Saturday Walk Around Tasting 3/3/2012

Miss Noelle Norton from Hand Picked Selections was our host with 3 French, and one wine from Argentina. Hand Picked wines always show well, and way over deliver for the price. This is easily the best Pinot Noir from Argentina I have ever tasted. The Apremont is a delightful wine for any occasion. The 2 time NCAA defending champion University of South Carolina mens baseball team was playing a home game, distracting a few of the regular tasters. People were buying bottles to drink outside, as the weather was superb.

• 2010 Pierre Boniface Vin de Savoie Apremont 90 Points

  France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Apremont

  This is an incredible little wine. It is amazing how much fruit gets packed into this relatively light bodied wine. I have never heard of this grape, and only tried one other wine from this region. They even had the inspiration to leave a little spritz with the wine to make it even fresher on the palate. The color tends toward greenish yellow. The nose has apricot, apple and pear. The apricot, pineapple, green apple, and pear fruit is as delicate and soft as any wine I have ever tasted. You can just imagine these grapes basking in elevated sunshine on a meadow in the shadow of the Alps. Low alcohol, moderate acid. Great balance. Very nice.

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• 2010 Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir 89 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza, San Rafael

  Often when we taste Pinot Noir from non traditional growing areas, they are hit or miss with the hard to describe non fruit secondary flavors. Typically, Argentina has its own subset of relatively unique flavors that are mostly interesting and enhancing. This wine has probably the most pronounced taste of sandalwood I have tasted in several years. It seems that Pinot Noir and this producer work well together. There are some very interesting and distinct aromas and flavors. The nose has ripe red cherry, but also a hint of brown sugar, sandalwood, ginger, and other brown spice. The sandalwood continues on the palate, nicely uplifting the already classy and ample cherry fruit. One of those wines that fills the mouth with satisfying flavor much richer than the medium bodied viscosity would indicate. Some smoky oak, and a touch of barnyard with more cherry on the finish.

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• 2009 Sélectionné par Laurence Féraud Pegovino (aka Plume Bleue) 86 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc

  Made in a light, easy to drink style. This wine is soft and approachable while still showing the typical flavors and aromas of the grape varietals. The color is quite purple, but not all that dense. On the nose I got some big blue fruit, but also some brown sugar, vanilla bean, and other brown spices. The blueberry and blackberry fruit is Old World in style, backed up with almost equal parts of those non fruit secondary, earthy flavors. Minimalist, silky tannins. Just past medium bodied. Balanced in a creamy sort of way.

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• 2009 Domaine Puydeval Rouge 88 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc

  This wine is starting to make us all believers. Regardless of the fact that it is very reasonably priced, this is a big mouth full of flavor. Good dark color. Lots of intense berry on the nose. Nice hit of blackberry and black cherry fruit on the entrance, followed by a well controlled, but welcome and enhancing hit of some Cabernet Franc style earthiness. A little bit of black pepper spice. Surprisingly full in the mouth for a just past medium bodied wine. Not much influence from oak. Only medium tannins. Rounded and balanced. The finish is a little rustic exhibiting some light powdered graphite and black cherry.

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