France: Wine, French Wine Regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, & More Profiled
White Rhones can be tricky, but this one was hitting on all cylinders from the get-go. This is made from the Marsanne grape.
Wow. Great showing for this. And, as good as it was on opening, it was even better with a few hours of air! Golden yellow in color, clear and bright. The nose has honey, salinity, and crushed shells. Full bodied. Slightly sweet with some Botrytis. On the palate, orange rind, minerality, with good acidity. A bit of almonds on the finish. This is complex and deep. Drinking well with a couple hours of air, this should improve over the next ten years. It should easily go three more decades. Just a stunning wine. It will work with more savory dessert such as a polenta cake but is qu
It is always a pleasure to drink a first Growth. 2003 was an extremely hot vintage all across Europe. This vintage is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Purple in color, opaque and bright. Great nose. A bit of funk, some cigar, plenty of cassis, and leather. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this seems about at peak maturity. Plenty of depth. Layers of cassis with some tobacco notes and earthiness. Long finish. Just a fantastic wine. This drinks great on its own and would work well with roasted meats or veggies. It w
Does Beaujolais age? This was opened at a recent tasting of Beaujolais to show that it really does. Not even a specific Cru, with the original $15 price sticker still on the bottle, this was fresh and drinking well. Is it an amazing wine? No, but it is solid and enjoyable. Ruby in color with some darker swirls. The nose has fresh cherry fruit and slight candy. Medium bodied. No tannins. On the palate, cherries with some depth. Good acidity. Nice finish. This drinks nicely on its own and would work great with a mushroom pizza.
A new winery for me. This is very nice. Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, slight candied cherries and slighter citrus. Medium bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this has tart acidity. Cherries with slight citrus. Nice finish. This drinks well on its own and will work well with food. A nice wine with Mushroom Quiche. Drink over the next five to eight years. A great value!
In a recent tasting of Cru Beaujolais, this was my top rated wine. It is a big wine, but has the structure to hang the fruit on and everything is in proportion. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright. Great nose. Some oak showing but not overbearing. Cherries, black cherries, dark chocolate, slight spice and even a floral tone. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, this is delicious. Black cherries, cherries, a bit of anise and dark chocolate. Long finish. This drinks great on its own, but will work well with most foods. It would be a nice choice with a C
Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is nice with cherries. Light to medium bodied. Light tannins. Good acidity. On the palate, nice cherry fruit. Nice on its own, this will work well with food. A nice choice with pizza. While there are better values in Beaujolais, the wine is a middle of the road in style, easy drinking wine.
This is a very nice wine, but for me (your mileage may vary), this is not what I am looking for in Beaujolais. Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, baking spices, slight coffee notes and a bit of citrus. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, bold cherry fruit with spice and slight dark chocolate. Long finish. This drinks well on its own, but would be better served with a steak. Drink over the next seven to ten years.
Another in the old school style of Cru Beaujolais. Garnet in color, clear and bright. The nose has cherries, some black cherries and what a friend noted as "Autumn spices" i.e. cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Medium bodied. Light tannins. Good balance. On the palate, black cherry fruit with a touch of anise. An almost menthol note on the finish. This drinks well on its own but even better with food. Poached salmon would work well. Drink over the next ten years or so.
This wine is named for the three vineyards that the fruit comes from: Rochegrès, Roche Noire and La Rochelle. The winery is also known as Domaine Vissoux. Ruby in color with slight purple hues. The nose is lighter but nice with cherries, and a slight celery seed note. Interesting. Medium bodied. On the palate, nice cherry fruit with the celery seed coming thru. Good acidity. Long finish. In an era when many Cru Beaujolais are getting riper, this is more classic in style. The acidity really kicks off the finish. This will drink better with food. It would be a great match with a
