These are some of my favorite wines. The French wines, which I generally favor, are listed by appellation. The appellation, which is the region or origin, is all-important in French wines. Many of the attributes of winemaking, such as the grapes allowed in a wine, are dictated by French Law and vary by appellation. The region and vineyard of origin are only now becoming important in America. I have some of these wines in my "wine cellar." Some are ready to drink now, but some will not be ready for several years.

Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie is an appellation in the Rhône region of France. Specifically, this appellation is in the Northern Rhône region. There is also a Southern Rhône region, but the wines are made from different grapes and are grown on very different soil. Despite this, many wine writers and drinkers associate the two regions very closely just because of the relatively close geography. Côte-Rôtie is where my favorite wines come from. Perhaps the most renouned wines from Côte-Rôtie are the single vineyard bottlings by E. Guigal. They can sell for as much as $600 (or more!) per bottle depending on the vintage. I only drink Guigal's single vineyards when someone else opens them!

Hermitage

Hermitage is another appellation in the Northern Rhône region of France. These wines are, at times, my next favorite wines (at other times it is one or more of the many great wines of Burgundy). The most famous wines from Hermitage are Paul Jaboulet's La Chapelle, M. Chapoutier's Le Pavillion and the Hermitage from J.L. Chave. There are also several other very good producers.

Cornas

Cornas is the third famous appellation in the Northern Rhône region of France. The two producers whose labels are pictured above, Noel Verset and A. Clape, are perhaps the best known in the USA, but many other outstanding producers make fine wines in Cornas. One of my favorite producers is Jean-Luc Colombo who makes a Cornas called Les Ruchets and one called Terres Brulees. While I have enjoyed many bottles of Les Ruchets, I have yet to try one of the two bottles of Terres Brulees that I have.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is probably the most famous appellation in the Southern Rhône region of France. The other great region of the Southern Rhône is Gigondas. The wines of the Southern Rhône are made from different grapes than the those of the North and the soil and geological conditions are very different as well. This leads to very different wines in the two areas. Many people associate them together due to their geographic relationship, but I feel they are as different from each other as each is different from the other great regions of France.

Bourgogne (AKA Burgundy)

Burgundy is the most complicated and hard to understand area of France. The wines are made almost exclusively of Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. Few producers outside of Burgundy can even approach the quality routinely obtained in good vintages in this blessed region. The difficulty with Burgundy is that the location and reputation of the vineyard is everything. It is assumed that the Burgundy consumer knows that the wines are made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. From that point on the only salient points are vineyard and producer. Burgundy has several levels. Pictured above is the basic level of Bourgogne, which basically can come from anywhere in the total region of Burgundy, and a Côte de Nuits Village, which can come from a fairly large area within the Côte de Nuits. The great wines, however, tend to come from Chablis or from the Côte d'Or and are set apart by their higher classification. The Côte d'Or is made up of the Côte de Nuits, which is predominantly red, and the Côte de Beaune, which is predominantly white.

The above is an example of a Village wine. It is from the area indicated, but not from a vineyard that has been classified or named. It may be a blend from vineyards that have, but it has either lost its right to be classified as a result of the origin of some of the wine in the blend or the producer has chosen not to classify it at a higher level.

The above is a wine from a recognized Village that is also from a named vineyard. While this vineyard may or may not be recognized by law as a Premier Cru, producers usually indicate the Premier Cru status on the label when the wine is entitled to it. It would otherwise be like making a Mercedes and leaving off the name and famous symbol.

This wine is what is known as a Premier Cru. Certain vineyards are legal designated as such by French law. Only those wines originating from such vineyards can legally have the words "Premier Cru" or the short-hand "1^er Cru" on the label.

The top classification of wine in Burgundy is Grand Cru. The above is an example of a red Grand Cru. These wines are given this status by virtue of many decades of wine making excellence. While there are still some mediocre wines made from these great vineyards, it is nearly impossible to go wrong with a Grand Cru Burgundy, IF you can afford them!

Oh, I almost forgot the odd-ball of Burgundy, Champagne! Champagne, the real thing, is made from grapes grown in the Champagne region. They are usually vinified in the traditional way pioneered by that famous monk, Dom Perignon.

I wish I could go on, but my ISP is probably wondering why I have taken up so much space with useless graphics! Anyway, I hope that this site has been informative and intertaining. I also apologize to all of those whose preferences lean toward the other areas of France or some other part of the world, such as wonderful Austrailia or dreamy California. Luckily, we do not all want the same things.

I do not have a lot of wine stashed, in my opinion. One friend of mine once said " Oh, I don't have very much wine, only about 200 cases or so." That's 2400 bottles! I am still quite a (long) way away from such a collection.

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Or you may email me at todd@pcis.net.