Gamay

Purchased off the list at The Arbor in Pasadena California.  Kudos to them for this inspired and affordable choice.  $65 or so off the list.  Purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is deep with black raspberries, slight blueberries, hints of bubble gum and black licorice.  Medium bodied.  Nice texture.  On the palate, this is young but tasty.  Blueberries and black raspberries with a slight sour note.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should drink well for the next five to eight years.  It went very well with Pappardelle Pasta, Pesto and Burrata.  

This is a very nice wine.  It is made in a reticent style and more elegant that bombastic.  Very pale pink in color, almost no color at tall.  The nose is nice with watermelon rind, cherries, and strawberries.  Slightly oily texture.  Plenty of watermelon on the palate.  Moderate finish.  This is nice on its own but will work better with lighter foods.  A fruit salad would work well.  Drink over the next year.  

This is an IGP wine, a European designation that has replaced Vin d'Pays in France.   Isere is the mountainous region on the eastern border of France between Savoie and the Rhone.  This particular wine is made from Gamay.  Not surprisingly, this is a Lyle Fass Selection wine.  A very unique wine.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose shows cherries, slight sour cherries, mint, damp earthiness and just a hint of floral.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is tart cranberries and cherries with a slight underlying funk.  It has strong acidity and accordingly, works better with

Purchased on release and well cellared, this has help up great.  Deep garnet in color with some purple hues, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight earthiness, a hint of floral notes.  Uncharacteristically for this winery, this was clean with no animal or barnyard notes.  Medium to full bodied.  Lively.  No sign of age.  On the palate, vibrant cherry and black cherry fruit with a modicum of complexity.  Long finish.  Different bottles will vary at this stage, so it probably should be drunk sooner than later, but this bottle would have gone another ten.  Nice with food than

I honestly don't remember a Nouveau carrying a Villages designation, but this was certainly a step up, so there is that.  Purple in color.  The nose has cherries, slight banana and a hint of bubblegum.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the cherry fruit is nice.  Clean.  Not deep but tasty.  This should at least drink well through the end of the year.  A nice wine with Thanksgiving leftovers.  

Celebrating one of the ingenious pieces of wine marketing, I certainly enjoying a free glass of wine when these are released.  It does give a nice glimpse of what the vintage holds and adds a bit of whimsy.  This is purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has bubble gum, yeast and some grapey black cherries.  Nice texture.  On the palate, a bit bitter but some cherry soda flavors.  Good acidity. Ideally this should be consumed by the third Friday in November (it comes out the third Thursday).  It matches ok with lighter fowl dishes.  

This is a rose wine made in California from Gamay grapes.  So, to start, a bit untypical.  It is made by veteran winery owner Steve Edmunds.  The wine is doing fine at age two from vintage and this year, graced our family's Thanksgiving table.  It worked out quite well.  Salmon pink in color, slightly electric.  The nose has watermelons, strawberries and slight cranberries.  On the palate, this has a lot of energy to it.  Clean with good fruit; strawberries and slight cherries.  An underlying salinity which is nice.  Long finish.  This worked well with a wide variety of foods.  It probably

One of the interesting things about tasting wine is that everyone is sensitive to different things (especially faults) in wines.  Personally, I am not very sensitive to a bit of oxidation and I really enjoy many wines made in an oxidative style such as Sherry, wines from the Jura, or some Champagnes.  Which brings me to this wine.  This was bought on release and well stored, but at a recent tasting, some found it too oxidized and not enjoyable.  For me, I had no issues with it and found it quite enjoyable.  Your mileage may vary.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is tight at first but with som

This wine is outstanding.  The kinds of wine that makes people realize just how good wines from Beaujolais can be.  Ruby in color, slightly dark, clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, spice, slight soy sauce and some anise.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Black cherries, slightly candied with an underlying spice/minerality.  Well balance.  This needs about three to five more years until peak and then should be good for another five to ten after that.  It will work well with fowl or heavier see food dishes.  

Light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has candied cherries and a bit of earthiness.  It is slightly sweaty.  On the palate, this drinks quite easily.  Cherry lozenges with slight anise.  Good acidity.  This begs for food though works fine on its own.  It should probably be consumed in the next year or so although it might make older bones.