Last time I was home in France I went a couple of days to a region about 500km south of Paris, the Lot. The Lot is famous for its food, mainly duck, goose and charcuterie, as well as for its wine. In one of the villages, Gramat, I had the opportunity to buy some wine, both local and from other regions. I selected a half-dozen of wines I feel are representative for French wines. This being said, I think you'd need a minimum of thirty samples - some would say that's not enough - to get a true representation of what French wine has to offer, but airlines tend to be fussy about weight... ;).
The wines you got are:
- Monbazillac - White
- Fronton - Rosé
- Bordeaux - Red
- Haut-Médoc - Red
- Pessac Léognan - Red
- Cahors - Red
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What really counts in France regarding wine is the Terroir, which is a notion of the region and particularly the soil. This is why in France all respectable wines state the region (Bordeau, Bourgogne, etc) rather than the mix of grapes used in making the wine. A wine can only be called, for example, a Bordeaux, if the grapes that were used were grown in the Bordeaux region. The French call this "AOC", short for "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée", which roughly translates into Controlled Origin Labelling. When you buy a French wine in France - AOC of course - you see that the top of the cap of the bottle is always green with a label showing Marianne, the symbol of the French Revolution.
There are also wines - called Vin de Cépage, with a blue cap (that are marketed in a similar fashion to the rest of the world) with the dominant grape variety, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot etc. However the vin de cépage has always been slightly frowned upon in France because there is no true connection to the Terroir, the soil.
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
The wines I selected for you are all very different, and the purpose of this website is to provide you with some tips on how you can get the most pleasure out of these wines, in terms of storing, serving and pairing.
All six wines are fairly young, ranging from 2007 to 2009. They could be enjoyed right away, or kept for 3 - 5 years in a dry, cool environment, lying on the side. Red wines mature over time, and generally become smoother, with a more complex aroma, and the tannin becomes less distinct.
Note 1: All the red wines are best enjoyed at a temperature of 16 - 18°C.
Note 2: If kept a couple of years, some of the reds could develop a slight sediment at the bottom. This is perfectly natural, and is dealt with easily by decanting the wine prior to serving it.
Regarding the vocabulary, please bear in mind that I'm not a Sommelier, nor skilled in translating wine tasting lingo into English. In case you see some odd word that doesn't make sense to you in English, chances are it's French and that I didn't find any suitable translation ;)
Monbazillac - Domaine de Bouffevent - 2009
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
Monbazillac is a round, sweet white wine that is particular in some of its requirements. All Monbazillac come from the village of Monbazillac on the left bank of the Dordogne river in the south-west of France. The grapes that make the Monbazillac have to be affected by "noble rot" (Botrytis cinerea), and harvest *must* be done by hand.
Monbazillac goes well with Foie Gras, strong cheese or sweet desserts.
The flavorful and fatty Foie Gras requires a sweet wine, such as the Montbazillac or a broadly similar Sauterne.
Serve the Montbazillac chilled at 8 - 12°C.
Fronton - Château Beaudare - 2009
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
The Fronton is a so called Rosé de Saignée, which has a specific signification; After the harvest, the grapes are put in the press and are then allowed to rest a couple of hours. Before actually pressing the grapes to extract the juice, a portion of the juices that has naturally seeped out is collected and then used to make a "Saignée", which literally refers to "bleeding" the wine.
The Fronton Rosé de Saignée is rich in aroma, fruity with a slight touch of raspberry and strawberry. It is salmon red, and smooth.
The Fronton goes well with salad, (mild) chinese dishes as well as with red-fruit-based desserts.
Serve chilled at 10 - 14°
Bordeaux - Baron de Lestac - 2008
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
The Bordeaux is the flagship of French wines and is probably the French wine region that is most well-known in the world, save for perhaps Champagne. The Baron de Lestac is dark garnet with tints of red brick, with aroma of wood and red fruits. The Baron de Lestac, as most Bordeaux, goes well with red meat and mild cheese.
Haut-Médoc - Château La Tanière - 2009
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
Château La Tanière is deep red, with a sometimes a tint of blue. It is moderate in tannin and has a pleasant, long aftertaste. It goes well with game birds, pork, veal and beef. It can also be enjoyed with mild cheese.
Pessac-Léognan - Jardins de Léognan - 2007
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
Pessac - Léognan is a sub-regon of 10 communes of the Bordeaux district.
Les Jardins de Léognan is to its robe intense garnet, with an aroma of bloom vanilla and clove. It goes well with poultry and pork.
Baron du Tertre - Cahors - 2007
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| De 20101024_RaphLeung |
Last but not least, Cahors is the capital of the Lot region where I purchased the wines. Cahors wine can be rather rough and tannic when young, and the Baron du Tertre is no exception, and benefits from aging. Generally, the style of Cahors wine is often similar to robust versions of Bordeaux wine. The Cahors goes well with game such as wild boar, deer and hare. It also can be enjoyed with spicy beef/pork and strong cheese.
Hope you'll have many happy dinners and that you'll enjoy the wine!
All the best,
Thomas
