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

2015 Schoffit Gewurztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Théobald, France, Alsace, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+

What a delicious wine.  Golden in color.  The nose is gorgeous with lychees, and slight canned peaches in heavy syrup.  On the palate, this is viscous.  Slightly sweet but not dessert level.  Honey and peaches with good acidity.  Would work great with spicy foods.  Long finish.  This is sweet enough to not please though who insist on dry wines, but for those more varied in their tastes, this is delicious.  Young, this drank better on day 2.  It does have a touch of a bitterness that one sometimes finds in Gewurztraminer.  Enough to notice, not enough to mar the flavors of enjoyment.  This r

2010 Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne St. Joseph, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has a lot of funk/barnyard.  Some blows off with air but not all.  There is also some boysenberry fruit, leather and slight bacon fat.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Probably at or close to maturity.  Boysenberry layered with damp earth.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This needs heartier foods to work with.  No hurry but probably should be drunk in the next five to seven years.  

2009 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A

Such a pretty wine.  Much more on the elegant side of CdP.  Drinking at what seems to be at peak right now.  Purple with ruby swirls.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight cedar, nutmeg and other spices.  On the palate, this is soft and accessible.  Still, deep and with tight layering.  It gently unwinds in the glass.  Nice finish.  This works easily with medium and heavier foods.  Vary tasty.  Not a dominant wine, this will work better on its own than with a bunch of wines.  

2010 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+

Wow.  Great wine that has really opened up in the last year.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, spice, and slight floral notes (violets?).  On the palate, virtually a seamless texture.  Full bodied and full of glycerin.  Loads of black cherries and black raspberries.  Light tannins.  An underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Needs a bit bigger foods.  Just delicious.  Still has a decade or two left in it.  One of thos sips you can't stop drinking as it tastes so good.  

2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2005
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Light golden in color.  The nose is very nice.  Lemons, slightly candied, a bit of vanilla, and slight spice.  On the palate, this has a creamy texture.  Good not great acidity.  Slightly oily texture.  The lemon candy come thru nicely.  A bit of oak too on the palate, but mostly integrated at this point.  Good finish.  Worked well with lighter foods.  Seems to still be maturing but getting close to peak.  No hurry has a decade or more to go. 

2013 Benjamin Laroche Chablis La Manufacture 1er Cru Vau Ligneau, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Hay gold in color.  The nose is filled with green apples and some chalk.  A bit of underlying minerality.  On the palate, sour green apples which get stronger with air.  Good acidity, but not great (especially for Chablis).  Long finish.  Lots of fruit here.  This will go with a wide variety of light and medium weight foods.  Not quite what I think of for Chablis, but very much a nice Chardonnay (if that makes sense).  Available at Nakedwines.com.

NV Jean Philippe Moulin Champagne Brut Rosé, France, Wine Review

Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Pale salmon/orange in color.  There is a nice mousse with lots of medium and small bubbles.  On the nose there are strawberries, cherries and oranges.  Not too pronounced but persistent.  On the palate, the cherries carry thru along with some orange peel (bitter in a good way).  There is a lot of acidity on this wine.  That is a great thing for working with food and waking up the palate.  Of course, palate's vary as well.  An very long finish that really lasts.  This is not a big wine.  There is persistent fruit but it won't overwhelm food and in fact, it works great with a wide variety of

2009 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Light golden in color.  The nose has some lemons, a bit of hay but a touch of oxidation as well.  Not too much though.  On the palate, the lemons carry thru with nice acidity.  Slightly candied on the finish.  This kept improving all night with air and the bit of oxidation seemed less obvious as other elements were more present.  Nice finish.  This worked quite well with a funghi pizza.  It may improve a bit with more storage, but it seems like it should be drunk sooner than later at this point.  Of course, one always worries with oxidation and white Burgundies.  

2017 Guy Saget Sauvignon Blanc La Petite Perriere, France, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
83
Grade: 
B-

This is an under $10 Sauvignon Blanc from France.  It is made in the style of a Loire Valley wine, that is more mineral based with some fruit and good acidity.  Light golden in color.  The nose is fine with minerals, and slight grapefruit.  On the palate, this is slightly bitter.  An underlying minerality.  Slightly flabby.  Innocuous.  For the price, it is fine, but don't expect magic.  

2010 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A

This has really come into its own and is drinking quite well right now.  Still youthful and not yet at peak though.  Purple in color.  The nose is bigger and excellent with cherries, violets, black olives, black raspberries, slightly meaty and spice.  On the palate, this is primary but deep.  it starts to open in the glass but still needs a few more years.  Lots of concentrated black raspberry fruit, cherries with just a bit of earth and spice.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  It needs heartier foods right now but should last for another 12 to 15 years at least.  

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