Domaine Pouderoux, Maury, Grande Reserve 2003

The wine Maury, Grande Reserve 2003 from producer Domaine Pouderoux is a wine that I had bought a bottle of around 2009 and had forgotten about. It was lying on a lower shelf hidden away. So what is this wine? It is a fortified wine from the Maury district in the Languedoc region of France.
Maury is a "vin doux naturel" style where by adding fortifying spirits (brandy)  to the wine in mid-fermentation the fermentation is stopped. This kills the yeast leaving the wine with a high sugar level. Maury is vinified in a manner similar to port, but initial ageing is often conducted in large 25 liter glass jugs known as bonbonnes or les dames jeannes to get an oxidative ageing. The wines may also be aged in wood for up to 15 years.
Domaine Pouderoux is a producer of wine in Languedoc. This family has been wine producers for six generations and the wine here comes from the middle of Maury.
The wine Maury, Grande Reserve 2003 is made from 100% of Grenache Noir grapes. For this wine several ageing methods are used such as wooden barrels and bonbonnes.
So how does it taste after being forgotten on the shelf for 11 years? It has a very deep red colour, almost dark mahogny. In the taste I get plum, leather, fig, raisin, cinnamon an some vanilla. Quite a complex wine with a lot of flavours and taste. A very good wine that has developed nice over the years.
Maury is an underrated region of fortified wines.

Pinot Noir from France

It is not often that I get to drink a red wine from the French region of Languedoc, or even French wines. The wine is Ferrandiere and is from 2015. The grape is pinot noir and the ABV is 13,5%. The taste is spicy, some violets and some harsh tannins in the back of the throat. A decent wine.

So lets return to Italy after the short visit to France. Dogajolo is a white wine from producer Carpinetto in Tuscany. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 12,5%. The grapes used for this wine is Chardonnay, Grechetto and Sauvignon Blanc. Already in the nose I can feel the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. But it is the taste that I find lacking. It is fruity aromatic just lacking some acidity. For me it gets a bit tiresome after one glass.

France vs Italy and some Prosecco

Been a while since the last update as a cold has put the blog on the backburner.

First up is two very different white wines. The first wine is from Languedoc in France. It is called Fleur de Vignoble from the AOP Picpoul de pinet. Picpoul is a grape in this region. The color is very light. Almost water like. A bit sharp and fruity in the taste, some hawthorn.
The next wine is the wine Falanghina from producer Villa Schinosa in Puglia, Italy. It is made by 100% of Falanghina grapes. The color is straw yellow and the nose is very strong. It smells delicious. The taste is strong and it has some acidity. Citrus and fruits in the taste.

Lastly I have tried yet another Prosecco. It is Prosecco Extra Dry by producer Farina. It is as a Prosecco should be, Good, light and well tasting,