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

In the series on the 1855 Classification of the First Growths, I spoke exclusively about red wines. In that same year, however, the sweet dessert wines from the Bordeaux communes of Barsac and Sauternes were also classified. All of the dessert wines listed were rated as either premier cru (first growth) or second growth status. That is, all but Yquem which was rated Premier Cru Superieur (First Great Growth), a higher rating even than any red wine achieved in their 1855 Classification. Yquem is quite possibly the greatest wine made anywhere and has a history dating back four hundred years! While every wine region has its stars, there is probably no other winery that so dominates the quality of a region and has such as a lofty reputation as Chateau Yquem. What makes these wines so special is that they develop a rot called botrytis cinera also known as Noble Rot. When certain grapes are attacked they get moldy which, in a wonderful twist of fate, causes the grapes to lose much of their moisture, concentrating the flavors. The resulting grapes look like moldy shriveled raisins that produce a sweet nectar.

Perhaps the most consistent of the Bordeaux First Growths has been Chateau Latour. While the other four Chateaus have had periods of underperformance, Chateau Latour has been remarkably consistent over the years in making some of the best wine to be found. Chateau Latour can trace its history back to 1331 when a tower, called Tor à St-Lambert, was built on the site. This tower was used for defense in a battle between the Plantagenets and the French during the Hundred Years Wars. Sometime around 1378, the land, now referred to as “the tower” or Le Tour, was a seigneurie, a sharecropping system of land ownership. In 1453, when the English were finally defeated, the owner of the estate, Sieur de Larsan fled. The property returned to the control of the French and the tower on the site was destroyed. Nothing from it, other than the name, exists today. Sometime in the early 17th century, the the building on the label of the bottle called a dovecot was built on the site of the original tower.

In most wine producing regions of the world, there is a government body that attempts to classify wines in order to protect both the producers and the consumers from fraud. This (quasi) governmental entity ensures that the information on the label is correct and can be relied upon by the consumer...

Provence lies in the south east corner of France. There are many famous wine regions within Provence, but none make better wines than Bandol. Wine has been made in Bandol since the Phoenicians planted the first vines 2,500 years ago.

Along the French border with Germany lies the region of Alsace (all-SAHss). The region’s customs are a combination of both the French and German culture, a result of the political turmoil this region has long experienced. Alsace has changed ownership four times in the past few hundred years. Since World War I, this area has belonged to France. The wines, however, bear as much resemblance to the wines of Germany as they do to the wines of France. To be more precise, the wines of Alsace are a hybrid of the two, yet distinct from either.

Beaujolais, France 2010 88 D 2009 97 D/H 2008 88 D/H 2007 84 D 2006 88 D 2005 89 D/H 2004 88 D 2003 83 D 2002 92 D 2001 89 D 2000 88 D 1999 91 D 1998 89 D 1997 85 D 1996 90 D 1995 87 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer...

Alsace, France 2009 90 D/H 2008 87 D 2007 88 D 2006 90 D 2005 91 D 2004 87 D 2003 85 D 2002 93 D/H 2001 93 D 2000 85 D 1999 92 D 1998 88 D 1997 84 D 1996 88 D 1995 92 D 1994 90 D 1993 88 D 1992 85 D 1991 78 D 1990 94 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific...

Vouvray, Loire Valley, France 2009 91 D/H 2008 89 D 2007 87 D 2006 86 D 2005 94 D/H 2004 90 D 2003 85 D 2002 97 D/H 2001 87 D 2000 86 D 1999 88 D 1998 89 D 1997 86 D 1996 93 D 1995 90 D 1994 88 D 1993 84 D 1992 82 D 1991 92 D 1990 90 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu...

One of the most famous wine regions in the world is Chateauneuf du Pape. Chateauneuf du Pape covers almost 8,000 acres in the southern Rhone Valley of France. The officially demarcated wine region enjoys a very warm climate, baked by the Mediterranean sun. While both red and white wines are made here, it is the red wine that has made this area famous.

Update: IntoWine has partnered with the California Wine Club to offer you great deals on Aged Cabernet Sauvignon...