2007 Domaine D'Uby Colombard - Ugni Blanc Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Southwest of France
Suggested retail price $9-$11
Distributed by Baron François in NYC
Domaine d'Uby is located in the Gers, a region bordering the massive tree forest of the Landes, more precisely in the village of Cazaubon, about 15kms from the town of Eauze, the Armagnac capital.
The Domaine, now run by François Morel, belongs to the Morel family since 1920. It was established when the Morel brothers, scions of a prominent protestant Swiss family of winegrowers, arrived in France and acquired their first estate in the Gers.
The vineyard, which stretched over 100 hectares, has been totally restructured and is now grown and managed under sustainable agriculture. It mainly produces characteristic white wines resulting from the judicious blending of local regional grape varieties: Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Gros Manseng. The vineyard has been recently enriched by the addition of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Made from 75% Colombard and 25% Ugni Blanc, picked at night to preserve their freshness and aromas, the grapes were harvested from selected vineyards planted on slopes with good exposure, good drainage and distinctive soil of alluvium and tawny sand. The harvest was followed by an adapted vinification to each grape variety (according to the desired final product): cold press, pellicular maceration and low-temperature fermentation. This wine didn't see any oak, it was fermented and rested for a few months after fermentation in stainless steel tanks, to ensure maximum freshness and fruit character.
2007 Domaine d'Uby Colombard - Ugni Blanc Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne is a delicious, crisp, refreshing little wine and a typical example of a great value from Gascogny (southwest of France). Very pleasant as an aperitif or with salad, seafood and white fish, this fresh, summery, fruity white wine reveals excellent balance and depth, with zesty citrus, white and exotic fruits with excellent acidity and minerality. At less than $12, it truly deserves to be tasted, at least just for the fun of discovering a wine from an unknown region. Moreover it is a great, versatile and cleansing summer white.
Enjoy!
LeDom du Vin
For more info, visit the distributor website at: www.baronfrancois.com
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The 2009 UBY Colombard-Ugni Blanc has its role with summertime sipping but even when it's cold out can be a nice aperitif, especially with herbed goat cheese. As I just tasted it, my impression is a cross between NZ Sauvignon Blanc and Portugese Vino Verde. An aromatic white, nearly colorless, with notes of grapefruit, grass, lime, and peach. This is an interesting find for me here in Fort Collins, CO. Usually I'm seeking Armagnac from this region, not dry white table wine. I'll keep an eye on your blog, I quite like it!
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your much appreciated wine description and comments. I'm glad that you like the Uby Blanc. It has been very consistent one vintage after another, and has also been one of my strongest selling less expensive white wines in the store for quite some time now.
I'm also glad that you like my wine blog. I would like to spend more time on it and really be able to write about all the wines that I tasted (and I taste roughly 1 to 10 wines everyday, 5-6 days a week), but I also like to see my beloved son growing so I don't write as much. But thank you for keeping an eye on my blog.
Thank you,
regards,
LeDom du Vin (aka Dominique Noël)