The rest of the tasting I had the Bloodroots at. Shorter TNs.

Domaine Piron, Cremant de Bourgogne, NV, 12.5% abv.

Nose of red apple juice, hints of white grapes. Simple, to the point. Medium body, entry is more like grape soda, mid and back palate shows a sweet but slightly bitter apple cider, bubbles seem short lived/little effervescence. Short finish, light metallic aftertaste supported by apple cider residuals, like a matured martinellis to be honest. This was closer to glorified apple cider than "traditional" champagne.

Grade: C

Champagne Drappier, Carte d'Or Brut, NV, 12% abv.

Nose of apple sauce, sweet apple cider, red apple skins, also some bbq-ed caramelized pork belly. Medium body, spiced meaty apple cider, something in between apple juice and apple jam, bubbles also don't seem to last too long. Short finish, extends the apple acidity, low alcohol. Stronger than the Domaine Piron, Cremant de Bourgogne prior, but still.

Grade: C+

Domaine Laporte, Le Bouquet, Sauvignon Blanc, 2021, 12.5%

Nose of eucalyptus, pine, sweet cedar, little bit of steamed pork/herbalness, exotic forest is what I would say. Medium to almost full body, white and yellow fruits, young stone fruits like apricots, soft nectarines, slightly tropical, "fruit-based" honey, white blossoms, slightly floral in the back, luckily no alcohol. Short finish, like the aftermath of a tropical fruit slushee, steamed pineapple, not too shabby. I will call it exotic forest.

Grade: C+

Thomas George, Sons and Daughters, Chardonnay, 2016, 13.8% abv.

Nose shows light candied banana, banana and cream, mostly smells like a light bananas foster, light white fruits like oriental melon, hint of white flowers, a good amount of calcium carbonate, hint of nickel. Medium body, very plain on entry, mid palate shows good minerality like a slightly viscous chalk, manganese carbonate, light grilled banana, white flowers, light cooking spices, some green and golden apples. Short finish, slightly dry, hints of iron, nickel, chalk, hints of fresh banana peel, golden appleskins, hint of green apples. Hard to describe, doesn't really go towards fruity or floral or woody or… i note several descriptors related to bananas and their ilk, which were the closest things that came to mind.

Grade: C+

Textbook, Barrel Thief, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021, 13.9% abv.

Nose shows a strong blend of dried perfumed flowers, perfumed roasted peanuts, and banana chips. Medium body, initial palates are blanched legumes, mid palate develops some dryness, light perfumic red fruits, back palate shows light peanut shells, no alcohol. Short finish, salty and maritime almost fishy, moderate amount of iron. Quite interesting. Other than the dryness, I would not have guessed this is a CS. These CA bottlings are getting closer and closer to Burgundy vougeots.

Grade: C+

Domino de Pingus, PSI, 2021, 14% abv.

Nose of burnt sesame seeds that seem to never go away, fruits are there and are very slow to develop. Disappointing. Medium body, quite dry, mild red fruits, cherries and red berries in general as these are overtaken by the wood influenece showing some wood-derived spices, but to be honest there is like a dessert-flavored water in here… but this one would be loads heavier, back palate shows some chalk and iron, but this may be the dryness talking. Short finish, dry, dull vanilla, dessert cream that has been left on the table for way too long. I believe this is the second wine of Pingus? Barrel Thief was better.

Grade: C+