Grenache (presumably Grenache Blanc), Vermentino (Rolle), Viognier; 13% ABV
Appellation Languedoc Protégée, Sud de France
imported by USA Wine West LLC, Sausalito, CA
$7 at the Richmond, CA, store on 31 May
This wine’s unusual bottle and blend intrigued me but also made me a little skeptical. Would it be just hype, or actually good? It is actually good. The wine benefits from a few minutes of air, allowing the fruit to emerge and integrate. Its smoothly blended flavors are of honeysuckle, yellow and white pear, moderate lemon, perhaps yellow melon or peach. The fruit is full and ripe, but not sweet, decently complex, with lively ripe acid and structure that more guiding than restraining. It’s not in a style that I recognize, but it is yummy, and stood up well to various strong-ish flavors. That’s a glass stopper on top, and the bottom of the bottle is rose-shaped. Seedboy liked it, too.
This bottle was courtesy of Richmond Grocery Outlet.