Reported by Robert White

Twenty-four Sommelier Guild members and guests met at Trattoria Caffé Italia for the usual summer pre-release tasting with pizza. We started off with the 2005 Chateau des Charmes ‘Estate’ Sauvignon Blanc. The light, straw-coloured wine had a nice bouquet of gooseberry, green apple, citrus, and minerals. The wine was clean and zesty with lots of white peach on the finish and was the overwhelming favourite of the flight. The next wine was a little unusual, from Greece, the Domaine Dereskos Chardonnay. This wine had very little nose, though a few found a trace of tropical fruit and vanilla. The buttery taste had a sour ending that lingered. This did not seem to be the same wine that some wine reviewers were so pleased with. Next up was the 2005 Terre a Verre ‘Les Roches’ Picpoul de Pinet, named after the local Picpoul grape grown in a designated region around the French Mediterranean resort town of Pinet. Some tasters very much enjoyed this wine with its wet wool, wet rock, and honeysuckle aromas that led to nice red apple flavours with moderate acidity, though a little short on the finish. We finished the first flight with an organic wine, the Domaine Des Terres Blanches Rosé. This pink wine showed strawberries and cherry on the nose with light cherry flavours and a short finish. The wine was short on acidity.

Flight two was all new world wines and started with the 2004 Stoney Ridge Pinot Noir ‘Founders Signature’. This ruby wine showed a nose with cherry, raspberry, and smoke. It was mid-weight and fairly soft with easy going tannins and excellent length. Next up was the 2004 Danzante Sangiovese sourced from the hillside vineyards in the Marche region, east of Tuscany. The bouquet showed raspberry and licorice with a hint of spice. There were cherry flavours in this medium-bodied wine and soft tannins. The wine was stored in stainless steel rather than wood barrels. The group then moved on to Chile and the 2001 Vina Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Cabernet Sauvignon. This deep ruby wine was enjoyed by many and had a nose of blackberry, smoke, earth, and green pepper. The flavours of black cherry were balanced with good acidity and ripe tannins, and the wine had a long finish. The favourite of the flight was the last wine, the 2004 Bodega Del Fin Del Mundo Malbec. This is a relatively new winery in Argentina on the borders of Patagonia. This deep red wine had black fruit and oak on the nose with deep black fruit and raspberry and oak flavours. The wine had a good tannic grip and a medium length. With a $12.95 price tag, it was considered a great buy.

The final flight of four old world wines also saw the pizza arrive. Some had kept some of their whites to go with the seafood and pesto pizzas. The sausage pizza went well with the red wines. We started with the 2004 Chianti Classico Badia A Coltibuono, an organic wine from Tuscany. This medium ruby-red-coloured wine had a nose of black cherry, sandalwood, and pepper. The wine had soft tannins, moderate acidity, and a moderate cherry finish. We moved on to France’s Château Saint-Hilaire Médoc Cru Bourgeois. There was a complex bouquet of currants, bell pepper, smoke, graphite, and oak on the nose, with nice red cherry flavours balanced with good acidity and tannins and a long finish. The overwhelming favourite of the flight and evening was the 2003 Juan Gil ‘Tinto’ Do Jumilla from Spain. Made with 100% Monastrell (Mourvèdre), this deep ruby-red-coloured wine showed a complex bouquet of currants, black cherry, plums, cassis, cinnamon, and oak. This led to deep cherry and oak flavours balanced excellently with good acidity and tannins. The wine had a long finish. The last wine of the evening was the 2002 Château Calissanne ‘Cuvée Prestige’ Rouge. The wine was deep ruby-red with aromas of black cherry, earth, and cigar box, leading to cherry and vanilla flavours with a medium finish.

Thanks to Guild Director Mark Kilpatrick, new Director (and reporter of this event) Robert White, who was ‘learning the ropes’, and Trattoria Caffé Italia for an enjoyable evening.

Pictures courtesy of Vintages (www.vintages.com)

Flight 1

• Chateau Des Charmes ‘Estate’ Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 453423 $16.95
• Domaine Dereskos Chardonnay, 2005 642454 $13.95
• Terre À Verre, ‘Les Roches’ Picpoul De Pinet, 2005 525444 $14.95
• Domaine Des Terres Blanches Rosé (Organic), 2005 684993 $15.95

Flight 2

• Stoney Ridge Pinot Noir ‘Founders Signature’, 2004 588 $25.95
• Danzante Sangiovese Igt Delle Marche, 2004 534206 $15.45
• Vina Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001 976381 $17.95
• Bodega Del Fin Del Mundo Malbec, 2004 681197 $12.95

Flight 3

• Chianti Classico Badia A Coltibuono (Organic), 2004 295964 $24.95
• Château Saint-Hilaire Ac Médoc, Cru Bourgeois, 2003 2568 $21.95
• Juan Gil ‘Tinto’ Do Jumilla, 2003 1677 $21.95
• Chateau Calissanne ‘Cuvée Prestige’ Rouge, 2002 747170 $19.95