Semillon

Chateau Doisy Dubroca Sauternes-Barsac 1975 Review – Vibrant

It's not every day you can crack open a 1975 Sauternes-Barsac. Truth be told, we have never had one this old before. But after finding this one tucked away at a bottle shop we frequent for a rather reasonable price, we decided to give it a go.

Before even opening this one, we noticed something interesting- the cork had a small label on it that it was recorked at the winery in 1999. This was something we'd never seen before and gave us a hint that, for 24 years at least, the wine was cellared directly at the estate. After that, well, we put it on faith that it was stored well enough in the years in between.

So, what's a 50+ year old Sauternes-Barsac like? Let's dive into this beauty.

Read more

JC Calvet Brut 2022 Review – A Lovely Off-Dry Cremant

Whenever we think of French sparkling wine, it is easy to go to Champagne.

But there are many other great wine regions producing their own delicious sparkling wines, often referred to as Cremants, using the same methods as Champagne just, you know, not in Champagne.

JC Calvet is one such producer, and makes a beautiful, and affordable, off-dry sparkling wine in Bordeaux from Merlot and Semillon in the 2022 vintage!

Note: It seems this wine has different grapes and blending percentages depending on the vintage.

Read more

Smallfry Tangerine Dream 2021 Review – A Flavorful Orange

We always have a soft spot to try orange wines as they typically offer a unique flavor profile that is a bit unlike anything else you can find. Throw in the fact that they can often be made of grapes (or blends of grapes) that are a bit more unusual to see and in some cases even fermented naturally, there really is a lot to love.

Smallfry's Tangerine Dream is one such bottle as it is a skin contacted white wine from the Barossa Valley of Australia made with Semillon, Pedro Ximenez, Riesling, Rousillon, and Muscat and offered some delightful flavors.

Read more

Chateau Picque Caillou Pessac-Leognan 2020 Review – Acidic French White

I have a love/hate relationship with Sauvignon Blanc (and blends) from France. On average I really enjoy the grape, but to get the intensity and complexity I generally prefer out of French wines it almost always feels like you have to start out at $40/bottle (if not more) to get to a quality point that other locales can provide for half the price.

This is not exclusive to Sauvignon Blanc. In all honesty, it is simply France knowing how to get the most for their wines abroad. But that being said, it seems especially true with all the Sauvignon Blancs we've tried.

The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend from Chateau Picque Caillou from Pessac-Leognan was not much different. While this one was much more complex for its price point than we originally expected, we also weren't quite sure about the sell price in the USA.

Read more

Dolce 2012 Review – A Sweet Late Harvest California Wine

Before I started to learn about wine, I was always enamored by the concept of dessert wine. Emphasis should be made on the word concept, if only because I could rarely afford to try any of the expensive bottles.

Dolce was one such dessert wine whose marketing spoke to me as a casual wine shopper. An epic name, liquid gold color, and dessert wine flavors? I wanted it.

So when I found a bottle on sale in a local liquor store, I had to pick it up to try right away.

Read more

Silkman Blackberry Vineyard Semillon 2015 Review

When we normally think of Semillon, we often think of the botrytized wine it produces in regions like Sauternes in France.

But this grape is also known to make some pretty stellar conventional dry white wines, especially from regions like Hunter Valley in Australia. Naturally, we had to pick up a bottle of Silkman's blackberry Vineyard Semillon to try just that and thought it made for a rather interesting glass!

Read more

Louis-Antoine Luyt Gordo Blanco NV Review – An Unusual Wine

If you are in the mood for an unusual wine that is fermented naturally and unfiltered, the Louis-Antoine Luyt Gordo Blanco from Chile is for you.

First off, this wine is a blend of Muscat of Alexandria, Torrontes, Semillon, and Chasselas- a pretty unique combination we've seen come out of South America. Second, the natural fermentation, skin on, and no filtering make for a very intriguing offering all around.

Read more