Domaine Vetriccie 2017 White, Ile De Beaute
About Domaine Vetriccie Corsica is an interesting place. It’s an Italian island off the coast of Tuscany, but it’s a French territory. The province often seems like a hybrid between the two …
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Domaine Kuentz-Bas 2014 Alsace Blanc
The Wine Critic’s DilemmaSometimes a wine review doesn’t start with the wine but how the writer discovered it. Finding great wines at any price point would be impossible if I were …
Domaine les Evigneaux 2015 Rasteau
The Algeria ConnectionAlgeria was once a part of the French Empire, and a lot of wine was grown there. When the country declared its independence, most of the winemakers headed to …
Domaine des Ruettes 2015 Saumur Champigny
This is what I want from a Saumur Champigny (A Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in France): high toned fresh red, delicate tannins, light body, and it’s inexpensive. This is a …
Solena 2013 “Domaine Danielle Laurent Reserve” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
So the name of this winery is tricky. Solena was a side project that Laurent and Danielle Montalieu worked on while their vineyards matured. The plan was to eventually start making …
Domaine Courtois 2012 “La Grange” Vinsobres
This is a fresh and zesty style of red with lavender and fresh cranberry on the nose. Stone and crushed wildflowers are playfully entwined on the palate. The blend here is about equal …
Pierre Amadieu 2013 “Domaine Grand Romane” Gigondas
Gigondas is one of the top crus in the southern Rhone, often dominating its famous neighbor Chateauneuf du Pape, and Pierre Amadieu is a benchmark winery for the region. A few years back, I …
Domaine les Verrieres 2008 “Les Pierres Plantees” Coteaux du Languedoc
A straight line connects Bordeaux to Languedoc: Follow the Pyrenees Mountains from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. It is the narrowest point in France, a mere four-hour drive between two points, …
Domaine Forca Real 2013 Cotes du Roussillon Villages
Split between two countries –France and Spain– Catalan winemakers share a skill in making powerful wines from scraggly old vines grown on craggy hills of shale. This unoaked bottling is mostly Grenache, with some Mourvedre …
Domaine Forca Real 2011 “Mas de la Garrigue” Côtes du Roussillon-Villages
For a hot moment in the late 90’s, France’s Mediterranean vineyards were trendy, in particular the Languedoc-Roussillon. The good folks at Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate couldn’t rate the wines high …
Domaine Des Ardoisieres 2010 Argile Blanc, Savoie
Domaine Des Ardoisieres is a tiny, 17 acre winery in Savoie. This mountainous French wine region is located near the border of Switzerland, below Jura, and is producing some of the …
Domaine Durand 2011 Premices Cornas
Domaine Durand is an old family estate taken over by the dynamic duo of two brothers, Eric and Joel Durand, in 1991. It’s a small, 13-hectare property that straddles the wine …
Domaine La Brune 2012 Beaumes de Venise (Vignerons de Caractere), Rhone (FR)
Beaumes de Venise, in the Southern Rhone, is most known for its dessert wines. But it also produces excellent old vine reds, mostly from the Grenache varietals. The region is located …
Domaine Pradelle 2010 “Courbis” Crozes-Hermitage
Very little of this wine is imported into the United States, and most of it ends up in the Philly-NYC corridor, which is fine by me. It’s one of the great …
Domaine Collotte 2010 Fixin Cote de Nuits, Burgundy
Domaine Collotte is a family estate dating back a few hundred years, with vineyards in Marsannay and the nearby town of Fixin. The current winemaker, Philippe Collotte, was making some of …
Domaine Cordier 2011 St Veran “en Faux”
White Burgundy Wine Review Cordier is known as a modern winemaker in a region -Burgundy-that often than not, values tradition. One of his signatures is a lavish use of new oak, …