Category Archives: FRANCE

There’s a Cure for the Saumur Wine Blues

Posted on February 21, 2017 by intoxreport

…And I’ll get to it at the end. In the meantime, no spoilers. No cheating. No peeking, no snooping, no shaking the box beneath the Christmas tree under penalty of a bitch-slap. I have had a pathological aversion to spoilers ever since … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Franc, FRANCE, Loire | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Left Bank-A-Palooza 2017

Posted on January 30, 2017 by intoxreport

At the periphery of every wine experience, Bordeaux looms.  In a pinch (and a stellar vintage) other wine regions may be considered Bordeaux’s equal, but none are superior. Like the specter of a master—like Michelangelo hovering above an art class or … Continue reading →

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Ups and Downs in the Côte d’Or

Posted on January 24, 2017 by intoxreport

On that subject, a book could be composed—a column couldn’t do the subject justice. But this story is purely territorial—the tale of two tipples, identical in price and weight; one from the extreme northern nose of the Côte d’Or, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, FRANCE | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Must Muscadet

Posted on November 9, 2016 by intoxreport

‘What can you say ‘bout Muscadet that’s not about lemons and briny spray?’ Like me, you probably have an image of Muscadet that begins on a scale of steely simplicity and works down to utter vinous neutrality. The region, on … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Tale of Two Carignans

Posted on October 28, 2016 by intoxreport

Jon Bonné is so enamored with the letter ‘e’ that he borrows a deformed one from a different language just in case we assume the one in his last name is silent. So, it’s no surprise that he spells ‘Carignan’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Languedoc-Roussillon | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Burgundy, 2014: Terroir vs. Tempests

Posted on June 27, 2016 by intoxreport

When I asked a prominent Burgundian vigneron at what point during a growing season a winemaker knows for sure that the vintage will be great, she replied:  “On the day of harvest.” To me, that single upchuck of cold, hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Cult of Brumont: Alchemy in a Glass

Posted on June 7, 2016 by intoxreport

I met Alain Brumont at The Stand, over a nice dinner arranged by local wine merchant Elie Boudt, and when I gripped the knotted, platter-sized hand of Brumont in greeting, I was struck with an overwhelming moment of déjà vu. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Gascony, Madiran | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Woman-ness in Wine

Posted on April 14, 2016 by intoxreport

Throughout my quarter century of writing about wine I’ve tried to avoid controversial topics, because frankly, who needs the grief? Well, I suppose that’s not strictly true.  In fact, it’s not even vaguely true.  In my twenty-five years of wine … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, FRANCE | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘Old’ is Merely a State of Vine

Posted on March 19, 2016 by intoxreport

I just got back from a month in Oldvinelandia, and therefore I know more about old vine wines than anybody else in the contiguous solar system. What do I know about old vines?  For starters, I know there’s no such … Continue reading →

Posted in Beaujolais, Gamay | Tagged , | Leave a comment

I Am a Master of Bordeaux, 2016

Posted on January 28, 2016 by intoxreport

I may never be able to tack that coveted MW onto my name; I may never wear an MS badge in my lapel and I may never be a Certified Specialist of Wine (which I would have to spell out … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux | Tagged , | 1 Comment