Yearly Archives: 2007
Bubbles
It’s almost New Year’s Eve, the one time of year when everybody is looking to drink sparkling wine and Champagne. I would like to stress that you should be drinking bubbles year-round; these are some of the best and most pleasurable wines, period. Here are my picks: Under 10 bucks: Veuve de Vernay Brut and [More]
Huet Vouvray
To reiterate, the 2006 Huet Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Sec is a fantastic wine. Wonderful, natural richness, a touch of RS (seems like it’s on the sweeter side of dry) but with fantastic acidity. Really lovely. Dry Chenin Blanc is still priced well below Chardonnay from Burgundy and much more interesting. Really.
Vintages Matter (II)
I tasted a wine today that reminded me how out of whack and crazy the 2003 vintage was all over Europe. Recently I wrote about a Bordeaux, Chateau La Vieille Cure , from 2004. A very elegant, complex Bordeaux with a lot of style. Today I tried the 2003 and it was a monster! Very [More]
Virginie de Valandraud
All hail the distributor close-out list! Sometimes a company has a wine in its portfolio that for some inexplicable reason they are unable to sell and the price gets slashed. Who knew it would be for the second label of the Chateau Valandraud, a very well-regarded (and highly priced) Saint-Emilion from the original garagiste, Thunevin. [More]
Beaujolais and Purity
It has been a while since I had a Beaujolais; all of the recent Nouveau-inspired events reminded me how real Beaujolais is still underappreciated. But when you live by the Nouveau, you die by the Nouveau. Real Beaujolais are some of the most charming, drinkable, and pleasurable wines in the world. Nothing reminded more of [More]
“2005” + “Burgundy” + “Bargain” In The Same Sentence
As in, “I did not think it was possible to find a bargain Burgundy in the 2005 vintage and I was right to think so.” Actually, as in, “I found a bargain Burgundy from the 2005 vintage.” There is so much Burgundy at every price point (including $100+) that is thin, acidic, stemmy, stinky crap. [More]
Bordeaux
Two of the best red wines I have had were Bordeaux; both from the 2000 vintage, and not very expensive. (The Thunevin Clos Badon and the Chateau Fontenil, if you are curious). Another favorite of mine is the Chateau La Vieille Cure from Fronsac. It is a Merlot/Cab Franc/Cabernet blend. Today I tried the 2004 [More]
Huet; For Vouvray
Althought the URL starts with “Vouvray”, I have done a shameful job of writing about them. Tasting the 2006 Huet Vouvray Le Mont, from a legendary producer in Vouvray, has made up for that neglect. With the dollar in the crapper, I could not believe that a dry Chenin Blanc this wow-worthy can be bought [More]
