Category Archives: French Wine Reviews

1st Annual Southwest Wines of France Gourmet French Fries Competition and Crazy Duck Fries

June 7,2015

Here is one of the competing French Fry dishes and My Favorite Wine parings.

From Chef Jawn Chasteen of the Redeye Grill we have his Crazy Duck Fries.

Crazy Duck Fries from Redeye Grill 2014 L'Allegresse Rose is the MyFavoriteWine Is selection

Crazy Duck Fries from Redeye Grill
and the 2014 L’Allegresse Rose from Chateau Bellevue La Foret is the MyFavoriteWine Is.com selection

 

They are crazy delicious. Served with a selection of Rose wines.

2014 Chateau Bellevue La Fortet L'Allegresse Rose

2014 Chateau Bellevue La Fortet L’Allegresse Rose a MyFavoriteWineIS.com selection.

My Favorite wine from this set of wines was from Chateau Bellevue la Foret- 2014 L’Allegresse Rose from the Fronton region. This is a blend of 60% Negrette, 10% Gamay, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Annual Southwest Wines of France Gourmet French Fries Competition and Moules Frites Mariniere

June 6,2015

Here is another one of the competing French Fry dishes and My Favorite Wine pairings.

From Chef Paul Denamiel of Le Rivage we have Moules Frites Mariniere. This is twice cooked fries topped with a classic white wine, garlic butter sauce and fresh steamed mussels. They are twice as good with the delicate sauce. They were served with a selection of dry white wines.

Moules Frites Mariniere from Le Rivage

Moules Frites Mariniere from Le Rivage and the 2014 Chateau de Millet Colombard Ugni Blanc (a MyFavoriteWineIS.com selection)

My Favorite Wine from this set of wines was the

2014 Chateau de Millet Colombard Ugni Blanc

2014 Chateau de Millet Colombard Ugni Blanc a MyFavoriteWineIS.com selection

2014 Chateau de Millet from the Cotes de

Gascogne. This is a blend of 50% Colombard and 50% Ugni Blanc. The The wine and french fry pairing of the day. With this Frites dish there was this balance of sweetness of the fries and the fruit in the wine with a palate cleansing acidity.

1st Annual Southwest Wines of France Gourmet French Fries Competition and French Fry’d Duck with Sour Cherry Chutney

June 5,2015

Here is the Peoples Choice Award winning French Fry dish and My Favorite Wine pairings.

French Fry'd Duck with Sour Cherry Chutney from Chef Hugo Uys of Brod Kitchen

French Fry’d Duck with Sour Cherry Chutney from Chef Hugo Uys of Brod Kitchen

From Chef Hugo Uys of Brod Kitchen we have French Fry’d Duck with Sour Cherry Chutney. This is hand cut french fries tossed in a chili olive oil with duck confit, sunflower shoots and a sour cherry chutney.They were served with a selection of full body red wines.

Clos Troteligotte - 'Knom' - Cahors

Clos Troteligotte – ‘Knom’ – Cahors- a MyFavoriteWineIs.com selection

 

Chateau Lagrezette Le Pigionnier – a MyFavoriteWineIS.com selection

My Favorite Wine from this set was the Chateau Lagrezette 2011 Le Pigeonnier.

This is a bold concentrated and elegant 100% Malbec wine from the Cahors region. This however has a estimated retail price of $150.

From a wine pairing perspective My Favorite Wine was the 2012 Clos Troteligotte K Malbec from the Cahors region. The red cherry flavors from the wine enhanced  the flavors in the chutney. Estimated retail price of $15.

 

 

 

 

Bordeaux Chateaus are on the Chinese Menu

March 18,2015

Chateau Renon

Chateau Renon

The Chinese have been accumulating ownership in 100 Bordeaux Chateaus such as Chateau Renon in Cadilac. Surprisingly this only represents 1.3% of the approximately 7,400 Bordeaux Chateaus. However, the Chinese are the second largest foreign owners of Bordeaux chateaus with Belgians being the number one foreign owners.

Will this cause a Future Bordeaux wine shortage?

80% of the wine produced from the Chines chateau owned chateaus are exported to China. Will now the middle range of Bordeaux chateaus start do the same? These Bordeaux wines are commanding up to 10 times the going price in France.

Stay tuned.

1985 Henriot Enchanteleurs Champagne Pairing with Lady Elena Caviar Elegance

March 7,2015

Champagne, Caviar and Wine Pairing with caviar from LadyElenaCaviar.com

Today we are pairing this champagne with two caviars from Lady Elena Caviar.

Wine Review Notes

Just look at these miniscule streaming bubbles racing to the top so gracefully forming and elegant necklace. The bright golden color of this champagne is warning us that it is not as young as it use to be. The champagne released aromas of sweet caramel, mushrooms, citrus and some toasty yeast. In the mouth, it has a medium plus body with yeasty caramel and mushrooms and soft minerality. It finishes with nuttiness and high acidity.

Lady Elena Caviar Pairing1985 Henriot Enchanteleurs Champagne with O My Setra Caviar Pairing

 Elegance Caviar: The nuttiness and minerality of both the champagne and the caviar complement each other and makes this a good Lady Elena Caviar pairing.

O My Setra Caviar: With the delicate flavors of this Osetra caviar the 1985 Henriot Enchanteleurs champagne accents the champagnes caramel a little and then there is a cleansing finish. Good Lady Elena Caviar pairing.

2015 Bordeaux Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting

January 28,2015

2012 Bordeaux2015 Union Des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2012 vintage favorite wine

With 2009 and 2010 vintages embedded in our minds as reference points, 2012 is a vintage that makes you think about what should Bordeaux wine taste like.

In 2012 the uneven ripeness of mainly the Cabernet Sauvignon posed a great challenge or a great expense for those that could spend the money to manage the berries vine by vine and still do an intense sorting. There is no doubt that some regions were more blessed than others and some regions were cursed.

The 2012 Whites of Bordeaux

The white wines of Pessac-Léognan were delicious. This 2012 vintage of white blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon had freshness and good acidity but were slightly lacking in overall structure. This is a vintage to drink sooner than later.

2012 Barsac and Sauternes

Wines from Barsac and Sauterne may be in the bottle but they left out some of the botrytis in the wines. They are still enjoyable sweet wines.

Conclusion

Overall there was not a consistent quality level. A bottle from one Chateau in Margaux is not going to be representative of that region.There is freshness, ripeness, under ripeness, integrated tannins, dry tannins and etc. Some of the classified wines tasted like a well made Haut Medoc. There is value to be found in this vintage.
A vintage year to taste before you buy.

Vins de Provence – The Different Provence Rosé AOP

November 30,2014

Provence Map with the New AOP PierrefeuProvence vineyards include 3 major appellations and 4 sub appellations total are over 150 miles.

The difference in the AOP (Appellation d’ Origine Protégée) is what defines each province.

The AOP rules for Provence include provisions for the grapes, place of origin, planting density, planting percentages by grape variety , vine size, trellising, vine health, irrigation, harvesting, assemblage, oenological process, equipment, temperature control, packaging, storage, labeling, market release dates and more.

However the following 4 AOP rules for Provence are the easiest for us to taste in the glass:

1) Maximum Residual Sugar

2) Primary Grape Varieties

3) Secondary Grape Varieties

4) Minimum alcohol Content

While all seven AOPs  have an allowable range of residual sugar of 3 to 4 grams per liter and a minimum alcohol  level of 11 to 11.5% these miniscule difference do not account for the main distinguishing characteristics of each AOP. It is the primary and the secondary grape varietals that impact the wines mostly. Do not expect tor find any Cabernet Sauvignon in a wine form the Cote de Provence La Lande AOP and if you do the winery is not following the rules.

 

Côtes de Provence AOP        

Primary Grape Varieties: Cinsault,  Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah, Tibouren

Secondary Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Clairete, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle)

 

Côtes de Provence

Sainte-Victoire AOP

Primary Grape Varieties: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah

Secondary Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Mourvédre, Clairette, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle)

 

Côtes de Provence  

Fréjus  AOP                          

Primary Grape Varieties: Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah, Tibouren

Secondary Grape Varieties: Cinsault

 

Côtes de Provence                                                                                                          La Londe  AOP                                                                                                              

Primary Grape Varieties: Cinsault, Grenache

Secondary Grape Varieties: Carignan, Mourvédre, Syrah, Tibouren, Clairette, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle)

 

Côtes de Provence                              

Pierrefeu AOP 

Primary Grape Varieties: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah

Secondary Grape Varieties: Mourvédre, Tibouren, Clairette, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle)

                                                                                                           

Côtes de Provence                              

d Aix en Provence AOP                          

Primary Grape Varieties: Cinsault, Counoise, Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah

Secondary Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc,  Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle)

 

Côtes de Provence

Varois en Provence AOP      

Primary Grape Varieties: Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah

Secondary Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Tibouren, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino (Rolle)

             

2013 Triennes Provence Rosé and Thanksgiving Day

November 26,2014

Happy Thanksgiving

Wine writer Chrisopher Waters from the Toronto Sun writes

“A well made rosé can be one of the best matches for the classic holiday feast of turkey, cranberry sauce, and all the  fixings.”

The Favorite Wine from Provence for this Thanksgiving is the 2013 Triennes Rosé wine.2013 Triennes Rosé from Provence

Chateau Boston

November 24,2014

I recently tasted some relatively inexpensive Bordeaux wines at the Bordeaux Under One Roof tasting in New York City. There were many standout wines from Bordeaux for fair value.

This wine first caught my attention for its name and not for any fancy attention getting label design. You will note that  there are no pictures of red sox on the bottle. The label is plain and to the point.

2008 Chateau Boston from the AOC of Margaux, Bordeaux has a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. This 2008 was ready to drink and is delicious. At a SRP of $34 this is a fair deal.Chateau Boston From Margaux

 

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2014

November 20,2014

Today November 20,2014 is Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2014.

The first wine of the season is upon us from Beaujolais region of France. Just weeks after harvest Beaujolais Nouveau wine is bottled and ready for sale. Each third Thursday in November is celebrated in France marking Beaujolais Nouveau Day.

Beaujolais Nouveau wine is from the Gamay grape grown in the Beaujolais region of France.

The wine is made using the carbonic maceration method which results in juicy fresh fruit filled wine that is easy to drink. However, this wine is best drunk sooner than later as it loses its freshness within 8 months.

Lets pop that cork and celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day 2014.

Here are a couple of names you should try

Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais Nouveau  ERP $9

Despres Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais Nouveau  ERP $12

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