Chateau Mourlet Graves 2003

Vintage: 2003
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France



A superb Claret from a good vintage. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it has the aromas of ripe cherries combined with beautifully mellow flavours of blackberry, vanilla and spice. Let this one age for a while if you can resist temptation.

Pierre Cellier - Blanc de Blancs

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne - Blanc de Blancs
Country: France



I tried this champagne at a tasting evening that had some amazing champagne. Unfortunately this one probably suffered because of it. I found the champagne a bit sharp on the pallet and with a slightly unpleasant after taste. surprising as it is a Blanc de Blancs, usually a favourite type of champagne for me.

Veuve Clicquot

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Reims



One of the big houses, Veuve is quite easy to find, a bit expensive and a reliable champagne. It is probably my favourite of the big houses (perhaps Mercier but it is much harder to find). Great flavour, good bubbles and a dry finish.

Michel Lenique - Grand Cru 2004

Vintage: 2004
Type: Vintage Champagne - Grand Cru
Country: France




This vintage champagne is absolutely outstanding. Everything that you come to expect from Michel Lenique but with that vintage taste and finish. excellent bubbles and a great flavour. Not to be had every day though, save this bottle for a special occasion!

Michel Lenique - Blanc de Blancs

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne - Blanc de Blancs
Country: France - Pierry



This champagne is fantastic. Great overall taste with plenty of small refined bubbles. A gem, if you can find it!

Champagne Mercier- Cuvee du Fondateur

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



This is a very good Non-vintage champagne. It is the Founder's selection from Mercier and I found it full of flavour, great bubbles and and overall excellent taste. It even had a bit of the "vintage flavour" to it, making it a bit stronger and fuller of flavour than one would expect from a non-vintage. Recommended.

Champage Tarlant

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



Champagne Tarlant has a claim to fame for being a zero dosage champagne. This means that when the second fermentation occurs, they do not need to add any sugar to the bottle (the dosage). As far as I'm aware, this is unique for champagne.

Of course the quality of the champagne is very good. There seemed to be almost too many bubbles which were nice and small. The taste was great, though this is not my favourite Brut. Recommended.

Château Latour 1994 1er Cru

Vintage: 1994
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France



We had a rare chance to taste this delicous wine over a dinner for Eleanor's Birthday. The wine is rich and complex with a great bouquet and mossy Bordeaux finish, as to be expected from such a wine as the Latour. Great if you can find it for a reasonable price, which we did, but personally I prefer the Lafite-Rothschild.

Château Lafite-Rothschild 1993 1er Cru

Vintage: 1993
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France - Bordeaux



We had this wine with a meal at a club restaurant for our 1 month anniversary.

Wow.

The wine was incredibly balanced with great black cherry flavour and earthy tones. Quite mature and smooth, the edges of the wine were almost clear.

Now I know why this wine is considered one of the best around. Highly recommended, if you can find it. We were lucky as it was part of the club's cellar and they didn't overcharge for it.

Champagne Colin - Brut Rose

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France



This Champagne house is the favourite of our friend, Colin. No surprise that it will be served at his wedding later this month!

Novelty aside: the bubbles are fine; there are obvious fruity notes, such as cherry and black currant; and the after taste is sharp and acidic. It is still delicious and goes down well when accompanied by Fossier's rose-flavoured biscuits.

Mercier - Brut Rose

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



This rose champagne is a real treat. My husband (then fiance!) picked up a trio of Mercier Champagnes after our tasting at the House in Epernay. Some people think that rose wines suffer from identity crises but not this one. This one is bright and it dances to announce to your taste buds that it is a sparkling Champagne. Alas, this is not a vintage and it is made from a blend of grapes from two different years. It is still a beautiful wine to use for a toast at a special occasion at home.

Moet & Chandon

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay



One of the big houses in Champagne, especially since they bought Dom. This champagne is quite good, though I find that it is over-priced compared to some of the smaller houses (and even some of the large ones). Never a bad option, especially is money is not an issue.

Georges du Boeuf - 2007

Vintage: 2007
Type: Fleurie
Country: France - Beaujolais



A good drinks wine, great with food. As Fleuries go, this one is very popular, probably because it's quite easy to drink. This vintage doesn't disappoint, though the bottle could probably sit a bit longer before drinking. Great with chicken or turkey.

Chateau Rousselle - 2004

Vintage: 2004
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France



I found the 2004 to be quite tasty; very good value for money. Well aged and ready to drink.

Alexandre Lenique - Cuvee Brut

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Pierry



This is an excellent bottle of Brut Champagne. It's the brother's label from Champagne Lenique in Pierry: a nice bottle with a modern label. This champagne it is great. Nice small and plentiful bubbles with a great taste and almost no after-taste. Hard to find, but if you do pick up a bottle (I had to go to champagne and to the producer to do so).

Despres - La Madone

Vintage: 2006
Type: Fleurie
Country: France - Beaujolais



DESCRIPTION
The colour of this wine really impressed me. It was deep purple. The aroma was equally impressive: intense fruits with a hint of flowers. The producer recommended drinking the wine now, as is, but also keeping it for 5+ years. I imagine this wine would complement a gorgeous lamb roast or hearty beef stew.

Despres - Domain du Niagara

Vintage: 2007
Type: Fleurie
Country: France - Beaujolais



DESCRIPTION
This is a very different Fleurie, if you are used to drinking Georges Duoeuf's Fleuries. This wine is robust and full-bodied. The producer recommends that the bottle be kept a year or two in order to fully reveal the wine's intense flavours of blackcurrants and wild blackberries.

Gruss - Gewurztraminer

Vintage: 2007
Type: Gewurztraminer
Country: France - Alsace




This is young wine with a bright yellow colour. When swishing it around the glass, one notices very short legs, meaning that it lower in alcoholic content. Its nose has notes of elderflower and exotic fruit. When tasting the wine, one detects something flowery and also lychee fruit. The consistency of the wine is somewhat thick but not heavy. This is a crisp wine due to its acidity. This bottle can be laid down on rack for some time because it will take some time to mature.

Gruss - Pinot Gris

Vintage: 2004
Type: Pinot Gris
Country: France - Alsace




This wine was the oldest vintage presented from Domaine Gruss at the 3D wine tasting session. Because of its age, it has a light golden colour. Upon smelling the released aromas, hints of honey and flowers come through. This is a dry wine but it is also soft on the palate.

Gruss - Cremant

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Cremant (non Champagne sparkling wine)
Country: France - Alsace




This was the sparkling wine that was served to greet guests to the wine tasting. Guests were expecting champagne but received this instead. The wine was light and refreshing, so it is suitable as an apperatif or dessert wine.

Chateau Rousselle - Prestige

Vintage: 2002
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France



This wine is quite aged, which is why when the glass is leaned against white paper, the colour fades toward the rim. The colour verges on brown rather than red. The nose is very mossy and earthy; however, the taste is light and peppery (cloves). This is a fairly alcoholic wine, which is shown by the legs running down the sides of the glass after giving it a good swirl.

Chateau Rousselle - 2005

Vintage: 2005
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France




What sets this wine apart from the others presented during the Chateau Rousselle session was the colour. The wine is almost like a black ink but the taste has notes of almond and blueberry.

Chateau Rousselle - 2001

Vintage: 2001
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France




This was the oldest of the vintages of red at the wine tasting session. This wine has a very herbal taste, perhaps because of the terroir the grapes came from.

Chateau Pierredon

Vintage: 2005
Type: Claret (Merlot with Cabernet Blend)
Country: France - Bordeaux



Another great Bordeaux from 2005. Medium-bodied and lovely on the tongue.

Chateau Les Ragottes

Vintage: 2005
Type: Claret (Merlot with Cabernet Blend)
Country: France - Bordeaux




This was a very good red with great flavour. Great oak tones and a lovely colour. Recommended. Apparently this was a great vintage year for Bordeaux.

Château de la Dauphine

Vintage: 1999
Type: Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Country: Bordeaux, France



This wine we had for with our Valentine's day menu. It was superb. A wine this old needs to be decanted and left to breath, but afterwards it is an experience. The bouquet was amazing and full, whilst the flavours were subtle (hints of leathery smokiness). If you can find it have some!

Champagne Colin

Vintage: non-vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France



First things first, I'm note really a Champagne drinker. That being said, this is an excellent bottle and it was a pleasure to drink. I'm not sure how easy it is to get outside of France, but if you like dry champagne this is a good choice. What really impressed me with the bottle was how plentiful and tiny the bubbles were.

La Serre

Vintage: 2007
Type: Merlot
Country: France



This wine was served at a function, and I decided to do a quick rating. Not very good overall, but easy to drink and if it was served again I would have some.

Cuvee de la Reine Jeanne

Vintage: 2000
Type: Châteauneuf-du-pape
Country: France



I love a good Châteauneuf-du-pape, and this one was great. When you get a chance to drink an older red, it is a pleasure. The flavours have developed, the colour is supurb and it feels like a special occation. If you can find this in store, buy a bottle.

Grand Gaillard

Vintage: 2007
Type: Merlot
Country: France



A decent wine, though I was not overwhelmed by it. A good wine to go with food.

More info here.

Château de Villenouvette Cuvée de Réserve

Vintage: 2006
Type: Oak Aged Syrah, Grenache and Carignan
Country: France - Corbières



Excellent wine. The flavours are deep and complex and the bouquet is lovely. Highly Recommended.

you can find it here.

Maison Benedetti Châteauneuf-du-pape

Vintage: 2005
Type: Châteauneuf-du-pape
Country: France - Rhône



One of the only white wine reviews you'll see on this site, mainly because I'm not really a fan. I will say that this white is superb, rich and oaky with an excellent taste.

BTW, not many people know that you can get a white Châteauneuf-du-pape. You can find it, but the production is very small.

Georges de Boeuf

Vintage: 2002
Type: French red (not sure of the grape)
Country: France - Beaujolais



One of my favourites. A great colour, excellent bouquet and an amazing flavour. It isn’t overpowering so it will go well with most food. If you can get a hold of a bottle, try it!

Côtes de Rhône

Vintage: 2003
Type: French red (not sure of the grape)
Country: France



Decent wine. Easy to drink without an overpowering flavour.