France

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• Tavel

Pop and pour, this took a few minutes to open, then just kept getting better.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great; earthy with black cherries, some black raspberries, smoke and black olives.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is tight but unwinds in the glass.  Layers of black raspberries, black pepper, black olives and char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is not a big wine, but has all the stuffing.  It still will improve a bit more.  Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years.  A nice match for a lamb or beef stew.  

Excellent showing for this bottle at age 21.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with orange peel, sea air, slight apple cider, peach and minerality.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is complex but also delicious.  Deep with apples, peach and minerality.  Plenty of depth.  Long finish.  Great on its own, this went quite well with vegetarian spicy Indian Food.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Great showing for this 1er Cru.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, spice and slight sandalwood.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is complex and layered.  Cherry fruit with some earthiness and spice.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own but better with food.  This would be nice with Salmon.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Popped the cork, allowed to breathe for an hour or so.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, slightly flat and opaque.  The nose is classic Bordeaux.  Some Bordeaux earthy funk along with cassis, cigar box and cedar.  Firm tannins.  Nicely balance.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is just about at peak but maybe not quite.  Layered complexity.  Cassis, earthiness, tobacco and slight char.  Long finish with some dark chocolate on it.  Delicious.  Everything one could have hoped for on purchase.  This drinks well on its own but would be great at the dinner table with Roasted Lamb.  It still

This started a bit tight, but with three hours of air, this was absolutely singing.  80% Marsanne with 20% Rousanne grapes from multiple vineyards.  Golden in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose initially shows tightly with limes, some melons and spice.  With air, more notes come out; salinity, butterscotch, almonds but also more melons and slight lemons.  Really complex.  Great "slick" texture with pin point balance and energy.  The palate mirrors the nose and really explodes with lots of air.  Melons, quince, spice, minerality and a bit of almonds on the finish.  Layer

White Rhones can be tricky, but this one was hitting on all cylinders from the get-go.  This is made from the Marsanne grape.

Wow.  Great showing for this.  And, as good as it was on opening, it was even better with a few hours of air!  Golden yellow in color, clear and bright.  The nose has honey, salinity, and crushed shells.  Full bodied.  Slightly sweet with some Botrytis.  On the palate, orange rind, minerality, with good acidity.  A bit of almonds on the finish.  This is complex and deep.  Drinking well with a couple hours of air, this should improve over the next ten years.  It should easily go three more decades.  Just a stunning wine.  It will work with more savory dessert such as a polenta cake but is qu

It is always a pleasure to drink a first Growth.  2003 was an extremely hot vintage all across Europe.   This vintage is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  Great nose.  A bit of funk, some cigar, plenty of cassis, and leather.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this seems about at peak maturity.  Plenty of depth.  Layers of cassis with some tobacco notes and earthiness.  Long finish.  Just a fantastic wine.  This drinks great on its own and would work well with roasted meats or veggies.  It w

Does Beaujolais age?  This was opened at a recent tasting of Beaujolais to show that it really does.  Not even a specific Cru, with the original $15 price sticker still on the bottle, this was fresh and drinking well.  Is it an amazing wine?  No, but it is solid and enjoyable.  Ruby in color with some darker swirls.  The nose has fresh cherry fruit and slight candy.  Medium bodied.  No tannins.  On the palate, cherries with some depth.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own and would work great with a mushroom pizza.  

A new winery for me.  This is very nice.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight candied cherries and slighter citrus.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has tart acidity.  Cherries with slight citrus.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with food.  A nice wine with Mushroom Quiche.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  A great value!