France: Wine, French Wine Regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, & More Profiled

Chateau Latour – A Profile of the Remarkably Consistent Bordeaux First Growth

Perhaps the most consistent of the Bordeaux First Growths has been Chateau Latour. While the other four Chateaus have had periods of underperformance, Chateau Latour has been remarkably consistent over the years in making some of the best wine to be found. Chateau Latour can trace its history back to 1331 when a tower, called Tor à St-Lambert, was built on the site. This tower was used for defense in a battle between the Plantagenets and the French during the Hundred Years Wars. Sometime around 1378, the land, now referred to as “the tower” or Le Tour, was a seigneurie, a sharecropping system of land ownership. In 1453, when the English were finally defeated, the owner of the estate, Sieur de Larsan fled. The property returned to the control of the French and the tower on the site was destroyed. Nothing from it, other than the name, exists today. Sometime in the early 17th century, the the building on the label of the bottle called a dovecot was built on the site of the original tower.

Vin de Pays Wines: France's Best Value "Country Wines"

In most wine producing regions of the world, there is a government body that attempts to classify wines in order to protect both the producers and the consumers from fraud. This (quasi) governmental entity ensures that the information on the label is correct and can be relied upon by the consumer...

Alsace Wines: Some of France’s Great White Wines

Along the French border with Germany lies the region of Alsace (all-SAHss). The region’s customs are a combination of both the French and German culture, a result of the political turmoil this region has long experienced. Alsace has changed ownership four times in the past few hundred years. Since World War I, this area has belonged to France. The wines, however, bear as much resemblance to the wines of Germany as they do to the wines of France. To be more precise, the wines of Alsace are a hybrid of the two, yet distinct from either.

Beaujolais, France - Wine Vintage Chart

Beaujolais, France 2010 88 D 2009 97 D/H 2008 88 D/H 2007 84 D 2006 88 D 2005 89 D/H 2004 88 D 2003 83 D 2002 92 D 2001 89 D 2000 88 D 1999 91 D 1998 89 D 1997 85 D 1996 90 D 1995 87 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer...

Alsace, France - Wine Vintage Chart

Alsace, France 2009 90 D/H 2008 87 D 2007 88 D 2006 90 D 2005 91 D 2004 87 D 2003 85 D 2002 93 D/H 2001 93 D 2000 85 D 1999 92 D 1998 88 D 1997 84 D 1996 88 D 1995 92 D 1994 90 D 1993 88 D 1992 85 D 1991 78 D 1990 94 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific...

Loire Valley, France - Wine Vintage Chart

Vouvray, Loire Valley, France 2009 91 D/H 2008 89 D 2007 87 D 2006 86 D 2005 94 D/H 2004 90 D 2003 85 D 2002 97 D/H 2001 87 D 2000 86 D 1999 88 D 1998 89 D 1997 86 D 1996 93 D 1995 90 D 1994 88 D 1993 84 D 1992 82 D 1991 92 D 1990 90 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu...

France's Cahors Wine Region: Bordeaux’s Country Cousin

In a way, Bordeaux is like the old British Empire. Although its dominance of the wine world has receded with the emergence of young wine regions like South Africa, South America, and Australia, the tentacles of Bordeaux’s influence are still seen in the character of wine all around the globe. Find Bargains on Cahors Wines Consider South America, a continent as distant from France geographically as it is culturally. The principle grapes used to produce South American red wine are not only mostly French, but often Bordelais in origin.

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