Saturday Walk Around Tasting at The Gourmet Shop Columbia, SC 5/5/2012

Jessica, from The Country Vintners was our hostess. They chose to show a Bordeaux, a rose, a Pinot, and an eclectic white. This was one of those Spring days, most people were home to barbeque, so was not the largest crowd ever. The white was an excellent first taste of the day. Rose is always good in May. I'm always interested in good Bordeaux.

• 2010 Brooks Amycas 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  As time goes on, I am becoming more a fan of these kitchen sink blends. I especially have become appreciative of the complex nose these combinations of varietals are capable of creating. This was my first taste of the day, right after lunch, which also helped my palate search out the positive nuances available. The color is surprisingly clear. There is a really nice floral nose these individual varietals could never accomplish alone. The mouth feel is rich and unctuous, and not totally dry. Lots of expressive, sweet tropical fruit like mango, papaya, tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit, with plenty of help from orchard type fruits. This wine is not all fruit, there some hints of brown spice, and a slight amount of earthy minerality. Adequate acid to keep thing interesting. Lots going on with the finish, some honeydew melon, apricot, lingering around with the tropical fruit. Not exactly my favorite style of white wine, but this is more attractive to my palate than I initially thought, and I caught myself letting this wine slowly worm it's way down before I took another sip.

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• 2010 Jean-Maurice Raffault Chinon Rosé 86 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  I'm a big fan of rose, and I'm a big fan of Cabernet Franc, but maybe not together. I'm not a fan of bleed rose, I prefer drain rose, like we get from Provence. I'm sure this is a quality wine, it seems to have lots of pedigree. This is very expressive, clean and well made wine that has too much skin flavor for me. Bright strawberry color. Concentrated cherry and strawberry nose. The fruit is complex from skin contact, or at least some crushing. Really nice acid. Strong finish for a rose. Would like to taste the Cabernet Franc, this wine was bled from.

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• 2009 Brooks Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  This 2009 Oregon Pinot fits my palate very nicely. A blend of vineyards, and clones from all over the Willamette Valley, there is a synergy here that works much like the blending techniques they use in Bordeaux. One benefit from all this blending, the wine seems to be ready to drink now. Another benefit is the inherent smoothness and lack of interfering secondary flavors and aromas. This is not an entry level wine. Though not real expensive, this is the tier above grocery store stuff. There is a nice combination of friendly, fruit forward flavors, and those earthy, musky, mushroom style flavors. The oak is doing it's job without sticking out. The alcohol and acid are in harmony. This wine is more orientated toward tasting good, than being structured and needing age. So, nice job, buy to drink now or hold.

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• 2009 Château Beau-Site 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  This is why we so much appreciate red Bordeaux. This moderately priced wine exhibits all the things we have come to expect. There is such a nice intermingling of fruit and non fruit flavors and aromas. The color is inky dark. The nose is only slightly rustic and earthy, showing cherry and blackberry with wet leaves. Solid viscosity and mid palate. The fruit is vibrant on one hand, but still subdued, and in total harmony with many of those hard to describe herbal and mineral flavors. The oak and acid are so seamless now, but could easily age 10 years. The tannins show up on the finish, another indication for ageability. Black cherry, leather, earth, and graphite on the finish.

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