2010 Château Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc

2010 Château Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc
Available at Suburban Wines and Spirits
Retail price: approximately $18
French Wine: La Maison du Graves Blanc

Seeking the right French wine can be a lot like house hunting. Will you go for something bright and charming that looks great from the outside? Or perhaps something warm and comfortable that provides a sense of well-being?
If the 2010 Château Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc were a house to be considered, the trip of la maison might go something like this: pretty peach and grapefruit aromas provide the delightful first impression. Think of this as the wine equivalent of excellent curbside appeal, the sort of immediate charm that invites a closer look.
After a sip or two more, we are through the front door and taking in the dimensions of la maison. Because the blend of grapes includes 75 percent sémillon, 20 percent sauvignon blanc and 5 percent muscadelle, we have a wine whose interior space carries a respectable depth and breadth, an expansiveness that fills the palate much the way well-proportioned rooms fill a house. Moreover, the stainless-steel fermentation gives a distinctive freshness to the wine, as if the windows are all wide open and enticing the summer breezes to pass through. The best summer breezes always carry a suggestion du jardin, and for Graville-Lacoste that would include hints of tarragon and bay leaf.
The Graves region was named for its small gravel-like stones, which means la maison is built on thousands of stones layered on a limestone bedrock, all of which deliver an impressive minerality to the wine. Enchanting views abound, courtesy of the Garonne River and, in the distance, the commune of Sauternes, where a similar yet much sweeter version of this same Graves blend is produced to spectacular effect. La maison’s posh neighborhood is another plus for the wine.
The culmination of the imaginary house/wine trip would be la cuisine. Here the Château Graville-Lacoste really shines, as the wine is built for food. It is a supremely valuable asset in the kitchen not only for sipping as you prepare your meal but to accompany the meal itself. If hunting for a classic white Graves that you can trust as your new house wine, relax and settle in. You’ll be right at home with the 2010 Château Graville-Lacoste.
Enjoy it with Caprese salad, bouillabaisse, swordfish Provençal, crab cakes with lemony vinaigrette or chicken curry salad. It also goes with monkfish and salmon brochettes with tarragon beurre blanc.
Editor’s note: Food and wine lovers heading to Paris might want to try one of the Girls’ Guide’s favorite cooking classes in Paris.