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January 2013 Classic, Limited and Vintners Series Wine Tasting Colombard, 2011. Chateau Fitere
This vineyard is located on a premium and ancestral soil. Plots are situated on a geologic marine site in which you can find many fossils in vine rows. On the clay and limey soil, less deep and stony, they produce white and dry wines with Colombard, Ugni blanc and Sauvignon. On sandy and deep soil, Petit and Gros Manseng bunches are harvested lately, so as to produce our sweet wines with an exceptional finesse. Colombard is an early harvested variety known as French Colombard in North America and may be a distant cousin of Chenin Blanc. In France, it was traditionally grown in the Charentes and Gascony for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac respectively. Today, it is still permitted in small doses in Bordeaux Blanc. At one time, Colombard was the most planted grape variety in California running neck and neck with Chenin Blanc. Both are easy to grow here and can attain a measure of flavor without being too distinctive. In other words the perfect blending grape. And like Chenin Blanc when it is grown in Vouvray where it reaches its pinnacle, Colombard is incredible when grown in its perfect habitat, Gascony. We find it interesting that these two rather maligned grapes produce truly incredible wine when grown in certain areas where they flourish easily. One wonders which other areas they would flourish. Many of those areas are trying to produce wines more popular instead of producing wines of distinction. Our blend is 10% Ugni Blanc, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 80% Colombard. It is stainless steel fermented so as to produce a delicious, forward wine with intense orchard fruit scents and flavors. Very aromatic, with scents of white flowers, pear drop and honey suckle; the palate is crisp and gives an instant impression of freshness. Very clean, with exuberant flavors of aniseed, exotic fruit, pear and melon hints, it ends with fresh, gripping notes of minerals and citrus. Try it with ceviche, sheep/ goat cheese or with spicy Asian preparations. January Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf)
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