There are rosés, and then there are rosés.
 
I’m generally easy to please when it comes to rosé. It’s easy, it’s refreshing, it pairs with a lot of different food, and it’s just as lovely on its own on a sunny afternoon. The color can’t help but hint at romance, or at very least whimsy. (And a happy Valentine’s weekend to you!)

In France, Provence is the rosé capital, and their style is crisp, mineral driven, often with hints of herbs. They have an institute for the study of rosé. They’ve got it dialed in. Even those that aren’t particularly interesting are usually quaffable. (Check out previous post on Provence here and here.)

Then there are a few rosés that are a cut above; that challenge your ideas of what rosé can be; that are distinctive. Clos Cibonne’s rosés are in this camp for me, as they are quite unique. This is largely due to their obscure star grape: Tibouren. The grape is usually blended with better known Provençal grapes like Cinsault and Grenache, but Clos Cibonne became famous for putting it front and center in their reds and rosés.

Tibouren is an ancient variety and there are many competing theories on its history. Wine Grapes notes that it is said to have been introduced to the region by a sea captain named Antiboulen in the late 18th century. Over time, the word morphed into Tibouren. Jaime Goode says that it originated in Mesopotamia and it’s named for the Tiber River. He says it was imported to Italy by the Greeks, and Caesar brought it with him to France, where it became established in Provence. Others say it came from Antibes in southeastern France, but there isn’t much proof other than the resemblance of the name.

Map borrowed from WineFolly.com.

The debate goes on, but however it got to France, it nearly met its end when phylloxera hit. Like so many other grapes, it was nearly wiped out by the vicious louse, and a lot of grapes were not replanted afterwards. Tibouren was nearly one of those varieties because it’s a finicky little sucker – it ripens unevenly, given uneven yields, is susceptible to a lot disease, and takes a lot of work to grow.

Lucky for Tibouren, however, it found a champion in André Roux, whose family owned Clos Cibonne. (The family had purchased the estate from a sea captain named Jean Baptiste de Cibon generations before.) When André took over the management of the property in the 1930’s, he began converting areas of the estate that had been growing fruit and flowers, to vineyards. In the process he rediscovers Tibouren and begins to replant it on their 15 hectares of vineyards. The estate is near Toulon, very close to the ocean, and the breezes help to keep the disease pressures at bay. It’s also able to reach full maturity in the sunny mediterreanen climate. André ultimately dedicated his life to improving the vineyards and working with Tibouren.

His work earned Clos Cibonne’s vineyards one of 18 'Cru Classé' designations in the region at the time. The château also received special permission to list the grape on the label, which isn’t typical for Provence.

Tibouren tends to have very distinctive aromas with floral and berry notes, as well as earthiness and scents of garrigue. The flavors become even more distinctive in some of their rosés thanks to the process they use to make it. The wines are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in then aged in 100-year-old, 1500L foudres. They allow a layer of fleurette (aka flor, a thin veil of yeast) to form much like in fino sherry. The flor adds more layers of complexity to the flavors and textures of the wine.

As for the winery’s modern history, it passed from André Roux to his daughter Jacqueline and her husband Emile Mourchou, then onto their daughter Bridget and her husband Claude Deforge. They’ve worked hard to update the winery and renovate the cellars, while preserving their traditions.

THE WINE AND PAIRING

Today’s wine is the Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Tibouren Cuvée Tradition Rosé 2017. The wine is 90% Tibouren, and 10% Grenache – that splash is basically to comply with the appellation’s rules.






On the day we opened the wine, we picked up notes of stone fruits, yellow flowers, chamomile, and tangerine skin on the nose. On the palate there were notes of peach, pink grapefruit, crushed strawberries, rainier cherry, and peach blossoms. There were also more complex notes of preserved lemons, savory herbs, cloves, and hints of other earthy, exotic spices. None of these notes were overwhelming. They kind of just danced in the background, so the wine was complex, but retained a delicacy. There was a beeswax roundness to the texture, all held up by fresh acidity.

This is a wine that could work easily with lots of different dishes, but for this pairing I wanted to tease out the more exotic notes in the wine. We considered fleshier fish like trout and salmon, or shellfish like shrimp, but ultimately went with chicken. I wanted to play with big flavors like preserved lemons (which can be made or store-bought), but keep them subtle in the food as they were in the wine, so I layered them lightly through various components and I relied on citrus flavors as a framework to keep things fresh and bright.

I opted for chicken breasts and prepared them sous vide. Among the things this technique is best for, is preparing foods that are easily overcooked such as delicate fish, pork tenderloin, and yes, chicken breasts. Not going to lie to you, we kind of find chicken breasts boring around here. We’re dark meat people. It certainly doesn’t help matters that chicken breasts dry out so easily.

Prepare them sous vide and all those problems go away. You can also play around with texture and temperatures that aren’t possible when you cook them through traditional means, due to health hazards that are no longer a problem when prepared this way. However, even if the thought of eating medium-rare chicken totally grosses you out and you cook them to a more standard level of doneness, the chicken remains very juicy. I opted for a temperature just a few degrees less than what might be considered normal, and then gave the chicken breasts a good sear afterwards to add a little charred smoky flavor.

(All of that said, you can absolutely prepare this dish the old-fashioned way and I give some general instructions for doing so at the end of the recipe.)

While the chicken breasts were cooking, I had my hands completely free and decided to make a couple of sides – couscous and roasted carrots. Both were pretty simple preparations, but gave me the chance to weave in flavors in different ways.

We loved this pairing. The combination pumped up the wine and subtly brought out those exotic notes, just as I’d been hoping. The pairing amplified the stone fruit and tangerine flavors in the wine, and brought out a little hint of curry. Greg noted that it also made the wine feel more robust. My only problem was that I had to keep myself from gulping down the wine, and had to remind myself to slow down and savor it.

Photo credit on all of the food and wine pics to Greg Hudson.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

I looked at multiple suggestions when considering what to pair with this wine, a lot of which sounded delicious. The importer’s website says  it makes a great pairing with red mullet fillets or tomato bouillabaisse, which I think would be fantastic. The winery’s website adds lamb curry. Elsewhere I saw green tomatoes, saffron, curry, and grilled chicken

As far as other wines to pair with this dish, I think fresher styles of orange wines (aka skin contact white wine) would be excellent here. Robust white wines with complex flavors balanced by good acidity, like white Rioja, South African Chenin, and Ribolla Gialla, could make for intriguing matches.

THE GEEKY DETAILS

Taken from the tech sheet on the importer’s website.

Grapes: 90% Tibouren, 10% Grenache
Vine Age: 30+ years
Site: Le Pradet at 50m
Soil: Schist
Farming: Practicing Organic
Vinification: Native yeast fermentations. After fermentation the wine is aged on the lees under fleurette for 1 year in 100-year-old foudres.

MONEY TALK

The SRP on this wine is $29 (the average on Wine Searcher is $27) and I think I paid just over that. I think that’s a Solid Value for a unique, carefully made wine, with so much history behind it.

Gotta catch ‘em all!

I think we wine geeks have a tendency to be drawn in by new and unfamiliar grapes like little sparkly gemstones. Oooh, shiny!!! I know this happens to me. Earlier this year I was reading Godforsaken Grapes (discussed in this post here) and the author, Jason Wilson, compares this phenomenon to Pokemon Go and needing to capture all of the various Pokemon.

It just happened that one day I’d been reading a section of the book on Wilson’s adventures through the Alpine regions of eastern France and the grapes he got to try there. Among those described was one called Altesse that I’d never tried before (at least not as a varietal wine). Later that day I went in to work a shift at the wine store and there appeared before me a bottle of Altesse. Well, that seemed serendipitous to say the least. I tried to resist, but of course ––I mean, who was I kidding? –– in the end a bottle ended up coming home with me.

One more in the bag!

This particular bottle comes from Bugey, a small town in the department of Ain halfway between Lyon and Geneva, Switzerland. It’s on the Rhône River and at the southern end of the Jura mountains. In essence, it’s at a crossroads not only between two countries, but also between regions within France as it’s right between Beaujolais, the Rhône, Jura, and Savoie, and it shows influences from all of them. Confusing matters further, it was also a part of Burgundy during medieval times. Bugey is often grouped together with Savoie (this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend topic, and it’s how I found it classified on the importer’s website and elsewhere). However, it turns out that it is really a small independent wine region all on its own. That's the about wine – there's always more to learn!

As convoluted as it all might seem, it actually makes sense that Bugey sometimes gets lumped in with Savoie. The two regions’ vineyards are within just a few kilometers of each other and the wine styles are very similar. They have similar continental climates, and the soils and topography are comparable. The regions also grow similar grapes including Chardonnay (the overall dominant grape in Bugey), Altesse, Aligoté, and Jacquère on the white wine front, and Gamay, Pinot Noir and Mondeuse on the red front. In both areas white wines are dominant. At the same time, they have their own terroir and the mix of influences give the region its own particular color. 

This map borrowed from WineFolly.com.

The vines in Bugey grow on the largely limestone slopes in the foot of the Jura mountains, which have the added benefit of helping with drainage. The vineyards are scattered on the hillsides, mixed among forests and farms. The best sites are on the south-facing slopes where they get lots of sunshine which helps give concentration to the grapes, and the fresh alpine air and altitude ensure they have plenty of freshness.

Bugey was elevated to AOC status in 2009, with certain crus having earned the right to append their name to the end. Today’s wine is a Roussette de Bugey Montagnieu. The Roussette de Bugey AOC is exclusively for wines made from the grape Roussette (aka Altesse) and this one comes specifically from the cru of Montagnieu. (You might also see just Bugey Montagnieu on a label, which would indicate a wine from the same vineyard area, but that AOC covers reds and sparkling whites.) Montagnieu faces southwest and enjoys all the positive factors discussed above, including rocky limestone soils and good drainage, which are important since the region does see a lot of rain.

This map borrowed from Hachette-vins.com.

Altesse is known for having body, good acidity, and combination nutty and floral notes. It also has the potential to age very well. The origins of the grape are somewhat disputed. The earliest mention of the grape was in 1774 by a Marquis who stated that it was originally from Cyprus, and that it took its name from one of the Dukes of Savoie (altesse meaning ‘highness’) who brought it back from the orient. It was later linked to Tokaji’s Furmint, however, that theory has been disproved. As romantic as the eastern origin stories are, it’s actually far more likely that it comes from near Lake Geneva. This theory is backed up by the fact that it’s genetically linked with Switzerland’s Chasselas grape.

THE WINE AND PAIRING

Today’s wine is the Franck Peillot Altesse Roussette de Bugey Montagnieu 2018, made by Franck Peillot. Franck is a 5th generation vine grower and took the operation over from his father who had farmed multiple different crops. He’s grown it to 6.5 hectares, which is still pretty tiny, and the operation is now predominantly focused on viticulture. His plots are isolated and scattered in the hills, surrounded by fields and woods. Some plots are so steep that they can only be worked with a winch and plow. Additionally, many of his vines are trained 2 meters high to ensure they get maximum sunlight in the cold climate. He farms as sustainably as possible under these conditions. 


As mentioned above, Altesse is a synonym for Roussette, so it might seem redundant to have both on the label. In the past, Chardonnay was also allowed in the blend, but Peillot believed that Altesse was a perfect vehicle for expressing the terroir. He preferred to bottle it on its own, and so put Altesse on the label as well. However, as of 2009 all Roussette de Bugey must be 100% Altesse. Notably, his Altesse is the recommended example of Roussette de Bugey Montagnieu in Wine Grapes, which I read only after the fact.

On the day we opened this bottle we picked up notes of lemon, minerals, gold apples, and hints of cheese rinds on the nose. On the palate it was round up front with the tangy citrus and those gold apples being joined by lots of crunchy green ones, as well as stone fruits, lots of minerals, and a bare hint of spicy nutiness. The wine is medium-bodied but there’s a lot of texture to the mouthfeel of the wine that’s creamy or beeswaxy. This gave way to a stony finish with lots of fresh acidity. Greg colorfully described it as a ‘bit of honey slapped down on a slab of marble with a hint of light yellow followers.’ There was also a sunshiny quality to this wine, like standing on an Alpine hilltop on brisk yet sunny day.

Cheese if often recommended as a pairing for Altesse – think of raclette from nearby Switzerland, which is also very popular in this area of France, melted on top of veggies. It’s also recommended as a pairing for garlicky foods, and the minerality is a natural match for seafood. We could see these matches working right away. If I had a plate of Oysters Rockefeller in front of me, I’d love a glass of this alongside it.

The thoughts tickled our fancy and we decided that a dish with a similar mix of components was the way to go. Crab and shrimp in particular kept coming to mind. We decided on crab which I layered between potatoes, cauliflower, and a creamy Mornay sauce, which is really just béchamel with cheese. To finish things off, I browned it all on top to create a gratin.

 
It was soooooo freak’n good! There are multiple components to this dish so it might seem a little intimidating, but it comes together in a little over an hour, and it is a showstopper. I prepared it in two small casserole dishes intended to be individual servings, but this dish was really decadent. Each of these individual dishes was easily two servings. You can also layer everything in a medium casserole dish and prep it altogether for simplicity.

The body of the wine matched the creamy texture of the food seamlessly, but then the fresh finish cleansed the palate to keep us coming back. All of the flavors harmonized beautifully and complemented each other. This pairing was a clear love match! 

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

Any cheesy or creamy dish with seafood, chicken, or veggies would be great with this wine: crab melts, shrimp cheese toast, chowder, shrimp and grits, chicken pot pie, etc. Other recommended pairings I found for Altesse include curries, garlic naan, caprese salad, sushi, and grilled veggies.

As far as other wines to pair with this dish, pick medium to full bodied white wines that are balanced by bright freshness. Many Chardonnays would definitely work here, or consider Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige, Lugana, Soave Classico, or a Verdicchio.


 

As a quick aside, among his other wines Franck Peillot also make a delightful traditional method sparkling wine that is a blend of Altesse, Mondeuse, and Chardonnay.

THE GEEKY DETAILS

Taken from the tech sheet on David Bowler Wines.

Variety: 100% Altesse.
Vine Age: Average 30 years old but get up to 60 to 100 years old.
Farming:  Vines are all tended and harvested by hand.
Winemaking: Fermentation is with native yeasts and aging only in steel tank and enamelled cement tanks—there is no wood  used in this cellar. Bottling is generally in March after the vintage.

MONEY TALK

I paid in the mid to upper twenties for this bottle and it looks like you can find it for less from what I can see on Wine Searcher. I feel like it delivered a lot at the price I paid for it, still making it a Solid Value, but if you can find it for less I’d call it an Overachiever.

When we travel to different wine regions, I try to pick different types of wineries in each location to get a better overall sense of the area. I admit I'm often drawn to smaller producers – perhaps I romanticize them a bit, or maybe it’s that seeing individuals, couples, and families making and selling wine makes the dream seem just a little more within reach, even if still extremely difficult. That said, there’s nothing inherently better or worse about wineries of different sizes and scopes. Good and bad wineries come in all forms. Moreover, a lot of times bigger, forward-thinking producers are the drivers of research and innovation in an area because they have the means to do it. Likewise, large long-lived wineries are often the basitions of an area’s winemaking history. It’s just a matter of searching out the right spots.

Co-operatives are wineries that are jointly owned by a group of growers who contribute grapes and share facilities and equipment. They’re sometimes easy to overlook when planning visits, but when we explored Valpolicella, just outside Verona in Veneto, we stopped into Cantina Valpolicella Negrar on a recommendation. It was extremely illuminating and I think  I’d recommend it as stop number one for anyone visiting the area interested in an introduction to the history of Amarone and how it’s made. Moreover, this is the likely birthplace of the Amarone style.

The history of Amarone is much shorter than you might think. Valpolicella’s history as a region is very long, but Amarone only arose as a style in the 1930’s. Amarone is a dry style of wine that is made via the appassimento process, which involves drying grapes after harvest so as to concentrate and intensify the sugars and flavors. In Valpolicella, the process was historically used in the production of sweet wines made from a blend of the region's red grapes, with Corvina in the lead. (I’ve previously discussed this process in conjunction with white, sweet Recioto di Soave at iLatium Morini here.)

Amarone supposedly came about as a happy accident. The story goes that a vat of wine intended for Recioto was left unattended, accidentally allowing the fermentation to go too long. When the cellar master, Adelino Lucchese, found this barrel, he discovered that rather than the sweet Recioto wine that was intended, they had a dry wine instead. This initially seemed like a big loss, but when they tasted the wine, they found it was rich and robust. It also carries a pleasant bitter (amaro) quality, hence it was eventually called Amarone, and a new style was born.

It’s not 100% certain this  story accurately describes how and where the first Amarone wines were made, but the oldest example bottlings found to date were produced at Cantina Negrar invintages ranging from 1936 to 1942, from an anonymous collector.

What’s particularly nice about a visit to Cantina Negrar is their small museum that lays out the process and history of Amarone really effectively. The exhibit leads you through various systems that have been used for the appassimento process throughout its history. Nowadays grapes are typically dried in crates in well-ventilated rooms, but I found the displays of the old styles quite beautiful to look at. 




The museum also had displays of all the different grapes that have been used in Valpolicella and their descriptors and properties.

Corvina leads the blend in Amarone, making up 45-95%, but it has quite a few friends including Corvinone (now identified as a distinct variety), Rondinella,  Oseleta (which is on the upswing), and Molinara (on the downswing) and  many others.

Nowadays, the co-op has 230 participating growers, encompassing over 700 hectares of vineyards, producing around 16 million bottles per year. They have a very dedicated winemaking team, and all work in the vineyards is done by hand with no machine harvesting. They work with their growers to farm sustainably and use eco-friendly practices. (Read more about their philosophy and practices here.) The winery also is very involved in research and innovation, partnering with institutions and universities to explore new technologies and biodiversity through experimental vineyards.
 
Note: Our visit to Cantina Valpolicella Negrar was comped as a member of the wine industry and press. As always, all opinions are my own.
 

The Wine and Pairing

The winery has two main lines. Cantina di Negrar is the more classic line. The Domìni Veneti line evolved from the winery’s Quality Project, which began in 1989. The project first worked to identify particularly exceptional areas of Valpolicella – essentially developing a cru system for their vineyards. They then worked hard alongside the growers to further increase the grape quality. The Domìni Veneti brand is the bottled  result of this work.


I recently picked up a bottle of the Domìni Veneti Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2015 at K&L in SF. According to their website, the winery considers this the “best-known and most representative product of our company philosophy.”

I recently got back from a vacay and jumped back into a busy week. Also, compared to the temps in the 70°’s and 80°’s (F) I’d been enjoying in Mexico, the high 40°’s to 60°’s of the Bay Area was a little chilly, so a bottle of Amarone seemed like a nice warm wine-hug to welcome us back.

On the day I opened this bottle, I picked up aromas of warm, dried and cooked red fruits like cherries, raspberries, red plums, and craisins alongside a sprig of mixed herbs. The fruit quality was fresher on the palate and was joined by rosemary and more herbs, as well as touches of licorice, spice, and bitter chocolate. It was nicely balanced with firm tannins and a good amount of acidity.

My notes from tasting the wine at the winery (same vintage) included similar descriptors, as well as tobacco and kirsch. I also noted that this wine showed comparatively more fresh fruit notes and spice versus the more traditional Cantina di Negrar bottling from the same vintage.

I’d planned on making braised lamb shanks and had scoped out several recipes to draw from. Once I tasted the savory herbal components in the wine, I decided on one that would allow me to incorporate some of these factors. I also decided to make the lamb shanks in my Instant Pot to save time. 




I used this recipe for Mediterranean Lamb Shanks directly from the Instant Pot website. I followed it pretty faithfully with the exception of a few small changes. I used lamb stock since I had some on hand, and I added a handful of rosemary sprigs to further weave in herbal components. The recipe only calls for 30 minutes of cooking time under pressure (aside from the pressure release time), but I would recommend leaving it longer next time. Cooked for this amount of time, the meat was fully cooked through and mostly tender, but there were chewier sections that would’ve been completely fall-apart tender given extra time. 




That said the sauce was sooooo lusciously delicious served with creamy polenta. It made a very good match for our Amarone, which lightened up a little bit further when sipped alongside our food. We both had big satisfied smiles on our faces as we enjoyed this pairing. 

Geeky Details

Taken from the tech sheet.

Blend: 60% Corvina, 15% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, and 10% other varieties as per DOCG regulations.
Vineyard: Located in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico area on dry terraces, between 150 and 450 metres above sea level. Southeast and southwest exposure. Loamy clay soil, sometimes limestone and over Eocene marl. Vineyard grassing.
Age of vines: 15-25 years.
Production:  Harvested between September and October, exclusively hand-picked. Drying until December/January in the drying room. Crushing at the beginning of February with de-stemming of the grapes Fermentation temperature from 12 to 23 °C. Slow maceration for 30 days, 12 of which cold. Manual punching-down three times a day. Complete malolactic fermentation. Wine aged in large oak barrels for at least 18 months and in bottles for another 6-8 months. Natural stabilisation.
Vintage 2015: A very balanced year, even if the summer was fairly dry, during which time the excess water supply from the rainy 2014 nourished the vines. Thanks to the warm and prolonged summer temperatures, the vines notably developed their photosynthesis, increasing the concentration of sugars and colors. The 2015 vintage is marked for its great balance and longevity, with very soft and sweet tannins.

The winery also makes the following serving recommendations:
It traditionally pairs well with game, grilled meat, braised meat and aged cheeses. Great with conversation after a meal.

Money Talk

I purchased this for $44.99 at K&L, which isn’t inexpensive, but reasonable for Amarone. Due to the production process, these wines tend to be a little pricey. They generally start at around $35 and climb quickly from there. I feel this was a Solid Value for a well-made version at the more moderately priced end at the spectrum. 

Traveling Tips

I mentioned up at the top that I try to pick wineries of different types when visiting an area. To give you an idea of how an itinerary of this kind can play out, here’s an example of the slate of the four wineries we visited while in Valpolicella at the end of 2018:

• Allegrini - Larger production, still family-owned, with historical roots, and driven towards innovation. 
• Cantina Valpolicella Negrar – Larger production, quality driven co-op, with a lot of history behind it.
• iLatium Morini - Medium-ish, family-owned, outside the classico zones, making various styles in both red and white.  
• La Marognole - Boutique, family-owned, on the newer side. (Well, for Italy anyways – it started in 2004.)
  

We really enjoyed our visits at each of these places and each showed us a different facet of winemaking in the area.

• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares "On Wine Co-ops, Sicily's Cantine Settesoli and Mandrarossa Winery"
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Celebrate Chinese New Year, Observe Italian wine coop evolution, OMG yummy Prosecco!”
• Katarina at Grapevine Adventures shares "Cincinnato - A Cooperative in Lazio Focused on Native Grapes"
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Prosecco, coop-style: What do these tasters say?”
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Popping the Corks on Cooperative Prosecco”
• Marcia at Joy of Wine shares "Cooperetiva Produttori del Barbaresco"
• Jen at Vino Travels Italy shares “Italian Wine Cooperatives with Prosecco from Val d’Oca”
• Liz at What's in That Bottle shares "What’s Up with Italian Wine Cooperatives?"
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares "Godendo Aperitivo Prima di Cena "
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares "Alpine Wine Cooperative - How Things Roll in Alto Adige"
• Susannah at Avvinare shares “Visiting Lake Garda through the wines of Cantina Colli Morenici”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares "The Italian Wine Cooperative Surprise"
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares "Hardworking Kids, Fresh Pasta, and a Red Wine from Vallevò"
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator matches 3 Bottles of Bubbles from Italy’s Val D’Oca Paired with Butternut Crab Bisque and Polenta Shrimp.

Today I’m continuing the new year back to basics with a look at French wine essentials. 

We kicked off 2020 with a look at Italian wine essentials, and luckily France has a far more manageable number of regions to get to know than Italy. Still, today we’ll cover seven of the most famous major regions to keep things manageable. I will also be updating this page from time to time, as I add new content.

Before we get to know the zone though, let’s cover a few other essential details that will hopefully come in handy when picking out a bottle of French wine. 

LABELING

Naming

In France naming almost always goes by the region (as opposed to in Italy, where it can be by region or grape or a combo, or in the New World where we usually label by grape.) So while the bottle might say “Burgundy,” for example, it’s assumed that the buyer would know that a red wine from this region is made of Pinot Noir, and a white wine is made of Chardonnay.

The Quality Pyramid(s)

There are three tiers in the general French quality pyramid. From the top down they are:

• AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) – This indicates geographical origin of the wine, and wines must also adhere to certain quality standards and general style to receive the status. This might include grapes, yields, and alcohol level among other things. The Europe-wide equivalent of AOC is AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée).

• VdP (Vin de Pays) – means 'wine of the land'.This category focuses on geographical origin rather than style and tradition, and gives winemakers more freedom than allowed under AOC rules. Its Europe-wide equivalent is IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée).

• VdF (Vin de France) – is the most basic tier. (It replaced the Vin de Table category in 2010.) It’s the least regulated category, but also the least used. VdF wines can be made from grapes grown anywhere in France, and the labels don’t mention a specific region of origin, and vintage and grape variety may or may not be included.

Beyond this, different regions have different ways of indicating further quality tiers. Many have levels of “crus”, but the ways they’re implemented vary from place to place; for example, rank might be applied by the vineyard, village, château, etc. I’ve done my best to give an overview by region below where applicable.

Beyond this, different regions have different ways of indicating further quality tiers. Many have levels of “crus”, but the ways they’re implemented vary from place to place; for example, rank might be applied by the vineyard, village, château, etc. I’ve done my best to give an overview by region below where applicable. 

See this article on Wine Searcher for additional labeling terms.

KEY REGIONS

Champagne

A selection of Champagnes I've recently enjoyed in different styles: Marc Hebrart Brut Primier Cru, Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Sélection Belles Anées Blanc de Blancs Brut, Dhondt-Grellet Les Terres Fines Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Extra Brut, Pierre Gerbais L'Audace Brut Nature, Launois Cuvée Reserve Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne.

Let’s kick things off with a festive note and the diva of the sparkling wine world. This diva, however, doesn’t live in the most forgiving of climates. Located about an hour’s train ride from Paris, Champagne is France’s northernmost wine region. so it gets quite cold here. It’s also situated inland, giving it a continental climate. It’s famous for its chalky soils, and the elaborate caves of many big Champagne houses have been carved out of these chalky soils.

Star Grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier

Supporting Players: You don’t hear about them that often, but there are actually other grapes allowed in the Champagne blend: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier and Arbane.

Key Areas:  Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and The Aube. You don’t tend to see these in prominent position on labels as much at the moment, because traditionally producers have blended grapes from many areas. However, there is growing interest in terroir driven Champagne, so it’s possible you might start to see them more often in the future.

Other Imports Factors: Champagne is made via the traditional method, which means there are two fermentations, and the second fermentation that creates the bubbles occurs in bottle.

Knowing the sweetness scale terms is useful for finding a bottle you like or that suits your purposes:

Doux 50+ g/l RS
 
Extra Credit: Champagne has a couple of still wine appellations: Rosé de Riceys and Coteaux Champenois.

Champagne is always a perfect accompaniment to a cheese plate! Pictured here is a Brut from Henriot.

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Bordeaux

A selection of Bordeaux bottles, mostly from dinner parties. Thanks to all who poured us baller bottles: Top: Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan 2012,  Ch. Leoville-Las Cases Clos du Marquis Saint-Julien 1996. Bottom: Ch. Kirwan Margaux 2010, Ch. La Graviere Blanc Entre-deux-Mers 2018, Ch. Haut Bergeron L'Ilot de Haut-Bergeron Sauternes 2016.

Bordeaux has pretty much been always been “a thing” thanks to its clutch location as a port on the Atlantic Ocean, so the business of wine has always been as visible here as the craft of wine. International entities are big players in the region, and the en primeur system, which is essentially a futures market, can give the impression that these wines are more like stocks than something to drink. In between all the hullabaloo of the region’s famous châteaux, there are smaller producers making affordable wines as well.

Star Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.

Supporting Players: Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere. White wines from the region are from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.

Key Areas: The Gironde estuary begins at the meeting point of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, which then gives way to the Atlantic Ocean. The bodies of water form the framework for understanding the region, dividing it into its major subregions: the Left Bank (which splits into the Médoc and Graves); the Right Bank (the most famous sub-regions are Pomerol and Saint-Emilion); and Entre-Deux-Mer is the land in between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. The grapes don’t really change, but they flip in importance depending on where you are. Cabernet Sauvignon is king on the Left Bank and tends to play greater importance in the blends there. Meanwhile, Merlot drives the blends of the Right Bank, often with an assist from Cab Franc. In general the other red grapes, serve as “seasoning” throughout the region. Entre-Deux-Mer is the main area for white wine production, and is the home of the region’s famous dessert wines, such as Sauternes.

Other Important Factors: In Bordeaux it’s all about the château. Cru status is awarded to the winery, rather than to the vineyard or village. Things get a little confusing here too because the different subsections have different cru systems. That said, the classification system is of most particular importance on the Left Bank, where the châteaus were ranked into 5 tiers of growths or crus. Napoleon III created the rankings in 1855 and they haven’t changed much since. There has been only one change to the 1st Growths in all of that time, when Château Mouton Rothschild joined Châteaus Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Magaux, and Haut-Brion after years of petitioning and work.

BdX Blanc has a little more texture than a lot of other styles of Sauvignon Blanc thanks to the other grapes, as well as the winemaking, so it can handle foods with a little more texture as well, like this chicken with gravy and bacon.

Chateau La Graviere Blanc Entre-deux-Mers 2018

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Burgundy

Located south of Champagne, Burgundy has a similarly cold, continental climate. In one sense it’s among the easiest wine regions to get a handle on, as you’re generally talking about two grapes. On the other hand, this is TERROIR central, definitely all caps. Burgundy can frustrate and beguile in equal measure and you can easily spend a lifetime studying it alone.

Star Grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Key Areas: From north to south the major subregions are Chablis, the Côte-d’Or (which is split into the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune), the Côte Chalonnaise, and the Mâconnais. The most famous vineyards in Burgundy – the Grand Crus – are all located in the Côte-d’Or, but there are good values to be found in the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais. Chablis kind of marches to the beat of its own drummer in terms of style, which is much leaner and steelier than the rest of the region.

Other Imports Factors: It’s all about the terroir in Burgundy. Their Cru hierarchy is organized around the vineyards, and you usually have many producers making wines from the same vineyard. Each grower might own just a few rows. From the top down their quality pyramid levels are Grand Cru (such as Clos de Vougeot, Corton, and Montrachet), Premier Cru (such as Volnay and Vosne Romanée), village (like Meursault, Morey-Saint-Denis, and Santenay), and regional wines. See this useful guide on Wine Searcher to understanding labels from Burgundy.

Extra Credit: There are always exceptions in wine, even in Burgundy which is so hyper-focused on two grapes. You’ll also find Gamay, Aligoté, and Saint-Bris is an appellation dedicated to wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. Pinot and Chard so dominate in the region though, that they’re more like cameo appearances than supporting players.

This Domaine Savary Chablis paired beautifully with Scallops and Brussels Sprouts.

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  Beaujolais

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2017 and Jean-Louis Dutraive Domaine de la Grand'Cour La Part des Grives Fleurie 2015 . Morgon and Fleurie are two of the Crus of Beaujolais.

Beaujo, as a wine region, is often counted as the southernmost part of Burgundy, but it’s also governmentally a part of the Rhône. Yeah, that’s weird. It’s also known for a different grape than Burgundy, so we’ll go ahead and count it as it’s own thing for our purposes here. The red wines tend to be light to medium bodied and are extremely food friendly.

Star Grape: Gamay

Supporting player: Chardonnay. If you see a Beaujolais Blanc, Chard would be the grape.

Key Areas: Beaujolais has a few quality tiers. You have the base level regional Beaujolais, and Beaujolais Villages is a step up from that. Then the are the Beaujolais Crus –– 10 villages that have proven their quality over time, and get to have their names appear on the label instead of Beaujolais. They are: Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Régnié, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, Chenas, Julienas, and Saint-Amour.

Other Important Factors: Nouveau. The famous harvest wines that are released the third Thursday of every year helped make a name for the region, but they’re not all the region is about. These wines are made using a technique called carbonic-maceration that makes for fresh, fruity, easy drinking wines intended for early consumption. They can be fun, but the Crus also produce elegant, more serious wines. 

Beaujolais Cru is super versatile. Here I paired a bottle of Domaine Lucien Lardy Moulin-a-Vent Les Thorins 2017 with leftover salmon with cauliflower gnocchi and veggies. If you're looking for reds to pair with seafood, Beaujolais are a go-to becasue the tannins tend to not be too intense.

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Rhône

Not going to lie to you, I have a major soft spot of the Rhône. My “epiphany wine,”  was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the region is still a favorite. The Rhône Valley follows the Rhône River and is split into major sub-zones – north and south. One of the major factors differentiating the two zones is that the Northern Rhône specializes more specifically on certain grapes, while the Southern Rhône is all about blends.

Northern Rhône

Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60 2011, Maison Nicolas Perrin Condrieu 2010, and Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie 2007.

Star Grapes: Syrah – all of the Northern Rhône’s red wines are based on it.  White wines are based on Viognier, Marsanne, and/or Roussanne depending on the appellation.

Key Areas: St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Château Grillet (both white only), and St. Péray. There’s not an official hierarchy among these appellations, but for red wines Hermitage, Cornas, and Côte-Rôtie tend to be highly prized, while you’re likely to find more value option in St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage.

Extra Credit: In some areas the red wines are co-fermented with a little bit of their white wines, most notably.

Southern Rhône

Famille Perrin Gigondas La Gille 2016 . This bottle is a sample and still waiting to be opened, but the Perrin wines are pretty reliably great buys.

Star Grapes: The Southern Rhône is all about the blends and the star red grapes are Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, often referred together as “GSM” blends.

Supporting Players: Quite a few more grapes are allowed in the blends of the region though. Chatauneuf-du-Pape, for example, has a total of 13 permitted grapes.

Key Areas: Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the star appellation of the Southern Rhône, followed up by Gigondas and Vacqueras. Appellations like Rasteau and Lirac aren’t as famous and can present excellent values. Côtes-du-Rhône is the regional appellation (technically this can cover the Northern Rhône too, but in practice most are from the south.) Côtes-du-Rhône Villages is a step up in quality, and few villages get to append their name on the label. 

Clos du Joncuas Vacqueyras La Font de Papier

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Alsace

All kinds of Alsace!: Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Gris 2016, Domaine Weinbach Riesling Clos des Capucins Cuvee Theo, Schoffit Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint-Theobald 2016, and Valentin Zusslin Cremant d'Alsace Brut.

Heading up to northern France again for a moment to Alsace, another of my soft spots. Alsace is on the border with Germany and was historically caught in a tug of war between the two countries. As a result, this area shows a blend of cultural influences from the two as well.  Alsace is also the one region in France that as rule labels by variety.

Star Grapes: I’d say Riesling is the superstar here, which tends to be made in a dry style here, although sweet styles are definitely also common. Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, are the other “noble grapes” of the region. Sylvaner gets noble grape status when it comes from Zotzenberg vineyard.

Supporting Players: Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, and Chardonnay are other important white grapes for the region, and are often included in blends like Edelzwicker. Pinot Noir is the red grapes of the area, but the white wines are bigger stars here.

Other Important Factors: Alsace has two quality tiers – general Alsace and Alsace Grand Cru. Only the noble grapes can be planted in the Grand Cru vineyards, with the exception that Sylvaner is planted in the Grand Cru

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Loire

Gauthier Pere et Fils Domaine du Bel Air Bourgueil Jour de Soif with a bowl of pasta and zoodles and a super chill night with friends.

We drink a lot of Loire in our house as the region provides great value and a lot of food friendly options. This region follows the Loire River as it moves from east to west toward the Atlantic. As it stretches quite a ways, there are  a lot of climatic differences between its subregions, and with that goes quite a bit of grape diversity.  It also complicates things bit, since each section is distinct. Overall, star grapes include Sauv Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, and Cab Franc, but we'll break it down by area.

Here are the sub zones moving from west to east towards the ocean.

Central Vineyards

Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Les Monts Damnes Chavignol 2016 and Domaine Adele Rouzes Quincy 2017 . Two great Sauv Blanc options from the Loire. Sancerre is a classic, but look to lesser known appellations like Quincy for really greta values.

Star Grape: Sauvignon Blanc

Supporting Players: Pinot Noir. The whites are more celebrated but the reds are generally from Pinot.

Key Areas: Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé are the two most famous appellations. Other appellations, like Quincy, as worth exploring for more value options.

Touraine

Domaine Guion Bourgueil Cuvee Domaine. Loire Cab Francs are another great option for when you're looking to pair a red with seafood. We had this one with salmon with salsa verde and hasselback sweet potatoes.

Star Grapes: Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc

Supporting Players: Sauvignon Blanc (which is actually more widely planted than Chenin), Chardonnay,and Pinot Gris among the white wines. Côt (aka Malbec ), Gamay, Pinot Noir,  Grolleau Noir, Pineau d'Aunis, Pinot Meunier, and among the red wines.

Key Areas: Vouvray made of Chenin Blanc. Chinon and Bourgeuil, both Cabernet Franc based.

Anjou

Star Grapes: Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc

Supporting Players: Côt (aka Malbec), Gamay, Cabernet grapes, with a little help from Gamay and Pineau d'Aunis on the red side. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay among the white wines.

Key Areas: There are several celebrated Chenin Blanc appellations here including Savennières and Côteaux du Layon. Saumur from Cabernet Franc.

Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Tuffe 2017 and chicken with roasted radishes and romanesco. Loire Cab Francs are a veggie lover's friend.

Muscadet

Star Grape: Melon de Bourgogne

Key Areas: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine. The wines here reflect their maritime location near the ocean and tend to be lean, crisp, with briny seashell minerality.

Other Important Factors: Wines labeled sur lie, have been aged on the lees to add a little bit of texture.

This Frères Couillaud Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie Cuvée Amélie (sample) made an amazing pairing with seafood. It was EXCELLENT with mussels and leeks.

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The rest of the French Winophiles also got back to wine basics this month. Check out their posts here:

• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “French Wine…Where to Begin?”
• Pierre and Cynthia at Traveling Wine Profs share “Exploring French Wine on a Tight Budget at Trader Joe’s”
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Cam shares “Deciphering French Wine Labels”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Mediterranean Shrimp with a Corsican Wine”
• Jill at L’Occasion shares “Your Ticket To French Wine Is Actually A Map“
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Learn about Wines from the Bourgueil AOC While Eating Pork Tongue Head Cheese + Napa Cabbage Salad”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “One Name to Get You Started on French Wine”
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Discover French Wine: Where to Start”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares two:
• “Introduce a Friend to French Wine 1: Chateauneuf – du – Pape and Cassoulet”
• Introduce a Friend to French Wine 2: Loire’s St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOC Les Quaterones, Amirault #Winophiles
• Susannah at Avvinare adds “Start Your French Wine Study With Beaujolais ”
• Terri at Our Good Life shares "Newcomer's Guide to French Wine: the Burgundies"
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “French Wine 101: Taste for Yourself”

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