French Wines

A review of “Sour Grapes”

by  |  12-12-2016

Being based in Spain has many upsides like great jamón, wine, and the sea, but getting access to small-release films isn't anywhere in that list. This is why I'm only just now getting around to... more »

Burgundy 2016

by  |  28-11-2016

When in Burgundy in March for Grands Jour, it was happier times. The winemakers had come off of the very good and excellent vintages of 2014 and 2015--something generally unheard of in this exalted, yet... more »

Finding ’14 & La Festa de la Verema

by  |  04-11-2016

Two years back, I wrote an account of the 2014 harvest which is where the photo above was from. It was nasty. What wasn't desiccated was full of botrytis or then underripe and green. It... more »

In The Glass: Cave de Tain l’Hermitage – Cornas 2012

by  |  19-09-2016

I don't really know why the AOC Cornas appellation in Rhône isn't more sought after. It's a very small region over just over 100ha with very small production of just half a million bottles--in a... more »

Drinking a wine prize, Château Fombrauge Saint Émilion Grand Cru 2012

by  |  29-07-2016

As I'm sure someone has said, "You can't spell 'wine' without 'win'" and if someone hasn't said it before, I'm saying it now because earlier this year, this site was a Finalist for the Millésime... more »

The last freakin’ article on the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris

by  |  12-07-2016

For anyone who follows wine news (and let's be honest, that's not a terribly large chunk of humanity) you'll have seen countless articles about the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, the seminal wine... more »

What private, or “own-label” wines bring to the table

by  |  19-05-2016

If there is one thing more tedious than wine articles, it's wine articles about other wine articles which is why I try not to do it much here, although I do renege on this from... more »

Cairanne’s cru bump & Brunel de la Gardine

by  |  14-05-2016

When at Vinisud back in February, the happy rumbling around town was that Cairanne had just gone from being Côtes du Rhône Villages to a full cru meaning that from 2016 onward, those studying all... more »
The tasting at Nuits St. George

The days of Grands Jours de Bourgogne 2016

by  |  11-05-2016

It may be different for others but I suppose due to the general price of the wines and the limited production, I've always thought of Burgundy as something of an enigma. Sure, wine is wine... more »

Chêne Bleu’s decade of rosé evolution

by  |  23-04-2016

It was exactly two years ago that I was first introduced to Chêne Bleu at the G-Night event that takes place during Alimentària--'G' for Grenache lest you forget it. Of all the wines that this... more »