France

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My current favorite in value wines.  Even better than the 2017.  And, under $20!  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat, and slight roasted meats.  Great texture.  On the palate, lots of concentrated black raspberries over char and  clean earth.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This has some complexity and might still get better.  It should drink well for seven to ten years.  Great on its own, it will work well with fatty fried foods.  

Tasted from a Magnum.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy with cigar tobacco but plenty of fresh cassis.  The wine is mostly clean with just a hint of funk.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is tart cassis and cranberry fruit with underlying earthiness.  Showing some complexity.  Good finish.  In Magnum, this is drinking well today and probably close to peak.  This certainly could go another ten years but I doubt it gets better.  It will work better with food and went well with a tomato tart, but fatty meats would be a good choice.  

Great showing for this wine.  Drinking wonderfully at this time.  Seems fully mature, possibly, just slightly past (depending on your tastes).  Purple in color, ruby swirls, but no browning.  The nose is great with cigar box, earthy, some Bordeaux funk but still with some cassis left.  On the palate, this has faint tannins.  Very earthy with cassis, dried black raspberries some tobacco.  Complex.  The layers unwind in the glass.  Wonderful texture.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own, but would be even better with food.  Roasted veggies or duck would be great.  At this age (34) ever

Drinking very nicely at this time.  Deep golden in color with a slight green hue.  The nose is tight but shows apples, pears and minerals along with just a touch of oxidation.  On the palate, this has slight tannins.  Tart apples with slightly bitter lemons (not in a bad way).  Good acidity although the wine comes off more rich/fat than lean/mean.  Nice finish.  This seems fully mature and these probably should be consumed in the next five to seven years.  

Golden in color with a persistent stream of tiny bubble.  Frothy.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show ginger, peach, toast, slight nuttiness and minerality.  On the palate, this is dry and very crisp.  Mostly about minerals, but some peach comes thru.  With air, a slight strawberry note. An incredibly long finish.  Just a delicious and complex Champagne.  Drinking quite youthfully now, it should continue to drink well for the hext couple of decades.  This will work with any food.  

My favorite Champagne, but it has gotten so pricey, that opportunities to have any a few and far between.  100% Chardonnay.

Gigondas is a great place to find nice value in Rhone wines.  Montmirail is a good choice for producers in Gigondas.   This is a blend of 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 5% Mourvèdre.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, and some earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, the black cherry fruit dominates over an earthy/forest floor base.  Nice balance.  Mild tannins.  Good finish.  This is drinking well but may still get a bit better over the next five to seven years.  It will drink well for ten to twelve more years

This showed surprisingly well for such a young Lafite.  It was splash decanted for about 20 minutes prior to serving.  Purple in color, opque and bright.  The nose is big with cassis, graphite, cedar and spice.  On the palate, this drinks young but like a pedigreed Bordeaux (which, of course, it is).  Deep.  Plenty of energy.  Spry is perhaps a better word.  Lots of cassis with underlying cedar and spice.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  This drinks great on its own right now and will work well with a roast or steak.  It probably need another decade or more to get to peak but should drink we

Sadly, this was corked.  It is too bad because it really seemed like a special wine underneath.  But it would be unfair to judge it.  A shame as the last time I had this, it was given a perfect score and seemed to be just getting to maturity.  

Typically, Haut Brion is my favorite of all the first growths.  Perhaps because the blend is a bit different.  This vintage is 50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc.  At age 24, this is just about at maturity.  Purple/ruby in color, but starting to show some browning.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, tobacco and slight earthiness.  On the palate, a nice tart but sweet fruit - cherries, black cherries and slight black raspberries.  Layers of complexity.  Long finish.  This won't get better from here, but should have ten to fifteen years a