Category Archives: FRANCE

Right vs. Left: Banking on Bordeaux, 2010

Posted on March 8, 2015 by intoxreport

When Sonny Bono died in 1998, the public pointed to an old superstition: Celebrities tend to die in trees.  Gratefully, Harrison Ford survived; otherwise we’d have to hear them go on about how celebrities tend to die in fores. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, FRANCE | 1 Comment

Chassagne-Montrachet And Hyphen-Mania

Posted on March 1, 2015 by intoxreport

In Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, attaching a big, famous name to your own plebian, obscure name has been an effective technique in the never-ending wine hustle.  So much so, in fact, that négociants often purchase the local hyphen supply en primeur, … Continue reading →

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Nuits-St-Georges Aux St. Jacques: Odoul’s With An ABV

Posted on February 26, 2015 by intoxreport

A spitball’s throw away from the hallowed estates of Vosne-Romanée lies the somewhat less hallowed estates of Nuits-St-George, but the difference in prestige (and price) may be comparable to Prince Fielder’s salary in 2015 and Jackie Robinson’s in 1957. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy | Tagged | 1 Comment

Côte-Rôtie: Prost! To The Roast With The Most

Posted on February 15, 2015 by intoxreport

Among their myriad character flaws, the French are ludicrously and endlessly poetic.  Thus, the Northern Rhône appellation Côte-Rôtie, which receives an inordinate amount of sunshine, has a name translated as ‘The Roasted Slope’. And since that’s not quite poetic enough … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE, Rhône | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Fourth Monkey: Pineau Evil

Posted on February 8, 2015 by intoxreport

If my description of the following Pineau des Charentes is so passionate that you feel a Svengali-like drive to go buy some, better hurry.  The hand-numbered bottle I tried was listed 885/900. Bottom of the barrel takes on a whole … Continue reading →

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‘Garagista’ = Pretentious; ‘Garrigue’, Not

Posted on January 25, 2015 by intoxreport

When I taste wine, I tend to verbalize a lot.  I say things that may wind up in my tasting notes, but at the moment may sound like disjointed babble coming from a mentally-unhinged street person. And not just any … Continue reading →

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

Corsica: Napoleon’s Vinous Dreamscape

Posted on January 12, 2015 by intoxreport

If you took the eno-expertise of France and blended it with the climate of the Italian Riviera and stirred in the heritage of Greece, you might  suppose that you’d just created vine Valhalla—a test tube appellation with Goldilocks conditions where … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Bourgogne Passetoutgrain: Gamey Gamay

Posted on January 3, 2015 by intoxreport

Pinot Noir doesn’t need my stamp-of-approval of course, but Gamay is a groovy grape that occasionally wears a stamp-of-ignominy because of Beaujolais Nouveau—which I also like—and which, in any case, is as absurd as dissing Zinfandel because of Sutter Home. … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, BY VARIETAL, FRANCE, Gamay, Gamay, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Life’s A Bubble: Sparkling New Thoughts, Fizzy New Year

Posted on December 31, 2014 by intoxreport

In the week before Christmas and New Year’s, it is customary to write a column about Champagne and related species.  And doing what is expected, occasionally a thorn in the paw of creativity, also keeps us focused in this time … Continue reading →

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L’Enfant Jésus: Good to the Beaune

Posted on December 24, 2014 by intoxreport

Everything about Burgundy is eternal; nothing about Burgundy is predictable. Except for one thing: The Little Drummer Boy could not have afforded L’Enfant Jésus. When I was a fledgling fan of French phantasmagora, I used to use the mnemonic Beaune—pronouced … Continue reading →

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