The Poor Man's Guide's
Wine Reviews

The nose has some typical stoney Burgundian Chardonnay fruit. In the mouth it is rounder and juicier than Chardonnay from its northern neighbors. But on the finish is where you really get a juicy fruit character which is similar to some lighter Beaujolais reds. For me, this is more of an intellectual curiosity. It is unique and has transparency to its underlying terroir. Is it my new favorite white? No. But its worth it for the unique and fun experience. One Star.

This example shows a bit of age already with a bit darker color and some butterscotch and honey on the nose. Not overtly oxidized but definitely showing a bit of age. It has a fine minerality that is silky and filigreed. Definitely a mineral wine that is akin to Savennieres and Chablis in terms of its intensity, although with just a hint of residual sugar. Although it shows some age, this isn't terribly complex. The pink grapefruit, peach and mango flavors have a hint of a bitter peach pit austerity to it. It lingers in the mouth for a long time. All in all, this is really interesting and approachable right now and has the elegance and stature to be great. But the notes hinting at oxidation are a bit concerning for the future. Right now its very much alive and a very pretty wine. However, I'd be concerned to hold on to it for a long time. It may get more oxidized and die, or it may gain in complexity and be even better. Two Stars for now. What the future holds is anybody's guess.

Wow! I couldn't have been more wrong! Frankly, this is my favorite California Chardonnay I've had in a very long time. It is DIA-metrically opposed to most Cali Chards. I don't know what the oak treatment is here but it is very subtle and well integrated. Instead, in the nose there are refreshing and fine aromas of grapefruit, grapefruit seed and a chalky minerality. This is not diffuse and alcoholic like many Chards, rather the aromas give the sense of freshness, brightness and a crisp, driven wine with energy. Served blind, I just might be fooled into thinking this was a Chablis or something along those lines. This speaks much more of the vineyard and the fruit than of the winemaking and the oak. Bright and intense flavors are just great. It is full bodied with ample ripe fruit flavor, but compared to most Cali Chards it is downright austere, vibrant and intense. It doesn't quite have that dense core of granite and oyster shell you get in the best Chablis or Muscadet, but it is leaning toward that, certainly far more than you get in most New World Chardonnays. While there is a fruitiness, it is more on the fresh, citrus end of the spectrum, not the flabby overly ripe tropical fruit end of the spectrum. If you love typical California Chardonnay, this may not be your bag, but if you like French whites and appreciate subtlety, finesse, balance and freshness in your wines, this may surprise you. Will it age as well as a white Burg? Who knows. It doesn't have a track record to say if it will last or improve, but I'd be willing to bet it will last and maybe improve over several years. Two Stars Plus.

This is classy, with a restrained yet aromatic nose of citrus and oyster shell minerality. It is very pretty and refined, nothing jumping out to demand your attention, rather acting lithe and subtle, forcing you to dive in to get to know it. A supremely elegant minerality defines the flavors. But it isn't an obtuse minerality that obstructs everything else. Rather, its a finely layered component of the wine that supports and accents all the other components. The medium bodied fruit is subtle, fine and silky. This wine is not cheap. But its value is in how fine and elegant it is. It isn't a powerhouse that grabs you by the balls, it is a quiet and subtle seduction that slowly grows on you. Two Stars.

This wine is from Morgon and is not your typical, entry-level, beginner's, bubble-gummy Beaujolais. In fact, this one is a bit hard to understand at first. The aromas that first great you are pretty intense, but may even be off putting to some. There is an intense iron minerality that could be described as blood. There is ripe fruit aromas there as well but in the mouth this is a lean, mean, fighting machine. The minerality of the nose continues onto the palate where this is tight, mineral and austere. This is not a fleshy, generous Beaujolais, demanding a bit more coaxing to show you its goods. The texture is fine and silky, but this won't win any flirtation contests. Because of the ripeness of the vintage, there is just enough fruit to stand up to the taut structure. This may merit a higher score in the future if it softens just a hair and becomes a bit easier to cozy up to. For now I'll give it One Star Plus.

Whereas in a lesser vintage the basic Chateauneuf might now be as interesting, 2007 was a great vintage in the area and this is quite full and ripe with a pleasant earthy meatiness to give it complexity. The flavors are fully bodied, ripe and flavorful. It has a bit less depth and complexity than their special bottlings, but it is also less expensive. Very Grenache bright red fruits with some brambly complexity. This is a fleshy, fun Chateauneuf to drink over the next several years while you are waiting for the bigger wines to mature. One Star Plus.

This is a good vintage with the typical hesitant, dark, dusty black fruits on display. The flavors are firmly in the spicy, peppery black fruit category with swirls of smoke to give it complexity. It is, like it usually is, somewhat simple and monolithic but with its typical charming rustic character. A good steak or duck wine that won't break the bank. One Star Plus.

As is typical, the nose of this is quite aromatic. It jumps out of the glass but isn't what you'd likely expect from a red wine. It almost tends more toward the white fruit end of spectrum with floral notes, citrus peel and tropical fruits. It smells sweet, almost bearing a resemblance to Moscato d'Asti or other similarly fruity and floral wines. In the mouth it is not sweet but is definitely ripely fruity and also unique. It does have a bit of similarity to something like Gamay or Dolcetto with its fruity freshness but has its own unique inner mouth perfume of rose petals and orange zest. This is a unique wine that is fun and a pleasant diversion from what you might expect from red wine, particularly California red wine. It is never going wine any power or aging contests, but it is fun and fresh. One Star Plus.

This is a classically structured wine that is a glimpse of what winemaking must have been like many years ago. It is initially very hesitant, only giving up glimpses of dark earth and black fruits. It literally took several hours in a decanter to start to open up to reveal more Provencal spice, reglisse, pepper and herbs that are pure and pretty. It is not at all over ripe, in fact, this vintage seems to be more on the discrete and understated side. There is a firm tannic spine beneath the dark, blackish fruit flavors with brambly, spicy accents that make this a firm, unyielding wine, yet not a powerhouse. It is austere and classic, not a big flashy "modern" and ripe vintage. Think more on the classic Bordeaux, mineral, iron and dark fruit end of the spectrum. Still tight, even after lots of air, it has a crisp and snappy back end. This won't win as many immediate fans as the 07 because that wine was riper, fleshier. But for those with patience, this is a worth wine to sock away in the cellar for some years. It is good now, but will likely blossom with many more years in a cool cellar. With decanting, the ripe dark and spicy fruits do make themselves known, but it takes some time. Two Stars.