This Saturday we continue our tour of French Countryside, this time with Bobby Kacher. Bobby started importing wines from little known Southern French producers over 24 years ago. Today his portfolio is a benchmark of quality. Come sample a small selection of his selections.
2010 Domaine de Pouy, Ugni Blanc, Côtes du Gascogne $9
60% Ugni Blanc, 40% Colombard
Domaine de Pouy is located in the foothills of Pyrénées about two hours southwest of Bordeaux. The wines are made using skin contact and kept cold for four to six hours in order to extract the maximum aromatics and preserve bright fruit flavors. The 2010 Domaine de Pouy is bursting with tangy white grapefruit flavors, lime zest aromatics and a thrilling acid finish.
2009 Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers, Saumur Blanc $17
Chenin Blanc
Located south of Saumur, in the Loire, Hauts de Sanziers has belonged to the Tessier family for two centuries. The estate covers 85 hectares all worked organically. The Samur is a very full bodied Chenin with dry floral aromatics and good minerality.
2009 André Brunel, Côtes du Rhône $12
75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 15% Cinsault
Brunel is a noted Chateauneuf producer who pays great attention to his other Rhônes as well. The wine has a floral nose with notes of herbs and white pepper, the fruit is a luscious rich cherry.
2009 Sainte Eugenie Corbiers $12
40% old vine Carignan (65+ years old) with the rest being a blend of Grenache and Syrah (25-46 year old vines). The Eugenie is vinified for 9 month in barrels varietal by varietal, then blended placed in small casks for up to 15 months before bottling. The result is a marvelously complex and clean wine. The red fruits burst from the glass with mild hints of toast and spice that continue through the impeccably balanced finish.
2009 D’or et de Gueules Rouge, Les Cimels $15
Costières de Nimes
50% Syrah, 25% Carignan, 25% Grenache
D’Or (gold) et Gueules (red, in ancient French) is situated on the south/south-eastern slopes of the Costières de Nîmes. The soil is made up of cailloux –small stones or gravel like those in Chateau Neuf du Pape. The vineyards are organically farmed with limited yields. Les Cimels comes from the old Occitan language meaning fruit bouquet. Blended from Syrah, Carignan and Grenache at controlled yield levels, this wine has a deep purple color and offers notes of red fruit and sweet spice. It is supple and elegant.
