White Fight

Bet Shalom Wine Club, August 10, 2024

White Fight: France vs. Italy

 Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne NV @ $34.98: Nicolas Feuillatte is one of Champagne's best kept secrets.

The French drink a lot of it and are a discerning bunch when it comes to bubbles, so to say that Nicolas Feuillatte is the top-selling French Champagne brand really counts for something. Wine Spectator: "Rich and creamy, showing the dried fruit, nut and spice notes of fruitcake, with lemon meringue, quince and honey flavors. Clean citrusy acidity integrates beautifully and provides an elegance to this refined Champagne."

LaDoucette Les Deux Tours Sauvignon Blanc (Loire) 2020 @ $18.99: Winemaker Notes: Pale green-gold in color, Les Deux Tours has a very fine nose with a beautiful expression of Sauvignon Blanc, lemon notes, flesh of white fruits, and some fine aniseed nuances. In the mouth, a nice, supple and fruity attack, with good vivacity and a fruit-forward aromatic finish.

Pouilly Fuissé Louis Jadot 2022 (Chardonnay)(Burgundy) @ $31.99: Pouilly Fuisse is often compared to Chablis Chardonnays. However, there are major differences between the two – Chablis is unoaked which makes it far more acidic, while Pouilly Fuisse's oak barrel aging imparts more body and buttery mouthfeel to the wines. Love Jadot: “Produced in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy, this famous wine is partially barrel fermented with 6 months of aging in French oak casks. The judicious, subtle use of oak allows Louis Jadot’s Pouilly-Fuissé to retain its complexity and structure. TASTE:
This wine has aromas of fresh red apples, honey and white flowers with elegant and rich flavors of toasted nuts and citrus. One of the purest expressions of this typical Burgundian grape. 

Ceretto Arneis Langhe Blange (Piemonte) 2022 @ $23.99: The name Arneis translates to “little rascal” in the local dialect, a fitting moniker given the grape's trickiness in the vineyard. Wine Folly: On the nose Arneis is an aromatic wine, brimming with the fragrances of pear, apricot, white flowers, chamomile, and almond. On the palate Arneis is normally medium bodied, displaying a rounded and somewhat waxy mouthfeel. If you like Pinot Gris you’ll find Arneis intriguing as well. Arneis’ acidity is moderate, unlike many other white Italian grape varieties. And even though its aromatic bouquet might suggest a sweeter profile, Arneis is traditionally crafted as a dry wine. Winemaker Notes: It is a pleasant medium-bodied white, fresh and fragrant. The appearance has a bright straw yellow color. The nose is mineral and intensely fruity, with clear hints of ripe pear and green apple. In the mouth it is fragrant, savory, fresh and with a persistent finish.

Ca dei Frati I Frati Lugana 2021 (Turbiana) @ $19.99: Tasting notes: On the nose, it offers a delightful blend of fruity aromas, including yellow apple, pear, and apricot, complemented by a subtle hint of herbs and floral notes. On the palate, the wine's crisp acidity is well balanced with a round texture, providing a pleasant mouthfeel that lingers long after each sip. The finish is characterized by subtle grapefruit and pear flavors that persist in a perfumed and gentle aftertaste.

Villa Sparina Gavi 2022 (Cortese di Gavi) (Piemonte) @ $18.99: Typically, good Gavi has an appealing stony minerality very similar to fine Pouilly Fumé or Bordeaux Blanc but without the hefty price tag. “Sliced apples, lemons, white peaches, elderflowers and crushed stones on the nose with subtle white-pepper spice. It’s mineral and fresh, with a medium body and a crisp finish.“ -James Suckling