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| 15th Anniversary Nostalgia Tasting III with Veronique Rivest |
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| Tuesday, 10 June 2008 | |
Reported by Jay Hunt & Rutha Astravas Veronique Rivest can always be counted on to provide an interesting and entertaining evening. This 15th anniversary tasting was no exception. She claimed not to have a theme for the tasting, but it could have been titled “Some Eclectic Evening”. She led us through a varied range of wines from her recent travels, including unusual regions and obscure grape varieties. The wines were served one at a time rather than in flights. Tasting blind, we often had no clue what the wine was, but, somehow, each was reminiscent of a more mainstream variety. More than one was especially good. After a chance to taste and guess the varietals, Veronique revealed each wine, described its origin and history, and most significant characteristics. One common element was their age-worthiness. Between the white and red wines she served a selection of amuse-bouches (smoked trout, crab and corn gougeres, wild game terrine with loganberries), which complemented the choices nicely.Guests were greeted with a dry, sans dosage franciacorta. Very Old- World, complex, and Champagne-like. Unfortunately, due to the heavy weather or soapy glasses, the bubbles were muted, but the complex nose full of brioche, pears, vanilla, baked apples, anise and orange rind, and other ripe fruit made people smile. It had a medium-to-long finish, was not too crisp, was a little minerally and a little warm. Franciacorta wines are elegant and are excellent value buys. Veronique’s next wine, a Castel de Bouza Albaniro, was very aromatic: pear, “vermouth”, orange, apple, pear, and musk/melon notes, along with some green hints. It had lively lemony acidity, was very mineral with a long finish. Next came a lovely Robola from Cephalonia, Greece. This wine was complex: floral with tropical, anise, and candy highlights, custard, and cream. On the palate it was oily and rich, and slightly off dry and slightly warm. The second of the Greek surprises was an organic Asyrtiko from Santorini. Drawing on its volcanic soil, it was a slightly stinky (smokey? a touch oxidized?), with sour apple, citrus, and melon and peach. It was bone-dry with lots of dusty mineral, but it was also oily, rich, and high in alcohol. Tasters had trouble figuring out which aromatic wine this could be ... but neither Riesling or Gruener Veltliner could have so much mineral or come from such a blistering climate.  The Chardonnay from Staete Land (New Zealand) stood in huge contrast to what came before. It was big, full, oaked, sweet with super-ripe stone and tropical fruit, but still tempered; Veronique noted that it avoided being “sweet on sweet”, thanks to juicy acidity to cut through the long and ample cream and spice. It was one of the few wines we could identify that evening!!Nuit Blanche White Meritage from the Hidden Bench exhibited some mango and passionfruit on the one side, with flinty, odd and woody notes (thanks to the Semillon?) on the other. It was off dry and warm, tasted like tropical fruit and had an extremely long finish. Back to Europe: the Pichler Gruener Veltliner had some “acquired taste” riparian, mushroom, and woolly notes. Luckily there was a touch of honey and green grape. It felt “unctuous”, peppery (white), liquoricey, rather flinty, and was balanced with great acidity. Overall, a nice wine and excellent food match. In the reds, the transition wine was a fairly simple and fruity blend of Maréchal Foch, Baco Noir, and De Chaunac from Domaine Les Brome from la belle province. Light cherry, liquorice, and mushroom notes were followed by a slightly bitter and acidic taste. The next wine, a Cote de Brouilly, was also light-to-medium bodied and “very berry”, but more complex with floral and earthy notes. Well-balanced, it was a light wine with a balance of warmth, pepper, bitterness, light tanning, and acidity. It was a lovely match with the terrine. Few guessed that the next wine was a Pinot Noir despite its ringer red cherry (though quite jammy) and floral aromas. Some pointed out the smoke, light oak, and fleeting green aromas. There were even more berries and on the palate with good, but not pinotesque acidity, some warmth, good fruit, and a touch of sweetness. The third Greek wine from Domaine Evharis was a blend of Grenache Rouge 10%, Syrah 60%, Merlot 30% (we were stumped again). Warm, medicinal, syrupy, with some interesting toasted/grain notes fighting with the vanilla, it had funky, liquorice notes on the palate, a fair bit of wood, was tangy and hot. Greek producers are producing an increasing number of “international” varietals and blends. The next warm climate wine was rather different: its nose exhibited tar, leather, fur (but not brett!), spice, and cassis. Its ripe, fruity and almost medicinal flavours were balanced with a metallic tang (reminiscent of some warm, Mediterranean wines), tar, and ripe tannins. Welcome to Bierzo, the next “it” region after Jumilla and Priorat, and whose leading varietal is Mencia. Moving from the unknown to a classic: the modern style 1999 Paolo Scavino Barolo was somewhat closed, but showed plum, cassis, herbaceous, anise and “Pernod” notes. As it opened, some tasters noted mushroom aromas. On the palate, it showed more fruit, was warm and juicy (owing to good alcohol and acid, masking the tannin), and could look forward to a lot more time in the cellar. Veronique noted that Barolos often have faded flower notes yielding to tar and truffles as they age, with a characteristic “fish bouillon”. Though some expected Veronique to present an Alsatian dessert wine, we were not at all disappointed with something quite different: a still, not-too-sweet, lightly tannic red! The Aleatico was a wonderful discovery. In its youth it is fruity, perfumed, floral, with delicate berry and almost tropical notes (are you sure it’s not a white wine??). With age, it would become more plummy, earthy, and dried flower notes, and further gains in texture. Some Aleaticos are fortified and have different characteristics. Overall, the evening was above all one of discovery and one of the most informative events we have attended. Bravo et merci Veronique!! We were thrilled to share in some of your new “favourites” from your recent travels. Opening Act
Whites
Reds
Finishing Touch
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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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