Last night, we tried the Haak Blanc Du Bois Dry 2009. As this was an unknown grape variety to me, I researched it a little bit. The Blanc Du Bois is a hybrid grape, which means that it is a cross between two or more Vitus species. It was created in the grape breeding program at the University of Florida to be resistant to Pierce's Disease. It is now being grown all along the Gulf Coast region with particular success in Texas.The 2009 Haak is a blend of 75% Blanc du Bois and 25% Chenin Blanc. The grapes are all sourced from the coastal region of Texas and are whole cluster-pressed. In the glass, the wine was a clear, pale straw color. It had intense citrus aromas of lemon and grapefruit. It had crisp flavors of grapefruit and green apple with just a touch of honey. It was light-bodied with medium alcohol (12% abv) and high acidity. It had a dry, medium+ length citrus finish.
Overall, it reminded me of a Torrontes from the Salta region but more fragrant. I served it with a lemon and herb roasted chicken and it worked well but I expect that it would also be good with some fried Gulf Coast seafood. Recommended, a good value at approximately $13 at HEB.
Thanks for helping people to learn about Blanc Du Bois. It is definitely Texas's own grape with more grown here than anywhere else in the wine world.
ReplyDeleteOne correction....I do not think that the Chenin Blanc was grown on the Gulf Coast. It was more likely from East Texas or from near San Antonio or even possibly from the Texas High Plains AVA. I just never asked Raymond Haak where it came. If I'm wrong, don't hesitate to let me know.
Keep on blogging....
P.S. You might want to check out this recent blog:
Texas legislators poised to cut ALL development funding #TXwine. Risk $1.7 Billion in economic impact for the sake of a $4.5 million cut. See: http://bit.ly/fHQdbv
Regards,
Russ
Thanks for the comment, Russ! I had a question on Twitter yesterday about the Blanc Du Bois grapes' source. I did check with Raymond Haak and confirmed that all the Blanc Du Bois grapes are from the coastal viticultural region of Texas. I did not ask about the Chenin Blanc so you may be right. I will try to get the Chenin Blanc grapes source confirmed as well.
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