Don't Fear the Grape

Last week (October 1st) I attended a wine tasting I discovered on meetup.com. It was held at the Black Dog Café in downtown St. Paul and was the first in their Meetings with the Wine Trade series. Jane Greenheck from Paustis Wine Company shared her passion for French wines.

It was a rainy night that seemed to keep people home and resulted in a very small turnout (6 people). That made for a very intimate experience and discussion. Jane presented six wines, three whites and three reds.

I must admit, I haven’t drunk many French wines before. I think I’ve subconsciously avoided them in favor of lesser known wine regions. I realize now I’ve been doing myself a disservice; all of these wines were extremely drinkable (yes, even the whites).

2008 Hugues Beaulieu Cave de Pomérols Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul-de-Pinet

Price: $7.99
Varietal: Picpoul Blanc (100% Picpoul de Pinet)
Region: France > Languedoc Roussillon > Languedoc > Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul-de-Pinet

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this wine. Grown on the Mediterranean coast of France, I found it to be very similar to the Orviéto Classico that we tasted for the first podcast, but even lighter and smoother.

Tad’s Rating: Liked It

2008 Chateau Suau Blanc Bordeaux

Price: $10.99
Varietal: Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend (55% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle)
Region: France > Bordeaux > Bordeaux Contrôlée

Wow, another extremely drinkable white. Great depth of fruit with a long finish and nice acidity.

Tad’s Rating: Drinkable

2007 Novellum Chardonnay Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes

Price: $9.99
Varietal: Chardonnay (70% stainless steel, 30% barrel-fermented)
Region: France > Languedoc Roussillon > Roussillon > Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes

This was the biggest surprise of the night. I loathe Chardonnay, I LOATHE it. But this wine had me completely rethinking my position on Chardonnay. It is almost completely casked in stainless steel, not oak barrels; as you would find in the U.S. This made all the difference; I realize now that it is the oak barrel fermenting that I LOATHE and not necessarily Chardonnay. While still not a favorite, a very, very drinkable wine.

Tad’s Rating: Liked It

2006 Chateau Norbert Rouge, Cótes De Bourg

Price: $9.99
Varietal: Merlot (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: France > Bordeaux > Côtes de Bourg

I’ve stayed away from Merlot for quite some time in favor of other reds, but it might be time to rediscover them. This was a carefully crafted wine from an organic vineyard that hand selects its fruit. This hand-made approach translated in to a very nice Merlot with flavors of black cherry and a full, tart finish.

Tad’s Rating: Liked It

2005 Louis Bernard Cótes du Ventoux

Price: $9.99
Varietal: Red Blend (50% Grenache, 50% Syrah)
Region: France

Another nice, very drinkable red wine. It had complex flavors of dark berries and herbs with a strong finish.

Tad’s Rating: Drinkable

2005 Domaine Saint-Benoit Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grande Garde

Price: $30.99
Varietal: Red Rhône Blend
Region: France > Rhône > Southern Rhône > Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The most famous of the Southern Rhône appellation, these wines can be blended with up to thirteen grape varietals. Wines from this region have excellent exposure to the sun and produce some very nice wines, this being one of them. A smokey wine, with hints of spice and raspberry and a nice smooth finish.

Tad’s Rating: Liked It

In closing, this was a very eye-opening tasting. It has caused me to reevaluate French wines and Chardonnay. All the wines were extremely drinkable, and when you factor in the price of the first five, a great value. If you haven’t tasted a French wine in a while, you can’t go wrong with any of these.