Every Sunday, with an educational edge, I explore specific appellations or sub-regions, taking you along for the ride. If it’s old news, then brush up on some fading facts; if it’s uncharted territory, why not learn something new? If you know something I haven’t mentioned, then feel free to comment and share your experiences. Check out past Sunday posts here.

Earlier this week, I stopped by Arelquin Wine Merchants for a small but very impressive tasting of wines imported by Kermit Lynch. A few favourites:

Feipu dei Massaretti ’08 Rossese – Liguria, Italy – $22
“Savory, spicy red native to the western Ligurian Riviera, most notably the town of Dolceacqua.” -Vino Italiano on the lesser known grape, Rossese. It was very light and, apparently characteristically, very spicy. Perfect red for the seafood and pesto centered cuisine of Liguria.

Hippolyte Reverdy ’07 Sancerre Rouge (Pinot Noir) – Loire, France – $26
Cinnamon spice and orangy citrus characters come to mind. I still enjoy the novelty of tasting red Sancerre, which makes up less than 20% of production.

Marcel Lapierre ’07 ‘Cuvee Lapierre’ – Morgon, Beaujolais, France – $42
Another wine I’ve been wanting to taste for a while. Made only in ripe vintages from old vines, the Cuvee Lapierre is built to be able to handle some age. Gorgeous fruit and a slight bump-up in depth from the straight Morgon label. I’m not convinced it’s worth twice the price, but maybe time could tell. More background on Lapierre here.

The most exciting for me was the Auguste Clape ’08 St-Péray, Marsanne from the northern Rhône valley in France. Domaine Auguste Clape is known best for iconic and dense Syrah reds from the small village of Cornas. Auguste’s first vintage was 1949. Today work on the domaine’s 11 hectares/27 acres of vines has been taken over by the next two generations of the Clape family, Pierre and his son Olivier.

St-Péray is the southernmost appellation in the northern Rhône. The vineyard area is tiny, 62 hectares/153 acres, planted on steep granite and pebble soils. There are strictly two white varietals grown, Marsanne and Roussanne, used to make both still and, at continually fading levels, traditional method sparkling wine.

This wine is incredible. It asserts itself over every new world example of Marsanne or Roussanne I’ve tried. See, you don’t need to oak the shit out of these varietals! The purity of pear fruit with floral notes on the nose is awesome. The texture on the palate is beautiful – slightly viscous and minerally. Drink when possible. $38.

As always, please feel free to contribute any information, experience or tasting notes that you feel are relevant and check back next Sunday. See past Sunday posts here.