Santa Barbara Wine On An L.A. Wine List

When I see a Santa Barbara wine that I am not familiar with on the menu, I'm sold. Tatomer is a label I had not seen before, but it was the Summer of Riesling inside Kali. I tried. I liked.

I had the Tatomer Vandenberg Riesling 2013 at Kali in Los Angeles, where sommelier Drew Langley watches over an immaculately curated wine list. Does "Summer of Riesling" do it for you? It does for me, especially when they are such good examples. My wife had a German Kabinett, but I had this Vandenberg example from Santa Barbara County. They listed it as "dry and medium bodied," which is good advice for a Riesling. This one, though, has a nice touch of petrol - I mean, why order Riesling unless it has that? - along with some surprisingly extreme minerality and a muted citrus note. I paired it with the Niçoise salad to great effect. It was also a hit with the wife's roast pork, Pennsylvania native that she is.

Winemaker Graham Tatomer got one taste of Austrian Riesling and signed on to work there, anywhere. He brought his obsession with Riesling - bone dry Riesling - to Santa Barbara County. He says,  "The sites that excite me have been the coldest ones, lending to wines of lighter weight, nuanced flavors, and bracing acidity. Riesling is the ultimate grape to pursue these characteristics. No other grape conveys its region's character and varietal flavor with the power, focus, and beauty the way Riesling does." Amen, Graham. 

His Vandenberg Riesling - so named for the nearby Air Force base - comes primarily from the Kick-On Ranch, and the grapes are selected for their infection with botrytis, the rot that makes grapes a bit sweeter. I did not notice any unusual sweetness at all in this wine, but that’s okay. 

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Mixing Fruits And Wine

Petite Sirah: Dark Mendocino Nights

Edmeades is a Mendocino County mainstay since the sixties, with grapes grown in the region's rugged coastal mountains. The Jackson Family bought the acreage in 1988 and brought current winemaker Ben Salazar into the fold in 2012.

Edmeades Petite Sirah 2013

They say on the website that this wine is as "dark as a moonless night."  It is, in fact, a deep indigo with dark purple showing around the edge of the glass. The winery folks explain that the wine is made only when the grapes are right, in select vintages. 2013 was, apparently, such a year.

This dark wine smells delicious, with dark fruit challenged by oak spice, cedar and vanilla being the most prominent. The nose is complex, with notes of licorice, cigar box, cinnamon and blackberry coming forth. Tobacco and a chocolaty mocha abet those flavors on the palate. It’s 93% Petite Sirah and 7% Zinfandel, with mostly neutral oak use in the aging. Alcohol hits 14.5% abv and only 250 cases were made. It retails for $35.


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Garnacha: Spanish Grenache

The Twitterverse is full of virtual wine tasting events that are out there for your enjoyment, as well as your edification. Wineries stage them to promote their new releases and wine regions sponsor them to elevate their name recognition. Sometimes, it’s all about a grape.

The recent “Twitter Tasting” put on through Sopexa brought wine lovers together for the sake of Garnacha. That’s what the Grenache grape is called in Spain, and I’m always up for some Spanish wine. I was invited to play along and was provided with samples for that purpose. Over the next couple of weeks we will examine some of the great Garnachas that were sampled.

Beso de Vino Old Vine Garnacha

From Aragon's Cariñena region, these old vines grown rocky soil. So rocky is it, and the minerality so pronounced, they call it the wine of the rocks. It clocks a 13.5% abv and sells for about ten bucks.
Bottle poetry features a silly snippet about a bull that kissed the wine and now runs around the world telling everyone how great it is. Hey, they should have thought of that in the Toro region.

There is a very pronounced earthy streak running through this one. The cherry aromas and flavors are there, for sure, but they are struggling to burst through a heavy layer of earthy sediment. I think of it as "dirty cherry." The rustic nature actually makes me think of rusty, as in a piece of metal covered in iron oxide.The structure is a little weak, but that makes it very sippable. The minerals will go nicely with a piece of lean beef or pork.


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Wine Awards

Garnacha: Spanish Grenache

The Twitterverse is full of virtual wine tasting events that are out there for your enjoyment, as well as your edification. Wineries stage them to promote their new releases and wine regions sponsor them to elevate their name recognition. Sometimes, it’s all about a grape.

The recent “Twitter Tasting” put on through Sopexa brought wine lovers together for the sake of Garnacha. That’s what the Grenache grape is called in Spain, and I’m always up for some Spanish wine. I was invited to play along and was provided with samples for that purpose. Over the next couple of weeks we will examine some of the great Garnachas that were sampled.

Paniza Garnacha Rosé

Bodegas Paniza is named after their town in the Aragon region of the Cariñena D.O.P. of northwestern Spain.  The limestone-based soil is sun-drenched, with a wide swing between daytime and nighttime temperatures. The late-ripening Garnacha grape is perfect for a terroir such as this. A portion of their vines are over 50 years old, some dating back to 1906.

The Panzia Garnacha Rosé is 100% Garnacha, vinified to 13% abv. It comes in a pretty pink sleeve which, unfortunately, obscures the pretty pink wine inside the bottle.  It’s a light shade of pink, between Provence and rosado.

The wine's nose comes on just like a wonderful rosé, with baskets of fresh strawberries still on the stems. There’s a fairly strong cherry note as well. In the mouth, I couldn’t really tell it was pink - it was so full and weighty it could easily have been a red. The palate offers beautiful red fruit and a laid-back acidity. It will be perfect on the porch this summer, and it will pair well with salmon or grilled pork chops.

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DC Bigshots Sip Santa Maria Valley

Uruguayan Wine: Sauvignon Blanc

Uruguay is notched between Argentina and Brazil, with the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires to the southwest, right across the wide mouth of Rio de La Plata. Uruguay’s latitude puts them right in line with other wine growing areas as portions of Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Wine grapes are grown over most of the nation, with Tannat serving as Uruguay’s calling card. The Tannat grape hails from South West France, the Madiran region specifically, where it produces a wild and tannic wine. The juice there is so harsh that the French are said to have invented micro-oxygenation to try and tame it. The Tannat grapes of Uruguay, while still notably tannic, are much milder and user-friendly. They also grow Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, and white grapes like Chardonnay, Semillon and Riesling.

Bodega Garzón is in the Maldonado area, in Punta del Este on Uruguay’s southernmost tip, just 18 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The vineyards are on thin and rocky soil which drains well and is rich in minerals.Their sustainable, hilltop winery makes nearly half its energy needs through wind and sun..

The Garzón Sauvignon Blanc 2015 carries a lively acidity at only 12.5% abv, perfect for summer sipping. The pale straw-colored wine offers a zippy and citrus-laden nose, with tons of wet-rock minerality. There is a grassy element, but not a pungent one like that found in New Zealand. It’s more of a South African-style minerality that comes across. The palate is as fresh as can be, with a fruity tartness and a suggestion of sweetness. It's a great match with a seafood salad. Crab or Shrimp Louie hits it just right, as do peel and eat. 

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White Zin Lovers "Born That Way"

Uruguayan Wine: Garzon Albariño

I have had the pleasure of tasting only  a few wines from Uruguay, but they have been memorable. The South American country is notched between Argentina and Brazil, with the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires to the southwest, right across the wide mouth of Rio de La Plata. Uruguay’s latitude puts them right in line with other wine growing areas like portions of Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Wine grapes are grown over most of the nation, with Tannat serving as Uruguay’s calling card. The Tannat grape hails from South West France, the Madiran region specifically, where it produces a wild and tannic wine. The juice there is so harsh that the French are said to have invented micro-oxygenation to try and tame it. The Tannat grapes of Uruguay, while still notably tannic, are much milder and user-friendly. They also grow Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, and white grapes like Chardonnay, Semillon and Riesling.

Bodega Garzon is in the Maldonado area, in Punta del Este on Uruguay’s southernmost tip, just 18 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The vineyards are on thin and rocky soil which drains well and is rich in minerals.Their sustainable, hilltop winery makes nearly half its energy needs through wind and sun..

The Garzón Albariño 2015 is a 100% varietal wine that hits a ripe 14.5% abv on the alcohol scale. It was aged for six months in stainless steel, in contact with the spent yeast cells to give a full mouthfeel.  Winemaker German Bruzzone works alongside enologist Alberto Antonini and viticulturist Eduardo Felix to fashion this invigorating white wine.

The wine offers a light, golden hue and the aromas we want with the Albarino grape. The honeysuckle is right up front, followed closely by pineapple and tangerine. An earthy note shows on the palate, a minerality that goes far beyond citrus zest.  There’s a bright acidity that will support a Cobb salad or chicken breast just as well as it does a handful of walnuts


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Pinot, Chardonnay Lovers Lose Ally

Sangria: Wine Concentrates From Colorado

Decadent Saint describes themselves as "Colorado’s Craft Winery," and they claim to be pioneering the American craft wine market with a revolution in a bottle. Small batch produced, their 20.5% abv wine concentrates can be diluted to make up to five bottles of a wine and fruit juice mix. Retail is about $20 each, so you’re making sangria for $4 a bottle. The concentrates are made with wine, real fruit and fresh spices, and contain no flavorings. They say they stay fresh for six months after opening without refrigeration.

Enologist and owner Michael Hasler says, "nothing on the shelves compares with them for taste, value or utility."

Decadent Saint was formerly What We Love, The Winery.  The concentrates come in three flavors: White Sangria, Fire or Ice Sangria and Mountain Rescue. based on a homemade recipe that Hasler created while he owned a ski lodge in New Zealand.

Decadent Saint White Sangria

This one features "White Wine, Real Fruit, Fresh Spice," as the label says. ."Tastes like freshly blended tropical fruits!" That’s truth in advertising, right there. They promise aromatics of mango, passion fruit, peach, guava, grapefruit and spice, and it's all true. Just add water, although I liked it better with seltzer. Prosecco makes a nice mix, too. The bottle of concentrate makes three to five bottles of white sangria.

It’s really viscous right from the bottle, more so than orange juice, but about the same color. The aroma, undiluted, is like a concentrated orange/tangerine/pineapple juice blend. It tastes like OJ, as well. I did a one-to-one mix with seltzer water and found it was still fairly thick and very much like a mimosa, with a little alcohol at the back end. So, they really do mean it when they say to dilute three to five times.

Decadent Saint Fire Or Ice Sangria

As the name suggests, you can drink it hot or cold, like a sangria or a mulled wine, depending on which holiday you’re celebrating.

Decadent Saint Rocky Mountain Rescue

This concentrate includes red wine, dark chocolate, decaf coffee, berries and spice. Again, there’s no stipulation on temperature. Drink it hot or cold, they say. The Rocky Mountain Rescue leads off with a dark chocolate raspberry note, smoothly transitioning to a rich mocha before giving way to the full spice cacophony.

While sangria is nearly always a limited color in my wine palette, I can say these concentrates make some decidedly good ones.  I found that I liked them best with one-to-one or two-to-one dilution, but at that point they are still very viscous and concentrated. Follow the recipe and you'll have enough refreshing sangrias to get through a good part of the summer.


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Two Great Washington State Red Wines

There may not be another American Viticultural Area named so poetically as the Horse Heaven HIlls AVA in eastern Washington state. With images in our heads of wild stallions leaping over grapevines, we turn to the Mercer Family for some wine befitting that waking dream.

The Mercer Estate Winery has a five-generation legacy of sustainable farming, not just for grapes, but other foods as well. A Scottish Highlander came to America before the Declaration of Independence was signed, and his descendants headed west and settled in what is now the Horse Heaven Hills region a hundred years later, growing cattle, sheep and wheat.

Don & Linda Mercer planted the family’s first grapes in the early ‘70s and started making wine about eleven year ago. Winemaker Jessica Munnell considers herself lucky to have access to the fruit of the Horse Heaven Hills in the Mercer’s seven vineyards

Samples of two of the Mercer Estates wines were provided to me for the purpose of this article..

Mercer Estates Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills  2013

304 cases of this wine were produced, and the bottles retail for $24.  The blend is simple: 76% Malbec and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and it has alcohol at 13.7% abv. The grapes for this wine came primarily from their Spice Cabinet Vineyard, sitting on a southeast slope above the Columbia River. It aged for 24 months in French and American oak barrels.

It’s a dark wine, inky. The nose is full of blackberry and spice, and to a lesser degree, earth and smoke. It smells, and tastes, a bit like Bordeaux - which I would guess they’d be pretty happy about in Washington State. In the sip there is dark fruit and plenty of it, but a savory aspect joins in for a really balanced approach. The tannins are capable enough to match up with tri tip, but they don't irritate if you just want to sip a good Malbec. A really good Malbec.

Mercer Estates Sharp Shisters Red Blend, Horse Heaven Hills 2013

They made 2,725 cases of this wine that sell for $24 per bottle. The kitchen-sink blend shows 47% Merlot, 41% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Sangiovese and 1% Petit Verdot. The Merlot and Cab came from their Princeton Vineyard, Syrah came out of the Dead Canyon Vineyard while the Sangiovese and Petit Verdot are from the Spice Cabinet Vineyard. The wine spent 20 months in French and American oak.

All those months in wood show up as soon as the glass is under the nose. Ripe red fruit and sweet oak notes explode in a showy perfume. There’s more. Smoke, forest floor and a boatload of spices - cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg. On the palate we have amazing fruit, and why not? The Merlot and Syrah handle that heavy lifting well enough. The Cabernet Sauvignon gives structure and focus. Additional complexity from the Sangiovese and Petit Verdot equal an embarrassment of riches.


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Wine And Alzheimer's

Portuguese Wines With Food

Portugal’s grapes and wines are fascinating.  They seem so foreign to the rest of the wine world - hard to understand, but easy to like.

Wines of Portugal served up a luncheon and education hour recently for a group of wine writers, educators and sommeliers in Los Angeles, to which I was happy to be invited. We congregated in the back area at Republique and got schooled by the speaker, Evan Goldstein, below.

The Master Sommelier opened with remarks about a few of the 300 grape varieties that are indigenous to Portugal, and some of the difficulty of wrapping one’s American head around them. He said it's not easy teaching folks about Portuguese wines. "Grapes that people can't pronounce and a language that sounds like a bunch of drunk Russians arguing," he said, "make a rather hazy platform for wine education."

The idea of serving lunch items with the wines, Goldstein said, was to put the wines in the context in which they want to be shown - with food. The wine expert offered some tips on pairing wine with food, and he says it boils down to three key elements.

First, Goldstein says protein is not always the star. Especially in restaurants, you may find several commanding flavors in the side dishes that beg to be addressed by the wine. 

Second, he emphasizes the cooking impact. Is the food grilled? Smoked? Blackened? He says all of these cooking styles can overwhelm a wine. 

Third, is there a sauce? If so, that's the key to a wine pairing. A wine you would match with plain pasta is very different from the one you’d match with a marinara sauce that goes into it.

Goldstein gave us the chance to mix and match with the lunch, which was served in three, two-stage courses, perfect Portuguese pairings prepared by Walter Manzke and Eric Bost of Republique and Telmo Faria of San Francisco's Uma Casa.

Before we sat, a wonderful aperitif wine was poured, the Esporão Verdelho, Alentejo 2015.  The wine makes a great opener, with a mineral-driven citrus nose and flavors of grapefruit and lemon in a crisp, fresh acidity. The 13.5% abv wine was made entirely from the Verdelho grape, grown in the Alentejo region, in the south-central part of Portugal. It was declared the best wine of the year in that country, the first time a white wine had ever won the honor.


Each lunch course was paired with four wines, from which we were to select the one that best fit the dish, according to our palates. This, Goldstein assured us, meant that there were no wrong answers.

First Course

Hamachi Crudo Gazpacho, Mustard Seed Oil  

The Sogrape Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde, Vinho Verde 2015 was the best with fish, fins down.

Sopa de Funcho, Chilled Fennel Soup; Dungeness Crab, Corn Salad  

As I suspected, the easiest sipper was the best with the soup, the Terras d’Alter Reserva Branco, Alentejo, 2014.

Second Course

Spinach Cavatelli, Forest Mushrooms 

I would have preferred a white wine with mushroom, I always do. Of the three reds, the best fit was probably the Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Tinto, Alentejo, 2011.

Arroz de Pato, Morel Mushroom and Duck Confit Risotto; Seared Duck Breast, Red Wine Cherry Sauce  

All three reds did fine with this one, great in fact.  

Third Course

Beef Tenderloin, Sweet Onion, Oven-Dried Tomato, Bacon

Wines #11 and #12, from the Douro selections, were best. An elegant pairing where the tannins seemed put to good use

Carne a Jardineira, Braised Short Rib, New Potatoes, Baby Carrots, Summer Beans, Braising Jus

All four Douros were great with this course.

The wines:

1 Aveleda Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde, Vinho Verde 2015
 From the northwest part of the country; winemaker Manuel Soares; 11% abv
The Loueira grape gives the wines wonderful floral capacity, while the Alva Rinho grapes brings the fruit. Great acidity.

2 Sogrape Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde, Vinho Verde 2015
Nearly all Loureira grapes, only 5% Pederna; 11% abv four months aging on the lees
The nose is chalky with muted citrus notes. Grapefruit flavors dominate with a very fresh acidity.

3 Caves Transmontanas Vértice Grande Reserva Branco, Douro 2013
Yes, a white from Douro, in the northern part of country, where Port comes from.
13.6% abv; half gouveio and half Viosinho; light oak
Muted mineral aromas of chalk and lemons, with a slight toastiness. Smooth and earthy in the mouth, full with a light citrus overlay.

4 Terras d’Alter Reserva Branco, Alentejo 2014
A five-grape blend from Alentejo, in the south central part of country.
25% Siria, 25% Arinto, 25% Verdelho, 10% Viosinho, 10% Gouveio and 5% Viognier; 13.5%; winemaker Retar Breight
A slight floral aroma precedes an elegant display of citrus. Peachy flavors are quite sippable in this full, less acidic wine.

5 Aveleda Follies Touriga Nacional, Bairrada 2011
From  north central
All Touriga Nacional grapes from the north-central area.
Winemaker Manuel Soares; 13.5% abv; one year in French oak
The nose has lots of black cherry and spices, while the palate gives dark fruit and beautiful oak notes, like cedar. Nice tannic structure.

6 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Tinto, Barraida 2011
100% Baga grape, a winemaker’s fave;  40 year-old vines; 13% abv
A rosy perfume graces the nose, while black fruit and big minerals define the palate.

7 Cortes de Cima Tinto, Alentejo 2012
40% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 35% Syrah, 15% Touriga Nacional, 10% Petit Verdot;  12 months mostly French oak; 14% abv
The aromas here are beautiful. I even included an exclamation point in my notes. Syrupy, perfumed cherry and blueberry scents lead to flavors of black and blue fruit with spices and easy tannins.

8 Wine did not arrive

9 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional, Douro 2012
100% Touriga Nacional; 14% abv; 16 months in 30% new oak
A dark, spicy nose predicts more darkness on the palate, with savory, spicy flavors and very nice tannins.

10 Sogrape Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande Tinto, Douro 2013
Kitchen sink composition: 50% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional, 10% Tinto Roriz (again, Tempranillo), 5% Tinta Cao, 5% Touriga Fêmea and 5% "other;" 13.5%; 12-18 months in French oak
Violet and dark fruit on the nose, with a palate that’s fruity and savory, yet breezy.

11 Ramos Pinto Duas Quintas Tinto, Douro 2013
43% Touriga Nacional, 37% Touriga Franca and 20% traditional Douro grapes; 14% abv
Beautiful floral accents join the minerals on the nose. Flavors of black and blue fruit are draped with a savory aspect and a great acidity.

12 Prats & Symington Post Scriptum de Chryseia, Douro 2013
50% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 11% Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca. The rest, who knows? 14 months French oak; 13.8%
This wine has an easy, rosy nose that is muted and light, but the earthy minerals make a strong showing on the palate. Savory and tannic.


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First Wines

A French Twist On Rosé Wine

Moncigale is one of France's largest wine producers. They are in the south of France and bottle wines primarily from Provence and Corsica. They have a bottling for the American market called Fruits and Wine, which delivers exactly what is advertised.

A mix of wine and fruit juice isn't really a new idea. Think "Bartles & Jaymes Wine Coolers" from the 1980s. Their product was referred to, though, as a "cooler" because it was actually a malt drink

This one, - Fruits and Wine, by Moncigale - is actual wine mixed with fruit juices and a little carbonation thrown in. It's not a bad little beverage, for what it is.

I don’t often mix things with wine, but that’s because I want to experience what the wine has to offer. If it doesn’t offer much, mix. A recent report showed that 66% of consumers are "eager to mix wine with fruit/juices." And Fruits and Wine is already a popular item at poolside parties in Provence, I’m told, so maybe the younger wave of consumers can be responsible for the return of wine coolers, as well as the onset of the $17 hamburger.

Fruits and Wine is billed as a guilt free product with less sugar than a classic cola and less alcohol than the classic wine - it hits only 7% abv. It employs real fruit juice and no fruit syrup, according to the company. They seem to be targeting younger women I with this product, and possibly trying to act as a transition drink to get cider and craft beer drinkers to start exploring wine.  

Their website offers some tantalizing fun-in-the-sun shots and hits the notion that this is a "no fuss" alternative to actually pouring one thing into another. Homemade sangria, of course, is a lot more trouble than simply opening this bottle, so maybe they're on to something.  The theme of freeing one's self, escaping confinement, recurs on the web page as well. It fits right into younger wine drinkers’ "no rules" attitude.

I tried their Rosé and Grapefruit version, and I must say it's very tasty. It has a pretty and deep pink/orange hue and a nose that comes on like sweet candy. Its aroma reminds me rather of a Big Red soda, if you remember those. The flavors are similar to that soda as well, with a splash of grapefruit thrown in for a slight tanginess. The acidity is nice, falling just short of crisp. Although it's not what I want when I want wine, I can easily see this being a delightful sip on the back porch during a long, hot summer.

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Chardonnay In Chablis: Premier Cru

A recent Twitter gathering of Chablis lovers took place, with some wine writers invited to join in the fun with samples provided. I was there, hashtagging #PureChablis. The samples were great examples of what Chardonnay, in Chablis can offer. I don't know if you can really go wrong by simply ordering "Chablis," with no other information given. If you have had trouble in that area, I'd love to know about it. My thoughts on the wines follow comments from some of the other participants.

One Twitter Taster branded Chablis as, "Wonderful elegant white wines from France," which the Chablis people must be happy with. Another posted that "most people in the 'ABC Club' usually find their way out by way of #Chablis," referring to the blinkered 'Anything But Chardonnay' crowd. What’s good about it and why? "Nowhere else produces Chardonnay like Chablis: vines grow on prehistoric sea, w/ saline geology."

Chablis, owing to its fresh acidity and flinty flavor profile, is a great wine to have with brunch. Have it with breakfast if you want, I’m not going to judge. It pairs great with eggs and croissants, in addition to the usual shellfish and sushi. Try it with guacamole and chips. Your football Sunday will never be the same.

The French phrase Premier Cru refers, in Burgundy, to a classified vineyard, the second-highest such ranking, just below grand cru.

Chablis Premier Cru, William Fèvre, Fourchaume, 2013

There’s a lovely nose here, light oak, citrus, tropical, everything under control. The palate is wildly fruity and the acidity is fresh, everything just right. If this were from one of the best vineyards in California, would I be more impressed than when it’s from one of the best vineyards in Burgundy? I don’t know. In California the wine would probably be bigger. Or lighter. One or the other. I’m just going to stop worrying about it and enjoy. There’s plenty to enjoy.

Chablis Premier Cru, Domaine Fourrey, Côte de Léchet, 2013

This one has a greenish tint and an absolutely amazing minerality on the nose - wet rocks, limes, seashore - it’s beautiful. The same goes for the palate - minerals, minerals, minerals. There is a Meyer lemon note at mid-palate that goes right through the finish. This is a lean Chardonnay, and one that will hit the right notes with oysters. On the virtual tasting event, one commenter chirped that the wine was :going to pair so well w/my Moroccan chicken for dinner tonight." And I'm sure it did.



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Celebrity Wine: Famous Rosé

Chardonnay In Chablis

Chablis is a region in France’s Burgundy wine region. Chablis wine is made with the Chardonnay grape. In America we call that "white wine." Or, at least, some of us do.

The biggest hurdle most introductory wine drinkers have to clear is understanding all the nuances, like the fact that French wine is labeled by region, not grape. Chablis is Chardonnay, you just sound a lot more continental when ordering it their way.

On a recent Twitter gathering of Chablis lovers, some wine writers were invited to join in the fun with samples provided. I was there. The four samples were all consistently good examples of what Chardonnay, er, Chablis can offer. I don't know if you can really go wrong by simply ordering "Chablis," with no other information given. If you have had trouble in that area, I'd love to know about it. My thoughts on the wines follow comments from some of the other participants.

One Twitter Taster branded Chablis as, "Wonderful elegant white wines from France," which the Chablis people must be happy with. Another posted that "most people in the "ABC Club" usually find their way out by way of #Chablis," referring to the blinkered "Anything But Chardonnay" crowd. What’s good about it and why? "Nowhere else produces Chardonnay like Chablis: vines grow on prehistoric sea, w/ saline geology."

The cool climate in this northern neck of the Bourgogne woods also has a lot to with it. The Chardonnay comes out leaner, steelier, flintier than a big, ripe California Chardonnay.  As one Tweeter put it, "#Chablis is the essence of terroir."

Chablis, owing to its fresh acidity and flinty flavor profile, is a great wine to have with brunch. Have it with breakfast if you want, I’m not going to judge. It pairs great with eggs and croissants, in addition to the usual shellfish and sushi. Try it with guacamole and chips. Your football Sunday will never be the same.

Chablis, Albert Bichot, Domaine Long-Depaquit 2014

Utilizing grapes from four estate vineyards in Burgundy, this Chardonnay clocks in at a super-low 12.5% abv.  The nose shows its minerals well, in a shower of wet rocks, lemons and tropical fruit. The flinty palate fits perfectly with any type of seafood, but bring me some oysters Rockefeller.

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