A Loire Valley
grape also known as Menu Pineau which has nothing in common with the Jura appellation
except the name. Once widely planted in the Loir-et-Cher department, according
to Wikipedia, it had declined to about 750 acres by 2004.
It’s too
bad more wine is not made from this grape. This bottle from Christian Venier at Madon was quite delicious, and distinctive enough that
I might even be able to identify it at a blind tasting. It is quite soft (and is
used in the Loire to smooth out sharp grapes
such as Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc), and while the flavors are mild there
are a lot of them competing for attention. Various tasters describe tropical
fruits, celery root, lemon and orange. Given the softness, I had an impression
of a Creamsicle in a glass, albeit dry.
Astor Wines recommends
that this 2009 vintage be drunk no sooner than 2013, when it will have
completed its “complex evolution,” but I felt that this soft three-year-old
white that had been shipped across the Atlantic was fully ready to drink.
Food pairing: We had it with
grilled rockfish topped with a bit of pesto, and it was quite compatible. One
taster recommended mushroom soup – might be interesting.
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