We've read about Pol Roger Reserve Champagne for many years, and it is always one of those bottles we put off buying due to a slightly higher price point than we'd normally prefer.
When we finally decided to grab one of these, we wondered why it took us so long. Yes, the price can be fairly high, but it is also a rather delicious bottle of sparkling wine!
We take wine recommendations from strangers very seriously.
When we were at an agriturismo in Sicily, we met a lovely couple from the south of France that told us their favorite Provencal rose comes from one specific producer- Domaines Ott. They were adamant about it being the best, so much so that we knew we had to find a bottle.
We were lucky to sample it once at a restaurant, and finally stumbled upon a bottle of the Le Chateau de Selle Rose locally and picked it up despite its high price tag. Although we'll be the first to admit that the price we paid was a bit more than we would've preferred, this was quite the tasty rose!
Sometimes a bottle of wine is so good that we immediately go out and buy another one. For Domaine de L'Enchantoir Terres Blanches, a beautiful Chenin Blanc from Saumur, this was just the case.
Well, sort of. This one was an instance of Angie opening the bottle of wine while I was out of town, regretting having it on her own, and buying it because it was just so good that I had to try it.
After opening a bottle to share, I can safely say, she was absolutely right. This one is a delight!
We always love a good Hermitage, as we're suckers for all Rhone Syrah every chance we can get.
But it is rare that we find an older bottle available at a reasonable price, and we got just that with Cave de Tain Nobles Rives Hermitage 2011. 13 years of age at a reasonable price? We're in!
We always love stumbling upon older bottles in the wild, and when we saw Domaine de Nizas Le Clos from 2013 (over a decade old) available at a local bottle shop, we knew we had to give it a try.
While it is possible that this Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre blend from Languedoc was perhaps past its peak, it still had a great of liveliness in it that made for a delicious pour!
We've been fortunate enough to try most of Champagne Dumenil's bottles due to them being available by a local distributor, and have tried many gems (including their Prestige Vieilles Vignes which has been one of our favorites we have tried to date).
Their Amour de Cuvee is a Blanc de Noir style made with Meunier and Pinot Noir which hit us with classic Champagne notes as well as modest lees and a bit of age to go along with it!
Savoie is not a wine region I have been able to study much of, but with its proximity next to the Alps and bordering with Switzerland, my expectation was for crisp, high-acid wines all the same.
Domaine Labbe's Vin de Savoie Abymes highlights the lesser grown Jacquere grape and hits exactly that in this high-acid but flavorful bottle!
For wine fans, you likely are familiar with Sauvignon Blanc- the popular grape grown all over the world known for its high acid and lovely flavors.
But have you tried the rarer Sauvignon Gris- a pink skinned mutation of the popular grape? Truly, these are a bit harder to come by, and we were fortunate enough to find a bottle of Eric Chevalier's Fie Gris from the Loire Valley and what a find this one was!
We honestly would not be upset if more wineries planted this alongside their Sauvignon Blanc holdings!
We always love taking reader suggestions when it comes to delicious wine, and Champagne Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellar was one such bottle.
This beautiful Champagne was nicely balanced and had a decent hit of lees character while starting to show some tertiary development. Although the price for this one was a bit higher than what we'd prefer (particularly in the USA), it was a great one to try all the same.
Famille Bougrier's Rose d'Anjou was an interesting one to us as the primary grapes in the bottle were a blend of Gamay and Grolleau- two grapes we are not accustomed to see in rose wine compared to widely grown counterparts.
Although the flavors in this bottle were somewhat simple all around, we are interested in trying more roses with this kind of makeup!