if I were King of the World I'd round up all the people who say "I hate Chardonnay" and give them a bottle of this. Worst case scenario, they'd only hate half of this wine, because it's a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier, but halfway is better than no way, right? It tastes really good, it's refreshing, and it's from France. 

We're not talking about the snitzy part of France, with chateaux and castles with moats and everything. This is Southern France, on the way from Burgundy to Provence. They've got rocks there. Glorious rocks, that produce some amazing grapes that go into some killer wines.

The Vaucluse, in France’s southern Rhône Valley, is better known for its robust reds from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Rasteau, and even the non-Muscat Beaumes de Venise bottlings,  but its white wines are damn good too. They don't make as many whites as they do reds, and they keep a lot of them for domestic drinking, but some slip out to the USA.

This region lies between the Rhône River and Provence, with diverse soils ranging from limestone to clay and galets roulés (rounded stones). As is the case with this wine from Durban, white wines here are typically blends, usually Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Roussanne. Viognier and Chardonnay are kind of outliers in the grand scheme of things, which is why this one is pretty cheap relatively inexpensive compared to its neighbors.

This is a charming wine, equally at home with a picnic at Pirate’s Cove as it is for a tailgating BBQ before the demolition derby at the Santa Maria Speedway.