Georges Duboeuf Chardonnay Pays D'OC Blanc IGP (Organic) 2020 - Southern France, France

84/100 - Gillian Sciaretta, Wine Spectator (2018 Vintage)
85/100 - Gillian Sciaretta, Wine Spectator (2017 Vintage)
84/100 - Wine Enthusiast (2005 Vintage)
87-88/100 - Robert Parker (2005 Vintage)
84/100 - Wine Enthusiast (2002 Vintage)

Gillian Sciaretta, Wine Spectator "Crisp and fresh notes of apple and peach are lightly spiced and marked by floral accents on the clean finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases made, 500 cases imported. — GS" (2018 Vintage)

Gillian Sciaretta, Wine Spectator "Light- to medium-bodied and lightly spiced, with a plump profile offering apple and lemon notes. Creamy finish. Drink now. 1,500 cases made, 465 cases imported. — GS" (2017 Vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "With its distinctive enameled, flowered bottle, this sets out to be a fun party wine. It succeeds with its fresh, flowery, open fruit, enhanced by vanilla, spice and green apple flavors." (2005 Vintage)

Robert Parker "Displaying toasty, yeasty white peach and peanut aromas, the 2005 Chardonnay Vin de Pays d’Oc is an oily-textured pleasure machine. Thick, spicy, and expressive, it is riddled with apples, pears, and melon balls. It should be drunk over the next 2-3 years." (2005 Vintage)

Wine Enthusiast "Soft, light and fresh, this wine has attractive acidity as well as crisp, green flavors. There's a touch of vanilla which broadens it out. It's a solid, ready-to-drink wine." (2002 Vintage)

Winemaker Notes: A pale, golden straw colour. The nose is powerful and delicate, with intense pear, fig, pineapple and roasted hazelnut aromas and discreet hints of honey. Unctuous and lively on the palate, with hints of fig and vanilla. We recommend to taste this wine at 9-10 °C.

Les Vins Georges Duboeuf is one of the largest wine producers in France founded by the late Georges Duboeuf who was affectionately known as 'le roi du Beaujolais' (the king of Beaujolais) or sometimes pape du Beaujolais (Pope of Beaujolais). Les Vins Georges Duboeuf produces a staggering 3 million cases of wine annually. The company is most well-known for its popularization and production of Beaujolais wines. In 2018 Georges’ passed control of his company to his son Franck Duboeuf, who is considered to be one of the key specialists in Beaujolais, its terroir and its wine, and has shifted production to focus more on Beaujolais Nouveau.

Pays d'Oc is the IGP for red, white and rosé wines that are made in a large area on the southern coast of France. The catchment area for the IGP corresponds roughly to the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region – one of the largest winegrowing areas in France. The region covers all the wines that are not made under the strict laws that govern the AOC-level appellations in the regions: among them Corbières, Minervois and the Languedoc appellation itself.

The Pays d'Oc IGP is arguably the most important in France, producing the majority of the country's IGP wines. Five separate departments fall under the IGP (the Hérault, Aude, Gard, Pyrénées-Orientales and six communes in southern Lozère), which is delimited by administrative boundaries rather than geographical ones.

The Pays d'Oc area has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Most of the rainfall is compressed into spring and autumn.

The region's viticultural history dates back to Roman times but the area is also know for its progressive approach to wine production. The Charmat method of producing sparkling wine was developed by Jean-Eugène Charmat at Montpelier in the early 1900s and, as mentioned, many producers adopt a New World approach to production and marketing. Some domaines will even bring in winemakers from Australia and New Zealand.

Pays d'Oc IGP wines were previously labeled as Vin de Pays d'Oc (established in 1987), although since 2009, the VDP category has been phased out of French wine laws. It has now been replaced with Indication Géographique Protégée, a category designed as part of a standardised wine-labeling convention in the European Union.

Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) is an historic and highly respected wine region in eastern France. Burgundy wines have long had devout followers throughout the world and continue to do so today. Although Bordeaux produces about four times as much wine every year, Burgundy’s estimated 74,000 acres (30,000ha) of vineyards are considered to be of equal importance, producing some of the most exclusive wines on Earth.

The two key grape varieties of Burgundy are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both members of the extended 'Pinot' family of grape varieties. There are others too, of course, like Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Gamay, and Sauvignon Blanc but the primary focus of Burgundy’s production is Pinot Noir for Bourgogne Rouge and Chardonnay for Bourgogne Blanc. Located in the east-central part of France, Burgundy has 6 primary wine growing areas; Chablis – “shab-lee”. Côte de Nuits – the night slope, Côte de Beaune – the slope of Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise – the Chalon slope, Mâconnais – the region of Mâcon, and parts of the Southern Beaujolais.

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.