2009 Martine Galhaud Moulin “MGM” Pinot Noir, France

Color – Dark, inky purple

Nose – Sweet, dark cherry; red and black plum, licorice

Taste – This is an interesting and I would guess un-Pinot-like Pinot Noir. This is quite dark in color, large in aroma, and heavy in weight for a Pinot Noir. That’s not to say this wine is bad, just not a good representation of Pinot Noir. I will say if you drink this with an open mind, you might like this wine. The flavors on the initial sip are of very ripe plums, and dark cherry fruit; the mid-palate is cinnamon, brown sugar, heat and astringency though none of these are out of proportion. The finish is medium-to-long with flavors I can more closely describe as sweet plum liquor. This surprised me and with the first two glasses I was unimpressed and a little put off. But as I began to drink my third glass I decided to drink it with the mindset that I was drinking just another red blend. The wine went down much easier and I was quite satisfied. The flavor profile doesn’t align itself with any wine I have tasted up to this point. At times it has a closer resemblance to a sweet mixed drink or wine cooler than a red wine made only of grapes. The abundance of plum and dark cherry flavors is so strong that you really can’t avoid them or at times find any other flavors. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing, but in all I think it works in this wine.

Overall, this is another decent QPR from Trader Joe’s. It’s not as good as Trentatre 33, Viriato TInta de Toro or Alexander & Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon but this is still a pretty good wine for the money. It’s better than 75% of the wines from supermarkets that are priced in the sub-eight dollar range. I won’t be buying a lot of this or buying it often but I’d keep a bottle around just in case I wanted a very fruit forward, plum flavored red.

2009 Georges Duboeuf Morgon Flower Label, Beaujolais Cru, France

Color – Garnet red

Nose – Raspberry, flowers, lavender, cut parsley

Taste – How I have come to love the Gamay grape, this is another wine that cements that love even further. First off this wine has a “heavier” mouthfeel than the Beaujolais-Villages I have sampled in the past, but it’s not an overwhelming “heaviness”. The flavor itself shows the wonderful depth and character this wine has. There are the normal raspberry and strawberry flavors, along with some candied cherries and lastly grass, lavender and floral hints. The wine is medium-to-full bodied with a very nice long finish that has soft and supple tannins and perfect alcohol characteristics. The wine itself is smooth and rather cool on the tongue mostly because it tastes better at cooler temperatures. It isn’t overly cloying like some heavier red wines rather it actually serves to refresh me more than anything else, strange for a red wine, but something I have come to appreciate.

Overall, this is a great wine with an equally great QPR. It tastes wonderful; every sip reminds me just how much I have come to value Gamay and the wines that come from the grape. Is this better than the 2009 Beaujolais-Villages of Louis Jadot and Georges Duboeuf I have tried in the past? That’s hard to say, on the one hand this is a heavier wine with more flavor, heat and depth. But on the other hand those wines are 5 dollars cheaper than this wine and nearly this good with nearly the same level of complexity and depth. I think it’s a close tie on this count. This wine is superior to the Beaujolais-Villages I have tried, but just barely. I would be just as happy drinking any of these wines. I recommend that you stock up on this or either of the Beaujolais-Villages. Or you could jump in and try just about any 2009 Beaujolais (except Beaujolais Nouveau) and probably have just as good as an adventure as this one, if not one that surpasses my own. At any rate the 2009 Beaujolais Cru and Beaujolais-Villages are both wines to stock up on and savor often.

Georges Duboeuf Wines