Old World Versus New World, and a Birthday Celebration

Ross's Condo, New Orleans
Tasted Saturday, October 15, 2011 by Rossodio with 625 views

Introduction

It has been nearly six months since my last tasting, and I decided to do one with a couple of extra wines thrown in just for good measure. Today's theme: comparable old world and new world wines.

Flight 1 - Chenin Blanc (2 Notes)

We began the night with a pair of crisp Chenin Blancs, which were a great way to start the night with cheese and crackers. The Dry Creek was a stunning value and much better QPR but admittedly did not have the character of the Vouvray.

  • 2010 Dry Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc Dry Clarksburg 86 Points

    USA, California, Central Valley, Clarksburg

    This wine carries a touch of honeysuckle at the end of the palate in addition to a nice if fairly simple quenching acidity and pleasant drinking. For the $9.99 pricetag, it certainly delivers, and I was pleasantly surprised to have this "budget" wine of the tasting actually do well. The majority of the crowd liked it as much as the $20 Vouvray, for what it's worth.

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  • 2009 Catherine et Pierre Breton Vouvray La Dilettante 86 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    I have had much, much better Vourvray than this from the likes of Domaine Huet (Clos du Bourg comes to mind), but this is a nice simple expression of Chenin blanc. Much more acidic than other demi-secs and secs I have had, but with nice lime and grapefruit appeal on the nose with a hint of honey on the finish.

    Note: Both bottles had wine seeping almost all the way to the end of the corks, which I assume are just cheap; they are very short, and one of the two bottles actually had evidence of seepage on the cork and was definitely much more subdued on the palate. The 87 point score is for the bottle that had the intact cork.

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Flight 2 - Bordeaux Blends (2 Notes)

With a decent '09 Bordeaux and an '07 California blend, though opinions were split, most people fell in favor of the Dry Creek Meritage.

  • 2009 Château Bel-Air Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux La Chapelle 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

    This wine from the much heralded 2009 vintage was somewhat disappointing; though it would be a fine table wine with food, on its own, it brought medium(-) body and a bit of a muddled generic Bordeaux palate of red fruits and a hint of green pepper and olive. The finish was a bit spicy and the '09 tannins made themselves clear without being obtrusive. Not bad, but I honestly was expecting a bit more. This wine may benefit from a short time in the cellar.

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  • 2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Meritage 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    Drinking very nicely now but with more in store for sure, this wine brings a nice and slightly restrained nose, palate, and finish that pleased my old world palate. A bit more oak and fruit than I am used to, but terroir expresses itself here and this full-bodied Cab-Malbec(Cot)-Petit Verdot-Cab Franc-Merlot blend is interesting with notes of spicy oak, olive, and red fruit, and should develop nicely over the next 4-6 years, given its firm but balanced tannic structure and acidity. Well priced at anywhere under $30.

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Flight 3 - Rhone Blends (2 Notes)

Beaucastel's Cotes du Rhone from '09 was compared directly with Tablas Creek's equivalent offering. It was interesting to note the stylistic similarities between the two wineries here, especially considering the producer for Beaucastel acts as a consultant for the folks at Tablas Creek.

  • 2009 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel 91 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

    Wow, what a nice wine for the price. Thankfully the Euro exchange rate was great when this wine was brought in by the importer, and this was a steal at $26. The nose opens up classic southern rhone quality that would give many Chateauneufs a run for their money, with spicy fruit and garrigue with a bit of fennel. the palate is full-bodied(-) and leads into a pleasant finish. It was infanticide to drink this bottle, and I feel it is better in terms of balance than even the 2007.

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  • 2009 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Surprisingly complex and open for business. This has a bit more new world fruit and oak than Beaucastel's comparable Cotes du Rhone from '09, but with a similar blend of kitchen spice, herb, and a distinctly gamey character. Tannins are present but restrained. Very impressive, especially for the price. Should unwind nicely with moderate cellaring.

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Flight 4 - Sparkling Chenin, in celebration of Monica's birthday! (1 Note)

One of my guests, Monica, had a 30th birthday the day of the tasting; everyone shared in the celebration with a nice sparkler I pulled from my collection.

  • 2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Brut 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant

    As usual, this petillant Chenin Blanc from Huet drank wonderfully, with green apple and pear notes and a very lightly honeyed finish. Should age very nicely in the cellar.

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Flight 5 - The late night crowd enjoys the rewards of sticking around... (4 Notes)

For those who stayed late into the night, two wines offered by my guest George were opened, followed by two wines chosen from my cellar.

  • NV Silbereis Sekt 84 Points

    Germany

    Brought to the tasting by George. Pleasant, slightly sweet sparkling riesling, with clear flavors of melon, apple, and pear. A refreshing and simple drink.

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  • 2007 Calcareous Meritage 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    George brought this to the tasting. Nice Bordeaux blend, though I think the 14.5% alcohol listed on the label is a bit lower than the actual level. Typical new world, with a good bit of oak and nice spicy fruit character. The finish is fairly short but nice.

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  • 1998 Château Les Ricards 87 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

    This is in a perfect spot. About a year ago, another bottle of this wine I had seemed muddled a bit, but this is now a typical and nice drinking Bordeaux that would benefit from being alongside a simple filet or ribeye grilled with black pepper and a bit of salt, with buttered noodles or rice.

    Drink up, because this may fade fast and soon.

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  • 2008 Morgan Pinot Noir Twelve Clones 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Typical Oregon Pinot, with nice bright red fruit in a more forward style. The finish is pleasant though not particularly complex. Could benefit from another year or two in the cellar, but is very drinkable now.

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Closing

After a long night with a lot of good cheese, wine, and conversation, this great tasting was clearly a resounding success. On a night with great weather and good friends, I couldn't ask for more out of a Saturday night.

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