Pavillon de La Brie 2009, Bergerac Sec

This was the last of a batch of Bergerac wines I was sent for review - the others being red, white, rosé and dessert - and I have been impressed with all of them (even the rosé !).

Bergerac is just up the road from Bordeaux and produces similar wines from essentially the same grape varieties - for sure, it has no first-growth Chateaux, but in the mid-range, where real people buy wines, quality is good, even if the area does not get written about much (my trusty Oz Clarke and Hugh Johnson wine books from various years give it little more than a few sentences).

This wine is a zesty Sauvignon Blanc, a grape variety which originated in Bordeaux long before becoming such a star in New Zealand. It shows typical, but restrained, herbaceous aromas of cut grass and nettles.

It's light, crisp and fresh, and matched well with a simple salad of mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

For other food matches, keep the food light, simple and slightly herbaceous - goat's cheese and rocket, white fish poached with herbs or allow the crisp acidity to cut through smoked salmon or sushi.

£6.95 from Jascots - provided for review.

Links

Jascots - http://www.jascots.co.uk/

Vins de Bergerac - http://www.vins-bergerac.fr/CIVRB-INTRO/index.html