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

These wines are some of my favorite expressions of Sauvignon Blanc from anywhere.  At age 9, this is still on the young side but drinking well.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has limes, minerals, salinity and slight hay notes.  Medium bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, tart limes, slight yellow grapefruit with underlying minerals.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with seafood or lighter salads.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

This is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir.  Straw gold in color.  A steady bead of tiny bubbles.  The nose is nice with apples, slight peach, spice and a bit of baked bread.  Full bodied.  Firm structure at age 16.  On the palate, red fuji apple, some green apples, some salinity and minerality.  Lots of depth, it unwinds in the glass to show a delicious complexity.  Long, tart finish.  This wine drinks beautifully on its own and will work well with just about any food.  Fried foods would be perfect.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

A nice solid Champagne.  Light golden in color with a persistent stream of tiny bubble.  The nose has toast and limes.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, nice lemon lime notes. Clean finish.  

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  Thee nose is powerful with black raspberries, black olives and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is concentrated.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with underlying minerality.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  

One of the top producers in Chateaneuf and one with out a luxury cuvee.  This is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah.  Served pop and pour, this took about 30 minutes to really open and then drank beautifully.  We shared the bottle with friends while listening to Latin jazz at an outdoor café.

This is apparently mostly from younger vines but it doesn't show in this excellent Chardonnay.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemons, beeswax and baking spices.  Medium to full bodied.  Slightly viscous in the texture.  On the palate, lemons with a slight amount of oak.  A bit bitter on the finish.  Very refreshing.  Good acidity.  It will probably work better with food.  Drink over the next three to five years.  It will work nicely with lighter foods.  Vegetarian Thai food would be a good match.

One of the best Roses in it price class.  A blend of mostly Grenache, Cinsault and Vermentino grapes.  Pale salmon pink with a touch of orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose has strawberries and oranges.  Lovely texture.  Lots of depth.  On the palate, cherries and strawberries with good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks great on its own but will work well with most foods.  It would work great with heartier fish dishes.  

From a 375 ml.  Golden in color with slight orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with honey, peaches and a slight dried orange rind note.  Viscous.  Sweet, not cloying.  Enough acidity to match the sweetness.  On the palate, honey, apricots and slight peach.  Clean.  Long finish.  Very tasty.  This probably has twenty years left.  A nice match with a not too sweet cake.  

This is made from 75% Le Mesnil Chardonnay blended with 25% Pinot Noir from Grand Cru vineyards in Ambonnay. 8 g/L dosage.  Copper with slight pink notes in color, clear, bright and with a moderate amount of small bubbles.  The nose is delicate but persistent with strawberries and slight cherries.  Plenty of minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, strawberries and black cherries with lots of minerality.  Tart, especially on the finish.  Very food friendly, this would work well with fried chicken or popcorn, too.  Drink within five years of purchase.  

Light golden in color, clear and bright with a steady stream of small bubbles.  Very nice nose with some citrus (tangerine?), a hint of ginger, plenty of toast and slight CO2.  Full bodied.  On the palate, plenty of minerals with slight tangerine.  Lots of depth.  Long finish.  This drinks very well and is very food friendly.  It is should probably be consumed within three to five years of purchase.