Domaine D’Arton, a white blend from the Gascony region of France, is great cheap wine, even by my exacting standards. It’s not only on a level with the Gascon wines in the $10 Hall of Fame, but it also demonstrates that wine doesn’t have to come from the same old places and be made with the same old grapes.
The D’Arton ($9, purchased, available at Spec’s) is an odd blend, even for Gascony, made with mostly colombard and fleshed out with sauvignon blanc (not the region’s best grape) and gros manseng. The result is a dry white with some lemon peel in the front, yet underneath is that wonderful white grapiness that makes Gascon wines so distinctive and so much fun to drink. It’s the kind of wine that doesn’t require a critic or a sommelier; just a simple dinner or an evening on the porch, friends and conversation.
And I’m not the only one who feels this way, for all the doubters and chardonnay drinkers out there.
Is this a Thanksgiving wine? Are you eating turkey tomorrow?
I’ve got more Thanksgiving wine advice and suggestions on my wine blog.
