Lionel Bussy Villes Vignes Chablis '05
The Nitty Gritty:
- Vintage: 2005
- Varietal: Chardonnay
- Winery: Lionel Bussy
- Region: Chablis
- Country: France
- Price: About $20
- Rating: 83/100
- Tags: Chablis
You can thank the government in part for my choice to review a Chablis — having received my stimulus check late last week, I decided to do my civic duty and stimulate the economy by buying an egregiously expensive bottle of wine.
As I stated in this month’s column, Chablis can get expensive. REALLY expensive. But when I got to the wine store, I became more intrigued by the idea of trying to find a bad Chablis … more because I wasn’t certain it was possible.
I saw a few bottles in the $14-$15 range, a couple hovering in the low $20s, and then the rest, upwards of $30 or more. I picked a $20 bottle as a compromise.
In the glass, this Chablis had a bright golden hue, and almost smelled like a Sauternes. On the palate, I got golden apple, pear, golden raisin, some butter and a little chalk. The finish was at first toasty with a hint of caramel but remained dry, and lingered. Overall, it was wonderful, but something seemed a bit off — almost as if the grapes were on the vine a day too long and the sun beat the crap out of them, but they managed to pull themselves up by the bootstraps to produce a really nice wine.
Food pairing suggestions: summer pasta salads, cheeses, and swordfish.
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College, completing additional study at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.(where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to that of the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Service). Her palate is ever-evolving but she includes California Zinfandels, Cotes du Rhone, and white wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley among her current favorites. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
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