France

• Alsace
• Bergerac
• Bordeaux
  • Barsac
  • Bordeaux Supérieur
  • Margaux
  • Graves
  • Haut-Medoc
  • Listrac
  • Pauillac
  • Pomerol
  • Saint Emilion
  • Saint Estephe
  • Saint Julian
  • Sauternes
• Burgundy
  • Beaujolais
  • Bourgogne
  • Chablis
  • Côte de Nuits
  • Mercurey
• Cahors
• Champagne
• Cognac
• Corsica
• Gascony
• Jura
  • Arbois
• Languedoc-Roussillon
  • Minervois
• Loire Valley
  • Bourgueil
  • Jasnières
  • Muscadet
  • Mont Louis
  • Sancerre
  • Saumur
  • Savennières
  • Touraine
  • Vouvray
• Rhone (Rhône)
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  • Cornas
  • Crozes-Hermitage
  • Gigondas
  • Hermitage
  • Lirac
  • Saint Joseph
• Provence
  • Bandol
• Savoie
• Tavel

This is a sparkling Rosé from Burgundy made from Pinot Noir grapes.  JCB stands for Jean-Charles Boisset who was born in 1969.  The label states this wine is "Flamboyant-Vibrant-Sensual."  Salmon colored with lots of tiny bubbles, clear and bright.  The nose has cranberries, pomegranate, and a bit of a schmaltz (chicken fat) note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries, some cranberries and a slight bitter cherry note.  Good finish.  This is drinking well on its own but would be better with food.  It would be a nice match with grilled Salmon.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

Bichot is a producer who makes great wines in all price ranges.  This is a lovely sparkling wine from Burgundy. It is a 60/40 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Light golden in color with a nice mousse of tiny bubbles.  Clear and Bright.  The nose is toasty with red apples and slight grapefruit.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is refreshing with flavors of red apples and slight lemon.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and also very food friendly.  This would be a nice wine with fried Calamari.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

Summertime is always a great time for rosé, but of course, all year long is even better. Rosé should always be low alcohol with light, bright fruit, and a wine that works with a variety of foods, and should be a wine that is not overly complicated. Côte Mas, which I have reviewed for several vintages, is a consistently good, inexpensive rosé that works well pretty much whenever. This iteration is comprised of mainly Grenache with Cinsault and Syrah. It offers bright strawberry, cranberry and pomegranate, light rhubarb and fresh cherry.

This is 100% Cabernet Franc aged for a year in Amphorae and bottled with a very non-traditional label.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries and some black cherries, with dust, tobacco, and leather.  Medium to full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Flavors of black cherries, tobacco, cherries, spice and char.  Good finish.  This seems to be just getting to peak but should drink well for another ten years.  Better with food, this went well with Vegan Sausages but real sausages would work, too.  

This is 80% Mourvedre with the rest made up of Syrah and grenache.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, some black cherries, spices, and anise.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, t plums with spices and some black cherries.  This is drinking quite nicely on its own but would be better with food.  This would work well with beef stew.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This winery makes some of the best values in France.  They tend to make big, fruity wines more akin to California than France.  In fact, blind, I thought this was Santa Barbara Grenache.

This is Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in France.  It is from the wineries youngest vines and aged in concrete.  Ruby  in color with some purple and blue hues, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is sweaty/dusty with cherries and strawberries and a bit of black pepper.  Medium tannins.  Tart acidity.  On the palate, cherries with a touch of strawberries.  A streak of heat on the finish.  This is nice on its own but really needs some food.  It would be nice with some fatty meats, say a Lamb Stew. Drink over the next five to eight years.

First time trying this producer.  Pale green/silver/gold in color, slightly cloudy but bright.  The nose has some "sock drawer" notes on the nose but also apples, slight petrichor and a bit of oak/spice.  Light tannins.  On the palate, lemons, slight char and slight apple.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is a nice Chablis that would be better with food.  Of course, Oysters or other shellfish but also soft cheeses.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is a white wine from the east central part of France along the Swiss border.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is fragrant, almost "skunk weed" (think summer outdoor concerts) along with a bit of minerality and a slight oxidized peach note.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is a bit sweet.  Slight pineapple, honey and minerality.  Strong acidity.  It takes some getting used to but then delivers nicely.  It would be better with food and went well with a variety of cheeses.  Drink over the next few years.  This is a wine to serve to wine geeks and prob

This is a sparkling wine made in the traditional method from 100% Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley.  Light golden in color with a nice mousse of medium to smaller bubbles.  The nose is nice with good minerality along with a bit of red apples.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  The slightest bit of sweetness makes it nice on its own but is still food friendly.  It would work with most foods.  Fried chicken should work well.  Drink over the next couple of years.