2008 Domaine La Hitaire Les Tours

It finally seems like much of the country is starting to break out this winter’s brutal deep freeze! Think it’s time to break out those lighter white wines which brings me to my latest white wine tasting, 2008 Domaine La Hitaire Les Tours.

The aromas were a little nondescript but I did detect a hint of floral. The wine is slightly sweet with abundant citrus, floral and exotic fruit flavors. Finish is short and a little tart. Think the wine would taste better if accompanied with food. Nice creamy brie and salty crackers would pair well.

Located in the "Côtes de Gascogne", Gers, France the winery is run by brothers Armin and Remy Grassa. The two purchased Domain La Hitarie in 1999 and transformed and restructured the 110 hectares wine estate. The wine is a blend of 65% Ugni Blanc, 30% Colombard and 5% Gros Manseng. Grapes are picked in the early morning hours and the bins are lined with dry ice to protect against oxidation. The grapes are then macerated cold between 6-10 hours to extract the flavors. The brothers practice modern wine making methods and all the wines are made in stainless steel tanks.

The wine is crisp and easy drinking and will be a great wine to enjoy in the warm sunshine. Stay positive folks, we’ve passed Valentine’s Day and we’re on the upward slope now. The cold days of winter will soon be behind us and we’ll be fanning ourselves and rushing indoors to the nice cold AC.

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2008 Helfrich Vin D’ Alsace Gewurztraminer

What do France’s Alsace region and Korea have in common? I don’t know all the shared commonalities, if any, but I can tell you, they make for a kick ass food and wine pairing. My latest wine sample shipment contained three wines from the Alsace region. I paired a 2008 Helfrich Vin D’ Alsace Gewurztraminer with spicy Korean BBQ and it was a match made in heaven.

A classic Alsatian grape, the color is straw yellow in the glass. Rose petal aromas and spice intermingle with flavors of honey, floral, cream and a hint of perfume. Full bodied and creamy, the finish is long with a touch of acidity.

With six generations of growers behind him, Frederick Helfrich is now at the head of the Helfrich family and on the forefront of the Alsatian revival. In Alsace the grape and vineyard location are of the utmost importance. The flavor of the grape and the terroir must come through in the wine. Helfrich’s wines represent the past and the future. The past being the centuries old vineyards and the future referrting to the Nobel Varieties line of wines. The Nobel Varieties are light in style, easy to drink and topped with a screw cap versus cork, it’s old school versus new school. Just 5,000 cases of the Gewurztraminer were produced.

Back to the food and wine pairing, the star combo was the Kimchi with the Gewurztraminer. Wow, flavor explosion from the spicy Kimchi and the creamy sweet feel of the wine, was like a tango in my mouth.

The wine is available around the country and is priced at $14.99. If you haven’t tried Gewurztraminer this is a nice one to cut your teeth on. It’s not overly sweet nor is it too acidic.

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Doulce France Vouvray Chenin Blanc 2008

Have I mentioned lately how hot it is? I mean really, 98 degrees for an actual high and it’s not even officially summer yet. Someone remind me how much I was complaining in January because it was so miserably cold. We’ve gone from one extreme to the other, just like I have in my wine choices lately. I haven’t written about a red wine in some time, don’t worry reds, I haven’t forgotten you but for now, it’s time for another French white wine, Doulce France Chenin Blanc 2008 by Bougrier Depuis from the Loire Valley appellation.

Colors are pale yellow with slight green tinge, subtle fruit aromas consisting of apple and grapefruit. Flavors are crisp and clean with mango, pineapple and peach. Has a lot of residual sugar making the wine seem like a giant wine cooler. Still not bad for back yard sipping, would also make a great aperitif or cocktail party wine.

Like many wines from the Vouvray appellation, the wine is most likely 100% Chenin Blanc. The back label lists the wine as demi-sec or off-dry but I found the wine to be a lot sweeter for this description to be accurate. Doulce France Vouvray Chenin Blanc is another Alfio Moiconi Selection, our friend from Total Wine. For $9.99, the wine is very simple rather delightful.

As the cicadas begin their nightly serenade signaling another lazy summer evening, all is right in my world tonight.

Pairs well with salty appetizers, spicy sausage or jerk chicken.


Here’s to Sunny, our oldest Koi who we lost last night. Good bye to the orange whale.

My rating - We'll drink the rest tomorrow.

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Something for you white wine lovers, Chateau de Nages la Reserve White 2008

For the past several months people ask, “when are you going to write about white wines?” Well, there’s a reason why I focus on red wines, I typically don’t like white wines that fall under the $9.99 range. I find them too sweet, too buttery and just not enjoyable. Doesn’t mean they’re bad, just means my palate doesn’t appreciate them as much as it does red wines. On my last trip to my Tampa Total Wine store, I wandered down the French wine aisle hoping inexpensive French white wines would be more palatable than their US counterparts. I also was able to sample from their wine bar and even received a $1 off coupon when I decided to purchase one of the wines, Chateau de Nages La Reserve White 2008, offered up for sampling. Free wine samples and $1 off coupon, has that for budget wine drinking.

Color is a pale yellow, aromas are promising, crisp apple, pineapple and a hint of butter. Flavors boasting of green apple, pear and citrus, smooth and light acids. It’s actually pretty tasty for a white wine, especially now that we’re coming into the outdoor wine drinking season here in the Tampa Bay area.

Wine Info:
Terroir: " Grès ", rolled pebbles and red clay.Varietals: 60% Grenache Blanc, 40% Roussanne.Chateau de Nages vineyards, Costières de Nîmes, is the southern most vineyard of the Rhone Valley. Four generations of winemakers, the family takes pride in working in harmony with nature and preserving the land for future generations. Their conviction to giving back to the land has the family committed to finding alternate resources that will not damage the ecology, such as finding an alternate to the use of copper which has devastating effects on the land.

Of late there has been a concern for ecological practices in French vineyards. Winegrowers are shying away from chemical fertilizers and turning to compost and finding alternatives to chemical weeding because of its effects on the soil. The consequences can sometimes be devastating: soil erosion, biological retrogradation of soil or bacteria that can destroy vine roots.

Copper salts are the only efficient fungicides shown to reduce downy mildew (peronospora) in organic farming. While highly efficient the copper can accumulate in the soils causing them to loose fertility.
The challenge winegrowers face is trying to reduce the use of copper while still maintaining healthy vines and soil.

The Michel Gassier website goes above the typical wine food pairing, including cheese, meats, herbs, garden, seafood, cooking method, sauces and dessert recommendations. Got to love the French for always thinking about food and wine.

While I favor reds, I’m going to start incorporating more white wine reviews and hopefully I can do them justice. If there are some white wines you think I should try, priced under $9.99, let me know.

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Fat Bastard Merlot 2007

Fat Bastard wines have been around for several years and I’ve had it more times than I can count. When it first hit the shelves, I really enjoyed the wine but then I think I had a bad vintage and pretty much walked away from the wine. Well, I decided it was time to give it another go.

Aromas consist of oak, vanilla and a slight rubbing alcohol smell. Prior to aeration, the wine was light and almost too thin. Detect cherry cola and some faint plum smell along a tart and astringent quick finish. After aeration, berry aromas are detected but the rubbing alcohol smell remains. Smooth mouthfeel yet still a little tart. Can it be smooth and tart at the same time? Sort of reminds me of grape cough syrup.

The Fat Bastard story begins in the cellar of Frenchman, Thierry Boudinaud, a renowned winemaker who had crafted wines around the world. Guy Anderson, a friend from London arrived to sample a recent vintage. After a night of sampling decent but not superb wines, Thierry remembered an experimental wine he had in a few barrels. The wine in the barrels was left on the lees (yeast cells) resulting in a wonderful color and rich, round palate.

The name comes from Theirry’s expression “now zat iz what you call eh phet bast-ard”. Fat Bastard being an expression describing things that were great. After deciding to release the wine to the public the name Fat Bastard stuck and as they say, the rest is history. Both Europeans and Americans flocked to stores to pick up a bottle. Most purchased based on the cheeky name and then returned to buy more because of the great taste. I remember this wine as being very tasty in the early 2000’s, maybe I just got another bad vintage.

I won’t swear off Fat Bastard wines completely, I think maybe I’ll try the Cabernet Sauvignon next and see if that fairs any better.

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Kiwi Cuvee Pinot Noir is it Northwestern or New Zealand? Neither, it’s French

When I see Pinot Noir by default I think Oregon, Washington or California. When I see Kiwi, I think New Zealand or maybe Australian. So when I saw 2008 Kiwi Cuvee Pinot Noir was a French wine, I didn’t know what to think.

Colors in the glass are a deep Garnet; aromas are lightly filled with berries and a hint of cherry. The flavor is thin like so many inexpensive Pinot Noirs but it is well balanced with a hint of sweetness hitting mid-palate and light but lingering tannins on the finish.

Kiwi Cuvee is bottled by Lacheteau in France’s Loire Valley and derives its Kiwi Cuvee name as it's produced in a modern style based on New Zealand Pinot Noirs. Lacheteau owns and monitors over one hundred estates in the Loire Valley. The wine was produced under the 2007 classification Vin de pays Vignobles de France. In 2007 France’s national organization for fruit, vegetables wine and horticulture voted for a new wine category allowing the blending of varietals to be classified as more than table wine. This ruling met with some objection and was annulled in 2009.

One of my New Years resolutions was to find more inexpensive wines outside of the US. I found this wine for $8.99 and it’s not bad for an everyday wine.

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