I had never heard of this grape before and I'd never heard of this region - so I'm very happy to share this with you all - especially because it's starting to warm up and I feel like I've found my summer sipping wine!!

This is Abymes 2007 from Domaine Giachino from the Savoie region in France. Giachino you say!? That sounds Italian! Well, it is - the Savoie region is due west of Burgundy, putting it right in the French alpine area and boy, does this wine taste mountain fresh!

I read about this before I cracked it open and found out that the grape used here is the Jacquere and that it makes "rather neutral wines". That may be true of the grape, but I'm assuming that the winemakers at Domaine Giachino are doing their job well, because they are able to make a fragrant, balanced, and lip-lickingly good wine. It's full of green apple, minerality, and a creaminess that comes from it's time spent on the lees (dead yeast cells from post fermentation). It is clean and crisp and fresh and it's relatively low in alcohol (11%)--- PERFECT APERITIF!! --- or I like to call it a weekday wine, you can have a glass (or two) on a Tuesday night and not have a hangover for Wednesday morning!

The estate is also very detail oriented, organic whenever possible, and the grapes are hand harvested.

color: very light straw colored
nose: green apple, Meyer lemon, quince
palate: crisp, clean, green apple, green grapes, fresh minerality

Find yourself a couple bottles! I bought mine for $13!