Tag Archives: vermentino

Wine of the week: Moulin de Gassac Guilhem White 2020

Moulin de Gassac Guilhem White 2020
Moulin de Gassac Guilhem White 2020/$9-$15

Add the Moulin de Gassac Guilhem white to the list of terrific cheap wines that I haven’t raved enough about

Call this mea culpa month on the blog, since I seem to be writing about wines I’ve always liked but never quite given the accolades they deserved. This week, it’s the $10 or so wines from a French producer, Moulin de Gassac.

I’ve written about the Gassac Guilhem red, white, and rose wines since 2014, but never really put them in any kind of perspective. Once, I even wrote they were from Gascony, when they’re from the Languedoc. So consider this review, for the Moulin de Gassac Guilhem White 2020 ($12, purchased, 12%) an acknowledgment that the wines are Hall of Fame quality and well worth buying.

The Gassac white is a blend that includes terret, which most of us have never heard of; the much unappreciated grenache blanc; and vementino, an Italian grape grown throughout southern France, where it’s sometimes known as rolle.

So no, this doesn’t taste like chardonnay.

Instead, it has some spice, some stone fruit, and a bit of tartness. I wouldn’t say it’s oily, which sometimes happens with grenache blanc wines, and it’s not crisp like sauvignon blanc. Instead, it’s full and almost rich (the winery’s tasting notes use the term fleshy, which seems accurate.)

Drink this with grilled or fried fish (catfish, maybe?). Highly recommended, and almost certain to enter the Hall of Fame next month. And don’t be surprised if it makes the short list for the 2022 Cheap Wine of the Year.

Imported by Beaune Imports

Mini-reviews 90: Vermentino, two sauvignon blancs, and red Rhone

vermentinoReviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month.

• Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Vermentino 2015 ($25, sample, 12.5%): This Italian white wine from the Antinori family has an almost creamy texture to go with its varietal lemon fruit and minerality. Very nicely done, and a step up from most $15 and $20 vermentinos.

• Casillero del Diablo Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2016 ($7, sample, 13%): You get what you pay for with this Chilean white wine from Big Wine’s Concha y Toro. This supermarket staple has lots of harsh citrus fruit, though it should tone down a little over time.

• Saint-Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2015 ($15, purchased, 14%): A disappointing vintage from what may be my favorite $15 wine. There is little more here than rich, dark berry fruit – no earthiness, no interest, and no reason think it’s from the Rhone. Maybe it needs more time in the bottle?

• Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015 ($6, purchased, 12.5%): Tastes almost exactly like most Big Wine New Zealand sauvignon blancs (lots of grapefruit and some freshness, but nothing special), and yet costs half as much. Go figure.

Wine of the week: Aia Vecchia Maremma 2010

White wines from Tuscany in Italy are not as rare as $10 Champagne, but they’re rare enough. And really well made Tuscan whites are even more rare. So rare, in fact, that this wine’s importer doesn’t even mention the wine on its website. Tuscany only produces red wine, dammit, and don’t you forget it.

So look for the Maremma ($10, sample) and enjoy the laugh you’ll have on the wine snobs. It’s made with the vermentino grape, which is best enjoyed young and usually with seafood. And the Maremma fits this mold: Very, very bright, with crisp acidity — almost too much, which is saying something given the Wine Curmudgeon’s preference for crisp white wines from Italy. It also had a little more fruit than I expected (limeish), but not in an unpleasant, let’s fool the Americans way.

As noted, drink it with seafood (grilled shrimp), but also grilled chicken and as something to enjoy after a long day of holiday shopping.