Domaine de Gachet, Lalande de Pomerol

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A chilly night here in South Florida (yes, yes we think 60 degrees is chilly), almost made it to the weekend - perfect time to open a bottle of red wine. Tonight we head to the right bank of Bordeaux! Lalande de Pomerol is located on the right bank of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, just north of the appellation of Pomerol. We prepared a nice little apéritif - some saucisson and a tomato and avocado salad - and began our tasting...

Tasting Date: February 12, 2015

Wine Name: Domaine de Gachet

Vintage: 2003

Producer: Jean-Pierre Estage

Appelation: Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux

Grapes: 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc

Purchased Price: $29.99

Purchased Location: Total Wine

Tasting Notes: Needed to be decanted for around 30 mins. Earthy to the nose, this is a medium body with a fair balance. Has a beautiful color tending towards the garnet side. It's flavor intensity is moderate which leaves no great impression. It's a good wine, but not our cup of tea.

Would Buy Again: No

Bonsoir! 

 

La Nuit En Rose Miami 2015

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Second wine event in 9 days and this one was another amazing event! This time though we were in for a little surprise. Not only did we get to try some delicious rosés but we discovered new rosés from around the world. 

To kick it off, we head straight to Italy. A brighter pink than we are use to, a label covered in fish - it definitely caught our attention. Enjoying a delish fish on a hot summer day? Then make Bardolino Chiaretto your pick! It's light, refreshing and has a unique citrus lingering taste.  

Next destination: Morocco. Morocco makes rosé? Yes they do! It was news to us as well. Believe it or not it was pretty good. From sandy shales and sand gravel soil comes a full body, darker cotton candy pink unique Moroccan wine. Raspberry, rose petal and white cranberry on the nose, a subtle complexity once you taste it. If the intrigue is killing you, go ahead and try Ouled Thaleb's Moroccan Rosé.

Next destination: South Africa. A much darker hue, and higher on the sweet end Mulderbosch rosé is fresh and pure. 

Prior to hitting our favorite country, we took a little break to get a quick bite. Oysters, ceviche, charcuterie were amongst the delicious options to choose from. Ready to continue tasting, we head back to the tasting room but not without indulging in a little sweet first!

Next destination: France. Chateau D'Esclans were representing their 4 different rosés. The first one, and very well known rosé is Whispering Angel - which I'm sure you know of. Then we moved on to tasting the more oaky rosés Chateau D'Esclans (oaky) , Chateau D'Esclan "Les Clans" (100% oak fermented) and  Chateau D'Esclans "Garus" (80 year old grenache vines). All of the 4 rosés had their unique tastes ranging from a sweet dry rose to oaky. Their color palette also ranged from their beautiful coral to a brownish yellow.  

Chateau de Brigue were introducing a new wine they recently launched 83 Rue de St Tropez. Beautiful light pink hue, made with 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Tibouren, this rosé was light and refreshing. 

Barton & Guestier had a couple of bottles. One of our favorites was their Barton & Guestier Côtes de Provence Rosé which was very smooth. Villa Barton Côtes de Provence Rosé is a more concentrated rosé which is also reflected in the taste. For a sweeter choice, I'd go with Barton & Guestier Rosé d'Anjou which contrary to the other 2 is made with 70% of grolleau. Fun little fact: Barton & Guestier was the 1st French wine to be imported by Thomas Jefferson.

Ackerman had the wonderful Remy Pannier Rosé d'Anjou from the Loire Valley. This rosé is much sweeter as strawberries are highly noted on the nose and palate. Easily found and at a good price point, this is a great choice on a hot sunny day! 

We ended the day taking some great pictures at the photo booth, dancing to great music and tasting a lot more other rosés. It's time to stop reading, make your choice and open up a bottle of rosé! If you are in the New York or Los Angeles area, La Nuit en Rosé will be hosting there too. Interested in getting to know more about rosé? Intrigued by all the different flavors from fruity to oaky? Then be sure to check them out at www.nuitrose.com and buy your tickets! This is an event you don't want to miss!

A bientôt!

2015 Super Bowl with a French Touch!

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We have chosen to watch this year's Super Bowl with a French touch accompanied by Douce Vie. This rosé is from Côtes de Provence, from one of our favorite vintners Bernard Magrez. From sunny Florida we are rooting for the Seahawks! Who are you rooting for?

Tasting Date: February 1, 2015

Wine Name: Douce Vie Les Muraires

Vintage: 2013

Producer: Bernard Magrez

Appelation: Côtes de Provence, Provence, France

Grapes: 65% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 5% Cinsault

Purchased Price: $12.99

Purchased Location: ABC Wines & Liquor

Tasting Notes: Beautiful light coral pink color. Fruity on the nose - strawberries and raspberries. Light, sweet and refreshing on the palate. Wonderful rosé!

Bon match! 

Domaine de Musset, Lalande de Pomerol

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Here is our first tasting! A 1995 Domaine de Musset, Lalande de Pomerol. This bottle was given to us by a great friend from France. Flew this bottle back in May 2014 and put it in our cellar right away. Is this 1995 bottle still good? Let's find out!

Tasting Date: January 30, 2015

Wine Name: Domaine de Musset

Vintage: 1995

Producer: Vignobles Aubert 

Appelation: Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux

Grapes: Merlot dominant followed by Cabernet Franc

Purchased Price: Gift

Purchased Location: Paris, France

Tasting Notes: Past it's peak, still some light smell of fruit with a brick brown color. 

Not much more to add as we couldn't enjoy it. Such a shame that this wine was past its peak. With older wines, you are always taking a chance. Dommage!

2012 Bordeaux Grands Crus Wine Tasting Notes

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This past Thursday we attended the 2012 Bordeaux Grands Crus Wine Tasting hosted by Total Wine at The Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel. We had purchased VIP tickets allowing us access at 7PM (30mins before general admission). This was great as it wasn't too busy and we really got a good head start. As we entered, we were handed the pricing list, a book describing all the chateaus present, a little tasting notebook, and of course a wine glass each. With over 80+ Chateaus it was a little hard knowing where to start

Alright, here we go straight into the Pessac region with Chateau Pape-Clément, one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux - and let us tell you what a great wine to start with! We've been wanting to try Chateau Pape-Clément as we heard many great things about it and are huge fans of the owner, Bernard Magrez's, other wines. As expected, a wonderful medium body with low tanins. Next up, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte impressed us with a very smooth wine yet strong on the side of red berries. A very promising vintage to begin drinking within the next 3 years. Interestingly enough, they explained to us their method of bio precision - a topic we will cover in more detail on another post! 

Moving into Margaux we were ready to taste the 2012 vintage of one of our favorite regions! Chateau Labégorce, Chateau Lascombes, Chateau Ferrière, just to name a few were all introductions into what ended up being an amazing evening. As we made our way to Chateau Brane-Cantenac we met with the Commercial Director, Marie-Hélène Dussech who was really nice. Through sips which left you enjoying its beautiful maturity, we chatted about the chateau, the vintage and her stay so far in our city. By the way, if you haven't tried the 2005 Brane-Canternac, I highly recommend you do!

Next we decided to head over to the regions of St. Julien, Paulliac and St. Estephe. Those that topped our list in each of these regions were Chateau Beychevelle, Chateau Léoville Barton, Chateau Gloria, Chateau Talbot, Chateau Lynch-Bages and Chateau Phélan Ségur.

Last but certainly not least, we moved into the charming region of St. Émilion. Having been there this past May, we went directly to Chateau La Gaffeliere - it was our last and best wine of the night! It was great to see a Chateau that we had visited in person at the event. We got to meet the owner Alexandre de Malet Roquefort, a truly humble and genuine man. An immediate connection, we conversed for quite some time, enjoying the aroma and sensual, silky wine with each sip. Alexandre, merci beaucoup pour votre gentillesse.

A simply fantastic evening where we met some interesting people, tried some amazing wines and discovered a few new favorites. Drink young or keep for a few years - it will definitely be an enjoyment!

À bientôt!

La Nuit en Rosé - Miami 2015

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While going through Twitter today, I came across a new event that is being hosted in Miami from January 30 to February 1, 2015, located at the recently opened Miami Beach EDITION hotel. This event is all about Rosé  & Champagne! Who doesn't love a nice fresh Rosé on a hot day? There are different packages for this event including a $350 Friday package which includes a 4-course meal dinner. Lower price point packages are also available ranging from $65 to $125.

Not in South Florida? Don't worry! Looks like they will host this event later this year in New York and Los Angeles.

We are thinking of attending the Saturday daytime session which includes 3 hours of unlimited access to more than 60 Rosé wines and Champagne, tantalizing food (VIP Admission only), DJ, dancing, lounge seating, photo booth, and more! 

We will be sure to keep you posted and let you know which session we will be attending. And if you are attending, be sure to tweet us! 

Event Information

2012 Bordeaux Grands Crus Wine Tasting

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We are attending a huge Bordeaux wine tasting on Thursday Jan. 22nd in Miami! This tasting is the unveiling of the 2012 vintage from over 80+ Chateaux. More than 100 wines and 80 featured producers are scheduled to appear! To name a few: Château Beychevelle, Château La Gaffelière, Château Léoville Barton, Château Pape Clément and Château Talbot. Full list below. The tasting will be from 7pm to 10pm EDT. Expect lots of great pictures and notes from the event.

We are looking forward to tasting all of the different wines from Bordeaux. Be sure to follow us Twitter as we tweet LIVE. Is there anyone from Miami attending? 

Stay tuned for some great tasting notes and pictures!

Event Link

  • Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
  • Château Beaumont
  • Château Beauregard
  • Château Beychevelle
  • Château Branaire-Ducru
  • Château Brane-Cantenac
  • Château Canon-La-Gaffelière
  • Château Cantemerle
  • Château Cantenac Brown
  • Château Carbonnieux
  • Château Chasse-Spleen
  • Château Citran
  • Château Clarke
  • Château Clerc Milon
  • Château Climens
  • Château Clinet
  • Château Coufran
  • Château Coutet
  • Château d’Armailhac
  • Château de Camensac
  • Château de Chantegrive
  • Château de Fieuzal
  • Château de Pez
  • Château de Rayne Vigneau
  • Château Doisy Daëne
  • Château du Tertre
  • Château Durfort-Vivens
  • Château Ferrière
  • Château Franc Mayne
  • Château Gazin
  • Château Giscours
  • Château Gloria
  • Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
  • Château Grand-Puy Ducasse
  • Château Gruaud Larose
  • Château Haut-Bages Libéral
  • Château Haut-Bailly
  • Château Kirwan
  • Château La Cabanne
  • Château La Couspaude
  • Château La Dominique
  • Château La Gaffelière
  • Château La Lagune
  • Château La Louvière
  • Château La Pointe
  • Château La Tour Blanche
  • Château La Tour Carnet
  • Château La Tour de By
  • Château La Tour Figeac
  • Château Labégorce
  • Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
  • Château Lagrange
  • Château Langoa Barton
  • Château Larrivet Haut-Brion
  • Château Lascombes
  • Château Latour-Martillac
  • Château Le Bon Pasteur
  • Château Léoville Barton
  • Château Léoville Poyferré
  • Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
  • Château Lynch-Bages
  • Château Lynch-Moussas
  • Château Malartic-Lagravière
  • Château Marquis de Terme
  • Château Maucaillou
  • Château Olivier
  • Château Ormes De Pez
  • Château Pape Clément
  • Château Phélan Ségur
  • Château Pichon Baron
  • Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
  • Château Picque Caillou
  • Château Poujeaux
  • Château Prieuré-Lichine
  • Château Saint-Pierre
  • Château Siran
  • Château Smith Haut Lafitte
  • Château Talbot
  • Château Troplong Mondot
  • Château Trottevieille
  • Château Villemaurine
  • Clos Fourtet
  • Domaine de Chevalier

Bienvenue!

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Bienvenue au French Wine Journal! 

As our first post we wanted to share with you our idea and tell you in more detail what you can expect from our site. We created The French Wine Journal so we can share with you our notes on wines, events we attend, any tips and tricks we come across and more. We must remind you that this Journal is strictly based on our opinions. While we are not certified sommeliers, we do love wine and sharing our knowledge.

The majority of posts will be around French wines yet do expect us to venture out to the other amazing wine countries in the world. Below is a sample of the type of information we will post while "reviewing" a wine. Note that this may change based on your feedback :)

Wine Name: 

Vintage: 

Region: 

Growth: 

Grapes: 

Purchased Price: 

Purchased Location: 

Tasting Notes:

Other Notes: 

A bientôt!