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“Never Judge a Wine by its General Listing”: The Best of the General List Tasting |
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 |
Reported by Tim Stutt
“Never judge a book by its cover!”
We often hear this old saying. And as the participants at the Best of General List tasting held at the Chelsea Club in downtown Ottawa discovered, we could revise this expression to apply its wisdom to the Old and New Worlds of wines.
As in “Never judge a wine by its label.”
Or “Never judge a wine by its price.”
Or perhaps most important of all, as in “Never judge a wine by its general listing!”
NCSG Board Member Robert White led an enthusiastic group of 23 sommeliers and sommeliers-in-the-making through a blind tasting of four whites and nine reds. Robert got every wine with one exception from the LCBO’s General List, many on the advice of product consultants.
“The purpose of this General List tasting was not to find a great wine for cellaring,” says Robert. “Nor was it to beat Robert Parker to the punch in terms of declaring the Next Great Trend in Wines. Rather I sought to give participants an appreciation for what wines deliver excellent value for the price. To do this, I asked people to think about the this question when evaluating each wine:Would you serve this wine to your friends and relatives?”
The tasters started with three French wines and one from New Zealand that together covered many of the qualities sommeliers love and a few of the faults they can’t ignore about white wines. In order, the wines were:
- France’s 2007 Yvon Mau Colombard Chardonnay (LCBO listing 627625, $9.25) is a combination of unoaked Chardonnay and the lesser-known Colombard grape that contributes a peach and nectarine fruit and citrus lemon perfume.
- At first, the Leon Beyer Tokay Pinot Gris, 2005, France (165241, $16.25) led the tasters with its golden straw appearance and sweet honey and tropical nose into thinking it was a dessert wine. However, they were soon puzzled by a stringent lemon wax taste on the palate.
- The 2007 vintage New Zealand Nobilo Fall Harvest (554444, $15.60), with its “cut-grass” or “cat’s pee” nose and citrus flavours, is a typical Sauvignon Blanc.
- A French 2006 Dopff & Irion Gerwurtztraminer (81463, $16.15) that displayed rose blossom and lychee aromas as well as a pleasant orange flavour.
Tasting participants were pleased, for the most part, with the qualities these white wines displayed. And as you can imagine, they were delighted when Robert said all four wines were less than $20 in price! The participants’ anticipation continued as they bounced back and forth from continent to continent and from Old World to New World styling in tasting the following nine reds:
- A 2006 Farnese Sangiovese Daunia from Italy (512327) that, at a price of $7.40, was by far the most modestly priced wine of the tasting. Its sour cherry flavour and easy drinking demeanor lend themselves to the simple pleasures of a pizza dinner.
- The Spanish, 2007 Rene Barbier Tempranillo / Merlot (640193, $9.80) displayed some fruitiness and acidity but no tannins. This wine was one of only two wines that left the tasters split 50-50 over its merits.
- Australia’s 2006 Banrock Station Shiraz Matero (555771, $10.95) was less fruity than any of the other reds the tasters sampled during the evening. No doubt that was one of the reasons why their opinions were divided evenly about whether they would serve this wine to family and friends.
- A 2005 L.A. Cetto Petit Sirah from Mexico (983742, $10.90) was the only wine of the evening that did not come from the General List. Canadian wine journalist David Lawrason describes the 2004 vintage of this wine on the LCBO web site as “medium-full bodied, sweetish, open knit and juicy”.
- The 2005 Chilean Viña Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon (439166, $16.85) displayed many of the bell pepper nose and spicy, berry taste qualities for which many Cabernets are renown.
- Well-known California producer Robert Mondavi is the source of a 2006 Coastal Pinot Noir (465435, $18.95). The LCBO describes this wine on its Web site as having “aromas of cooked cherry and raspberry with earthy/mushroom notes; dry, medium bodied, with good acidity, good concentration of bright fruit and gamy flavours”.
- Participants at the tasting were surprised by their enjoyment of the 2005 Ernest & Julio Turning Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon (412296, $12.45).As the second of three Cabernet Sauvignons served during the evening, this wine displayed berry hints but with a lighter body than its Chilean counterpart in the tasting.
- With its smoky nose, tart cherry taste and medium finish, South Africa’s 2006 Railroad Red Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (665273, $12.20) left the tasters perplexed. What qualities was the wine maker trying to accentuate by blending Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon?
- At $36.65, the 2004 Italian Masi Amarone (317057) was the most expensive General List wine served. But with its fruity nose and savour this wine was a crowd pleaser. That being said, be forewarned that the wine requires at least one hour of decanting, if not more to ensure a palatable taste.
The Best of the General List tasting proved to be a revelation for its participants. With the exception of one of the whites and one of the reds, the tasters gave (a more or less enthusiastic) “thumbs up” to serving the evening’s wines to friends and relatives. Indeed one wag said he enjoyed the evening, wisecracking that he would serve some of the wines tasted to in-laws, but not to friends! Others left the tasting realizing that in terms of the reasons a true connoisseur of the grape may give for refusing to sample a wine, one should never be that the wine is “only a general listing”.
Flight 1
Yvon Mau Colombard Chardonnay, 2007, France, 627625, $9.20
Leon Beyer Tokay Pinot Gris, 2005, France, 165241, $16.25
Nobilo Fall Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2007, New Zealand, 554444, $15.60
Dopff & Irion Gerwurztraminer, 2006, France, 81463, $16.15
Flight 2
Farnese Sangiovese Daunia, 2006, Italy, 512327, $7.40
Rene Barbier Tempranillo & Merlot, 2005, Spain, 640193, $9.80
Banrock Station Shiraz Mataro, 2006, Australia, 555771, $10.95
Flight 3
L.A. Cetto Petite Sirah, 2005, Mexico, 983742, $10.90
Vina Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, 2005, Chile, 439166, $16.85
Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir, 2006, Califiornia, 465435, $18.95
Flight 4
Ernest & Julio Turning Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, California, 412296, $12.45
Railroad Red Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, South Africa, 665273, $12.20
Masi Amarone, 2004, Italy, 317057, $36.65 |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 30 June 2008 )
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Moderation |
 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. |
"If penicillin can cure those that are ill, Spanish sherry can bring the dead back to life."
— Sir Alexander Fleming
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