Nicole is the 16th generation of the Tapon family to make wine in Bordeaux’s iconic Saint-Émilion. Despite the region’s reputation for red wines, Nicole is best known for her ‘Clairet de Bordeaux’ -a rare style of deeply coloured, ageworthy, dry Rosé. During our visit in 2021, we tasted the 2018, 2013, 2010 and 2006 each wine provided a compelling, gastronomic experience that combined the best of mature Claret with a fragrant, fresh lift.

Nicole’s Red wines are diverse in style and geography and she follows a distinctly Burgundian structure to reflect the diversity of terroir, featuring her own name first rather than the multiple châteaux and parcels that she works with. Alongside the classic Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc, Nicole works with Bouchet, Pressac and a range of ‘unauthorised’ varieties from vines planted before appellation laws restricted their planting.

Nicole’s 16 year old daughter, Aliénor, is already testing her hand at winemaking. Alongside school, she is involved in pruning, tasting and fermenting the wines. She also makes a special selection of Saint-Émilion musts that become an unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2, single-vintage grape juice: Hypp One.