Vignerons de Bel Air 2016 Saint-Amour
All tastings reported in the Buying Guide are performed blind. Typically, products are tasted in peer-group flights of from 5-8 samples. Reviewers may know general information about a flight to provide context—vintage, variety or appellation—but never the producer or retail price of any given selection. When possible, products considered flawed or uncustomary are retasted.
*Products deemed unacceptable (receving a rating below 80 points) are not reviewed.
98-100
Classic
The Pinnacle of quality
94-97
Superb
A great achievement
90-93
Excellent
Highly recommended
87-89
Very Good
Often good value; well recommended
83-86
Good
Suitable for everyday consumption, often good value
80-82
Acceptable
Can be employed
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Discover New Regions for Gamay
Beaujolais is sometimes thought of as part of Burgundy, because so many of the Burgundy wine companies have expanded their reach to include wines from the Beaujolais wine region. But Beaujolais wines deserve to stand apart, not least because they are made from an entirely different grape — Gamay. Grown on the region’s granite slopes, the Gamay imparts a fresh, directly fruity yet mineral character to the wines, best reflected in our Beaujolais wine reviews.At the highest quality level, the Beaujolais wine region contains 10 crus — communes that have the right to wear their own appellations on the label: Brouilly, Chénas, Côte de Brouilly, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnie Reviews and St-Amour. One-step below is Beaujolais Villages, with Beaujolais itself as the broadest, most generic appellation. Our Beaujolais wine guide contains hundreds of Beaujolais wine ratings.
The Willamette Valley Wine Region is one of the most influential wine producing regions in all of Oregon as well as the entire Pacific Northwest. The region spans from the Columbia River in the north all the way down to Eugene in the South. It is by far Oregon’s largest AVA and is dominated by plantings of Pinot Noir and smaller amounts of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. The Willamette Valley is subdivided into six smaller appellations: Chehalem Mountains AVA, Dundee Hills AVA, McMinnville AVA, Ribbon Ridge AVA, Yamhill-Carlton District AVA and Eola-Amity Hills AVA. According to our Willamette Valley Wine Guide the mild, cool and somewhat moist climate provides ideal conditions for Pinot Noir, creating wines that are often considered the bridge between California and Burgundy style. The Pinot Noirs from this area tend to have black cherry and…
