Truffles, Castles, and Musketeers! : Explorer Club (November 2022)
Featured Explorer Club Wines:
2020 Domaine Duffour | Cotes du Gascogne Blanc | Southwest, France
Move over Sauvignon Blanc! Welcome this Cotes de Gascogne Blanc from the hinterlands beyond Bordeaux. This wine delivers sip after glorious sip!
Michel Duffour's excellent dry white is made predominantly with Colombard, along with smaller amounts of Ugni Blanc and Gros Manseng. Notes of melon, clean, pure flavors of citrus fruit, an engaging herbaceous note, and a pleasingly dry finish. It is an ideal summer quaffer! (Importer)
About: The rolling hills in the northern part of the Gers department are covered by sunflowers, corn, and plenty of vines for both Armagnac and excellent wine.
Winemaker Michel Duffour resides here in the small town of Lagraulet-du-Gers. Several decades ago, Duffour took over his father's property, then called Domaine de Saint Lannes, and began dedicating himself to producing quality red and white wines. He replanted the vineyards with Gros Manseng, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tannat. He held on to the old Colombard and Ugni Blanc vines, which he uses for the production of both wine and Armagnac.
Today the family owns 49 hectares of vines and Michel has passed the torch to his son Nicolas and works unofficially at the domaine. They work sustainably and, despite their higher permitted yields in an extremely fertile region, they follow very strict viticultural practices and a high degree of care and dedication goes into the winemaking.
I wish I could be more specific about that winemaking, but on each visit for the past 20 years it seemed the jovial Michel was more interested in bullfights, parties and long dinners than the technical information! But that information is less important with delightful wines like these--suffice it to say there is very little oak used on any of their wines, and this, along with the short macerations, helps preserve the wines' freshness and brightness. (Importer, Charles Neal)
2020 Chateau Haut-Monplaisir | Cahors "Tradition" Malbec | Cahors, Southwest, France
91 points James Suckling: "Blueberries, currants, black cherries, bark and orange zest on the nose. Medium-bodied with firm, fine tannins. Supple texture with a juicy, flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold."
From the winemaker: "Dark, rich fruit. Brooding, high-toned wild elegance. In contrast to Argentine Malbec, this is long and mineral rather than fat and fruity. Pairs well with red meats and spicy meals."
About: Cathy and Daniel Fournié of Haut-Monplaisir farm 44.5 acres on what the locals call the third terrace of the valley floor. These terraces, or benches, are layered gravel deposits left by the river over the ages. There are three such terraces in the valley; the third is the highest, furthest from the Lot, and the best by virtue of its well-drained soils. Above the third terrace come the mountain vineyards, high on the oak-scrub hills.
Cathy took over the vineyards in 1998 from her father, who had sold the crop to négociants. She and Daniel had a keen interest in making their own wine but realized they needed help. They reached out to Pascal Verhaeghe, the dynamic proprietor of Chateau du Cèdre whose vineyards grow on the second terrace. Pascal immediately saw the potential of Haut Monplaisir's site. He could also see that if great wine were made here then Cahor's revival would be all the more successful, and that was far more important to him than possible competition between the two domaines. Thus was born the partnership between Pascal and Daniel, who together are responsible for the wines of Haut-Monplaisir.
Explorer Club Up to $34.95/month
Two bottles each month for up to $34.95. Explore the world of wine while developing your palate by enjoying a monthly delivery of wines that represent value and authenticity, hand-selected by the experts at Mission Wines!