Wine with Leslie: A peachy Albarino for under €10 and a Chablis that is worth every penny
French Republican Guards ride their horse past the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Friday, July 14, 2017. Pic: Etienne Laurent
Bastille Day is just gone and so this week’s column is all about the mother country, France. I use the phrase ‘mother country’ as without France and its dedication to the joys of the dining table, the wine world would be utterly different.
It is fashionable to criticise French food and wine but this is usually done by people who have not bothered to pay attention. Almost all of the grapes you have heard of originated in France, modern winemaking techniques largely began there yet it was also France where the ‘Natural Wine’ movement began (in the Loire and in Beaujolais).
The first proper wine classification rules were created there in the 1930s and have since been copied by everyone else. Most of the world’s most expensive wines and wine styles are French, and yet France also produces an ocean of easy-drinking regional and varietal wine to match anything at the lower end of the market.
And yet consumers are still a little afraid of France, and it is true that you will need to do a little learning to get the most from the French shelf in your local off-licence. An off-licence with knowledgeable staff is probably the best place to begin as it will take a bit of practice to remember that Fleurie and Morgon are Cru (high quality) villages in Beaujolais and that Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Cairanne are Cru Côte-du-Rhône villages near Châteauneuf-du-Pape using the same grapes.
My selections below have no particular theme other than they are the kind of French wines I’ve been drinking this past month. The Rhône features as does the Loire and of course Languedoc, France’s best value wine region with as many innovative small producers as there are enormous Co-Ops. Laurent Miquel appears here often as they can manage to do large scale and keep the quality high but also make fine wines at amazing prices such as the Caza Viel Saint-Chinian currently in Dunnes for under a tenner.
Also below is a Chablis I’ve not featured before from Mitchells. You may think €26 is expensive, it's not. There really is nowhere that can compete with Chablis for such pristine pure expressions of Chardonnay. The world knows this so they can simply increase prices if the crop gets halved due to hail (as happens often). So do try some of the wines below and go exploring the regions of France, I promise it will be worth it. Vive La France!
All the Laurent Miquel range in Dunnes is reduced until the August Bank Holiday weekend with all the wines under €9 and some under €8 such as their creamy fragrant Pére et Fils Chardonnay-Viognier. LM were the first to grow Albariño in the region and the wine gets better every year - this is peachy and fruit-driven with pleasing weight and texture and a tangy salty-citrus finish.
This joyful rosé is from the fine Sancerre house of Henri Bourgeois - if you can stretch to it the Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Rosé at €26 is also excellent and in a different league. This is a lot of fun however and perfect for sipping in the garden - packed with strawberry and red currant aromas, ripe red fruit flavours and a dry elegant finish with some strawberry and raspberry fruits lingering on the palate.
It’s tough to go wrong with Picpoul de Pinet, despite the heat of the Languedoc this grape always tastes fresh and crisp while the floral and fruit elements make it a perfect match for a bowl of mussels or any light summer fare. This is fairly new to O”Briens and on special offer for the summer - aromas of peaches and lilies, supple pear fruits on the palate and lemon-lime freshness on the finish.
Cairanne was promoted to Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Cru status in 2016 and not before time. Boutinot saw the village’s potential early and have managed to buy lots of old vineyards in recent years. This is beautifully drinkable with silky ripe blackberry and cherry fruits with a smoky, spicy edge - elegant and textured, fruit-driven and layered.
I haven’t featured a Chablis in a while and this is on special offer in Mitchells reduced from €29. Chablis prices will likely be going up again so this is a particular bargain. Light straw colour with flashes of green, aromas of stones, lemon zest and ripe apple with a touch of almonds, layered white fruits on the palate with creamy pears and a bracing chalky lemon freshness on the finish. Elegance personified.
This producer is imported exclusively by Whelehan’s and I have previously recommended their Pouilly Fuissé Vielles Vignes (€33) which is a little richer. From a south facing plot this is on sale (down from €25), and at an excellent price for the quality. Nutty, herbal peach and pear aromas, layered and complex, with a pleasing creamy apple richness and fine length and balance.
The venerable Mitchell & Son are 135 years old this year and have once again joined with Midleton Distillery to release a new Spot whiskey. The limited edition Gold Spot is 9 years old and initially aged in Sherry and Port casks and then finished in Bordeaux and Port casks - the latter a first in the Spot range.
Aromas of pears, apple drops and vanilla plus cedar and spice - fruity and toasty on the palate with lingering dried fruits and complex spice and fruit notes on the finish This is simply gorgeous and worth seeking out before it disappears.
