France

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This is a project from the owners of Domaine Serene in Oregon.  Light green/gold in color.  The nose is chalky with slight vanilla and slight lemons.  On the palate, this is a big and fruity Chardonnay.  Quite tasty.  Lemony with a slightly sweet-tart candied note which is nice.  Big and long finish.  Perhaps a bit atypical for the vintage but a very nice wine that would go with a wide variety of lighter and medium weight foods.  

Silvery gold in color.  This has a really great nose.  Clean with just a touch of oak showing.  Salinity and ref apples.  With air, some citrus emerges.  On the palate, the apples come thru.  There is underlying minerality.  While the wine has a rich fat texture, it has enough acidity to work with.  Good finish but there is a touch of oak/harshness.  The wine seems to be drinking quite well right now, but may (or not) get a bit better.  Still, it seems prudent to drink these younger.  It will match well with sea food and lighter fare.  

Light golden in color with slight green tinges.  The nose is very nice with some lemon cream and underlying minerality.  This has a nice smokiness to it and also a bit of salinity.  On the palate, this is a bit fat and more acidity would be nice.  That said, it has lovely lemon fruit and a nice minerality.  Good finish.  It would work well with some rich seafood dishes.  

Light green gold in color.  The nose is nice with slight vanilla, lots of minerality and some lemon.  Also, with air, some eucalyptus/minty notes.  On the palate, this is crisp and lean (in a good way).  Less oak showing on the palate.  Nice clean finish.  This should work nicely with sea food and lighter foods.  Youthful, it should age out a bit over the next ten years.  

Silvery/gold in color.  The nose is very nice with gunpowder and slight lemon chiffon.  On the palate, this is slightly oily.  Nice lemony notes.  OK acidity.  A very nice wine that should work with lighter foods.  Fresh and lively right now.  It should be good for another five to ten, but it won't improve.  

This is a wonderful Champagne.  Light silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse with lots of tiny bubbles.  The nose is clean with seltzer, minerals and as it opens, slight cherry notes.  On the palate, this has great tart acidity.  Lots of lemons and some quince.  As it warms, some vanilla comes out.  Long chalky finish.  This is very young but drinking quite well right now.  Will go with just about any food.  Give it a few years and it will probably earn a perfect score.  

This is what is sometimes referred to as an "orange" wine.  What that means is that it is fermented on its skins.  The extended skin contact transfers some color to what is otherwise a white wine.  It has other effects on the wines depending on the wine making process.  Though this style of winemaking has been around for a long time, a small subsection or wine lovers and commentators discovered these wines about ten years ago and became enthralled with them.  Like anything however, just because a wine is made in this style doesn't make them good or bad.  This one, however, is very good.  Th

This one comes in a unique shaped bottle.  It is drinking quite well today and should easily last for five more years.  Ruby/purple, clear and bright.  The nose is tight at first.  With air, some black raspberries and raspberries come out.  Also some floral qualities and some spice.  On the palate, this has nice black raspberry fruit.  Slight leather.  Medium tannins.  A bit dusty underneath.  Good finish.  Very food friendly.  At around $15, this is a very nice value.  

A nice showing for this 2014.  Given that, it is probably worth checking out the 2015 or 2016.  This retails for around $25.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has plums along with some dusty tobacco.  Also a very interesting saline feature.  On the palate, this is very tannic.  Black cherry fruit with a bit of earthiness.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Everything you could want in a value Bordeaux.  

A disappointing showing for this wine.  Ruby in color, flat.  The nose has some cedar and a bit of red currants.  On the palate, there is some fruit but it is disjointed and seems cloying.  At the same time the acidity is out of balance and harsh.  Very tart on the finish.  The flat appearance for such a young wine makes me wonder if this was indeed a proper bottle or it was mishandled somewhere along the distribution chain.  It retails for around $20 and should be better.