France: Wine, French Wine Regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, & More Profiled
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.
Always a great value, the price has snuck up a bit and this was a bit disappointing considering all of the hype over the vintage. That said, it was still a very good wine for a reasonable price. Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose has a cherry candy quality to it. Also a sour cherry note. On the palate, this is very sweet/tart. Sweet cherries almost cloying but not quite playing off a tart sour cherry note. Medium tannins. Ok finish. And interesting wine that may settle down some and improve. It will work well with stews and meat dishes.
This was brought to a dinner party by a friend who reps the wine. It was the first time trying this winery, but of course 2015 is such a great vintage in the Northern Rhone that my expectations were high. Indeed, this wine delivers. It is an old school styled wine that really has a lot going on. It retails for around $25 which is a nice value. Purple in color, a bit flat in appearance. The nose is great but there is some funk/barnyard (if that bothers you). Also some plums, a bit of spice and black pepper. On the palate, this has light tannins. Good acidity. Black raspberries and
On a cold winter Sunday, after making a pot of Lentil Soup, this was opened and it was a perfect match. St. Joseph Blancs are not all that common but this one is worth searching out (so are this producer's reds)! Light golden in color. The nose is nice with a bit of wax, but nice peach and slight tropical fruit. Very clean. On the palate, this comes across with a lot of acidity until the finish where it get's really turned up. Nice creamy texture. Some peach and slight bees wax. Depth For around $25, this was a great match.
An issue with Bordeaux is how long do they need to be cellared before opening. I saw a tasting note saying this was drinking great, so I opened a bottle. Pop and pour. Uh, no. At least not for my tastes. It was tight, closed up and tannic. No harm though, the cork went back in and it was left for the next night. Again, pop and pour on Night 2. Much better although the last glass was certainly then best (by far). If I was doing it again, I would wait a couple of years but if I really wanted it htat evening, a six hour decant seems about right. As for the wine, it is inky purple in
