This is Guy Bossard's sparkling wine, made mostly of Melon de Bourgogne (the Muscadet grape), but there is also some Gros-Plant and Cabernet Franc in the blend. 2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Clos des Noelles Excelsior , $22, Louis/Dressner Selections. Perhaps even the seafood stereotype entirely. Someone said pineapple. MORE >>

To my knowledge, chenin blanc reaches its greatest expressions in France’s long, meandering Loire Valley. When I hear all of this talk of the greatness of the 2007s, I do not so much start salivating about the new vintage, as I do begin to reflect upon the last three purportedly high quality vintages in the Rhône: 2003, 2000 and 1998. MORE >>

2002 Pewsey Vale The Contours Riesling, Eden Valley. 2000 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon, Tasmania. 2002 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, Clare Valley. 2002 Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling, Eden Valley. 2002 Seppelt St Peters Great Western Shiraz, Great Western, Grampians. 2002 Castagna Genesis Syrah, Beechworth. MORE >>

Afterwards, we walked a short distance along the canal to a room where Christine, Stephane, and Stephanie Egenolf of Sud de France gave presentations about Minevois and the Languedoc in general. With the purchase of a fourth estate, Château l’Hospitalet in 2002, the Company took on a new dimension. Voila! MORE >>

Today the French insurance company AXA owns several wineries which produce the world’s most exquisite wine, such as Chateau Pichon Longueville, Chateau Suduiraut, Chateau Petit-Village, Chateau Belles Eaux, and two other properties outside France, Disznoko in Tokai and Quinta do Noval in Portugal. 2000 (white peach) and 2002. MORE >>