Colombelle offers right price, taste for summer

What would cognac taste like if it were left as grape juice that fermented into wine?

The answer lies in this interesting Colombelle wine, which is made from the two grape varietals most commonly grown in Cognac, France.

Although it comes from farther south, in Gascony, we get a sense of the finesse that these grape varietals give to cognac. And yet it is strong as a white wine, with a strikingly lengthy finish, not far removed in thought from a really good cognac.

I admire the importers for bringing Colombelle in, especially for less than $6. For a wine this crisp and fresh, especially in the middle of a scorching summer, it is a bargain compared to many other white wines.

In the glass, Colombelle is a pale lemon-yellow color with a crisp, clean appearance at its core, going out into a faint to glass-clear rim definition with unusually high viscosity for a white wine.

On the nose, there are immediate fresh notes of Key lime pie, lemon rind, citrus grove, crushed white fruit, stone fruit, chalky minerals and a touch of aspirin.

In the mouth, the wine is deliciously rounded in crushed white fruit flavors with dominance by citrus fruits, in particular pomelo, but also white currants, cooked apples, Granny Smith apple skins, and excellent crispness in minerals and acidity. There is a nicely balanced midpalate where the acidity comes into play, but it is countered by the fruit in the wine. The finish is composed and supple, ending with just a twist of lime and white flowers, but remarkable because it lingers for minutes on the palate afterward.

This wine works well on all levels and has a great deal of freshness. Try it with Dover sole meuniere with a lemon sauce or a chicken piccata with capers and lemon. It should drink well now through the rest of this year.

Wine: Colombelle

Grapes: Colombard (70 percent), ugni blanc (30 percent)

Region: Vin de Pays de Cotes de Gascogne, France

Vintage: 2005

Price: $5.99

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.