Wine Review of 2015 Paul Mas Arrogant Frog ‘Wild Lilly Pad White’ Pays d’Oc Chardonnay, France
Score: 85/100
It’s certainly a popular, perhaps polarizing wine label this ‘Arrogant Frog’ by producer Paul Mas out of Languedoc in the South of France.
I am French. But ask people that know me. Very few would consider me ‘arrogant’!
I’ve tasted Chardonnay wines from all around the world. And yes, one must admit some examples out of Burgundy, or Champagne (in sparkling version obviously), unarguably count among the very best wines in the world. But there is fantastic Chardonnay wine made on every continent. I’ve even recently reviewed an excellent Italian Chardonnay from Piedmont! Who would have thought?
For more info about Chardonnay, see my Infographic guide to Chardonnay grapes, and all my worldwide Chardonnay wine reviews.
The Languedoc region in the South of France isn’t among the best places for growing the best Chardonnays. If it was, Chardonnay wines from this area would have stood out much brighter by now. Although there are some very good examples like Laurent Miquel’s Solas Chardonnay.
Yet, Arrogant Frog is a popular label around the world, known for making good affordable and approachable wines. This one is an Organic wine too, which is also a bonus!
So how good is the ‘Lilly Pad White’ Arrogant Frog Chardonnay?
Let’s find out the truth…
Forgive the lack of explanation on how it’s made, winemaking and else. But the winery’s website doesn’t provide any info about it! AND… I bought this wine myself without reaching out to the winery, so I could share this independent wine review so I have no insider’s info about it either.
Tasting Notes
The wine comes in a bright lemon-yellow color, with a bit of golden hues that place it in a color spectrum that is typical of a Chardonnay: quite intense, more on the golden side than the green one, like Sauvignon Blanc would typically be.
The nose is quite intense, and predominantly fruity: pear and ripe apricot, with touches of tropical, like dried pineapple and passion fruit.
There are also a wealth of waxy and nutty aromas to be smelt, together with buttery brioche as we expect from a Chardonnay, but not heavy or dominant ones here. Some might find hints of a smell of sulfite in the wine.
The palate is round, soft with good acidity. Balanced and dry.
The flavors are also fruity ones of apricot, plenty of floral notes as well like elderflower. More importantly, the wine feels very waxy, with a round texture making it feel oily. Subtle brioche and a lot of toasted hazelnut.
Overall
Arrogant Frog’s Lilly Pad White Chardonnay is a good approachable Chardonnay from the South of France. Approachable and fruity, with a decent acidity, it balances the varietal fruity characters with like and expect from Chardonnay, stonefruit and touches of tropical, with well-integrated oaky and leesy notes of sour-dough and brioche, hazelnut and was. Add floral tones of ‘pot-pourri’ and elderflower, and you end up with a well-made, rather complex wine that will satisfy most palates for an affordable price.
Enjoy 🙂
Please let me know your thoughts