Our wine group tasting wines from Monday night . . .

1999 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo, 2009 Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre,   2010 Sancerre Les Monts Damnés, François Cotat, Chavignol, 2001 Domaine Marcel Deiss "Gruenspiel" Premier Cru White Blend, Bergheim, 2011 Holly's Garden "Pagan" Pinot Noir Whitlands

1. Clear and bright with pale gold core out to a water white rim - almost touch of gold. Clean with bright aromas with pear and salty minerally rocks. Dry with medium plus acidity, slight oxidation in the nose and a slightly off dry finish.  Lots of alcohol. And slightly corky. Mushroomy.  Sauvignon St Bris?
2010 Sancerre Monts Damnes from Francois Cotat - Not my favorite wine in the tasting as I thought it was slightly corked and if it wasn't corked then it was just tasting bad.  And certainly not typical. No one in the group got that it was Sauvignon from Sancerre and I think I may have been the closest with St.Bris but I wasn't confident enough to shout it out.

2. Clear and bright with pale gold core out to a watery rim. Clean with grassy notes high in the nose and vanilla. Dry with flavors of lemon and baked apple with medium plus acidity and a long finish.   Bourgogne Blanc or Chablis from 2010.
2009 Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre - Very classic Chardonnay in the nose with some oak but I definitely didn't think it was a $150 wine.  My bad.


3. Clear and bright with deep core of dark gold. Clean with developed aromas of apricots and candied orange and jasmine. Off dry with medium acidity, lychee and rose petals.  Excellent long finish. Slightly petillant in the mouth.  Wehlener sonnenhur Riesling spatlese or auslese Riesling or pinot gris?
2001 Domaine Marcel Deiss Gruenspiel Premier Cru, Bergheim(Riesling, Gewurz, pinot noir!) - No one could have gotten this wine right.  It was slightly sweet and we all kept throwing out adjetives describing one wine or another but because it was such a blend, we were totally confused.  Sweet but not too sweet, good acid, but not too much acid.  Nose of GW but mouth of Riesling? I was confused and so was everyone else.

4. Clear and bright with pale ruby orange core out to a orange watery rim. Clean with aged aromas of seeder and loamy undergrowth and older oak. Dry with medium plus to high tannins and cranberry and orange peek and some cedar.  Excellent acidity and a long finish. 1980's Barolo and maybe older?  Soft but hard.
1999 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo - this one was nailed by a group member as a "banker" or a wine that is so iconic that you need to get it immediately.  Maybe not the vintage or the producer, but definitely region.  I thought it was older than it was but definitely thought it was from a traditional producer and would probably have said Mascarello given the choice.  A true and perfect expression of nebbiolo that could go for another 20 years, easy.

5. Clear with deep ruby core out to a watery orange rim. Clean with old watery loamy under brushy smell with salty spicy cedar boxy and dark, dark fruit with a little pepper spice. Lots of alcohol and an older, long finish. Syrah from Rhône?   Maybe older Chateauneuf?
1998 Chateaneuf du Pape  Les Caillou Andre Brunel - another taster nailed this wine and I was with him but couldn't call it for sure.

6. Cloudy and slightly ruby. Dirty, soy, mercaptins, tomato, and geranium.  Boy, that sucked!
2011 Holly's Pagan Victoria Pinot Noir - there was something flawed about this wine but no one could agree what it was but strangely, some stuck up for the wine as being "natural".  I almost lost my mind!  I have "natural" wines in my portfolio, whether made with organically grown grapes or with biodynamic practices in the vineyard and cellar, and I am sorry, but if this is "natural" then I don't want it.  Ever.  I cannot convey how distinctly horrible this wine was and if it is supposed to be this way, then that is the reason why people don't drink "natural" wines and why we as an industry have trouble getting some people to enjoy wine on a daily basis.  If this is "natural" we would be killing all of our customers or at least driving them far, far away.  But that said, I think it was just poor winemaking . . . and mistakes happen to everyone.

So overall, I thought the tasting was a success and I look forward to the next one with great anticipation.

The Wine Group tasting 06.26.12 . . . epic? Not so sure . . .

Nine wines from around the world (mostly France) all from 2000 and older.
2000 Goisot Sauvignon St. Bris "Fie` Gris"
1993 Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey Rouge
1994 Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey Blanc
1996 Paul Chapelle Puligny-Montrachet Champgain
1991 Chante Perdrix Saint Joseph
1999 Domaine de Fauterie Cornas
1995 Canoe Ridge Merlot Columbia Valley
1998 Goisot Cotes d'Auxerre Corps de Garde Bourgogne Blanc
1993 Domaine Hubert de Montille Bourgogne Rouge
19997 Ferreira Vintage Port (375 ml - not pictured)

Had the guys over to the house to taste through some old wines from Beaune Imports and wines that have been hanging around in the garage for years off and on and it was a hit and miss affair.  Two and maybe possibly three of the wines were corked, some more than others and of course no one could agree on which ones were corked but there was some definite effect of the cork on all the wines whether it was the musty cardboard of classic corked wines or if it was just the muted fruit, slightly off of mildly corked wines.  All I know is I am hoping and praying for a time when this can't happen to any wine, but it won't be in my lifetime, that's for sure.  Too many people stuck on tradition.

The highlights of the night:

1998 Goisot Cotes d'Auxerre Corps de Garde Bourgogne Blanc (100% Chardonnay): Clean with pale gold core out to a watery rim, clean in the nose with fresh granny smith apples and custard and lemon zest with flavors to match.  Creamy and textured in the mouth but no overt wood flavors and it finishes really long and persistent with tangy acidity.  Excellent

1991 Chante Perdrix Saint Joseph: Clear and bright with a medium ruby core out to an orange rim.  Spicy white pepper and smoked meat in the nose with hints of cranberry sauce.  Smoked meat and blueberry/boysenberry balsamic vinegar reduction in the mouth with super fine tannins.  Long, long finish with medium plus acidity, definitely what has kept this lovely wine alive.  Excellent.

Others in the group loved the 1999 Domaine de Fauterie Cornas and the Goisot Fie` Gris.  The Michel Juillot wines were over the hill be still interesting wines for what I am sure back then (and probably now) some really inexpensive off the beaten path Burgundy.  The Canoe Ridge was disjointed and not fun.  The Hubert de Montille 1993 Bourgogne opened up with time but was showing a definite cork issue.  The 19997 Ferreira had maybe stayed too long in the garage . . . . and the Paul Chapelle was corked.

A fun night.  The cheeses from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills were delicious.  Five guys must have eaten about 3 lbs of  Selles sur Cher, Comte`, Ossau-Iraty and more thanks to Erik Kelley.

So the question: is it worth it to cellar wines for 15 to 25 years before drinking?  Obviously, there needs to be a good place to keep the wine (cool, dry, dark, slightly humid but not too much) and the quality of the wine needs to stand up to the test of time (lots of acidity is needed to last 20 years, folks, lots and lots of acidity), and lots of luck that you don't have crappy cork that effects the taste of the wine and lets in just the right amount of oxygen so the aging process can percolate along.  So I am not sure . . . after all these years in the business, if the rewards of long term cellaring outweigh the risks.

Enjoy.

L'Union de Gens des Metiers @ VinItaly 2011

Hi all,

The Union of Tradespeople or the Union de Gens des Metiers or just UGM is getting together, as they do once a year, this time at Vinitaly to do a special tasting of their best wines. Hosted by Aldo, Milena and the whole Vaira family, these winemakers, like Benjamin Dagueneau, The Foucault brothers (Clos Rougeard), Francois Chidaine, Alain Graillot, Elois Durrbach (Travallon), Jean-Marc Roulot and a whole host of others, will present one wine each to a select group passionate wine professionals. The details are below and attached. Please contact Giuseppe Vaira to make your reservation if you happen to be at VinItaly and want to take a break from the fine Italian wines and go over the Alps for a brief sojourn in France!

Cheers.

Justin

The Tasting

Terroirs UGM

Friday 8^th of April, VinItaly at Verona

in room C, on the first floor, between pavilions 8 e 9

fifteen winegrowers of the

Union des Gens de Métier (UGM)

They will tell their story using the lens of their most representative wine.

Two sessions from which to choose:

from 11am to1 pm

or

from 3:30 alle 5:30

Entrance is free, but spots are limited

To participate, please contact us with your name and the session you have chosen

by writing to Giuseppe at: gsvaira@alice.it

To listen in: http://terroirs-ugm.blogspot.com

The July Tasting, Ze Pinot Trio (Blanc, Gris & Noir) & Ze Fromages Zey Fancy, PODCAST is up! Check it out......

Podcast of the July '09 Tasting- Ze Pinot Trio (Blanc, Gris & Noir) & Ze Fromages Zey Fancy

https://www.cheesestorebh.com/Features/podcast.asp

You can hear me from minute 4:21 to minute 6:40 and from minute 16:20 to 25:42

That means you can listen to me drone on about wine. Cool, huh?

(and yes, I know I say, "ya, know" a lot. Trying to break the habit, but it is really hard!)