Friday, June 15, 2012

Moulin de Gassac "Guilhem" 2011 - Vins de Pays d'Herault

Every once in a while you stumble upon a wine that you you've never seen, know nothing about and would not even give it a second thought if your retailer hadn't put it in your hands and said "try this". Such is the case with this little southern French white. Moulin de Gassac is the everyday label for wines made by one of the oldest and most important wineries of this almost unknown region. Mas de Daumas Gassac is the name and they have been making a legendary Cabernet Sauvignon for a long time. That flagship Cab lasts easily for 20 years but we are here to report on the everyday white. "Guilhem" is the proprietary name and what matters is that this is a delicious $9.99 white that will drink well as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to grilled or sauteed fish dishes. It's a blend of 40% Grenache Blanc, 30% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Clairette. It features tropical fruit aromas of pineapple, mango and a touch of honey. In the mouth it's got more concentration than you expect with the tropical fruit theme repeating. Notes of apricot add complexity and there is enough acidity to keep it fresh and lively tasting. I wish more folks would take a chance on bottles like this as you can readily find interesting wines from unusual places nowadays. Imported by Beaune Imports. Cheers!


4 comments:

  1. I had a very similar experience with this wine. Looking for a dry French white to use for preparing the Soupe à l'oignon recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking this was recommended to me by a seemingly knowledge fellow at Wine Academy Superstore. If I had one complaint it would be that I paid $13.99 rather than $9.99, but this is New Jersey after all. Otherwise it went well in the soup and was also delicious to drink with the meal.

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  2. Where do you live Rachel? There are some great discount stores in Jersey, my favorite being the Super Saver on Rte 22 in Somerville but perhaps there are some others I can suggest.
    Thanks for the comment.

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  3. I'm in what Northern New Jerseyians call Southern New Jersey and what Southern New Jerseyians call Northern New Jersey. Let's say Central New Jersey, the Freehold/Red Bank area. I like the Wine Academy because they have someone there who actually knows wines and is happy to talk about them endlessly providing me with some education. Perhaps that's worth the extra few bucks. Thanks.

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  4. Raphael - So sorry I got your name wrong! It's good that you have a store with some knowledgable staff. A lot of stores do not have that.

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