A while back at the Wine Cellar we picked up this wine on a whim, one because it was inexpensive at $8 and two because it was made from 3 grapes, two of which I had not heard of before. The 2006 Colombelle from the Vin de Pays Cotes de Gascogne in the Southeastern part of France (near Toulouse) is made from primarily Colombard (60%) with a good percentage of Ugni Blanc (30%) and Listan (10%). I have heard of Ugni Blanc and have only had it as a component of a wine one other time, but know that it is one of the grapes in the hybrid, Vidal Blanc. Colombard and Listan were both entirely new to me. Colombard had huge plantings (70,000 acres) in California prior to the 1990’s where it was used to make the infamous “jug wines”. Listan is better known as the Palomino grape in Spain where it is used as the primary grape in the production of Sherry. Who knew I would geek out so much with an $8 wine? Another bonus is this is 2 more grapes to check off on my journey for the Wine Century Club.
What I thought about it!
Color – very pale straw
Nose – mango, pear, lime, honey, roasted nut, flint
Taste – Lemon, mint, acorn squash
Mouthfeel – light body, soft across the mid palate with generous amount of acidity towards the finish, crisp
Finish – disappeared fairly quickly but left a nice flavor of coconut on the palate
We drank this with homemade veggie tacos and it was a great fit, especially for a warm spring evening. The nose wasn’t overly powerful but what I got was great tree fruit and tropical flavors. The fruit on the palate was much more evident and had a great acorn squash flavor that was very nice and slightly unusual. Great refreshing acidity and clean minerality makes this a perfect summer time sipper, but it is complex enough that it would go well with not-so-spicy Mexican and Indian dishes as well as lighter seafood fare.
Cheers!
Anything Wine 
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