WTNs: Nine budget wines from France

A friend who is a chef invited us to a dinner at which she served some very inexpensive French wines that she is considering for a new restaurant venture in São Paulo.

2006 Domaine des Cognettes Sélection des Cognettes AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 12.0% €5.00
Aromas of citrus, almonds and white flowers, with a touch of salinity. Light body, a touch dilute. Low acid. Muscadet is too light to afford to lose any mid-palate.

2007 Château Joliet Cuvée Ballade Rosé AOC Fronton (Sud-Ouest) 12.5% €9.00
70% Négrette, 30% Cabernet Franc. Very light aromas of rose petals and strawberry. Decent acid/sweet balance and mouth weight, but could use a touch more concentration.

2007 Château la Villatade Rosé AOC Minervois (Languedoc) 13.0% €5.00
60% Grenache, 40% Syrah. Even lighter aromas than the preceding, some strawberry and violets. Decent balance but has a sweet finish that I didn’t care for.

2007 Domaine du Rin du Bois Cuvée Gamay AOC Touraine 12.0% €5.00
Attractive aromas of raspberry, leather and spices. Good acid/sweet balance. Decent weight. In my opinion, this was the best of the evening at achieving well its modest objectives.

2006 Château Joliet Cuvée Fantaisie AOC Fronton (Sud-Ouest) 12.5% €5.00
Négrette. Had never tried this grape before, and this did little to make me regret it. Unusual sour cherry and smoke aromas. Quite astringent because of healthy acidity and tannins, but not particularly tasty or pleasurable.

2008 Château la Villatade Cuvée Sanguine AOC Minervois (Languedoc) 12.5% €6.00
Syrah. Pepper and cherry nose. Good acid/sweet balance. Simple, but competent.

2007 Domaine de la Graveirette Cuvée Must AOC Vin du Pays d'Orange (Côtes-du-Rhône) labeled 13.6% but actually 14.2% €7.00
75% Grenache, 25% Syrah. Aromas of raspberry ganache and leather. A bit hot, but velvety texture. More sweet than acid. One for the international crowd.

2007 Domaine d'Escausses Cuvée la Vigne Blanche AOC Gaillac (Sud-Ouest) 13.0% €5.00
40% Syrah, 30% Fer-Servadou, 15% Merlot, 10% Duras, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very perfumed, with attractive raspberry and a welcome touch of barnyard. Good acid/sweet balance, good grip. My favorite, together with the Gamay.

So did she take your advice about what to buy for the restaurant?

So did she take your advice about what to buy for the restaurant?

I hope my impressions are useful as input, but I'm so NOT representative (like most of us) of Joe Public that it would not be so smart, commercially speaking, to follow my preferences... My friend, who is not a wine geek, has an experienced enough palate and is probably a better judge of what her customers will like.

The Touraine Gamay made me think of the general but savvy distinction you once made between those from Touraine and those from Beaujolais. This one had a nice little nervy touch that made it worthwhile at a price point where the average Bojo might have fallen flat.

I hope my impressions are useful as input, but I'm so NOT representative (like most of us) of Joe Public that it would not be so smart, commercially speaking, to follow my preferences... My friend, who is not a wine geek, has an experienced enough palate and is probably a better judge of what her customers will like..

Yes, business and pleasure are often two different things!

I am amazed that a wine like Fronton makes it to the States.
Small, little-known appellation.
Glad to see importers going off the beaten track.

Alex R.

I am amazed that a wine like Fronton makes it to the States.

Who said anything about the States?

Ah, so you bought it in Brazil!
OK.
Still, it is quite extraordinary because not one person in 10,000 in France knows of Fronton.
It is quite inexpensive here, and I'm wondering the story behind its importation.

All the best,
Alex

[David M. Bueker]

I've had wine from Fronton in small bistros in France, but I have never seen any in the USA. Of course I haven't looked all that hard.

Ah, so you bought it in Brazil!
OK.
Still, it is quite extraordinary because not one person in 10,000 in France knows of Fronton.
It is quite inexpensive here, and I'm wondering the story behind its importation.

All the best,
Alex

It's an interesting story. Two Frenchwomen (one of them freshly arrived from France) got together last year and decided to open an importer that, essentially, only imports wines that cost below 10 Euro. That way, even with the absurd 215% import duties that we have down here, they can still be sold at a reasonable price. So, one of them goes back and forth, looking for such QPRs to sell down here. Currently they import:

←↑→ Cuvée Tuffeaux 2006
AOC Bourgueil
Domaine Damien Lorieux
Loire
Cabernet Franc.

←↑→ Cuvée Graviers 2006
AOC Bourgueil
Domaine Damien Lorieux
Loire
Cabernet Franc.

←↑→ Chablis 2007
AOC Chablis
Domaine Ellevin
Bourgogne
Chardonnay.

←↑→ F de Frédignac
AOC Côtes de Blayes
Château Frédignac
Bordeaux
Malbec, Merlot.

←↑→ Cuvée Sanguine 2007
AOC Minervois
Château la Villatade
Languedoc
Syrah.

←↑→ Château la Villatade Rosé 2007
AOC Minervois
Château la Villatade
Languedoc
Grenache, Syrah.

←↑→ Cuvée ballade 2007
AOC Fronton
Château Joliet
Sud-Ouest
Négrette, Cabernet Franc.

←↑→ Cuvée Fantaisie 2006
AOC Fronton
Château Joliet
Sud-Ouest
Négrette.

←↑→ Cuvée farandole 2007
AOC VDP Comté Tolosan
Château Joliet
Sud-Ouest
Muscadelle.

←↑→ Cuvée Must 2005
AOC Vin du pays d'Orange
Domaine de la Graveirette
Côtes-du-Rhône
Grenache, Syrah.

←↑→ Millésime 2006
AOC Côtes du Rhône
Domaine de la Graveirette
Côtes-du-Rhône
Grenache, Syrah.

←↑→ Cuvée Gamay 2007
AOC Touraine
Domaine du Rin du Bois
Loire
Gamay.

←↑→ Cuvée Rosé 2007
AOC Touraine
Domaine du Rin du Bois
Loire
Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir.

←↑→ Cuvée Sylvain
AOC Touraine
Domaine du Rin du Bois
Loire
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc.

←↑→ Cuvée Riesling Tradition 2007
AOC Alsace
Domaine Frey
Alsace
Riesling.

←↑→ Cuvée Rayon de Lune 2006
AOC Alsace
Domaine Frey
Alsace
Pinot Blanc.

←↑→ Cuvée Plaisir Perlant
AOC Alsace
Domaine Frey
Alsace
Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris.

←↑→ Millésime 2003
AOC Champagne
Domaine Louise Brison
Champagne
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir.

←↑→ Sancerre 2006
AOC Sancerre
Domaine Raimbault
Loire
Pinot Noir.

←↑→ Sancerre 2007
AOC Sancerre
Domaine Raimbault
Loire
Sauvignon.

←↑→ Cuvée Hommage 2003
AOC Côtes de Bourg
Château Lamblin
Bordeaux
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec.

←↑→ Cuvée Thomas 2005
AOC Côtes de Bourg
Château Lamblin
Bordeaux
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec.

←↑→ Saint Qvinis Tinto 2004
AOC Côteaux Varois en Provence
Domaine de Fontlade
Provence
Syrah, Grenache.

←↑→ Saint Qvinis Rosé 2007
AOC Côteaux Varois en Provence
Domaine de Fontlade
Provence
Cinsault, Grenache.

←↑→ Millésime 2005
AOC Montagne Saint Émilion
Château Piron
Bordeaux
Merlot, Cabernet.

←↑→ Sélection des Cognettes 2006
AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Domaine des Cognettes
Loire
Muscadet.

←↑→ Cuvée Oxygène
AOC Côtes de Bourg
Château Lamblin
Bordeaux
Merlot.

←↑→ Cuvée la Vigne Blanche 2006
AOC Gaillac
Domaine d'Escausses
Sud-Ouest
Syrah, Fer-Servadou, Merlot, Duras, Cabernet Sauvignon.