Yesterday evening, we had the pleasure of drinking a lovely bottle of French Colombard by Batik Wines. We obtained the 2017 bottle through the wine subscription company Bright Cellars – which has amazing variety with pretty great deals on wine.
Recently we purchased a half case of the newly released 2018 Worst Evils Cabernet Sauvignon (valued at $60 dollars on the winery’s website) for $15/bottle. This is a great deal, so we’ll be letting some of the wine age for 2020!
“Hailing from California’s illustrious Napa Valley, [Worst Evils] Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied with aromas of raspberry, black currant, pepper, vanilla, and violets.” Bright Cellars
Batik Wine’s 2017 French Colombard was a refreshing take on a summer white. The light tartness was surprising and worked well as a card-playing wine to kick off December. I’m a regular lover of deep reds with tobacco, berry, black pepper (like the Worst Evils Cab above) so I liked this surprise a little extra due to its change of pace.
I also love the name of the company and it’s simple yet colorful branding. Batik is a wax-resist method for dyeing cloth, and the winery’s branding reflects the traditional patterns and colors of Batik. Best-known in Indonesia, Batik has floral and geometric patterns, and the dye sets in layers. Certain fabric sections are covered by wax so they remain fresh for the next color once the wax is removed. Batik fabric would be worn for ceremonies, and was traded around the world by Dutch traders. Now, Batik fabric is featured in the airline uniforms of three regional companies.
This makes for a uniquely image-driven brand for Batik Wines, and correlates the interweaving patterns of color and tradition, to the intricate flavors of the wine. Perhaps the wine won’t stand up to the same test of time, but I like the inspiring beginnings.
My observations: citrus, hibiscus, kiwi, early pear, sage, low tannins, crisp, tart finish. I’m not a sommelier (yet) and perhaps this is not the mead of Valhalla but it is delicious nonetheless. That’s what matters.
Colombard
Colombard was the most widely planted grape in California until about 1990 when Chardonnay took over the driver’s seat for America’s white wines. It was grown often in southern France as a blending grape for many whites, but can make a delicious simple summery wine by itself.
We like Bright Cellars because their monthly packs (and special orders) include wines like this Colombard (Cole-um-bar, or Kahl-um-BARRD) and other wines not regularly available in rural Michigan. We’ve tried over 25 unique bottles through the company and are impressed by 4/5, happy with nearly all of their choices. Your account and order history provides you a chance to rate your matches, increasing the likelihood they find you the perfect bottle in the future.
If you’re looking for insight into how to write good tasting notes for your wine exploration, checkout how this helpful article from Wine Folly blog: How to Write Excellent Wine Tasting Notes.
Interested in trying Bright Cellars?
Use my link to get $50 off your first order, a huge discount! If you don’t like it, you can cancel after the first order and still have some new wines to try.
What is Bright Cellars’ approach to wine?
“Created by two MIT grads with a passion for wine, the Bright Points algorithm scores each wine by comparing 18 attributes to your preferences, matching you with your monthly experience…
Only 1 in 12 wines we taste at Bright Cellars make it into monthly collections. Your matches are selected from these collections of the best to fit you!
We focus on finding unique, hidden gems from small vineyards from all over the world, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, and South America.” – from BrightCellars.com
Quest for the Perfect Bottle
Valhalla's Table 