Domaine Nebout L'Incompris du Tressallier Blanc 2020
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This wine in previous vintages was called "Le Tressallier de Gravières." Domaine Nebout L'Incompris du Tressallier Blanc offers aromas of citrus zest, crushed stones, light herbs, fresh nuts. Tangy and fresh, light bodied with bright acid and good balance.
This wine is refreshing as an aperitif with cold cuts or appetizers.
The land is similar to Burgundy, in that the soils are a mixture of chalk and clay. Yet the Nebout family decided to reserve a special vein of gravel and sand, called the “sable et graviers de Bourbonnais” for its rare Tressallier vines. Today there are less than 40 hectares of Tressallier planted in all of Europe, and all of them in Saint-Pourcain, winemaker Julien Nebout told us. His family cares for 7 hectares of this rare vine and is a strong force in restoring the lost history of this exciting varietal.
The prowess of Saint-Pourcain as a source of exemplary white wines is long established. Ask a French nobleman from the 13th century where the finest wines were to be found and he’d list without hesitation: Beaune, St. Emilion and Saint-Pourçain. Yet the wines of Saint-Pourçain practically disappeared after the phylloxera blight decimated winemaking in France. After years of replanting and rethinking how and where the region’s native varietals are grown, the winemakers of Saint-Pourçain achieved AOC status in 2009.
Named after the Allier river (and not far from the forest that provides much of the wine world with Allier barrels), Tressallier’s characteristic aromas are white flowers and hazelnuts, similar to a cool-year Chardonnay from Meursault. It is both brisk and unctuous, with a snappy, mineral finish—an altogether unique experience and one that begs to be enjoyed at the table.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
French wine is nearly synonymous with fine wine and all things epicurean, France has a culture of wine production and consumption that is deeply rooted in tradition. Many of the world’s most beloved grape varieties originated here, as did the concept of “terroir”—soil type, elevation, slope and mesoclimate combine to produce resulting wines that convey a sense of place. Accordingly, most French wine is labeled by geographical location, rather than grape variety. So a general understaning of which grapes correspond to which regions can be helpful in navigating all of the types of French wine. Some of the greatest wine regions in the world are here, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône and Champagne, but each part of the country has its own specialties and strengths.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the king and queen of Burgundy, producing elegant French red and white wines with great acidity, the finest examples of which can age for decades. The same two grapes, along with Pinot Meunier, are used to make Champagne.
Of comparable renown is Bordeaux, focused on bold, structured red blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc including sometimes a small amount of Petit Verdot or Malbec. The primary white varieties of Bordeaux are Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
The northern Rhône Valley is responsible for single-varietal Syrah, while the south specializes in Grenache blends; Rhône's main white variety is Viognier.
Most of these grape varieties are planted throughout the country and beyond, extending their influence into other parts of Europe and New World appellations.