France

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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

Chateau Latour probably takes the longest to come around of all of the first Growths.  Most of the time, patience is rewarded.  This showed quite well for the vintage.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is very earthy with Bordeaux funk but also cassis, black raspberries, tobacco and slight cedar.  Medium bodied with medium tannins.  At age 22, this is more of a teenager than an adult.  The palate goes from heavy cassis to cranberries and back with underlying funk and earth.  There is some complexity.  This should drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  It drinks nice alo

Any time one gets a chance to drink a first growth, it's a true pleasure.  They have become prohibitively priced, so its nice when a bottle actually gets open and consumed.  Perhaps not the greatest vintage of Margaux, but a very good one.  At age 22, this is pretty much at peak and drinking very well.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The  nose has a bit of that Margaux liquor/perfume with cherries, cassis, slight spice, and leather but clean.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  The palate has black cherries, slight black tea, and slight soy.  Long finish.

This performed above expectations.  It is in a really great place right now.  Purple in color with a thin ruby lip.  The nose is classic with black cherries, cherries, black olives, garrique and slight dried flowers.  This is a bit bigger than most vintages but still has that Charvin sinewy texture and energy.  It is not a big wine.  Nice black cherry fruit with a base of semi-clean earthiness.  Great balance.  Layers of depth and complexity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This bottle seemed just about at peak but should be hears for at least another decade.  Drinks great on its own but will wo

This is the top "Luxury Cuvee" from this Champagne house.  They nailed it in 2008 and while it might not be quite at the levels of some of the top Champagnes, it isn't priced like they are either.  Another great showing for this wine.  Silvery gold in color, clear and bright with a nice mousse of lots of tiny bubbles.  The nose has smoke, minerals and light chalk.  Full bodied with excellent acidity.  The minerality and chalk carry thru to the palate.

This is one of the better vintages of Dom Perignon.  It is truly amazing to make a wine of this quality at the amount of quantity they make.  Drink alongside some other 2008 heavyweights, and this more than held its own.  Light golden in color with a touch of green, clear and bright.  Lovely mousse with lots of small bubbles.  The nose has brioche, lemons and smoke.  Very big and powerful.  On the palate, tart lemons over a nice minerality.  Great mouthfeel.  So smooth and easy to drink.  Yet, deep and complex.  Starting to get past the baby stage and flexing some muscles at this point.  Gr

Wow.  An ethereal wine that is both intense and present yet also so light as it dances on the palate.  Silvery gold in color with a fine bead of tiny bubbles making up the mousse.  The nose has some smoke and light citrus but the minerality steals the show for m.  On the palate, the lime and tangerine come out a bit more over a nice mineral base.  More lemon on the very long finish.  It is also delicious.  This is young but drinks so easily.  Can it get better?  I would say no, it will just change.  Drink any time over the next couple of decades.  This would work with just about any food an

Cotes du Rhones offer up some excellent values.  Add to that the Rhone Valley (especially in the Southern Rhone) seems to have eight or nine good to great vintages a decade, and it can be a go to source of outstanding values.  This wine is certainly one.  It appears to be a Grenache/Syrah blend but the exact blend is unknown.  The bottle is attractively packaged with an unusual shape and a colorful "Old-timey" label.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, roasted meats, slight cinnamon and nutmeg with a slight earthiness.  Medium bodied.  There is a nice

This was quite tight.  Opened and tried over three nights and on the third night it finally started to show something.  That is, of course, not unusual for a traditional Cornas.  Purple in color, opaque and moderately bright.  The nose has boysenberries, slight bacon fat, black olives and slight pepper.  On the palate, this is medium bodied and very concentrated.  Nice texture which is probably the best clue that there is a nice wine lurking in there once it opens.  Enough boysenberry fruit to satisfy but this is more about minerality and earthiness.  It is quite tasty too.  If opening now,

Whoa.  This is a stunning value in Syrah.  My first time trying this wine.  It is 100% Syrah from old vines in the Rhone Valley.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  What a great nose.  Black raspberries, slight floral notes, just a hint of horse and leather, and slight crispy bacon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is clean, concentrated and delicious.  Nice black raspberry fruit over a slightly earthy base.  Good balance.  Great energy.  Nice finish.  This probably won't get much better but should provide great drinking for the next five to seven years and likely mo