Wine & Spirits - October 2021 - 96

Year's Best Southwest France
92 | Domaine de Laballe $17
2020 Côtes de Gascogne Brume Rosé ^
According to New York sommelier LJ Hollins,
" This is a gateway rosé, " one he might
serve to those who need to examine their
preconceived notions about the implications
around the color of one's wine. Firm, floral,
spicy, thoroughly cabernet franc, with a balance
of ripeness from merlot that hits it dead
on, this would be a wonderful way to welcome
your guest out of the summer heat into
an air-conditioned restaurant for a business
lunch. § Wine Without Borders, Carrboro, NC
91 | Monluc
$14
2020 Côtes de Gascogne Aubaines de
Goupil Le Rosé ^ Bracing acidity, balanced
with juicy red fruit, cherry and spice, offers
refreshment and pleasure in this cabernet
franc from the sunny south. Loire who? I
don't know her and I don't need to know
her; I only have $15. § MHW, Manhasset, NY
91 | Plaimont
$29
2020 Saint Mont Château Les Bois
Mathieu Rosé ^ This blend includes some
pinenc (a local synonym for fer) and tannat
in addition to petit courbu and cabernets
sauvignon and franc. Autumnal and darkly
floral (think pumpkin patch), this rosé has
an interesting edge of tannins, as well as an
apple-basil core of flavor. Try it with temaki. §
Brickell, North Miami, FL
91 | Vinovalie
$15
2020 Fronton Vignoble Soulédré Rosé ^ A
blend of négrette and cabernet franc, this
wine has faint hints of capsicum seed without
the bitterness. It has " a suggestion of
ripeness, without getting caught up in it "
as KaMar Gomez, of NYC retailer Blanc et
Rouge, described it. Saline, herbal and thoroughly
savory, this is a rosé to serve with
grilled whitefish and an herb salad. § Wine
Twist, Hicksville, NY
90 | Plaimont
$18
2020 Saint Mont Hilha Rosé ^ This is a tannic
rosé made from pinenc and cabernet sauvignon.
It's saline, with an impression of freshness
that reminded one taster of " a fleshed
out txakoli. " Follow that instinct across the
Pyrenees into Basque tapas territory, heavy
on fish, good olive oil and Spanish chorizo. §
Brickell, North Miami, FL
90 | Dom. de Pellehaut
$12
2020 Côtes de Gascogne Harmonie de
Gascogne Rosé ^ This floral rosé is laden
with mandarin-orange fruit, brightened by
a vibrant acidity. That weight carries through
96
to the finish, the wine substantial enough to
be equally comfortable on its own or next to
light snacks. § CTS Distributing Denver, CO
87 | Château Famaey
$12
2020 Côtes du Lot Malbec Rosé (BEST BUY) ^
Juicy, ripe watermelon flavors flecked with
faint mint: This is a bit creamy, as malbec
might be, but doesn't go sticky or sweet.
Drink it by the pool. § Kinson, NY
RED
AbOURIOU
91 | Domaine de Beyssac $20
2019 Côtes du Marmandais Le Monde
d'Après Abouriou ^ The Broutet family
earned Demeter certification for their
50-acre vineyard, including the 15-acre parcel
of abouriou that gives this wine. Its rustic
peppery aromas dive into a burly wall of tannins
before they all settle into a dark chocolate
texture. This is proper country wine,
so take a tannin-management cue from the
Greeks and chill it alongside grilled goat with
a purple-olive tapenade and lots of black peppercorns.
§ David Bond, Littleton, CO
bLENDS
95 | Domaine Gensac
$32
2015 Gers Terre à Terre ^ A blend of tannat,
malbec and cabernet sauvignon, this wine
feels like the edge of a forest in peak summer,
bursting with thyme and wild-clover
scents. Oak tannins push that herbal scent
toward eucalyptus, but the plum fruit is rich
enough to carry it, smacking with a plum-pit
freshness. It holds together for days, as saline
complexity emerges and the fruit trends to
warm blackberry and blueberry syrup flavors.
There's enough going on to make this a
meal on its own; decant it a few hours before
the guests arrive for a dinner party, and pour
it when the conversation falters. § Anderson
Genne Wines, Chicago, IL
93 | Alain Brumont
$28
2018 Côtes de Gascogne Château Bouscassé
Menhir ^ The discovery of a patch of
clay at Château Bouscassé inspired Alain
Brumont to plant merlot on the west side of
this parcel (gray clay and chalk) and tannat to
the east (deep yellow clay). The vines are now
12 years old, their fruit ferments in new barrels.
The tannic impression is soft for tannat
(hard for anything else), the flavors of ripe
plum spiked with pepper all framed by oak.
Those flavors operate on a different dimension
than the frame, like Acme's RoadrunWINE
& SPIR IT S Oc TO b ER 2021
ner in an art exhibit stepping into a painting
and walking into the distance. § Regal Wine
Imports, Moorestown, NJ
93 | Domaine Gayrard
$31
2017 Gaillac Point du Jour ^ Pierre and Laure
Fabre blend braucol (70 percent) with cabernet
sauvignon and prunelard, a parent
of malbec, to produce this aromatic red. It
leaps from the glass with scents of asparagus,
poblano pepper and fresh jalapeno aromas,
which lead into firm plum flavors ranging
from golden to deep purple. Fermented
with ambient yeasts in oak, it's complex and
detailed, and holds its form for days. Rather
than run from those green flavors, place
them next to beef and chimichurri. § French
Country Wines, Houston, TX
91 | Domaine de Beyssac $20
2015 Côtes du Marmandais Essentiel ^ A
blend of abouriou (68 percent) and merlot,
this is powerful wine, bursting with dark red
fruit, spices and potent alcohol, a combination
that reminded one taster of RC Cola and
whole-hog barbecue at his grandfather's. Putting
it next to that fatty, charred meat would
help to grease its wheels and provide a counterpoint
to the velvety richness. § David Bond,
Littleton, CO
91 | Domaine Gensac
$18
2017 Gers Pas De Deux ^ Gensac's wines age
in the cellar adjacent to the 14th-century chapel
on the property. This is a blend of merlot,
malbec and fer servadou, brimming with
freshness, spice and a mineral tinge. Some
natural funk makes it feel rustic, and suggests
a well-rested steak off the grill, swimming in
its own juice, with no other accompaniment. §
Vintures Wine Experiences, Houston, TX
91 | Domaine du Moulin $115
2015 Côtes du Tarn Cinto ^ Nicolas Hirissou
is the sixth generation of his family to
manage this 93-acre estate on both banks of
the Tarn around Gaillac. He blends this wine
from tannat (60 percent), syrah (30 percent)
and braucol. Half of the grapes come from
the gravelly soils along the river, with the
other half growing in limestone. The wine
is intense and spicy, and its firm, fluffy tannins
reminded this taster of a dim sum custard
bun. There's an herbal, almost amarolike
bitterness at first, but some exposure
to air softened that influence, resolving in a
lengthy wine as black and soft as a humid
summer night. (W&S 06/21) § Regal Wine
Imports, Moorestown, NJ
Wine & Spirits - October 2021

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