and the price in france is 3.80 euro...

ok, so the car is from st tropez and does not fit with the rest of the theme. but it does in a way. it is spring and the time has come for enjoying crisp wines made to be drunk young with a light lunch or just by themselves an an aperitif. i find these wines fascinating. these are wines made to be pink; they are not some kind of run-off juice produced as an afterthought for profit, they are meant to be what they are and they are becoming ever more popular. the first batch of 2009 tavel has not yet reached pennsylvania, new jersey, or deleware but i have found a nice opening salvo for the vintage. forget about those california "white something-or-others" which probably have sugar added to get the alcohol level up to a spot where they will not spoil, these are real fermented dry wines which have only seen a hint of skin contact.

presently, i am enjoying this wine with a sottocenere tartufo- a semi-soft cheese infused with truffles and then coated with ash to age. perfect match.

the wine is bright pink not pale. some folks like their southern rhone blush to have an almost indetectable color, i don't think this matters although it is a challenge.

the wine opens with a nose of tart red raspberries and flowers.

the taste is entirely red fruit- strawberries, red cherries, and raspberries. the finish has well balanced acid (i think malolactic has been suppressed in this wine, giving it a tart side) and there is a final hint of berries which lingers.

this is the third 2009 southern rhone blush i have tried, and the first i have felt worthy of comment. it is a very nice wine and i plan on putting some in for the warm months. so what is this?

GRANGE DES DAMES 2009 ROSE produced by les vignerons du mont ventoux. it is 60% grenache noir, 20% cinsault, and 20% carignan. it is produced on limestone and alluvial soils; this is a wine which demands a trip up mont ventoux to truly appreciate (drink it after the descent).

the producer comments, "It derives from grapes harvested on the whole area of production of the winery: Bédoin, Saint-Pierre-de-Vassols, Crillon-le-Brave, Flassan et Modène. The vineyards are established on the south slopes of the Mount-Ventoux, the ‘Giant of Provence’ benefiting of a very important exposure to sunshine and sheltered from the excesses of the Mistral.
The altitude of the vineyards ranges from 200 to 580 metres."

it is worth visiting the producer's web site in french and then going to the english language version- this is quite educational. the original price is 4.20 euro reduced to 3.80 euro; the price in pennsylvania is $12.99.

in spite of the importer's and the state's mark up, this is a very good wine and i am happy to strongly recommend it. do not be afraid of pink wine, we have become biased against it because of what comes out of california but there are great blush wines produced in the south of france.

southern rhone white with a good pedigree

i was skeptical of this wine when i saw it on the shelf, but i recognized the "family name" and the village of bedarrides and chose to give it a chance. this was a good decision. this family has produced wines from chateauneuf du pape and the southern rhone since the late 1800's, based in bedarrides. the "big wine" is font de michelle chateauneuf du pape, perennially a an excellent wine. recently the family has expanded and created gonnet peres et fils which distributes their wines and produces southern rhone wines under its own label.

the wine is GONNET COTES DU RHONE BLANC 2008. this was not an exceptional year for red wines, but the wines were harvested at a different time and the year produced a number of excellent white wines. this wine is based on viognier with a small amount of clairette. i cannot locate any further information on vinification. it is pale in color and has an intensely floral aroma, with flowers, apricots, and honey. the taste is of apricot and peach with well balanced acid.

i paired this wine with seared ahi tuna with a spice and pepper rub, accompanied by sauteed potatoes, white asparagus, and herbs. the dessert was home made madeleines with star fruit and raspberries. the wine stood up to the ENTIRE meal.

this is not a wine to put in the cellar and try to keep, it is meant for drinking over the short term. it is flexible and affordable. the pennsylvania state store system has an abundance available. this is a good wine at a great price and is typical of the grapes and the region. i have no problem recommending it and have some set aside for the summer.

yet another side of burgundy

again, with burgundy one thinks of the grand cru and premier cru vineyards of the cote d'or and the cote de beaune but burgundy is a complex region with countless terrior and "climat." this is another small production wine from a long time family producer, 4 generations. the chardonnay grapes for this wine come from a small plot in saint veran and are vinified in steel tanks then aged in oak for 10 months, 25% of this is new oak. specifically, the parcel is 2.7 hectacres of chalky clay soil in the chasselas, in the saint veran aoc.

the wine opens with a floral nose and is immediately attractive. it is a pale yellow. the taste is pears and green apples with a hint of honey, the vanilla of the oak is subtle. the finish is steely with well balanced acidity. over 18 months i had several bottles of this wine and found it consistently enjoyable. i have had other offerings by this producer and i have found them equally pleasing. this white pairs well with white meats, pasta, and fish. it stands up to spice but does not overwhelm a sublime cream sauce. it can be paired with a variety of cheeses as part of a cheese course.

the wine is DOMAINE DANIEL PELLIER SAINT VERAN "EN MESSIE," 2006. i cannot locate this specific wine any longer, but the more recent vintages from this producer are consistent with this wine and i would recommend them without reservation as a safe and reliable wine at an extremely reasonable cost. this is another one of those producers to whom this blog is dedicated: small production, high quality, consistent quality, and reasonable cost. i hope to visit this producer during my next trip to france.

vezelay

there was an excellent article in reuters life on the wines of vezelay. the majority of the production in the 4 villages constituting this aoc is white and based upon chardonnay grapes. the wines generally have a nose of fruit and taste with a steely minerality, fruit, and a hint of oak; they typically have well balanced acidity. i have had a number of wines from this region and recommend it if one can find it in this country. we focus on the "high end" of burgundian wine production, but there are many seemingly peripheral areas which make great wines at a fraction of the cost of the cote d'or. below are the links to the article and to the english web site for cave henry de vezelay.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6433AJ20100504

http://www.henrydevezelay.com/AA%20Site%20GB/indexGB.html

wine list revisited

i was late for our dinner reservation and suggested that jill pick a bottle from the list; this was a understated celebration so it needed to be a nice bottle. jill has an innate ability to make good choices from wine lists. she knows what tastes and regions she likes, and has a preference for more fruit forward wines. the restaurant is one of our predictable standards and has an interesting although limited wine list. the meals are a wild range of flavors, from mild fish to southwestern spice. it is a predictable bet that the tardy partner will have something spicy, such as tuna tartare and bean soup. what to choose?

none of the white wines on the menu match this meal. a racy sparkling blanc de noir or cremant brut rose would be nice, but they are not options (i file that away for use this summer when grilling tuna). pinot noir is an interesting match with spice, but none were seemingly "big" enough. our cab preferences are too limited so nothing matched on the list. then of course, there were the zinfandel options. i regard zinfandel as an "american" wine, although it clearly has an european genetic heritage. jill went the route of a 2006 zinfandel.

the wine and i arrived at the same time, and the meal as anticipated was ordered. this was a perfect match. the wine was dark. it had aromas of blackberry, curry spices, and creme de cassis; i appreciated a hint of white pepper as well. the taste was superlative with black cherry fruit, spice, and a hint of smoke. the tannins were perfectly balanced and the finish was soft. the wine was subtle when its high alcohol content is considered. with food its flavors evolved and complimented the varied tastes of the meal.

the mark-up for this bottle was entirely reasonable. when shopping it on line it would appear that the 2006 is quite limited in availability and that prices ranged from about $24 to $32; it is not available in pennsylvania but it is available on line elsewhere. this was an excellent choice for this meal and demonstrates how to pick a wine from the list.

the wine is RAVENSWOOD BIG RIVER ZINFANDEL ALEXANDER VALLEY, 2006. ravenswood has a history of producing excellent zinfandel at a reasonable price. this was a spectacular bottle, but my impression is that future vintages of this wine will equal it. having had other zin's produced by them, i would regard ravenswood as a consistent producer year in and year out from a variety of sites; when one sees this on the wine list i feel it is a safe bet for an excellent bottle. jill made a great choice following a few basic rules and her own instincts.

i am quite fond of the wines by ravenswood and have never been disappointed. their web site is:

www.ravenswoodwinery.com