White Bordeaux,Chianti Classico from Organic Grapes

It's time to get back to some specific wines and I have tasted two since returning from France which are available in the United States and made from organically grown grapes.

Chateau Laubarit 2007 Entre-Deux-Mers - Or, we're talking white Bordeaux if that makes things a little easier. Forget it's Bordeaux and you can forget it's French. This is great white wine.

The white is a blend of  60 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 20 percent Semillon, and 20 percent Muscadelle. It's a white you could drink alone, as a cocktail or with dinner. I served a guest, who is not a big white drinker, this wine with roasted pork chops and roasted herbed potatoes and he loved it!

This is easy drinking wine with enough complexity to satisfy any wine drinker. The Semillon and Muscadelle give the wine a super soft palate feel. The alcohol content is a low 12 percent. At $16, you won't find a white that drinks any easier with this much palate pleasing presence.



Julien grabs a bottle for the photo!

Casina Di Cornia 2005 Chianti Classico Reserva - This winery was my very first stop during my recent trip to the Millesime Bio in Montpellier, France. I met  Julien Luginbuhl who just returned to his family wine-making business within the last year.

I love Chianti but find the quality so uneven with dollops of Merlot and uneven acid in many of the wines you find on U.S. shelves. The Cornia Classico Reserva was big bold dark cherry with balanced acid and a satisfying finish that didn't over power the fruit.

I love the fact the family uses Sangiovese and the old Italian varietal Canaiolo for the wine - NO Merlot. Being a Classico and a Reserva moves the price up a bit to the mid-$20 range, but it's worth the price.

Casina Di Cornia has been producing its wines with organically grown grapes for more than a decade.

I would challenge any wine drinker to taste either of these wines, both highly recommended, and not appreciate the fact that no pesticides, no herbicides or other chemicals - and only minimum sulfur - go into the production process.

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