Want to help someone take the next step after their basic “A glass of wine, please?” This week I tasted an extremely useful line of wines. “Useful” doesn’t sound so great when used for wines, but in this case it is. It’s a line of wines to use when your friends ready to expand their palates from generic “white wine.” The line is La Petite Perrière, produced by Saget La Perrière (formerly Guy Saget) in the Loire region of France. The whites I tasted were easy to drink, nicely made, and reasonably priced at $9-$10.
Chances are your friends have been drinking something like a mild pinot grigio. In that case, try them on the La Petite Perrière Sauvignon Blanc, which is light and floral with citrus elements and a little bit of sweet grass too. Very pleasant and easy to drink, nothing like the hearty, cats-pee Sauv Blancs of New Zealand — which I also happen to like.
(Note that if your friends have been drinking generic “red wine,” the La Petite Perrière line also has a rosé and a pinot noir, both of which are quite fruity – too fruity for me, but then this isn’t about me, is it?)
You can take your friends one step further in appreciating the Loire’s milder sauvignon blanc style with the Domaine de la Perrière Sancerre, again with florals in the aroma, but hints of ginger and white flowers. On the palate, some acidity but more like limeade than anything else, and some chalk notes too.
Current vintages for both wines are 2016. Try them as aperitif wines, or with seafood or salad to start the meal. Recommended – BSE
WHO: Saget La Perrière [La Petite Perrière Sauvignon Blanc]
WHAT: Sauvignon blanc
WHERE: Loire, with some Languedoc and other French regions
HOW MUCH: $8.99 – $9.99 (media sample)
WHO: Saget La Perrière [Domaine de la Perrière Sancerre]
WHAT: Sauvignon blanc
WHERE: Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
HOW MUCH: $24 (media sample)