Readers looking for an esoteric dry white wine to stump fellow tasters in a blind tasting should insert the 2010 Cotes de Gascogne Gros Manseng. Made from 25-year old vines planted in clay and limestone soils, this tank-fermented and aged effort reveals a knock-out nose that smells like a ripe, melony Sauvignon that includes some intriguing floral, candle wax, pear and white peach notes. It is an exotic, fresh, complex, naked expression of dry white wine to drink over the next 12 months. Cotes de Gascogne is a treasure-trove for inexpensive, stainless steel-fermented and aged, dry whites that sell for a song.Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

Displaying more body and intensity, the light straw-hued, dry 2009 Gros Manseng (an underrated varietal) exhibits copious aromas of tangerines, orange rind, and mango fruit in its honeyed, fresh, medium-bodied personality. It should drink nicely for another year. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Coatesville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800; fax (610) 486-6452