Plaudits for Chateau Grinou, Bergerac

Wine competitions come and go, and generally provide little interest except for the producers and those few top wines which get all the glory, justified or not. However, for the lover of French wines there is an indispensible and comprehensive guide published annually which can be really helpful when planning a visit to any of the French wine regions (unfortunately only available in French). The Le Guide Hachette des Vins 2008 has just been published (in French) and I always look for their “coup de coeur” or favourites. This year several wines previously imported by Allez Vins! were awarded this accolade, including my favourite producer – Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac. This guide judges wines at blind tastings, and of the 35,000 wines submitted only 10,000 get a mention, and less than 10% of those are awarded the accolade of “coup de Coeur”.
Guy’s Bergerac Blanc Sec AC, Cuvée Tradition 2006 is the wine in question, and what is especially pleasing is that this is his “basic” dry white – a lovely blend of crisp Sauvignon Blanc and fruity Semillon – which we used to retail at under £5.00 a bottle (effectively our house wine) – so this is not a “special” cuvee or a “prestige” small quantity production at an inflated price – just really good quality wine for drinking!! As the citation reads “Quelle persistance! Quelle élégance!”
I think that is a justified tribute to a winemaker who has striven to produce really good wines, which concentrate the fruit characteristics of the grape, and I am really delighted to see this wine celebrated in the guide!
Regrettably since the demise of Allez Vins! in 2005 this wine is no longer stocked in the UK as far as we know – although Corney & Barrow stock a similar cuvée “La Combe de Grinou” and Private Cellar stock some of Grinou’s red wines.

In France you can visit the domaine at Monestier (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) – see details

The Guide Hachette may only be in French, but even if you do not speak the language, it contains plenty of information on addresses, opening times etc.