Chateau de la Tour de L'ange

Name: Chateau de la Tour de L'ange
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: France
Region: Burgundy
Price: $14
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We enjoyed this white Burgundy last week...The nose was a bit limited, but the flavors were great.  Mostly pears, apples, some citrus, and lemons.  It had great acidity and was quite juicy.

Bougrier Famille Vouvray

Name: Bougrier Famille Vouvary
Color: White
Varietal: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Country/State: France
Region: Vouvray
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

We had this Vouvray a couple of weeks ago and thought it was terrific.  A little on the sweet side, but still crisp and refreshing.  Good fruit flavors with a generous amount of honey.  Chenin Blanc is quickly becoming one of our go-to white varietals.

Bougrier Vouvray

Name: Bougrier Vouvray
Color: White
Varietal: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: France
Region: Loire Valley
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


This was our first bottle of Vouvray (made with the Chenin Blanc grape), and we completely enjoyed it...It was a delicious, medium-bodied wine, with flavors of sweet fruit like peaches, pears, and pineapples, with some kiwi and green apples. It's an off-dry wine, but it had enough acidity to keep it balanced. We drank this wine on its own after chilling it, and also had it with a dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables. It was terrific with and without food.

For about $10, we will definitely keep this one on our list of favorites.

Pierre Amadieu Gigondas Romane Machotte

Name: Pierre Amadieu Gigondas Romane Machotte
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache, Syrah)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Gigondas
Price: $22
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We took this wine with us last night to dinner at Cello's CharHouse in downtown Safety Harbor...The dinner and the wine were both terrific. The wine was very smooth and we quickly finished the bottle...It was highlighted by blackberries, plums, and vanilla, with a nice black pepper spice. I highly recommend both the wine and the restaurant.

(We've also enjoyed the red blend from the Vacqueyras region by this same producer, and would like to taste them both together to compare and contrast...either way, both wines were excellent!)

Pierre Amadieu "La Grangeliere" Vacqueyras

Name: Pierre Amadieu "La Grangeliere"
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache/Syrah)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Southern Rhone (Vacqueyras)
Price: $19
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


I chose this wine from Vacqueyras to drink with our Christmas Eve festivities...Krista made bacon-wrapped filets cooked in a red wine mushroom sauce with mashed potatoes and a nice fresh salad. The wine and the dinner were great. We had the 2005 vintage of this same wine about a year and a half ago and really enjoyed it, too. Much like that one, this 2007 was a little hot right out of the gate. Luckily I planned ahead and poured it in the decanter at around 3:30 and left it there while we went to church. By the time we got home and had a first glass at 6:00, it had mellowed out nicely and was really open and delicious.

The aromas and taste were primarily red fruits - strawberries and raspberries, with a bit of peppery spice. It was smooth and well-balanced, with a long finish...I have the Gigondas from Pierre Amadieu, as well, and can't wait to try it soon to see how it compares to the Vacqueyras.

Merry Christmas!!

Helfrich Vin D'Alsace Riesling

Name: Helfrich Vin D'Alsace Riesling
Color: White
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Alsace
Price: $13
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


The Helfrich Riesling is a clear, bright yellow in color with a rather muted aroma. Nothing specific came through on the nose for me, except maybe a little bit of light citrus. The flavors are crisp and quite dry. We drank it with a tex-mex style soup and then finished the bottle after dinner. I drank most of this one myself. Krista had only one glass...I enjoyed it, but wasn't necessarily blown away by it. I appreciated the medium body, dry style, and the minerality, but just wasn't as impressed with the overall taste.

DeBeaune Les Galopieres Pouilly-Fuisse

Name: Debeaune Les Galopieres Pouilly-Fuisse
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: France
Region: Pouilly-Fuisse
Price: $20
Stars: 4 (out of 5)



This French Chardonnay was very enjoyable...It was smooth, balanced, and delicious. It tasted primarily like green apple, pear, and other citrus flavors. The nose was similar but was a bit restrained. The flavors, however, were terrific. The finish was long and the acidity was excellent. The wine was great with dinner and also very good on its own.

I continue to really like French whites.

Domaine Lenoir Macon-Villages

Name: Domaine Lenoir Les Vins Jean Claude DeBeaune
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: France
Region: Burgundy (Macon-Villages)
Price: $12
Stars: 4 (out of 5)



This is a terrific white Burgundy from the Macon-Villages region in France. It features aromas of apples, pears, and other white fruits. The taste is similar to the nose but it also has a little kick of citrus. This Chardonnay is unoaked, medium-bodied, smooth, and easy drinking. It paired nicely with a roast chicken we had for dinner. We used a bit of the wine in the sauce.

The wine was also excellent on its own. French Chardonnays continue to be among our favorite white wines.

Domaine de la Curniere Vacqueyras

Name: Domaine de la Curniere Vacqueyras
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: France
Region: Vacqueyras
Price: $17
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

I love red blends from the Vacqueyras region in the southern Rhone Valley!! The Domaine de la Curniere is a Grenache dominated blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. It's a little light in the aroma, but it's big and filling in the mouth. It has great acidity and big dark fruit flavors. It has a nice long finish and the spiciness that I expect to find in a southern Rhone red. Nothing complex, but very good.

Domaine Roger Luquet Clos de Condemine

Name: Domaine Roger Luquet Clos de Condemine
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: France
Region: Burgundy (Macon-Villages)
Price: $15
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


We had this terrific French white last night with dinner (fish and pasta)...The wine went well with dinner and was great on its own. There wasn't much going on in the nose -- mostly pear and green apple. The taste was similar to the nose, but its great minerality and clean crispness made it very enjoyable. We continue to have good luck with French whites.

Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet

Name: Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet
Color: White
Varietal: Picpoul
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: France
Region: Languedoc
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

We had our second bottle of Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet tonight with shrimp scampi with pasta in a butter garlic sauce. It was still very good and we enjoyed it very much. We had the 2007 vintage in October, while the wine last night was from 2009.

This wine is an outstanding value and is fresh and delicious. It has a nose of lemon, lime, citrus, peach, and green apple. The taste is similar to the nose with a medium body, nice acidity, and a decent finish. It went very well with the shrimp and is also very easy to drink on its own....It's one of our favorite white wines.

Domaine Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras

Name: Domaine Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: France
Region: Vacqueyras
Price: $13
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


After having had great success with the Pierre Amadieu Vacqueyras back in August, I picked up a couple of other wines from this region in the Southern Rhone Valley on my last trip to Total Wine. We both really enjoyed this wine from Domaine Mas du Bouquet. It was full of fruit, but had some earthy spiciness to it. The body was medium, with a nose of blackberry and strawberry. It was very good, but I remember liking the Pierre Amadieu "La Grangeliere" Vacqueyras a little better.

We drank this wine last night with flank steak served over potatoes. Both the meal and the wine were terrific.

La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Luberon

Name: La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Luberon
Color: White
Varietal: Blend (Grenache Blanc/Bourboulenc/Ugni Blanc/Roussanne)
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: France
Region: Rhone Valley
Price: $7
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)



We had the white version of La Vieille Ferme tonight with pasta. We've had it before and always enjoy it. It's nothing fancy; just a good, solid, reliable, and affordable white blend from the Rhone Valley. It's a tremendous value, goes well with any number of dishes, and also drinks well on its own. The flavor is mostly apples, pears, and pineapples. It has a medium body and a decent finish.

Chardonnay - Blind Tasting

For Valentine's Day, Krista came up with the idea to do a blind tasting of a few bottles of one type of wine. After debating between several ideas like Sirah/Shiraz, Southern Rhone reds, Petite Sirah, and others, I decided to start with Chardonnay. Not for any real reason other than the fact that Chardonnay is grown all over the world and made in many different varieties. Most of the Chardonnay we prefer is unoaked or at the most, lightly oaked.

I settled on 4 bottles - two from California, one from France, and one from Chile. Here's the line-up:

• Four Vines Naked Chardonnay, (California, Santa Barbara County), 2008, $13
• Michel Dutour "La Roche" Pouilly-Fuisse, (France, Pouilly-Fuisse), 2006, $16
• Cono Sur Chardonnay, (Chile, Central Valley), 2009, $9
• Kunde Estate Chardonnay, (California, Sonoma), 2006, $12

I bagged the bottles, then Krista mixed them up and numbered them:



We sampled each of the wines over the course of the night with cheese, bread, and crackers...



Our notes on the 4 bottles:

#1 - the color of this wine was the most pale of any of the four; it had a nice medium body with aromas and flavors of apples, pears, and citrus...tart...fruit forward, very tasty

#2 - also pale, clear...very limited nose, but extremely nice in the mouth...lemony, very smooth with a very long finish

#3 - similar to #1 in aroma and taste...green apple flavors, tart...refreshing acidity...a little lighter bodied than #1

#4 - sort of like a combination of #2 and #3...lemons, citrus, more on the nose than #2...stronger acidity and a little grassy

_________________________________________________________________

Krista and I both enjoyed all 4 wines very much. There were no clunkers in the bunch. However, we both agreed that #2 stood out as our favorite, followed closely by #1.

It turns out that the winner was the French Chardonnay, Michel Dutour "La Roche" Pouilly-Fuisse. The runner-up was the wine from Chile made by Cono Sur. There was a slight drop-off after these two, meaning that the two Chardonnays from California were our 3rd and 4th favorites from the group.

We had a lot of fun with our little blind tasting and can't wait to do it again with a different batch of wines!!

D'Autrefois Vin de Pays Pinot Noir

Name: D'Autrefois Vin de Pays Pinot Noir
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Country/State: France
Region: Languedoc Roussillon
Price: $10
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

This is the best selling Pinot Noir at Total Wine, but it really wasn't anything special to me. It had a light body, with aromas and taste of strawberry and other soft red fruits. It improved with some time in the glass, but never really developed into anything more than "OK". Several months ago, we had the "Reserve" version of the D'Autrefois Pinot. This "regular" bottling was very similar to the Reserve, but without some of the earthiness of the Reserve. I would probably pass on both of these wines in the future.

Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone

Name: Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre/Cinsault)
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: France
Region: Rhone
Price: $11
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

The Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone is a red blend from the Rhone Valley made by the Perrin brothers, owners of Chateau Beaucastel, who are renowned for their Chateauneuf du Pape. They also make a very good value wine under the La Vieille Ferme label. We've had several bottles of the white and red versions of La Vieille Ferme and have enjoyed them very much. The 2006 Perrin Reserve is predominantly Grenache (60%), with Syrah (20%), Mourvedre (10%), and Cinsault (10%).

We drank a glass of the Perrin Reserve last night and finished the bottle tonight with a big bowl of chili and rice. It was very good on its own and with the meal. The nose was nice and dark and earthy. The taste was primarily dark fruits, like black cherry, blackberry, and blueberry, but you could also taste the earthy qualities that really give the wine some character. It's an excellent value.

I would like to try the Perrin Reserve side by side with the La Vieille Ferme to see if I can detect any noticeable differences. If not, then we might as well save a few dollars and go with the La Vieille Ferme.

Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet

Name: Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet
Color: White
Varietal: Picpoul
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Languedoc
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We had our first wine made from the Picpoul grape last night and loved it!! It went excellently with our dinner of mahi fish fillets. The color was a pale gold. The body was light to medium with great acidity. It was very refreshing, delicious, and came at a great price ($10) at Total Wines. The Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet reminded me of a combination of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and an Albarino from Spain. It tasted more like an Albarino, but had the great acidity and liveliness of a Sauvignon Blanc. The taste was mostly lime, lemon, grapefruit, with some peach. It was also great on its own after dinner.

I would highly recommend this wine and will definitely be buying more in the future.

D'Autrefois Reserve Pinot Noir

Name: D'Autrefois Reserve
Color: Red
Varietal: Pinot Noir

Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Vin de Pays
Price: $13
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

I picked up this wine at Total Wines based on the recommendation of one of the employees. The standard (non-reserve) bottling of D'Autrefois Pinot Noir is the best selling Pinot in the store. I really want to try that version to compare it to the Reserve, which is about $3-4 more than the regular bottling. We drank this last night with chicken and pasta. It was good, but not particularly memorable in any way that would make me want to rush out and buy more. It was light, a little fruity with some earthiness, and was easy to drink. I wish I had stuck with my original intention of picking up a bottle of the Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot that I have seen highly recommended as a great value Pinot Noir.

Pierre Amadieu "La Grangeliere" Vacqueyras

Name: Pierre Amadieu "La Grangeliere"
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Grenache/Syrah)
Vintage: 2005
Country/State: France
Region: Southern Rhone (Vacqueyras)
Price: $16
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We loved this wine! We drank it last night with steaks that we grilled on our new grill. We finally had to part ways with our last grill that we had for about 12 years. It got to the point that it became more of a fire hazard than an outdoor kitchen appliance. We broke in the new one last night and it was great - I forgot how nice it is to have an automatic ignitor switch and to have both burners working evenly...

Krista and the boys bought this bottle of wine for me last Christmas, and I've been anxious to try it ever since. Finally, we got around to opening it last night and it was definitely worth the wait. Right out of the bottle, it was little hot, so I poured into the decanter and let it sit for about an hour. It definitely mellowed as it sat and got better and smoother throughout the night. The color was a deep, dark red. The nose was big dark fruits, dark cherries and plums, with some pepper and spice. The taste was similar to the aroma, and it paired really well with the peppery steaks. The finish was nice and long. Overall, it was a pretty full-bodied wine and was the type of red blend that we really like.

Chateau Montet Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Chateau Montet
Color: White
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Bordeaux
Price: $9
Stars: 4 (out of 5)


The Chateau Montet is a white Bordeaux made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It was very clean, crisp, and refreshing. I picked up on lemon and lime flavors, with maybe a little grapefruit. It also had some nice mineral notes that I really liked. One thing that really stood out to me was the relatively "tame" acidity level. It was nicely balanced, without the higher acidity found in most New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.

We drank this wine last night with a dinner of white fish and crab meat. The wine and the meal went perfectly together, as the wine really picked up on the fresh lemon flavor of the fish. It also drank very well on its own after dinner...For $9, this was an extremely good value.