winewaves

Birds of a Feather: Light Sophisticated French Values

Like a good rain falling after a long drought, that's the way these two unoaked crisp French white wine values refresh your palate after a long run of big bold reds. Both of these wines are proof positive that you don't have to spend a lot for a superb glass of French wine.

First, Kysela has introduced La Petite Frog, a 2006 vintage Picpoul de Pinet from Coteaux Du Languedoc, an impressive example of how the bag-in-box format continues to get more interesting and go further upmarket here in the states.

Josh Wesson, a regular guest on The Splendid Table radio program, recently outed Picpoul de Pinet as one of France's finest values in a white wine. In the box it's an even better value and and what better way to keep a sensational house white wine available on tap.

Style: Crisp, light (in alcohol), citrusy, sophisticated. Appearance: Pale yellow straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Grapefruit and tropical notes. The tart lime flavor is dry, refreshing, clean and does not overwhelm your palate. Pair it with a herb roasted bird or hors d'oeuvres or anything in between.
Outstanding value: $28 (3 Liter bag-in-box). Alcohol content: 12.5%.

Next, Kermit Lynch brings us Kuentz Bas Alsace Blanc 2005. Here's the perfect occasional counterpoint to the big high-alcohol fruit bombs we love.

In Alsace, Kuentz-Bas blends 60% Sylvaner, 15% Muscat, 15% Auxerrois and 10% Chasselas to make an economical and harmonious sip of the region. With an alcohol content of a mere 12.5%, a real cork and a modest $13 price this is a must. Great with fresh steamed mussels, expect aromas and flavors of quince, tart lime, citrus rind and almost salty minerality. Style: Crisp, light (in alcohol), minerally, sophisticated.

You can't go wrong with either of these picks. Because the "Frog" is in the bag-in-box format, it's a no-brainer and now occupies a position in my fridge until something better makes its way into a box with a tap.

Hook & Ladder Tillerman Russian River White 2005

Some of you will be trying to guess the blend; others will just relish in the discovery of such a great affordable alternative white wine with a delicious personality. It's not sweet at all but neither does it turn your mouth inside out on the way to its refreshing finish.

Cecil DeLoach made 2400 cases of Hook & Ladder Tillerman White 2005, which I'm guessing includes Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. The processing definitely didn't include any oak.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.8%.

Style: Unoaked, crisp, dry, somewhat tropical and very refreshing.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light golden straw. Aromas: Apricot, peach, grass and hints of pineapple. On the tongue, the feeling is tart, dry and light-to-medium bodied. The fruit forward palate carries through the aromas with nice acidity leading to a refreshing finish.

Comment: A great wine for a wine aficionado and his mother on vacation at her house in Holden Beach, North Carolina (view pictured above). I can say it was great with some very fresh grouper and field fresh vegetables.

Winewaves reviewed Hook & Ladder Gewurztraminer in April, 2007.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling 2006

Usually when I mention a Riesling to an experienced wine customer who is looking for something different from Chardonnay they say "no thanks - I don't like it sweet". But I think it's really neat that Riesling can be sweet or it can be totally dry, and if it's made well, it can be really good all along the residual sugar spectrum.

For those who find this post later, I posted it on June's Wine Blogging Wednesday. The topic, hosted by Catie at Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine, is Washington State Cabernets. Now Winewaves has posted some beauties, and Walla-squared is one of my favorite places in the world to be. If I had one, I would open and review a bottle of Bergevin Lane, Chatter Creek, Powers (Champoux), Januik, Whitman Cellars, Amavi, K Vintners, Hedges Red Mountain, Hightower Cellars, Bonair, Harlequin Cellars, or 3 Rivers, to name a few. Unfortunately I haven't stopped in at Pete's in Seattle lately. Therefore, I'm reviewing an excellent Dry Riesling from the "oft considered rather dead common but really amazingly good" Chateau Ste. Michelle. As I write about it I am drinking a beautiful Cab which I will tell you more about later (it's a keeper) - a 2004 Sonoma Valley Cab from my friends at Schug in beautiful downtown Carneros, a day or more drive south of Walla-squared. (You go past The Dalles, Portland, Eugene, Weed, and turn right just past Sacramento).

Let me get back to Ste. Michelle's Dry Riesling 2006. Bob Bertheau is as good a wine strategist as director of winemaking. He has delivered the goods and stuck his neck out a bit with a dry Riesling, something more frequently seen coming from Alsace or Australia, and something much misunderstood in the states. No oak of course, just 100% Riesling from the Columbia Valley. Until this vintage you had to live in or around Washington State to get the dry bottling, but now even those of us as far away as Tennessee can get it. Thanks Bob!

Outstanding value ($9.50). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Palate cleansing, vibrant, unwooded and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale to light gold. Aromas: Apricot, lime, citrus rind, and maybe a bit of green melon. Lively tart and crisp as a freshly picked Granny Smith, the appley, white peachy fruit flavors are backed by mandarin lime acidity and sensibilities before your mouth is stripped naked in the pole dance of a finish.

Comment: Have you ever seen the ice fog that hovers over the Columbia Valley hills? I was actually pulled over by a Washington State trooper last January for weaving a bit on the highway as I couldn't keep my eyes from wandering all over the landscape in awe of that scene. The trooper suspected I had been drinking but I had not had a drop that day. Anyway this wine reminds me of the ice fog in Washington's Columbia Valley.

Martin Codax Rias Baixas Albarino 2006

Martín Códax is a Galician Troubadour who lived some 7 centuries ago; his writings were rediscovered in the last century by an antiquarian bookseller in Madrid. The name was given to the winery what produces this Albariño by the same name. Bodegas Martín Códax also produces Burgans Albariño as well as herb and coffee liqueurs.

Like the medieval troubadour Martín Códax, the namesake Albariño is an unwashed expression of the place as well as the grape.

Outstanding value ($14). Closure: Neocork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Exotic, juicy round, fruity and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Mandarin, lime, pear and cold blossoms. Medium-bodied, juicy and tart on the tongue, the pear and citrus medley flavors play out over a lengthy dry finish.

Comment: “In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world.” -  Federico Garcia Lorca

Winewaves reviewed Bodegas Martín Códax Burgans Albariño 2005.

Cambiata Laumann Estate Monterey Albarino 2005

There are trendsetters and then there are people who are so far out ahead of the wave that they may be looked upon as downright offbeat. Eric Laumann is adept at making more expected wines while crushing and blending for Monterey Wine Company. But his personal family project, the Cambiata label, involves growing and making Albarino and Tannat. Albariño is THE white wine of Galicia in Spain and Tannat is a unique and heady red wine that makes for an great bit of wine trivia. You will typically only find it being grown and made into wine in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, in the southwest corner of France.

I have no doubt that Albariño has lots of upside potential because it occupies the right sensory position and we're all looking for something different from Chardonnay in a white wine. And then there's the wanderlust factor. Many of us would love to take a tour of northwest Spain but opt instead for the bottle of wine. But very few have considered growing and making Albariño in California. Why not? More power to Eric Laumann and Cambiata.

You may be interested to know that Laumann once worked for another "offbeat" character in the California wine world, Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, who also grows a bit of Albariño and blends it.

Very nice Value ($22). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.8%. Cases produced: 400+.

Style: Exotic, juicy round, intensely fruity and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Intense peach plus tangerine, lemon and hints of cold blossoms. On the tongue the mouth feel is medium-bodied, approaching fat yet with excellent acidity. The rich tree fruit and lemony citrus flavors finish lush yet dry.

Comment: You might spend less for an Albariño from Spain or Portugal, but surely curiosity alone will make you want to try this one.

Winewaves reviewed Laumann's Poppy Pinot Noir 2005, a wine he makes for Monterey Wine Company. The bottle of Cambiata Albariño 2005 tasted for this review was provided by the winery.

Chateau De Campuget Rhone Viognier 2006

Love doesn't come to mind with every glass of wine, but this one's a real find. If you're looking for a special white for a special occasion this season, say a wedding, here it is.

Chateau Campuget's winemaker Delphine Crouzet creates a classic 100% Viognier out of southern Rhone fruit. Winewaves recently reviewed Campuget's Nîmes Tradition Blanc 2005, an expressive Roussanne dominated white blend.

Excellent value ($18). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Elegant tropical fruit and flowers.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light straw. Aromas: A peach and pear dominated fresh fruit punch combined with honeysuckle in bloom. The mouthfeel is juicy and round yet tart and round. The lime citrus comes through the fruit punch and joins with a gravelly minerality as the finish reaches for the stars.

Comment: Celebrate the season with a flawless Viognier for under $20.

Domaine Meyer-Fonne Gentil D'Alsace 2005

Near the border of France and Germany (near Switzerland), Alsace is the origin of the most exotic white wine variety in the world, Gewürztraminer. Spicy pungent and dry, it is not to be confused with American Gewürztraminer which is often sweet and rarely as perfumed. A fine Alsatian Gewürztraminer can be pricey and overpowering for an everyday appetizer, but you can get a sense of the region with a well made blend from the area like this one.

François & Félix Meyer farm and make a full line of boutique wines from their estate of less than 30 acres near Katzenthal. Gentil D'Alsace is their entry level cuveé but the quality is excellent and the wine charismatic. The blend is centered on Muscat and Pinot Blanc with Riesling and Gewürztraminer providing its signature.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: real cork. Alcohol content: 12%.

Style: Light, fruity, some spice, somewhat exotic, crisp.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light golden straw. Aromas: Apple, apricot, ginger and clove. Light to medium bodied for a white wine, and showing just a slight ray of honeyed sweetness, the slightly spicy fruit tart flavors lean exotic and finish with a nice question mark which asks: what is this?

Comment: It's like getting bumped up to first class. Enjoy it with a good view and give a nice hand to the Meyers and importer Kermit Lynch.

Armand Roux Verdillac Sauvignon Blanc 2005

This simply elegant and really affordable Bordeaux Blanc sports a change to its label with the 2005 vintage, namely the addition of the words "Sauvignon Blanc". All White Bordeaux is composed of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon so this addition just clarifies the matter. Verdillac is typically 70+% Sauvignon Blanc.

Excellent value ($10). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 11.5%.

Style: Light, elegant, minerally, crisp.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale golden straw. Aromas: Elegant melon, lemon and wafts of cold blossoms and green herbs. Light-bodied and softly textured, showing just a slight touch of sweetness on the palate, the lemon-lime, green apple and mineral flavors finish crisp, tart and refreshing.

Comment: Pair it with salade de poulet (chicken salad).

Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Valley Viognier 2005

Zaca Mesa is thirty-something now and has developed into a very well managed and focused wine estate that practices "sustainable winegrowing". Through a winnowing process they found Rhône varietals (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Roussanne) grow best on their sprawling property north of Solvang. Although they also produce Chardonnay from vines planted in the 1970's.

Clay Brock follows a string of highly successful Winemakers. He reports Viognier 2005 was fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak barrels, aged 3 months on the lees but not allowed to go through malolactic fermentation. Filtering was "gentle".

Excellent value ($15). Closure: Neocork. Alcohol content: 14.5%.

Style: Aromatic fruit, lightly floral, round body, crisp finish.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light golden straw. Aromas: Peach, mandarin orange and cold blossoms. The mouthfeel is nicely round and juicy tart. Layers of citrus fruit, peaches and cream reverberate in the crisp dry finish.

Comment: Chill gently; this natural beauty will easily form "wine diamonds", or tartaric acid crystals. This is considered by many a good sign for a white wine. If you're bothered by them, you can filter them out.

Michael-David Incognito Lodi Viognier 2005

A tip off from a friend is a great way to discover a new wine. Already familiar with the big earth shattering reds from Michael-David Vineyards, I had not yet picked up a bottle of Incognito Viognier until musician Tony Vincent tipped me off. "Quite a lovely Viognier" he said and I must agree.

Incognito Viognier was once believed to be Roussanne, until DNA testing proved it is Viognier. Never mind that, it is a big robust white wine made from a "fat" and happy grape, and the result is a blockbuster.

Excellent value ($15). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 15%.

Style: Fruit forward, round, weighty, juicy, potent, dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light straw, with a greenish tint. Aromas: Peach, cold blossoms, and noble apricot. The mouth feel is creamy, smooth, weighty, medium-bodied and tart, and the mouth filling peaches and cream flavors are joined by a big warm kick in the glass.

Comment: Drink it like a martini, shaken not stirred. Thanks for the tip, Tony!