Verdict on the French Reds

Apologies for the tardiness in posting the rest of the tasting results. We tried four French reds Sunday. Here's how they fared: (these wines all cost under $20)
1) 2003 Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise Chateau de Sassangy (It's organic!) The Cote Chalonnaise is a red and white wine producing region in the Saone-et-Loire part of Burgundy.
I thought this Burgundy smelled spicy and tasted of tart plum. There were quite a lot of tannins. This wine was nice when it opened up. Marlo found it mineral-esque and slightly bitter, something Stef described as a dry, crumbled dirt taste. 2 1/2 stars.
2) Perrin 2003 Reserve Cotes du Rhone. This is a Trader Joe's staple (I picked up a bottle yesterday for $8.99) I found it medium bodied and slightly soapy, but also floral and fruity. I tasted pepper and thought this wine was much berrier than the Bourgogne. Erica called this wine "totally non-offensive but no wow either." Jim said it was "nice." A man of few words. The winemaker says this red's fruit is rich and jammy with peppery spice, concentration and intensity. We gave it 2 stars.
3) 2002 Chateaux Belles Eaux (beautiful water house???) Coteaux Du Languedoc. (about $12-$14) I enjoyed this wine. I didn't write down much as to why, but I gave it 2 1/2 stars. Sometimes you just like it. Jim said he'd drink this with a steak any time. Anne found it pretty good. Her wine buyer friend picked it out for her. Erica liked this wine lots. (She gave it three stars for above average) She said it smelled minerally and had sharp, spicy notes. As Dave Chappelle would say...."Snap, there it is." On average, we gave this wine 2 1/2 stars.
4) Chateau Coupe Roses Minervois 2003 Cuvee Vignals. Erica didn't like this wine, but since the majority rules, this wine took the day.We gave this wine 3 stars.

Here's the scale: 1 star - Eh. You might not finish the bottle with your S.O. Down the drain it goes.
2 stars: Pretty good. A solid table wine.
3 stars: Above average. Something makes this bottle special
4 stars: Excellent. You hide it.

April 13, 2006

Verdict on the French Reds