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

A nice showing especially considering the vintage.  Light golden in color.  A steady stream of smaller bubble.  The nose is clean with good minerality and slight pear notes.  Full bodied but overall the wine is more on the delicate side.  Clean.  On the palate, slight pear and nice minerality as well.  Long finish.  This should drink well over the next eight to ten years.  Very food friendly.  Nice to open a bottle of this with some popcorn.  

A difficult vintage in Champagne, but this one is drinking very well.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  A persistent bead of small bubbles form a nice mousse.  The nose is big with apples, pears, yeast and salinity.  Full bodied but good acidity.  On the palate, apples, salinity and slight yeast.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is drinking well but should easily go another five to eight years.  Very food friendly, this would be very nice with spicy Thai food.  

From the late Phillipe Cambie, this is 100% destemmed Grenache.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, graphite, spices and roasted meat.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with great minerality.  Not as big a wine as one might expect from Cambie.  Deep.  Delicious.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next ten years.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  This would work well with fried chicken.  

Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with plums, black pepper, and black cherries.  Full bodied.  Lovely texture.  On the palate, plums and cherries with slight char.  Clean.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is young and showing ripe fruit.  It is drinking well but may improve with a few more years of cellaring.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  it will work well with braised meats.  

This is a blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the rest is the other permitted varietals.  At age 22, it is showing some age and a bit past prime.  This bottle had been bought on release and well cellared.  Ruby/brown in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, dried cherries, soy/umami, and spice.  Medium bodied.  There are some drying tannins left.  Better on the palate.  Complex with layers of dried and fresh cherries.  Good balance.  Nice finish.

Gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose has chalk, salinity and green apples.  Medium bodied.  Moderate acidity.  No sharp edges.  On the palate, red apples with slight chalk.  Easy drinking.  Moderate finish.  Drinking well now and should for another five to eight years.  This would work well with shell fish.  

Gorgeous.  This is their "basic" non-vintage or multi-vintage but better than most luxury cuvees.  It is a blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay, and 16% Meunier.  Light golden in color with a steady stream of small bubbles.  Nice frothy mousse.  The nose has toast, yeast, slight cherries, apples and chalk.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is complex and deep.  Slightly tart fruit (oranges) with some chalk.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now, and should for the next ten to fifteen years.  This will go with just about any food.  It would be great with Sushi.

Always a treat though this is starting to show some age (in a good way).  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The mousse isn't as frothy as it had been not as persistent, but still present.  It is a blend of 53% Pinot Noir and 47% Chardonnay.  The nose is great with yeast, ginger, slight char, and slight nutty note.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Some apples, ginger, char and nuts especially on the finish.  Long finish.  Great on its own, this is incredibly versatile with food. It worked well with grilled, spiced radishes.  

This was a delightful Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Stylistically, it had a bit of new world characteristics which was interesting.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with some grassiness and some tropical fruits.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is tasty with some depth.  Tropical fruits with some minerality.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next few years.  This would work well with fish tacos.

This was from a 375ml bottle bought on release.  Purple in color, slightly flat, opaque.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, black raspberries, and some roasted meat.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is past maturity but still with plenty to offer.  Nice complexity.  Black raspberry fruit with underlying char.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  These should be consumed soon.  Better with good.  Chili would work well.