Yesterday afternoon, our friend Hollis came by the office with a case of wines to sample that just arrived from France. Pulling out the glasses, turning on some tunes, and being taken to different places through wines is just so much fun and reminds me why I love being in the wine business.
Our first wine was a zesty, flinty Sauvignon Blanc that was just so enjoyable on a warm Sausalito afternoon, and really struck me as rather bloody good!
Pastou Pouilly-Fumé 2020 ($28) From the famous Sancerre region in central France, this fresh white is full of character. I find that some wines in this region end up with too much fruit or too many drying minerals, but Pastou nailed the balance in a way that is enchanting and hard to put down. A splendid wine indeed. It is full of citrus and kiwi notes but underpinned by the limestone and flint character of the region. Easy to drink on its own or with a fresh salade verte, or pasta with fresh clams.
For our red, we were excited to get in the newest vintage of a Wine Friend's favourite, fresh off the boat from Bordeaux.
Chateau Peyredon Lagravette 2019 ($35) is a Bordeaux Superior from just south of Saint Emilion, where the vines have their roots in beds of gravel called the “Gunz Gravel”, which was swept in by the Garonne River millions of years ago. 2019 was a warmer vintage which sometimes be tricky for wineries purely on gravel, but Peyredon has some slivers of clay which act like little oases for the vine roots to quench their thirst during a hot spell. This is so important as the French are legally not allowed to irrigate.
This wine is a blend of 67% Cabernet and 33% Merlot. The Merlot does a wonderful job of softening the tannins of the Cabernet, while the Cabernet gives this wine brilliant structure. The result is formidable. This is what Bordeaux is all about and at a price that really turns heads. I love the complexity and long, long finish. Steak frites, roast beef, even a great burger, will all be taken to another level with this wine. And for music, turn on the Skallywags Guns and Gravel for some great country rock - just be sure to put down your glass before you get too excited .
