Ed’s Red Napa Valley 2005 is a mixture of Bordeaux varietals (47% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon) with Syrah (16%) and Petite Sirah (13%), and in  stereotypical California style, it is enormous.  The intensity of its purplish ruby red color – it’s practically opaque – was a nice clue as to its large body, but we only experienced […]

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The Manciat-Poncet Mâcon Bussières Rouge 2006 is half Pinot Noir and half Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais, in the south of Burgundy), and it hails from the Mâcon Bussières AOC of Burgundy. 
On first sniff, we found the scent of leather and a little bit of cherry emanating from our glasses, and when we sipped, we picked up cherry and raspberry […]

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We’re huge fans of Syrah these days.  Recently, we drank a privately produced bottle of an Israeli version, and it was off-the-charts delicious.  That prompted us to seek out more of the varietal for today’s posting, this time from France. 
Why France, you ask? Well, we’ve found that Syrah from warmer climates in the $10-$20 price range have a tendency to be a […]

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The Domaine de la Pépière Cuvée Granit 2006 is classified as a Vin de Pays (the link is to Wikipedia), which is a classfication level below that of the French wines, appellation d’origine contrôlée, that we’ve reviewed in the past, and the wine hails from a poducer known more for its whites — Muscadet, to be precise — than reds.     
Still, we found this blend […]

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