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French wines and the appellations they come from are very diverse. That might be the reason why the French are currently the number one producers of wine and the number one consumers of wine.
France is blessed as both a cool-climate producer of wines in regions such as Burgundy, Champagne, Loire Valley, and Alsace where grapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling thrive, while the warmer ocean-influenced climate of Bordeaux allows for near perfect ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in most years. Even warmer sub-tropical influences can be tasted in the rich, extroverted, and largely Grenache-based wines of the Southern Rhone Valley such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape, as well as in Provence and the Languedoc/Roussillon located near the Mediterranean Sea in Southern France.
Winemadeeasy.com has an excellent selection of French wine from inexpensive Cotes-du-Rhone and hand-selected petite Bordeaux, to highly rated wines including Chateauneuf-du-Pape and first-growth Bordeaux, and an eclectic mix in-between.
SP9393 pts. - Wine Spectator - Nov 30, 2021 Packed with dark fig, boysenberry and blackberry fruit, this pumps along with ample depth and drive, picking up licorice snap, roasted applewood and dark tea notes along the way. Nice energy through the finish too, thanks to an underlying iron note. Drink now through 2030. 1,000 cases made, 150 cases imported. (James Molesworth)JD91+91–93 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/5/2021 Leading off the reds, the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes offers a dense purple color as well as ripe, powerful notes of smoked red and black fruits, scorched earth, chocolate, and a touch of smoke meat. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, and balanced. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Saturated magenta. Displays expressive red and dark berry, smoked meat, olive and floral qualities on the spice-accented nose. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering gently sweet cherry-cola, blackberry and baking spice flavors that show fine detail and a mineral, back-end lift. Finishes very long and subtly chewy, with repeating smokiness, harmonious tannins and strong persistence. (Josh Raynolds)
JD97+97–99 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 2/16/2022 I was blown away by the 2018 Côte Rôtie Château D’Ampuis, which is certainly in the same league as the famed La Las. Coming from seven single vineyards and seeing the same upbringing as the flagship releases, this reveals a vivid purple hue as well as stunning aromatics of cassis, smoked game, spring flowers, and subtle smoke. It has background espresso-laced oak that’s perfectly integrated, it’s full-bodied, and it has ripe, polished tannins and a great finish. (Jeb Dunnuck)JS9696 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Monday, March 21, 2022 The very deep, smoky and spicy nose pulls you into this very concentrated, focused and elegant Cote-Rotie, with delicate notes of coconut and pomegranate adding to the very complex picture. Very long, polished finish with delicate sweetness and underplayed power. Drink or hold.RP95+95+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 10th Feb 2022 Smoky, briary and complex, the 2018 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis spent 38 months in new oak, yet it still exudes notes of blackberries and blueberries, testament to the wine’s ample concentration. It’s full-bodied and rich yet silky and long, with hints of mocha and brown sugar appearing on the finish. It’s another beautiful vintage of this cuvée, which combines fruit from seven different parcels (three on the Cote Blonde and four on the Cote Brune).
JD9898 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/19/2020 While not submitted to my tasting (and it wasn’t presented from barrel last year), it would be hard to imagine there won’t be a Les Vieilles Fontaines cuvée. Don’t miss a chance to buy a bottle if you find one. Moving to the 2018 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes, this beauty is cut from the same cloth as the Les Chailles yet is deeper and richer, with another level of concentration. Black and blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, smoked game, and loads of spring flower notes define the bouquet, and it has a vibrant, almost old school vibe that carries plenty of power yet still stays light and elegant on the palate. This beautiful, singular wine is open and enjoyable today, yet I wouldn’t be surprised to see it close down with a year or two of bottle age. It should see its 20th birthday in fine form. (Jeb Dunnuck)VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Apr 2020 Opaque ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet displays powerful aromas of black and blue fruit preserves, incense, peony and olive paste. Palate-staining blackberry, boysenberry, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors deepen steadily on the back half. Gains weight and sweetness with air, finishing with a jolt of smoky minerality, sneaky tannins and outstanding persistence.RP9494 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 13th May 2021 The 2018 Cornas Vieilles Vignes blends fruit from some of the top lieux-dits of the appellation: Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards and Chaillot. Aged 20 months in approximately 15% new oak, it’s a dark, inky-hued wine, but one that retains bright, fresh fruit notes of red raspberries and plums alongside hints of cedar and menthol. It’s full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with a firm, granitic structure and sense of restraint, fine-grained, almost silky tannins and tremendous length.SP9494 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 28, 2021 Dark and winey, with lots of steeped black cherry, plum and blackberry fruit forming the core while light sweet tapenade, rosemary and mineral notes streak through on the finish. Vivid, energetic Cornas. Best from 2022 through 2036. 1,350 cases made, 128 cases imported.
JD9797 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 2/16/2022 The 2019 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes is similarly inky colored and has a classic nose of plums, Asian spices, sandalwood, and iron. Medium to full-bodied, with good acidity and ripe tannins, it doesn’t have the sheer weight, richness, or girth of the Vieilles Fontaines, yet it’s certainly a more classic Cornas that will be approachable with just 3–4 years of bottle age yet evolve for twenty years if you’re so inclined. (Jeb Dunnuck)SP9696 pts. - Wine Spectator - Jul 31, 2022 This is packed with succulent cherry, plum paste and blackberry fruit flavors that show hints of mulled spice, dried anise, singed tobacco and sweet tapenade as they move through. A mouthwatering mineral edge extends the lengthy finish. Cellar patiently, then serve with game for the full seduction. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,265 cases made, 225 cases imported. (James Molesworth)RP9292 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th Jan 2022 Now, this is more like it. A big step up from the disjointed Les Chailles, the 2019 Cornas Vieilles Vignes is a classic rendering of Cornas, with hints of crushed stone, mint, blueberries and red berries on the nose. It’s medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated enough, yet it’s not overbearing or heavy; it’s just deliciously drinkable and will drink well for more than a decade. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes. (Joe Czerwinski)
RP100100 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 29th Dec 2013 Even better and a prodigious effort that hits all my sweet spots, the 2011 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from one of the top terroirs on Hermitage hill, the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit. Spectacularly perfumed, with raspberry, blackberry, licorice, toasted spices and assorted floral nuances, this full-bodied effort has massive depth and richness, no hard edges and masses of finely polished tannin that emerge on and frame the finish. It will be approachable at an earlier age than either the 2009 or 2010, yet should nevertheless have 2–3 decades of ultimate longevity.
JD93+93–95+ pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/5/2021 Another killer wine, the 2019 Saint-Joseph Vieilles Vignes reveals a dense purple color to go with loads of red and blue fruits, bacon fat, cured meat, and spring flowers. Offering classic Saint-Joseph minerality, medium to full-bodied richness, and plenty of both acidity and tannins, it’s going to shine for 15 years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)SP9393 pts. - Wine Spectator - Nov 30, 2021 This lets a silky-textured core of cherry and plum preserve notes unfurl slowly, carried by a bright iron streak and dotted with white pepper and savory accents on the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2030. 750 cases made, 200 cases imported. (James Molesworth)
RP92+92+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th Jan 2022 Atypically big, rich and velvety, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage emanates from a vintage whose yields were cut in half by hail. Bottled in March 2021, it delivers rolling waves of ripe black cherries, tinged with understated herbal notes and a long, luxuriously textured finish.SP9292 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 28, 2023 Juicy and nicely packed with dark cherry and currant notes, this is liberally laced with a sanguine thread. Gains range through the finish from cedar, savory and tar hints. Drink now through 2035. 1,250 cases made, 250 cases imported. (James Molesworth)
RP9191 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th Jan 2022 Graillot’s 2019 Saint Joseph is a charming, medium-bodied wine, with attractive scents of crushed stone, subtle stemminess, hints of woodsmoke and notes of cranberries and cherries. Fine, silky and long on the finish, it should drink well through 2030.
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Dark violet color. Assertive, mineral- and spice-accented blackberry, bacon, olive and woodsmoke aromas pick up a floral quality with aeration. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering pliant dark berry, spicecake, black pepper and floral pastille flavors and a hint of botanical herbs. Closes with repeating smoke and olive notes, even tannins and strong tenacity. (Josh Raynolds)
JD9898 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - November 19, 2020 From a cooler parcel of pure granite soils, the 2018 Cornas Les Eygats is probably the most classic Cornas in the lineup (although these all have plenty of Cornas character) with its more mineral, iron, and almost bloody style. Loaded with massive amounts of blue and black fruits, violets, and crushed rock nuances, this full-bodied, multi-dimensional, seamless Cornas has polished tannins, flawless balance, and a monster of a finish. This broad, expansive, sexy Cornas should drink well for 20+ years. (Jeb Dunnuck)SP9393 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 3, 2021 Alluringly dark, with winey plum sauce and black currant fruit drawing you in, while savory, olive and bramble notes course underneath. Racy mineral edge leaves a mouthwatering feel and is a worthy foil to the toasty overlay on the finish. Best from 2022 through 2032. 450 cases made, 50 cases imported.
VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Saturated ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe dark berries, cherry, olive and pungent flowers are sharpened by a suggestion of black pepper. Supple and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated black raspberry, cherry-cola and violet pastille flavors and a suggestion of star anise. Finishes pliant, sweet and focused on the penetrating finish, showing smooth tannins and excellent tenacity. (Josh Raynolds)JD9494 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 12/15/2022 The base Côte Rôtie from Rostaing seems to always deliver, and the 2020 Côte Rôtie Ampodium might be the best yet. Deep purple-hued, with a brilliant nose of black raspberries, spring flowers, camphor, scorched earth, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, lush mouthfeel, and building tannins. I’ve always thought the 2010 was the greatest vintage for this cuvée, but this is going to give it a run for its money. (Jeb Dunnuck)
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Tardieu-Laurent Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes
E. Guigal Château d’Ampuis Côte Rôtie
