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| October 2008 Vintages Pre-Release |
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| Thursday, 09 October 2008 | |
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Reported by Penny Napke & Donald Cumming “The focus of this release is wines from the Rhône. The Rhône is known for producing a wide range of wines; delightful roses, seductive whites and big, complex reds. Come out and join us as we search for the best expression of the Rhône, mixed with a smattering of serious wines from the rest of the world.” That’s what the Guild organizers, Maureen Murphy and Joe Hatz, were expecting. They did not let the cover of the Vintages magazine deter them, in spite of the “quality and value from down under” line used to introduce the Australia release of October 11th. What we did get was an appetizer of whites that was from around the world and around the vineyard. The entrée was a stroll through the wines of the Southern Rhône and their new world protégés using Grenach, Syrah, and Mouvedre (GSM), which was followed by the mains—big and bold Syrah of the Northern Rhône as well as some Shiraz from you-know-where. The very diverse first flight yielded the spread shown in the chart. No standouts. The highly rated Riesling, the first wine in the line up, was well balanced and with a classic lime/lemon citrus overtones and great acidity. The Grüner Veltliner, the third wine tasted, too was popular with good characteristics on the palate but the nose had the room guessing. The Pinot Gris, the second wine tasted of this flight, kept its identity from the tasters. Who knew? The Southern Rhône We learned in advance that each red flight would have three Rhône wines, in addition to wines from other areas that should exhibit similar characteristics. The price range was $18 to $46. There was a bit of a surprise in the first red flight. Again the choice of favourite wine was well distributed across the five of this flight. The first three were all the real thing. The old world favourite being the Montriruis Vacqueyras was made up of Grenach and Syrah only, in a fifty-fifty blend. This wine was impressive for it’s finesse and focus. It has all the classic Rhône characteristics. The winner here was the Torbreck Cuvee Juveniles 2006 at $29.95 from Australia. The expectation would have been that the $46 Chateauneuf du Pape would have fared better. Surprised? The Northern Rhône Quite a range from $23 to $70. There was not a single vote for the Crozes-Hermitage or the St. Joseph! The St. Joseph was highly rated by the experts. The opinion was unanimous—bottle variation because the wine we were tasting was clearly not the same as that tasted by other reviewers. It was not corked, but did exhibit an unusual nose. The big winner was another Aussie wine. This time it was the $23 Langmiel Hangin’ Snakes. This was by far the “Best Value” winner. At the time of writing there are still over 200 bottles in Ottawa area. The expected leader, the Guigal Côte Rôtie, was not far behind. Thanks to Maureen and Joe for a great VPR. Lots of variety and some spirited discussion from the group. Postscript: Although we could not have known it at the time, this was to be last Sommelier Guild tasting at the Chelsea Club. The winesFlight 1
Flight 2
Flight 3
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 15 November 2008 ) |
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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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