WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘France’

From: Bordeaux, France
Price: $10.00

The first gift of 2010!  This outstanding little gem comes from Bordeaux, France.  The importer of this white wine is Monsieur Touton Selection LTD.  I mention this because the bottle does not indicate who the actual producer is of this wine.  Guillaume Touton aka “Monsieur Touton” is the man behind this wine importing company.  Mr. Touton works with several hundred producers from several countries and employs over 80 sales people whose offices are located in New York, Boston and Washington.  His company has earned a reputation as being one of the most prolific importers of French wine on the East Coast within the United States.

After tasting this particular 100% Sauvignon Blanc for the first time this past New Year’s weekend, I can see why his company has earned such a great reputation on the East Coast.

The  2008 Monsieur Touton Sauvignon Blanc possesses just the right amount of zesty sauvignon blanc flavors that let you know that it’s distinctively French, but the acidity that it delivers really pops nicely for an inexpensive white Bordeaux without the pucker up style of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  I think my wife summed up this wine perfectly when she said, “It’s pretty”.  I agree, for $10 dollars a bottle, there’s a whole lot to like about the 2008 Monsieur Touton Sauvignon Blanc – especially if you’re an everyday wine drinker looking for a great everyday white to go with dinner.

I award the 2008 Monsieur Touton Sauvignon Blanc 3 stars out 4.  You won’t mistake it for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but this classic and affordable French Sauvignon Blanc has just the right amount of zip on it!

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

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From: France
Price: $9.99

Is your white wine up to the Challenge?

Looking for that perfect crowd pleasing white wine to bring to a Christmas party?  Or, maybe just a great inexpensive wine to give to someone as a gift this holiday season?  Here’s the answer my friend to your holiday dilemma, and it’ll only cost you $10 bucks.  This little treasure comes from France – which of course means that you’ll be instantly greeted by a label in all of its French splendid glory, chock full of unfamiliar French words that will undoubtedly have your brain muttering the words of Mr. Grinch, “How-be Who-be What??” .  After a little label intimidation game, you’re then distracted by the look of the bottle.  It is long and slender and has a Grinch-looking body that by this point has you saying, “Pooh-pooh to the Whos!”, and has you heading back to your ‘ole familiar wine boundaries.  But wait, before you go running back to that safe haven in aisle 3, do yourself a favor and taste drive one of the most heavenly killer values on the planet right now for under 10 smackers.  Here’s all you need to know about this stunning wine before having your taste buds bustin’ loose under the mistletoe with excitement. 

Picpoul is the grape and Pinet is the village within the Languedoc region of France for which this wine calls home.

This white wine pops with gigantic acidic fruit flavors like grapefruit, lime and pineapple from start to its glorious zesty finish.  Not only is the Le Jade great on its own, but it’s also extremely food-friendly and has the chops to stand up to anything from say bacon-wrapped scallops over Southwestern seasoned mixed vegetables to a melted Manchego cheese and Italian Sopressata quesadilla (I speak from experience on these two).

My question to you and every white wine making winery out there is this:  Can your $20 or less white wine do that?  I personally believe that the Le Jade, at just under $10, might very well be the most exceptional and versatile inexpensive white wine on the market right now.  To this point, I’m making a challenge to all wineries around globe – If you think that your less than $20 white wine is better then this French beauty, then I’d like to hear about it!

As for the 2008 Le Jade, Picpoul de Pinet – It’s the tops in my book!  Pour it, enjoy it, or just get crunked (if that’s your thing) this holiday season – 4 Stars.

Cheers!

WineLife365 Rating: 4-Star

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From: France

Price: $12.99

I have two words to describe this Kermit Lynch selection – classic and delicious.  It’s been a while since I was last wowed by a French red wine costing less than $15 dollars.  I’ll be honest with you; many that I’ve tried so far in 2009 have tasted a little too “au-natural” for my liking.  Most have had a “barn-yardy” quality about them that has made me conjure up images of chicken coops, horse stalls, and bails of hay.

However, this Cotes du Rhone discovery from famed importer Kermit Lynch is a terrific display of how great a wine can taste when given the opportunity to showcase its true “terroir” (a fancy French term meaning the special characteristics that geography has bestowed upon a wine). 

The 2007 Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone red wine is a delicious, natural tasting blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre, with just the right amount of cracked black pepper and other spices to make it very interesting on the palate.  The other element that I loved about this wine is that it leaves the barn on the farm where it belongs – if you catch my drift.   This red Cotes du Rhone also demonstrates old world charm at an outstanding value to consumers looking for the “real thing” in an everyday red wine.

I give the 2007 Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone 3 stars out of 4.  It won’t completely knock your socks off, but it will give you a glimpse into how terrific “old world” winemaking can taste at a price level that many “new world” winemakers find difficult to produce. 

If you’re not able to find this particular wine, I would highly encourage you to try another Kermit Lynch selection or to talk with your wine merchant.  Kermit Lynch has a great reputation and a real knack for finding undiscovered gems in France.

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

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From: France

Price: $12.99

After experiencing a stream of “lab rat” red wine concoctions from California so far this year, I thought that it was time to get away from the US and taste some French red wines to see if they were any better.  I grabbed a bottle of this French Rhone blend in the hopes of finding a solid, old world style red wine that would excite me. 

Unfortunately, this French country wine or “Vin De Pays” did nothing to restore my confidence that a great tasting red wine under $15 bucks could be found, if you were willing to look for it. 

I found this red Rhone blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 10% Carignan, and 5% Merlot grapes to be rather boring.  In my opinion, the fruit lacked the spiciness and richness of other red wines that I’ve experienced from this neck of the woods in the past.  Additionally, the label on this wine indicates that it has an alcohol content of 13% – and believe me you can taste it.  Finally, the herbal flavors that also characterize wines from this French region were also rather subdued and bland tasting to me.

All in all, I found the 2004 Montirius “Le Cadet” just to be pleasant, but rather uninspiring.  I did however appreciate that it tasted like a “real” wine and not manufactured.

I give it 2 Stars – there’s just not enough flavors popping to warrant a 3 Star rating.

WineLife365 Rating: 2-Star

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From: Alsace, France

Price: $12.99

Gentil is Hugel estate’s entry-level, least expensive, Alsatian white wine.  It is a blend of several white grapes that include: Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Sylvaner. 

The 2005 Hugel Gentil is an easy drinking, oak-free white wine that showcases some nice crisp citrus flavors.  Gentil is by no means a blockbuster Alsatian white wine, but it is a nearly flawless picnic wine or the kind of white wine that you don’t mind just sipping on a hot summer day.  However, this Alsatian white wine does have the ability to transform itself into a more serious food-friendly wine.  It matches up well with foods like sushi, various seafood, spicy Asian dishes, salads, and white sauced pastas.

This wine is a huge crowd-pleaser.  It’s also, in my opinion, consistently good year after year.  It won’t blow your mind, but it’s certainly better than average, and at $13 bucks a pop it’s priced nearly to perfection.   

 WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

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