Tag Archives: france

Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal 2017, Pauillac, France

20 Monday Nov 2023

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Medium ruby colored with high viscosity and slight staining on the walls- (13.5% ABV).  The nose of this Cabernet blend has medium (+) intensity aromas of cassis, tobacco, leather, cocoa, coffee, blackberry coulis, lavender, vanilla bean and violets.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are chalky.  Medium to full bodied, this wine has flavors of slightly underripe blackberry, tomato stalk, cocoa, coffee, leather, vanilla and some cassis.  The finish is medium in length and slightly tart.  It has telltale Pauillac notes that I love but is a touch underripe.  I am glad I have a few bottles in the cellar so I can watch the evolution, I think it has some more cellaring capacity and should get better.  Serving it tonight with Sunday Roast.  90 points, $60 and 4 stars.  Salut….

Chateau du Petit Thouars Chinon Rouge L’Epee 2018, Loire, France

18 Saturday Nov 2023

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Our second red wine of the 33rd tasting was this stunning Cabernet Franc.  Deep ruby colored with a medium viscosity (14.5% ABV) and slight staining of the walls.  Right off the bat I smelled green peppers followed by chocolate, funk, cranberry, cigar, tobacco, leather, charcoal and a perfumed scent.  On the palate it has medium (+) acidity coupled with medium (+) tannins and a full body.  Flavor-wise it gave us chocolate covered cherry, cranberry and some tertiary notes that we got on the nose.  It has developed rapidly, shedding fruit for age influenced aromas and flavors- which I love.  The finish was long, which added points to this already delicious wine.  It turned out to be the wine of the night for most of us.  19/20 on the score sheet and a technical rating of 93 made this $21 bottle a 5 star winner.  I might order more!  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2023, Beaujolais, France

16 Thursday Nov 2023

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It’s the third Thursday in November- time to crack the Nouveau Beaujolais which went on sale at 12:01 am.  It’s an interesting story in marketing and winemaking, look it up.  The premise is to get a wine to market quickly that is juicy and fruity without much structure, aging capacity or complexity.  It’s supposed to be a fun wine.  This one will hopefully replicate last year’s success. Pale to medium purple colored with low viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this Gamay shows off textbook aromas of grape, bubblegum, cherry, lilac, purple licorice, sweet black plum, açaí berry and banana.  This profile is due to the carbonic maceration technique used to rapidly vint this wine.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and low tannins.  Light-bodied, this beauty gives me grape bubblegum, cherry, banana, açaí berry and black plum along with a trace of wood shavings.  The finish is zesty with the acidity lingering longer than the short-medium term of the fruit.  It’s worth every cent of its $15 price and get 89 points from me, respectable for what it is.  Run out and get a bottle, drinking window is till the end of the month.  5 Stars!  Salut….

Chateau Marjosse 2018, Bordeaux, France

26 Thursday Oct 2023

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Medium garnet colored with high viscosity and very slight staining (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, charcoal, mint, cassis, hedgerow, blackberry pie and rose petals.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium (+) tannins that are chalky and bristle a touch.  The wine is full bodied with rich flavors of black fruit and oak coupled with some pretty florals.  A nicely balanced and maturing blend of Merlot, Cab Sav and Cab Franc with a touch of old-school Malbec that makes this Right Bank blend a pleasure to drink.  I am pairing it with Ox tail stew and rice with pees.  It will develop further and cellar nicely till 2029.  For $28 this 91 point bottle gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Famille Bougrier Vouvray V ‘Douce France’ 2020, Loire, France

20 Friday Oct 2023

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Medium lemon, bordering on light gold with medium viscosity legs (12% ABV).  The nose of this Chenin Blanc has medium (+) intensity aromas of lemon pith, wool, grapefruit zest, orange blossom and honeysuckle.  The palate is off-dry with some high acidity and a medium body.  The citrus melange and floral notes are of good intensity and the wine begs to be drunk.  It finishes with a medium (-) length but it entices me back for more.  A delicious aperitif which I will pair with Peruvian chicken in the air fryer and a Middle Eastern rice dish laced with cinnamon. It gets 87 points from me and at $16, 3 stars.  Drink now.  Salut….

Clarendelle Blanc 2021, Bordeaux, France

15 Sunday Oct 2023

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Pale lemon with titanium edges and a low viscosity (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of lemon, waxy lemon peel, gooseberry, yellow apple and lanolin.  The palate is dry with high acidity and a media (-) body.  The fresh citrus combines with a waxiness that has both a tart and silky mouthfeel.  The apple and gooseberry add dimension.  It’s delicious and refreshing with a longish finish.  This Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon blend gets 90 points from me and at $24- 4 stars.  Pairing is baked Trout and Jolly rice with seafood.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Chateau de la Gardine Rasteau 2019, Rhone, France

12 Thursday Oct 2023

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Medium ruby with high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose of this Grenache/Syrah blend has intense aromas of raspberry, both black and red, violets, hints of vanilla, walnuts, red plum and a touch of game.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that caress.  A full body with flavors of raspberries, vanilla and spice from oak, violets and that telltale game note from the varietal. It’s more Syrah driven imho but the blend is 75/25 the other way.  The finish is lengthy and delicious.  It’s a lovely drop that gets 91 points from me and at $18- 5 stars.  I am grilling Hangar steak to pair alongside Miso glazed King Oyster mushrooms.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Chateau Valandraud ‘Virginie de Valandraud’ 2015, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

05 Thursday Oct 2023

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Deep ruby, inky in fact with medium viscosity (14.5% ABV) and some staining.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum, cassis, mint, charred oak, black tea, cigar tobacco, a hint of vanilla and some iron.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (+) tannins that are fine grained but firm.  A full body with black fruit along with oak influence and a definite minty note carry through to a medium length finish that is a touch hot from the high alcohol.  I was hoping for more development and tbh- more depth here.  The second wine of this famed winery, it has a 70/30 split of Merlot and Cab Franc that gets 90 points from me and for $67, it’s a 3 star effort to drink till 2029.  I’m pairing with chargrilled steaks and peppercorn sauce.  Salut….

Denis Dubourdieu Pure Cadillac 2017, Cotes de Bordeaux, France

12 Tuesday Sep 2023

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Medium ruby colored with medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose of this 85/15 Merlot/Petit Verdot blend has aromas of black plum, perfumed florals, coffee, blackberry and blackcurrant.  A hint of mint hit me later on.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins that are quite chalky.  Flavors of black fruit with some basic oak treatment are evident- the coffee starting to come out.  The tannins are a touch rough, perhaps some cellaring is in order.  I like this Bordeaux outlier, it’s got some spunk and has some good structure and nice flavors.  It gets 88 points from me and at $20, 3 stars.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Chateau Pierre de Montignac 2020, Medoc, France

11 Monday Sep 2023

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Inky purple colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose gives me aromas of blackberry, black plum, black pepper, charred oak, menthol, star anise and a touch of garigue.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins- it’s quite a soft mouthfeel with medium body.  Black fruit, charred oak and some earthiness frame out the flavors of this wine that delivers a medium length finish.  It’s open for business now and will drink nicely till 2028.  For $23 this 91 point Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cab Sav gets 5 stars from me.  Pair with Filet au Poivre.  Salut….