You may have heard of these varieties in France, but how well do you really know them or how often do you actually drink them?
I’ve been drinking more French wine lately since we were watching a lot of World Cup soccer games supporting France, who made it to the finals. You can check out my recent posts on Gamay, the Jura, Viognier and Burgundy v. New World Pinot. In this post, I wanted to explore C-List French white varieties. In other words, these are varieties that have less notoriety in their region or France in general. They’re like celebrities you recognize, but don’t really know by name or remember exactly where you know them from.
Aligoté
Aligoté is the second most planted white in Burgundy, which is synonymous with great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Gamay is sort of the B-List grape in the region while Aligoté plays a minor role. For example, you may go to a tasting in Burgundy, and it’s one of the first wines you drink as you wait to taste the top Chardonnay and Pinot. It’s mostly found in Burgundy although there’s some in the Rhone, Switzerland and Eastern Europe. It’s used in sparkling blends in Burgundy (Crémant de Bourgogne) and as a varietal wine especially in Bouzeron although a bit of Chardonnay and Sacy are allowed in the blends of the Bourgogne Aligoté appellation. It’s generally an easy wine to grow and is made in a dry, high acid, light style. It’s also a lot cheaper than most White Burgundy.
Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris is more famously known as Pinot Grigio in Italy and around the world. However, it originated from France. It’s a pink-skinned mutation of Pinot Noir. The style of wine is generally different when it’s called Pinot Gris rather than Pinot Grigio. Pinot Grigio is typically a light, dry, fresh and simple white while Pinot Gris tends to be fuller, sweeter and lower in acid. This could be due to more time on lees and some malolactic. However, it depends on the producer and region. There’s also sweet versions in some regions. Pinot Gris is often grown in cool regions where Riesling is the A-list star, like Alsace and parts of Germany. In Alsace, it’s also behind Gewurztraminer in production. In Alto-Adige, it’s used about equally as Pinot Blanc and other whites.
Grenache Blanc
This grape is actually as common in Spain as it is in France. It’s a mutation of Grenache Noir, the A-list star of the Rhone, Roussillon and North-western Spain. In contrast, Grenache Blanc is best known in France for being one of several varieties allowed in Chateauneuf du Pape white blends. It’s also featured in sweet Vin Doux Naturel from Maury or Rivesaltes. Lastly, there are some in Roussillon, which is better known for bargain reds, especially made from Grenache Noir, Carignan and Syrah. In general, it’s a dry, medium-acid, full but soft white with green characteristics. It’s also sensitive to oxidation, so it’s usually blended with something else.
Tasting Notes
2020 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Aligoté Bourgogne
100% Aligoté. Domaine Jean Claude Ramonet, based in Chassagne-Montrachet, is considered one of the best white Burgundy producers. This comes from 60 year old vines. Reticent nose. Citrus and minerality. Medium+ acid. I don’t detect obvious oak notes although they ferment in stainless steel and transfer the wines to oak barrels, so the oak treatment must be light. Elegant overall, but shy. Sort of a lighter bodied and less intense Chablis or other Chardonnay from Burgundy. However, it’s perfect with smoked salmon or oysters with its freshness. In subsequent days, it opened up more, showing a lot more obvious minerality and salinity on the nose and palate. A bit of the oak also shows. 91
2016 Josmeyer Le Fromenteau Pinot Gris Alsace
40 year old vines. Hand harvested. Whole-bunch pressed and spontaneous fermentation with native yeast. Aged in stainless steel or large oak barrels depending on the vintage. This is a part of their art series which is similar to other producers who have artists design the label for them.
Deep golden color. An elegant, medium-light bodied white with lots of minerality and spice. Medium-acid. On the palate, it’s quite fruity, but not sweet. White stone fruit and pears. Overall, I like the feel of this wine. Not as zippy as Italian Pinot Grigio, but still fresh and dry. It’s more interesting than most Pinot Grigio. 91
2015 René Rostaing Puech Noble Blanc Coteaux du Languedoc
50% Grenache Blanc, 35% Rolle (Vermentino), 15% Viognier. No oak used. This producer is more famous for their wines from the Northern Rhone. There’s also a red version of this label made up mostly of Syrah.
There’s a bit of expected oxidation for a white wine at 7 years old which expresses itself in a bit of bruised apple and marzipan, but I was worried about it being too oxidized given the variety. That’s not the case here. The palate shows green apples, medium+ acid, with spice and herbs. It’s medium-bodied. It’s a little warm, showing its 13.5% alcohol but still fresher than expected given the hot climate and age. 89
Bonus Note I had a sweet Grenache Blanc not too long ago, so here are my notes on it.
1999 Domaine Cazes Rivesaltes Ambré
100% Grenache Blanc. Rivesaltes is an appellation for sweet wines in Roussillon. They are “natural” sweet wines (Vin Doux Naturel), meaning that they use mutage to stop fermenting while the sugar level is still high. As an amber version of Rivesaltes, it means it also goes 2+ years of oxidative aging which gives it nutty notes. Dried apricots with a bit of nutty and caramelized notes, but it’s still mostly about the sweet fruit, but it’s not cloying. If you like the nutty notes more, then it should continue to age and evolve. 90
Conclusion
These are all quality whites that deserve some consideration. Like Paul Giammati after the success of Sideways, maybe these C-list wines move up to being B-list varieties. The Sideways film itself pushed Pinot Noir from B-list to A-list status, so it’s possible. 