WTN: 2005 "French Rabbit" Vin de Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir

I found this "tetra-pack" at the Plumpjack wine shop in San Francisco. For $10 a liter, how bad could it be? In fact, I asked the clerk that question. Unfortunately, he was French, and I got a long and expressive Gallic lecture about how the store doesn't stock bad wines, and it's perfectly fine, alors!

Opening it that night, it was perfectly fine, if you like the fine aroma of recently molded plastic and burnt band-aid and unresolved harsh Rhone-ish tannins.
The reductivity blew away and what was left was as perfectly fine as anything
Charles Shaw distributes.

Ironically, the French equivalent of "that's not worth a damn" is "Ca ne vaut pas un pet de lapin", "That's not worth a rabbit's fart..."

The reductivity blew away and what was left was as perfectly fine as anything
Charles Shaw distributes.

Ironically, the French equivalent of "that's not worth a damn" is "Ca ne vaut pas un pet de lapin", "That's not worth a rabbit's fart..."

Say what you will about Charles Shaw, at least we keep our worst shit at home (Uh, forcing us to drink it ourselves). Unlike the French, who are perfectly willing to dump their swill on the American market (those Americaines cannot taste the difference anyway, of course).

Yep, the French have a lot to answer for...ever think maybe the rabbit's fart and French Rabbit wasn't ironic, but intentional?

Ah, right, another creative French descriptor. Pis de chat, pet de lapin, whatever.

Say what you will about Charles Shaw, at least we keep our worst shit at home (Uh, forcing us to drink it ourselves). Unlike the French, who are perfectly willing to dump their swill on the American market (those Americaines cannot taste the difference anyway, of course).

Yep, the French have a lot to answer for...ever think maybe the rabbit's fart and French Rabbit wasn't ironic, but intentional?

C'mon, Hoke. Those vignerons in the Languedoc see Les Americains fighting wtih one another to scarf up bottles of sweet Aussie plonk with an adorable critter on the label, turn to one another and ask "Why are we sending our plonk to be distilled when we can sell this crap to Les Americains?" Entrez le "Fat Bastard," etc. Maybe in time we'll get clued in enough to start exporting 2BC to Japan or something.

Mark Lipton
(Who avoids wine with any animal not a white horse or singing partridge in the name)

Interesting, I opened a 2004 of that wine last week and it was fairly simple but varietally correct, about what I'd expect from a Vin de Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir.

I wonder if it was a bad bott...um...tetra-pak. Or perhaps they sourced some awful wine for the new vintage. In either case, the clerk may not have been trying to mislead you, especially if he hadn't tasted the new vintage.

We recently popped a VDP Pinot that was quite nice. It was the 2004 Louis Latour, Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays Coteaux du Verdon. It ran $12.99 in the NH Liq Store, but I've seen it on wine-searcher for up to $3 less. Tom Stevenson has called it not only the best VDP Pinot he's tried, but possibly the best VDP period. Yes the price is high for a VDP, but it is as good or better than most Burgundies at twice the price.

We recently popped a VDP Pinot that was quite nice. It was the 2004 Louis Latour, Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays Coteaux du Verdon. It ran $12.99 in the NH Liq Store, but I've seen it on wine-searcher for up to $3 less. Tom Stevenson has called it not only the best VDP Pinot he's tried, but possibly the best VDP period. Yes the price is high for a VDP, but it is as good or better than most Burgundies at twice the price.

Carl, this wine was tasted at a recent do downtown and was well liked. Good festive wine I`d say and QPR.