The Francois Thienpont Blanc is $10 white Bordeaux that offers quality and value
The Wine Curmudgeon always admits when he is wrong, and boy, was I wrong about European wine prices. I was convinced, being the grouch that I am, that there was no way retailers, distributors, and importers would pass along the savings from the euro’s collapse over the past year. But they did, and the Francois Thienpont Blanc is a prime example.
The Francois Thienpont Blanc ($10, purchased, 12%) is a white Bordeaux made only with sauvignon blanc, so it’s a little more simple and not quite as polished as a sauvignon blanc blend like the Chateau Bonnet. But that’s no reason not to buy it – in fact, the wine is almost $10 Hall of Fame quality.
Look for lime as as opposed to lemon fruit, a crisp finish, and some of the minerality that is common with white wines from France’s Bordeaux region. Drink this chilled on its own, or with any roast chicken or grilled shrimp dish. And be very glad that the WC is not perfect.