Wine of the Month Review #2

Name: H de l'Hospitalet Blanc
Date: 2004
Origin: The Languedoc, South France
Alcohol content: 14%

I opened this bottle even though a sinus infection had wedged snot in my nose tighter than this cheeky white's cork. Why didn't I wait until I could effectively take in the subtle tastes promised and surely present? Because everyone knows that H de l'Hospitalet means H is for Hospital in French.

This wine, when poured into a chilled glass [no white should be served otherwise, really], is as clear as the liquid byproduct of any authentic sinus infection-- and just as whimsical. In fact, I'm awfully sure that with every labored sip of this self-proclaimed elixer of health, at least 1/3 of what I swallowed was my body's own interstitial fluids. It tasted faintly of pineapple.

What the movie "Sideways" doesn't mention is that the forward fruits of any good hospital wine follow only after you blow your nose. Into a sheet of store-brand paper towel. After doing so, the forward fruits were very apparent.

It is recommended that H de l'Hospitalet be served quite chilled at "about 40 degrees Celsius" and because of my sensitive teeth I ignored this recommendation after the first few nerve-cracking sips and decided to let it warm up a bit. I took this time to learn about the Languedoc region.

According to the wine's tasting notes, the Languedoc stretches from the Spanish border to the banks of the Rhone-- a vast domain. In the 19th century phylloxera, the most devastating vine disease, plagued the region and rendered the Languedoc wines "insipid" and whose only virtues were "high alcohol and cheap prices." Like the wines I drink during the other 3 weeks of the month.

Untrue to its name, the H de l'Hospitalet did not make me feel any better. In fact, it left me with throbbing teeth and a nasty "white headache." But the forward fruits were notable indeed.

Here is a picture of Gerard Betrand's Chateau de l'Hospitalet:
It's a really nice hospital; the vineyards are in the back.