Last Week's Tasting Notes (6.8.18)

​Mont Gravet Colombard ($8.99)
Côtes de Gascogne, France
From the producer:
"Mont Gravet comes from vineyards located in the Gascony region, near the city of Toulouse in the South West of France. The climate combines the Oceanic and Mediterranean influences, which brings enough sun and humidity to grow rich, concentrated and ripe grapes. Close to the producers, and in order to source the best vineyards, our winemaker has found some amazing “terroirs” spread on hills. These hills are called “Mont” in French. So as a tribute to the terroir from where the wine comes from we have named in Mont Gravet, “Gravet” being the name of an oval shaped rock commonly found in the area.​

Mont Gravet has a pale, bright yellow color, with a very intense and refreshing nose. It displays flavors of citrus fruit and blackcurrant leaf. This wine will express itself best as an aperitif or with any seafood. Serve chilled at 50°F."

From me:
This is one of my favorite wines in my shop. It's crisp, dry, light, slightly lemony, and has a refreshing minerality. You will LOVE the value for money of Mont Gravet!

Montinore Borealis White Blend ($14.99)
Willamette Valley, Oregon
From the producer:
"Mouthwatering and multi-dimensional, this perennial crowd pleaser is a blend of our favorite cool-climate whites: Müller-Thurgau (38%), Gewürztraminer (32%), Riesling (19%) and Pinot Gris (11%). Crafted from several harvests in order to display the unique qualities of each variety, heady scents of orange blossom, ripe honeydew, guava and kiwi offer a vibrant introduction to this aromatic blend. The palate is sumptuous and round, bursting with stone fruit, Meyer lemon and juicy pear drizzled with caramel. This plushness yields to a clean, bright and uplifting finish."

From me:
Red blends have become really popular recently, but white blends have gotten little notice in the U.S.. The blend of grapes in Borealis is unique and delicious, offering fruitiness from Riesling and Gewurtz and body from the Müller. Pinot Gris balances it out with just enough acidity to keep the wine from being flabby. This wine is off-dry, meaning that it has a little residual sugar, but isn't even semi-sweet. Montinore practices Biodynamic farming methods, which you can learn about here.