I was fortunate to visit Chateau Vignelaure back in the 80s – was it ‘84 or ‘85?  Some of my memories are fuzzy. The memory that isn’t fuzzy however, is that Vignelaure was a trend setter, planting Cabernet Sauvignon in Provence, despite the apparent heresy. Today the rules for what can be planted on AOC [...]

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Chateau Puy Arnaud, Cotes de Castillon 2005 The oak makes its presence known whey you smell this wine. In the mouth the full ripeness of the fruit comes through, with ample concentration and plenty of structure – a solid value in $10 Bordeaux. The grape behind this wine is Merlot, grown biodynamically. The vines average [...]

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Domaine de Beausejour, Chinon 2007 This wine is riper than previous incarnations, showing black fruit beyond the capsicum. In the mouth it is green, but tolerable and gripping but tolerable. 100% Cab Franc with stainless ferment; Gerard et David Chauveau in Panzoult 12.5% $13.59 at Bottle Barn
Beausejour

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Perrin & Fils, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007 The nose features sweet berries and black pepper. In the mouth it quite structured with medium weight; it’s crying out for red meat – nice value from the Rhone. This wine is 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache. Mis en bouteille in Orange 13% $9.69 at Bottle Barn

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Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre 2008 The nose sports minerality and lime. In the mouth you’ll find concentrated citrus, a sense of austerity, a very dry wine with overt minerality – very nice and very long. The only thing missing is the chevre.
The family tends 29 hectares of Sauvignon biodynamically. Produced in Sancerre 13% purchased for [...]

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Francois Chidaine, Montlouis sur Loire, Clos Habert 2007 This wine was a tremendous disappointment after my experience with the previous vintage, reviewed earlier. First it was worrisome that the colour was quite golden.
Smelling the wine was a first rate example of VA, one that I could use in a seminar on wine flaws. Ethyl acetate [...]

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Domaine Hauvette, Vin de Pays des Alpilles, Blanc de Blancs 2006 The nose features sweet floral notes with peaches, nectarines and a bit of poire eau-de-vie. In the mouth it is soft, lowish in acidity and very lush with a hint of the poire’s warmth in the background.
The grapes at the domain are grown biodynamically [...]

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Georges Duboeuf, Fleurie 2008 There’s a lively sense of black fruit in the nose with a bit of earthy complexity that works to enhance the wine. In the mouth the thread of fresh fruit continues, the acidity is engaging and the body is light – nice.
Mis en bouteille in Romaneche-Thorins 13% purchased for $13.49 at [...]

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Chateau La Roque, Coteaux du Languedoc, Pic Saint Loup, Rose 2007 The nose is frankly rather stinky with notes of cheese and garlic. In the mouth it is lowish in acid and the fruit is evolving, while the alcohol is making itself known, jutting out above the rest of the components. This is disappointing, especially [...]

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Henri Perrusset, Macon Villages, ‘Macon Farges‘, selection vielles vignes 2002 The nose is quite complex with smokiness, nuttiness, butterscotch and brown spices. In the mouth a beautiful richness has developed, buttery and full of baked apple spices yet underpinned by the tartness of green apples, providing a youthful glow under the more mature notes.
This wine [...]

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Trimbach, Alsace, Gewurztraminer 2006 In the nose you’ll find lychee, spicy flowers, green herbs and roses.
In the mouth this rendering of the grape is broad, lowish in acid, rounded, featuring an evolved tropical fruit character, a sense of complexity with a moderate touch of residual sugar and bit of Gewurz’s characteristic bitterness. Mis en bouteille [...]

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Mas Amiel, Maury, Vintage 2006 In the nose you’ll find prunes and a sense of the fortifying spirit. The mouth shows a sweet and slick sense of cooked black fruits with caramel and a hint of acidity in the background.
This wine is a great destination for some lucky Grenache grapes in Roussillon. A natural for [...]

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Gaston Rivière, Pineau des Charentes, Pineau François 1er, Red Pineau nv The smell of red grape juice really comes through, with a green, herbaceous essence and a whiff of chocolate. In the mouth it is sweet, thick and spiritous, like a red candy, coated in chocolate and filled with brandy.
The grapes behind this aperitif are [...]

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Lillet, Red nv This aperitif reminds me of dunking a slice of orange into a slightly sweet red wine, with a little shot of added for punch. Serve it over a few ice cubes. P&B in Podensac in the Gironde, about 20 miles south of Bordeaux 17% $15.99 Lillet

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S. Coquillette, Champagne, Grand Cru, Brut, Les Cles nv Give this some air to blow off the stinkiness then the complexity of baked apples emerges. In the mouth there is a soft profile, with lemony acidity and nice length. The grapes behind this Champagne are all Pinot Noir. Elabore par Stephane Coquillette a Chouilly 12% [...]

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Pierre Morlet, Champagne, Premier Cru, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a lovely biscuit character in the nose, graced with flowers. In the mouth there is lots of green apple and plenty of acidity in the elegant sparkler. The grapes behind this wine are 74% Pinot Noir and 26% Chardonnay. Primary fermentation takes place in wood [...]

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Pommery, Champagne, Brut Royal nv Sweet flowers greet the nose when you smell this wine, with citrus and candy. In the mouth you taste fresh fruit, with a complementary dosage, roundness and lingering candy – nice. The primary grapes behind this wine are Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs. Produced in Reims 12.5% $34.99 at [...]

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Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri, Blancs de Blancs, Methode Traditionnelle, Brut nv The nose features cooked stone fruits and orange marmelade. In the mouth there is a mix of caramel and baked peaches with a bit of bitterness. The estate farms 13 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Luberon. The grapes for this wine [...]

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Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Champagne, La Grande Dame, Brut 1998 The nose features an evolving medley of dried fruits and nuttiness. In the mouth it is quite acidic, tasting of oranges and brown spices. The unfortunate thing about this particular bottle is the cork taint blurring the full enjoyment of what I would expect is a [...]

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Allimant-Laugner, Cremant d’Alsace, Rose nv There’s a light sense of fresh biscuits in the nose and tangy cherry fruit in the mouth with a lingering creaminess. This makes for a nice, clean, inexpensive alternative to Champagne when you would like a bit of bubbly from France. Mis en bouteille par Hubert Laugner in Orschwiller 12.5% [...]

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Blue Coast Vineyards, Vin de Pays de Mediterranee, Chardonnay nv This new wine in a box is clean and tangy with a little hint of buttery richness in the background. The grapes are all Chardonnay. Shipped by the Union des Vignerons des Cotes du Rhone in Tulette 13.5% $21.95 for a 3 litre box  is [...]

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Chateau Sainte Eulalie, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Le Blanc d ‘Eulalie, Sauvignon 2007 Unfortunately this wine has developed too much volatility. It was stoppered with a very hard synthetic cork, so perhaps that allowed the ingress of too much oxygen.  Perhaps the wine was stunning when first released but that we cannot tell and I [...]

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Lucien Albrecht, Alsace, Pinot Gris, Cuvee Romanus 2008 Fresh pears combine with green herbs in the nose. In the mouth this wine is round, combining a little residual sugar with moderate acidity and richness – a nice value again.
Romanus Albrecht was the founder back in 1425. Proprietor and winemaker Jean Albrecht. Bottled in Orschwihr 13% $15.49 [...]

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Roland Schmitt, Alsace, Pinot Gris 2007 In the nose you’ll find candy and stone fruits. In the mouth the concentration is rather light with a bit of residual sugar and the warmth of alcohol. The fruit is reminiscent of peaches, with a bit of the bitterness you would find by biting into the pit. All [...]

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Chateau Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes 2004 In the nose you’ll find honey and tropical fruit with appropriate volatility. In the mouth it is caramel, long lasting caramel, silky and balanced by lemony acidity. Planted 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon. The Famille Meslier is Pierre et Charles-Henri Meslier, Proprietaire a Sauternes 13.5%, purchased for $37.99 (375ml) at Bottle [...]

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Chateau Saint-Pierre, Saint-Julien 2005 This is pleasure in a glass, ripeness of fruit, great density yet rounded off edges. The structure supports the density of flavor while the acidity carries the flavor a long way – very nice. The estate is planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Mis en bouteille [...]

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Chateau Gloria, Saint-Julien 2005 There’s a nice smoky essence in the nose while in the mouth you’ll find cranberries and dark chocolate. This wine is quite chewy and would certainly benefit from 6-8 years in the cellar. The estate is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Mis [...]

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Sylvain Bailly, Sancerre, Terroirs 2008 The nose features the classic characteristic; there is lemon, pi pi de chat and grass. In the mouth the wine is crisp and mineral driven – spot on.Mis a Bue in Cher 12.5% $19.99 at Bottle Barn

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Verget, Meursault 2006 In the nose you’ll find sweet oak with green herbs with a little volatility. In the mouth there is plenty of acidity, an expression of fresh lemons and a little thickness. From Jean-Marie Guffen, Vinifie et mis en bouteilles in Sologny. 13% $27.99 at Bottle Barn Verget

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Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis Premier Cru, Vaucoupin 2006 In the nose you’ll find a steely, flinty quality melded with apples baked in a pastry – yes a fresh apple tart. In the mouth the acidity is tempered by some viscosity with a bit of warmth in the background. Mis en bouteille a Prehy 13% $23.99 at [...]

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