Bargemone

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“Anyone who enjoys dry rosé should keep a few bottles of this on hand…”

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Commanderie de la Bargemone Rosé has long been a favorite of ours, going back to at least 2003. I’ve been meaning to pick one up and review it here since rebooting Tasting Notes from the Underground last January, but a succession of lower priced dry rosés kept popping up, and that’s not a bad thing, since they’ve all been quite good. This one does weigh in at just above my preferred price range ($10-20), but drop one in a 6-pack for the 10% discount at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, and it comes down to $18 and change. This is perfectly acceptable for this delightful libation, and a helluva lot cheaper than our other old favorite, Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé, which has risen in price to the point where we simply choose not to spend anywhere from $50-60 a bottle for it. (Lately, I’m feeling that way about a lot of the Kermit Lynch catalog. I mean, the wines are damned good, but the prices keep going up, and I buy less and less of them as time goes on. Perhaps that’s a good subject for a future blog entry.)

I finally decided to pick up the current vintage of Bargemone Rosé last week, and I was reminded once again why we have always enjoyed it so much in years past. Continue reading →

Another Beauty from Salento

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“This is a seriously good buy in red wine for this price.”

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My first encounter with the Copertino Riserva was back in 2017. It was arguably the best red on the wine list at our favorite restaurant, the now-defunct Otus Supply in Ferndale. We’d order a bottle every time we dined there, and it was a great match for things like their Wagyu Beef Tartar, Filthy Animal Pizza (pesto, pine nuts and guanciale) and Rigatoni Alla Norcina. We even bought some bottles from their takeout menu to enjoy at home, and the wine never failed to please.

Sadly, Otus Supply has gone the way of all things, but successive vintages of the Copertino are still available. I waxed rhapsodic about the 2012 and 2013 vintages last January, and I was delighted to find the latest vintage last week at Plum Market in West Bloomfield last week, so, of course, I brought some of that home to try, and was not disappointed in the least. Continue reading →

Red Wings and Red Rhônes 2023

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“If you’re looking for some good Red Wings Red Rhône mojo or just a couple of very good red wines to enjoy with dinner, both of these will serve admirably.”

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For me, there’s only one consolation to saying goodbye to another summer, and it’s knowing that hockey season is right around the corner. I’ve been a Detroit Red Wings fan since 1976, so I’ve seen it all, the glory years, and the gorey years. Lately, it’s been more of the latter, but hope springs eternal with every new season, and some supposed pundits think that the Wings might have a real shot at making the playoffs this campaign. Win or lose, I’ll be here, watching them play.

Back in our Gang of Pour days, I had a recurring feature that I called “Red Wings and Red Rhônes.” It started out as something of a joke, the premise being that big, hearty red Rhônes are the perfect choice to sip whilst rooting for the boys with the winged wheel on their jerseys on those cold wintery evenings. Perhaps surprisingly, the “schtick” caught on, and I reported on many selections over the years, not only from southern France, but from anywhere around the world that produced wines composed of red Rhône varietals.

Fast forward to the present, and it occurred to me that it’s high time to reboot Red Wings and Red Rhônes after picking up these two fine bottlings from Holiday Market in Royal Oak a few days ago. They are both perfect to enjoy with tonight’s Red Wings season opener against the New Jersey Devils. Continue reading →

Another Classic Provence Rosé

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“The word that most comes to mind when drinking this is satisfying.”

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Readers may remember how much I liked the 2021 vintage of this wine, and I am happy to report that the ‘22 is just as enjoyable. A few days ago, I ran into the current version stacked four cases high in the wine department of Holiday Market in Royal Oak for a very good price, and I didn’t hesitate to pick one up and drop it into a 6-pack for the 10% discount. Continue reading →

STUDIO Blanc by Miraval

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“…a solid all-around Rhone-styled white, equally suitable
as an aperitif or a dinner wine…”

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I’ve been intrigued by Château Miraval since we first tasted the Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé in 2013. Back then, perhaps the main point of interest (for Americans, at least) was the involvement of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but the Château is actually a place dedicated to the arts, including music, cinema, theater, local food and fine wine. The winery component of the sprawling project was and still is a collaboration with the Perrin family, of Château Beaucastel fame. Brad and Angelina split up some years ago (there is an ongoing divorce and legal dispute between the two), but Pitt remains very involved in Château Miraval. We enjoyed several successive vintages of the Miraval Rosé, but until recently, that’s the only bottling we’ve seen.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a something new from Château Miraval at our local Costco, a white of all things, and I finally brought one home a few days ago. Here’re my impressions of what I found in the bottle.
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Bastardo’s Best Buy in White

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“…this just might be a perfect everyday dry white wine.”

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I am much remiss for not reviewing this wine sooner, since I’ve known and enjoyed it for some years; hell, I used to sell it in a previous life in retail. Unfortunately, I’ve been passing it over for the last few months, looking to investigate things that are new to me, but I finally dropped one into a six-pack for the 10% discount at Holiday Market in Royal Oak last week. When I twisted off the screw cap a few nights later, I was reminded again just how good this is, especially for the price.
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Bargain Bordeaux

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“…I can’t think of a better red for under $13 currently available in these parts.”

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This wine takes me back to the days when we were finding good Bordeaux for around $12 or $13 a bottle on a regular basis. Sort of…

Back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, we were finding, buying and drinking (often too young) the likes for Château Gloria and Château Beychevelle, and we were paying around the same price that I’m getting this one for. Of course, Gloria and Beychevelle are Left Bank wines, which are generally Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, and much more prestigious properties than Chateau Teyssier Montagne-Saint-Émilion, a Merlot based red from the Right Bank. Still, it’s hard to mistake any of these for anything other than Bordeaux, where red wine is made like nowhere else in the world. Continue reading →

Another Tasty Sainte-Anne Côtes du Rhône Blanc

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…this one is so enjoyable now, it’s hard not to pour another glass…

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This is the 3rd wine from Domaine Sainte-Anne that I’ve reviewed since rebooting Tasting Notes from the Underground this past February. The red Côtes du Rhône has been a perennial favorite at our house going back many years, and with this release, I’m starting to feel the same about the white. I’m hard-pressed to name another winery, domestic or otherwise, that consistently produces such solid quality for so relatively few dollars.
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Three from Château des Jacques

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“This wine could almost be mistaken for Pinot Noir in a blind tasting.”

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Some months ago, a member of a private Facebook wine group I lurk in posted a picture of an old vintage of a Louis Jadot Beaujolais Village. The poster explained that the bottle had recently been gifted to them and wondered if it might still be any good. Most replies rightly stated that this was unlikely, given the wine’s age and provenance, or lack thereof. And, of course, there were a few obligatory knee-jerk declarations that nothing Louis Jadot makes and/or exports is any good, so why even bother. Those comments elicited some quick kickback from more knowledgeable wine drinkers who countered that Jadot does indeed have some worthwhile selections that are more than just forgettable plonk in their portfolio. Take Château des Jacques for instance.

According to the Kobrand Corporation website, “The historic Château des Jacques estate, located in the village of Romanèche-Thorins in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, is widely recognized as the most prestigious estate in Beaujolais.” Whether or not this is hyperbole or actual fact, I can’t say. I can testify to the fact that I have had some good wines from this producer, starting with the 2012 Château des Jacques Moulin-à-Vent in 2015. That same wine was a thing of silky beauty when I tasted it about 6 months ago, and I can only rue the fact that I took no notes at the time. My bad.

Last week, I picked up the 2020 bottling at Plum Market, and I found it to be much to my liking, even though it may be more about promise at this early stage of development.
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Two Reds

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“Fairly rich in fruit, yet decidedly dry from entry through finish…”

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In a previous life in retail wine sales, customers would regularly ask me if I could meet or beat Costco pricing for specific wines, and my stock reply was always that, while I couldn’t match their prices, I had so many more selections to offer that the bulk store didn’t even carry. It was true, and most of my clients got the message. Conversely, however, Costco has always (and still does) carried some very worthwhile selections at very good prices.

I happened upon a couple of those good red wines in the last week. One is a Cru Beaujolais and the other, a Zin from California, and, yes, I found them both at our friendly neighborhood Costco.

We’ve been fans of the wines from Kermit Lynch’s Morgon producers such as Jean Foillard and Guy Breton for many years, but this is my first encounter with Domaine Fagolet, and although I tend to be a bit suspicious of bottles sporting a high rating on the front label, I am pleased with what I found when I poured a glass of this one.
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