Deal, or No Deal?… Deal!
Verget Saint Bris, 2004, Burgundy, France
Okay here’s the deal, Sauvignon Blanc meets White Burgundy at a killer price! The fruity citrus flavors of this grape have met the metallic crispness commonly found in this classic terroir….
Saint Bris, which is Southwest of Chablis in the Burgundy region of France, was promoted to AOC status in 2001. Who cares? Well, it’s unique in that all AOC (highest quality wines) white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. Saint Bris wines are made from Sauvignon Blanc. Some refer to this as ‘poor man’s Sancerre.’
It?s a great change of pace from the creeping global style of fruity/oaky wines. Try it with seafood bisques, pasta with white sauce, herbed & roasted chicken.
The standards Verget has established and the collaboration it has set up with the grape growers continually improve the quality of their products. Verget buys only handpicked grapes. The grapes are loaded into 40 kg cases to preserve the health of grapes, then trucked back to Verget, re-sorted if needed and pressed using a pneumatic press. There is total control of the winemaking process. All wines are vinified, `raised’ and bottled at Verget. Through Jean-Marie Guffens’ distinct winemaking process, Verget has developed a unique style. Focus is on the use of lees, on the gentlest-possible handling of the fruit and the young wine, and on barrel fermentation. Verget wines display precision, sharpness of fruit and considerable mineral focus allied to textural richness.
