France Archives

March 15, 2024March 17, 2024

2021 MilleX Promesse Rouge

2021 MilleX Promesse Rouge is a red wine from the AOP Costières de Nimes. This is an AOP in the South of the Rhône valley in Southern France. The wine is made by the Vignerons Créateurs, a combine of several wineries in Southern France. It earned its name from the fact that the vineyards are located in Jonquières-St-Vincent. Indicated by the Xth mile marker on the Via Domitia, which is an ancient roman road linking Spain and Italy. The marker thus indicates that it is exactly X (=10) roman miles from the city of Nimes.

The cuvée of this expressive wine is a blend of Syrah and Grenache – typical Southern Rhône red grape varieties. It has a dark ruby color. In the nose, aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, dark plum, cinnamon, blueberry, cedar wood, vanilla and pepper. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity, high alcohol, well integrated tannins, well bodied and a pleasant and long finish.

The 2021 MilleX Promesse Rouge is a truly nice and powerful red wine.

TBM 90 points.

March 15, 2024March 17, 2024

2022 MilleX Promesse Blanc

2022 MilleX Promesse Blanc is a white wine from the AOP Costières de Nimes. This is an AOP in the South of the Rhône valley in Southern France. The wine is made by the Vignerons Créateurs, a combine of several wineries in Southern France. It earned its name from the fact that the vineyards are located in Jonquières-St-Vincent. Indicated by the Xth mile marker on the Via Domitia, which is an ancient roman road linking Spain and Italy. The marker thus indicates that it is exactly X (=10) roman miles from the city of Nimes.

The cuvée of this expressive wine is a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Rolle – typical Southern Rhône grape varieties. It has a straw color with a slight golden touch. In the nose, aromas of flowers, herbs, pear, honey melon and honeysuckle. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity, medium alcohol and medium body and a pleasant and long finish.

The 2022 MilleX Promesse Blanc is a very nice white wine.

TBM 88 points.

March 15, 2024

2020 Terra Caillou Clairette

The 2020 Terra Caillou Clairette de Bellegarde is a very nice white wine from the South of France, made with the Clairette grape. It is made by the Vignerons Créateurs, a combination of different wineries from the South of France. Clairette de Bellegarde is an AOC (now AOP) since 1949, for wines made entirely with the Clairette grape. The wine is certified organic.

Straw color with silvery reflexes. In the nose, you have lovely aromas of linden tree flowers, pear, honey and peach. On the palate, this wine is dry, with medium + acidity, full body, medium alcohol and a long and pleasant finish.

The 2020 Terra Caillou Clairette de Bellegarde is a special white wine. I really liked it.

TBM 90 points.

March 15, 2024

2022 Costières de Nimes

The 2022 Costières de Nimes rouge is a red wine made from the grapes Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Marselan. The winery is Domaine des Grès Rouge, which is part of the Vignerons Créateurs, which combines different winemakers from the South of France. The Domaine is situated in the Southern part of the Rhône Valley.

The wine shows an intense ruby color. In the first nose, you have blackcurrant, violet and recurrant, on the second note also black cherry, vanilla, blue plum, as well as notes of licorice and herbs like rosmary. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity, high alcohol, a medium + body and medium tannins.

Overall, 2022 Costières de Nimes is a powerful wine with a nice and rather long finish. For the lovers of bold red wines.

TBM 86 points.

November 20, 2023November 28, 2023

2016 Tronquoy-Lalande

The 2016 Tronquoy-Lalande, St. Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, is the property of the Bouygues brothers. They made a lot of money in telecommunications and internet and invested in several great vineyards and wineries. Even if this wine is not a Grand Cru Classé, it is an excellent and very tasty wine. They call the wine a Cru hors classe, because it is not a classified wine, but it has the main characteristics of a Grand Cru Classé. Since 2018, the winery dropped the part “Lalande” of the name, henceforth, the wine is just called Château Tronquoy.

Intense ruby color. In the nose, intense and complex aromas of black fruit – black cherry, black plum, cassis, with notes of vanilla and leather. On the palate, the 2016 Tronquoy-Lalande is dry, with Medium acidity. The alcohol is high, it has a full body and firm but already nicely integrated tannins. Long finish. With more maturity, the tannins will integrate even more and make this wine even better. I really liked it. TBM 92 points.

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November 18, 2023November 27, 2023

1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets”

1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets”, Henri Boillot, Volnay, Côte d’Or, Burgundy, France. Henri Boillot is a famous winemaker in Burgundy. The Boillot family began to make wine in the early 1900s. Henri Boillot, grandfather to today’s senior winemaker Henri Boillot, created the winery. Henri Boillot (should I call him jr.?) joined the winery then run by his father Jean Boillot, in 1975. In 2000, they built a new winemaking facility in Meursault. So this 1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets” is from the former winery in Volnay.

It seems that Henri Boillot (jr.) has introduced quite a lot of improvements that have been the basis of today’s fame. His son Guillaume joined the winery in 2008, and they have been responsible for winemaking jointly ever since.

Grenade color. On the nose, the 1982 Volnay 1er Cru “Les Caillerets” shows mainly tertiary aromas, like leather, game, smoke and sous-bois and cigars, with some fruity nose of redcurrant and raspberry. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity, medium alcohol, tannins expressive but well integrated, and a good body. Initially, the finish was a bit short. This improved after the wine had been opened for more than an hour, the finish was rather long and pleasant. A wine that has passed its peak, probably was better about 10 years ago. TBM 89 points.

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November 1, 2023November 27, 2023

2000 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

2000 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France. Until now, I only tasted few wines of Armand Rousseau, a legend whose reputation hasn’t escaped me. Tonight we are tasting a masterwork of his, and yes, we are convinced it is a truly great wine.

Beautiful ruby color. On the nose, complex and lovely aromas – still some primary ones of red fruit (redcurrant, raspberry, red cherry), some notes of secondary ones (ceder, cigar box) and tertiary aromas like leather, game, mushrooms. On the palate, the 2000 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is dry with medium+ acidity, showing off the aromas we found on the nose, medium alcohol, tannins well integrated but still noticeable, medium+ body. The finish is long and very pleasant. TBM 94 points.

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March 30, 2023March 30, 2023

2002 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes

2002 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes is a mature, well-done red Burgundy wine made by Geantet-Pansiot. This domaine was originally created in 1954, after the marriage of Edmond Geantet and Bernadette Pansiot. They began with 7 ha of vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, slowly expanding over the years. Their son Vincent Geantet has been in charge of the winemaking at this domaine since 1989. The 2002 vintage had been a warm, but very good vintage. The malolactic fermentation ended early, and the wine was bottled already in October of that year. When tasting in 2004, Stephen Tanzer criticised that the wine had too strong an oak element – something that we, tasting in 2023, did not find.

Ruby color with a slight grenade reflex, this wine showed beautiful cathedral windows in the glass. We enjoyed this wine in the Manhatta restaurant in New York. They serve the wine in Zalto glasses – very fine and thin, these glasses show the best of the wine. In the nose, there is red fruit, redcurrant, red cherry, some flowery notes. On the palate, the 2002 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes is dry, round, fruity, mineral with nicely integrated tannins. A very elegant wine that has obviously benefited greatly from maturing.

TBM 92 points.

2002 Chambolle Musigny Vieilles Vignes Geantet-Pansiot

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023

Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru

Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru is a Grand Cru Champagne of the 2014 vintage, made by Philipponnat. The name of Cuvée 1522 is a tribute to the year in which the Philipponnat family settled in the village of Ay. This is a village in the heart of the Champagne region. Apvril le Philipponnat owned vines at Le Léon, between Ay and Dizy in the Champagne region, from 1522.

Vintage 2014

According to the website – the word from the Cellar Master – the following describes the condition of the vintage. 2014, a year with chaotic weather and full of surprises. A mild and rainy autumn and winter were followed by a superb spring, warm, dry and sunny, leading to a very early bud break. Summer was particularly rainy and temperatures were autumnal by the end of August. Considering the rainy weather, grape soundness was satisfactory, notably with very low levels of grey rot, and no powdery or downy mildew on the clusters. The year was unusual in that sour rot and spotted wing drosophila appeared in certain sectors. Due to fast picking and strict sorting during the harvest, the quality of our intake was very sound with a fairly exceptional average weight of clusters. The harvest took place from 13 to 25 September 2014.

Making of the Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru

This Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru champagne is made with 81% Pinot Noir and 19% Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir grows in the Léon vineyard, thus, one of the most traditional properties. The Verzy vineyard is the source of the Chardonnay. The wine stays 08 years on the lees. The dosage is minimal, only 4,25 gr/l, therefore, this is an Extra Brut Champagne.

Analysis of the Champagne

In the glass, the Philipponnat 1522 Grand Cru Champagne presents itself in a golden straw color, brilliant, with very fine perlage. In the nose, it shows complex aromas of pear, almonds, spices and brioche, with slight peppery notes. On the palate, this Champagne is dry and fresh, with a wonderful perlage, underlining the aromas and ending in a long and pleasant finish.

We enjoyed this wine to begin celebrating my wife’s birthday. A truly marvellous champagne!

TBM 93 points.

March 15, 2023

1995 Château Greysac

1995 Château Greysac is a Cru Bourgeois from the Medoc region, in Bordeaux, France. More details on this Château can be found here – it seems their own website is out of service. It is one of the more basic Bordeaux wines, so one should not expect miracles. Also, its price tag is modest. But I would not go as far as Robert Parker, who wrote – back in 1996, when the wine was obviously still extremely young – “Slightly riper and softer than the 1994, but also an ungenerous, light-bodied wine lacking fruit“. He then gave it a shocking 78-80 points 😜 – today, this would be a death sentence for any wine! In the mid-90s, Robert Parker himself was still quite direct and without any attempt to please – honesty prevailed. That had its advantages, really. Today, every wine seems to earn a high number of points. And this is often not justified.

The 1995 Château Greysac, however, with its 28 years of age, doesn’t seem old. It is quite alive, showing red fruit (redcurrant, cherry) with some spicy aromas in the nose (and not “lacking fruit”, as Robert Parker stated). The tannins are nicely integrated. It seems that it paid off that I have waited quite a long time to open this bottle, that had been forgotten in my cellar (I had purchased it en primeur in 1996). It harmonised very well with my Ossobuco and polenta that I made. TBM 85-86 points.