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Category Archives: FRANCE
Château de Maltroye and Why I Don’t Write Wine Books Like Hugh Johnson
Someone whose palate I respect poured a wine saying, “This is what California Chardonnay wants to be when it grows up.” Behind such a statement I can find many points with which to agree, but in general, although the idea … Continue reading
Posted in Burgundy, FRANCE
Tagged Chassagne-Montrachet, chateau de montoye, Chris Kassel, hugh johnson
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Thursdays With Maury
Many years ago I pledged a troth never to write a Thanksgiving wine column unless one of two things happened: Either I thought of a really bad pun or I found a really good wine. Merveille des merveilles, this year … Continue reading
Fitou Be Tied: Domaine Les Mille Vignes
The thousand vines of Domaine Les Mille Vignes may be metaphorical, but the thousand points of light that light up my tongue when I drink the wine is very real indeed. First, Fitou is first: The first Languedoc red wine … Continue reading
Posted in FRANCE
Tagged Domaine Les Mille Vignes, Fitou wines, Jacques Guerin, Valérie Guérin
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Domaine du Pegau: The World’s Best Jug Wine?
Pegaü is an old French word meaning ‘jug’—specifically, a fourteenth century terracotta jug discovered in the Palais des Papes in Avignon. That, of course, makes Domaine du Pegau the most exclusive jug wine in the world. As for pronunciation, DdP … Continue reading
Swashbuckle Up: It’s Gonna Be a Bourdy Ride
Before you discuss Chardonnay with Jean-François Bourdy, take a moment to stand back, exhale, and simply admire the visage. He is an imposing and potent-looking gentleman whose shirt is open a button or two lower than necessary; his eyes are … Continue reading
Gevrey-Chambertin and the Hangover of Guy Accad
A bat and a ball cost a dollar and ten cents in total. The bat costs a dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? On the surface, the question seems easy. That’s the way our brains … Continue reading
Posted in Burgundy
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Foillard Morgon 2013—Lesson Learned: Renounce Tasting Notes Forever
A week ago, Decanter Magazine’s Andrew Jefford published a good column on tasting notes. It shadowed Bianca Bosker’s July New Yorker article referring to the ‘state of modern winespeak’. Hers was, in turn, a reaction to James Suckling’s stylistic evaluation … Continue reading
Long Live the Rothschildren: The Pink of Perfection
No serious debate that the first family of wine is Rothschild, at least from a historical perspective. They are to wine what the Kennedys are to political dynasties, what the House of Medici is to art patronage, what the Simpsons … Continue reading
Sultanas, White Chocolate, Eminem and Beaujolais Blanc
Q: Why can’t pilots take Viagra? A: I know you thought that was a lead-in to a punch line, but the fact is, pilots are forbidden to fly within six hours of taking a boner bolus because it may affect their … Continue reading
Posted in Beaujolais, FRANCE
Tagged Beaujolais, Beaujolais Blanc, Jean Brun, Torres Dorees
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Lyrical Lirac: Rhône’s Sleeping Beauty
What do Lirac and Châteauneuf-du-Pape have in common? Other than grapes, climate, tradition and soil structure, not much. And other than price, just about everything. Rodolphe de Pins, winemaker at Château de Montfaucon, in town to accentuate the positive, made … Continue reading
Posted in FRANCE, Rhône
Tagged Chateau de Montfaucon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rodolphe de Pins, Southern Rhone
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