french wine a day

Sincere Sancerre

                   The "white terroir" of Sancerre

Dear wine lovers,

Driving to Sancerre* from the East is a real terroir lesson. Suddenly, the flat road becomes hilly and the soil changes from brown to white. Welcome to the beautiful villages of "Sancerrois" !

Sancerre appellation is actually composed of several villages like Bué, Verdigny, Créancy-en-Sancerre... all of them with a lot of charm and very welcoming.

Even if France has a tradition of blending grapes, the truth is that some exceptions are confirming the rule.

In Sancerre, the solo grape Sauvignon is surely where this variety expresses itself best, between aroma and depth.

The other day, when I asked my kids to put their nose in my wine glass to tell me what they smelled, they both said kiwi and green apple aromas. This is to show how obvious the flavors are.

Domaine du Carrou, Domaine de la Rossignole or the famous Alphonse Mellot are some serious references and all the latest millésimes** are pretty good, even if the 2003 is sometimes over-matured.

Marry this wine with oysters, shrimp, and an apricot tart and you will understand what “Sincere Sancerre” means.

Cheers,

Jean-Marc Espinasse

Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]

*Listen to "Sancerre" : Download Sancerre.wav

**Millésime = Vintage

To see Sancerre on a French wine map (NB : enlarge it when open) : Download Sancerre.jpg

Bandol

Mourvèdre vines overlooking the Mediterranean

Dear wine lovers,

Besides its incredible landscapes, with both beautiful slopes and the Mediterranean sea always enchanting eyes, Bandol* area is where the most outstanding red wines are produced in Provence.

Mourvèdre, the famous "king grape variety**" of Bandol behaves perfectly there and like any uneasy grape, it gives superb results only when it comes to maturity.

Young, blackcurrant flavours explode and evolve to spices, leather aromas tickle the nose as well as "Band Aid" (premonitory, isn't it ?), a term my wife Kristin once used to explain the aromas she was getting.

If you find Domaine de Pibarnon, Domaine Tempier, Bunan or Château de Castillon, try it with turkey or red fruit tart depending on its age.

And don't hesitate to leave a few bottles in your cellar to rest, they will get even better.

Cheers,

Jean-Marc Espinasse

Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]

*Listen to "Bandol" : Download Bandol.wav

**king grape variety = cépage roi

To see Bandol on a French wine map (NB : enlarge it when open) : Download Bandol.jpg