Neglected French Wines

Anyone that has travelled in France will, (if a wine aficionado who always seeks out a taste of whatever is interesting), know of several areas that produce wines that are worthy but that we rarely see here.

Some are a little bit unusual in taste and wouldn't appeal to the vast horde - Jura, for instance.

Some are present in small numbers - Madiran and Cahors are both worthy but never seem to attain a serious presence in a market.

Some are killer value as well as being worthy - Bergeracs and Pecharmants in particular are excellent and a fraction the price of similar wines made a few kilometers west in Bordeaux.

I'm writing in favour of another neglected wine, though - the Gaillac down near Toulouse has been a productive area since Roman times. Some whites are decent, but the reds made from such grapes as Duras and Braucol (aka Fer Servadou) , when not made in the early Beaujolais style, are serious wines with some interesting flavours. I've tasted only a few, in France and on this continent when some wine agent was looking for something new to bring in (though that never went very far) and think it is a shame we don't see them here given the modest price they usually bring.

If anyone has any experience with them, or knows of sources for them in North America, I'd be interested to hear about it. And I have been searching for wine from the 'lost' grape Prunelart for years.

See http://www.vins-gaillac.com

I grab a Gaillac whenever I can but slim pickings here in AB.

Even on this side of the Atlantic it is not too easy to come by interesting Gaillac. Too many examples are excessively dumbed down by international grape varieties, e.g. Syrah, Merlot, Sauvignon blanc. I have, however, been very impressed at tastings by the original flavours of wines, mainly from local grapes, made by Michel Issaly and Causse Marines. Domaine Plageoles is universally praised and I would snap up any of their wines I see. I think that the commercial penetration of the appellation is hindered, even in France, by the multiplicity of grapes and styles.

True, even in France you don't see a small area's wines when you are even a little way out of their area.

And I agree with the 'wimpification' of rustic wines with great terroir - Madiran loaded up with softer varietals as opposed to 100% Tannat, Malbecs that are 'softened' with as much merlot as is allowed, Aveyron wines with cabernet instead of fer servadou. etc.

Guess we need someone like Kermit Lynch to champion these small areas with wines traditionally made, but it surely wouldn't be a big money maker for them.

[Jenise]

Have never tasted anything from Gaillac.

Speaking of rare grapes, I've got a TN to write about the Mission grape. Went into a geeky wine bar in San Francisco that actually had THREE on the menu, and I had a lively conversation with the man responsible for putting them there.

Mission is an odd one - sounds like it should be a Vitis labrusca but isn't. Pretty uninteresting for the most part

Mission grapes suited the wine tastes of the early days when sweet wine and brandy were the mainstays. As far as making dry table wine, Mission has many detriments, however, including weak color, bland flavor and poor acidity. While mission is a dark-skinned grape, it makes very light-colored red wine and usually brownish-toned white wine. Although this begs the question of use for table wine at all, better vineyard management and improvements in wine making enable better quality wines to be made from Mission today than ever before.

Interesting article at http://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article ... 023418.php

Conclusion:

But as a wine drinker, I fear that Mission wine, whether dry or fortified, delivers more pleasure from novelty than from taste.

I am always fascinated to hear about any oddball grape at all, so will look forward to your experiences with Mission. I wonder what else is floating around out there?

wines that are worthy but that we rarely see here...

Some are a little bit unusual in taste and wouldn't appeal to the vast horde - Jura, for instance.

So has the Jura not caught on in Canada?

It's certainly not as famous as Bordeaux/Burgundy/Rhone, but it has become one of the big hipster wine areas in the US in recent years, and therefore a must-have for so many wine lists/wine stores.

So has the Jura not caught on in Canada?

Nope - a single listing for a reasonable white and a half dozen starting at ~$150 for various Bourdy gems, plus one Bourdy bubbly at a reasonable price in private stores. Not at all popular in BC. Quebec likes them, though.

So has the Jura not caught on in Canada?

Nope - a single listing for a reasonable white and a half dozen starting at ~$150 for various Bourdy gems, plus one Bourdy bubbly at a reasonable price in private stores. Not at all popular in BC. Quebec likes them, though.

There is currently only one at the LCBO in Ontario: a Marcel Cabelier Chardonnay Vieille Vignes. I haven't had, or even seen it. There may be private imports by the agents, but I don't know of any way to search them.

Mission is an odd one - sounds like it should be a Vitis labrusca but isn't. Pretty uninteresting for the most part

Mission grapes suited the wine tastes of the early days when sweet wine and brandy were the mainstays. As far as making dry table wine, Mission has many detriments, however, including weak color, bland flavor and poor acidity. While mission is a dark-skinned grape, it makes very light-colored red wine and usually brownish-toned white wine. Although this begs the question of use for table wine at all, better vineyard management and improvements in wine making enable better quality wines to be made from Mission today than ever before.

My TN's from last week had 4 Calif Missions in them. Not profound wines, but tasty.
Tom

Big fan of Madiran, and my one experience with Pecharmant really wowed me (a ringer for Pomerol).

Jura? We have Rolet here in AB.