Le Garenne Vin de France Pinot Noir ($13.99)Le Garenne Pinot Noir bears the most basic French wine classification, "Vin de France." It's 100% Pinot Noir, though, and both its Pinot and Loire characteristics show in a tasty, affordable everyday red wine. Ruby red and faintly hazy, its appealing aromas blend ripe cranberries with pleasant notes of tomato skin and tobacco leaf alongside brown spices attributable to French oak. Good Pinot fruit on the palate is framed by food-friendly acidity and light tannic astringency that lingers with tart cranberry fruit in a long finish. 13.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Asgram, Miami, Fla. (July 2025)
My full tasting note is included in the 30 Second Wine Advisor for July 11 on Substack at https://bit.ly/Parisvdh
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Kermit Lynch Côtes du Rhône Villages ($20.99)Balanced and appetizing, Kermit Lynch Selections Côtes du Rhône Villages is a typical Southern Rhône blend of 58% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 3% Carignan, 3% Cinsault, 2% Mourvèdre, and 2% Counoise from vineyards averaging 40 years old. Scents of raspberries, plums, and a hint of black olives lead into a textured flavor, dry and properly acidic, with soft tannins and subtle floral and stony mineral hints in a long finish. Certified organic, the wine was naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 8 or 10 months in concrete vats, then bottled unfiltered with minimal added sulfur. 14.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, Calif. (July 19, 2025)
My full tasting note for this one is in the 30 Second Wine Advisor for July 25 on Substack at https://bit.ly/RhoneRem
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