by Ray Johnson | Jul 30, 2009 | Burgundy, Chambolle-Musigny, Chardonnay, Cote de Nuits, France, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc
Dujac Fils & Pere, Chambolle-Musigny 2006 Give the wine some air to blow off a musty character and the fruit begins to emerge with notes of smoke and brambles. Give the wine another 40 minutes and the sweetness of the fruit emerges. In the mouth there is great...
by Ray Johnson | Jul 29, 2009 | Chenin Blanc, France, Late Harvest White, Loire Valley, White Dessert
Domaine Huet, Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, 1ere Trie, Moelleux 1990 This wine has developed a beautiful tawny color over almost 2 decades. The nose smells of toffee, caramel and raisins. The mouth is an absolute explosions of fresh oranges covered in caramel – really....
by Ray Johnson | Jul 29, 2009 | Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, France, Merlot, Pessac-Leognan
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan 2005 The nose smells of leather, earth, smokiness, horse blanket and a host of descriptors that get at a sense of brettanomycees as complexity rather than a flaw. That said, I know that this level of brett would be too much...
by Ray Johnson | Jul 29, 2009 | Chenin Blanc, France, Loire Valley, Vouvray
Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette (Domaine Pichot), Vouvray 2008 In the nose there is a sense of herbaceousness, candied green fruit and floral notes. In the mouth there is that familiar balance of the sweet and the tart, as this wine has consistently shown. There’s...
by Ray Johnson | Jul 27, 2009 | Banyuls, Fortified dessert, France, Grenache, Roussillon
M. Chapoutier, Banyuls 2007 There’s lots of pruny complexity in the nose. In the mouth it is spot on, nuttiness and raisins tossed in molasses – yum. There was a touch of TCA in the first bottle tasted, described here but it wasn’t terribly...
by Ray Johnson | Jul 27, 2009 | France, Grenache, Rhône, Syrah, Vacqueyras
Perrin & Fils, Vacqueyras, Les Christins 2006 Black pepper and red fruits combine with a sense of the garrigue when you smell this wine. In the mouth it is structured and ready to accompany a pepper steak; the acidity carries the flavor a long way for the price....
