France

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This bottle was bought on release back when it was affordable.  My last bottle, and it was served at dinner with friends along with an eggplant and tomato soup.  A very good pairing.  The wine itself is very interesting.  Plenty of depth and complexity but showing quite youthfully.  Medium golden in color.  The nose has apricots, slight vanilla, slight marzipan and a hint of tropical fruit.  On the palate, full bodied.  Ever so slightly oily texture.  Delicious vanilla, peach, and waxy notes.  Complex and layered, it unwinds nicely in a glass.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Everything I cou

Excellent showing for this wine.  Light silvery gold in color.  A nice mousse with lots of smaller bubbles.  On the nose, nice red apples notes with just the slightest bit of nuttiness (almonds?).  Full bodied but not flamboyant.  Lots of minerals and apples on the palate.  Good acidity.  Worked well with roasted chickpeas and almonds.  Long finish.  This has a very nice complexity to it and though it tastes mature, it seems like there is still some room to go further.  Very dry finish.  It is listed as Brut Nature so that makes sense.  

This is a nice value in 1er Cru Champagne.  It drinks very well right now.  Light golden in color with a nice head of small bubbles.  The nose is nice with a green apple note along with some faint toast qualities.  In general, this is more on the austere side of Champagne which is not a bad thing.  Plenty of acidity.  Long finish.  This was served to friends at the start of the evening along side some roasted chick peas and that proved a fine pairing a great start to the evening.  I don't think this will improve and these bottles, purchased in the last year, should be drunk in the next year

A Burgundy for under $15?  Hard to beat that price.  As for the wine, it is fine.  Easy drinking.  Some Pinot characteristics.  Light ruby in color.  Cherries on the nose and palate.  Light bodied.  Made for immediate drinking.  Actually, for the price, this is a great Pinot value.  

Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, slight raspberries, a bit of minerality and spice.  On the palate, this is mid-weight.  Drinking well right now.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  Ripe enough black raspberry fruit.  This will work well with stews and roasts and is better with food.  Some peppery qualities on the finish.  Probably needs to be consumed in the next five years.  

This a very nice value in Cabernet Franc made from biodynamically grown grapes.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice.  2010 was a warmer vintage and that matters for Cab Franc.  If under ripe, it can be a bit green.  Very nice black cherry fruit along with some cigar tobacco.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  The black cherry fruit carries thru.  Good acidity.  There is some forest floor which is nice.  This begs for food and worked well with middle eastern fare.  Good finish.  Drinking well now but should cruise thru the next ten years.  

Opened to celebrate my son's 23rd birthday.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The mousse is thick with lots of tiny bubbles.  On the nose, this is mostly mineral driven but there are some green apples and slight toast.  On the palate, this veers toward the leaner side but not all the way.  Green apple fruit with a nice minerality.  Good acid.  Long finish.  Went great with a shaved mushroom with lemon juice salad.  

Part of a 40th Birthday party celebration.  I am not sure if this was a great example of this wine, but the wine was sound if old and still with plenty of life left.  Pop and decant for sediment, it took about 30 minutes to blow off the bottle stink.  Purple in color, ruby/brown at the rim.  The nose has leather, some funk, cherries and dried cherries and dust.  On the palate, there is still some cherry fruit left.  Also some underlying earthiness.  A nice bit of acidity is keeping it lively without being over the top.  Fades at the finish.  It's always fun to drink older wines and this one

A very nice Rose Champagne.  Pale pink/blue in color.  A nice mousse with small bubbles.  The nose is very nice with strawberries, and hay.  On the palate, this has good cut.  It's not the biggest wine in the world but drinks quite well.  Works nicely with a wide variety of foods.  Long finish.  

Light golden in color.  The nose is nice with hay, seltzer and slight ginger.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, slight cider/oxidized notes.  Also a bit of fresh red apples.  Very nice balance.  Long finish.  This is very food friendly and will go with just about any food.  It seems like this should last for at least a decade and develop a bit more.