2008 Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc ($16.99)
55% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Muscadelle • Bordeaux, France
(Importer KERMIT LYNCH WINE MERCHANT, NOT CERTIFIED)
Ducasse is the “second label” of Chateau Graville-Lacoste, located in the Graves region of Bordeaux. This fresh, lemony, and classic white Bordeaux is a blend of semillon, sauvignon blanc, and touch of muscadelle. Importer Kermit Lynch opines, “There is a freshness and subtlety to the bouquet, and an impression of depth. Depth as opposed to superficiality. There is a gunflint aspect, along with citrus perfumes like citronelle and orange blossom. On the palate, too, freshness, liveliness, depth, while the finish mirrors the wine’s exquisite bouquet.”
2008 Chateau Gaillard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc ($11.99)
Sauvignon Blanc • Loire Valley, France (Demeter)
France’s Loire Valley is “the garden of France.” Literally. In fact there is even a Loire-wide appellation called “le jardin de France.” Tasting this wine one can see why. It tastes like a garden—an orchard with flavors such as yellow citrus, yellow apples, sweet corn, basil. A nice depth of fruit on the palate rounds out this great bargain white.
2007 Maysara Pinot Noir McMinnville Jamsheed ($28.99)
Pinot Noir • McMinnville, Oregon (Demeter)
The Momtazi family makes super biodynamic wines, and their winery itself is now biodynamic—the first in the United States! Mo Momtazi grows the grapes, and his 25-year-old daughter Tahmiene is the winemaker. Their fruit-forward pinot, named “Jamsheed” after a Persian king, sports black raspberry, black cherry, and strawberry aromas and flavors with notes of rose petal and spice.
2008 Yellow+Blue Malbec ($11.99)
Malbec • Mendoza, Argentina (OC/PRO Canada)
2008 Yellow+Blue Torrontes ($11.99)
Torrontes • Mendoza, Argentina (OC/PRO Canada)
2008 Yellow+Blue Rosé ($11.99)
80% Syrah, 20% Monastrell • Alicante, Spain (OC/PRO Canada)
Yellow + Blue goes beyond certified organic to make what they call “wines for a better planet.” Since half of the weight of a bottle of wine is in the glass, importer Matt Cain has devised a way to lower the carbon footprint. He ships the wines (certified organic by OC/PRO Canada) in a single, large bladder container to a Canadian bottling plant, where they are packaged in light, one-liter Tetra Pak cartons, similar to juice boxes. The smooth, darkly fruited 2008 Malbec and aromatic, crisp 2008 Torrontes are both produced in Mendoza, Argentina. The strawberry-scented dry rosé from Alicante, Spain, is a blend of Monastrell (Mourvedre) and Syrah. All three sell for $11.99 for a liter, which contains one-third more volume than a standard bottle. (In case you haven’t figured it out, yellow plus blue equals green.)
