Spring things

Spring is for lightness with a bit of residual sugar, I've decided. Light whites, Loire whites, chenins, romorantins, weird Monts-Damnés Sancerres from hills so aslope, their aromatics explode and they persist on the palate with a heady blend of alcohol and sweetness.

These things we can deal with, now that the sun is out and flowers bloom in buckets in front of florists' stores. You want to mash basil with a mortar and pestle. Sauté some seasonal greens. Eat fish that only come around once a year, and maybe their roe, too. And pour things like the following, for a start.

1991 Pichler Ried Dürnsteiner Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd - an Austrian riesling with age and smoothly matured aromatics. A lovely thing, long and sinuous on the palate. Great while scarfing down focaccia.

2006 Bornard Arbois Melon "Le Rouge-Queue" - Oxidative delight! A Jurassian chardonnay that delivers ample funk, like a mountain stream in an opium dream. Let it tangle with your tongue. Who knows who the winner will be?

2000 Brégéon Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Gorgeois - Long, involved, complex, noble of brow, yellow. Deep and ponderous and lovely. And something to slurp oysters down with – if ever one should admit to eating oysters at this point in the season.

NV Mayragues Vin de Table de France Brut de Mayragues - a méthode ancestrale bubbly made from 100% Mauzac. With its lazy bubble, slow and happy on the palate, like a turtle sitting contentedly in the sun. Somewhat lavish, despite zero dosage; round, fruitful, good, made to quaff.

2007 A. & P. De Villaine Bouzeron - City mouse and country mouse, at once. Expressive, floral, and stony; another mountain stream – this time, sans opiates. Sharp, sleek, too: a flash of light off the hood of a very shiny car, which you walk into, because you're momentarily blinded.

2007 Ostertag Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes - once, this wine had an off-putting dill note to it; now it has a bit of honeyed oxidation. Ah, that's certainly more like it. A heavy-hitter of a sylvaner, but still, true to its sylvanerism, affable and easygoing. A patch of sunlight in the grass back onto which to lean after you've had a couple of glasses and are feeling blithe.

2008 Clos Roche Blanche Sauvignon Nº2 - perfect. A platonic spring wine. A platonic wine. A wine that is soon no more, because you drink it all. And I mean all.

Others, of course, could be added to this roster. More keep sprouting like new buds and stalks. And I haven't even gotten to the Tale of the Bubbles.

Anon.

It's time to step out for some air and light.