Gamay

Another Beaujolais from a top Burgundy negociant.  Garnet in color with a purple core, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, cherry blossoms, strawberries and slight anise.  Lovely texture.  Light tannins.  Lower acidity.  Cherries with some anise especially on the finish.  Drinking well now on its own and should work well with food.  Mushroom pasta in a cream sauce would work well.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

Nice showing for this wine.  This is made with semi-carbonic maceration (according to the importer).  Garnet in color with some purple swirls.  The nose has cherries and strawberries along with some floral notes.  Very pretty.  Lovely texture.  Firm tannins.  Nicely balanced.  On the palate, cherries with some dark cherries.  This is nice on its own and very food friendly.  It would go well with (vegetarian) chili.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  

Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with candied cherries, slight floral note and a hint of char.  Light tannins.  Velvety texture.  On the palate, cherries, some cherry candy with a bit of minerality.  Fennel on the finish.  This drinks easily on its own and should work with most dishes other than sea food.  A nice pasta wine.  Drink over the next ten years.  

A very unusual sparkling wine imported by Kermit Lynch.  These wines are made by Nicole Chanrion whose family holdings are in Cote-de-Brouilly.  The wine is made from Gamay Noir grapes grown on 50 year old vines and made in the Method Tradionnelle.  It is a vintage wine although the label does indicate vintage.  The color is light golden with a bit of copper color.  A nice mousse with smaller bubbles.  The nose has a light strawberry and red apple note along with a seltzer quality.  Medium bodied.  Some acidity.  On the palate, red apples, some minerality and a slightly bitter tone becoming

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.