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

2021 Château Sainte-Eulalie Minervois Plaisir d'Eulalie, France, Languedoc, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan organically grown grapes from the south of France.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, black raspberries, slight floral note and slight spice.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Black raspberries, cherries with some spice.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with a wide variety of foods (not seafood).  A great choice for Pizza night.  Great value.

2018 Joseph Mellot Saumur-Champigny Le Boisclair, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

This is Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in France.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, green bell peppers, tobacco and earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has nice depth.  Some complexity.  Flavors of black cherries, slight bell pepper, tobacco and slight earthiness.  Good finish.  I don't believe this wine sees any oak which gives it a good freshness.  It is nice on its own but would be better with food.  It would work well with Szechuan Beef.  drink over the next few years.  

2022 Joseph Mellot Sancerre La Chatellenie, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

Very impressed with this wine.  Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.  Sort of old school in style, but that is just fine with me.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean (no cat pee) and is mostly mineral driven but there is a slight grapefruit note.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is almost seamless with a wonderful texture.  The acidity is there but is part of the whole package.  Flavors of slight yellow grapefruits with lots of minerality.  Long finish.  While not at the level of the Cotat wines (neither is the price), it is more in that style th

NV Castarede Bas Armagnac VSOP, France, Spirit Review

Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$60.00USD

This is aged 6 to 8 years in oak casks before bottling.  Amber in color, clear and bright.  The nose is a bit nutty with some orange peel and a bit of honey.  Also some alcohol.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Flavors of citrus with a nutty quality.  A fair amount of alcohol on the finish.

2016 Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
A-

This wine does see some oak.  Green gold in color.  The nose is big and round with peach, slight apples and a bit of confectioner's sugar.  Medium bodied.  Balanced acidity.  On the palate, this is round and easy to drink.  Fully mature.  Flavors of peach with a bit of citrus.  This drinks very well on its own and would work nicely with seafood with a butter sauce.  Drink over the next five years.  

2019 Sebastien Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Les Beugnons, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

This comes from 60 year old vines and is made utilizing a concrete egg.  Yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with green apples, slight chalk and salinity.  Medium bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this has lemons and sour lemon hard candy.  Long finish.  This is very nice on its own and will work well with most foods (except beef).  A nice choice would be Tandoori Chicken.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

2022 Domaine de Charmoy Chablis, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

At a recent blind tasting of Chablis, this ended up being the highest ranked wine.  It should be noted that it got no first place votes, but lots of second place and no last place.  Yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has gunpowder, peach and some minerality.  Plush texture.  good acidity.  On the palate, green apples with a touch of crushed shells.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should for the next seven to ten years.  A nice choice with seafood or on its own.  

2022 Domaine de Chantemerle Chablis, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$26.00USD

This is a producer that I am not familiar with, but this was quite enjoyable.  Like other wines from this producer, it sees no oak and is made exclusively in stainless steel.  Yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemons, slight lime and crushed shells.  Also a touch of sulfur.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has crisp acidity.  Flavors of lemons and lemon candy.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and would work nicely with seafood or soft cheeses.  Drink over the next ten years.  Great value.  

2022 Maison Dampt Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, France, Burgundy, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Dampt provides some real values in Chablis.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has gun powder and green apples.  Maybe a touch of chalk.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, nice lemon citrus with a bit of an herbal streak (lemon verbena?).  Good finish.  This has some depth and complexity but will need some cellaring to really bring that out.  Drink over the next eight to  twelve years.  Drinks nicely on its own and will work with lighter foods or seafood.  A nice wine with Lobster.  

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