France

• Alsace
• Bergerac
• Bordeaux
  • Barsac
  • Bordeaux Supérieur
  • Margaux
  • Graves
  • Haut-Medoc
  • Listrac
  • Pauillac
  • Pomerol
  • Saint Emilion
  • Saint Estephe
  • Saint Julian
  • Sauternes
• Burgundy
  • Beaujolais
  • Bourgogne
  • Chablis
  • Côte de Nuits
  • Mercurey
• Cahors
• Champagne
• Cognac
• Corsica
• Gascony
• Jura
  • Arbois
• Languedoc-Roussillon
  • Minervois
• Loire Valley
  • Bourgueil
  • Jasnières
  • Muscadet
  • Mont Louis
  • Sancerre
  • Saumur
  • Savennières
  • Touraine
  • Vouvray
• Rhone (Rhône)
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  • Cornas
  • Crozes-Hermitage
  • Gigondas
  • Hermitage
  • Lirac
  • Saint Joseph
• Provence
  • Bandol
• Savoie
• Tavel

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright with some purple swirls.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, roasted meats and slight black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this seems open and ready to go.  Black cherries, some black raspberries with minerality and some char.  Nice finish.  A nice middleweight Cornas that is nice on its own but better with food.  A good match would be Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

The name Gentil means that the blend has at least 50% Alsace noble varietals (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat or Gewurztraminer). Maison Willm usually has 80-90% of these noble varietals with the rest Pinot Blanc. Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with peach notes and some minerality.  Light to medium body with a slightly creamy texture.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, this shows sour lemon drops which are quite refreshing.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and will work with lighter salads and also fish dishes.  Drink over the next few years.  

The Vouvray's of Huet are my most often opened white wine.  100% Chenin Blanc.  This vintage seems to be not a top vintage but the wine is still excellent and a nice value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with pears, sea air, some orange peel and slight herbal note.  Medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is dry (Sec) with pears and slight citrus.  Moderate finish.  This improved over the three  hours it took to drain the bottle (two people).  It should drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  Nice on its own, it is very

Deep ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cigars, cherries and dust.  Full bodied.  Drying tannins.  On the palate, this is past peak but still showing a nice complexity.  Layers of cherry fruit with dried tobacco and slight forest floor.  Moderate finish.  Still plenty to like about this.  It would be better with food although somewhat contemplative on its own.  Lamb stew would be a good match.  drink up.  

Obviously young, it was nice to drink this early to check in on it.  It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère.

Always a pleasure to drink Dom.  Amazing that they can make so many bottles at such a high quality level.  For me, this is not up to the 2002 or 2008 but still a fantastic wine.  Light golden in color with a nice mousse of small bubbles.  The nose has toast, some citrus and a touch of chalk.  Full bodied.  Great acidity.  On the palate, some lemon peel with smoke and minerals.  Long, long finish.  This one is starting to show just a bit of age but if well stored, should easily go another ten years.  Very food friendly, this will go with just about any food although my favorite match is stil

This is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.  Golden in color, clear and bright with a nice mousse of tiny bubbles.  The nose has lots of peach with some strawberries and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, the peach comes thru along with a touch of pineapple.  Clean, long finish.  A tasty wine that is drinking very well.  Drink over the next few years.  This is very food friendly and will go well with many foods.  It worked nicely with Thai food.  

Arguably the best winery in the world.  This was not their best vintage (IMO 2001), but it is amazing.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with pineapple, mango, beeswax, floral tones and vanilla.  Medium to full bodied.  Viscous.  Great balance.  On the palate,  Pineapple, mango, slight lemon rind, a touch of salinity and peach.  Long, long finish in which the peach notes just keep expanding.  Slightly sweet but nowhere near cloying.  Delicious.  Great on its own, but went well with less sweet pastries.  Drink over the next fifty years.  

This is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre from very old vines.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The boisterous nose has black raspberries, plums and black cherries with spices and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is young and raucous with big fruits; black raspberries, raspberries and black cherries along with char and spice.  Energetic acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own, this needs bigger foods right now but will settle down soon.  For now, it would work well with some spicy Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years.  

This is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, ad 10% Syrah.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, black cherries and garrique.  Full bodied.  Great plush texture.  Excellent balance.  Very concentrated.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It has shed some youth for maturity but should continue to develop.  Black raspberries, plums and black cherries with some char.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own, this worked very well with Sheppard's Pie.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.