The notion that Chateau Bellefont-Belcier 1998 (a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux’s “right bank” region of St. Emilion) was produced in the same year that I graduated from college made me feel a bit like I was opening a time-capsule when I popped the cork…. not to mention, old.  But anyway, the […]

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When we purchased our bottle of Domaine des Cassagnoles Reserve Selection 2006 (which consists entirely of the white varietal Gros Manseng and hails from France’s Vin de Pays Côtes de Gascogne) earlier today, it was described to us by our local wine merchant as a fantastic summer wine.  Upon tasting it this evening, we found […]

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There’s no doubt in our minds that some wines — especially, simple but cheap and delicious bottlings – are best appreciated when enjoyed like a regular drink (e.g., beer), without much analysis.  
The Château la Touche Muscadet, a completely dry white from the Loire Valley’s western end, is most definitely one of these wines.  While nothing fancy, its light body and excellent structural quality made it extraordinarily pleasing to kick back […]

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For today’s posting, I thought I’d switch things up a bit and write down my thoughts about our Weekend Wine as I’m tasting it.  Today’s bottle is Domaine Filliatreau’s La Grande Vignolle 2005, a Cabernet Franc from the Saumur-Champigny region of the Loire Valley.  Here goes…
I’m sitting next to my glass right now, and as I tilt it […]

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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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When we opened our bottle of Le Roc Cuvée Don Quichotte 2002 – a 50-50 mix of Syrah and Négrette – the other night, it took us about a split second to recognize the scent of one of our favorite foods: black olive.  So that had my interest piqued from the get-go.
What delighted us even more, though, was when the aromas emanating from our […]

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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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