Score: 88/100
This wine was selected by Francois Chartier who received the Best Sommelier in the World Grand Prix Sopexa in 1994.
It was assembled and aged by Sélections Chartier Inc., bottled at Clos des Augustins, Saint Mathieu de Tréviers village in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
Origin
Le Blanc originates mostly from the AOC Pic Saint-Loup, but some of it originates from bordering areas that are not AOC designated area.
Grape Vaieties
Blend of:
- 40% Chardonnay
- 40% Grenache Blanc
- 10% Rolle
- 10% Marsanne & Roussanne
Terroir
Soils by grape variety:
- grenache blanc grows over conglomerates
- chardonnay over marly limestone
- rolle (vermentino) over clay limestone.
The Clos des Augustins domain of the Mézy family is biodynamic.
Winemaking
Both the chardonnay and the rolle were cask-aged over fine lees, while the grenache blanc (45+ year old vines) was aged in barrels for 6 months on lees.
At the very end of the blending process, a barrel of young chardonnay was added to the lot in order to underline the desired aromatic path, hence this “white wine for red wine lovers”, as Francois Chartier likes to call it.
So how good is this specially-selected ‘Le Blanc’ Southern French white wine by Francois Chartier?
The answer is in the tasting notes:
The wine’s of a medium intensity shiny yellow color.
A fresh, fruity and rather delicate nose strikes with aromas of white peach or nectarine, combined light notes of citrus around the mandarine tone. A touch a freshly-cut grass complete the picture of a summery fruit-salad with a leaf of peppermint or two on top, as a well-thought garnish.
While the nose is essentially fruity, the palate’s flavors are mainly floral subtle and elegant. The pear is the dominating fruit here but we stay in the white fruit spectrum.
The wine is dry but the relatively low acidity, and more importantly the affirmed fruitiness, makes it feel aromatically sweet balancing the whole.
There’s a thirst-quenching feel on the middle-palate, and an oily texture. Both characters being quite typical of Grenache Blanc. The Chardonnay contributes with a moderate depth and some leesy notes of butter and hazelnut that allows a little escape from this world of fruit and flowers, some complexity.
The finish is slightly tannic, a little bitter and definitely with an umami feel. Those three characteristics leaves your mouth with a rather savory tone that makes you salivate, want to go for another sip, and cries for a food pairing.
Overall
A super pleasant white from the sunny South of France, that delivers plenty of fresh white fruit and floral characters. Easy to drink and to enjoy, it does deliver a fair share of complexity and certainly feels very well executed, including in the clever blending.
Food Pairing
A wine for warm summer nights, to pair with sea food dishes and delicate entrees.
The creator of this wine Francois Chartier shared with Social Vignerons a recipe he developed especially for this type of barrel-aged wine: Pan seared scallops, blood orange Brazil nut couscous, ginger coconut milk
Please let me know your thoughts