Michel Gassier Viognier (2014) Wine Review

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”. I loved this quote from the company’s website of this week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2014 Michel Gassier Viognier. Committed to organic farming, they strive to allow the terroir to speak through their wines. The terroir in this case is that of the Languedoc-Roussillon sub region in the southernmost coastal region of mainland France, bordering Spain and the Mediterranean Sea.

On the nose; stone fruit, fresh herbs and vanilla.  On the palate; a slightly rounder mouthfeel than expected - evidence of malolactic fermentation. For this wine the winemaker blends wine that has not undergone malolactic fermentation with wine that has undergone malolactic fermentation to create the desired balance. Each year the blend can vary depending on what the terroir bestows.

I often think of Viognier as a “winter white” since it tends to be a fuller bodied white wine. This is that, but yet it has a citrus note, perhaps due to the blending that makes it great for midsummer pairing.

Enjoy with Grilled Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs and Creamy Onion Potato Bake or a 7 Layer Mezze.  To print or save the recipes, click the links below.

Grilled Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs

 Creamy Onion Potato Bake

7 Layer Mezze

Fragile Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes Rosé - 2014 Wine Review

Fragile? My eye! This week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2014 Fragile Rosé Vin de Pays (Vin de Pays is a step in the French wine classification above table wine) des Cotes Catalanes (Languedoc-Roussillian region of Southern France) reminds me that looks can be deceiving. Of course, by the name and pretty pink color (the hue that lines a prize sea shell found when combing a secluded beach), I was expecting something light, delicate and refreshing.

First off, it took me a minute to ponder just how to open it.  I loved the fact that I could see the cork and the text on it through the bottle - fun.  At first I thought it may be a zork closure, but that quickly proved incorrect.  So, what else could I do, I started in with the corkscrew through the black plastic cap.  As it went in, the black cracked and fell away from the bottle – perhaps that’s the fragile part in all of this.

I had chilled this blend ( predominantly Grenache with a little Syrah and Carignan) as is preferred with rosè,  and swirled at first with little hint of anything on the nose.  After a little time there was a nice salinity (or was it just me thinking about sea shells) and subtle watermelon as well as strawberry, but the strawberries were how they smell just after picking, where the scent of the soil and the vines are still present. The salinity is likely due to the sea breezes from the Mediterranean coast and not just my imagination.

On the palate, fruit forward and slightly sweet on the tip of the tongue giving way to a crisp acidic and mineral finish. The finish was moderate in length but then I felt that warmth, you know the kind you get from a big red wine, the kind that usually accompanies a wine with high alcohol content. This caused me to check the label. 15.3% alcohol by volume.  Wow, not what I’m used to in  rosé. This one could sneak up on you.  The wine could benefit from decanting and once allowed to open up, as expected, it became more aromatic.

I usually would suggest a rosè as an apéritif or with lighter fare, but the alcohol content here prescribes something a little bolder.  An exception may be Garden Fresh Guacamole. The fatty avocado could be a lovely contrast. Try also with Pan Fried Pork Chops with Chismol or Pimento Cheese Mac ‘n Cheese. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Garden Fresh Guacamole

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Chismol

Pimento Cheese Mac 'n Cheese