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

This is a very nice Chardonnay made from estate grown and purchased fruit.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has some green apple often found in Chablis, but mostly grapefruit with some lemon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is moderately crisp with a bit of chalky minerality.  Good finish.  It drinks well on its own and worked well with a caprese salad.  Drink over the next few years.  

Always fun to get a chance at drinking an older wine.  1967 was a long time ago.  The Beatles released Sgt.

From Magnum.  Very nice showing for this wine.  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  This has slight petrol, orange peel, and apricot on the nose. Quite enticing.  Medium bodied.  Viscous.  Dry.  On the palate, this has a nice vibrancy.  Not really showing old although certainly mature.  Apricot, peaches and minerality with good acidity.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and worked very well with fried onion rings and tater tots.  In this format, this could probably go another ten to twenty years.  (Price listed is for a 750ml)

This is from the northernmost AOC in the southern Rhone Valley in France.  It is a blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and black raspberries with spice and slight floral note.  Full bodied.  Nice balance.  On the palate, lots of deep black cherry fruit.  A bit chunky in a rustic sort of way.  Good finish.  This is a nice value wine that will work well with a pizza or or burger.  Drink over the next few years.  

Muscadets are usually tremendous values.  Crisp, inexpensive and delicious white wines from the Loire Valley in France.  This one is all of those.  Pale silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, lemons and sea air.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has lots of minerality, crushed shells, salinity but also lemons to tie it all together.  Some depth and complexity.  These will age longer than one might think, maybe ten to fifteen years, but they are best when young and crisp.  The perfect foil for oysters.  

One of my go value wines.  Just about every vintage in the southern Rhone is good these days, so this is usually good, too.  Certainly 2020 fits right in with prior vintages.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose is nice with black cherries, char, spice and slight floral notes.  Medium to full bodied.  Nice texture.  This drinks easily with lots of black cherry fruit and underlying char.  Nice finish.  I suppose it will age for five to seven years, but I usually just drink mine right away.  Nice on its own, this is great with chili, or stew.  

This is a more easy going style of Cote Rotie.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight bacon fat, white pepper and some violets.  Full bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with black pepper.  Long finish.  Light tannins.  This is drinking well now and should continue to drink well for another ten to twelve years.  It will work better with food than on its own.  A brisket sandwich would work well.  

Pop and pour, this is drinking very well.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, black cherries, tobacco and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has nice tight layering that unwinds in the glass.  Light tannins.  Notes of cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate, and char.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Still a bit on the young side but no harm in opening a bottle.  This will drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, even better with food.  Pot roast would be a great choice.  

This wine was bought on release and is exactly where it should be at age 21.  Deep ruby in color with just a bit of browning at the edges.  Clear and bright.  The wine initially has some bottle funk but that blows of to reveal a classic CdP nose.  Cherries, spice, slight barnyard, a bit of dried cherries and roasted herbs.  Medium to full bodied.  Great energy and balance.  on the palate, this is complex and layered.  Cherries, fresh and dried, earthiness and char.  Nice balance.  Good finish.  This is fully mature and probably needs to be drunk soon as it starts to fade.  Still, another fi

This is a Pinot Noir based Rose from the Loire Valley in France.  Very refreshing at 13% abv.  Light salmon/pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  Medium bodied.  Lightly viscous.  On the palate, a bit of a sweet tart note along with some tart orange notes especially on the finish.  This wine will work better with some food to tame the acidity. A summertime watermelon and feta cheese salad would be perfect.  Drink over the next year or two.