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

2015 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde, France, Rhone, Wine review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

Consumed on the Celebrity Millennium off the coast of Alaska.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy with black raspberries and slight bacon fat.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with black raspberries and underlying char.  Long finish.  This is starting to show a bit of maturity but will continue to develop more.  It drinks great on its own, but better with food.  Cassoulet would be classic, but this will go well with Indian food, too.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

2021 Domaine Perrault-Jadaud Vouvray Sec "Les Grives Soules", France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

This is a dry (Sec) Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with tangerines, sea air, baked apples and char.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Very nice slightly oily texture.  On the palate, green apples with an interesting chervil note.  Long finish.  This is still young but drinking well.  Nice on its own, this is also very food friendly.  It would pair nicely with pork chops.  Drink over the next ten years.  

2022 Domaine (Alain & Christophe) Le Capitaine Vouvray Sec Les Perrières, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$22.00USD

This is a dry Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Silvery/green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is interesting with red apples, crushed rocks, Linden leaves, and a slight orange peel note.  Full bodied.  Lovely "slick" texture.  On the palate, crushed rocks/minerality, and red apples with a nice backbone of acidity.  Long finish.  This is young and vibrant but will round out with some age.  It should drink well for another ten more years.  A nice wine for Thai or Chinese food, but this would also be great with fried chicken.  

2003 Domaine de la Fontainerie Vouvray Coteau Les Brules Moelleux, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2003
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$54.00USD

This is a late harvest wines made from Chenin Blanc grapes in the Loire Valley, France.  12% abv.  Very pretty in the glass with a deep golden color, clear and bright.  The nose has orange zest, honey apricots and sea air.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is sweet and is probably best served as a dessert wine.  Not cloying.  Notes of apricots and slight honey.  Long finish.  Deep and complex.  This will drink well on its own, but would work great with less sweet dessert such as a simple cookie or a Polenta Cake.  Sweet Chenin Blanc wines can last a long time.  This is alrea

2020 François et Julian Pinon Vouvray Les Trois Argiles, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$28.00USD

The wines of François Pinon have been some of our favorites for quite some time.  His son Julien is now involved with him at the winery.  This wine is so named as the grapes (100% Chenin Blanc) come from three separate plots.  The wines are fermented with native yeasts in old wooden vats in the naturally cool cellar carved out of a limestone hillside.

2021 Vincent Carême Vouvray Plaisir Ancestral Brut Nature, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is a sparkling wine from the Loire Valley made from Chenin Blanc grapes.  The wine receives zero dosage.  It is made in the pétillant style using "natural" winemaking techniques (no added sulfites).  Pale gold in color, clear and bright.  Lots of quickly disappearing, medium sized bubbles.  The nose is lovely with green apples, with a slight smoky note and some minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, sour apples, some green apples and minerality.  This is mostly dry.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  This is versatile and will work with a wide variety of foods

2020 Domaine Nicolas Brunet Vouvray Brut, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$29.00USD

This is a sparkling wine (Methode Traditionelle) made from Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley of France.  Yellow/gold in color with slight green hues, mostly clear and bright.  The mouse shows a fair amount of medium sized bubbles.  The nose has a nice minerality to it with crushed rocks and a slight seltzer quality.  Nice mouthfeel.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, there is a nice seltzer note with slight ginger and a hint of char.  A bit of an herbal note (almost scallion like) on the finish.  This drinks well on its own and is very food friendly.  It would be excellent with l

2019 Domaine Christophe Mittnacht Terres d'Étoiles Cremant Extra Brut, France, Alsace, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is a certified biodynamic wine made from 60% Pinot Auxerrois, 10% Pinot Blanc, 10% Riesling, 10% Pinot Gris, and 10% Pinot Noir grapes in Alsace, France.  Silvery/gold in color with a modest mousse of smaller bubbles.  The nose features orange peel, slight floral note and minerality.  Medium  bodied.  On the palate this is lighter in style.  Citrus with underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy on its own but will work better with food.  It would be very nice with an Onion Tart.  Drink over the next few years.  

2017 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$26.00USD

This is a lightly sparkling wine made from Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley in France.  Golden in color, the mousse quickly fades in the glass.  Medium sized bubbles.  The nose is different with yeast, slight doughy notes along with a bit of salinity.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  Dry.  Notes of honey (not sweet) and crushed shells.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own but really needs some food.  It would be very nice with a wide range of foods from a Beet Salad to a Quiche.  Unique and not a substitute for a Champagne styled wine.  Drink

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