Annie & Philippe Bornard
“Le Ginglet”
Trousseau
2006
13% alc.
Arbois Pupillin, Fr.
I’ve found—and perhaps you have, as well—that some of the best-valued wines come from underappreciated regions with long wine traditions. This is especially true of France’s Jura region, approximately 50 miles west of Switzerland. Arbois is its most important appellation (the town of Arbois, by the way, is the home of the great Louis Pasteur, whose statue is located in the center of the bustling, picturesque village). One of the grapes indigenous to the region is trousseau, robust and deeply colored. While the northern part of Arbois is known for well-structured trousseau wines, down in the southern commune of Pupillin, the Bornards have produced a natural trousseau wine that’s both well-structured and aromatic: “Le Ginglet.” The 2006 vintage had a pale garnet color with aromas of strawberry, eucalyptus, orange peel and rhubarb. This dry wine had assertive tannins, medium body and alcohol and well-sustained flavors of strawberry and tea. This balanced, lean, red wine had an effect that was both light and determined, like a cigarette boat that knows how to get across the bay. How refreshing! If you’re looking for an interesting, medium-priced alternative to pinot noir, then you’ll enjoy this wine with grilled fish, white meats and roasted winter vegetables. Importer: Savio Soares Selections. $29.99. 3/23/09.
Dom. du Cros
Cuvée “Lo Sang del Païs”
2007
12% alc.
Marcillac, France
If you’re worn out from heavy muscular reds, try this light, crisp red wine from the southwest of France, Dom. du Cros, Cuvée “Lo Sang del Païs,” or “Blood of the Country.” Marcillac is a tiny appellation in the harsh climate of the Massif Central, almost 2,000 feet above sea level. The wine comes from Fer Servadou, a well-colored, high quality grape found traditionally in the Aveyron department A.O.C. blends of Gaillac, Madiran and Marcillac. It’s vinified in stainless-steel thermo-regulated vats. The 2007 vintage, which comes from the domaine’s younger vines, is pale ruby in the glass, and gives off a spicey, herby, cherry nose with a slight whiff of bacon. It is dry and medium bodied, with medium intense (yet subtle) flavors of pine, raspberry, blackcurrant and a touch of minerality. It has a balanced, linear palate. A perfectly versatile wine for many dishes. There’s a Cuvée Vieilles Vignes that reaches maturity in three or four years. After tasting that 2004 vintage, however, I prefer the supple liveliness of the “Lo Sang” to the jammier, older-vines wine. Importer: Wine Traditions, Ltd. $13.99. 3/12/09.
Ch. du Champ des Treilles
Vin Passion
2007
13% alc
St-Foy-Bordeaux, France
With a little persistence, sometimes you can find a bit of glitter among the dross. St-Foy-Bordeaux is in the far east end of Bordeaux, bordering Entre-Deux-Mers; but it’s really closer to Bergerac than Bordeaux proper. St-Foy is an appellation of 865 acres that produce mostly indistinctive red and white wine. But from this area comes Ch. du Champ des Treilles “Vin Passion.” Well, despite the name and the enthusiasm of its producers, the wine is not a passionate one. But it’s a rewardingly amiable wine with a congenial price. The hand-harvested grapes are grown organically from mostly chalky-clay soils. According to the website for the estate, one might think of these soils as “amoureux” from being cultivated with gentle patience through the generations. Oh, those French—they don’t just grow wine, they seduce Nature! The blend is one-third sauvignon blanc, old-vines semillion and muscadelle. It’s stainless-steel fermented, without oak-aging, to produce a fresh, crisp, energetic wine. The 2007 vintage has a deep lemon core with medium aromas of lanolin, pear, grass, apple, herbs and gooseberries. Dry, lightly tart and medium bodied, it has a more pronounced citrusy taste and finish, joined by a touch of gooseberry and elderflower midpalate. The flavors are immediate and straightforward. The alcohol is well-integrated. I found the wine to be kind of frisky, more like a Jack Russell in a glass. That’s not passion—it’s companionship. Importer: Savio Soares Selections. $14.99. 2/22/09.
Dom. Les Sablonnettes
“Le P’tit Blanc”
12.5% alc.
2007
Anjou AOC, France
Here’s an Angevin regional dry white wine in the Maine-et-Loire départment that’s a perfect accompaniment to times when tastes are growing a little, oh, austere. “Le P’tit Blanc,” produced by Christine and Joël Ménard from their Dom. Les Sablonnettes, is 100 percent chenin blanc. The Menards’ wines are crafted according to biodynamic principles and come unfiltered. This one is pale gold with light aromas of apple and grass; dry, with bright acidity, medium body and alcohol; and a medium length, with a lightly pleasant viscous mouth. You’ll encounter medium flavors of citrus, apple, lychee, pear and nectarine, concluding with a touch of lime on the finish. Indeed, my drinking companion suggested that these flavors are communicated in a swift, neat succession that suggests a sort of Morse code across the palate. This is a lively wine. Fresh. Fun. More importantly, it is an unobtrusive wine with food. I’d recommend it as an alternative to beer with chicken chow mein. A good wine for lean times. Importer: World Wide Wine, Ltd. (Jenny & François Selections). $14.99. 2/10/09.
Gorrondona
2007
12% alc.
Bizkaiko Txakolina DO, Spain
Bizkaiko Txakolina DO is one of the tiniest appellations in Spain, amounting to 144 acres spread throughout the Vizcaya Province (near Bilbao) with a soil that’s primarily clay with a slate subsoil. This is a harsh region for grape growing: The cool ocean breezes off the Atlantic’s Bay of Biscay keep the temperatures mild but also wet with 58 inches of rainfall annually. Yet Basque farmers, proud of their wine-growing traditions, manage to sustain their particular, locally popular wines. Like vinho verde to the west, the DO is principally a white wine appellation. Approximately 85 percent of the DO’s production is from the hondarribi zuri and folle blanche white grapes. But the Gorrondona winery, founded in 1996, produces along with its white wines this light red: It’s from the hondarribi beltza grape and fermented in stainless steel. The 2007 wine gives off a scent of cranberry and rose with a slight vegetal note. On the palate, the acidity is high, the tannins are firm but light; this is a dry, medium-bodied wine—almost Loire-like, comparable to a Pepière—with a touch of spice (that’s just short of “peppery”) and simple, concentrated flavors: a rich burst of berry and a touch of coffee. It’s lean, essentially and unfussily linear in structure. Not quite strong enough to be matched with steak—which is how I had it—but it would be a nice complement to bluefish or mackerel. A good, sneakily bracing wine from an obscure region. Importer: De Maison Selections, Inc. $29.99. 1/31/09
