CAVE DE L'ORMARINE PICPOUL DE PINET 2006

Funny how things just work out…

I’ve been searching for a particular white wine for some time. This particular white wine has always been an ideal white for the summer – light, crisp, fruity – yet for some inane reason, there has just never been one available to us. The difficulty has always been the manner of EXCLUSIVITY – a circumstance where a particular wine importer, most of the time an importer of French wine, decides that lowly Kentucky needs only one retail outlet for their wines, so the end result, more times than not is that we at Liquor Direct are S.O.L. when it comes to wines like E. Guigal.

Such it has been with the Picpoul de Pinet, until now. My friends at Heidelberg Distributing have recently bagged the wines of Grape Expectations, a small, boutique importer of French wines based out of Raleigh, N.C. And much to my surprise, they bring to the state the Cave de L’Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet 2006 ($7.99). I knew I’d like this one, but after tasting it – I really like it.

You see, there is only so much grilled steaks and burgers one can bare over the course of a season, and every now and again, it’s nice to come home, grill a chicken breast or some shrimp, put them over a nice bed of fresh greens, with some cucumber or tomato, and pop the cork on a good, clean white wine, something that doesn’t weigh you down like an anchor, but something that is light and refreshing, and leaves the door open for more than just eat-drink-sink-in-the-couch-and-go-to-sleep.

The Cave de L’Ormarine is light-bodied, with bright, vibrant acidity from start-to-finish, with clean, crisp Fuji apple and d’Anjou pear flavors, hints of nutmeg, white flower and slate, and a lively finish that will satisfy your taste buds on those hot summer nights ahead. Give it a try!