Hailing from Domaine Billaud-Simon this white burgundy could never have been anything less than perfect - my only criticism of my own choice is that it is perhaps a little obvious to dart for Burgundy when someone screams ‘naked chardonnay.’ The nose holds a poised citrus essence balancing on the edge of a restrained dry mineral center. This is certainly not a wine to turn your nose up at, and speaking of the nose - I picked up lemon sorbet and a wonderful fresh yeast, and there was certainly a hint of ripe pears. This wine however, is most transcendent on the palate - primarily for its texture. In Chablis style one’s palate is filled with a rich, smooth softness, a pleasant minerality and on the finish there is a lingering fresh herbaceous character - perhaps eucalyptus, but not something I can describe more accurately. My only complaint is that it cost nearly twice as much as the New Zealand ‘Kiwi Chablis’ - and now that I know that NZ does Chablis style whites, perhaps I wont be purchasing white burgundy for a while.

This was a great task - purely because the wines from Languedoc-Roussillon have not been hyped, and so, like Chablis, it represents some of the best value wines that the country produces - providing affordable luxury. In an effort to connect food and wine, I combined Wine Blogger Wednesday with They Go Really Well Together #1, and I must be honest that my choice of wine was far better than my food enginuity. As I say, the Garlic dipped in mocha was interesting - but I was glad to have the General Billy’s Languedoc selection to wash it down! Interestingly, the Syrah and Grenache were quite complimentary to both coffee and garlic.

My first wine was the Domain Clavel ($17.99), followed by General Billy’s ($10.99); and then there were three unexpected last minute entries: Gerard Bertrand’s 2003 Tautavel Rousillon ($14.99); Domaine De Nizas’ 2006 Rosè ($12.99) and finally, a wine that will definitely be in the USA soon - Chateau Capion’s Capion Rouge.

For me, although all the wines were exceptional - the winner was the Domaine De Nizas - and I say this for two reasons: recently the weather has been hotting up, and I like to save spicy red wines for the winter, and Rose is a great crossover; and lastly because I think that America needs to push aside the White Zinfandel and whole-heartedly embrace Rosè blush wines.

Aesthetically, Rosè is beautiful, and the notion of the skins being left for 16 hours without punch down maceration is a delicate pink, violet and opague-garnet hue. Secondly, the aroma of a real blush wine is completely unique: On the nose one can get a hint of red berry or candied fruit, whilst on the palat there’s the crisp, clean and dry essence of a white. Rosè’s are perfect wines for watching the sun set - or for the beginning of an evening.

The 2006 Domaine de Nizas Rosè is one of my new favorites and is my official choice for Wine Bloger Wednesday #33 The wine is like pink nectar with sweet red wine essences on the nose; whilst the palat introduces the minerality and creamy yet dry mouth feel. The composition is 40 % Syrah, 40 % Grenache and 20 % Mourvèdre - almost identical to the Domaine Clavel, except from an interest point of view, its amazing to see the difference between extended skin contact compared to just 16 hours. Drinking them side by side one can see how great an impact winemakers have on their creations.

By the way - the flight-special to Carcasonne is still going, so hopefully Weingolb’s WBW #33 will inspire some of you to make the trip: for an anniversary present, or just because, there are few places in the world as suited to the adventurous wine lover. Cheerz!

For this, my first Wine Blogger Wednesday, answering Weingolb’s call to Languedoc-Roussillon, my wine of choice was the 2004 Domaine Clavel Les Garrigues. As a side-note, if anyone happens to be going to Europe in the next few months, www.RyanAir.com is running cheap flights to Carcassonne, which is worth the trip if you like villages surrounded by walls and filled with the best French food you’ve ever had for a quarter of the price you could get it for in the Latin Quarter. I mention Carcassonne because you can get direct flights there from London; it’s a simply amazing place and you’re a stones throw away from some great producers in Languedoc-Roussillon.It’s difficult to go wrong with Languedoc. I personally find that Beaujolais can disappoint me sometimes as it can be a bit thin for my palate, but with the bulk of Languedoc being Syrah, and the rest being spiced up even more with Grenache and Mourvedre, Languedoc reds make for exciting and reliable drinking. We drank it with a Tikka Marsala Chicken Curry, and the match was extraordinarily complimentary. In fact, the match was perfect for the curry, because the Syrah matched the curry’s spice note for note, and together with the garlic bread, many of the Les Garrigues herbal elements met their match. The fresh crush chewy fruit character imparted by the Grenache was a perfect ally for the spicy tomato Marsala sauce; and at $11.00 a bottle this wine is a winner.

I’m going to do 3 wines leading up to the 3^rd Wednesday… but the Clavel is a definite contender. In fact, I may use this as the wine to go with my garlic, coffee and chocolate task!