Friday 3/4

Our famous and fabulous Friday tastings have
celebrated the wines of many countries and
regions, but up til now there’s been one very
conspicuous absence – France!

Join us Friday, March 4th, and see why we’re so
excited about French wines (so excited, in fact,
we bought the online business FrenchWineGift.com).
Join us anytime after 5, and for 10 bucks you’ll
get appetizers plus these wines, which our pal
Rory from Adventures in Wine will discuss:

Laurent Miquel Chardonnay-Viognier 2009, $12.97
Laurent Miquel Cabernet-Syrah 2008, $9.97
Laurent Miquel Syrah-Grenache 2007, $10.97
-all of the above are very tasty bargains
Laurent Miquel Nord Sud Syrah 2007, $11.97
-90 points Wine Enthusiast
Bardou Saint Chinian 2005, $17.97
-92 points Wine Enthusiast
Chateau de Bellevue Lussac St. Emilion 2007, $21.97
-87 points Wine Spectator
Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2006
-93 points Wine Spectator

Now’s your chance to try some terrific French
wines, and for only 10 bucks. Just say oui!
(You may even see Bill in a beret!)

Here are our tasting notes:

LAURENT MIQUEL CHARDONNAY VIOGNIER 2009
We begin with 5 wines from Laurent Miquel, whose family has been making wines in their South of France estate since the French Revolution.  Laurent is intently focused on the beginning of the winemaking cycle, i.e. on the vines themselves, believing that is the key to making fine wines.  You can taste the results.  Aromas of citrus and white peaches are echoed beautifully on the palate, with a clean finish of rich apricots.  $12.97

LAURENT MIQUEL SYRAH GRENACHE 2008
Imagine yourself on the French Riviera, viewing the sun-dappled Mediterranean while you enjoy this wine with grilled sausages.  75% Syrah and 25% Grenache, this is as deliciously juicy as Brigitte Bardot back in the day, with plum and berry flavors along with accents of cocoa and white pepper.  Downright yummy.  $10.97.

LAURENT MIQUEL CABERNET SYRAH 2007
Now you’re in a cafe on the Champs-Elysees, in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe, pairing a perfectly prepared tournedos with this wine.  The nose of warm, spicy fruit leads to one sip, then another, and your palate revels in the rich currant, blackberry, and chocolate flavors all the way through a finish as smooth as a perfect hollandaise.  $9.97.

LAURENT MIQUEL NORD SUD SYRAH 2007
This is as gorgeous and decadent as Marie Antoinette was said to be, “with aromas and flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, fudge brownie and coffee ice cream.  The lush and creamy mouth is full but not overdone, with a fantastic evolution on the palate from fresh dark fruit to sweet chocolaty flavors and finally pepper-flecked spice on the long finish.”
90 points Wine Enthusiast.  $11.97.

L.M. BARDOU SAINT CHINIAN 2005
Saint Chinian is an appellation in southern France, and this opulent wine is 100% Syrah.  Aromas and flavors are intense, generous and dramatic as Victor Hugo, with complex fruit and spices, floral and vanilla hints, and a toasted edge from the new and one year old French oak.  As balanced as Philippe Petit on that tightrope between the Twin Towers back in 1974.  92 points Wine Enthusiast.  $17.97.

CHATEAU DE BELLEVUE LUSSAC ST. EMILION 2007
We can’t have a French tasting without including Bordeaux, whose great wines set a worldwide benchmark for quality and – in some cases – high cost.  But this one is as approachable as a Left Bank organ grinder, with forward blueberry and plum flavors backed by hints of licorice and fruitcake.  A touch of chalky minerality adds complexity to the finish.  87 points Wine Spectator.  $21.97.

VIEUX TELEGRAPHE CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2006
In 1308 Pope Clement V relocated the papacy to the city of Avignon, where it stayed for 70 years.  Clement and his successors were big wine drinkers and did much to improve viticulture and wines in the area, which eventually came to be known as “Chateauneuf-du-Pape” (new castle of the Pope).  Nowadays they’re also known as big, kick-ass wines, although I’m not sure the Pope would approve of this terminology.  It’s tannic and grippy, “with lots of sweet tapenade, tobacco, hot stone and braised chestnut notes weaving through a core of dark currant and fig fruit.”  This wine is as magnificent as the Louvre, as structured as the Eiffel Tower, and as monumental as the Opera.  93 points Wine Spectator.  $49.97.