Thief Wine Blog

Fun tasting yesterday – in celebration of Bastille Day, we picked a few favorite and interesting French wines. No common theme other than they were all from France and we like them. Great turnout, too, which made it more enjoyable (though hectic!). Two whites, two reds, and a rosé.

We started off with the 2008 Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves blanc, a blend of 50% Semillon, 45% Sauv. Blanc, and 5 Muscadelle. This wine is drinking nicely now, but I think will round out and improve significantly with age. (Unfortunately, I found out yesterday afternoon that the distributor is sold out for the vintage and I can’t get any more – we sold everything that we had in stock last night. I do have another Graves coming in though; same price point and it’s a 2006, so is drinking well now.) Sauv. Blanc gives crispness and acidity, the Semillon gives a richer mouthfeel and some fig and lanolin flavors. RIght now the Sauv. Blanc was dominant, with the wine showing more of the minerality and crispness of the grape and not so much the roundness of Semillon. Great summer wine – you can’t go wrong with white Graves.

Novellum 2007 Chardonnay from the Cotes de Catolones was next. Cotes de Catalones is a Vin de Pays in the far south of France; warm climate, so riper fruit flavors. This wine is a custom cuvee for U.S. importer Eric Solomon – made for the U.S. market, it’s riper, fleshier, and more fruit-forward than most Chardonnays. It’s also aged on Viognier lees, which is a really interesting technique that gives the wine a distinct tangerine / orange-blossom quality. Very distinctive Chardonnay, and a killer value at $10.95. This was a huge hit among the tasters.

Tempier’s 2008 Rosé from Bandol was next. Not cheap at $38.95, but it’s the gold standard of rosé. We picked this wine to show just how complex rosé can be – even people who enjoy and appreciate good dry rosé often think of it as a simple wine, but it can be as nuanced and layered as any $40 red or white. The Tempier’s got a rare combination of both bright red and darker fruit, floral notes (I got a lot of violets), a bit of herbal characteristics, and great minerality. Unlike most rosés, I think this will actually get better over time; I think we’ll stick a couple of bottles in the cellar to try in a couple of years.

Red #1 was the 2005 Chateau de Valcombe Costieres de Nimes, a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache. Costieres de Nimes is just south of the Southern Rhone, but stylistically the wines are quite similar. We chose this wine because I think it’s a hugely underrated appellation; for $15.95 this wine has a lot going on; as interesting & structured as a Gigondas or Vacqueyras at a lot less $. Dark licorice, a bit of scorched earth, and some pepper from the Syrah, while the Grenache lightens it up a bit and gives some juicy red fruit on the palate. Long and chewy finish. Also a bit hit with the crowd.

The last wine was another 2005 (which was a phenomenal vintage across the board in France); the Chateau de Pressac St. Emilion Grand Cru. Still a baby, so I put it through the Vinturi and decanted it earlier in the afternoon to soften it up. 72% Merlot, with Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and a touch of Malbec and Carmenere. Structured, with very dark fruit for a Merlot-dominated wine; I got a lot of black plum and black cherry. Full and creamy on the palate, with enough tannins to reward putting it away for another 5-6 years. Still very tasty right now, though.

For another perspective, check out Erica Van Heerden’s blog on the tasting here.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009 at 8:50 am and is filed under Wine Tasting Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.