Summertime Values: White Wines From Gascony

This post first appeared on the daily wine blog Terroirist.

It’s summer and I live in DC. This means white wine. But I don’t want something merely cold and crisp, I want something interesting and food-friendly. White wines from the Gascony region of Southwest France frequently deliver in this department — and they’re cheap!

All of these wines come from the Bas-Armagnac region of Gascony, perhaps better known for its spirits than its dry white wines. But if you’re in the market for value-driven, refreshing white wines to serve with salads, seafood and patio parties, I’m not sure it gets much better than Gascony whites.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. They all come from the portfolio of DC-based importer Robert Kacher.

2013 Domaine de Pouy Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne - France, Southwest France, Gascony, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne

SRP: $12
Clear lemon-lime color. Bursts of white peach, lime, lemon and flowers on the nose, some sea breeze elements. Grapefruit and white peach fruit on the palate. Tangy and bright with crisp acid, clean mountain river notes, mineral, sea shell Very crisp. Solid summer sipper for sure. 60% Ugni Blanc and 40% Colombard. (86 points)

2013 Domaine du Tariquet Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Chardonnay - France, Southwest France, Gascony, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne

SRP: $10
Medium gold colored. Bright on the nose, with margarita-like combination of salt and lime, also some sweet white flowers and orange zest. Bright, zippy acid, the buttery-creamy elements are very subtle. Green melon, green apple and lime fruit, all of it crunchy and tangy. Begs for shellfish and a patio overlooking the sea. (87 points)

2013 Domaine du Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne - France, Southwest France, Gascony, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne

SRP: $10
Nose of white peach and grapefruit, some saline and mineral notes, sweet floral perfume. On the palate this is brisk and tangy with grapefruit and green apple fruit. Lean and fresh with some minerals, crushed shells and a hint of green onion. Easy-drinking, pleasant stuff. (86 points)

2013 Domaine du Tariquet Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Chenin-Chardonnay - France, Southwest France, Gascony, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne

SRP: $10
Aromas of white peach, wildflowers (with the green stems thrown in), this wine has an interesting mix of herbal and sweet fruit notes on the nose. Creamy body but the acid is solid. Some nice honey and juicy apricot, a bit of saline and mineral notes. Rides a nice line between a mineral-driven Chenin and an apple-driven Chardonnay. 11.5% alcohol, a blend of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Chardonnay. (86 points)

2012 Domaine du Tariquet Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Classic - France, Southwest France, Gascony, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne

SRP: $10
Medium straw color. Smells of green pears, green apples, some honeysuckle and baby’s breath. Clean, crisp and thirst-quenching on the palate, this wine has a pleasantly plump mouthfeel. I’m impressed with the depth of the fruit (green apple, pear, melon, kumquat) and the mineral and sea shell tones. A dose of honey and green herbs adds complexity. A lot of fun, a great picnic wine, but it’s also a very well-made wine with a long, mineral-laden finish. 45% Ugni Blanc, 35% Colombard, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Gros Manseng. Crazy value. (87 points)

Loire Wines to Remember

It’s hard to describe Loire Valley wines in broad terms. Home to 87 different appellations, the wine region is as expansive as it is inexhaustible. There are so many great wines from the Loire Valley that you could drink a bottle of Loire wine every night for the rest of your life and never get bored. I’ve always found it interesting that wines from the Loire, while ranking up there with the best in the world, are made from grapes you won’t find on many people’s favorite lists: chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc, gamay and muscadet, to name a few. The distinctiveness of these wines, their diversity, their ability to age and improve for generations, it is all part of what attracts me to this region.

Loire wines have quite a heralded history. Romans planted the first vineyards there during the 1st century AD. The wines thrived in quality and reputation throughout the Middle Ages. In their time, wines of the Loire were even more prized that those from Bordeaux. I fell in love with Loire wines in the summer of 2005, when I started drinking light, refreshing, delicious whites from Muscadet, Anjou-Saumur and Vouvray. As a recent graduate of journalism school, it also helped that many of these wines were surprisingly well-priced. It was a 2002 Baumard Quarts de Chaume, a sweet chenin blanc with impeccable intensity and balance, that really did me in. Since then, I haven’t been able to get enough of the wines of this region.

So I was obviously excited about getting together some great friends and fellow Loire-ophiles for a night of Loire Valley wines. Ripple, a great new restaurant in Washington D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood, was gracious enough to host us, provide us with lots of wine glasses, and deal with our wine-filled rants and outbursts. This tasting was everything I thought it would be. The range of wines we tasted was tremendous, encapsulating most of my favorite wines from the region. So, I’ll get right down to it. Here are my tasting notes (more like love letters) from the evening:


Opening SparklerWe started off the night with this vintage sparkling vouvray from one of my favorite Loire producers.

2002 Huët Vouvray Pétillant Brut - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant
this sparkling vouvray was a great way to start the evening. gorgeous nose of nougat and lemons. linear palate, great acid and weight. chalky mouthfeel with lush white peach flavors. long finish. (90 pts.)


Sauvignon Blanc
Sancerre has always been my go-to sauvignon blanc, so I was happy to try these two. The Dagueneau was in a whole different class.

2005 Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre Vieilles Vignes - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
the first sauvignon blanc of the night was a solid one. lemon and grapefruit on the nose. quite rich on the palate with white peach and green apple. creamy mouthfeel. this one didn't have as much acid as i like in my sancerres, but it was still a great wine. these grapes saw some great sun in 2005, and it shows in this wine. (88 pts.)

2007 Gerard & Pierre Morin Sancerre Le Chêne Marchand - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
this sancerre was a bit closed down at first, and showed hesitant aromas. with time, this opened up to show lemon and flowers and seashells. the palate was surprisingly rich, almost plump on the palate. this is a really intense wine. i love how the acid and minerality comes out on the finish to leave the palate feeling cleanses. this is a really good wine, and it got better over the course of the evening. (89 pts.)

2007 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
didier dagueneau (may he rest in peace) was an artist of the sauvignon blanc grape. this is one of the most beautiful sauvignon blanc i've ever had. the nose shows rich mango fruit, lime and honey, but also some chives and minerals. plush on the palate, but lively. the balance is superb. tons of fruit, but also rosemary, jalapeno and slate. long finish. this is a fantastic wine. (93 pts.)

Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos de Breuil Mini Vertical
Chidaine is a great producer of chenin blanc. It was fun to taste the differences among these three vintages.

2007 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos du Breuil - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
this was the first chenin blanc of the night and the first of a mini-vertical tasting of the chidaine's clos du breuil vineyard. at first i was wondering if this was an off bottle because the nose showed some strange elements: a little bit of must and aroma that reminded me of a sheep. that blew off after a bit, and the palate showed no signs of a fault. smooth fruit flavors: bruised apple, honey and some white tea. less acid than i was expecting. (87 pts.)

2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos du Breuil - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
this was much different than the 07. the nose is a burst of energy: grapefruit, flowers, honey. such a complex nose. the palate shows a lot creaminess and balance. the flavors of honeycomb and peanut brittle are rich and delicious. but there's also great acid that keeps it balaned and fresh. what a beautiful wine. (91 pts.)

2009 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos du Breuil - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
the nose on the 09 showed more subtlety than the 08. aromas of sea salt, soap and white flowers. ripping acid on the palate, much more so than the 08 and 07. a little too much acid for me, but this went very well with the food. lemon, grapefruit and saline flavors and a medium finish. (89 pts.)