Tag Archives: france

Lucien Albrecht Riesling Tradition 2020, Alsace, France

09 Tuesday Aug 2022

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Medium lemon colored, this rather young Riesling has pronounced aromas of citrus, apple, pineapple, ginger and acacia.  The palate is dry (at 13% ABV that was an obvious assumption) with bracing acidity and a medium body.  Lemon, grapefruit, green apple, pineapple and some spice coat my palate to a medium length finish that is jaw watering.  This is a very refreshing thirst quencher that I am enjoying immensely.  Tonight’s pairing is fish and chips so this will work out quite well.  I would think this wine can age for a few years, say till 2030 and hopefully pick up some tertiary notes.  91 points from me makes this $22 bottle a 5 star quaffer to look for.  Salut….

Famille Bougrier Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine 2020, Loire, France

06 Saturday Aug 2022

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Following on from my last Muscadet, this one is not labelled as a Sur Lie.  It’s a medium intensity lemon/lime color in the glass.  The nose has an intense citrus aroma coupled with green apple, yellow apple on the back end and some salinity.  The palate is dry but weighty.  Medium to full bodied, it has medium acidity and medium intensity flavors of lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple and I can sense the sea air.  A short to medium length finish is crisp, refreshing and not too tart.  This is a nice summer wine that will quench the thirst and pair nicely with shellfish or lighter (non-oily) fish.  88 points from me makes this $14 effort a 3 star wine.  Drink now.  Salut….

Chateau du Jaunay Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie 2020, Loire, France

05 Friday Aug 2022

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Medium lemon colored, this Sur Lie style wine has pronounced aromas of citrus (mainly lime), geranium, melon and ginger snap.  The palate is dry but full bodied with medium (+) acidity.  Minerality and softness come to mind alongside flavors of lime, grapefruit, melon, geranium and a hint of yeast/bread dough from the aging process.  Sur Lie allows the dead yeast cells to remain in contact with the must for an extended period of time which softens the wine, adds body and imparts the bread/yeast notes I tasted.  Delicious stuff that finishes with a mid length ending of citrus and yeast driven flavors.  90 points from me for this Muscat de Bourgogne varietal that runs $15 and gets 5 stars from me.  I’m going to pair with Chinese food, other options include seafood all day long and perhaps a chicken dish.  Drink now, Salut….

Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Petite Chapelle – La Maison Bleue 2019, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Jul 2022

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Closing out the 28th virtual tasting session was this stunning Syrah from the Northern Rhone.  Opaque- deep purple in color it revealed a rich nose of game, licorice, iodine, anise, blood/iron, boysenberry, very dark fruit compote with a medicinal note as well as an image of really black blackberries.  The palate was smooth.  Dry with low acidity and fine-grained medium (+) tannins that led to  flavors of meat, cinnamon, caramel, blackberry coulis, iodine, charred oak and iron.  This full bodied wine finished with a medium length burst of delicious, complex flavors.  It tied at 19 points on our scale as my WOTN and garners 94 points.  For $60 this stunner is a 5 star treat wine to be drunk till 2039.  I would pair it with grilled Hangar steak slathered in a Roquefort sauce.  Salut….

Domaine Durieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Reserve Lucile Avril 2016, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Jul 2022

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I love a CDP, as does our virtual tasting group but this one was not a crowd pleaser.  Medium ruby colored it had pronounced aromas of game (road kill), tomato, sawdust, violets, herbs de Provence and baked/stewed blueberry.  The palate was dry with well integrated medium (+) tannins, low acidity and a medium body.  Flavors of game, stewed blueberry, charcoal, smoke, and a waxy component were noted.  The finish was decently long for this 91 point wine.  I scored it 15 points on our grading scale and for $50 it only gets 3 stars from me.  The pro’s went as high as 96 points for this old vine Grenache blended with Syrah and Mourvedre.  I would drink this angular wine with stews or perhaps a venison roast.  Cellar wise- it should go till 2030.  Salut…..

Remi Niero Condrieu Chery 2019, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Jul 2022

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The 28th episode of our virtual wine tasting group kicked off last night with this Viognier from the Northern Rhone appellation of Condrieu.  We tasted it at room temp first, followed by a chilled version.  Medium straw colored this 15% ABV wine had a beautiful sheen to it in the glass.  The nose was interesting- honeysuckle, pineapple, apricot, pear, nutmeg, honeycomb and a burnt smell plus the sensation it was going to be waxy.  On the palate it was dry with low acidity.  I noted it was very smooth, others remarked that it was waxy.  Full bodied the main fruit note we got was a lingering apricot note and some buttery components.  The finish was long.  I gave it 18 points on our grading scale.

The chilled version had aromas of brioche, citrus, honeydew and pear.  The palate was waxy and we got a bitter citrus pith note alongside apricot , pineapple, butter and brioche.  The finish seemed a bit shorter in length for some reason.  It thought I was going to prefer the chilled version, but alas- 15 points did not tilt me.  Once again the room temperature version of a white wine was the preferred serving for the majority.

Overall I liked this wine and would give it 92 points but at $50, it’s only a 4 star wine IMO.  We discussed pairings- white fish with perhaps a cream sauce would work well.  Drink now.  Salut….

M. Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone Belleruche 2019, Rhone, France

10 Sunday Jul 2022

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Deep purple- gamy on the nose with licorice, garigue, raspberry and black fruit.  Charred wood notes and stewed blackberry finish it off.  On the palate this Grenache/Syrah blend is dry with somewhat coarse tannins, medium (-) acidity and a medium body.  I get definitive game and earthy notes with dark red fruit and oak influence from the charred wood.  Licorice is quite present.  The tannins smooth out towards the back end where the finish is medium in length and includes a Lapsang Souchong tea component.  A very serviceable wine that gets 88 points from me to drink till 2026.  At $13 it’s a relative bargain that gets 4 stars.  Salut….

Chateau Figeac 2000, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

04 Monday Jul 2022

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I have owned and stored this Magnum for nearly 20 years.  I chose it for our dinner with friends Keef and Arty at our favorite restaurant, Chez Francois where we dined on Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Rack of Lamb and Chateaurbriand.  An amazing evening that lasted 3+ hours and culminated with their signature Soufflé.  This bottle was decanted and the sommelier and I agreed that it was youthful in color, showing no bricking- just a clear, deep ruby color.  With a touch of air in the large decanter the nose was stupendous.  No notes were taken but I can say that it was all there.  Cassis, leather, tobacco, cedar, blackberry, black cherry.  The tannins were so well integrated and the acidity was en Pointe.  The mouthfeel on this wine was exceptional- balanced to a tee with fruit, structure, secondary and tertiary flavors and aromas- the whole lot.  It is drinking at its prime now and will last another 5-8 years methinks.  If you have it in 750 ml, start consuming it sooner rather than later.  A stunning, smooth and delicious Right Bank Merlot that was worth the wait.  95 points from me.  If you can find a regular bottle it will run you $250, a Magnum would be roughly $600.  Drink this beauty with friends for a very special occasion.  5 stars.  Salut….

Hubert Meyer Riesling Winzenberg 2018, Alsace Grand Cru, France

20 Monday Jun 2022

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The thing that annoys me about Riesling is that most labels don’t tell you if it’s going to be dry, off-dry or sweet.  Deductive reasoning tells me this bottle is going to be dry due to it’s 13.5% ABV.  A very pretty medium lemon color in the glass with pronounced aromas of lemon zest, grapefruit pith, petrol, geranium and ripe pear.  It tastes dry as expected with very high acidity and a delicious cut of lemon/grapefruit.  The ripe pear note is more a green pear note on the palate but I do get florals and petrol.  I can sense the alcohol if I breath out through my nose, which is unusual for me as my threshold is pretty high to sense the burn.  I would say this wine is medium bodied and it has a juicy, tart finish that is medium in length.  It begs for Asian dishes or a grilled seafood platter.  I like it but think it will develop over time.  Right now it is really zesty with just a few primary flavors.  It should flesh out and develop with time as it has great structure for cellaring.  92 points from me for this $60 bottle makes it a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas ‘Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes’ 2019, Rhone, France

18 Saturday Jun 2022

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I drank the 2017 Les Souteyrades back in October, served with Tri-tip roast, and loved it.  Tonight is a repeat with this newer vintage.  Medium ruby colored in the glass it offers up medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, black cherry, licorice, spicy oak, dried thyme and bacon fat.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, a medium (+) body and delicious flavors of raspberry, black cherry, spice, toasted oak and licorice. The finish is long and a touch astringent from the tannins that are very smooth, of medium intensity yet persistent.  I like this $35 blend of Grenache and Mourvedre a lot , like 94 points worth.  I would drink/cellar this 5 star effort till 2032 at the least, it will develop nicely.  Salut….