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April 2008 Vintages Pre-Release |
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Reported by Rod Story
Guild director Mark Kilpatrick led an intimate tasting of 12 wines that were from the April 12 Vintages release. The theme of the Vintages release was wines from hot climates. However, Mark provided a good mix of hot and cool climate wines with a couple of wines providing good value such that people were going to search them out at the release.
The first flight was made up of four white wines. The first and fourth wines were the crowd favourites. The first wine was a Moscato d’Asti with its typical sweet aromatic nose of flowers and fruit trees that followed through on the palate. Moscato d’Asti is a low alcohol wine (5%), off-dry, slightly effervescent wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. This Moscato d’Asti was a stylistically true, enjoyable version of the type though it had less fizz than others. At $15.95 it was reasonably priced. A great wine for summer afternoons on the patio or with any fresh fruit dessert. The second wine of the flight was a Chablis that didn’t have much of a nose and had a finish of bitter lemon/grapefruit. Though there was no oak, there was no green apple or minerality either. It was rather disappointing and proves the point that it is difficult to get a decent Chablis for under $20. Even though the third wine was Viognier, it smelled and tasted like a Chardonnay due to its considerable oak treatment. Why on earth would one use a heavy toast on an aromatic white? Anyway, the nose was of toasty oak and caramel that evolved to something more herbaceous over time. The nose followed through on the palate with a bitter finish. The fourth wine was a good example of a well made unoaked Chardonnay from a warmer climate. Its nose was clean with green apple and a slight herbaceous hint. It had full palate with a bit of warmth and a medium, lemony finish.
The second flight consisted of four medium bodied red wines. The crowd favourites were once again the first and fourth wines with a slight preference for the fourth. The first wine (Valpolicella) was quite aromatic with sour cherry, floral, allspice, and leather notes. In the mouth it was pleasantly astringent in the food-friendly Italian style with the sour cherry and spice notes coming through. It would be a good wine with veal or pork tenderloin. The second wine, Chateau Calissanne from Aix-en-Provence, had a nose of berry fruit (blueberries), herbs, and anise. It was medium-light in the mouth with a medium finish of cedar but was also rather tart and a bit chalky. It would be a decent wine for BBQ on the patio. The third wine (from the Rhone) was quite closed making it rather difficult to judge. What little nose it had was of volatile acid and slightly green. It was astringent on the palate but the pepper of the Syrah component was present. The group felt that the wine was unlikely to evolve from what it currently was. The fourth wine of the flight (Chilean Carmenère) was the best buy of the evening at $12.95. Too bad there is very little left in the system. It had smoky leather and herbs on the nose with rich berry fruit on the palate giving a medium to long finish. Considering its price, it would still improve more with two to three years cellaring.
The third flight had four fuller bodied red wines with the second being the crowd favourite, though all the wines were quite good in their own right. The first wine had a nose of sweet spice and plums/prunes that followed through on the palate. The wine was of medium weight and astringency with a good helping of tannin. It was a distinctly Italian wine. The second wine was an Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon and was the second best value wine of the evening. Both Chile and Argentina provide tremendous wine value. This wine had a nose of spice, smoke, and cedar. On the palate it had great balance between the fruit and the tannin with some herbal notes poking through and a smooth medium to long finish. There are still lots of this wine in the system. The third wine had a very dark bowl with an earthy and somewhat musty nose but not in the negative sense. It was a big wine on the palate with spice and smooth tannins and great astringency. A perfect wine for roast lamb. This taster thought it was more old-world in style before discovering that it in fact was Australian. The last wine of the evening again had a dark bowl with a nose of sweet damson plum and cloves. On the palate it was more tannic than the previous wine but with less acid. It would make a good BBQ wine.
Flight 1: White Wines
- Moscato d’Asti, 2007 (Bava Cocconato), 712547, $15.95
- Chablis, 2006 (Domaine Louis Moreau), 72363, $19.95
- The Last Ditch Viognier, 2006 (d’Arenberg), 25064, $19.95
- Chardonnay Torlesse Waipara, 2006, 57661, $19.95
Flight 2: Medium Bodied Reds
- Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso, 2005 (Luigi Righetti), 575787, $18.95
- Château Calissanne, 2005, 61283, $15.95
- Vinsobres Les Cornuds, 2005 (Perrin & Fils), 566844 , $17.95
- La Mision Reserva Carmenère, 2006 (Viña William Fèvre Chile), 59337, $12.95
Flight 3: Full Bodied Reds
- Primitivo Di Manduria, 2005 (Giordano), 51797, $17.95
- Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 (Navarro Correas), 28936, $18.95
- The Footbolt Shiraz, 2005 (d’Arenberg), 984021, $21.95
- Encostas De Estremoz Touriga Nacional, 2004 (Soc. Agric. Lagarteira), 684936, $19.95
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Moderation |
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The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets. |
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