France: Wine, French Wine Regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, & More Profiled
Gold/green in color, clear and bright. The nose has chalk, salinity and green apples. Medium bodied. Moderate acidity. No sharp edges. On the palate, red apples with slight chalk. Easy drinking. Moderate finish. Drinking well now and should for another five to eight years. This would work well with shell fish.
Gorgeous. This is their "basic" non-vintage or multi-vintage but better than most luxury cuvees. It is a blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay, and 16% Meunier. Light golden in color with a steady stream of small bubbles. Nice frothy mousse. The nose has toast, yeast, slight cherries, apples and chalk. Full bodied. On the palate, this is complex and deep. Slightly tart fruit (oranges) with some chalk. Long finish. This is drinking well now, and should for the next ten to fifteen years. This will go with just about any food. It would be great with Sushi.
Always a treat though this is starting to show some age (in a good way). Light golden in color, clear and bright. The mousse isn't as frothy as it had been not as persistent, but still present. It is a blend of 53% Pinot Noir and 47% Chardonnay. The nose is great with yeast, ginger, slight char, and slight nutty note. Full bodied. On the palate, this is deep and complex. Some apples, ginger, char and nuts especially on the finish. Long finish. Great on its own, this is incredibly versatile with food. It worked well with grilled, spiced radishes.
This was a delightful Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France. Stylistically, it had a bit of new world characteristics which was interesting. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with some grassiness and some tropical fruits. Medium bodied. On the palate, this is tasty with some depth. Tropical fruits with some minerality. Nice finish. Drink over the next few years. This would work well with fish tacos.
This was from a 375ml bottle bought on release. Purple in color, slightly flat, opaque. The nose is dusty with black cherries, black raspberries, and some roasted meat. Full bodied. On the palate, this is past maturity but still with plenty to offer. Nice complexity. Black raspberry fruit with underlying char. Good balance. Nice finish. These should be consumed soon. Better with good. Chili would work well.
This is 100% Syrah. Purple in color with slight ruby swirls. The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, black olives and smoked meats. Full bodied. On the palate, black raspberries, salinity, and char. Long finish. This is drinking well now and should drink well for the next eight to twelve years. It works well on its own and would work well with hearty meat or lamb based dishes.
This is a blend of 96% Serine (a Syrah clone) and 4% Viognier. Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is great with black raspberries, smoke and black pepper. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this is on the more elegant side of Cote Rotie. Nice black raspberry fruit with some char. Good finish. This is drinking well now and should drink well for another seven to ten years. It will work better with food. This would go well with pork chops.
This is a blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier from the Cote Blonde in the southern end of Cote Rotie. The nose is lovely. Quite floral (violets?) but also black raspberries and spice. Full bodied. Viscous/glycerin texture. Light tannins. On the palate, black raspberries, black cherries and char. Good balance. Good finish. This is drinking well today and should continue for another five to eight years. This is lighter in style than most Cote Rotie's making it very food friendly. It would work well with roasted fowl.
This is made from 100% Serine (Syrah) vines that are about 45 years old. Purple in color with ruby swirls although a bit flat. The nose is very perfumed with black raspberries, violets but also smoked meats. Full bodied. Nice drinkable texture. Medium tannins. On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit with some smoke and minerality. Good finish. This is drinking well now but will still improve a bit. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. It is nice on its own but will work better with food. Braised meat and potato dishes would work well.
This is 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier. Very nice wine and an excellent value in Cote Rotie. The nose has black raspberries, black olives, and slight roasted meats. Full bodied. Good acidity. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is muscular with black raspberries and black olives coming thru along with a bit of char. Good finish. This is drinking well now and should continue for another fifteen years. A nice match for Indian cuisine.
