La Hitaire Les Tours 2006

The Gascon whites deserve to be far better known than, in fact, they are. In general, they tend to be carefully crafted and, mostly, they have a distinctive and pleasing character. This bottle, a blend of Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Gros Manseng, combines a very pleasing fruity quality with a strong spicy note. For a "vin de pays", which is what it is, it reaches an amazingly high level. It accompanied our Maryland crab cakes beautifully, without in the least overpowering At $9.99 it represents good value for money. At this price level it far outstrips the New Zealand and South African whites which are presently so much in fashion. I shouldn't think it will be long lasting, but I would certainly recommend buying some bottles for drinking now.