2015 Cuvée de l'Empi Crozes-Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (1/20/2017)
L'Empi is a reliably easy drinking cuvée and good QPR at c.€7. This 2015 is, I think, fuller and smoother than its predecessors at a similar stage but has nice fresh acidity and enough grip for balance. Good.
PS 1/23/2017 - I like the turn that the wine has taken after three days though objectively a deterioration. A metallic streak in the fruit, less fat and a touch of quinine towards the finish brought more interest for me though probably not to everyone's taste.
2014 Chanson Père et Fils Mâcon-Villages - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Villages (1/21/2017)
I liked this bottle better than the previous. It proved to have enough tension and backbone to stand up to a pairing of monkfish in a cayenne seasoned sauce and it positively blossomed with the Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese which followed. Good with a repeat purchase beckoning if still available.
2015 Domaine de la Charmoise Sauvignon Touraine - France, Loire Valley, Touraine (1/25/2017)
Although free of the faults of many basic SBs, this was less interesting than the entry level Gamays from the same house. Medium- bodied, attractive citrus tinged fruit, a certain tenderness and fair acidity with not a lot of backbone. Quite good.
2011 Domaine de la Cotelleraie Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Perruches - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (1/26/2017)
This is exemplary youngish Loire CabFranc; medium bodied, fragrant, full of bright red fruit, pencil shavings, fine minerals, fresh acidity with some backbone. Not the deepest and may not make old bones but very elegant and very good.
2014 Elian Da Ros Côtes du Marmandais Le vin est une fête - France, Southwest France, Côtes du Marmandais (1/27/2017)
Made from 40% Abouriou – 40% Cabernet franc – 20% Merlot, this wine justifies its fantasy name. Medium+ bodied, full of round chewy red and dark fruit, fresh acidity and gentle tannic structure, it is treacherously moreish but at 12.5% alcohol only the damage is limited. I'm a fan of Elian Da Ros. Good+.
2009 Vignobles Lorgeril Minervois-La Livinière les Hauts de l'enclos des Bories - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Minervois-La Livinière (1/29/2017)
Judging by my recent TN and memory of a bottle 2010, this 2009 is less evolved and fresher but lacks some of the attractive complexity that the evolution brought. Nevertheless an enjoyable medium/full bodied wine with fresh red and dark fruit with a hint of mint and a balsamic touch together with Mediterranean herbs, smooth texture, good acidity and decently firm finish. Good wine and QPR.
2013 Domaine des Plantaz Roussette du Bugey - France, Savoie, Roussette du Bugey (1/31/2017)
Crisply attractive medium- bodied with bright citrus tinged fruit, abundant minerals, hints of honey, lively acidity and good backbone and length. Good+.
2014 Marrenon Luberon Grand Marrenon - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Luberon (2/4/2017)
The body builder bottle and the over-hyped and rather poor taste English language rendering of a quite sober French text on the back label do not inspire confidence. However, the wine itself is almost what I want from a low/mid-priced S.Rhône. Medium/full bodied with quite lush but not cloying bramble tinged fruit, velvety texture, Mediterranean herbs, fair acidity with some firmness on the finish. The only drawback restraining me from "I like" is an excessively marked vanilla note, veering to cloves, infusing the fruit and no doubt coming from oak ageing. This may attenuate with more time. Nearly good right now.
2014 Charles Hours Jurançon Sec Cuvée Marie - France, Southwest France, Jurançon Sec (2/5/2017)
Charles Hours' Cuvée Marie is an old favourite of mine but this bottle is my first since the 2010 vintage. With time these wines develop a lot of complexity but this one was still in a more youthfully simplistic and vibrant stage. It was medium bodied and showed lovely crispness and minerality with touches of pineapple, hints of honey, saline backbone and good length. In some past vintages I have been bothered on younger bottles like this by dry caramel touches from undigested oak ageing but I noticed hardly any of that here. A change in his methods or my palate? Very good with development potential.
