Tag Archives: France

Piper Heidsieck Rare Millesime Brut, Champagne 2002 – April 2016

Piper Heidsieck Rare Millesime Brut, Champagne 2002 750ML ($219.95) Buy Now: $189 special

Wine Spectator 97 points “Impeccably balanced and silky, with finely honed acidity shaping the expansive flavors of toasted brioche, crushed blackberry, lemon preserves and honey, revealing hints of Frangelico liqueur and smoked nut. Rich and vivid, with a lasting finish. Drink now through 2027. 2,500 cases made.” AN

Wine Enthusiast 94 points – Cellar Selection “This is top Champagne from Piper-Heidsieck, offering the delicious airy quality that’s the hallmark of this house, with crisp apple flavor, tangy acidity and the first signs of yeasty, toasty bottle age. Its fruit intensity has transformed into a splendid selection. It’s worth aging for a few more years, though also delicious now.”… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Lafage Cuvee Centenaire Cotes du Roussillon 2014 4-18-16

Domaine Lafage Cotes du Roussillon Cuvee Centenaire, Languedoc-Roussillon 2014 750ML ($19.95) Buy Now: $16 special

I’m going to use two of my least favorite wine descriptors for this one: likeable and drinkable. They’re lazy truisms that leave me shuddering, but I can’t help but call Lafage’s ‘Centenaire’ just that. Truly likeable and really drinkable. There, I said it!

As the namesake suggests, the grapes are grown from hundred-year-old vines – Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, and a touch of Rousanne, in this instance. The wine has considerable body without ever overstaying it’s welcome. Round, somewhat tropical, and with this brilliant salinity which has me wanting more. Preferrably, outdoors, near a coastline. With seafood! I’m stumped in thinking who wouldn’t enjoy Cuvee Centenaire; it’s a killer wine at the moment and will only become more crucial as the summer months draw closer.… Read the rest

Chateau Margaux Bordeaux 2009

Chateau Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux 2009 750ML ($1,199.95) Buy Now: $999 special

Robert Parker 99 points “A brilliant offering from the Mentzelopoulos family, once again their gifted manager, Paul Pontallier, has produced an uncommonly concentrated, powerful 2009 Chateau Margaux made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As with most Medocs, the alcohol here is actually lower (a modest 13.3%) than most of its siblings-. Abundant blueberry, cassis and acacia flower as well as hints of charcoal and forest floor aromas that are almost Burgundian in their complexity are followed by a wine displaying sweet, well-integrated tannins as well as a certain ethereal lightness despite the wine’s overall size. Rich, round, generous and unusually approachable for such a young Margaux, this 2009 should drink well for 30-35+ years.”… Read the rest

Joseph Drouhin Musigny Grand Cru 2011 Burgundy Red Wine

April 2016

Joseph Drouhin Musigny Grand Cru 2011 750ML ($799.95) Buy Now: $549 special

Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 92-95 points “Good deep red. Captivating aromas of blueberry, violet, coffee bean, white pepper and crushed stone. Juicy on entry, then tight and imploded in the middle, with an energetic core of fruit currently dominated by the wine’s structure. Most impressive today on the rising, expanding back end, which saturates the mouth with dusty minerality. This will need eight to ten years of cellaring.” ST

Burghound 93-95 points “Don’t miss! A highly spiced, cool and reserved nose features superb breadth with a wonderfully appealing array of plum, violets, wet stone and essence of red berry fruit. The exceptionally rich, focused and intensely mineral-inflected broad-shouldered flavors evidence focused power and a sleek muscularity before terminating in an explosive and palate saturating finish of genuinely stunning length.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Aw, Shucks! Servin ‘Les Forets’ 2013 (with Oysters!) 4-13-16

Domaine Servin Les Forets, Chablis Premier Cru 2013 750ML ($31.95) Buy Now: $26 special

The days of winter are coming to an end and spring is in the air. Things are changing. The trees are blossoming in the streets and the air smells sweet. We say goodbye to our winter coats and warm wool socks. Sadly, it’s almost time to say goodbye to months with “R” in them: oyster months. Not to worry, there is still time. I suggest we do what is only right by celebrating these last days of April with some fine Chablis and oysters.

Millions of years ago the Chablis region of Burgundy was an ocean floor and the area has many sea fossils. Over the eons, this developed in a mineral rich soil which makes for distinctive chardonnays. … Read the rest