France

• Alsace
• Bergerac
• Bordeaux
  • Barsac
  • Bordeaux Supérieur
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• Burgundy
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• Jura
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• Loire Valley
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  • Touraine
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• Rhone (Rhône)
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  • Cornas
  • Crozes-Hermitage
  • Gigondas
  • Hermitage
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  • Saint Joseph
• Provence
  • Bandol
• Savoie
• Tavel

In a great place right now.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, tobacco, balsamic and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is pretty close to mature.  Cassis, spice, with underlying earthiness.  Great balance.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  It would match well with Lamb Stew.  

This is made from the Trousseau grape in the Jura, France's smallest wine region.  Pale ruby in color, clear and bright.  There are many Rose's that are darker in color.  A very unique wine.  The nose has cherries, confectioner's sugar and a slight herbal note.  Medium bodied.  A very soft texture yet also tart acidity.  Lots of cherry and strawberry fruit with a white pepperiness to it.  Can a wine be elegant and rough at the same time?  This one seems to be.  Complex.  It works better with some food to tame the acidity.  It should probably be drunk over the next five to ten years.  This w

This is labelled as a Vin de Pays des Bouches-du-Rhône Terre de Camargue from the southern part of France near Arles.  It is made from the Marselan grape which is a crossing of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, no sulfites were utilized.  Purple/ruby in color.

Fascinating wine.  This is Vin Jaune (Yellow Wine) from the Jura (near the Swiss border in France).  It is made in a dry, oxidative style utilizing late harvested Savagnin grapes.  The wines are made similar to Sherry where a blanket of yeasts forms over the top as the wine is ageing for a minimum of 60 months.  This does not appear to be fortified as the label lists 14% abv.  It comes in a .625L squat bottle known as a Clavelin with a yellow wax over the cork.  Supposedly, this size allows the winemaker to start with 1 Liter which after the minimum of six years before release has reduced (

This an attractively packaged Rose from the South of France (Provence).  It is a blend of 40% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, 10% Carignan, 10% Syrah, 3% Mourvèdre, and 2% Rolle (Vermentino).  Pale pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight cranberries, cherries, thyme and slight salinity.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  Well balance, this drinks easily.  Cranberries and light cherry fruit.  Clean.  Slight bitter cherry notes on the finish.  This is nice on its own and will work well with salmon or tuna.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a Rose blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from France.  13% abv.  This is a very tasty wine that represents a nice value.  It is a deep salmon pink/orange color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with strawberries, slight pomegranate, with a hint of dried herbs.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, raspberries with pomegranate.  Clean.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work well with lighter foods but also fried chicken.  Drink now.  

Pop and pour, this was surprisingly open and accessible.  Deep ruby in color, clear and bright.  This is big and bold.  On the nose, cherries, sandalwood, some black cherries and baking spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, lots of fresh cherries and sour cherries with some underlying char.  Delicious and vital.  Long finish.  This seems to be a five to ten years from full maturity but drinking well.  It is great on its own and would delicious with salmon or tuna.  

Sadly this was corked (TCA).  Underneath it seemed like a very good, bold wine with plenty of depth.  The TCA showed up almost immediately and but 30 minutes in, it was overwhelming.  

Great showing for this wine and in a perfect place of maturity.  Garnett in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is beautifully perfumed with cherries, cinnamon, sandalwood and slight earthiness.    Full bodied.  On the palate, this clean with bright cherry fruit.  Some underlying earthiness.  Levels of complexity.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This has big fruit.  The oak is now integrated and the tannins are silky.  Everything one could want in a Grand Cru at age 20.  It drinks great on its own.  Contemplative.  It also worked well with food.  While it might last longer, drink over

Tasted two bottles of this.  They were part of a cellar purchase from which most of the bottles had been in excellent shape.  On opening, this was old and off a bit.  With a couple hours of air, it improved quite a bit although never got to the point of not being past prime.  Depending on one's level of enjoyment from wines with this much age, it seemed mostly a miss among the tasters.  I enjoyed it for what it offered.