Tag Archives: white wine

Expensive wine 159: Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020

les 13 lunes aprmeont bottle
Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020/$20-$25

This French white speaks to the joys of wine, and that everything doesn’t have to taste like everything else

The Wine Curmudgeon rarely has to search for expensive wine to buy for this feature. For one thing, too many of the samples I get cost more than $25; for another, the few expensive wines I buy for my enjoyment are usually perfect fits for this review.

This month, though, I had nothing to write about. I tasted a dozen or so high-priced red wines over the past six weeks, and none of them were worth writing about. What’s worse, they all mostly tasted alike, even though they came from different parts of the world and were made with different grapes.

So I spent the past week trying to find something to taste for this review that wasn’t a smooth, high-alcohol red wine; that was sort of available; and would be something I could wax poetic about. Because I was tired of dumping expensive, smooth high-alcohol red wines down the drain.

Finally, I found the Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020 ($24, purchased, 10.5%). So yes, Friday the 13th was lucky.

This is a stunning French white made with an unknown grape, jacquere, from an even less known region, Savoie, near the French Alps. So yes, geeky, and made even more so since it’s certified biodynamic. Ah, but how it tastes: Not quite chardonnay and not quite viognier, but something completely its own — almost savory, “alpine fresh,” to quote a tasting note, and with a hint of tart green apple fruit, a floral sort of aroma, and an impeccably clean finish. And did I mention just 10 1/2  percent alcohol?

I drank this with a half chicken marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil, and then roasted with carrots and onions. Anyone who doubts food and wine pairings would have doubted no more.

Highly recommended — even though it’s an $11 wine in France. That’s usually the kind of price disparity that makes me crazy, but, in this case, I’ll just buy another bottle.

Imported by Paris Wine Company

Wine of the week: Protocolo Blanco 2020

Protocolo Blanco bottle
Protocolo Blanco 2020/$6-$10

Have $8? Want white wine for dinner? Then it’s time for the Protocolo Blanco

Once again, Spain is the answer to the question for those of us who want quality wine – and even to be able to buy it in the supermarket — but don’t want something smoooth or priced to hit some marketer’s sweet spot (which is much more than $10).

The Protocolo wines have made regular appearances on the blog for the past couple of years; the rose has been an especial value. So it’s no surprise to find the 2020 version of the Blanco ($8, purchased, 12%) here: It’s intelligent cheap wine, made to fill a market niche that too many others refuse to acknowledge.

This vintage of the Blanco isn’t as full and rounded as the 2019 was, and it’s a a little short in the back – the finish just sort of drops off. But it’s certainly worth $8 (and maybe a couple of bucks more, depending on how sad the rest of the wine section looks). It’s a blend of two especially Spanish grapes with some lemon fruit (though the wine is not especially tart). There’s also a dose of stone fruit in the middle.

In other words, just the white wine for a blazing hot Dallas summer — or summer anywhere else, for that matter.

Imported by Fine Wines from Spain

Wine of the week: Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Shannon Ridge sauvignon blanc bottle
Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2021/$10-$14

Sauvignon blanc offers value and quality – so, yes, it can be done in California

Every once in a while, someone emails to ask why there aren’t more California wines on the blog. The reason, of course, is price – there just aren’t many $15 or less from the Golden State that offer the kind of value and quality that readers here expect.

A very pleasant exception is the Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($11, sample, 13.8%). It’s classic California sauvignon blanc at a more than fair price.

That’s possible for a couple of reasons. First, the grapes come from Lake County, where the land is less expensive and allows producers more leeway with pricing. Second, the producer has a history of terrific cheap wine, including the sometimes hard-to-find Wrangler Red.

So let’s count our blessings. The sauvignon blanc features some lemongrass, some lemon zest, some stoniness, and even a little tropical fruit in the middle that doesn’t get in the way. In other words, there’s a lot more going on than most supermarket whites at this price, and no one has sugared it up (another problem with California wine at this price).

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2023 Hall of Fame. This is summer wine, chilled, either on its own or with any number of summer salads (grain bowls, even, for younger wine drinkers) or grilled poultry.

 

Wine of the week: Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Kono sauvignon blanc bottle
Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2021/$10-$19

This New Zealand white is one more example of the failings of wine availability

In 2013 – yes, 2013 — I reviewed this wine and wrote: The Kono is more than just another one-note grapefruit effort, and offers quality at a terrific price.

So why did it take almost 10 years to review the wine again?

We all know the answer to that, don’t we? The three-tier system and how it screws up wine availability. As I told the PR person who sent me the wine: I haven’t seen it Dallas for so long that I figured that no one made it any more.

Fortunately, I was wrong. The 2021 Kono ($12, sample, 13%) offers the same value and quality that it did almost a decade ago. It remains more than just another New Zealand supermarket sauvignon blanc, one of those cute label “Bay” wines that costs $8 and tastes like it.

Yes. there’s plenty of grapefruit, but it’s more white than pink. And, as all well-made Kiwi sauvignon blancs, there’s a hint of something tropical in the middle, as well as that wonderful crisp finish.

If it’s not a candidate for the Hall of Fame next year, it’s something almost as rare: A quality, dependable supermarket white wine that hasn’t been sugared up.

Imported by Total Beverage Solutions

Fourth of July wine 2022

super hero miniatures
“Quick — to the retailer before premiumization destroys all the quality cheap wine.”

Fourth of July wine 2022: Four bottles offering value and quality for Independence Day

This year, the U.S. is 246 years old — so here are wines worthy of that birthday. As always, keep our summer and porch wine guidelines in mind for this time of year.

Here are four wines to start with:

• Tormaresca Calafuria 2020 ($10, purchased, 12%): Once, the Italian Tormaresca Neprica was the blog’s favorite cheap red wine. Then, it went the way of the rest. So imagine my surprise to taste this Tormaresca pink —  a little fizzy, dark berry fruit, and a touch not light. Nicely done. Imported by Ste. Michelle Wine Estate

• Pedroncelli Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($15, sample, 13.9%): Classic California sauvignon blanc — grassy, a bit of citrus, not too tart, and almost flinty. A three-generation family producer shows how it’s done.

• Trivento Malbec Reserve 2020 ($11, sample, 13.8%): Solid, professional Argentine red, made in the supermarket style — lots of sweet black fruit, but not a sweet wine and one that is mostly balanced. Previous vintages have been a little darker and earthier, but this is fine for what if tries to do. Barbecue? Indeed. Imported by Eagle Peak Estates

• Charles LaFitte Brut Prestige NV ($12, purchased, 12%): Entry-level French Methode Champenoise sparkling from a prestigious producer, but made far from Champagne. Yes, there is a bit of the 7-Up feel to it, but otherwise well-made cheap bubbly — some green apples, tight bubbles, and almost zesty. Imported by Vranken Pommery America

Photo: TFNY18_074c” by BAS Photog is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

More Fourth of July wine:
• Fourth of July wine 2021
• Fourth of July wine 2020
• Fourth of July wine 2019
• Wine of the week: Bonny Doon Picpoul 2021

Wine to drink while you’re waiting for the avocado pits to sprout

avocado pits in glasses
Will Dallas water lend terroir to my guacamole?

Because the WC isn’t going to be caught short of guacamole

Yes, an avocado shortage.

But the Wine Curmudgeon is undeterred. I got a couple of shot glasses, a handful of toothpicks, and my last two avocado pits. So, in six months or so, I should have a couple of avocado plants. Now, the shortage may be over by then, but one shouldn’t take any chances with guacamole.

Which leads us to the next step in my urban farming experiment: What wines to drink while I’m waiting for the pits to sprout? Roses and light whites, of course:

• Albamar Chardonnay 2021 ($12, sample, 13.5%): This Chilean white is stunning — clean, crisp, and refreshing, with green apple and pear fruit. The bad news? Only 1,000 cases were imported. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Laurent Miquel Cinsault Syrah Rose 2021 ($11, purchased, 12.5%) One more reason why there’s no need to spend $20 on rose. This French pink has berry fruit, a bit of stoniness, and a clean finish. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons

• Amalaya Esperanza por un Milagro Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Well-done Argentine-style rose, so more fruit (ripe red berries), less acidity (but not sweet), and more full in the mouth. The little bit of torrontes in the blend is a nice touch to round out the wine. Imported by The Hess Collection

Father’s Day wine 2022

Father's Day ties
Once more, the Father’s Day tie picture — call me corny, but I love it.

Father’s Day wine 2022: Bring on the well-made and value-oriented wine for Dad

Yes, despite economic uncertainty and all the rest, we found wine for Dad for Father’s Day that fits what we do here — price and value, and not silliness. And don’t forget the blog’s wine gift-giving guidelines — don’t buy someone wine that you think they should like; buy them what they will like.

Father’s Day wine 2022 suggestions:

• Carol Shelton Wild Thing Zinfandel 2018 ($18, purchased, 14.5%): Spot-on California old vine zinfandel (60 years at least) that is somehow jammy (berries and berries and more berries), but not heavy or hot. Having said that it’s a big wine and a mouthful, and needs lots of red meat. Highly recommended.

• Domaine Bousquet Brut NV ($13, sample, 12%): Argentine bubbly with surprising structure, tight-ish bubbles, not too sweet, and apple and lemon fruit. Imported by Origins Organic

• Jean-Pierre Boisson Rose Domaine du Pere Caboche ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Full, rich and surprisingly complex $10 French rose, with almost cranberry fruit and what one tasting note calls grenadine. Highly recommended. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection

• Chateau La Maroutine Blanc 2020 ($13, purchased, 13%): French white Bordeaux blends sauvignon blanc and semillion; the latter, though only 20 percent, is noticeable, and gives the wine a rounder, less citrsusy feel. Lots of stone and minerality. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons

More Father’s Day wine:
• Father’s Day wine 2021
• Father’s Day wine 2020
• Father’s Day wine 2019
• Expensive wine 154: Frank Family Merlot 2018