The Wine Spy Winery Reviews

Domaine de La Bouronière, Fleurie. 7/26/09. Score: 83%. Special thanks to our Operative in France: Vicky Wine (@VickyWine at twitter.com/VickyWine).

Domaine de La Bouronière is a family owned since the XVIth century. Located on the hamlet of Les Labourons hills in the Fleurie estate, this beautiful property gives you a wonderful view on the region. At night the village’s lights down the hill are drawing a star in the dark making it a very romantic site. We were welcomed very warmly by Fabien that explained us every little thing about his domaine. The tasting room also show his passion for hunting that gives it a very personal and rustic print.

Truly if you are on the road to Burgundy, this is a must place to stop by. If not Fabien, his wife or one of his sons will welcome you and indicate a perfect campsite specially made for you. The visit of the property showed Fabien’s passionate personality and you will be sure to taste his different eco-friendly wines, Fleurie of course but also some typical Beaujolais and a Burgundy sparkling wine. In less than a day you’ll feel like home and will probably decide to settle in the neighbourhood.

bouroniere@wanadoo.fr

00334 74 69 82 13

Le Chateau des Jacques

The Château des Jacques belongs to the famous « Maison Louis Jadot » owned by the two Americans in Burgundy near Beaune.

Situated at the border of South Burgundy, in the most famous region of Beaujolais, the château des Jacques specialized in Beaujolais wines and specifically the Moulin à Vent. It focuses on first crus but also does some white Beaujolais, white Burgundy and some of the best Beaujolais Villages I have ever tasted.

We have been welcomed very warmly by Cyril Chirouze, enologist of the Château who told us in a very simple and elegant way, the history of the property and everything about the winemaking process. The visit ended in a sumptuous cellar, tasting a selection of his best wines.

The chateau is not so focused on tourism but they will be more than welcome to give you a tour of the property and spend some time sharing their passion. This is the perfect place to visit in Beaujolais when you are a wine professional or a wine passionate because it allows you to taste a great variety of some of the most renowned wines in the region. Learn more @ http://www.louisjadot.com/fr/vignoble/le-chateau-des-jacques-en-beaujolais-22.php and a story on the region at Miss Vicky Wine.

It is even better if you book in advance at: 0033 85 35 51 64
or chateau-des-jacques@wanadoo.fr

>>Alpha Omega Winery, 6/21/09. Score: 88%. Outside patio overlooking their beautiful pond with fountains. Very knowledgable staff offered great tasting details. It was great to hear staff bragging about their winemaker. Visit their website here.

>V. Sattui Winery, 6/21/09. Score: 78%. This was a really busy day due to the Father’s Day BBQ. There was staff directing parking and despite the crowd the grounds were really clean. Inside the tasting room there were lots of food and gift options. Visit the winery website here.

St. Supery, 6/21/09. Score: 95%. We received awesome customer service throughout. Great place to bring visitors. Two levels of tasting available. Art on display. Self guided tour. Great place for picnic but bring your own food (another plus in our opinion). This is a “must see” for touring Napa Valley. Take a look at their website for a preview here.

Larson Family #Winery, 6/13/09. Score: 83%. Family Friendly. This is old-school Sonoma in that the tasting room looks to be in a converted barn and it’s a bit rustic. If you’re traveling from the East, you will fly by without seeing this winery. It’s well off the highway. If you’re touring with kids, this is a great place. There is a toddler table with crayons in the corner of the tasting room. There is a bocce ball court and they’ll loan you bocce balls to play. Nice little picnic area and you don’t have to buy food at the winery to use it (they don’t sell food so bring your own).

Sonoma County Carneros AVA

Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Winery, 6/13/09. Score:87%. Olive Oil tasting too. We really enjoy giving a good score. This was a really busy day at the winery and we still received service with a smile. If you want to change up the day of wine tasting, they have olive oil tasting as well.

Sonoma County Carneros AVA

Huge Surprise- Gloria Ferrer #Winery, 6/13/09. Score: Below 70% (We won’t give scores under 70%). We’ll be going back for another review. It’s a big and typically beautiful winery. We dinged them on issues that are touchstones of the food and beverage industry. There were just too many dings to make a good showing for this time around.

Sonoma County Carneros AVA

Standardized Scoring of Wineries- Our operatives in the field report back and we tweet the winery scores on Twitter.com/thewinespy.