France

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• Tavel

Deep purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with cassis, slight blueberries, soy sauce, and slight baking spices.  On the palate, this is young, tight and tannic, but given that, it presents delicious drinking right now.  Of course, give it five or ten years and there is definitely some upside.  The palate has lots of cassis intertwined with a nice earthiness with some salinity.  Good finish.  Needs heavier foods right now.  This has another 20 years in it depening how you like your wines.  

It's not too often I get the chance to drink a Bordeaux from my birth year - 1958, so this was quite a treat.  Pale ruby/brown in color to the rim.  The nose took a few minutes to sort itself out.  It is clearly old and past its prime but it was good and had plenty of life left.  The nose had dust, some mushrooms but also some cigar box and even some cherries.  Maybe I imagined it, but also some classic soy sauce notes.  On the palate, this is soft but reasonably in balance.  No tannins.  Some cherry fruit layered with damp earth/tobacco.  Good finish.  I won't give this an official grade b

Slightly better than a recently tasted 2006.  Purple, ruby at the rim.   Raspberries and boysenberries, with licorice, floral and spice on the nose.  A lot of complexity. Amazing texture. Lush, supple and sexy all at once. Perfectly balanced.  Tannins seem about resolved.  Long finish.  This seems to be at peak right now but should stay over the next few years depending on bottle variation.  Will work with a wide variety of food at this point, but heavier foods would be better.  

This seems to be at peak at this point.  It won't get any better not discounting bottle variation.  Ruby in color, slight browning at the rim.  The nose has cassis, cherries, slight baking spice, slight dried craisins, On the palate, there is good acidity here.  Tart cherries, cassis with underlying dry forest floor notes.  Nice finish.  This will work nicely with meet based dishes.  Give it 30 miutes of air to blow off the bottle stink and it is good to go.  

One of the great producers in the Southern Rhone and one of the few who doesn't have a super pricey luxury cuvee and so everything goes into the basic wine.  The price on new releases does hover into three digits now, but it is well worth it.  This was pop and pour and while it may have benefited from 30 minutes of air, it is drinking very well right now.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has raspberries, clay, and garrique.  On the palate, this has a beautiful texture.  Black cherry fruit layered with spice and minerals/rocks.  Complex.  Probably at or close to peak.   Will work

Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has some oak, its a bit tinny along with some nice lemon chiffon.  On the palate, lemon tart with some confectionery sugar.  Slightly oily texture.  Soft.  Some depth.  Long finish.  This retails for around $70 and that is the question.  Is it worth it.  A very nice wine to be sure, but it would seem there are plenty of Chardonnay's at this quality level for less money.  It is reasonably food friendly.  Of course, the other issue with white Burgundies is whether they will age or will oxidize prematurely.  Caveat Emptor.  

09 was a pretty open vintage especially on the right bank.  At age 9, this is drinking very well.  That said, there is plenty of room for further improvement.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, dark chocolate and char.  On the palate, this is juicy with a full bodied texture.  Black raspberries, layered with chocolate dust and slight oak notes.  Long finish.  This will work with roasted meats dishes quite well.  Another five years in the cellar and this should come together quite well.  If opening now, give it some air.  

One of the great wines of Bordeaux well deserving of its second growth status.  This is from a very hot vintage that many wine makers had some trouble with.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, slight tobacco and slight fresh floral notes.  On the palate, this is drinking quite well.  Showing some development, it is close but not yet at peak.  Layers of cassis and black cherry fruit, with some dry earthy forest floor.  Wispy tannins at this point.  Long finish.  Would work well with roasted meats and other foods.  Some possible upside still left.  

Nice mousse with lots of tiny bubbles.  Gold green in color.  The nose has a nice toast to it.  Slight smoke and red apples.  On the palate, this has a nice tart acidity.  Some depth.  Long finish.  This is very food friendly and in fact, while drinks well on its own, is probably better suited to apps or a nice meal.  This retails for $45 which is fair.  

Produced at Cave Vinicole de Kientzheim-Kaysersberg.  This was (surprisingly?) a couple of steps up from the 2015.  Light golden in color.  Great nose of Lychees and slight canned peaches.  On the palate, lively acidity cuts through the slight sweetness.  Lychees and peaches with underlying minerality.  Despite the acidity, the wine is round.  Will work great with spicy foods (this Asian) and lighter foods.  It retails for $17 which is a great value.