White Wines of France

This begins a series of columns on appreciating wines. Developing an appreciation takes some effort, all of it pleasant. It’s fun to develop preferences, and see what you really like. It is, after all, your own palate that must be pleased. And, bit by bit, you’ll find yourself buying a bottle of wine for its own sake, not for a point score someone else has compiled. More on that another time. For now, let’s have some fun with some white wines.

A wine tasting can be as simple or elaborate as you want. How many wines should be served? From four to six bottles will do nicely. How many people could take part? One couple per bottle is a workable rule. You could even coordinate beforehand and have each couple bring a bottle. What should you serve with the wine? Water to cleanse the palate, French baguettes, and whatever pleases you and goes with the wine. It can be light, or a buffet. A cheese assortment is usually perfect.

There are several variables to consider in planning the tasting. Do you want to compare wines that are alike, in grape variety or region? Would you prefer a tasting of wines of the same year from the same region, or several years of just one favorite wine (a vertical tasting)? Perhaps you would rather emphasize a contrast. You might, for example, compare wines of the same grape variety, but from different areas (say, white wines from both California and Burgundy).

Let’s try several possibilities, for white wines. I’ll list some wines. If your retailer doesn’t have each one, he’ll be able to suggest comparable bottles, in taste, variety and price. I have in mind some grape varieties you may not have tried. They are all good, they don’t cost a lot, and they adapt well to serving at meals, when you find a bottle that you particularly enjoy.

Let’s taste some mild vouvray, muscadet, riesling, and chardonnay wines.

Vouvray is a wine from the Touraine in the Loire Valley. It is not expensive. The grapes used are chenin blanc or arbois, and the wines vary from dryish to semisweet, depending upon the alcohol content of the wine, which in turn depend upon the extra sunshine in a fine growing year. It goes perfectly with pate, or rillettes. I once had a bottle with Harvard beets, and the wine contrasted perfectly with the somewhat sweet and sour taste of the beets. The wine itself has a certain richness, as you’ll see. Fortunately, that “richness” doesn’t attach to the costs of the wine.

A dependable producer is Sauvion & Fils, for vouvray and other wines of the Loire. Try their 1996 Vouvray, at $8. The same wine and vintage from Domaine de Vaufuget is $10. Jean-Claude Bougrier’s 1997 Vouvray is $9, while Chateau Gaudrelle Vouvray Monmousseau 1997 is $15. As you taste them, you’ll see which ones you prefer.

Muscadet is another favorite. These are white wines from Brittany, in the region of Nantes. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the Chevaliers du Bretvin, a wine group that appreciates these wines.) The Muscadet grape (formerly the “melon de Bourgogne”) is usually bottled after the juice has remained in contact with the lees for a while (sur lie), for added body and flavor. These wines are light, and go perfectly with seafood, especially shellfish.

Here is a list for your tasting. Each carries the designation “Sevre et Maine,” for the two rivers in the region, and each is produced “sur lie.” Try a recent vintage, the same vintage if you can, for Chateau de la Chesnaie, Marquis de Goulaine, Chereau-Carre Chateau du Coing de St. Fiacre, and again, Sauvion & Fils. Each should be in the $10 – $14 range.

Riesling is a wonderful Alsatian grape variety and wine. It has its own enthusiasts, and is something of a specialty. A prime bottle of vintage Riesling, from a classified enclosure can easily cost $50 or more, and could go well with your finest dishes, say a salmon kulebiaka. I will recommend some vintage generic wines from good producers, that cost a fraction of that. Then you can taste them, and see which you prefer.

Hugel Riesling Alsace 1997 is $16, a fine introduction to an excellent producer (for three and a half centuries). Dopff & Irion produce a 1998 Riesling for $13, the same price as Louis Sipp’s 1998 Riesling. Leon Beyer’s 1998 Riesling costs $17. All are excellent. See which ones you prefer. And you might even wish to expand this tasting, or vary it, by adding a few bottles of the spicy Alsatian Gewurztraminer as well. It makes a nice contrast to Riesling.

Chardonnay is, of course, the best known white wine varietal grape. It is extensively used in Burgundy and of course in California, but not in Bordeaux, where a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon is used to produce excellent Bordeaux white wines, largely from the Graves region south of the city. I have selected four wines, in the $25 – $35 range. These are excellent wines, which in turn can lead you to greater chardonnay discoveries. Meanwhile, the next time you have a grand dinner party, you could serve any of them with pride and assurance.

There are two entries from Burgundy, from different regions. Olivier Leflaive’s 1997 Puligny Montrachet 1997 lists for $35. It is the threshold wine from perhaps the most famous dry white wine area in Burgundy, and a great treat. You can go up the price scale, for first and great growths, all the way up to $350 a bottle for Montrachet. But start with this bottle, and you’ll have an idea what the fuss is all about.

Next, I would suggest Chablis Premier Cru Les Vaillons 1998 Domaine Dauvissat, at $30. Dauvissat is one of the finest producers of chablis wine, and this is a superior first growth. You’ll notice is dryness, and its full taste, and if you are tasting real chablis for the first time, you’ll want to make up for lost time!

There are two chardonnay suggestions from the United States, which form a good contrast to the two burgundies. Each comes from a first rate producer. Try the Chateau Ste. Michelle “Cold Creek” 1996 from Washington State, which retails for $24. Then also taste the Chalone Chardonnay 1997, for $27. They are each fine wines, and you’ll see which you prefer.

I hope that you will enjoy a white wine tasting soon. Also, don’t forget to ask your wine retailer for suggestions as your own taste in wines develops. They are there to help, and develop customers who will come back again. I look forward to more adventures in appreciating wine with you on Bonjour Paris. Salut!

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Bill Shepard learned to love the wines of France when he served as Consul General there. If you like white wine, you will also enjoy his article The Wines of Alsace! Copyright (c) 2000 Paris New Media, L.L.C.