La Nuit Blanche Cabernet Blanc 2019 presented me with an unusual proposition – a grape I had never tried (or even, I must confess, heard of…). A winemaker discovered a few rows of Cabernet Blanc in the Languedoc in 2016 which belonged to a grower near Béziers who had been working with Swiss (aren’t they always Swiss?) and German ‘ampelographers’ (wine rocket-scientists) to trial Cabernet Blanc. They had cultivated (it was not a mutation like rioja blanco) a Cabernet variety with white skins and white flesh. It is cool fermented, then aged on its lees and bottled early. The grapes are harvested at night, not a strictly biodynamic process, but to pick the grapes when they are cool.

Tasting notes: Its appearance is pale straw in colour. Stone fruit notes on the nose and a confected note of honey. Balanced. Medium length. Medium body. Dry. Interesting, aromatic wine – felt some tannic grip. Some intensity on the palate again with a note of honey, melon and stone fruits.

Region of Origin – Languedoc
Wine Colour – White
Price – part of a case deal, about £8
Where do I get it from? Laithwaite’s
Current Vintage – 2019
Producer – Mark Hoddy for Laithwaite’s.
Grape – 100% Cabernet Blanc
Country – France

Verdict – Good wine for the price and intriguing.

Food Pairings: This would go well with chicken and salmon dishes.