Kavana Wine Tasting: Varietals around the world
Seattle, WA
Tasted November 21, 2006 by Eric with 676 views
Introduction
I hosted an education tasting for members of a new Jewish community group which my wife co-founded. There were a total of 10 people crammed around my dining room table for a session comparing different varietals as vinified in various parts of the world. We started with a quick lesson on how to taste AND spit, and aided by lots of paper towels people diligently tried to stick to the program.
Flight 1 - SAUVIGNON BLANC (3 notes)
Sauvignon Blanc typically provides an acidic, fresh white wine, but it adopts very different flavor profiles depending upon where it is grown. Some examples (wines labeled as Fumé Blanc) see oak, but these three are aged in stainless steel as is more typical. This provided a stark contrast between the stony-grapefruit of the Sancerre, the intense grass and gooseberry of New Zealand and the riper, grassy-pineapple of California. The Cloudy Bay was the favorite wine among tasters. The Mason Sauvignon Blanc was marred by lots of excessive alcohol and was easily the least favorite wine of the entire tasting.
White
2005 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
An outstanding Cloudy Bay. Nice grassiness on the palate but not overwhelmingly so. A very compelling palate, sweet and sour, definite gooseberry and some grass. The high-point is a very long, toothsome finish. Color me impressed.
White
2004 Mason Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
USA, California, Napa Valley
A real stinker. Lots of overt alcohol overwhelms the palate. Definite burn on the finish. Flabby, fat and lacking interest. And yes, this was served plenty cool at 55 degrees.
Flight 2 - CHARDONNAY (3 notes)
Chardonnay is a chameleon and is heavily influenced by oak treatment. Chablis is cold, cutting, steely and acidic. The Bourgogne featured more richness and a green-apple flavor profile yet with some creaminess. The California example is rich and warm with ripe pear and buttery vanilla (from heavier oak influence). A couple of people liked the Chablis, but people seemed fairly evenly split between the Bourgogne and the California Chardonnay.
White
2005 Barnett Vineyards Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
This is prototypical California Chardonnay. Aggressively toasty on the nose with just slightly burnt smells. The palate is big and round with lots of ripe pear, butter and vanilla. A real crowd pleaser for those that appreciate the style.
Flight 3 - MERLOT (3 notes)
Merlot is one of the 5 traditional grapes (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec) used in the Bordeaux region of France, but it is grown throughout the world in very international styles. This flight of 3 very special wines tries to focus on some of the richest and most unique examples, although the contrast of place might be less sharp than with the white wines. The 'Pichon Lalande' features a hefty dose of Cabernet in addition to the Merlot, but this is traditionally a very 'feminine' expression of Bordeaux with subtle texture and lots of mineral, leather and dominant tobacco notes. The Italian example (85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon) featured a bit of acidity, an intriguing herbal character and copious tannins. The Pride Mountain Merlot puts most California Merlot to shame (and would even make Miles from Sideways proud to drink Merlot). Huge, a bit oaky, with lots of coffee, brown sugar and chocolate covered cherries. The group was even more split on these with the Pride perhaps winning by a nose.
Red
1994 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
This had a horrendous smelling cork with clear TCA on the outside. Fortunately, this had not made its way into the bottle, and the wine was seemingly intact although, perhaps, very lightly corked. Textbook Pauillac with overt tobacco, crackling minerality and a hint of leather. Very round on the entry with a gorgeously silky mid-palate. The finish shows dusty tannins and somewhat aggressive acidity and maybe, just maybe, a slightly stripped personality. Still, this is what I like to drink, and this is a charming albeit not overwhelmingly good example of Pichon Lalande.
Red
1999 Avignonesi Desiderio
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Cherries and some roasted earth on the nose with a slightly herbal personality. The palate is a bit sweet on entry with fierce, almost puckering tannins. Baked cherry pie is the resonating flavor. The finish is nearly overwhelmed by the tannins. Seems like this could use a number of years to continue mellowing or some food to really buffer it.
Red
2002 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot
USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma
Classic Bob Foley wine. Huge notes of roasting coffee, brown sugar and chocolate. The essence of chocolate covered cherries on the palate. Big, chewy, mouthcoating tannins. Tons of concentration. Not as sweet as I recall. This is aging nicely. Not my personal preference any more, but this is a fantastic, bold expression of California Merlot.
Flight 4 - SYRAH (3 notes)
After the somewhat tannic Merlot flight, the Syrah provided a nice wave of fruit and a welcome way to round out the tasting.
Syrah is a grape that ripens dramatically, so this flight should show stark contrast. The Northern Rhône example showed black cherry, pepper, roasted meat and a tart, lean personality. The Qupe was an easy, friendly wine with lots of juicy blackberry and blueberry flavors; a terrific value. The Marquis Philips Shiraz was massive with black pepper and gobs of jammy fruit, tar, vanilla, almost certainly the 'biggest' and most intense wine of the tasting. People were also pretty evenly split on preferences
Red
2004 François Villard Syrah L'Appel des Sereines
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes
A beautiful expression of Syrah. Smoke, black cherry, and light notes of roasted meat on the nose. The palate is sanguine with tart, brambly, resonating notes of black pepper and cherry. Gripping with lots of gorgeous, clean Syrah character. Fantastic for what it is and what it isn't.
Red
2005 Qupé Syrah
USA, California, Central Coast
Blackberry compote on the nose. The palate is a wealth of round, friendly blueberry and blackberry. Pleasing, round and authentic with a peppery finish. Not sweet or overdone. Just a really nice Cali-Syrah.
Red
2003 Marquis Philips Shiraz 9
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
This has integrated its copious alcohol well over the past couple of years. Mint and eucalypt dance amidst tar, vanilla cookie along with oodles of smoky black fruit. The palate is enormous, a bit sweet, yet buffered by wave after wave of tarry, powerful black fruit, vanillin, and licorice. Hard not to be impressed with the sheer girth of this stuff. Not what I like to drink but I would pour it to make guests swoon at any BBQ.
Closing
It was an enjoyable inaugural tasting for this group, so it looks like we will definitely be doing lots of future tasting!
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