Plageoles Mauzac Vert 2006

For the past two years our summer holiday has finished off with a hugely enjoyable wind-down week in the the Gaillac region of France. Although historically an important wine producing area, their green and undulating hills have mostly been passed-by in the modern wine era. Variable quality and a mixture of relatively unknown local grape varieties has its downsides, but also makes for some fascinating and good value wines for those interesting in hunting them down. I didn't note the cost of this, but it will not have been more than 6 or 7 Euros. Some useful information on the region can be found on the Maison du Vin website www.vins-gaillac.com.

Robert Plageoles is one of the most noteworthy producers, luckily with vineyards just around the corner from our gite - although I think this may have actually come from the local Maison du Vin in Gaillac. This is certainly worth a visit for those passing through, with a huge range of local wines available for tasting. For those interested in the producer and region I would recommend Andrew Jefford's authoritative guide The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine.

This is the first time I've had the opportunity to taste a varietal Mauzac Vert, and a dip into Oz Clarke's Grapes and Wines: A Comprehensive Guide to Varieties and Flavourswas required. Plageoles is noted as one of the best producers of a grape which makes the full gamut of wines from dry to sweet and still to sparkling.

Robert & Bernard Plageoles - Mauzac Vert 2006
(Gaillac, France)
Bright medium yellow colour. Clean, open and aromatic nose with an incredibly pronounced aroma of fresh green apple. Distinctive and interesting palate, very crisp malic, again like biting into an apple, but a fuller mid-palate with notes of lemon grass and citrus. Herbaceous finish, quite persistent.

The purist in me scores this 15+/20, although for shear interest I would give this a higher mark! From tasting I would say this is at its peak now, though I have little experience of how this grape develops in the bottle. Ideal for drinking on a summers day as an aperitif, or with salads and white fish.