WTN: Mirail, Heathcote Mail, Poonawatta

[Jenise]

Intending to have it with dinner last night which was going to be chile verde on rice, I opened a 2008 Domaine de Mirail Columbard from the Gascogne region. I know I've had columbard in blends from that area, but could not recall ever having a 100% Columbard--unless the California wine called 'French Columbard' of my youth was actually this grape, and even if it was it shouldn't count. Nice wine for $10: Bob guessed albarino, a good guess that recognized it's European acidity and minerality and lack of resemblance to any of the usual suspects in our household like chardonny, sauv blanc, gruner or riesling. Balanced, restrained, and seemingly oak and malo free. I'm going back for more.

Then a friend dropped by with his wife and we invited them to stay for dinner as we had enough for four. He went home for a bottle and returned with a 2006 Poonawatta 'The Cuttings' Shiraz from Australia's Eden Valley. This may be the most Northern Rhone styled Oz syrah I've ever had. Restrained dark red fruit in the raspberry, cherry and plum range with superb acidity and masses of black pepper which divert your attention from the bit of bacon and green herb that are also present. Cooler climate profile all the way around with medium plus body, silky tannins and no extract nor overt ripeness. The wine has a good future ahead of it. This wine originally MSRP'd around $60, then dropped to $40 and now the distrib's moving out the remainders at $20. BACK UP THE TRUCK! I ordered a case.

In response to that I pulled out another atypical Aussie, my last bottle of 1998 Heathcote Mail Shiraz from Victoria. Showing beautifully, it has the riper black currant flavors typical of '98 Shirazes, but the acidity is in the same zone as the Poonawatta and the wine's still quite youthful. Probably entering it's peak phase now.

Jenise, if your wine was a Colombard (with two Os), yes it is what came out of California more than thirty years ago labeled French Colombard. I haven't seen any in many years labeled as a varietal, and until you started this thread I was unaware that there's now some that is better than it used to be. Here's a snippet from the "Colombard" entry in Jancis Robinson's Oxford Companion:

"It would take some sorcery to transform Colombard into an exciting wine, but pleasantly lively inncuousness is well within reach for those equipped with stainless steel and temperature control. In a nice example of transatlantic switchback, the producers of the Armagnac region set about duplicating California's modern wine-making transformation of the dull Colombard grape on their own varieties surplus to brandy production, thus creating the hugely successful vin de pays des Cotes de Gascogne. Colombard is the second most planted variety after Ugni Blanc in south west france and has been a prime ingredient in this much exported wine."

[Jenise]

Clint, I like the quote from Jancis which makes the Mirail look even better, for it's definitely well beyond "pleasantly innocuous"--at least for those of us who love minerality and aren't shopping for fruit bombs. Look for it down your way, I think you'll like it.

I'll see if I can find it.