L'Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Semillon 2008

I am not one of those wine dorks who tries evangelise under-appreciated grapes or regions. It's not due to lack of appreciation, it's due to selfishness. Their obscurity protects the wines somewhat from the ridiculous inflation of price that follows hype. Every time a wine pundit preaches the wonders of Vouvray or Alsace or Piedmont, I want to gag them. Those great value gems won't stay great value if everyone knows about them. So do us all a favour, guys, and keep a lid on it.

Great Semillon is not easy to find. The Bordelais are grubbing it up and planting yet more Sauvignon Blanc (or Merlot). In Australia they use it to bulk up cheap Chardonnay.

This particular gem hails from Washington State and is blended with about 11% Sauvignon Blanc.

Straw gold with glimmers of silver. Youthful and bright.

Quince on the nose, with beeswax and citrus pith. There's also a touch of pecorino.

Remarkably fleshy and textured, with a mouthfeel somewhere between quince jelly, grist and fleshy white fruit. It's bright and juicy. There's a whole bunch of exotic white fruit and honeysuckle that fills the palate. There's a lot going on with this and it's fun to drink. Tremendously more-ish.

****

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop 10/12/2010