An oddball and some drums, humming

Schoffit Chasselas, Alsace, 2006
This is the oddball. I bought it because I had no idea what it was when I stumbled across it at Beltramo's in Menlo Park.
Semi-sweet, a lot of spice, sort of a cross between viognier and gewurz, but with additional richness. Pretty good; interesting.
It says "Old vines" on the label. 13% alcohol, $18.99.
My copy of Parker has one or two sentences about Chasselas and doesn't associate it with Alsace at all - he refers to it as a Loire wine from the Sancerre region.
A pleasant wine with a supper omelet, but I won't search it out again.

Clos LaChance Chardonnay, Monterey County, 2005
Rather underwhelming. Buttery, melony, with overtones of lemon. One-dimensional and not much length. Lack of oak doesn't guarantee a great bottle. 13.5% alcohol, $15.99 at BevMo

Leth Roter Veltliner, Wagram, Austria, 2006, "Lagenreserve". LIght, lemony, Riesling-ish, pleasant, no bargain by my standards at $25.99 from Beltramo's. 14% alcohol.

John

I've enjoyed Chasselas in Switzerland (where it is known as Fendant) and makes a good dry wine, very refreshing at lunchtime when walking in the mountains.

I didn't know about it in Alsace, but Oz Clarke/Margaret Rand have an interesting peice about it in their 'Grapes & Wines', saying it is being replaced in Alsace and Pouilly sur Loire where "the Pouilly Fume appellation was so called to distinguish the superior Sauvignon Blanc wine from the Chassles based Pouilly sur Loire"

They say in Switzerland it "reaches peaks of quality that it attains nowhere else."

It's difficult to judge a variety on the evidence of just one bottle.

The grape variety also plays a role in the Savoie Appellation.

Sorry, I didn't mean to judge the variety - what I intended to convey was that I wasn't so impressed that I'd go searching for more. If I happen to run across it again, and I'm in the mood, I might well take another flier.
John

Just a few random thoughts:
Schoffit's wines often have quite high residual sugar, in my experience, and that isn't always attractive in a Chasselas.

Chasselas was widespread in Alsace pre-2nd world war and since has gradually almost died out.

There are stunning Chasselas wines of the highest quality in several parts of Switzerland, most particularly from the steep south-facing slopes of Lake Geneva in the canton of Vaud around Dézaley and other villages.

Yes, Savoie grows Chasselas on the southern shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) in the department of Haute Savoie, in the AC of Crépy (most of which is crappy), and in the crus of Ripaille, Marin and Marignan. Château de Ripaille producers a consistently decent, though not spectacular example, and there is a producer in Marin called Delalex who also produces a good example, especially from a single vineyard called Clos du Pont.

Final observation: Curiously, although Chasselas is thought of generally as a lowly grape and also has relatively low acidity, it has an unexpected ability to age as shown in the best Swiss examples and in the two Haute Savoie crus I mentioned.

I thought a Boxler Chasselas was interesting a couple years ago,but not compelling enough to go back for more. I thought this one had decent acidity (as Boxler usually does). My note makes the same varietal comparison as yours!
2004 Albert Boxler Chasselas (I
looked but didn't see any of those little lot numbers that Boxler uses
for some wines). Unsure I've ever had a varietal Chasselas before; I
bought this because I had a gift certificate at a store where
everything I knew was overpriced (I'm sure this was too, but at least I
didn't KNOW it, no basis of comparison). Interesting- floral and
tropical, but with a good acidic backbone. Kind of Gewurztraminer meets
Viognier, with a dash of Pinot Gris. Mostly floral/musky, with some
quince/tropical fruit flavors. More minerally than fruity, but a little
lacking in depth and concentration. Still, worth trying once. B

Knew Chasselas was Fendant, and that it was grown in Savoie, but didn't know re Loire. Does anyone know what the Loire wines are called?

I've thought that a Clos La Chance red was pretty good value, sorry the Chard wasn't

I thought a Boxler Chasselas was interesting a couple years ago,but not compelling enough to go back for more. I thought this one had decent acidity (as Boxler usually does). My note makes the same varietal comparison as yours!
2004 Albert Boxler Chasselas (I
looked but didn't see any of those little lot numbers that Boxler uses
for some wines). Unsure I've ever had a varietal Chasselas before; I
bought this because I had a gift certificate at a store where
everything I knew was overpriced (I'm sure this was too, but at least I
didn't KNOW it, no basis of comparison). Interesting- floral and
tropical, but with a good acidic backbone. Kind of Gewurztraminer meets
Viognier, with a dash of Pinot Gris. Mostly floral/musky, with some
quince/tropical fruit flavors. More minerally than fruity, but a little
lacking in depth and concentration. Still, worth trying once. B

Knew Chasselas was Fendant, and that it was grown in Savoie, but didn't know re Loire. Does anyone know what the Loire wines are called?

I've thought that a Clos La Chance red was pretty good value, sorry the Chard wasn't

It's used mainly with Sauvignon Blanc for Pouilly sur Loire wines.

It's used mainly with Sauvignon Blanc for Pouilly sur Loire wines.

Thanks Thomas, I knew Pouilly-sur-Loire weren't pure SB, but somehow thought it was Chardonnay (like Cheverny) or Chenin that was other grape. Duh!

Pedantry rules:

Knew Chasselas was Fendant

Fendant is the pseudonym only in the canton of Valais, and gives an image of cheap, cheerful Chasselas to drink by the jug whilst skiing! Serious Swiss Chasselas isn't usually called Fendant!

It's used mainly with Sauvignon Blanc for Pouilly sur Loire wines.

Not quite ... Appellation Contrôlée Pouilly sur Loire = 100% Chasselas. There are 34ha (approx 85 acres) grown there - the specialist writer on the Loire for my guides, Jim Budd, describes it as an "historical curiosity" producing only "pleasant enough wines".
By the way, if anyone is ever sitting wine exams e.g. Wine & Spirit Education Trust, this is a typical multi-choice trick question!

Pedantry rules:

Knew Chasselas was Fendant

Fendant is the pseudonym only in the canton of Valais, and gives an image of cheap, cheerful Chasselas to drink by the jug whilst skiing! Serious Swiss Chasselas isn't usually called Fendant!

It's used mainly with Sauvignon Blanc for Pouilly sur Loire wines.

Not quite ... Appellation Contrôlée Pouilly sur Loire = 100% Chasselas. There are 34ha (approx 85 acres) grown there - the specialist writer on the Loire for my guides, Jim Budd, describes it as an "historical curiosity" producing only "pleasant enough wines".
By the way, if anyone is ever sitting wine exams e.g. Wine & Spirit Education Trust, this is a typical multi-choice trick question!

Thank you, Wink, for the fine tuning.

Incidentally, I hate it when a test is designed to trick someone. To me, learning is a process and I don't mean a rote process

Incidentally, I hate it when a test is designed to trick someone. To me, learning is a process and I don't mean a rote process

As someone who crafts tests for a living, I couldn't agree more, Thomas. "Trick" questions that exploit the exception to the rules are a gimmick and do a poor job of testing understanding as a rule. On the other hand, questions that simply require the students to regurgitate examples given in their book or notes encourage rote memorization and likewise fail to encourage learning. I try to craft test questions that take familiar principles and apply them to examples that are closely related to earlier examples, yet unfamiliar. That's easy to do in the physical sciences, but probably less easy to accomplish in some other fields.

Mark Lipton

Incidentally, I hate it when a test is designed to trick someone. To me, learning is a process and I don't mean a rote process

As someone who crafts tests for a living, I couldn't agree more, Thomas. "Trick" questions that exploit the exception to the rules are a gimmick and do a poor job of testing understanding as a rule. On the other hand, questions that simply require the students to regurgitate examples given in their book or notes encourage rote memorization and likewise fail to encourage learning. I try to craft test questions that take familiar principles and apply them to examples that are closely related to earlier examples, yet unfamiliar. That's easy to do in the physical sciences, but probably less easy to accomplish in some other fields.

Mark Lipton

Mark,

Of course, you know that I consider wine a physical science

you know that I consider wine a physical science

I thought it was a craft. No. Let me remember correctly. It is an art.

Or did we already have this discussion..

you know that I consider wine a physical science

I thought it was a craft. No. Let me remember correctly. It is an art.

Or did we already have this discussion..

What discussion? Why wasn't I invited to it???

Incidentally, wine is none of the above: it is insidious.

you know that I consider wine a physical science

I thought it was a craft. No. Let me remember correctly. It is an art.

Or did we already have this discussion..

Yes, we did, but you forget: it is a hobby. Right?

Mark Lipton

you forget: it is a hobby. Right?

Indeed indeed. I did forget.

you know that I consider wine a physical science

I thought it was a craft. No. Let me remember correctly. It is an art.

Or did we already have this discussion..

Yes, we did, but you forget: it is a hobby. Right?

Mark Lipton

Exactly. A physical science hobby. No?

A physical science hobby. No?

No, it's a drink ...

It is the discussions, articles, forums (and possibly tests/exams) that are quite possibly a physical science hobby.

A physical science hobby. No?

No, it's a drink ...

It is the discussions, articles, forums (and possibly tests/exams) that are quite possibly a physical science hobby.

I agree, it's a drink, but the discussions, articles, fori and test exams are something much less than a physical science hobby--maybe they are more like that thing that we were once told that if we kept doing it we would go crazy

Schoffit Chasselas, Alsace, 2006
This is the oddball. I bought it because I had no idea what it was when I stumbled across it at Beltramo's in Menlo Park.
Semi-sweet, a lot of spice, sort of a cross between viognier and gewurz, but with additional richness. Pretty good; interesting.
It says "Old vines" on the label. 13% alcohol, $18.99.
My copy of Parker has one or two sentences about Chasselas and doesn't associate it with Alsace at all - he refers to it as a Loire wine from the Sancerre region.
A pleasant wine with a supper omelet, but I won't search it out again.

Thanks for the interesting note on this wine, John. I have some 2002 or possibly 2004 in the cellar bought on a local purveyor's recommendation for something a bit different. I'll have to unleash it on some unsuspecting off-liners in the near future to calibrate against your impressions.

-Michael