René Geoffroy

Ratafia de Champagne Blend

carmen

fortified sweet champagne with flavors of dried strawberry. i’ve never had anything like this! — 9 months ago

Prager

Wachstum Bodenstein Smaragd Grüner Veltliner 2017

Josh Morgenthau

9.6

Incredible briskness and freshness on the nose of seashell, lily and golden russet apple with a butterscotch undercurrent. Palate is zippy with amazing density. The acid itself is almost astringent at first, like the juice of the pineapple core, but mellows out and reveals other flavors like yellow plum, apple, kiwi and fondant, all braced by stony minerals. There’s a subtly sweetness on the long finish that makes this approachable now, but it really needs much more time.

This wine is endless. I mean still improving on night 5 when I couldn’t not finish it. — 3 years ago

Severn, Andrew and 24 others liked this

Cakebread Cellars

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Vanessa

9.1

Black cherry, blackberry, plum, cassis, vanilla, coconut, violet, nutmeg, oak, wet earth. Delicious and complementary pairing to earthy meal of steak, baked russet potato, with asparagus. Vintage 2017. ABV 14.6%.
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#celebratorymood #cakebreadcellars #cakebreadcabernet #napavalleywine #napavalley #cabernetsauvignon #wineandfoodpairing — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Deked1, Severn and 27 others liked this

Henri Giraud

Ratafia Champenois Solera 90-16

Deborah M

9.3

Champagne ratafia was described as the champagne before fermentation. Champagne ratafia is a rare and very aromatic natural sweet wine. Crazy aromatics would be a better description. This wine made me reconsider my “not a fan of sweet wine” stance.

It’s Paris so it’s always going to be about the food and the wine. A rule to remember — when in France, don’t knock the lesser known wines because you may find a gem. Yesterday was a great start.
@Le Bon George — 2 years ago

Shay, Dawn and 7 others liked this

Severn Goodwin

Nice. We actually brought a bottle of Ratafia home with us from our last visit to France. This is a spirit made from the first use of the leftover pomace (skins/seeds/stems) from Champagne pressing. There can be 1-2 more times using that same leftover material, each iteration yields a different flavor profile. For my palate, the Ratafia is the most pleasurable. I'm glad to see you posting and enjoying!

Deborah M

@Shay A @Severn Goodwin I didn’t realize I would enjoy Ratafia so much. I would love to try to find to bring home. Maybe today I can locate something.

Severn Goodwin

I've not seen it in the US, and even if it's here, likely not the better stuff. Good hunting.

South Hill Cider

Bluegrass Russet Sparkling Cider

Brandon Boesch

9.5

I am absolutely loving these south hill ciders. So fresh and so clean. Nice sweetness on this one but tastes like apple, apple skin, a hint of pear actually, and a bit of citrus. So tasty! Batch 1701 — 5 years ago