WTN: Bdx, Champagnes, Tuscans, Rioja, Bojo, NSG, Bandol pink

py to pop a cork on Wednesday, opened the 2015 Gros Nore Bandol rose with s ausage and squash on the grill. Fuller style of rose, though pale in color. Beefy, strawberry and melon fruit, big. Good with food. . B/B+

d the 2014 Christophe Pacalet Chenas. Raspberry, cranberry, flowers. A bit of low sulphur hint-o-spritz. OK. B/B-

ktail and almonds, and the NV Laherte Ultradition Extra Brut. Apples, biscu it, flowers. Lots of fizz, moderately fine mousse. There’s a a swee t edge, I comment it’s rather rounded for Extra Brut. Couple days l ater I read back label as I put in recycling. Dec 2014 disgorgement, bottle says Extra Brut on front, Brut on back. Not sure which I drank! B/B+

anchovy. Couple of reds

leather. Moderate length, nice mouthfeel, showing well. B+

c choi, rice). Opened the

ied, tart red fruits, surprising tannins, a bit clipped on finish. I didn ’t love, and drank leftover Champagne instead, B-/C+

hey greeted us with home smoked salmon and hummus with smoked oysters. I ha d carried a bubbly. The NV Beaufort Rose Grand Cru Brut . Tasty, red fruits and citrus zest, but not the most complex rose around. B

fruits, coconut, tangy. Fun stuff. B+/A-

it, some incipient cigarbox. I have a couple of these and will still hold o ff. B for now

e, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objecti vity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

A few years back I was in Tuscany with friends and we had an appointment to visit Fuligni late in the afternoon. When we arrived we were greeted by t he three elderly Fuligni sisters and their husbands all in their late 70's- early 80's. Their son, who is fluent in English, was called away on an eme rgency and could not be there to translate so one of the sisters attempted to translate to no avail but we discovered that we both spoke a little Fren ch. It's a small family owned estate and we spoke no Italian nor they any E nglish so we stumbled through in French as poor as my French was, Senora Fu ligni was no better but we made it work. We tasted through the wines (they opened an incredible bottle of Merlot that was unlabeled and we enjoyed al l of their red wine offerings. As we were in the cave under the house we noticed that the sisters and husbands were pulling bottles from racks, affi xing self adhesive labels and putting them in cardboard boxes, I asked what was going on and she explained that there was a wedding in the village and the bride's family was due any moment to pick up the wine but their son wa s unable to get it labelled and packaged before getting called away (he was either a doctor or a lawyer...still not sure which) so we volunteered to h elp. With our help they managed to label and package 20 cases of wine befo re the family arrived to pick them up. As a reward for our help they sent us each off with a magnum of their 2001 Riserva Brunello. I still have min e and will drink in a few weeks with those same friends.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 10:09:11 AM UTC-4, Bi!! wrote:

appy to pop a cork on Wednesday, opened the 2015 Gros Nore Bandol rose with sausage and squash on the grill. Fuller style of rose, though pale in colo r. Beefy, strawberry and melon fruit, big. Good with food. . B/B+

and the 2014 Christophe Pacalet Chenas. Raspberry, cranberry, flowers. A bi t of low sulphur hint-o-spritz. OK. B/B-

ocktail and almonds, and the NV Laherte Ultradition Extra Brut. Apples, bis cuit, flowers. Lots of fizz, moderately fine mousse. There’s a a sw eet edge, I comment it’s rather rounded for Extra Brut. Couple days later I read back label as I put in recycling. Dec 2014 disgorgement, bott le says Extra Brut on front, Brut on back. Not sure which I drank! B/B+

th anchovy. Couple of reds

nd leather. Moderate length, nice mouthfeel, showing well. B+

pac choi, rice). Opened the

odied, tart red fruits, surprising tannins, a bit clipped on finish. I didn ’t love, and drank leftover Champagne instead, B-/C+

They greeted us with home smoked salmon and hummus with smoked oysters. I had carried a bubbly. The NV Beaufort Rose Grand Cru Brut . Tasty, red frui ts and citrus zest, but not the most complex rose around. B

te fruits, coconut, tangy. Fun stuff. B+/A-

ruit, some incipient cigarbox. I have a couple of these and will still hold off. B for now

ine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objec tivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

to visit Fuligni late in the afternoon. When we arrived we were greeted by the three elderly Fuligni sisters and their husbands all in their late 70' s-early 80's. Their son, who is fluent in English, was called away on an e mergency and could not be there to translate so one of the sisters attempte d to translate to no avail but we discovered that we both spoke a little Fr ench. It's a small family owned estate and we spoke no Italian nor they any English so we stumbled through in French as poor as my French was, Senora Fuligni was no better but we made it work. We tasted through the wines (th ey opened an incredible bottle of Merlot that was unlabeled and we enjoyed all of their red wine offerings. As we were in the cave under the house w e noticed that the sisters and husbands were pulling bottles from racks, af fixing self adhesive labels and putting them in cardboard boxes, I asked wh at was going on and she explained that there was a wedding in the village a nd the bride's family was due any moment to pick up the wine but their son was unable to get it labelled and packaged before getting called away (he w as either a doctor or a lawyer...still not sure which) so we volunteered to help. With our help they managed to label and package 20 cases of wine be fore the family arrived to pick them up. As a reward for our help they sen t us each off with a magnum of their 2001 Riserva Brunello. I still have m ine and will drink in a few weeks with those same friends.

Great story I got one bottle of the 2011 Brunello at same time, look forward to trying

Happy to pop a cork on Wednesday, opened the 2015 Gros Nore Bandol rose wi th sausage and squash on the grill. Fuller style of rose, though pale in co lor. Beefy, strawberry and melon fruit, big. Good with food. . B/B+

, and the 2014 Christophe Pacalet Chenas. Raspberry, cranberry, flowers. A bit of low sulphur hint-o-spritz. OK. B/B-

cocktail and almonds, and the NV Laherte Ultradition Extra Brut. Apples, b iscuit, flowers. Lots of fizz, moderately fine mousse. There’s a a sweet edge, I comment it’s rather rounded for Extra Brut. Couple da ys later I read back label as I put in recycling. Dec 2014 disgorgement, bo ttle says Extra Brut on front, Brut on back. Not sure which I drank! B/B+

with anchovy. Couple of reds

and leather. Moderate length, nice mouthfeel, showing well. B+

, pac choi, rice). Opened the

bodied, tart red fruits, surprising tannins, a bit clipped on finish. I di dn’t love, and drank leftover Champagne instead, B-/C+

s. They greeted us with home smoked salmon and hummus with smoked oysters. I had carried a bubbly. The NV Beaufort Rose Grand Cru Brut . Tasty, red fr uits and citrus zest, but not the most complex rose around. B

hite fruits, coconut, tangy. Fun stuff. B+/A-

fruit, some incipient cigarbox. I have a couple of these and will still ho ld off. B for now

wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of obj ectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

t to visit Fuligni late in the afternoon. When we arrived we were greeted by the three elderly Fuligni sisters and their husbands all in their late 7

0's-early 80's. Their son, who is fluent in English, was called away on an emergency and could not be there to translate so one of the sisters attemp ted to translate to no avail but we discovered that we both spoke a little French. It's a small family owned estate and we spoke no Italian nor they a ny English so we stumbled through in French as poor as my French was, Senor a Fuligni was no better but we made it work. We tasted through the wines ( they opened an incredible bottle of Merlot that was unlabeled and we enjoye d all of their red wine offerings. As we were in the cave under the house we noticed that the sisters and husbands were pulling bottles from racks, affixing self adhesive labels and putting them in cardboard boxes, I asked what was going on and she explained that there was a wedding in the village and the bride's family was due any moment to pick up the wine but their so n was unable to get it labelled and packaged before getting called away (he was either a doctor or a lawyer...still not sure which) so we volunteered to help. With our help they managed to label and package 20 cases of wine before the family arrived to pick them up. As a reward for our help they s ent us each off with a magnum of their 2001 Riserva Brunello. I still have mine and will drink in a few weeks with those same friends.

Don't rush it.