Supermarket Senarios: Going French

I was over at Cold Storage Orchard Point. I was quite impressed as Orchard Point has a good range of wines including fortified, sparkling and dessert wines at some reasonable prices. They also have some aged wines at good prices such as 2004 Australian Chardonnay and Soave. Today, we will look more at the French. I recommend you to check it out as there are some good finds there.

1) Chateau Germain Bourgogne 2002 at $42.95. This is a Chardonnay from Burgundy at the lowest entry level. If you are into aged Chardonnay, you can expect something toasty, honey, figs and developed on the nose and heavier on the palate. This is a wine that can go well with salty nuts or even caramel ice-cream if the wine is chilled. For a Burgundy Chardonnay, the price is acceptable
2) Paul Jaboulet Aine Chateaunuef-du-Pape 2007 at $86.55. This price for a CDP is also quite reasonable considering that CDP in France can cost from 30 to 45 Euros. From previous experience in CDP, I expect aromas of wild cherries, pepper, stewed plum notes, soy or the other extreme of floral, cherry, confectionary & liqourice. In terms of body, it is medium plus bodied. This is a wine that can go with lamb dishes with rosemary and thyme.
3) Paul Jaboulet Aine Gigondas 2007 at $57.70. The grapes are similar as Gigondas but the climate is not as warm. The soils of Gigondas too is different as it is limestone at higher altitudes. In a blind tasting, it is not easy to differentiate between CDP and Gigondas. Given the price difference, I would pick the Gigondas over the CDP.
4) Paul Jaboulet Aine Muscat de Beaumes-Venise 2007 at $76.90. This is a wine that is sweet and alcohol has been added to it to stop fermentation. It is honeyed, sweet, grapey with floral aromas and peaches. Good as a starter with fruit salad or at the end of the night by itself. My only problem is the price is slightly too high when I can get half a bottle in France for 10 Euros.

My Choice: Gigondas is my pick for tonight. It isn't overly priced like the Muscat or CDP. Its flavour-profile can be similar to CDP but the quality can be better. I would stay away from the 2002 Chardonnay as there is no guaranteed that a village Burgundy can be aged that long. Most of the time, a village Chardonnay is meant to be drank young.