Les Domaines Paul Mas Vin de Pays d’Oc Côté Mas Aurore Rosé 2017
Like a favorite pair of worn-in jeans, this is the rosé to turn to in a pinch and on a budget, and priced to please, the 2017 Côté Mas Aurore Rosé is pale salmon in the glass and hits all the right notes for a South of France pink. Summer berries, melon, white peach and […]
Domaine La Tour Vieille Rimage Banyuls 2012
‘Tis the season for fortified dessert wines, and Banyuls is, of course, no exception. This budget-friendly Kermit Lynch import from Domaine La Tour Vieille offers up a welcome bouquet of plums, prunes, sultana, and dark chocolate shavings. Composed of 45 year-old Grenache and Carignan vines grown in schist soils, it’s full-bodied and somewhat one-dimensional on […]
Côté Mas Sud de France Rouge Intense 2016
Emblazoned with a sticker that proudly states 33% more, and it is indeed a larger than the average 750ml, though I failed to check the exact ml, it’s at a midway point between a standard bottle and a magnum. A blend of 45% Grenache Noir, 25% Carignan, 15% Cinsault, 10% Merlot, and 5% Syrah that […]
M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Rousillon Blanc 2015
An oustanding value as always, the M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Rousillon Blanc 2015 is an inviting blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeu. The nose fills the bowl of the glass with d’Anjou pear, yellow apple, and flirts with quince aromas. The attack is round and silky, with orchard fruit […]
Domaine de Boède Les Grès 2009
Succulent notes of smoky plums, marionberries, figs, and camphor with perhaps more ethereal notes of incense, iron, and game. Given the nose, one expects this Langedoc blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan to be big-boned and brawny on the palate—it comes across as mid-weight, a good thing, I think, tempered by a healthy of […]
Côté Mas Crémant de Limoux Rosé Brut NV
A celebratory shade of pink, the Côté Mas Crémant de Limoux Rosé Brut NV is a blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc and 10% Pinot Noir. It’s crafted in the Méthode Traditionelle style, and sees one year aging en tirage. Delicate, feminine aromatics of choke cherries, nectarine, blood oranges, biscotti, and sea foam. And […]
Gérard Bertrand Vin de Pays d’Oc Cote des Roses 2014
Someone spent a lot of time on the packaging for this wine, from the custom bottle mold, down to the pink hued Vino-Seal glass closure. Is the wine good? For its price, the Gerard Bertrand Cote des Roses 2014 is quite drinkable, with enveloping notes of ripe honeydew melon and cantaloup. There is a minerally […]