Everyday White Burgundy!

I have always been a fan of wine but there is one region of the world that I truly love and will always be ready for a bottle or two; the wines of Burgundy France.  Burgundy is home to two of the most amazing grapes ever, Chardonnay for the whites and Pinot Noir for the reds.  The bottle that was fortunate enough to make it's way out the liquor store and into my glass is none other than the 2010 Domaine Laroche Bourgogne Blanc Tete de Cuvee.

Domaine Laroche is a stellar house based out of the Chablis region of northern Burgundy.  This particular Bourgogne Blanc (the literal translation is White Burgundy) is made from grapes that Laroche sources from the south of Burgundy in an area called Maconnais, made in a style of Chablis.  When I say that, I mean clean, crisp and minerally.  No oak whatsoever.  This wine also uses a Stelvin closure (or screwcap but we will discuss this more in a future post) which I just absolutely love.

This great under $20 bottle is exactly what you would expect from a house of impeccable pedigree, such as Domaine Laroche.  The nose is loaded with bright stone fruits and hints of lime and citrus that are wonderfully layered.  The palate is where this deal of a wine shines.  The palate is balanced and crisp with elegant pear and apple notes and a slight touch of lime blossom.  The finish is wonderfully smooth and soft, making for a perfect everyday Burgundy (yes they do exist) and worth every penny!  Happy drinking.

Welcome Back!!!

It has been some time since I have been on this blog and seems that it is time to start anew and start pulling some corks, popping some bottles and see what's out there. For those that are unaware of who I am and what I am all about, I can be summed up very easily - I love a very small but important group of things in my life; my wife, my family, my new CrossFit family and, more importantly for the sake of this blog, wine and beer!

I have only truly been involved in the alcoholic beverage industry for about 5 years or so, but one thing has been a reoccurring theme in my personal goal to see what my liver can handle; no one explains wine and beer without an air of snobbery or explains in overly technical terms. So what you will find here is a no nonsense explanation of the nectar of the gods that I come across through my travels to bars, liquor stores and my basement cellar. And although I love the idea of knowing where the wine comes from and how it's made (the French term is called Terrior - pronounced ter-whar), it is more important to me that it's good that the ones I'm with enjoy it. I have never been to a dinner party of a bar and been curious what the winemaker's thoughts were on the harvest. I just want it to be good. Plain and simple.
I should also point out that what I am writing here is in no way scripture. Nothing with wine and beer is ever, EVER set in stone and one man's prize bottle, is another's trash bottle. That's why there is so much out there! There is also no such thing as a wrong idea of a wine or beer when you are paying for it. You may pick something up that no one around you picks up and that is perfectly fine. If for instance, you smell a lilac aroma in a Cabernet Sauvignon that no one else gets, it may be because you grew up with lilacs around your house are prone to pick up the aroma, no matter how minute it is.
From today on, you will read and see videos of some of the wines and beers that myself, my wife and all of my fellow drinkers that like to see what great concoctions Bacchus has blessed us with . This is also an interactive blog, so if you have a question about a specific adult beverage, please ask and I will do my best to drink it, I mean explain it. With that said, I am getting ready to open a bottle and quench this thirst I have for some booze, so stay tuned and I'll stay slightly buzzed.