Summer Series: Notes On French White Wine
As the weather gets hotter and hotter, French white wines make the perfect companion as they tend to be lighter, brighter, super-crisp and refreshing! Some may argue that these wines are even more perfectly suited for the summer weather than the new world counterparts which tend to be more fruit-forward and have more weight to them!
Allow your tastebuds to travel with me to France for a bit! Here are five vibrant, thirst-quenching, crisp, and mouth-watering French white wines to kick off the summer!
Chardonnay
Let’s begin in Burgundy. Burgundy is a region located in central eastern France. Its claim to fame is that it is one of the finest wine-producing areas in the world. These wines pair well with roasted salmon, shellfish and seafood in general, creamy cheeses, and charcuterie. If you are a sushi and oyster lover like me, these wines will delight!
Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuissé
Pouilly is a little wine-growing hamlet attached to Solutré. Fuissé is a picturesque, prosperous village, typically Burgundian. In its best expression, it is the quintessence of Chardonnay, a great white Burgundy, full of finesse. This wine is round, fleshy, full-bodied, and hearty with powerful white blossom and almond aromas and dried fruit flavours with a subtle hint of figs. You can find this wine at www.cpjmarket.com and CPJ Market in Kingston, and Montego Bay.
Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé
Produced in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy, the judicious, subtle use of oak allows Louis Jadot’s Pouilly-Fuissé to retain its complexity and structure. This wine has aromas of fresh red apples, honey, and white flowers with elegant and rich flavours of toasted nuts and citrus. One of the purest expressions of this typical Burgundian grape. 100% Chardonnay. Distributed by Betco Premier Limited, you can find this wine in Loshusan, General Foods and Super Valu Fresh Foods.
Louis Latour Chablis
Chablis is an isolated island of vineyards in the northern section of wine-producing Burgundy, halfway between Dijon and Paris. Maison Louis Latour’s Chablis is the ultimate expression of what the noble Chardonnay grape is capable of on the region’s famous kimmeridgian limestone slopes. The wine is perfumed, lively, clean, and steely tasting with a crisp finish. This Chablis has a lovely pale golden colour. The nose is floral with a fresh palate and pleasant notes of citrus. A nice minerality on the finish.You can find this wine at www.cpjmarket.com and CPJ Market in Kingston, and Montego Bay.
Sauvignon Blanc
The wines of the Loire Valley are light and invigorating, with palpable acidity. The classic word for them is “charming”. The crisp whites of Pouilly and Sancerre are perhaps the easiest to recognise in France. Pouilly-Fumé is a dry wine that has the most body concentration of all the Loire Valley wines. It’s made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc. It should be noted that many people tend to associate the word “fumé” with smoke. One of the many theories about the origin of the word comes from the white morning mist that blankets the area. As the sun burns off the mist, it looks as if smoke is rising. Another theory says it is a “smokelike” bloom on the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Sancerre, however, delivers a striking balance between the full-bodied Pouille-Fumé and light-bodied Muscadet; it’s made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
Michel Redde La Moynerie Pouilly-Fumé
La Moynerie wine expresses all the density as well as the aromatic mineral and saline pureness of each soil. It is located in the Loire Valley …specifically in the Pouillly-Fumé appellation. The very special typicity of this reserve should be served with fish cooked in a sauce or with white meat. This 100% Sauvignon is distributed by Betco Premier Limited.
Pascal Jolivet Sancerre
Balance, freshness and precision: the Pascal Jolivet style. A wine that is marked by the richness, elegance, and finesse. This wine is powerful and presents a perfect balance. The strength, expression and minerality of this Sancerre perfectly pair with fish, crustaceans, and goat cheese! This wine is distributed by Select Brands and can be found at Uncorked, Uncorked West, and Uncorked Too.
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