Don't Miss this weekend's French Connection Tasting in San Francisco... In the meantime, whet your palate with few French wine recommendations from Nadia and Keith:

Affordable CDP
We’ve been fortunate to receive a second allocation of the lovely '04 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Chante Cigale ($29.99), which tastes better than ever.

Domaine Chante Cigale’s 102 acres of land, located between Orange and Avignon within the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, has been owned and operated by the Sabon Favier family for several generations. The wines produced by this Domaine are classic, well made, and reasonably priced. Recently, Christian Favier passed the reins to his son Alexandre, who is fast becoming a rising star in the region. Still in his early twenties, he has already been lauded by notable journalists Stephen Tanzer and Jancis Robinson.

The soils of the vineyard are made up of clay and chalk covered with a layer of this area’s classic large galets (pebbles), which keep yields naturally low. The vines are more than 45 years old and situated near the Plateau de Carbières, close to Château Mont Redon. Harvesting is done by hand, accompanied by a selective sorting . The grapes undergo a traditional long cuvaison (the maceration of the grape skins during red wine fermentation that transfers aroma, color and tannin to the wine) at a high temperature and with extended maceration on the skins. This is followed by aging for 14 to 18 months in foudre (large oak barrels), 10% in new barrels and 30% in concrete vats. This Châteauneuf-du-Pape offers dusty red fruits, earth and meaty notes. Clove and allspice take center stage on the palate, leading into a finely textured, medium-bodied wine. This will reward the patient and will take on weight and depth with a bit of aging.

—Nadia Dmytriw

Delightful Whites
One of our favorite producers is Denis Barraud, who runs the Domaine des Nembrets. He lives in the village of Vergisson, on the slopes of the Roche de Vergisson, a towering monolith in the hills of the Mâcon. It is one of the more complex areas in France geologically, the land has been so folded that adjacent vineyards may have completely different geology, and thus may be classified as St-Veran, Mâcon-Vergisson, or Pouilly-Fuissé. It gets a bit complicated, but the simple thing is that all of these wines are hand harvested, artisanal wines from a talented young vigneron. Denis is a dedicated young grower, who has gotten a very good write-up in the Revue des Vins de France. This is the fifth vintage we have worked with Denis and he has a string of successes that continue with his 2006s. We also have one new wine from Denis this year.
The 2006 Mâcon ($12.99) is crisp, with lots of ripe fruit in the middle and a lovely thread of minerality at the finish. No oak, just classic, clean, focused Mâcon. The 2005 St-Veran ($13.99) offers a richer character and a lovely, round mouthfeel. But Denis’s real pride and joy are his Pouilly-Fuissés. The 2006 Pouilly-Fuissé Chataignieres ($19.99) has lovely minerality and a fine, elegant style, combined with a rich middle. The 2006 Pouilly-Fuissé “Les Folles” ($23.99) comes from a vineyard adjacent to his winery, from some very old vines. It is ripe, floral and lovely, with very pretty character and a lingering finish. I was most impressed. Finally, we have the 2006 Pouilly-Fuissé “La Roche” ($25.99) from the most mineral, rocky slopes of the Roche (thus the name). The high limestone content gives this a racy quality. This sees a bit more new oak and some lees stirring. The result is a wine that can hold its head high in any company, including the famous wines from Puligny or Meursault! Á Sante!

—Keith Wollenberg