Originally published on August 7, 2008.
A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Over 10 year later and we’re still selling these wines up at Copake Wine Works. I walked in one weekend and there they were, on the shelf. Celene, my trusty manager who traveled up to the wilds of the Berkshires from Tribeca had tried them, liked them and added the to a recent order. Now she had never tried them back at the old store – they had left the market, or we had lost track of the distributor, or any of a million things that result in a wine disappearing from the shelves. But tasty wine at a good price (and yes, a cute bottle) will find a way to those who are always searching. Even if they are located way up in Copake!
….IS A 2-PACK!
Funky-looking bottles. Funky blends from a funny, little-known region of France. Lots of interesting facts for the wine-geeks among you, but for those just interested in good juice, this fits the bill.
Producer: J. MOURAT PERE & FILS – Father and son team, practicing organic.
Region: FIEF VENDEENS MAREUIL – An obscure region within France’s Loire Valley, near the Atlantic Ocean (“only a handful of minutes away” to quote the lovely translation on their web site). The region is part of the equally obscure VDQS classification. VDQS basically stands for “wine classified as superior quality”. It’s always mentioned in the the more academic (some would say pedantic) wine tasting courses out there, but rarely do you see it in real life – until NOW!
J Mourat ‘Collection’ Rouge: A blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Negrette. (This is the definition of funky.) Soft red fruits from the Piont Noir, a litle bit of garden-fresh earthiness from the Cab Franc, and some extra structure from the Negrette. What, never heard of the Negrette grape? Neither had I until the day I bought this wine. And on that very day, I tried two different wines which had Negrette in the blend. This one, as well as one from Greece. Perhaps it’s the start of a trend?
J Mourat ‘Collection’ Blanc: A blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. (We did say ‘funky’.) I don’t know if it’s a rule, but both whites I’ve tried from this region were a blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. The Chenin Blanc gives the wine a crisp, almost racy acidity, citrus peel notes, and some minerality. All that raciness is balanced by the fuller Chardonnay which also adds a little hint of pear. It’s an odd combination but it works.