Summer is nearly gone, and I'm kind of pissed off about it. I don't really have a legit reason to be, though. I did get to do a lot of cool stuff. I camped all around Michigan's lake shore, including during an exceptional trip to Drummond Island.
Ultimately, it's easy to see the time hurry by. Working in the wine industry, we all start gearing up for the holidays pretty early. It's August, and plans are in the mix. We can all feel that transition starting, and there's a lot of great things that go along with it.
We don't sell a great amount of red wine in the summer. And hey, I've drunk exactly one bottle of red wine since Memorial Day, but probably about a case of rosés and 2-3 cases of whites. The latest adventure into finding an excellent but inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc led me to Loire. Usually, joyous and lively fruit is not part of the equation for *any* wine from Loire under $15. It simply does not come that cheap to us here in Michigan.
Domaine de la Charmoise is located in AC Touraine, a much more general (less lauded) area within the Loire. Really, it's a growing area around the city of Tours (about 13,000 acres worth of vines). Some of the better regarded areas within the AC Touraine are allowed to add the village name onto the bottle. Domaine de la Charmoise is not one of those examples.
Domaine de la Charmoise does come with some credentials. Henri Marrionet is the producer, and has honed in on crafting some good value-oriented wines from a region known for Sauvignon Blanc (usually for more than $20) from Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé.
Today's Sauvignon Blanc was decent. Some minerality and lemon on the nose, but the poor little guy didn't have a shot at complexity or depth. The body continued on as such: straightforward conflation of lemon and mineral. Yeah, it was refreshing (even with a slightly peculiar vegetal finish). But this was not an interesting gem wrested from obscurity.
Totally drinkable, totally enjoyable. Totally fine wine to drink on the porch and watch your neighbors change a tire.
Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, 2006: 7.5 ($11-16)
Pairs with "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts, or perhaps a little Trampled Rose from Robert Plant & Allison Krauss.
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2 comments:
Give this stuff a try, great flavor for such a low price, $9 or less:
Nobilo Wines Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2007
I like Nobilo a fair amount. There's something unique to their wines that I've noticed over the years. I actually wrote on this blog about Nobilo back in December of '06.
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