France

• Alsace
• Bergerac
• Bordeaux
  • Barsac
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  • Saint Julian
  • Sauternes
• Burgundy
  • Beaujolais
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• Champagne
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• Jura
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• Loire Valley
  • Bourgueil
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  • 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

I was apprehensive about this.  Not a great vintage and 46 years from that vintage.  The wine performed way above expectations.  Ruby in color, some browning at the edges, clear and still somewhat bright.  The nose has some cassis, some dried fruits, a bit of burnt sugar and slight oxidation.  On the palate, cranberries and cassis with some dried forest floor.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  Some complexity.  Long finish.  While not a great Lafite perhaps, a very fun experience and outstanding wine.  This works better with food though, considering how rare to get to try this, perhaps just e

Pop and pour with no decanting.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, barnyard, cassis and truffles.  Full bodied.  Complex and layered with light tannins.  This seems to be at peak.  On the palate, cherries, dried cherries, and slight tobacco.  Clean.  Long finish.  Contemplative on its own but better with a bit of food.  Although it will drink well for another  decade, it probably will start a slow slide down soon.  

This is a blend of 50% Chardonnay. 45% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Munier.  This is their prestige cuvee in the attractive, hand painted bottle.  Go0lden in color with a steady stream of small bubbles.  The nose is nice with toast, slight lemon and maybe a hint of peach.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, lemons with some toast.  Long finish.  Very tasty and very food friendly, it will work with just about any food.  Still fresh and vibrant, drink over the next seven to ten years.

This is a dessert wine made from Muscat a Petit Grains in the southern Rhone.  Vidal Fleury is now owned by the Guigal family, but the winery is the oldest in the Rhone.  Thomas Jefferson visited in the 1700's.  This is an excellent value in dessert wine.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with apricot and blood orange and a slight honey note.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Sweet, not cloying.  On the palate, oranges and slight honey notes.  Long finish.  A nice way to top off an evening.  This is nice on its own and would work well with a less sweet cake or cookie.  

The trio of Guigal La La Cote Rotie's are legendary as some of the greatest wines in the world.  Any time one gets to try a bottle is a rare occasion.  Now, 2002 was not a great or even good vintage, but this bottle had been purchased for an affordable price on release and well stored waiting for the right time to open.  At age 20, it was drinking quite well if not at the level of some better vintages.  This is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier which was less than usual due to the botrytis that came from the wet conditions.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is pretty with black ra

This is the basic Cote Rotie from purchased fruit.  It is 96% Syrah with 4% Viognier that saw 36 months in barrel, half of that new oak.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with black raspberries, black pepper, black olives and slight smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with underlying char.  Plenty of depth.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and should be very food friendly.  It would be perfect with a steak.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

This is 100% Syrah from older vines in the northern Rhone.  Guigal bought the vineyards from Jean-Louis Grippat upon his retirement: The granite based soil held in place by a series of terraces. The wine is fermented in stainless-steel tanks, followed by 30 months in new oak barrels.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, black olives and spice.  Full bodied.   Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Ripe black raspberries, some black cherries with underlying char and spice.

This is the basic Saint Joseph from Guigal.  It is 100% Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with black raspberries, char, black olives, spice and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, spice, and slight coffee grounds.  Delicious.  Nice finish.  A definite step up from the Crozes-Hermitage.  It drinks well on its own and will work very well with food.  Of course a burger, but this will work well with Indian food, too.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  

This is 100% Syrah from the northern Rhone.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, smoke, slight gamey meat and black olives.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good balance.  Lovely jammy texture.  On the palate, loads of ripe black raspberries with some char and black pepper.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and will work well with foods.  Grilled meats would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  

This is a blend of 70% old Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% other allowed grapes.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  It was interesting to drink this side by side with the Gigondas.  The CdP is a much bigger and more complex wine (and more expensive).  The nose has black cherries, cherries, spice, smoke and black pepper.  Medium to full bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Open and drinking well but with depth and complexity.  Flavors of black cherries, plums and spice with light tannins.  This is drinking well on its own and will work well wi