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

MV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvee Edition 170eme, France, Wine Review

Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$260.00USD

A blend of 195 wines from twelve vintages back to 1998, 51% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay, 11% Meunier, base vintage 2014, bottled spring 2021.  Another top notch effort by arguably the best producer in Champagne.  Light golden in color with a multitude of very tiny bubbles.  Lovely froth.  The nose is great with ginger, slight brioche, slight caramel and lemon.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Some salinity with lemons and slight ginger ale.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This version does not seem to have quite the quality of the prior few which is unfortunate given how expen

2017 Domaine Verset A & E Cornas, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$48.00USD

This is made from 100% Syrah in the Northern Rhone.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice if a bit reticent at first.  Boysenberries with slight sandalwood and a bit of floral qualities and char.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is understated but quite good.  Boysenberries with some char and spice.  Deep.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and better with hearty food.  It went well with Roasted Peppers and Root Vegetables.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years. 

2019 Domaine Laroche Chablis Saint Martin, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$29.00USD

My first time trying wine.  Very nice.  Gold green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is a bit chalky with apples (mostly green).  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is crisp and tasty.  Chalky with lemons.  Nice finish.  Nice on its own, but this is very food friendly.  It went great with a caprese salad.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  Nice value.

2019 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Clos du Bourg, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$47.00USD

Wow.  Beautiful wine.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight tangerine, pears, chalk and a bit of ginger.  Full bodied.  Dry.  Deep if still tight.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Young, so if drinking soon, give it air.  Notes of ginger, pears and slight burnt orange peel.  Long finish.  This is great now, but still may improve a bit.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own or with food.  This would work well with grilled Trout.  

2018 Sebastien Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

With most of my favorite Chablis producers now selling their wines for (well) north of $100 per bottle, Dampt has become one of our go to Chablis.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is slightly chalky with some minerality and slight lemon.  Also some salinity.  Full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, lemons, chalk and minerality.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This drinks well but better with food.  Shellfish is ideal but so is Hummus and Roasted Veggies.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

2020 François Chidaine Touraine Clos de la Grange, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

Chidaine is one of our favorite producers of win es in the Loire Valley.  Compared to most Sancerre's or Pouilly Fume's, this is a tremendous value if you like Lorie Sauvignon Blanc (the ancestral home of the grape).  Not sure, well for the price, it sure seems worth checking out.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has minerality, hay, peach and slight grapefruit.  Light bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, minerality with grapefruit.

2010 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

This is a very nice premier cru Burgundy.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight cinnamon, and spice.  Medium bodied.  Very light tannins.  On the palate, cherries, slight sour cherries with a bit of spice.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should continue for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own but probably better with food.  Salmon would be a nice choice.

2007 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Les Racines, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2007
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

From the excellent 2007 vintage, this winery consistently makes some of the better Gigondas wines.  Ruby/brown in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black raspberries, black pepper and slight dried flower note.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, some cherries, spice and some earthiness.  Good finish.  This seems to be at peak, but will probably start declining soon, so, drink up.  A nice wine with braised lamb of beef.  

1999 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Nice to revisit this.  Back in the day, this was our house wine ($20), but then it was awarded the Wine Spectator WOTY and overnight, the price doubled and that was that.  New vintages are around $65, so it hasn't gone up a lot in 20 years since.  Too bad, because while this might not be a top CdP, it is a very nice wine and this one has held up great.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, and Provencal spice.  Light to medium bodied.  Tannins completely integrated.  On the palate, cherries with some char.  Moderate finish.  Drink up if you have any.  A nice wine

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