France

Burghound 91 points. "Here too there is a touch of straw character to the aromas of petrol, various citrus and apple. There is fine punch to the more mineral-driven flavors that also possess a lemony and sneaky long finish that isn't quite as complex or structured. To enjoy young." AM April 2021 Burghound Next to the famous Clos des Mouches, in the middle of the hillside, our Aigrots are oriented to the East. This climate, with stony soil and rich in silt and clay, produces full-bodied and generous red wines (75 acres) to be enjoyed with grilled red meats.  

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 91 points. Bottled end November, which is the usual time. Fresh ruby purple, and the fruit also is fresher on the nose, very attractive. I can still perceive the sunshine on the skins but this is very juicy succulent and will give great pleasure. Tasted: February 2022. The Greeks called the holly “agria” (wild plant). The Romans latinised this into agrifolium, aquifolium. This plot may have been given this name because it was covered by thorny plants before it was planted with vines. Located next to the famous Clos des Mouches, in the middle of the slope, Les Aigrots faces east. The stony soil of...

Burghound 92 points.  Note: from a 1 ha parcel of 15+ year old vines This is quite aromatically similar to the Toussaints but with noticeably more floral elements. There is a bit better mid-palate density but with far more minerality to the detailed and beautifully focused finish. Once again, this could use better depth but the underlying material certainly appears to be present to facilitate that. *Burghound Outstanding!*   (4/2023)  92 points Decanter  The domaine has a hectare in premier cru Aigrots, located in deep clay soils in the southern portion of the appellation. The 2021 vintage has a perfumed cherry...

Tasting note Burghound:  This is also a ripe 2021 with its aromas of kirsch, plum liqueur and newly turned earth. Like the Marconnets, I love the gorgeous mouthfeel of the almost opulent, intense and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the balanced and impressively persistent finish. This too could use more depth but the highly attractive mouthfeel should make this appealing young while it's aging. Lovely. (BH 93).   This 1.27-hectare plot (3 acres) is located in the middle of the slope with a south-easterly exposure. Its soil enjoys a good balance of limestone, loams and clay. The plot...

Tasting note Burghound 91:  A slightly cooler though still notably ripe nose features notes of black raspberry, dark cherry, violet and soft spice wisps. There is excellent richness and volume for the appellation as the succulent and round flavors possess a caressing mid-palate that contrasts somewhat with the mildly austere and well-balanced if decidedly firm finish where a touch of wood gradually emerges. This too is quite good.

Burghound 90 points. Organic. "Here the nose is mildly reduced though I suspect that it will pass quickly. Otherwise there is fine freshness and verve to the more refined middle weight flavors that also possess good underlying tension while exhibiting good length on the textured finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth. This too could use more depth but it's already attractive." AM April 2021 Burghound This 1.27-hectare vineyard (3 acres) is located at the bottom of the slope. It enjoys a soil composed mainly of clay and loams. Pottery fragments found in this vineyard show that this was a farming settlement in Gallo-Roman...

Burghound 90-92 points. This 1.27-hectare vineyard (3 acres) is located at the bottom of the slope. It enjoys a soil composed mainly of clay and loams. Pottery fragments found in this vineyard show that this was a farming settlement in Gallo-Roman times. After the farm disappeared, the site remained without vines for a long time before being planted again. “Sanvignes” [vineless] then changed to “Cent-Vignes” [hundred vines] – since a plot with vines cannot be “Vineless”! These reds are remarkable for their colour and the delicacy of their aromas. In the mouth, they combine complexity with mellowness.

Wine Enthusiast 93 points. Gentle woodsmoke and red cherry combine on the nose of this wine and continue on the bright body where ne, taut tannins carry the ripeness of the vintage with ease. Freshness emanates from a lively core, giving energy to this wine that shows real elegance - A.K. Published 12/1/2020. This plot of 67 acres is located at the top of the hill and looks to the southeast. It enjoys a limestone soil mixed with silt, sand and clay. This climat extends on both Beaune and Savigny communes. This name comes from Marcomans (lat marcomani or men of the border), a West Germanic tribe existing until the fourth century; this type of...

Burghound 90-93 points. "Discreet touches of wood and menthol can be found on the ripe aromas of poached plum, warm earth and black raspberry. The lilting but very punchy medium-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density thanks to the abundance of mouth coating sap that also serves to buffer the very firm, and firmly austere, finale where a hint of warmth appears. This is also quite good, but patience absolutely required." This plot of 67 acres is located at the top of the hill and looks to the southeast. It enjoys a limestone soil mixed with silt, sand and clay. This climat extends on both Beaune and Savigny communes. This...

This plot (1.7 acre) are located at the top of the slope, facing south-east. It benefits from a limestone soil mixed with loams, sands and clay. Compared to some Grands Crus, its wines reveal distinction, power and aromatic complexity. Perfect with veal paupiettes with mushrooms, meat in sauce, game birds or hard pressed cheeses (Cîteaux, Saint Nectaire, Reblochon, Comté, etc).  

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 92 points. From the upper part of the vineyard, bottled in November. Medium deep crimson purple. Whether the earlier bottling has calmed it down or not, this wine is less exotically seductive than some of the others. It is still sufficiently sumptuous to give pleasure but there is a little enjoyable restraint also, with some well-integrated tannins to finish. Good length. Tasted: February 2022  

Burghound 92 points.   Harvested manually, the grapes were carefully sorted before a traditional Burgundian vinification with minimal intervention. The grapes were destemmed and vinified in open vats using natural yeasts. The cap was submerged or gently pumped over once per day. It was then aged for 14 months in oak, of which 30% was new, during which time the wine went through slow malolactic conversion. The wine was not racked but bottled by gravity without fining or filtration. A rich style of classic Burgundy with ripe wild strawberry fruit and a lovely texture. Concentrated and fully flavoured with silky tannins through to a full...

Wine Enthusiast 93 points. Only the merest hint of tar and black cherry can be made out on the shy nose of this wine. Black cherry appears on the juicy, ripe but fresh palate, leaving the tar as a mere footnote and emphasizing juicy freshness and robust tannins. The nish has a little heat but speaks of the rounded, full-bodied generosity of 2018. - A.K. Published 12/1/2020. Facing south-west, this plot of 77 ares (2 acres) has a soil combining loam, clay and limestone. This vineyard, “protected by all the saints”, produces rich wines with a nose of red fruits and good complexity in the mouth. It can be served with “jambon...

Burghound 89-92 points. Facing south-west, this plot of 77 ares (2 acres) has a soil combining loam, clay and limestone. This vineyard, “protected by all the saints”, produces rich wines with a nose of red fruits and good complexity in the mouth. It can be served with “jambon persillé”, red meats or goat’s cheese.  

93 points Decanter  This is an enormously appealing wine with its pleasantly ripe, plummy fruit and silky texture, freshness, and subtle underlying tannic structure. The grapes come from a 0.77-hectare parcel in premier cru Toussaints that was originally planted in 1969. They are partly destemmed and gently fermented before ageing in cask (30% new), most of which come from Cavin and François Frères. The result is a wine of elegance and finesse. (CC)   (10/2022)  91 points Burghound  A slightly more elegant, and certainly more expressive, nose features notes of both red and dark currant, violet...

La Bataillère aux Vergelesses – Red – Monopole. Organic. Extending over 1.20 hectares (3 acres), this plot facing south/south-east is the largest in the domaine. Its soil is composed mainly of limestone and sand. Named after a previous owner, Mr. Bataille, the vineyard lies next to the road from Beaune to Vergy (thus “Vergelesses” or, in 830, “Vergelosses”). These red wines are characterised by their richness and delicate aromas, and are a superb accompaniment for grilled young pigeon, bacon- or mushroom-based dishes

Black raspberries and floral notes are what you initially notice. The wine is light, but more importantly, fresh, sweet and fruity with loads of ripe cherries on the palate and in the finish. This is a perfect wine to order in a cafe or restaurant. The wine blends 52% Merlot with 46% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2023-2029. 88-90. Jeff Leve. #BORD

Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 points. Wine Advocate 94-96. A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre from a one-hectare parcel in the Mont Redon lieu-dit, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape la Folie was still in barrel at the time of my visit. Produced only in exceptional vintages (2007, 2015, 2016), it offers up notes of cedar, vanilla and mint alongside ripe black cherries. It's not new oak, but it must still be relatively young, and the result is a big, rich, rather New World-styled wine guaranteed to please open-minded hedonists and horrify stodgy traditionalists. Velvety, plush and long on the finish, there's no denying the quality here,...

Wine Advocate 96-98 points. A new cuvée, there is a single foudre of the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Les 7 de Pignan, a pure Grenache named for the seven small vineyard parcels it emerges from, all on sandy soils in and around Pignan. It showcases the filigreed, floral side of Grenache on sand, with delicate notes of rose petals and resinous herbs, plus raspberries and strawberries. Full-bodied, it's silky in texture and almost airy in feel, with a lingering, elegant finish. JC Oct 2023.

Jeb Dunnuck 95 points. "Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has lots of tannins, a layered, seemless mouthfeel , terrific balance and one heck of a finish." Nov 2022.   Wine Advocate 93-95 points. From 80-year-old vines, mainly in Mont Redon, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Chante le Merle Vieilles Vignes was made using only whole bunches. As a result, it's spicy, stemmy and herbal at first, with peppery, minty notes adding nuance to the deep fruit flavors of black cherries and blackberries. Full-bodied, rich and salty-stemmy on the long finish, this is a terrific-looking effort. JC May 2022.

Nicolas Boiron and his family run Bosquet des Papes. They own 32 hectares of vines inside the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. Vineyards are scattered over 45 parcels, in places such as La Gardiole, Pignan, Monpertuis and the Plateau de Mont Redon, where the oldest vines are well over 100 years old.    The classic 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape (75% Grenache, 11% each Syrah and Mourvedre, and the rest Cinsault, Vaccarese, and Counoise) is classic all the way, offering a bright, complex style in its darker cherry and mulberry-like fruits as well as peppery garrigue, spice, and leather. Medium-bodied on the palate, it's...

Jeb Dunnuck 93 points. Nicolas Boiron and his family run Bosquet des Papes. They own 32 hectares of vines inside the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. Vineyards are scattered over 45 parcels, in places such as La Gardiole, Pignan, Monpertuis and the Plateau de Mont Redon, where the oldest vines are well over 100 years old.    The classic 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape (75% Grenache, 11% each Syrah and Mourvedre, and the rest Cinsault, Vaccarese, and Counoise) is classic all the way, offering a bright, complex style in its darker cherry and mulberry-like fruits as well as peppery garrigue, spice, and leather. Medium-bodied...

Jeb Dunnuck 90 points. 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Consult. 7000 bottles produced. Intense red colour with deep yet delicate aromatic notes. Structured and soft tannins. Well balanced, it can be drunk now or cellared for 10 years. 

James Suckling  - "This is wonderfully refined and balanced with such pretty depth. Full-bodied and so polished and pure. Subtle at first, then it takes off and keeps coming. Sophisticated. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc.  Barrel Sample:  98-99"  Wine Enthusiast  - "This wine brings together all the best elements of the vintage. It shows concentrated tannins laced with a velvety texture and a sustained intensity of black fruits. It shows a strong mineral element in the texture that gives complexity and a fine edge at the end. Obviously, it's a wine for long-term aging.  Barrel Sample:...

  TheWineCellarInsider.com, May 2023  (98-100 Ppoints) Deeply colored, the wine is all about its elegance in the texture. The fruits offer a level of purity and refinement that was not present in older vintages. Perfectly balanced, vibrant, long and intense, the wine is incredibly sensuous, velvety, and silky. The level of concentration remains, but the sensation here is now one of sensuality, balance, and sophistication. The silky, pure, red and black pit fruits with a cool touch of orange rind remain with you for close to 60 seconds. Fermentation at cooler temperatures and no sulfur during the fermentations helped maintain the...

Wine Advocate 95-97+ Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Displaying a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Beau-Sejour Becot prances out of the glass with showy scents of preserved plums, chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries and raspberry preserves, plus suggestions of rose oil, ground cloves and licorice. The elegantly crafted, medium-bodied palate shimmers with energy, offering a fantastic intensity of crunchy red and black fruits, supported by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Simply stunning." 05/21 #BORD

  94 points Decanter  An excellent, structured and captivating Bellefont-Belcier in 2021 having been spared the frosts that ravaged many other estates. Sweet fragrant blackcurrants on the nose, so seductive with perfume and ever so faint bramble tones giving nuance. Smooth, silky, gorgeously textured. Really just a silky carpet of juicy, bright and fresh fruits. The acidity shines through brightly, zesty and lively while the refined tannins give a streamlined structure and support and the concentrated flavours that linger long on the tongue. Mouthwatering with clarity and drive. I like the hints of spice that come through also...

  Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider 2022 Vintage Tasted: May 2023 Flowers, plums, espresso, mint leaf, spice, cedar and blackberries create the nose. On the palate, the wine is silky, elegant, refined, and packed with the essence of minerality adding complexity to its layers of cherries and plums. The fruits express purity and symmetry in the finish. The wine blends 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.15% ABV, 3.45 pH. Harvesting took place September 7 - October 6. The wine is aging in 30% new French oak barrels, 30% in foudres and 40% in used oak barrels. Drink from 2027 - 2050. 96-98 Pts.   

James Suckling 92-93. Château Bellegrave is a popular name for properties in the region as there is one in Pauillac, Fronsac, Lussac-Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion and this one in Pomerol. This frequently underrated Pomerol estate is owned by Jean-Marie Bouldy. Located in the southwest sector of Pomerol, by the railway line, it has a somewhat unusual soil - deep gravel with about 20% clay. This tends to give the wines depth of character with notable fruit and structure, which remain nicely balanced. The 8 hectares are grown organically (certified) and are planted with 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. #BORD

Wine Advocate 94-96 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2020 Berliquet is composed of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, weighing in at 14.5% alcohol. It is aging in French oak barrels, 50% new. Deep purple-black colored, it trots casually out of the glass with effortlessly flamboyant scents of stewed black cherries, warm plums and baked blackberries, plus hints of chocolate mint, violets and licorice with a touch of fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with layers of ripe black fruits and earthy accents, framed by finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing...

Wine advocate 93 points. The 2021 Berliquet is showing very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet wild berries, plums and rose petals, framed by subtle hints of licorice and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, it's suave and sensual, with a fleshy core of fruit, ultra-refined tannins and a pure, perfumed, mineral finish. This seamless, charming Saint-Émilion will offer a broad drinking window. Published:  Feb 09, 2024.   #BORD  

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider 2022 Vintage Tasted: May 2023 Flowers, crushed stones, espresso, and red pit fruits create the nose. On the palate, the wine is expressive, silky, long, and deep, with intensity, purity and elegance, finishing with salty-chocolate, black, red and white cherries, plums and a dash of cocoa. The wine leaves you with refined, soft, polished edge in the finish. The wine blends 65% Merlot with 35% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% ABV, 3.55 pH. Drink from 2026-2048. 94-96 Pts.    

VN 94 Vinous, February 2024 The 2021 Beychevelle is elegant, understated and classy. Medium in body and less overt than most recent years, the 2021 is impeccably balanced from start to finish. Dark-toned fruit, gravel, menthol, licorice, spice and new oak build nicely with a bit of time in the glass. This is incredibly harmonious. -- Antonio Galloni.   #BORD  

JL 98 TheWineCellarInsider.com, May 2023 (JL 96-98 points) Flowers, black cherries, cedar, tobacco wrapper, and blackberries crowd into the perfume. On the palate, the fruits match the nose. The wine is silky, fresh, vibrant, and concentrated. The fruits express purity, elegance and refinement. The finish delivers a wealth of sweet red, and black fruits, creamy textures and a chalky finish that sticks with you. The wine blends 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot.14% ABV, pH 3.85. The harvest took place September 12 - September 29. The yields were 36 hectoliters per hectoliter with 60% of the harvest going into the Grand...

WA 94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, February 2024 The 2021 Branaire-Ducru has realized all the potential it showed en primeur. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, menthol, violets and baking chocolate, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and suave, with a velvety attack that segues into a deep, fleshy palate. This is especially impressive in the context of the vintage. - William Kelley    #BORD

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider 2022 Vintage Tasted: May 2023 Deep in color, the wine displays its bouquet of flowers before getting to all of its dark, red fruits, spice, mocha, nutmeg, vanilla, and black cherries. While the aromatics are enticing, it is on the palate, with all of its silky-textures, creaminess, energy and most importantly, purity of fruit and concentration that provides you with the best part of the experience. The finish has never been this defined, elegant and concentrated in any previous vintage of Branaire Ducru. This is an entirely new level of quality here. Clearly, this is the best vintage of Branaire Ducru...

"Dark ruby, purple tinge to narrow rim. Black cherries, tobacco nuances, blackberry compote, mineral notes. Juicy, elegant, plum fruit, delicate fruit sweetness, ripe, integrated tannins, balanced, a touch of nougat on the finish; open and forward." -  92/100 ,  Falstaff.   #BORD

Wine Advocate 95 points. The 2021 Canon opens in the glass with a pure bouquet of raspberries, cherries and plums mingled with pretty top notes of iris, licorice, mint and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's fleshy and sensual, with a deep and seamless core of fruit framed by ultra-refined tannins, a bright spine of acidity and a long, mineral finish. With an impressively low finished pH of 3.37, it was taken out of barrel a month earlier than usual and saw no fining—as has been the case since 2010. In the last few years, this sleeping giant has well and truly reawakened, and the 2021 vintage represents...

From an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, the 2022 Canon is a magical wine that will be worth every effort to track down. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, wild plums and cherries mingled with hints of bay leaf, spices and violets, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge levels of concentration, vibrant acids and beautifully refined tannins. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this pure, perfumed and ineffably complete Canon is built for the ages, even if its structural polish is such that it will be approachable...

Wine Advocate 93 points. The 2021 Cantenac Brown has turned out very nicely in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of menthol, licorice and violets. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, with a layered core of fruit, sweet tannins and nicely integrated acids, it concludes with a delicately vanillin-inflected finish. This strong performance in a challenging season underlines this property's upward trajectory. "We've never had so many people put in so many man-hours in the vineyard," observed José Sanfins, who has directed this Margaux château since...

Graves JS94 Rated 94 by James Suckling Black fruit, dried sage, charred bark, lavender, graphite and oyster shell on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly wound tannins. Focused. Excellent tannin framing. Best yet. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Try in 2026. JD94 Rated 94 by Jeb Dunnuck The 2019 Château Carbonnieux sports a deep purple/ruby hue to go with a brilliant nose of red and black currants, spring flowers, spicy oak, and hints of tobacco. It's beautiful on the palate as well and is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and a great...

Very attractive red with blackberry and blackcurrant aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Creamy tannins. Pretty purity to this. 91-92 points James Suckling jamessuckling.com May 2021. #BORD

"On the nose, fruity, elegant and offers a nice ripe/sparkling fruit, gourmandize, good definition and fine concentration. It reveals notes of fleshy/ripe black currant, bursting boysenberry and more lightly violet combined with hints of morello cherry, fleshy blue berry, licorice stick as well as subtle touches of cardamom, graphite and a subtle waft of tea. On the palate, fruity, balanced and offers a mineral/fine acid framework, juiciness, elegance as well as gourmandize, richness, concentration, energy, sweetness and density/blackness. The wine expresses pulpy/juicy blackberry, ripe dark berry and more lightly violet notes with...

Wine Advocate 98+ points. Composed of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, yields for the grand vin in 2017 were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and it was aged in 60% new oak. It came in at an alcohol of 13% and an IPT of 68. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cos d'Estournel needs a little coaxing to unfurl, revealing beautiful expressions of preserved plums, boysenberries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with hints of Indian spices, menthol, lilacs and mossy tree bark plus a compelling suggestion of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins...

Jeb Dunnuck 99 points. Based on 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot, the deep purple-hued 2020 Chateau Cos D'Estournel has, dare I say, an almost Lafite-like sense of elegance and class, offering gorgeous cassis and darker currants fruits as well as tobacco, lead pencil, acacia flowers, and graphite. Hitting 13.46 alcohol, with a pH of 3.9 and an IPT of 80, this flawless, full-bodied, incredible elegant Saint-Estephe has silky tannins, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It will need a decade of cellaring to hit its prime drink window. Of the trilogy of 2018, 2019, and 2020, it's clearly my favorite (that’s splitting...

WE 98 Wine Enthusiast, June 2022 (WE 96–98 points) For the vintage, this is a big wine. Big in all the senses, giving juicy black fruits and powerful tannins. The fruit also exudes great concentration. It will take many years to develop fully. ROGER VOSS JL 96 TheWineCellarInsider.com, March 2024 Dried flowers, smoke, licorice, Indian spices, black cherries, plums , chocolate, and a hint of blue fruit shows up with ease in the perfume. The palate is the wine shines. Here, you find layers of supple, creamy ripe, black and red fruits, polished textures, creamy, soft tannins and a finish that builds and lingers with its waves if fruit and...

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Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider 2022 Vintage Tasted: May 2023 Dark pit fruits, blackberries, flowers, and cocoa create the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, soft, sweet, polished and fresh. On the medium-bodied palate, the fruits are ripe, sweet and long, leaving you with a touch of salty chalk on the back end of the creamy finish. The wine is made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. 14.3% ABV. Drink from 2025-2038. 93-95 Pts.

96 points. jamessuckling.com, March 2021 Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and precision. Such balance and harmony for the vintage. Try from 2025.    #BORD

96 points, Decanter. "This is a sinewy, powerful and forward-moving wine with a sense of momentum. Moreish, with the elegance and plump damson fruits that Issan delivers so well, but more muscular than some years with the impact of both Petit Verdot and Malbec that are in the blend for the first time in this vintage. These add layers of spice and the overall architecture is clear. Peony and violet notes add a kick upwards on the finish, this has a delicacy even though it is intense. Less Cabernet in the blend in 2020 than in 2019, as is often the case in the Médoc due to low yields. This new blend in Issan will be seen going...