As you may recall the Penniless Pensioner is engaged to Celine Serpent. They have a small engagement party planned to take place in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I have a consulting contract with Serpent for wine selection for the engagement party and for the wedding. Since PP is footing the wine bill I am compelled to go as cheap as possible as that Bernie Madoff litigation cleaned him out. Those New York attorneys can be expensive. PP calls them snakes in the grass. But my contract is with Serpent should I care what PP has to say or does this put me in a conflict of interest as some sort of fiduciary?
So the non-vegetarian main will be rabbit marinated in tarragon, Balkan style yogurt and a medley of Dijon mustards. On the side there will be Greek Briam and East Gwillimbury carrots tossed in honey and pine nuts. PP and I look at each other and say, “no brainer”. Viognier it is. So I try a low end Viognier from Paul Mas from the bargain basement Languedoc region of France. Light gold in colour. On the nose full throttle notes of honey, pear, mango, Niagara peach and tangerine. On the palate sumptuous and full bodied. Notes of mango nectar, honey and lychee with a moderately long finish.
This wine is just a perfect match for the secondi there is no need to search further. PP is excited as he loves Viognier from Condrieu in the Northern Rhône but that starts at $60 a bottle if you can even find it. The grapes were grown in the Nicole Vineyard in soils of clay, chalk and fossils. Keep your eye Jean-Claude Mas whose winery was Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 European Winery of the year.
(Paul Mas Single Vineyard Collection Reserve Viognier 2019, Nicole Vineyard, IGP Pays d’Oc, Paul Mas, Péznas, France, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 370098, 750 mL, 13.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 94/100).
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