Category Archives: FRANCE

Château Palmer: Margaux Your Own Way

Posted on December 23, 2014 by intoxreport

If you find the Bordeaux Classification of 1855 irrelevant, confusing, frustrating or all the above, rest assured: You are in good company. The snit of owner Baron Philippe de Rothschild over Mouton’s second-rate status led to decades of lobbying, resulting in … Continue reading →

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

Merry Meursault And A Châteauneuf Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2014 by intoxreport

Christmas is for the young; so it was with perfect propriety that I sat with eternally young wine merchant Elie Boudt over a couple of French classics as re-interpreted by a new generation of winemaker. The techniques employed were not an … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, FRANCE, Rhône | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

To Be Or Tannat To Be: That’s The Question

Posted on September 11, 2014 by intoxreport

Tannat is a wine geek’s grape, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.  Like cult films or cult bands, tannat is often dug for its brooding obscurity or transgressive potency more than for any sense of down-home approachableness. Nonetheless, like … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Idiart Savant

Posted on August 10, 2014 by intoxreport

Nicolas Idiart has one of those strikingly handsome, masculine faces that makes even straight guys sit up and take notice, then recalculate our own sad position on that irrelevant ladder of total relevance, realizing that we’ve just moved down another … Continue reading →

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A Summertime Favorite: Korn On The Job

Posted on June 18, 2014 by intoxreport

* Final day for voting in Wine Blog Awards 2014, for which this column is nominated in ‘Best Writing On A Wine Blog’.  http://wineblogawards.org/ if you intend to vote for me.   Otherwise, move along, nothing to see here…   Every … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL, Provence, Rhône | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Helfrich Produces No Dogs, Thank You Very Much

Posted on April 10, 2014 by intoxreport

I know a wine writer who berates other wine writers who use the ‘A’ word.  I won’t give her name, but I will say that she resembles a yeti, and not in a wholesome, Julia Child sort of way. Now, … Continue reading →

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

Bret Wine Never Tasted So Fine

Posted on April 8, 2014 by intoxreport

Can you guess why Mel Practice opted out of a career in medicine? Of course you can.  Same reason that the Scheister Brothers don’t have a law firm or why Sam ‘n’ Ella don’t open a sushi bar. So, when … Continue reading →

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

Buggy Over Bugey

Posted on September 3, 2013 by intoxreport

If you fancy yourself a genuine wine pro, and are the kind of supercilious genuine wine pro who is too proud to learn new words from a genuine sloppy, slathering wino, I recommend that you skip this part, because I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

And What Is So Rare As A Red Alsace?

Posted on August 23, 2013 by intoxreport

  ‘And what is so rare as a red Alsace? Then, if ever, come redolent ripe Pinot noir from clay and loess. Too little is made for media hype. Whether we slurp, or whether we guzzle, It’s Rouge d’Ottrott we … Continue reading →

Posted in Alsace, FRANCE, Klipfel | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

No Honor-Roll Among Thieves: Balmy & Clod Rob Château d’Yquem

Posted on June 12, 2013 by intoxreport

Granted, when Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker began their cigar-chompin’ shitstorm in 1932, the dessert wine industry had not really taken hold in the Midwest.  So, they are to be forgiven for targeting banks and gas stations rather than hundred-point châteaux … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, FRANCE, GENERAL | Tagged , , | Leave a comment