2012 Regis Bouvier Bourgognge Montre Cul (red Burgundy)
12.5% abv. Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. Dark purple color; opaque. Dark fruit notes of black cherries and dark plumskins. Light to medium body; fruity. Soft tannins. Grapes are from north of Marsannay.
I find this wine a good value as it delivers some Burgundy charm at a relatively modest price. It was nice with Gouda cheese at a wine tasting and with grilled chicken at home (with green beans and a baked potato.)
2006 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany.
Included in a church fundraiser wine-tasting. Deep gold color. Tasted like an Auslese or higher ripeness. We were giving letter grades at the tasting and I gave it an A-minus but in retrospect I would lower that to a B. It tasted cloying to my taste with not enough acid to balance the sweetness. One of the more experienced wine connoisseurs at the tasting gave it a C. Others liked it because it was sweet.
2011 Alvear Montilla-Moriles Pedro Ximénez de Añada, Spain.
17% abv. Included in a church fundraiser wine-tasting. This is a fortified dessert wine with sherry aspects. The grapes are dried on mats in the sun. We had a few sips on its own and then poured some over vanilla bean ice cream. I found caramel and figs in the flavors. Some found maple syrup and suggested having it over pancakes. We gave letter grades on the wines and this received mostly A's. One lady gave it a B on its own but an A-plus with the vanilla ice cream. A delectable experience. (A Robert Parker 100-pt. rating. He called it the best Pedro Ximenez he had ever had. I did not mention the RP rating until after people at the tasting had scored it.) I really liked it and ordered four more bottles (not full-sized--they were 375 ml. or 500 ml.)
2012 Château La Berriere Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, Loire Valley, France.
100% Melon de Bourgogne grape. 12% abv. Bottled at the domaine, the estate was first planted in 1737. The wine is aged on the lees. Cool, crisp citrus notes and spearmint or green herbal notes. An easy sipper. I had it with a turkey casserole and with pork egg rolls another evening. I realize the classic pairing would be mollusks but didn't have that in my meal plan. Enjoyable--I would purchase again. (This bottle was purchased at Vino Volo in the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last August.)