’ve been holding on to this bottle for a little bit looking for the right time to drink it and this week seemed to fit that bill! Bourboulenc is a whtie wine varietal originating in the Rhȏne Valley in southeastern France. When used in France, it is commonly a blending grape. Plantings have been located in Greece under the name, Asprokondoura. It is a common grape in the Provence region of southern France also. In 2019, Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, CA, produced their first vintage of a single varietal wine using Bourboulenc. Tablas is noted for importing budwood from France to experiment with them in the US.
For my food pairing, I was going to take a recipe off the website from Tablas Creek, but my dogs had another idea. They ate raw scallops while they defrosted and I got left high and dry for my food pairing! Alas, I guess I am left with nothing but wine for dinner (they must’ve known it was my Friday and a glass of wine would suffice). For pairing suggestions, this wine would be wonderful with seafood or white fish. I will be having the wine a la carte! First, I was surprised at the dark yellow color of the wine. I could taste notes of butterscotch but was unable to find data on if or how long the wine was aged in oak. There were no discernable notes of toast, so if it did have oak aging, it would have been in a neutral barrel (a barrel that has been used to age wine a few times before). This would give baking spice notes and a fuller body while not having prominent touches of toast or smoke. On the nose, it has a variety of aromas. There is a very notable scent of pineapple and white grapefruit. Upon tasting it, the full body and tight acidity are prominent until the palate catches hints of wet rocks and orange blossom. This wine would be fantastic with a light fish and mango salsa (if my dogs would cooperate!) This bottle is a fantastic representation of the grape variety and it makes me wonder why it is mostly a blending grape as it exudes plenty of exuberance. Thank you #171!
-TheLooseTannin
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 