Why buy it? Frankly, the PJ’s tasting team loves this wine for its perfumed aromatics, crisp acidity and the "far off the beaten path" price. The Moselle, higher in latitude than Champagne and Alsace, is one of France’s most northern winemaking regions. Auxerrois and Müller-Thurgau are the two dominant, workhorse grapes. Auxerrois is capable of producing higher yields in cooler climates, and wine from this grape is flabby and unremarkable at higher yields. Müller-Thurgau is a crossing between the aromatic Riesling and early-ripening Sylvaner. Per Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine, Müller-Thurgau can be "unattractively mousy" in aromas at higher yields. Not so here.

Châteaux de Vaux has maintained low yields and has navigated the difficult climate of the Moselle to produce an aromatic edelzwicker-type wine. The blend of 30% Auxerrois, 30% Müller-Thurgau, 30% Tokay Pinot Gris and 10% Gewürztraminer is highly fragrant and retains a grand dose of acidity. Straw colored, the wine holds an expressive nose of honey, ripe peach, wet stone and talc notes. The palate is filled with crisp, lively acidity and notes of white flowers and citrus peel. The length is long for a white, and the Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris add weight to the mouth feel. "Les Gryphées" will pair well with salads, shellfish and milder, semi-hard cheeses such as a Manchego. Looking for a summer white? This underdog will surely be your winner. Enjoy!

—Scott