31 July 2006

Tasting Notes for July 29, 2006

This was a blind tasting of French wines, of which I did fairly well picking out the grape varieties.

Wine 1: 2003 Domaine Félines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet. Languedoc, France. I think this is the first time I've had wine made from Picpoul Blanc grapes. Lots of fruit, high acidity. Some peach and apple flavors. Not bad. 14.

Wine 2: 2004 Fat Bastard Chardonnay. Southern France. No discernible aroma, but a mild and creamy flavor with some floral elements. Saw this one as a Chardonnay from a mile away. $12.

Wine 3: 2005 Remy Pannier Vouvray. I love this wine. Light and sweet, honey flavors abound. Medium acidity. Perfect Vouvray. Loire, France. $12.

Wine 4: 2004 Pierre Sparr Alsace One. Alsace, France. A blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer. Light, slightly sweet Riesling style flavors. Some lemon, but a slightly bitter aftertaste. Not a huge fan of Alsatian wines, but this is a good representative. $13.

Wine 5: NV Domaine de Pouy. Gascony, France. Very crisp, firm acidity, lemony flavor. I thought it was Sauvignon blanc, but it turns out to be made from Ugni Blanc. $10.

Wine 6: 2004 Verget Saint-Veran. Burgundy, France. Chardonnay. Mild aroma, mild, flavor, definitely an unoaked Chardonnay. Not impressed, but might have been better with food or a fuller glass. $28.

Wine 7: 2004 Red Bicyclette Chardonnay. Toasted bread aromas, aged oak flavors. A little hint of pencil shavings. Odd complexity for a bargain wine. Limoux, France. $11.

Wine 8: 2004 High Vines Pinot Noir. Limoux, France. No English websites with any useful information, and I got tired of reading German. Little thin, with some strawberry flavors. $14.

Wine 9: 2003 Guigal Côtes du Rhône. Rhone, France. Standard GSM blend. Cherry aromas, light tannins, some cherry flavors help with the finish. $12.

Wine 10: 2004 Chateau de la Chaize Brouilly. Beaujolais, France. Smooth and mild, low tannins. Another one that I guessed right away. Wild strawberry flavor, that included some spice on the aftertaste. $15.

Wine 11: 2003 Domaine La Milliere Merlot. Vaucluse, France. Pepper and cherry flavors. Medium tannins. Oddly flavorful for a French Merlot that's not from Bordeaux. $13.

Wine 12: 2003 Cellier des Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Rouge. Vaucluse, France. 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah. Medium body, with dark berry and earthy, spicy notes on the edge. Good bargain, odd old fashioned bottle shape. $10.

1 comment:

Melinda said...

Hi Benito,

I actually meant to comment on your last post, but I came back to your site and you'd already put up a new one. Anyway, have you ever thought of trying sake with pizza? The other day, I was talking to a master brewer about pairing lively namazake with different kinds of food, and he immediately suggested pizza.

Also, the poboy you described a while back sounds awesome. I'm a southern girl myself, and I do like a good poboy every now and again.