes riches et nobles de cerises, de myrtilles, de fleurs, enrobés de notes boisées nobles. Le vin est concentré, opulent, tout en gardant un fruité juteux, frais, l'équilibre et une grande classe »

91+

« The 2019 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie Geoffrey is raised in barrels, which always seem to mark the wine more than one would expect purely based on the numbers, as the percentage of new wood is very small. Offering up aromas of cherries, cassis, warm spices and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, lively and seamless, with powdery tannins and an oak-inflected finish. »

94

« Bright and vivid with a linear palate of black cherries, plums and orange peel. It’s tight and focused with a compact palate and a long, creamy finish. Extremely well crafted. »

16.5

97

« Ambitieux Zaccharie, cuvée de vielles vignes où perce timidement un fruit de grand qualité : attenez-le trois ou quatre ans. »

93

« The 2018 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie Geoffrey has come together nicely since I last tasted it, and the wine's oak component now frames its attractive plum and cherry fruit tones more discreetly than it did a year ago. Medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, it's deep and structured, with a generous core of fruit covering its finely tannic bones. Today, its élevage simply lends it a bit of a Burgundian accent, and even if my personal taste still inclines me to the classicism of the regular cuvée, there's lots to appreciate here. »

96

« Stunning, concentrated black cherries and plenty of the characteristic acidity of the vintage, both seamlessly interwoven with the gentle tannins and the minerality through the very long, super clean finish. Exemplary use of oak. Almost endless finish. Drink or hold. »

20/20

« La robe de Syrah de Zaccharie annonce un bouquet d'épique orientales et de fleurs mauves rares. Le jus est plein d'un raisin parfaitement mûr. Cette intensité est comme un tunnel dans lequel les papilles mettent du temps pour retrouver leur salive. Un monument de gamay. Cette cuvée atteint le niveau des trois étoiles. »

18

20/20

18.5

« La cuvée "phare", presque emblématique du château est une bombe à retardement en 2017. Le vin est en effet d'une concentration folle, richissime, velouté, pur, long en bouche, à la fois "solaire" et précis.... Mais attention, il est loin d'avoir révélé tout son potentiel. Grand vin de garde du Beaujolais. CT »

96/100

91+

« The 2016 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zacharie Geoffrey unfurls in the glass with aromas of crushed cassis, plums and spices, framed by quite an overt application of new oak that, for me, verges on distracting. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, spicy and structurally firmer in profile, clearly marked by the additional tannins picked up during its time in barrel. It will require two or three years of bottle age to show at its best. »

Médaille d’or

17.5+ points

94

« Dark fruits in the plum and purple-cherry spectrum, as well as orange zest and a wealth of woody spices. The palate has some really deeply formed tannins, smooth oak influence and gritty moments too. This has aging potential. Try in 2020. »

93/100

« The 2015 Cote de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie Geoffrey, which contains around 5% new oak, has an exquisite, very seductive bouquet with disarming purity: black cherries, blueberry, violets and limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with very refined tannin, the acidity perfectly judged and lending this Côte de Brouilly such finesse and precision. It feels long and tender in the mouth with a residue of sea salt on the finish. I would not assert this to be superior to the regular Côte de Brouilly, just a slightly different perspective. »

19/20 + Coup de Cœur

Médaille d’argent

95

« Ripe and rich aromas of blackberries and blueberries. Tar undertones. Full-bodied, very structured and flavorful with lots of round tannins and a fruity finish. This is aged about 10 months in barrel of which about 5% is new. Needs a year or two more of bottle age before drinking but already very impressive. »

Médaille d’or

91

« The 2014 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie, which is aged in barrel (1 to 12 years - around 5% new barrels are added each year), has an attractive bouquet with hints of fig and black plum joining the chorus line of brambly red fruit. The oak here is present but neatly assimilated, less creamy in texture than when I tasted the wine from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent and quite fleshy entry. The acidity is nicely judged with peacock's tail of cranberry jus, wild strawberry and quince on the sustained finish. Excellent. »

91/100

17,5/20

89/100

« Offering up aromas of rich cocoa, grilled meat, earthy soil, vanillin and sweet red fruits, the 2013 Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Zaccharie Geoffrey is medium to full-bodied, rich and tangy, with a gourmand, generous profile and a subtly oak-inflected finish. »

16/20

** (vin remarquable)

17/20

17/20

89

« Offering up aromas of rich cocoa, grilled meat, earthy soil, vanillin and sweet red fruits, the 2013 Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Zaccharie Geoffrey is medium to full-bodied, rich and tangy, with a gourmand, generous profile and a subtly oak-inflected finish. »

88

« The 2012 Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Zaccharie is picked by hand from the vineyards on Mont Brouilly, and this blend comes from the oldest vines in “La Chapelle” and “Godefroy.” It undergoes a longer elevage in 228-litre casks with 10% new oak. It has a noticeable deep color. The nose makes an immediate impression, revealing darker fruit than its peers: blackberry leaf and wild raspberry, touches of bilberry in the background, but all well-defined. The palate is medium-bodied with commendable fruit intensity for the vintage. It is quite masculine in style, unashamedly so, with that dark berry fruit continuing from the nose, the finish demonstrating fine backbone, if not quite the persistency or grace of a top flight Thivin. Still, this is a fine Cote de Brouilly. Drink now-2018. »

17/20

16,5/20

17/20

17,5/20

93

« Some density here, with really bright red and blue fruits plus a darker stony element too, nicely captured and showing good freshness and concentration; nice musky lift. The palate has a juicy, slippery shape with cassis and a handy interplay of tannin and acidity. Really supple, smooth and even, ripe tannins. Drink or hold. »

93/100

19/20 + Coup de Cœur

18/20

94

« This, in its heavy bottle, is the most Burgundy-like of all the Thivin '09s, delivering a richer and more oak influenced style; meaty, as well as packed chock-full of berry fruits. There's less traditional gamay/Beaujolais character. Great depth and balance here; thicker and more majestic tannins slide long through the finish. Modern. Will drink now but deserves to be aged. Best from 2020. »

92

« Impressive pastry-like savory aromas. Lots of pepper here, with a crushed rose and violet floral edge; plenty of spice too. The palate has a lot of powerful fruit and impressive acidity with blue fruits, and almost steely tannins. Syrah-like wine; acidity rules the finish. Drink or hold. »

92

« This is a more complex and brooding wine. Shows some woody and beef stock notes across spicy, fragrant blue fruits, with pastry and flowers too; plenty here. The palate delivers punchy, chewy but detailed tannin. Great depth and drive, long blueberry and boysenberry pastry finish. Drink now or hold. »

92

« A riper year well wrestled into place. Bigger pastry and blue fruits on offer; there's an earthy and spicy thread too, with blue flowers and pomegranate. The palate has concentrated fine tannin presence and there's a long, rich finish. Great wine for the vintage. »

92

« This has good poise and stance, really fresh and powerful; there's finesse too. Smells of crushed violets, blueberry and pastry. The palate has fine but powerful tannins. Great depth and detail with a big finish; has more time. »

93

« Impressive nose, brimming with ripe blue fruits and strawberry; there's a stony note below. This is super pure. The palate has a powerful core of sinewy tannin wrapped in ripe summer berry fruit flavor. Long, dense and even; great wine. Drink now, has some time ahead too. One of the best mature wines in the tasting. Tasted in 2026 »

91