The White Wines of France
I am the first person to admit that I don’t know enough about French wines to discuss them confidently and will shy away from the French wine section at the Grocery store or wine shop because of this. France just seems so complicated with all the different wine regions and very restrictive wine production laws and evidence shows that I am not the only person to feel this way. U.S. wine consumers are so used to knowing what they are drinking in terms of varietal because it is generally spelled out on the label. But with French wines, one has to have some background knowledge in order to understand what varietal or even quality he/she is purchasing. This can make buying French wine, or any European wine for that matter, very overwhelming.
A few weeks ago, I attended a French white wine tasting and though I still find French wine daunting for the most part, it gave me a chance to sit down and concentrate on the differences between the various French white wine producing regions. I may not understand completely the history or the wine styles of the following producers in the reviews below, but I did learn that some amazingly high quality French white wines can be purchased for very decent prices.
The following wines were the standouts for me, mainly for their remarkable quality and exciting aromas and flavors. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
2006 Domaine Bourillon-Dorléans Coulée d’Argent Vouvray Sec, $17.99
This wine is made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes from Vouvray in the Loire Valley and exhibits elegant aromas of butterscotch and tropical fruits with flavors of pear, grape candy, and butterscotch. Overall, this medium to full bodied wine is very impressive considering the fairly inexpensive price.
13% Alc.
2006 Jean Albrecht Riesling Reserve, $16.95
The Albrecht Family continues to have complete management over their winery, which was founded in 1425, and the current 18th generation family members still maintain sustainable and organic farming practices. This beautiful Riesling from the Alsace region has appealing aromas and flavors of peach and honey with slight botrytis* notes. Another great value wine – who knew quality French whites could be such a bargain!
13% Alc.
2006 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer, $24.99
Another historic winery located in the Alsace region, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht was founded in 1620 and is currently run by 12th generation family members. Honey, floral and perfumey aromas are incredibly intense in this wine with sweet flavors of rose and honeysuckle. There is a bit of bitterness on the palate and finish, however the intensity of aromas/flavors, complexity, and exceptionally long finish more than make up for it.
14.5% Alc.
2005 E. Guigal Condrieu, $49.99
Out of all the French whites in this tasting, this was definitely my favorite. Made from Viognier wine grapes in the Northern Rhone area, this wine reveals beautifully concentrated aromas of almonds, butterscotch, and sweet, ripe stone fruit. On the palate, the oily texture gives way to elegant flavors of vanilla, violets, sweet peaches, honey, and apricots. There is so much going on with this rich wine, but it will remain delicate and fresh until the very last drop.
13.5% Alc.
Unfortunately for me, I have expensive taste! Good thing there are some great values in the other wines listed above.
*Botrytis is a fungal disease that can destroy an entire fruit crop; however with wine grapes, Botrytis is also known as ‘noble rot’ as it can help to enhance the flavors of some white grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling and Viognier to create world renown dessert wines.
**Please drink responsibly
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