Wines of the week | Varied trio to start the year

For those of you who are not abstaining in January, here are my three suggestions of the week: a super small affordable white, a more complex white to have fun and discover a little-known grape variety, then a resolutely red wintry, which is also a good candidate for the cellar.

Veronique Rivest
Sommelier, guest collaborator

Very interesting for the price

Bodega Aranléon cultivates 120 hectares of vines, at an altitude of 720 m, in the hills of the hinterland of Valence. This cuvée, the Aranléon Blés Valencia Crianza 2020, is made with 60% Macabeo (the Rioja Viura) and 40% Sauvignon Blanc, fermented in stainless steel vats. Nothing stunning, but the wine is very well made. Not very aromatic, and certainly not fruity (it is not dominated by fruit aromas), it opens with notes of brine, citrus peel and zest, green apple skin. Dry and light on the palate, it has a certain grain to the texture that gives it relief. Fresh, but not biting, with just the right amount of acidity, accentuated by those delicately saline notes. For the aperitif, or to accompany salads, fried fish.

Aranléon Blés Valencia Crianza 2020, $14.45 (13792422), organic, 12%.

Laying down: to drink.

Introduction to romorantin

While Macabeo (previous wine) is a very widespread grape variety, especially in Spain, Romorantin is not at all. Originally from Burgundy, it is now almost exclusively grown in the Cour-Cheverny appellation, in Touraine. Here is a very nice wine to get started. Aromatic, the Domaine des Huards Romo Cour Cheverny 2018 opens with a pretty nose with notes of apple blossoms, citrus fruits, currants, with a delicate mineral impression. The palate impresses with its substance and volume, while remaining super fresh and tense. Slight smoky notes (as in flint, not as in wood), chalk and honey add complexity. Tasty and complete, like many of the wines from this estate, which has been working biodynamically since 1998. To be enjoyed with goat cheese, chicken with cream or with apricots and ginger.

Domaine des Huards Romo Cour Cheverny 2018, $26.70 (13513286), organic, 13%.

Aging: 4 or 5 years.

For a nice dinner at home

In Bandol, in Provence, a lot of rosés are produced, a few rare whites, but it is the reds that steal the show. The Mourvèdre grape is king here. It is said that it likes its feet in the water and its head in the sun: as soon as you leave the Mediterranean rim, the climate no longer allows it to fully ripen. Here, on south-facing terraces, it soaks up the sun. This wine, Domaine La Suffrene Bandol 2014 (60% Mourvèdre with Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan), offers aromas of blackberries, anise and animal notes, reminiscent of leather. An enveloping texture in the mouth, with a beautiful fruity sparkle, is framed by ripe and firm tannins. Notes of black earth, garrigue, spices and a stony impression add to the fruit and stretch on a tight finish. To decant for an hour and enjoy with duck breast, leg of lamb, game in sauce.

Domaine La Suffrene Bandol 2014, $29.40 (14852280), 14%.

Aging: 6 or 7 years.