France: Wine, French Wine Regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, & More Profiled

2005 Château Kirwan, France, Bordeaux, Margaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$110.00USD

A very nice showing for this wine.  Great vintage and the wine is in a great place.  Purple  in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dark cherries, cigar box, spice and slight leather.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is fresh, complex and deep.  Flavors of cassis, tobacco, spice and char.  Good finish.  Just about at peak but still has another ten to fifteen years left of great drinking.  Lovely on its own but even better with food.  Lamb chops would work perfectly.  

2020 Sebastien Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$31.00USD

Dampt makes some of the best value in Chablis.  With the price of the top two or three wineries going crazy, these are excellent wines that are affordable.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has great minerality/crushed shells and just a hint of lemon.  Clean.  On the palate, this is crisp and tasty.  Crushed shells.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but would be perfect with oysters or clams.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

2010 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$90.00USD

Just a beautiful vintage for this wine.  Charvin tends to be more "feminine" or "elegant" but the vintage is not and the resulting wine made for a particularly nice combination.  Deep ruby in color, with some darker hues, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with cherries, some black cherries, floral notes and spice.  Great, almost plush texture.  Plenty of depth.  Light tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is complex and also delicious.  Cherries, black cherries, spice, slight leathery note and char.  Long finish.  This is close to peak and just gorgeous.  Drink

2020 Domaine Lafage Cuvée Nicolas Vieilles Vignes de Grenache, France, Roussillon, IGP Côtes Catalanes.Wine Review

Vintage: 
2024
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

This is 100% old vine (averaging 65 years old) Grenache from southeast France.  The nose has raspberries and sour cherries along with a slight floral note.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the wine is concentrated with raspberries and cherries.  Good acidity.  Nice texture.  The wine is  nice on its own, but paired with a Chocolate Pots de Creme, it worked quite well.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

2019 Château Le Grand Moulin, France, Bordeaux, Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$13.00USD

Another example of what great value there is in Bordeaux once one gets away from the classified growths.  A blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, plums, spice and char.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Notes of cherries, black cherries and black raspberries with some spice and a bit of earthiness.  Nice finish.  A very pleasant wine that is better with food.  This would work well with roasted fowl or meat or even root vegetables.  Drink over the next

2020 Delas Freres Ventoux, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$13.00USD

This is an 80/20 blend of Grenache and Syrah from the Rhone region of France on the border with Provence.  Deep garnet in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, spice and slight lavender notes.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, black cherries and black raspberries with some minerality.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own and is food friendly.  It will work well with stew or cold cuts.  Drink over the next five years.  Great value.

2021 Louis Latour Pinot Noir Domaine de Valmoissine, France, Coteaux du Verdon, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

This is a great value in Pinot Noir.  Deep garnet/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, and spice.  Clean.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with some spice.  Good finish.  This is a surprisingly bigger and riper Pinot (for France) than expected.  That is not to say over done.  Good finish.  Nice on its own, this should work well with many foods.  Salmon would be nice.   It was nice with pasta in a mushroom sauce.  Drink over the  next five to seven years.  

 

2022 Henri Bourgeois Sauvignon Blanc Petit Bourgeois, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$13.00USD

This is from a top Sancerre producer and while this is not labeled as such, it is better than many with the name.  A lovely, lighter wine that is clean and mineral driven although there is some fruit, too.  Light pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has minerality with apples and just the slightest grassy note.  Light bodied.  On the palate, more minerals with some apples and slight citrus.  Nice acidity.  Good finish.  This drinks fine on its own but is better with food.  It worked well with Mini French Onion Soup with Grilled Gruyere Sandwiches although better with the later.

NV Willm Crémant d'Alsace Blanc de Blanc, France, Alsace, Wine Review

Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$12.00USD

Most times when one reads Blanc de Blancs it is assumed Chardonnay.  In this case, however, the blend is 10% Gewurztraminer, 30% Pinot Blanc, 30% Pinot Gris, and 30% Riesling.  The wine is light golden in color and has a nice mousse of smaller bubbles.  The nose has pears with some lemon/citrus.  Nice minerality.  Medium bodied with good acidity and good balance.  On the palate, this has some citrus along with minerality.  Good finish.  Very food friendly, it went well with an Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Chive Tart (no easy match).  Drink now.  

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