Well, this is getting up later than I wished, but that is life (earlier than last year, but only by a few days, I sense a theme here). Life, lots of hiking, shul, and so much more, got in the way. All good, just wine and my blog had to be put on the back burner for a bit. Thankfully, I am ready to post more often now.

So, here is the story, I landed in Paris, went to the hotel, and got some much-needed sleep. I was hoping to hang with the gang in Paris, but it was Lag Ba’Omer, and well, all the folks with families were unavailable as such, it was a quick burger and some sleep!

On this trip, I did not go hunting for loads of roses and whites and most of them were sent to my hotel or Ari Cohen in advance. At this point, the hotel knows me as the wine writer, I arrive, they give me my wines without even asking, it is a well-oiled machine at this point!

The next morning, I made my way to the lovely home of Menahem Israelievitch, Managing Director and Winemaker at Royal Wine Europe. At the tasting, we enjoyed many lovely wines, and you can read the notes below, I want to point out a few thoughts on them.

• The non-Mevushal versions of the roses I have had so far from Royal are much better. Mevushal does not work well for roses, at least from how Royal Europe is doing it.
  • Many of the roses I have listed below were the non-Mevushal versions that sell in Europe. The ones here in the USA are mostly Mevushal and I did NOT taste those, except for ONE. You will see below the notes for wines I tasted side-by-side, Mevushal and non-Mevushal, the Sainte B Rose, and read the notes.
• The 2022 vintage for non-mevushal white and rose returns them close to the good old days!
• There are no 2021 red Burgundy wines – but there is new stuff coming in 2022.
• I came too early to taste the oak-influenced, higher-end Chateau Roubine Inspire and Lion & Dragon wines. Otherwise, I believe I was able to taste everything this time around – my sincere thanks to Mr. Israelievitch for his incredible effort in procuring these wines from all the wineries.
• There are 12 QPR (Quality to Price) WINNERS here – BRAVO to Menachem and team and bravo to the 2022 vintage!! Some of these WINNER are not coming to the USA but the majority are!
• Finally, there are many new roses here because of the lack of Roses from Israel, given 2022 is a Shmita year.

In closing, all of these wines will get here eventually, other than the non-mevushal versions of the Roses. I cannot say that for the vast majority of wines, I will be posting over the next weeks. So many wines made in France either live and die in France and Europe, as a whole, or are made JUST for Israel. This new phenomenon started with Shaked, and others have joined in. Either way, lots of French wine is not sold in France and lots of French wine never leaves the country – just the fascinating life of French wine. Most of it is made by very small producers or ones with horrible distribution, and as such, they are very difficult to find. Thankfully, as I stated all of these wines and a few of the Bokobsa wines, a post coming soon, should be available in the USA.

My thanks to Menahem Israelievitch and Royal Wines for hosting me and letting us taste the wonderful wines. The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here. The wine notes are in the order the wines were tasted:

2022 Les Marronniers Petit Chablis, Petit Chablis (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely, with intense minerality, bright apple, peach blossom, peach, and quince. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, with bracing acidity, peach, baked apple, tart, mouth-filling, lavender, and lovely smoke. The finish is long, tart, mouth-filling, and refreshing, with saline, ocean spray, more floral notes, fresh tart fruit, and smoke. Drink Now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine de Virvane Chablis, Chablis (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is a classic Chablis, bright, with screaming mineral, flint, smoke, matchstick, yellow apple, apple blossom, pear, and Asian pear.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, tart, balanced, and refreshing, a wine that pulls you in with saline, smoke, Asian pear, yellow apple, screaming acidity, tart, ripe quince, and good precision.
The finish is long, tart, and smoky, with saline, flint, and lovely balanced fruit, really nice with good fruit focus, and precise mineral, a lovely expression of Chablis. Drink Now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Les Marronniers Chablis, Chablis (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine starts a bit closed but with time opens to show intense minerality, sea spray, saline, olives, green apple blossom, and nice pear. Lovely!
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is a bit more extracted, tart, elegant, and more focused, with great precision, showing tart green apple, yellow plum, hints of wood, Asian pear, and rich smoke, lovely!
The finish is long, tart, and smoky, but I wish it had more acidity. Drink until 2025. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Domaine du Chateau Philippe le Hardi Mercurey, Roc Blanc, Mercurey – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This is a lovely expression of oaked Chardonnay, with ripe pear, apple, flint, acacia flower, smoked nuts, almonds, cinnamon, and red peppers. The mouth of this medium to full-bodied wine is lovely, showing white pepper, cinnamon, smoke, green apple, smoked duck, ripe plum, Asian pear, lovely tart fruit, and intense minerality, with bracing acidity, mouthcoating tannin, and lovely precision and fruit focus, a fun wine indeed. The finish is long, tart, green, herbal, smoky, and fruity, with intense flint, saline, and mouthfeel, that is refreshing and exciting. Bravo! Drink until 2027. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Chateau Les Riganes Blanc, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine smells like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with cat pee, green notes, smoke, and grapefruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is bright, tart, and nice with screaming acidity, showing bitter notes, cat pee, green notes, foliage, refreshing, and on point, with nice fruit, pear, grapefruit, lychee, and saline. Nice! The finish is long, tart, green, with nice flint, and some bitter notes. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2022 Chateau Genlaire Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is nice with good grapefruit, orange blossom, smoke, pear, and green notes, with hints of cat pee. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows nice acidity, with good focus, finesse, minerality, and nice elegance, showing graphite, flint, green notes, and lovely smoke with grapefruit, a rich mouthfeel, green apple, pear, and lychee. The finish is long, green, herbal, and smoky, but driven by intense minerality, graphite, flint, and more saline. nice! Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2022 Domaine J. de Villebois Pouilly-Fume, Pouilly-Fume (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is intense, elegant, and rich, with saline, cat pee, green notes, smoke, pear, peach, lychee, mango, and lovely minerality, it grabs you and does not let go! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is rich, layered, and captivating, with bracing acidity, a fusion of New Zealand and Pouilly, intense minerality, crazy graphite, flint, smoke, foliage, and lovely lychee, mango, apple, pear, and great tension and fruit focus, Bravo! The finish is long, herbal, mineral-driven, and smoky, a real joy, refreshing, elegant, and one to enjoy for the next two years. Bravo! (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Domaine de Panquelaine, Sancerre (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, classic Sancerre, no lychee here, no mango, ripe fruit, with intense minerality, gooseberry, green apple, intense flint, smoke, pear, and honeysuckle. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is expressive, precise, and focused, with smoke, saline, salt, gooseberry, dry grass, lemon/lime, chamomile, and tart grapefruit. Lovely! The finish is long, tart, expressive, precise, and captivating, with intense acidity, minerality, flint, chive, green notes, and gooseberry/lime/flint that lingers long! Bravo! Drink until 2025. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine J. de Villebois Sancerre, Sancerre (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine has leanings to New Zealand, with mango, lychee, gooseberry, and cat pee, but also has nice minerality, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine shows equally torn between New Zealand and Sancerre, with intense minerality, flint, saline, and sea salt, but ripe with mango, lychee, gooseberry, grapefruit, intense salinity, acidity, and lemon/lime. The finish is long, tart, green, and herbal, yet smoky, with intense salinity, acidity, and flint, impressive, and smoky, with layers of flint and mango/lychee/gooseberry/flint lingering long. Drink until 2025. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Chateau Les Riganes Rose, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this rose is bright and tart with a few bitter notes, showing almonds, rose, violet, strawberry, bruised cherry, and more floral notes. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, with bracing acidity, strawberry, bruised raspberry, cherry, bitter notes, floral notes, and nice focus. The finish is long, tart, and refreshing. Drink now! (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Chateau Genlaire Rose, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this rose is nice, balanced, and ripe without the bitter notes, showing strawberry, raspberry, and floral notes. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is on point, showing good salinity, green notes, nice acidity, raspberry, tart strawberry, minerality, flint, great balance, and smoke. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and balanced. Nice! Drink now! (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Rose Adasa, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 89 (QPR: GREAT)
Another rose from the 2022 vintage and another nice wine shows some bitter notes, but overall, the strawberry, raspberry, rose petal, and floral notes take center stage. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows lovely salinity, some cooked/bruised cherry/strawberry notes, and some bitter notes, but the saline, salt, and acidity are nice with peach and grapefruit. The finish is long, green, ripe, tart, and bitter. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Chateau Signac Cuvee Or, Rose, Chusclan, Cotes du Rhone Villages – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine meets the spot with notes of strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb, kiwi, and sea salt. Nice! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, and expressive, with nice fruit, kiwi, strawberry, mineral, flint, rosehip, and smoke, nice! The finish is long, tart, mineral-driven, smokey, and fruity. Nice! (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Ramon Cardova Rosado, Rioja – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is a blend of 80% Grenache & 20% Viura. The nose of this wine is nice with strawberry, raspberry, herbal notes, rose, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice enough, with good acidity, nice mouthfeel, nice focus, bitter notes, rhubarb, raspberry, strawberry, and graphite. The finish is long, and tart, but the bitter notes throw me a bit. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine J. de Villebois Sancerre Rose, Sancerre – Score: 89+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is balanced, with not too many bitter notes, and nice fruit, strawberry, raspberry, and plum. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ok, and balanced, with nice acidity, but the bitter notes throw me, but still a nice focus, with floral notes, and herbs. The finish is long, herbal, and smoky, with nice minerality, and saline. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Roubine R de Roubine, Mediterranee (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is nice, a bit thin, but still nice with good bright fruit, herbs, saline, and nice red berries. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing strawberry, and raspberry, hints of bitter notes, ripe fruit, and nice minerality. The finish is long, refreshing, and smoky, with flint, and fruity notes. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 11%)

2022 Roubine Hippy, Mediterranee – Score: 89+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is balanced, ripe, bright, herbal, and fun! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is fun, refreshing, and balanced, with nice raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, and pink flowers, showing nice focus, and minerality, nice! The finish is long, tart, smokey, flinty, and herbal. Nice! Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2022 Domaine Vallon des Glauges, Oddo, Coteaux D’Aix en Provence – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache & 40% Counoise 40% This is another WINNER for Vallon des Glauges. The nose of this wine is lovely, showing finesse, control, and elegance, with ripe peach, apricot, strawberry, smoke, and herbal notes, but the main focus is the white pepper, smoke, and red berries. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is bracing with acidity, focus, and precision, with strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb, and peach. Ripe, balanced, and refreshing, fun! The finish is long, and mineral-driven, with flint, smoke, and nice fruit. Nice!! Drink now! (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Roubine La Vie en Rose, Cotes de Provence – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, it brings back wonderful memories of the 2015 Chateau Roubine Rose and this one is right up there. The nose of this wine is lovely, ripe, and balanced, showing intense rose notes, violet, rhubarb, smoke, saline, red berries, and herbs. Lovely! The mouth of this medium-bodied-plus wine shows a richer mouth, precise, and focused, with intense acidity, rich mouthfeel, strawberry, juicy raspberry, peach, and cherry, lovely! The finish is long, mineral-driven, caressing, and saline-driven, lovely! The finish goes on forever, with the fruit, mineral, graphite, saline, and flint. Bravo! Drink now! (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Clos de Caille Anomis, Cotes de Provence – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is nice, showing good fruit, nice focus, herbal notes, and savory notes as well. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is more herbal and savory than other Provence roses, with lovely acidity, with green notes, herbs, mint, savory, mint, raspberry, strawberry, and smoke. The finish is long, herbal, and smokey, with flint and herbs. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Chateau Roubine Premium Rose, Cru Classe, Cotes de Provence – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, showing less minerality than I liked in the La Vie, but also more precise and fresher/riper fruit, with red berries, grapefruit, floral notes, and sweet herbs. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine shows a rounder, almost oily, and more elegant approach. with sweet spices, sweet herbs, intense acidity, minerality, smoke, raspberry, ripe strawberry, mouth-draping, and lingering forever. The finish is long, herbal, elegant, smokey, and mineral-driven, with cloves, cinnamon, and a bit of oak, truly a joy, and the fruit/saline/minerality lingers forever. Bravo! Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

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Tasted side-by-side but not blindly

2022 Sainte Beatrice B Rose, Cotes de Provence (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this rose is bitter, green, herbal, with some red berry fruit, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice enough, with not enough acidity, with too many bitter notes, raspberry, strawberry, orange pith, orange, and smoke. The finish is long, tart, green, bitter, and smoky. Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Sainte Beatrice B Rose, Cotes de Provence – Score: 90+ (QPR: GREAT)
Tasting the Mevushal side-by-side with the non-mevushal was very educational. I always thought that bitter notes in rose came from the wine itself. The Mevushal wine has bitter notes while the non-mevushal version does not. The acidity is also better on the non-mevushal version, which I have seen many times. The nose of this rose is balanced, bright, and tart, with lovely minerality, slate, red berry fruit, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing good enough acidity, nice raspberry, juicy strawberry, orange pith, orange, slate, and smoke. The finish is long, and tart, showing slate, minerality, acidity, and smoke lingering long. Lovely! Drink now. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine Ternynck Bourgogne, Les Brulis, Bourgogne – Score: 89 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is smoky, fruity, and herbal, with smoked meat, sweet rosehip, rose petals, and rich sweet spices. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is a flower pot, with intense rosehip, rose petals, dark cherry, raspberry, smoke, and roasted herb. The finish is long, herbal, floral, and smoky. Drink by 2025. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2021 Chateau Signac Pliocene, Cotes du Rhone – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, with bold black, red, and blue fruit, smoked meat, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, dense, smoky, herbal, rich and layered, a bit too ripe for me, with lovely mouth-coating tannin, great acidity, plush mouthfeel, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, plum, sweet spices, and a bit of oak. The finish is long, spicy, smoky, and herbal, with menthol, tannin, sweet tobacco, milk chocolate, and sweet dill. Drink until 2027. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Chateau Signac Pliocene, Chusclan, Cotes du Rohone Villages – Score: 89 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache & 50% Syrah. The nose of this wine is bright and ripe, with roasted meat, smoke, green and ripe notes, black and blue fruit, and intense loam. The mouth of this intense, ripe, and tart medium-plus bodied wine is ripe, with intense acidity, salinity, and bright blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry, mouth-coating tannin, and draping mouth structure. The finish is long, ripe, candied, and smoky. Drink by 2026. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Domaine Chante Bise Cotes du Rhone, Cotes du Rhone – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this beast shows black and red fruit, with ripe and candied plum, tar, roasted meat, floral notes, and roasted herbs. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine, shows blackberry, blackcurrant, dark plum, candied fruit, roasted herbs, mouth-draping tannin, intense graphite ribbons, and tar. The finish is long, ripe, tar, and smokey with sweet herbs, sweet spices, and espresso coffee. Drink by 2026. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Ramon Cardova Rioja, Rioja (M) – Score: 89 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is ripe, with lovely ribbons of graphite, black and red fruit, sweet spices, dark espresso coffee, intense sour cherry, and nice tar. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is tart, with intense coffee notes, balanced with good acidity, blackberry, plum, blackcurrant, sweet spices, nice tannin, and sweet herbs. The finish is long, tart, sour, and smokey, with smoked meat, herbs, and sour cherry. Drink by 2026. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2019 Ramon Cardova Crianza, Rioja (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe, candied plum candied blackcurrant, rhubarb, steel shavings, sweet dill, oak, and smoke. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is rich, layered, and intense, with good acidity, but the fruit is too ripe for me, showing nice minerality, sweet dill, sweet oak, roasted herb, roasted mint, tarragon, and cloves, with cinnamon, blackberry, blackcurrant, and sour cherry. The finish is long, dark, and brooding, with milk chocolate-covered coffee beans, and rich espresso. and smokey. with chocolate and sweet tobacco. Drink by 2028. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2019 Ramon Cardova Old Vines Reserva, Rioja – Score: 89 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose and body of this wine are out there for me, showing notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate-covered milk candy, and heat. The mouth of this full-bodied is intense, smoky, and dense, with rich acidity, smoke, sweet dill, intense sweet oak, sweet spices, blackberry, raspberry, dark plum, and smoke. The finish is long, tart, but the ripeness is too much for me. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2021 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape, Chateauneuf du Pape – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, and well-balanced, showing intense minerality, smoke, roasted salami, tar, intense smoke, hickory, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, black and blue fruit, and lapsang tea, lovely! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, dense, layered, concentrated, and extracted, with lovely acidity, boysenberry, soy sauce, lapsang tea, dark roasted coffee beans, rich tar, blackberry, charcoal, and sweet spices! The finish is long, ripe, dense, and lovely, with rich saline, tar, smoke, roasted meat, and coffee beans, with charcoal, graphite, and smoke. Bravo! Drink from 2025 until 2032. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2021 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape, Vieilles Vignes, Chateauneuf du Pape – Score: 93+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, with intense soy sauce, hoisin sauce, mushrooms, sweet spices, black and blue fruit, licorice, tar, cholate-covered coffee, and smoke. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, concentrated, and elegant, with intense acidity, great balance, power, and elegance, with graphite, charcoal, sour cherry, blackberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, juniper berry, with an elegant mouth-draping tannin. Bravo! The finish is long, balanced, smoky, herbal, and rich, with espresso beans, tar, smoked meat, and tart acidity/fruit that linger forever! Bravo! Drink from 2027 until 2035. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2021 Chateau Canteloup, Medoc – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine shows the tough vintage with notes of cucumber, sweet dill, sweet oak, cherry, smoked herbs, foliage, brush, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows jalapeno, and cucumber, with nice acidity, chocolate, cucumber, sour cherry, sweet oak, mushroom, and smoke. The finish is long, green, and herbal, with sweet oak, sweet spices, and candied plum. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2023) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 11.5%)