What? Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of the Saint Jeannet grape. We hadn’t either – until we tried this bottle.
Exploring The Unknown In Argentina
In this case I happened to spy this bottle in Walt Churchill’s Market for about $12. I said, “Why not?” and the bottle rested in the cellar for a few months.
When I retrieved the bottle to chill it, I noticed that this was not a run of the mill white. It was a special cuvée of a very unusual grape. I’ve never tried it before and I suspect I’m not the only one in the dark about the Saint Jeannet grape.
Saint Who?
This is a rare and almost extinct grape variety. It has been confirmed by DNA analysis that Luminis is indeed cultivating the rare Saint Jeannet grape. Cristian Allamand, the winemaker, and his father Raymond rescued the variety and have planted almost two hectares of Saint Jeannet. The 2015 vintage was limited to just 250 cases.
The Taste Test
It’s only 11.5% alcohol, and we’ve found that low alcohol wines are very food friendly (Riesling and rosé for example). There are clean, citrus flavor notes with a dollop of minerality. There are fragrant aromas of white flowers.
Green Dragon guessed this wine was Viognier, and it shares the delicate flavors and fragrance. As we sipped, the Chardonnay component became more evident in a pleasing way.
Apparently I bumbled into a bottle of wine made with an almost extinct grape. Lucky me! This is worth seeking out – and it won’t break the bank either at about $12.
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