Wines of the week | When the balance goes, everything goes

There was a time when I avoided high alcohol wines. It was at a time when we glorified the ripest possible grapes and advanced extractions. The wines were then completely unbalanced and the alcohol, omnipresent. When viticulture and vinification are very careful, when more concern is given to plants and soils than to maturity, the wine can have a high alcohol content while remaining perfectly balanced and digestible.

Veronique Rivest
Sommelier, guest collaborator

Total success

Back in the 2017 vintage, Catherine Maisonneuve and Mathieu Cosse’s Le Combal cuvée is true to itself and offers one of the best wines in this price range, all categories combined. The wine still impresses with its ripe matter, complexity, depth and length, but above all with its flawless balance. Aromas of very ripe black fruits, with notes of spices, anise, black earth and a floral hint, open the ball. The palate is ample, ripe and juicy at the same time, bursting with fruit, radiance and freshness. Very fine tannins, but firm, bring relief and crumble on a long finish, with a mineral impression. Already delicious, it will provide plenty of pleasure for years to come. To be enjoyed with duck confit, lamb chops or cassoulet.

Cosse Maisonneuve Le Combal Cahors 2017, $20.80 (10675001), 13.5%

Aging: 4 to 6 years

Little treasure, big satisfaction

Mâcon-Péronne is a regional appellation of Burgundy with an additional geographical denomination. That is to say that it applies to a more restricted territory, compared to Mâcon tout court, for example. These appellations are full of little treasures, such as this wine which offers very good value for money, something that has become rare in Burgundy. The nose is fine, pretty and fresh, with aromas of citrus fruits, pear, green apple, with notes of cream and almond. A very beautiful fruity substance on the palate offers a caressing texture. The palate is ample, but without any heaviness despite a high alcohol content. It remains fresh, even toned, and very harmonious. Very dry, and without wood, the wine, rich, is made for the table. Try it with fish or chicken in sauce, with white butter, cream, lobster or even sweetbreads.

Domaine du Mont Épin Mâcon-Péronne 2020, $23.95 (13620815), 14.7%, organic

Aging: 2 or 3 years

Rich, complex and singular

Vitatge Vielh is a cuvée made from very old vines, 60 to 100 years old, from the local Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, Courbu and Camaralet grape varieties. They are cultivated, planted, at an altitude of 400 m at the foot of the Pyrenees. In 2017, 60% of the first, 30% of the second and 10% of courbu make up the cuvée. The wines ferment in demi-muids and in casks, then are aged there for a year on the lees. What a wine! It has a golden color and opens with notes of cereals, peach, orange and honey. The palate is ample, oily, but also fine and elegant, carried by a fresh acidity. Very harmonious, with slight bitterness that points to a long finish, it is drunk with fish or scallops with curry, roast pork with apricots, poultry with cream or mushrooms.

Clos Lapeyre Jurançon Vitatge Vielh 2017, $28.25 (11629761), 13%, organic

Aging: 3 to 6 years