The French Wine Offerings of Michel Picard

By Nicole Ness
Staff Writer

The thought of writing about French wine can be stressful. As much as I love these wines, it is a difficult and confusing subject to tackle, especially in a wine article. Whereas a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California is straightforward and easy to comprehend—a Chateauneuf-Du-Pape from the Rhone Valley gets a little more intense.

Looking at a French wine label, it is not easy to decipher what is in the bottle without being familiar with the way French wine law works. Most French wines are named after the place they come from, rather than the grapes used. With a little background knowledge, you learn that only certain grapes are grown in certain regions, so once you know the grapes you can usually figure out what you are drinking. Although my little article is in no way the definitive guide to French wine (there are zillions of books written on the subject), I hope to shed a bit of light on the topic.

Instead of going into the whole hullabaloo surrounding French wine and its history, I thought it important to highlight a couple of key points, so as to not lose you halfway through the article. As mentioned above, the French use a very old system of defining and regulating the different wine regions using the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) which translates to “regulated place or origin name.” The wines are generally named for the region they hail from and not the varietal (grape) we use in the United States.

The wines are ranked based on the potential of the place they come from. Generally, the smaller and more specific a place on the label is (region/district/village), the higher the rank and price. Keep in mind that even though ranked wines should be better this isn’t always the case. For example, Bordeaux is pretty much the crème de la crème of all wine drinking, yet a $10 large production Bordeaux does not fall into this category of greatness.

There are five French wine regions: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Loire and Alsace. Of these, we will talk about three. There are also four levels of quality but since the wines mentioned in this article only fall into the top level, or AOC classification, it will not be necessary to expand upon this.

Michel Picard wines are consumer-friendly, providing a straightforward interpretation of the styles of wines they represent. I have recently added this line of French wines to my store and, despite the trepidation that some people continue to have about French wines, the reception has been great.

During Valentine’s week came a dinner featuring these wines, presented by the Silver Moon Supper Club and hosted by the North American Michel Picard ambassador, Christophe Bonjour (Yes, that is his real name!). Not only was the food spectacular, but Chef Josh Smith once again demonstrated his talent for creative, lip-smacking food and wine pairings. Even though all of the big French players were not present (no Bordeaux or Alsace), the spectrum of wines that were involved provided a great glimpse into the world of French wine.

The evening started out with the delightful Michel Picard Sancerre, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. White Sancerre is always made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Most of the time Sancerre is unoaked and considered pretty dry. Due in part to the high acidity associated with these wines, they are often considered some of the best in the world to pair with food. Perhaps that is why the first pairing, a watercress salad with grapefruit, blood oranges and a black sesame honey vinaigrette, worked so nicely. Although, it didn’t hurt that the salad itself was so delicious. This wine retails for around $24.60 a bottle.

Next came the moment I had been waiting for, my first experience with frogs’ legs! I admit that the bottom half of a cute little froggy on the plate was a little disheartening, but after one delicious bite I forgot all about that. Along with chives and a delectable apricot cream sauce, the delicate legs were served along with Pouilly-Fuisse 2008. This white is always made with 100% Chardonnay grapes, which is the only grape varietal (red or white) from this appellation of Burgundy. It is a dry, crisp, white style, often with a hint of smoke. These wines are usually fairly inexpensive (for a quality French wine, that is) with the Picard retailing for about $20.32.

Even though the next wine featured is not usually one of my favorites, it made up half of my favorite food and wine pairing of the evening—maybe ever! Beaujolais Villages is a red wine from the Burgundy region of France, made from the Gamay grape, which is thin skinned and low in tannins. It is unique since all other red wines from this region are made exclusively from Pinot Noir. The dark crimson color is deceiving since the wine is really quite light and refreshing, and often even served chilled. The food pairing was smoked salmon with fennel and balsamic marinated berries and oh man was it good. These wines are very affordable with this one retailing for about $12.83.

If you are a fan of Pinot Noir, the next featured wine is certainly one to pick up at the store! The “Clos Paradis” Mercurey 1er Cru (meaning first growth or “premier cru” in French; based on Burgundy’s classification system, this is the second highest level of Burgundy) 2006 is a red Burgundy from the region of some of the greatest Pinot Noirs in the world. With vanilla and red fruit jam aromas and silky tannins, this wine is elegant to say the least. Alongside slow-cooked pork served with braised cabbage, roasted root vegetables, tart cherry sauce and candied almonds, it was truly one of the stars of the evening. There is not a ton of this out there, but if you come across a bottle it should retail for about $24.60 a bottle, a true value!

The next spectacular course featured the Chateauneuf-Du-Pape 2005 and a grilled rib eye complete with tarragon fries and cinnamon butter, which sounds kind of weird but was quite tasty. These are the most famous wines native to the Rhone Valley and some of my personal favorites. They can be blended with up to 13 different grapes, but the big guns are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. These complex wines conjure up aromas and flavors of black fruit, wood and smoke.
They are heavy, firm and really complimented the rib eye. They are not inexpensive but once you try one you will fall in love. This one retails for about $39.58.

The dessert course, paired with the Vouvray, was a cheddar croissant served with smoked apples. Even though by this time I was more than full, I was excited about this pairing, and once again was not disappointed. Vouvray is an intriguing wine from the Loire Valley with many styles and variations. By law, it must be made with 100% Chenin Blanc, which is an easily manipulated grape of high acidity that reflects everything having to do with its production, including its origin and winemaker intervention. It can usually be purchased for about $12.83 a bottle. This particular one is off dry, with the sweetness being balanced by the high acidity—rounding it out perfectly. It made for an unbelievable end to another fantastic dinner.

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If You Go

What: Silver Moon Supper Club
Where: 309 Roberts St.
When: Mon-Thu 5-9:30; Fri-Sat, 5-10:30
Info: 701.356.9097