France: Wine, French Wine Regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, & More Profiled
Golden in color. The nose has orange peel and honey. Just gorgeous. On the palate, this is amazing. The orange peel carries thru along with some orange and apricot. Great acidity that cuts thru the sweetness. It is sweet, just right. Complex and deep. Long, long finish. Drinking quite well right now, but no hurry. Just a lovely wine.
Lots to say about this wine, but first, why it was opened. My friend Chris is about to retire. Way back in 1986 or so, Chris was convinced to spend $30 for a 375ml bottle of this wine. Since that time, he has waited for the right special occasion to open the bottle. Luckily for me (since I din't meet Chris until around 2010), this bottle is known to maturing at a glacial pace. He has moved all around the world waiting for the right time and place. My wife and I had dinner at Chris's home before he leaves town and goes to spend his retirement in Cape Cod. Chris opened the wine. What
Purple, ruby at the rim. The nose has cherries, black cherries, anise, spice and slight floral notes. Full bodied. Excellent balance. Cherries, dark cherries, spice and slight earthiness on the palate. Drinking quite fresh. Good energy. Opens up with air. Pretty close to peak but should stay there for 8 years at least. It will gain in complexity but lose some of the freshness. More fruit forward in style for CdP. Great wine.
From Natacha Chave, a new producer for me. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black raspberries and saline along with some black olives and spice. On the palate, this has black raspberries showing as a bit of a cough drop. Nice finish. Overall, not the most complex but tasty and drinking quite well.
What a treat to drink a wine at age 20 that is still young but yet gorgeous. Ruby in color. The nose has black raspberries, a bit of fireworks, and a nice tarragon note. complex on the nose and palate. On the palate, black raspberries layered with rocks and minerals. Opens beautifully in the glass. Long finish. This has a couple of decades of life left and indeed is still at least 5 years from peak based on this bottle. Bought on release and cellared in my cellar. Gorgeous wine.
This is still young and a but tight. It is a gorgeous wine but give it some air if you are going to drink soon. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is clean with slight earthiness, a bit of bacon fat and boysenberry fruit. Seems like a bit brighter acidity than these wines usually have which is nice. Perhaps just a function of the rest of the wine being tight. On the palate, black cherries, boysenberries, and a mineral streak that is very nice. Deep. Long finish. I would hold for at least 5 years but it should last for decades. At least a couple or more points of upside.
Always a privilege to be able to taste one of the worlds great wines and also one of my personal favorites. This is drinking very well at only 7 years from vintage and was quite open and much more accessible than a taste a few years ago. Ruby in color, slight purple at the core. The nose has some barnyard going along with black raspberries and white pepper. The barnyard is well under control though I would still look for well stored bottles if buying now. Complex and layered on the palate with boysenberry fruit and earth and minerals. Slightly drying but in a good way that is quite in
Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is classic and quite nice. Black olives jump from the glass. Also black raspberries, slight black pepper. On the palate, tart black raspberries with nice minerals. Light tannins. Decent acidity. Long finish. Still young and with some upside potential as these gain in complexity.
Light copper.gold in color. The nose is gorgeous with almonds, candle wax and minerals. With air, slight tangerine notes begin to emerge. This is showing quite open right now. Will it shut down for a bit? Experience says yes, but who knows? This is a bit riper or more open anyway than the 2012 consumed along with it. More minerality with an interesting menthol/Eucalyptus note on the finish. Oily texture. Long finish. This is young and tightly packed but has a nice complexity.
Where to start? This is one of the great white wines of the world. Such a fascinating and contemplative wine. Made from a field blend of 80/20 Marsanne and Roussane. i was a bit aprhensive about this as Hermitage Blanc at age 6 can often be shut down. Light/medium gold. This showed quite well though. The nose is waxy with some honey and slight white floral notes. With air, almonds and slight tangerine notes. Fascinating. Slightly oily texture. Full bodied. Great minerality. Earthy with almonds and slight citrus. Long finish. Warming, not hot on the finish. Certainly some ups
