TN: Thankgiving Weekend Aromatic Whites

I'm a sucker for aromatic whites, what can I say. If it's dry, yet smells vaguely like a dessert wine, I'm sold! Viognier can be a good choice, but often times it ends up being incredibly heavy and fat in order to achieve the jasmine and apricot aromas that make it exciting.

Lately I've been looking into different varietal wines made from aromatic whites that have a bit more acidic lift and lighter body. The compelling quality of these wines is that they smell really nice, but are quite versatile when it comes to using as a cocktail or a food wine. The aromas make them seem sweeter than they really are, while the acidity makes them naturals for the dinner table. In other words, they not only have broad applications, but a broad appeal to both obsessive wine drinkers and the occasional wine drinker who might prefer sweeter wines.

Here are three that fared well over Thanksgiving:

• 2008 Yves Breussin Vouvray - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
  
  Just spot on Chenin Blanc. Lychees and floral aromas. Round, concentrated flavors up front followed by a dry, mouth-watering finish. Has a hint of RS, but acidity is very high so it is complementary. Simply delicious.
  

• 2009 Vino V Wines Albariño Confundida - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
  
  Aromatic! Jasmine, honey and white stone fruit. Dry on the palate, though med-low acid. Fruit and floral esters give it a sensation of sweetness despite dryness. Medium body. Listed at 12.5% ABV. A superb aromatic white that gets explosive aromas without extreme ripeness.
  

• 2009 Old Creek Ranch Winery Loureiro - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
  
  Very perfumey aromas, yet lemony, high acid flavors. Almost austere, very mineral driven. Aromatic food wine. No oak, light/medium body. Portuguese varietal.
  

TN: Chinon Blanc that's Chenin Blanc

Say it five times fast: Chinon Blanc is Chenin Blanc. They grow mostly Cab Franc in Chinon, but it turns out that the folks at Couly-Dutheil can make a pretty mean Chenin Blanc, too.

2008 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Les Chanteaux - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
Excellent! Lychee, apple and a touch of honey on the nose. Lychee is a bit obscure, but it smells just like those dried lychees I sometimes find at Trader Joe's. Good body, but also zingy and fresh. Seriously long finish, first driven by white stone fruit, then developing minerality. Rubber cork, so drink now. It's too good to wait on anyway.

Jeff at Viva La Wino has also tasted this wine. And of course see The Wine Doctor for detailed notes on this producer.

TN: François Chidaine 2006 Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux

I'd been itching to try pairing an off-dry (demi-sec) Chenin Blanc with some Chinese take-out. Finally, the opportunity came and we paired the François Chidaine 2006 Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux with some Hunan Chicken, a savory dish with peppers, mushrooms and black beans, and Capital Spareribs, a pork dish with pineapples and a sweet ginger sauce. The name of the cuvée, Les Tuffeaux, likely refers to tuffeau sub-soil, a type of porous sedimentary rock prevalent in the Loire Valley. Also included on the label is Montlouis-sur-Loire, an appellation devoted to Chenin Blanc located across the Loire river from the more famous commune of Vouvray. There's a Chenin Blanc for every drinker from those who like bone-dry still wines, to those who prefer sweet wines, to those who prefer sparkling wines. I figured this off-dry version would be a natural pairing with a sweeter dish.

Indeed, this wine was an excellent pairing with the spareribs. The residual sugar gave it the richness to withstand the sweet ginger sauce, which in turn brought out the minerality. On its own, though, this wine was almost like a dessert wine. While not nearly as sweet, it had the honeyed aromas and rich flavor of a dessert wine. The bouquet included creme brulee, bananas (perhaps isoamyl acetate, an ester I think of as banana VA) and an enticing herbaceouss aroma I couldn't quite figure out in addition to honey. There also seemed to be a hint of oxidation and volatility, but at levels where they were complexing, not distracting. The flavor reminded me of the syrup in a can of pears, but with a healthy dose of acidity and minerality. The finish perhaps was the best part as it had a honeyed and balsamic quality that lingered. Ultimately the acidity seemed a bit low, but this was an interesting drink, like a dessert wine without the incredibly sweet, raisiny qualities or massive body.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around these Loire Chenin Blancs. The sweetness in this off-dry version was a bit over the top without food, but the complexity and depth of flavor was remarkable. I could definitely see this sort of wine pairing well with a creamy blue cheese. Before I do that, though, I have a dry Chenin or two to take out for a test drive.

Pros: Rich, Complex, Long Finish, Aromatic, Minerality, Full Body, Off Dry
Cons: Insufficient Acidity
Decant: No, ready to go from the bottle
Price: $20 from The Winehound
QPR: Fair/Good (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)

TN: Holiday White Recap

Here are the (non-flawed) whites:

White Wines

Cave de Saumur 2008 Les Pouches Saumur Chenic Blanc - I've been looking to try more Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, and here's one vinted by a cooperative and sourced from a single vineyard in Saumur. The bouquet shows apricot, ginger blossom and citrus notes. It manages to have both good body and high acidity, a paradoxical pair of virtues that is surprisingly rare in white wine. There's not a lot of complexity, but both fruit and mineral flavors are present. Interestingly, the ABV is listed at 12%. Malolactic fermentation is nearly certain, but perhaps there is sur lies aging as well to achieve the pleasing mouth feel without the potential burn and sweetness of higher alcohol. While Chenin is made in a variety of styles, this one is fully dry.

Pros: Fresh, Dry, Medium Body, Fruit & Minerality
Cons: None
Decant: No
Price: $11 from Wines & Makers
QPR: Good (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)

Chateau Font-Mars 2008 Picpoul de Pinet Coteaux de Languedoc Picpoul Blanc - This wine comes from an appellation in Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet, devoted to one varietal, Picpoul Blanc. Picpoul supposedly translates to lip-stinger, and is indicative of the high acidity of the grape variety. That may be so, but this was not on the overly acidic side. It's nicely balanced with medium body and a minerally flavor. There's only a slight chemical flavor on the finish. The bouquet is both tropical and floral. All in all a good wine for the price.

Pros: Balanced, Medium Body, Minerality, Tropical Aromas
Cons: Slightly Odd Finish
Decant: No
Price: $10 from Lazy Acres
QPR: Fair (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)

TN: Jo Pithon 2005 Anjou Les Pepinieres

It's taken me a while to get here, but finally I tried a Loire Chenin Blanc, the Jo Pithon 2005 Anjou Les Pepinieres. Much like Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc is considered an inferior varietal outside of the Loire Valley. Inside the Loire Valley, however, it can produce dry, off-dry, sweet, sparkling and even Botrytized dessert wines in a variety of styles that only Riesling can match in terms of versatility. Top appellations include Savennieres, Anjoy, Vouvray, Jasnieres and even Chinon, where a small amount of Chinon Blanc is made from Chenin Blanc.

This wine is an experience. When first opened, it smelled honeyed like a dessert wine, but also showed some acetone-like volatile acidity and a brown color suggesting oxidation. Not to worry: it seems this producer employs oxidative winemaking techniques. Since the wine had already met plenty of air, I figured decanting wouldn't hurt. With some of the VA blowing off, the bouquet acquired a honeyed, musky aroma with banana nut bread and spiced rum showing up as well. I'm guessing there's some Botrytis involved here, as well as some isoamly acetate accounting for the banana aromas and oxidation causing the 'nut' in the banana nut bread. Whatever the case may be, this was awesomely unique and funky smelling. The palate, however, was essentially dry despite the dessert-like aromas. The flavors were nonetheless rich and mouth-coating, yet paradoxically weightless due to the acidity. There was the strange sensation of not feeling the acidity up front, then mouth watering on the long, minerally finish.

I'm guessing the volatile acidity level or oxidation might have crossed the threshold into being a 'technical flaw,' but this was just a pleasure to drink. This is a white wine for a red wine drinker that doesn't rely on excessive ripeness and oak like a Cali Chard to add depth. I'm sure there's some oak and ML involved here, but it's all integrated and well balanced. Tons going on for the price.

Pros: Complex Honeyed Bouquet, Rich, Weightless, Long Finish, Minerality

Cons: Volatile Acidity, Oxidation

Decant: Yes, to open up bouquet

Price: $21
QPR: Good (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)