We tried last night (9/9/15) some New White Wines:
1. Charles Gonnet Chignin AC: Savoie (100% Jacquere; 11.5%) Chignin 2013: Pale yellow color; strong stony/appley/chalky
clean/lemony quite fragrant nose; very tart/lean light stony/chalky/GrannySmith apple rather mineral flavor; med.
long green apple/stony/chalky/mineral finish; on the light side but like biting into an underripe GrannySmith
apple; a rather pleasant wine at a very fair price. $13.60 (PrimaIlC)
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2. Dom.Giachino Altesse DOC: Roussette de Savoie (12%; EricSolomonSlctns) Chapareillan 2012: Light gold color;
strong honeyed/floral/honeysuckle/mango slight earthy/mineral quite perfumed nose; lightly tart lush/ripe slight
mineral/metallic strong floral/honeysuckle/honeyed/very Roussanne-like very attractive flavor; very long fairly
rich/lush honeyed/floral/honeysuckle slight mineral/earthy finish; a really lovely/interesting very Roussanne-
like wine at a great price; one of the best Altesse/Roussettes I've had. $20.00 (WoP)
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3. LePetit Chambord AC: Cour-Cheverny (Vendanges Manuelles; MeBalP; 13%; Louis/Dressner) Francois Cazin/Cheverny
2010: Med.light gold color; lovely very fragrant mango/quince/pineapple light mineral/stony/earthy perfumed
nose; tart mineral/stony fairly rich/perfumed mango/quince slight honeyed lovely flavor; very long lightly
tart/metallic/stony/mineral some mango/quince/floral finish; speaks strongly of Romorantin and at a stupid/
silly price. $16.00 (Gom/MT)
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4. Dom. des Huards AC: Cour-Cheverny/LoireVlly (100% Romorantin; 12%; www.JonDavidWine.com) 2010: Med.gold color;
very stinky/sauerkraut rather fecal/diaper pail bit earthy nose w/ no obvious fruit; rather sour quite
sauerkraut/fecal flavor; undrinkable; seems to have a serious bacterial problem. $18.00 (AV)
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5. PascalBellier AC: Cour-Cheverny/LoireVlly (100% Romarantin; 12.5%; WineAdventures/Chicago) Vineuil/Loire
2012: Med.light color; attractive perfumed some mango/pineapple light metallic rather SauvBlanc/cat pee/pungent/
smokey interesting/atypical nose; soft somewhat cat pee/herbal/SB-like light mango/pineapple bit watery
flavor; med.short rather earthy/pungent/cat pee/SauvBlanc slight mango/pineapple bit watery finish; seems like
a very commercial wine that resembles SauvBlanc more than Romorantin; undistinguished. $24.00 (UWC/KC)
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6. La Pucelle de Romorantin (From ungrafted vines taken from 1850 planting; Plntd in 2007; 12%; Cepage
Romorantin) Henry et Jean-Sebastien Marionnet/Soings/Loire 2011: Med.light color; rather closed/quiet/shut
down bit lemon/mango/floral some stony/mineral/metallic/chalky almost Chablis-like complex interesting nose
but not much intensity; somewhat tart/tangy quite mineral/perfumed/talc/chalky steely/flinty slight floral/
mango interesting complex flavor; very long shy mineral/perfumed talc/chalky tart/tangy/metallic/flinty
slight lemon/mango/floral interesting flavor; resembles a Chablis more than anything; a very quiet wine
that whispers some very interesting things and probably needs some time to develop; rather steep price unless
it evolves into something spectacular. $43.00 (Gom/MT)
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7. Tenuta LaFavola IGP: Terre Siciliane (Grillo/Catarratto; VinoBiologico; L C.G.01.15; 13%;
www.TenutaLaFavola.It) Gurrieri Corrado/Noto 2014: Med.gold color; some earthy/dusty/smokey rather aromatic/
pineapple/marzipan/almond slight Muscat/hair-oil quite attracive/perfumed nose; soft/rich slight metallic some
earthy/mineral somewhat pineapple/Muscatty/perfumed talc/almondy slight tangy/metallic very attractive flavor;
very long soft/bit coarse/earthy/perfumed talc some pineapple/almondy/Muscatty/hair-oil aromatic finish;
a very good tasty Sicilian white at a very good price. $14.40 (PrimaIlC)
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8. Destro Isolanuda DOC: EtnaBianco (70% Carricante/30% Catarratto; L27; 12.5%) MonteLaGuardia 2012: Med.light
gold color; bit earthy/dusty quite smokey/pungent/musky lightly floral/pineapple/perfumed talc fairly aromatic
nose; soft/fat some earthy/dusty/saline/mineral light floral/mango/perfumed talc/carnations slightly dull
flavor; med.long soft/fat some earthy/saline/dusty/mineral light floral/mango/perfumed talc finish; perhaps a
bit on the soft/dull side but a pleasant enough bianco; pricey for what it is at $33.00 (WE)
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The ole BloodyPulpit:
1. GouaisBlanc: This is one grape that did a lot of whoring around up in the Savoie way back in her day and
produced a lot of off-springs. Jacquere is a natural progeny of GB. Romarantin is a natural cross of
GouaisBlanc X Pinot fin (Tenturier).
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2. Romorantin: A variety that apparently evolved in the Burgundy area and made its way to the LoireVlly. It
apparently no longer exists in Burgundy. A grape that is rushing headlong towards extinction. It is now only
grown in the Cour-Cheverny appellation, which was established in 1993. It's down to only 180 acres now.
Henry Marionnet is regarded as the champion of Romorantin. He has a ungrafted vnyd that dates to 1850 and
somehow survived phylloxera. He makes a wine from this ancient planting, but I bypassed it at $137/btl.
Even the young-vines version, from 8 yr old vines, seems on the pricey side for what it is.
In this tasting of 4 Romorantins, the largest Romorantin tasting ever held in LosAlamos, the PetitChambord
was probably the most varietally correct. The Dom.Huards seemd to have a serious bacterial problem and the
Bellier seemed more SauvBlanc than Romorantin. The Marionnet was a very quiet wine, but easily the most
interesting. It's not a variety that I feel is gonna make any big waves.
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3. Sicily varieties: Catarratto is apparently an ancient variety of Sicily and the most widely planted there.
There is some DNA evidence that it is a parent of Garganega. Grillo is a Catarratto X Muscat of Alexandria
cross and heavily used in the production of Marsala. It is apparently the same as RossesseBianco in Liguria.
Carricante is another very old variety native to Sicily.
I haven't tasted ver many Sicilian whites in the last few yrs. When I had some yrs ago, I found them
mostly soft/flabby, lacking in aromatics, and on the coarse/unclean side. These two Sicilian biancos were not
that at all. Dang it....I hate it when I have to throw out my prejudices and open my mind.
Tom