A supermarket surprise

This is a bottle of Rose d'Anjou from one of the big 2 supermarkets. I have seen it before and not given it a thought. It was when I found out that Rose d'Anjou is the main appellation in which you find the Grolleau grape that I began to take notice. I know I had had Cabernet d'Anjou before and as its name implied, that Loire rose was made from Cabernet (Sauvignon or Franc). I wasn't sure which rose (Cabernet or Grolleau) they had in the supermarket, but was delighted to find this on the shelves. Who says the big supermarkets (and I don't count Marks & Spencer amongst them) are unadventurous? The Amorghiano red from Rhodes was from another one. In the supermarket above, I also found a Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc blend too!

Chateau Lynch-Bages

Chateau Lynch Bages is a chateau whose grand vin was as fifth growth in the 1855 Classification. That ranking belies its popularity and its recent performance which would have many consider it a super second were the clarets reclassified again. The estate was founded in 1749 when Thomas Lynch (an Irish immigrant) inherit an estate in the village of Bages through his wife. The estate then passed through the Jurine family and then the Cayrou family before being purchase by the Cazes family just before the Second World War. Apart from the grand vin and the second wine (now renamed Echo de Lynch Bages) the estate has been making a white wine since 1990. What is unusual is that the vineyards growing white varietals contain 20% Muscadelle, and the asssemblage for the last 3 years contain 12%, 18% and a whopping 22% Muscadelle respectively.

Xynisteri

This is a bottle of Cypriot white wine made from Xynisteri grapes. Xynisteri is indigenous to Cyprus, where some 13% of the vineyards, especially some 500 hectares on the south slope of the Trodos mountain range, are planted with it. Various delicate and fruity whites are made from this native aromatic variety but its fame lies with the famous dessert wine Commandaria, which is made from sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro (indigenous red grape).

What of this wine? Golden straw with green hints, the wine was initially sweet and fruity on the nose, subsequently becoming crisp lemony and acid. The palate was neutral dry and lemony, turning a minerally acid towards the finish, all the while retaining a citrussy lemony note.