Anyone who’s been in France on a public holiday knows it’s near impossible to do anything but eat and drink. There’s merriment all around the world on France’s national day on July 14 as we celebrate the storming of the Bastille with the French national drink. Head down to your wine shop for a bon vin blanc, rouge or rosé.
TASTE THIS
Veuve Fourny & Fils Grande Reserve NV (Champagne) $65; 12% 5 stars
Grown in the Premier Cru vineyards of Vertus, this is an 80/20 blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. Disgorged in December 2013, it’s a pretty fresh batch, offering aromas of white petals, white peach, lemon zest and biscuit. It’s equally racy and rounded, with saline minerality and lemon that’s fleshed out by white stonefruits. There’s an edge to the structure of this – rather than being opulent and creamy, it’s bubbly and chalky – that makes it a compelling wine.
Food match Tuna sashimi
Syrahmi L’Imposteur Grenache 2010 (Collioure) $40; 14% 4 ½ stars
From the Catalan corner of south-west France comes this grenache from Heathcote-based Adam Foster. Earthy, plum, cherry and fennel aromas are complex and layered. There’s a juicy brightness to the red berry flavours, plus savoury depth. It has a slippery mouthfeel like the best grenaches do and the supporting sandy tannins and vibrant acid provide the framework.
Food match Root vegetable tagine
Domaine de Bellene Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Peuillets 1er Cru 2012 (Burgundy) $85; 13.5% 5 stars
There’s four wines from Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune available in the Bellene suite and this is the most expensive. It’s also the most concentrated of a delightful quartet of wines – on the nose, in mouth and with its savoury tannins. It’s perfumed and pretty, with earthy cherry, raspberry and fresh plums that are delivered with a delightful mouthfeel.
Food match Venison fillet
Delas Frères Domaine des Grands Chemins 2010 (Crozes-Hermitage) $55; 13% 4 ½ stars
Crozes-Hermitage is the largest appellation in the northern Rhône and its reds are 100 per cent shiraz. This is a bright and punchy wine with aromas of cherry, blackberry and blue fruits, smoky, gamey aromas. There’s perfume, too, provided by stalky peppery perfume that’s typical to the region. It’s fresh and lively in the mouth, with minerality, tannins that have a great grip and an evenness that’s just delightful.
Food match Moroccan b’stilla
SO YOU LOVE A BARGAIN?
M. Chapoutier La Ciboise blanc 2012 (Luberon) $14; 13.5% 4 stars
The Luberon, at the southern end of the Rhône Valley, is the setting of Peter Mayle’s book A Year In Provence. This is a blend of grenache blanc, ugni blanc and vermentino, with a lemon sherbert and tropical fruit perfume. It’s smooth and viscous through the mouth, with a pithy lemon and stonefruit flavour. It’s not a refreshing wine, but one that is at its best next to a rich plate of food – a dish containing saffron would be ideal.
Food match Paella
