Recommended Wines

The best way to understand minerality is to taste it. Look for wines grown on hillsides, in poor, rocky soil where the vines must dig deep for nutrients. The following wines display the clarity of focus and structure of flavors that wine lovers refer to as minerality. Keep in mind that those achieving this expression often are artisanal wines with small production and correspondingly higher prices.

Céline & Laurent Tripoz Mâcon Loché 2006
*** (Good Value)
$18, France

Try to forget the ripe pear and apricot flavors and the hint of creme brulee, and concentrate on how this biodynamic chardonnay from Burgundy caresses your teeth and the inside of your cheeks and then lingers with -- strange as it sounds -- a dry, stony flavor. Pair with poultry dishes and richer seafood.

Elite Wines; available at Calvert Woodley, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, and MacArthur Beverages in the District; and at Arrowine in Arlington, Cecile's Finewine.com in McLean and Red, White & Bleu in Falls Church.

Cooper Mountain Vineyards Reserve Pinot Gris 2006
** 1/2
$19, Oregon

The minerality here is in the high-def precision of this biodynamic Willamette Valley wine, which grabs your attention and cries out for salmon. Although it begins as austere, delicious bright-red fruit emerges with a little time, so don't drink it too fast. The excellent 2007 vintage has just been released. Will improve over one year. Pair with poultry or richer seafood.

Kysela; available at Cork & Fork in Gainesville and Bethesda, Arrowine, Total Wine locations and Calvert Woodley.

Yannis Assyrtiko 2007
**
$18, Greece

From steep vineyards on the slopes of Santorini, this crisp white has a saline quality that hints of sea air. Pair with lighter seafood dishes, such as shellfish, calamari or seviche.

Dionysus; available at Whole Foods and Balducci's locations.

Domaine Dupré Régnié "Haute Ronze" 2006
** 1/2 (Good Value)
$14, France

We tend to think of Beaujolais as sweet and sappy juice, but this wine from one of the nice "cru" villages of the appellation shows austere mountain fruit, meaning it tastes like a pebble bouncing down a steep slope between the vine rows. Drink with lighter stews, charcuterie and cheese.