Les Vins Jean-Claude Debeaune Domaine de Grand Croix 2020, Brouilly, France

23 Thursday Mar 2023

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$25, 3 stars, 88 points, beaujolais, brouilly, france, gamay

Deep purple with high viscosity legs (13.5% ABV). The nose has medium intensity aromas of grape, red raspberry, lilac- it’s sorta muted right now. The palate is dry with medium acidity and sandy tannins that are medium (-) in intensity. The body of this Gamay is medium to full and is silky with ripe red raspberry, red licorice, orange peel and black cherry. The finish is a touch tart but delightful and quite long. I paid $25 for this 88 point wine making it a 3 star effort that I’m pairing with roast Duck. Drink till 2027. Ps. Carbonic Maceration is commonly used in Beaujolais but I don’t sense its use in this Cru level wine. Salut….

Olivier Ravoire Bandol Le Pont 2019, Provence, France

12 Sunday Mar 2023

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$25, 3 stars, 89 points, bandol, france, grenache, mourvedre, provence

Deep ruby colored, this 60/40 blend of Mourvèdre and Grenache has slow, gobby legs showing off its 14% ABV. The nose is meaty and gamey right off the bat. Black fruit galore with blackcurrants, blackberry, mulberry, wild herbs, licorice and menthol. The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins. A full bodied wine with dark fruits, herbs (aka garrigue) and some smoky game meat all meld together nicely to form a very pleasing flavor profile with nice balance and decent structure. It’s not overly complex but has a primal sense to it. 89 points from me for this $25 bottle makes it a 3 star effort to drink till 2028. I’m doing a Sunday roast to pair with- should work out just right! Salut….

St. Emilion visit

07 Tuesday Mar 2023

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bordeaux, france, st. Emilion

When Moxie and I were in Bordeaux we had the opportunity to visit wineries in Pauillac, St. Estephe and Sauternes but coffee in the beautiful town of St. Emilion was amazing. Our day started with a 40 minute drive north from the city center, across both the Garonne and Dourdogne rivers followed by a serene drive through vineyards until we happened upon this medieval looking town basking in the bright sunshine. Parking the car close to the center, we wondered into the town and explored some narrow streets, the main square and some wine shops. Our quick tour culminated in a morning dose of espresso at a café. Our appointment at a winery precluded too much sightseeing but this is a town worthy of exploring. It is stunningly beautiful and surrounded by some of the most famous wineries. Well worth the visit. Salut….

Domaine Maillard Pere et Fils Pommard ‘La Chaniere’ 2020, Cote de Beaune, France

06 Monday Mar 2023

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$41, 5 stars, 92 points, burgundy, cote de Beaune, france, pinot noir, pommard

If you read my previous post on our Parisian dinner you will have read that we drank two Pinot Noirs from Burgundy. This is the second bottle- notes taken were basic as it was dinner!

Deep ruby. Rich aromas of cherry pie, pomegranate , coffee, chocolate and raspberry. Medium acidity, medium (-) tannins and a medium (-) body with flavors of red fruit and silky oak spice carrying through to a medium finish. 92 points from me for this $41 stunner makes it a 5 star wine to seek out. Salut….

Domaine Maillard Pere et Fils Chorey-les-Beaune 2019, Cote de Beaune, France

06 Monday Mar 2023

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$40, 4 stars, 91 points, burgundy, cote de Beaune, france, pinot noir

We recently dined at an amazing Parisian restaurant where the entire menu, wine included was extremely reasonable yet of such a high caliber that I will include some pictures. We drank two bottles of Burgundian Pinot Noir, the first being this Chorey Les Beaune. I did not want to detract from dinner so very basic notes were taken.

Medium ruby, more extracted than I expected. Aromas of strawberry, cherries jubilee, a touch of baking spices and some smoke. Medium (-) tannins and a medium acidity lead to a medium body. Delicious with flavors of dark cherry, strawberry coulis, baking spice and charred oak on a medium finish. 91 points and for $40 this is a 4 star effort. Salut….

Scallops to die for

Parmesan Filet

Oh, la la

Can you say Souflé?

Perfection on a dessert plate

Chateau Giraud winery visit

05 Sunday Mar 2023

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bordeaux, france, sauternes, winery visit

When Moxie and I booked our trip to Bordeaux I wanted to visit Sauternes- so I looked up my favorites from the past and decided that Guiraud was going to be it. Unlike many others in the region, they are open on Saturdays, which was the only day we were free. Overcast skies and winter vegetation could not detract from the inherent beauty of this organically farmed estate. Our guide was awesome and very informative. We toured the cellars and grounds with a glass of their dry white in hand- the ‘G’ was spectacular. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, it had excellent acidity, balance and length with delicious flavors and aromas that made Moxie claim it to be her favorite dry white ever. A big statement indeed.

The dry white wine

Our tour took us to the tasting room where we tried the Petite and Grand vins from several vintages. I savored every drop of these stunningly delicious dessert wines and compared the nuances of each vintage. The 2014 was my favorite as it was very precise with a freshness that was not evident in the older vintages. The 1998 was liquid gold, rich and laden with tertiary notes that one hopes for in cellared wines. The 2005 was in between- showing some youth whilst taking on a smoky note that was very interesting. I love these wines and purchased two more vintages for my cellar. Look out for tasting notes in the future! Overall- this is a must visit winery if you are in the region where you will be warmly greeted and treated to spectacular wines. Salut….

Laurent Fayolle Crozes-Hermitage Sens 2019, Rhone, France

01 Wednesday Mar 2023

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$19, 4 stars, 88 points, crozes-hermitage, france, northern rhone, syrah

A quick and basic tasting note of this French Syrah- Opaque purple. Fruity nose with florals and ripe fruit. Black plum, lavender, licorice, coffee. Medium acidity, medium tannins, full body. Grippy black fruits with flavors of plum, black cherry, bitter dark chocolate with a shortish finish. 88 points and for $19 it gets 4 stars. Drink till 2025 with hearty meat stews and grilled game. Salut….

Chateau Les Ormes-de-Pez 2006, Saint-Estephe, France

01 Wednesday Mar 2023

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$43, 4 stars, 91 points, bordeaux, bordeaux blend, cabernet sauvignon, cru bourgeois, france, merlot, saint estephe

Purchased at the gift shop in Bages, this Cru Bourgeois is part of the Lynch Bages portfolio. Pardon the abrupt notes, but it is being drunk at our Parisian Air-bnb in glasses that are not optimal. Medium garnet colored , nose of blackberry, cassis, tobacco, cedar box, classic aged Bordeaux. Delicious with medium acidity and medium tannins that are well integrated with a medium body. Slightly tart on the back end with black fruit puree and cassis. Secondary and tertiary flavors of tobacco, cedar lined drawers, smoke and espresso. Long finish with tart dark fruit- 91 points. For around $43, you too can taste this delicious and mature wine. 4 stars. Salut….

Chateau Lynch Bages winery tour

28 Tuesday Feb 2023

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5 stars, bordeaux, france, Lynch bages, pauillac

If you know me at all you will know that Lynch Bages is on my top three wines of all time. I have drunk several vintages and many bottles over the past 25 years of this stunning Bordeaux wine. When we decided to visit the region, they were the first winery I contacted for a tour. I must admit the grey overcast and rainy days of February might not be the most picturesque time of the year to visit but there were no crowds and we were greeted by our excellent host at the newly built, ultra modern gravity flow winery. Lots of glass in the main building allows for ample light and the beautifully appointed offices included a whimsical set of bathrooms replete with some funny cartoons.

Our tour began with in the ‘fermentation room’. Stainless steel fermenting tanks that are gravity fed by a system of elevators and controlled by computer, very impressive set up.

Next up was a museum of sorts- the old wooden vats and the railroad system they used to employ to fill the barrels with must and also to press the wine. Some interesting artifacts indeed!

Barrels of wine resting up prior to bottling, smoothing out and picking up secondary notes over time.

Remnants of grape and olive presses are on display outside the vault that holds their library of vintages.

And finally- the moment we had waited for. The tasting room greeted us with three offerings- the ’15 Ormes de Pez, ’16 Echo (their second wine) and the ’14 Grand Vin. All drank beautifully and showed the power off this winery as well as its finesse. Stunning wines to drink made ever more special by the surroundings.

Our tour ended with a visit to their local village where we shopped for wine, drank coffee and thoroughly enjoyed reveling in the moment. What a special place. Salut….

A trip to Bordeaux

27 Monday Feb 2023

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bordeaux, france

Moxie and I took a trip to France which started out in Bordeaux. Once settled into the hotel we started our wine adventure with a taste of the local wares. Our bar had a by-the-glass program of several delicious classified Crus that I worked through. Dinner was fabulous and included a bottle of Graves. We had to prepare ourselves for the next two days- visits to Chateau Lynch Bages, Cos D’Estournel and Guiraud as well as a pit stop in St. Emilion. Dining was unbelievable, the wines were impeccable and scenery was pretty cool. The only drawback being the rain for the first two days. Overall it was a great three days in wine country followed by a hi-speed train to Paris, passing through the Loire Valley and catching a glimpse of the Vouvray appellation. Stay tuned for more posts on this amazing trip. Salut….