A Happy New Wine Year and that all you wishes come truth !!

What a best occasion than New Year evening to drink wine. In France tradition it’s to drink Champagne and pop up the cork at midnight exactly. But New Year is time to do some assessment and in particular about wine. I’ve tasted a mountain of wine this year, I don’t remember everything.

But the ones that still in my mind for sure they are good. And my biggest wish should be to drink it for this night.

New Year is the occasion to give award, you see on internet every blogger give award to other one but why not give award to the wine they taste. Some of them do and I’m glad of that. After all wine is the star of our work. It’s why we start writing, why we want to share idea or why we start a blog.

The award of the best pinot I tasted this year comes to a Vosne Romanée 2001 from Jean Pierre Mugneret. Not a very deep wine but just something simple well made not over price and very good. A typical pinot with cherry and leather taste.

The award of the best sparkling comes to Triple Zero of Jacky Blot, just because is a natural wine all fermentation and all taste come from the grapes. It’s pure with fine bubble.

The award of best Bordeaux is for a Cos d’Estournel 2007. I know it’s quite surprising because 2007 is renowned as a bad year. But from a good Château such as Cos it doesn’t matter. It’s just deep, intense, flavorful and well made as usual.

The Best White I tried this year and the award of best white comes to Domaine de Bongran Viré Clessé 2004. Just because this wine looks like a white Grand Cru from north burgundy, with is buttery and flowery flavor an example for all wine from Maconnais.

The award of the best sweet wine is for Château Guiraud 2002. 2010 for me was the occasion to taste Yquem and all the great from sauternes but my best souvenir comes from this Château not very famous but who’s doing a great job for sure. The wine is full of exotic fruit and marmalade but with a freshness that you don’t find easily in sauternes.

The award of the best foreign wine : I’m sorry but I always come back to my classic. It’s a Barolo Bricco delle Viole from G.D Vajra in 2006, it was quite young but with time I’m sure it will come a beast.

What are you going to drink for Christmas ?

A big question who needs a big answer. Christmas is always synonymous of big meal with all the family, is always a very good moment to share time with the people you like. Sometimes those kinds of meals can be boring and to long but I think if you have good wines at your side the time go faster.

It’s an exceptional occasion as well so it’s the perfect moment to take out of the cellar very good bottles of wines. And the better way to sublime your food is a perfect match wine.

I try to found some wine to match the food we use to eat for Christmas. Here are my results, it’s not perfect but sure that can give you some idea.

Oyster = Muscadet Amphibolite Nature 2009 Jo Landron

This muscadet for me is the purest expression of the appellation, with is light yellow color, is nose full of citrus and chalk aromas and iodized palate finish that match perfectly some oyster (from Marennes Oléron of course).

Caviar = Champagne Agrapart Minéral 2004 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

Of course I don’t eat very often caviar. But the few times I had the chance to try, I found that Champagne goes very well with caviar. For a noble product what can be better than a noble wine. Agrapart is a small producer making Champagne only from Chardonnay grape, this “cuvée” come from a special plot with a high density of chalk in the soil. It’s give to the wine a big minerality similar to the wine of Chablis. Very floral and buttery on the nose, it reveals on the palate an unique complexity.

Foie Gras = Domaine de Souch Jurançon Moelleux 2006 or an old Vintage of Cahors from Château du Cèdre

Foie Gras is a food specialty of South West of France and when you try wine from this area it looks like they are made to go with this dish. I choose a Jurançon, a sticky wine with aromas of Kumquat and candied orange. Those wine are usually lighter than Sauternes because they are balance by a high acidity level. If you don’t like sweet wine try a red from Cahors, Le Cèdre is maybe the best producer in the appellation when they are young wine can be austere and strong but with time they rounded and develop aromas of cacao and coffee.

Lobster and Seafood = Chablis 1er cru Bernard Defaix

I try this wine not long time ago and I was agreeably surprised. As usual in Chablis acidity is present but not dominant. The wine is profound, complex and I can imagine how well it goes with lobster or Dublin bay prawns.



White Poultry = Meursault (Village or 1er Cru) Pierre Morey

Poultry need creaminess and buttery flavor that only a Meursault can give you. Pierre Morey is one of the best producers in this village of Burgundy. The wines from from his own vine are in biodynamic culture and reflect perfectly the “terroir” of this famous burgundy appellation.

Red Meat = Old Vintage of Château La Tour de By (a 1996 for example) or Gevrey-Chambertin from J-L Trapet (Ostrea or Village)

What can be better for Christmas than a roast Beef filet, just serve on itself with some vegetable and cooking juice. Put on the side a bottle of this renown Châteaux of Medoc and you’re in heaven. Perfectly balanced with tannins rounded by times, La Tour de By can go well to with Lamb and Veal. For the Gevrey, it’s something different the meaty flavor of the wine sublimes the dish.


Dessert = Château de Fesles Bonnezeaux 2005 and with Chocolate a 10 or 20 years old Tawny (Fonseca or Niepoort) or Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel 2007 from Domaine du Trapadis

Sweet calls sweet. Château de Fesles consider as the Yquem of Loire is made 100% from Chenin with aromas of exotic fruit and marmalade. This wine will be a dessert on itself. If you have Chocolate to finish try something different like a sweet Rasteau from old wine of Grenache with jammy red fruit flavor and cacao finish. An old tawny can match it to.

Cheese = Vintage Port, a Kanonkop Pinotage or an Amarone della Valpolicella

Cheese is always difficult to pair with something. It’s strong, powerful and lactose doesn’t go well with wine. But if you choose a very strong wine like Pinotage from South Africa or the Amarone made from partially dried grape it can go well. Those wines high in tannins and very fruity can give a kick to your cheese board. If you don’t think so try the usual Vintage Port It’s always a success.

And to finish I wish you a Merry Christmas and a “Bon Appétit”

When Exception rhyme with Perfection…

Exception it’s something very concrete but what about perfection ? It’s something very abstract, after all perfection depends on your taste. After all the wine have been tasting, how can I describe perfection ? I think it’s something that should be simple, something not something overrated. It should be representative of the appellation without any make up or ads component.

Perfection is very difficult to found and as I say before depend on your taste. Perfection in wine is something rare but doesn’t mean to be expensive. Something rare is something exceptional. So do you have very often the occasion to taste something exceptional ? I don’t think so and me neither but wine tasting are made for that. And all the wine I will describe after are coming from that kind of tasting.

Arbois Vin Jaune 2003, Jacques Puffeney

What can be more exceptional than a Vin Jaune, everything is unique in this wine from the grape variety Savagnin a parent to Traminer, to the minimum age of 6 year in oak barrel and the film of yeast call “voile” that protect the wine from oxidation. Jacques Puffeney is one of the masters of that kind of wines and in good vintage like 2003 his wines can be like perfection. With the typical golden color of the “jaune” to the perfect nuts and spice fragrance this wine is a treasure. The nose is powerful and on the palate is an explosion of flavor balanced with the typical acidity of Vin Jaune.

Roussette de Savoie Marestel 2006, Domaine Dupasquier

This cru is one of the smallest of Savoie, not very famous or renowned but when you choose one of the best producers like Domaine Dupasquier you get an amazing wine. Exceptional because of the grape use Altesse, a one use only in Savoie to do Roussette de Savoie. This wine has a nice yellow straw color. The nose is difficult to describe because very unusual but it’s between honey and exotic fruit like mango or pineapple. On the mouth something like apricot or yellow peach reach your palate. The finish reveals a very nice acidity that equilibrates everything.

Mauzac Nature NV, Domaine Plageoles

This wine is the perfect example that something simple can be perfect. Made 100% from the grape Mauzac, this sparkling wine get his bubbles by a complete natural process. The sugar contains by the grape permit this exception in sparkling wine making. The result is a lightly bubble white wine with aromas of green apple and quince. The palate is delicate very well balance and light, a perfect wine for aperitif.

Alsace Pinot Noir “V” 2005, René Muré

This wine is an exception because is the only Pinot Noir plant in a Grand Cru (Vorbourg) area of Alsace. When is colleague prefer plant noble white varieties like Riesling, Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer, René Muré choose to plant the king of Burgundy. And his gamble was successful; this wine is far away from the typical light red pinot noir you use to meet in Alsace. Concentrated, dark, rich, powerful the wine seems coming from Burgundy and more specifically from Côte de Nuits. For me it’s far away the best red wine from Alsace and a perfect example that this region can produce good red to.