France

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Pinot Fin is apparently an ancient clone of Pinot Noir.  The berries are even smaller than Pinot Noir.  Arnoux's fruit is from Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanee, and Nuits-Saint-Georges.  Some of the vines date back to 1959.  Whether that is marketing or there is some substance there is hard to say based on this sample.  It was my first time trying this wine.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has sour cherries, dust and slight earthiness.  On the palate, this is good but relatively simple.  Cherries with slight underlying earthiness.  Medium finish.  This is easy to drink and will go with most

Bordeaux wines from 1982 are often still drinking great.  While one might think a wine such as this might be over the hill, that is not true.  At least for this bottle.  It still has some youthful freshness.  It is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  No real bricking or browning.  On the nose there is cassis, dust, slight cigar box and hints of cherry.  On the palate, this has lively energy.  Cassis and cherries with some underlying dried herbal notes.  Not a big wine.  Some depth and slight layering.  Nice finish. 

Of course, 100% Chardonnay.  Another great showing from this bottle.  Really firing on all levels with just a bit of air.  Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  A lot of very small bubbles.  On the nose, this has smoke and lemons.  With air, a bit of chalkiness comes out.  On the palate, this has a nice bite of acidity.  It is, however, full bodied and round with no sharp edges.  The lemons carry thru along with a bit of yeast.  This is starting to show some age on it although it easily has another ten and probably twenty years at peak.  It will go with almost any food.  One of the

The Krug MV is always a stellar wine but this edition is based on 2011 which was a very difficult vintage.  It also includes almost two hundred different wines going back to the 1995 vintage.   Forty-two percent of the cuvée is made up of Reserve wines.  This wine is stellar.   It has 47 % Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 17% Pinot Meunier.  Light pale gold in color.  Lots of tiny bubbles.  The nose has lemons, brioche and slight smoke.  On the palate, those flavors come thru.  It takes a bit of time to open though.  Good acidity.  With air some green apples come out.  Lots of energy here but

Always a great wine, this luxury cuvee is one of the great wines of Champagne.  A real treat to drink.  Gold green in color with a lot of tiny bobbles.  The nose is big and excellent with chalk, slight brioche, a bit of lemon cream, and slightly nutty.  On the palate, this is a big wine but still very young.  Great acidity.  Lemons, slight vanilla, with lots of depth and complexity.  A very long finish.  This needs a few more years until peak but is delicious today.  The score has a couple more points of upside possible.  It easily has fifteen more years left at the top.  It will go with ju

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cherries, dried cherries, dust and spice.  There is also a bit of raisin.  On the palate, the fruit is more dried cherries but some fresh cherries.  The raisin continues thru slightly.  Not a lot of complexity.  This seems to be on the way down and probably ought to be drunk now.  It will still work fine at the dinner table.  Stews would be a nice match. 

I have been lucky enough to have this on a few occasions.  Never has it been open or showing anything like it's lofty status with the critics would indicate so I approached with trepidation.  No need.  This bottle was amazing.  Everything it was supposed to be including still a bit on the young side.  It is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Bright but mostly opaque.  On the nose, lovely cassis, cigar box, ash and slight pencil lead.  The lead becomes more pronounced with air and there is some chocolate and spi

This wine showed quite well considering the vintage and pedigree and age of the wine.  Ruby in color, purple at its core, clear and bright.  The nose has dried cherries, slight dust, a bit of mint.  With air, some fresh cherries.  On the palate, fresh and dried cherries above a baseline of tea leaves.  Medium bodied.  A bit of drying tannins underneath.  Nice finish.  This is very food friendly and easy to drink.  Probably a bit past prime but still enjoyable.  Drink up now.  

Stunning showing for this wine.  Its about 50/50 Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  Still youthful and might indeed improve a bit more.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is complex and enticing with black raspberries, dust, cherries and a slight cocoa note.  With air, a bit of char comes out.  On the palate, this has a "jelly-like" texture which is great.  Lots of black cherry fruit over and char and slight tobacco base.  Tightly layered, the layers unwind nicely in the glass.  It might improve more over the next five years, but should easily be at this level for ten to fifteen years mo

A big surprise on the upside drinking this wine.  It was much younger and better than I expected (and I had high expectations).  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is young with cassis, cedar, a bit of graphite and slight roasted herbs.  On the palate, what a lovely lush texture.  Still a lot of primary and secondary flavors.  Cassis, chocolate and then with air an underneath of dry forest floor.  Medium tannins.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This bottle anyway, still needs around five to seven more years to peak, but again, at age 37, all bottles are different.  It would go great