Wine of the Week! 11/04/24

Cellier Saint Sever
Prochaine Chardonnay

Normally $16.99 / Now on Sale for $14.96
100% Chardonnay (Vin de Pays Languedoc)

In terms of winemaking, France is notably a country framed with tradition. The rules of some of AOCs really put the “Contrôlée” into the “Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée." However, in the Languedoc region, on France’s Mediterranean coast, you find, side by side with some great wine traditions, a greater willingness with winemakers to color outside of the lines and work outside of the rules. This willingness is one of the reasons that the Languedoc winemaking can be so dynamic and exciting.

Languedoc’s main white grapes are Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Marsanne, Vermentino, and Viognier … not Chardonnay, but it is grown here. In fact, it is one of the most grown white grapes in the region. Whereas cold climate Chardonnay (such as in Burgundy) can be acidic and have a citrus edge, warmer climate Chardonnay is less acidic and sports riper, rounder fruit notes. In this form, this grape in the Languedoc is the grape behind a number of prominent Vin de Pays whites.

The Prochaine (“Next”) Chardonnay is made specifically for southern VA distributor Roanoke Valley Wine Company, a result of a casual conversation between RVWC’s owner and the winemaker. For the Prochaine, the winemaker takes the lees from his Viognier and rests the Chardonnay grapes on them. This trick pushes the fruit of this warm climate Chardonnay to a next level. Still, enough acid remains around the edges to give the wine structure.

The result is so tasty, that you might not feel the need to move on to a next Chardonnay after this one.