Southwest France Revisited

Definitely not trying to steal Joe's thunder here, not that I could anyway. But after discovering this little lovely from Domaine des Cassagnoles for $10, I had to keep going, to taste more white wine from Southwest France. I like everything about these Southwestern whites so far. I like their vibrant citrus and exotic fruit flavors, their food friendliness, their light texture - perfect for summer, and I definitely like their price point at about $10. I also like the names of the grapes - they sound like French detectives. Have no fear, Detective Colombard is on the case. Or, careful buddy, better wipe away those prints or Gros Manseng will catch you.

I tried and so far failed to find wines by Domaine de Pellehaut as suggested by reader Steve L. who had this to say about them:

At the end of last year I was blind served a glass of Domaine de Pellehaut white and did a triple take. Man, I said to myself, I'd like more of this, figuring it'd cost about $20 a bottle. Well, it was more like $7 so I bought some, I told my family to buy some, etc. The 2005 is all gone I'm sure but the 2006 is starting to appear.

Joe also tasted the 05 Pellehaut and clearly enjoyed it. Marcus has a Southwest recommendation too, but I haven't seen that wine either so far. I did, however, notice a stack of $8 white wine at Chambers Street recently, and much to my delight, it was Southwest white. Here are my notes:

2006 Domaine Duffour Vins de Pays des Cotes de Gascone, $8 (Chambers Street Wines). Screwcap, which is fine by me, and a nice low 12% alcohol level. Strong cat pee smells upon pouring, but they relax a bit and blend with the grass and citrus aromas. The cat pee never entirely leaves though, and this is not something that I particularly care for. Yeah, I know that it's normal in many whites, expecially Sauvignon Blanc, but that doesn't mean I have to like it, pal. Pleasant light texure with clean citrus and rainwater flavors.

This wine is certainly pleasant, but it does not measure up to the Domaine des Cassagnoles. The Duffour began to fade about a half hour after opening, and never really had the depth and complexity of the Cassagnoles, which by the way was twice as good with 24 hours of airtime. You have to spend a full 25% more for the Cassagnoles, which in this case is 2 United States Dollars, and I recommend that you spend it.