Latest Tastings

So, I’m obviously not doing that hot a job at posting on a regular basis.  I hope to turn that around now that we’re into the new year.

Over the holidays I had some very nice wines, not all of which I took tasting notes on.  It wasn’t that convenient at table with family.  We did share some nice Crozes-Hermitage, and I also opened a 2002 Brane-Cantenac Margaux on Christmas Day to accompany the goose we had for dinner.  I thought it was a nice pairing.

New Year’s Eve started with a Lucien Albrecht 2007 Cuvee Henri Reisling that was really enjoyable with the scallops and lobster that we had for dinner.  The wine had an almost green-gold cast in the glass, and a floral and green fruit nose.  On the palate it was somewhat hard to describe.  I think I picked up some mineral/stony notes along with continued green fruit.  The floral didn’t seem to carry over – at least not to my taste.

From there we moved on to a Louis de Sacy champagne.  I’d never tasted a Sacy before, and was pleased with it.  I’m usually a Roederer man, and enjoy the crisp acidity of the Brut Premier.  The Sacy had a completely different character which I really enjoyed.  There was brioche, and I think even some milk chocolate.  I’m not completely sure about the latter, but I definitely had a creamy flavor, and milk chocolate was what kept coming to mind – I imagine from the Pinot components that went into the blend.

I definitely need to do some work on flavor and aroma detection and identification.  An aroma kit may be in my near future.

Since then, my record has been somewhat hot and miss.  In early January, I enjoyed a 2007 Moulin-a-Vent from Domaine les fines Graves.  It started with red cherry and spice notes, with maybe a hit of something animal or vegetal – I’m not sure which.  Later I got flavors of dried fruits, more intense red fruits, and maybe even some tobacco.  I found it to be very rich and interesting, and hard to describe.  I’ll have to revisit this sometime in the future.

A little over a week later I had a 2004 Chateau Fontenil AOC Fronsac.  I’ve been targeting Fronsac and Canon Fronsac in my Bordeaux tasting recently because they seem to have a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc than other AOCs.  I discovered I really liked Cab. Franc when I started this tasting and learning endeavor thanks to a Bourgueil from the Loire.  The Fontenil had cooked fruit, tobacco, and vanilla notes on both the nose and the palate.  I also got some sweet spice after it had opened for a while, and a bit of chocolate as well.  Not sure that I liked it as well as the Vrai Canon Bouche I had a few weeks ago, but I’d certainly have it again.

One I think I’ll pass on in the future was a 2008 AOC Cheverny from Domaine du Salvard.  It’s a Pinot Noir/Gamay blend, and while acceptable overall, I wasn’t highly impressed.  The lightness and, I imagine, inclusion of Gamay in the blend made it reminiscent of Beaujolais, but without any real character that would make it distinct.  It was pleasant and fresh, and had nice cherry/berry flavors, but it’s not a standout for me.

One of the best of my recent purchases was a 2008 Saint Cosme AOC Cotes du Rhone Blanc.  I couldn’t find info on the exact blend for this vintage, but if it’s similar to the 2007, it’s composed of Rousanne, Viognier, Marsanne, Clairette, and Picpoul de Pinet.  I was really surprised and impressed with this wine.  It had stone fruit (apricots, particularly) on the nose along with some floral and maybe a bit of mineral.  I seemed to get more of the floral on the palate, and some creamy notes.  On the finish and after I had some toasted nuts, and perhaps even some caramel.  I liked the complexity and will definitely keep an eye out for this again.

Not sure what’s next.  I probably need to add a bit more rigor or structure to what I’m buying and tasting as I continue to increase my familiarity with France’s regions.  Maybe I should pick a region, focus some purchases on it; focus for a while then move on.

One thing I know I need to do is be less formulaic in my notes.  I like the WSET structure – Appearance, Nose, Palate – but I need to add to that more of my reaction to the wine, how it works or not with what I’m eating, etc.  There needs to be a bit more emotion, I think, to accompany the details.

 

Catching up and looking ahead

So, I’ve obviously been away for a while.  I didn’t quite realize I hadn’t posted since the FWS Conference in October.  Seeing that, however, prompted me to get in an update.

At the conference, I had taken the French Wine Scholar exam.  As it turned out, I didn’t pass.  I got my result in late October, and it was a 71 out of 100.  The passing score is 75 out of 100; 80 in order to instruct the scholar level educational program.  Not passing bummed me out for a while, but being so close, I decided I had to sit for it again – surely I could get another 4+ questions right the second time. 

I had my chance in early December.  Starting in mid-Nov., I went back to the study guide, made notes on the regions I hadn’t done hand written things for the first time, and reviewed the ones I had made.  Of course, I focused in on things I knew I missed on the first exam, which turned out not to be as useful as I thought since the second exam was a completely new set of questions.  The additional study time and focus helped, though, as I got a call the day after the test to say that I had passed, with a 79, so I’m now an official French Wine Scholar!

Having the certification behind me gives me a boost of confidence as I think more seriously about moving into the wine industry – first as a sideline, and perhaps more full-time later on.  I’m thinking about additional courses of study, particularly the Society of Wine Educators’ Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) program.  I may take that on in the new year.  I’m still not quite sure how to get started in this new endeavor, and DC may be an oversaturated market for educators, but I still think that’s a good “in” since I work in and enjoy training – especially when I’m so interested in the topic.

As to what I’ve been drinking lately, I’ll have to refer back to my journal, which I don’t have at hand as I write this.  Most recently, Monday night in fact, I had a Savennieres from Jo Pithon.  Apart from our tastings at conference, I hadn’t had a Savennieres before.  The color was golden and honey-like.  The wine itself seemed ‘thick’ in the glass.  I’ll have to research a bit, but I think there may have been some residual sugar – while not exactly sweet, there was an ‘off-dry’ quality.  That may have just been fruit/floral notes, but I think there was something more there.  The nose was rather floral, I thought, as was the palate, with some toasted notes also.  It didn’t taste of cream or dairy, but had a very round feel in the mouth.  I enjoyed it and would have it again when in the mood for something other than a more crisp, high acid white.

I haven’t quite decided what to serve with Christmas dinner on Friday.  We’re having goose.  I may go with a Chateauneuf du Pape that I have a couple of bottles of in the cooler, or I may go a Burgundy route.  The only thing I have for sure on the slate is a Muscat de Baumes de Venise to accompany our Buche de Noel for dessert.

Happy holidays and New Year to all.

 

French Wine Society Conference Recap

Last Sunday through Wednesday, 4-7 October, I attended the second annual French Wine Society conference, including the pre-conference session on Sunday.  I had a blast.  I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that when everything wrapped up on Wednesday I was rather depressed.  I haven’t truly enjoyed something that much in a long time – I think this is something I ‘belong in.’

Sunday was focused on cheese and Armagnac.  We started with a presentation from Max McCalman, a noted cheese expert, that covered a range of French cheeses in terms of their terroir.  We tasted six in that sitting, starting with a chèvre from the Loire, ranging through some different hard and soft cheeses including a Pont l’Eveque, and ending with Roquefort.  I think the best quote of the day, if not the conference, came at that point when Max declared: “After Roquefort all that’s left is sex.”  I don’t quite agree, as I’m not a fan of bleus in general, but I get his point.

Following a break, we had a luncheon where we paired six different cheeses with seven different wines – Champagne, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a rosé, a Pinot Noir, a Bordeaux blend, and a sweet wine from the Loire.  The format was interesting because the presenters talked about each of the cheeses and wines, but let us taste all of the combinations and make our own suggestions about what worked well together, rather than saying “eat cheese x with wine y – that’s the best or most classic pairing.”  There were some surprises, particularly in the versatility of the Provence rosé.  I didn’t really match anything with the Bordeaux, but I think that was because I didn’t like the wine at all.  Even for something that had a bit of age on it, it was incredibly vegetal and to me, tasted of nothing but green bell peppers.

The next session was in introduction to the Cheeses of France Academy teaching materials.  They seem pretty comprehensive, although I do have a few nits to pick from an instructional design perspective.  Trainers are always the worst audience to which to present instructional materials – it’s easy to find flaws from an ISD perspective.  I think the ‘learning objectives’ were what most bothered me – lots of ‘know’ and ‘understand’ language, that even with a quiz, doesn’t really lend itself to observation of accomplishment.  Granted, this is more knowledge building and educational than it is skill developing, but even so, I’d be happier with more demonstrable outcomes for the participants.  We’re somewhat limited in our abilities as instructors to alter materials, but I think I may come up with some of my own objectives to guide sessions.

The afternoon concluded with a presentation about and tasting of Armagnac, a wine-based distilled spirit from the Southwest of France.  I’ve tasted some in the past, but am not an expert by any means, so to have a structured presentation was great, and the range of what we were able to taste was much appreciated.  I’m interested in finding out how one might go about being a ‘brand ambassador,’ as were our two presenters, for products – I’m interested in that kind of representation for other spirits, especially Calvados, which I think is under appreciated and little known here.

Monday began the actual conference, and bright and early I sat for the French Wine Scholar exam.  This was a 100 question, multiple choice test covering all of the wine regions of France.  I don’t have my results yet, and while I’m hoping I did well enough to pass, I don’t know quite how optimistic I am.  I do know of some really silly mistakes I made – although they were bad guesses on my part to questions I knew I was unsure of.  Hopefully I crossed the 75 or 80% threshold to not only earn the certification but also be able to instruct the scholar program materials.

Following the exam we had a presentation on and tasting of wines of the Jura, near Switzerland, with which I was totally unfamiliar, then a wonderful session on Cahors, “The French Malbec,” which also included tastings – every session did, actually.  Interestingly enough, I’ve not always liked the Malbecs I’ve had from Argentina, but I really liked these Cahors.  After the Malbec we had lunch, then a presentation on wine chemistry, which I must admit, nearly put me to sleep.  It’s an important topic, I know, and the presenter was clearly a chemistry expert – but, like many SMEs who deliver presentations, he didn’t seem to know quite how to appropriately tailor the information for the audience, so much of it flew past me.  Legible slides and handouts would have helped as well.  The day concluded with a Rhône master class, to prep those taking the master-level exam the following morning.

Tuesday opened with a session on the Loire valley, after the Rhone exam concluded, led by Robert Kacher, a well-known local importer.  I’ve been watching his selections for years.  I was first turned on to them through a store owner in San Antonio who told my dad about Bobby’s portfolio, and I’ve always used them as a reference point.  When I didn’t know what else to buy, I’d look for a Kacher, and know I would be getting good quality.  Most of what we tasted was white, with one cabernet franc from Bourgueil, and a sweet white from Quarts de Chaume.  Lunch was next, followed by Champagne and a master class on Provence Rosés.

The champagne session was interesting because it was set up to help us taste differences in production method, grape variety, etc.  This really brought out the nuances one can find in champagne – it’s not all light and sparkle and bubbles.  There are some very complex wines out there.  I discovered that my tastes range widely.  I will always have a ‘soft spot in my head’ (to borrow a phrase from a friend) for Roederer and its crispness and acidity, but I also found a great appreciation for a Pinot Noir based offering from Dehours (new house to me).  Interestingly enough, in our next flight it was again the Pinot Noir wine that I liked best, a Drappier Brut Nature, rather than a Blanc de Blancs (Chardonnay) from Le Brun Servenay.  In flight three only one wine really wowed me, the Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier Brut Premiere Cru, which had seen some oak fermentation.  Neither of the other two (J. de Telmont and Charles Heidsieck) really did anything for me.  In the final flight my favorite was a Lanson Gold Label Brut 1997, although the other wine in the pairing, a Delamotte 1999 Blanc de Blancs was okay.  Again, it was the Pinot Noir, I think, in the Lanson, that added an additional level of complexity that really appealed to me.

I liked the setup of the Provence presentation that rounded out the afternoon, particularly the tasting segment which used black glass to help neutralize color-inspired aroma and flavor identifications.  Unfortunately, that got a bit rushed and harder to identify color once we poured into clear glass because we were rapidly losing light.

Wednesday we worked our way through Beaujolais and Burgundy, Bordeaux, and sweet wines of the Languedoc/Roussillon.  The format for the Bordeaux tasting was unique – we were tasting ‘second wines’ and ‘grand vins’ from major producers.  The idea was to see if the second wine really reflected the style of the grand vin, as it is supposed to, or if it was something altogether different, more akin to a separate brand.  Overall I think we concluded that the seconds were reflective of the grand vin, although some were more distinct than others.  The best part was having the ability to taste these grand vins, something I would normally never have the chance to do.  We had Château Cantemerle, Leoville Lascases, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Cos d’Estournel, and Château Montrose along with each of their second wines.

Wednesday ended with the Vins Doux Naturels from Languedoc/Roussillon.  I’ve rather ‘pooh-pooed’ sweet wines in the past, but I have to say that after this conference, and this tasting, I have a new found appreciation for them and hope to incorporate some into my repertoire.  I’m more open now to trying them – not just these fortified VDN but also the other sweet wines from the Loire, Bordeaux, and elsewhere.  I understand now that they’ve not been sweetened just to make them easier to drink or that they’re somehow inferior products.   There is considerable time and thought put into their creation just as there is for dry wines, and they have their place not only as aperitifs or to accompany desserts, but also alongside cheeses and even some main courses.

I’m very glad I took the time and made the investment to attend.  I hope I’ve done well on the exam (and will re-sit it if not), and I look forward to beginning a new chapter in my professional career as I first explore teaching about wine and cheese and then who knows…?

 

Return to Madiran

Inspired by my Southern France class, I decided to stay in the SW this weekend for my tasting adventures and

try another Madiran.  This time I had a 2003 LaPlace, Autour du Fruit – a blend of Tannat and Cabernet (both, I think).

Different from the earlier Madiran I tried, this wine was clearer in the glass.  It was a nice medium to deep purple/ruby, but more transparent than the Moulié.  The nose was clean, meduim intensity, with ripe, jammy notes as well as some black fruit.  The palate was dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, body, and length.  The flavors, rather than fruity like the nose, were more vegetal, with distinct nutty flavors as well as some toast – at least at first.  Later, as the wine opened some more, I tasted the fruit, but it wasn’t ‘fruit-forward’.  The earthy, tannic notes still carried, at least to my taste.  It would be interesting to do a side-by-side with this and the Moulié to really compare, but just going by memory, I think I prefer the Moulié.

Here’s to more experimentation!

 

The South of France in 2 hours

Thursday night I returned to the French Wine Academy series, with a class on Southern France.  We ‘travelled’ from Provence through Languedoc/Roussillon to the Southwest in the space of 1.5 to 2 hours.  I was glad to be back in a class again, and it was a lot of fun.  There were fewer people than some I’ve been to before, which I found to be much more comfortable, actually.

The instructor is great.  I’ve had one other class with Lisa before, and I continue to be impressed.  She’s got a wonderful knowledge of wine, and presents the material with a good deal of humor and energy – always a good sign in an instructor.

Our tasting selection was as follows:

Flight 1 – Côteaux du Languedoc, Vin Blanc, Picpoul de Pinet 2008 and Chateau Coupe Roses, Vin Rouge, Minervois 2006 La Bastide.

Flight 2 – Walden, Vin Rouge, Côtes du Roussillon 2006 and Domaine du Mas Blanc, Vin rouge, Collioure, Clos du Moulin 2005.

Flight 3 – Côtes de Provence, Vin Blanc, Carte Noire Blanc de Blancs 2008 and Côtes de Provence, Vin Rosé, Petit Rimaresq 2008

Flight 4 – Côteaux Varois en Provence, Vin Rouge, Routas Murray Family Infernet 2005 and Domaine du Pouy, Vin Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne 2008.

Flight 5 – Chateau Lamartine Cahors, Vin Rouge, Cuvée Particulière 2006.

The range of wines was very interesting.  Of the whites, I liked the Picpoul from Languedoc (which I’ve had before), and the Domaine de Pouy from the southwest; the latter being my favorite of the two.  I had never had the Pouy before, and wasn’t familiar with the varietals – Petit and Gros Manseng – but I really liked it.  I was reminded somewhat of the Pigmentum I had tasted earlier in the Summer, but this wine wasn’t nearly as ‘harsh’ to me.  The citrus, especially grapefruit, was still there, but the additional floral aromas and flavors tempered that tartness a bit.

Of the reds, I liked the Collioure and the Cahors the best, although all were pleasant.  I discovered something about my palate and preferences through the reds – it’s often the tannin and the flavors it imparts that I most pick up on and like in a wine.  I got similar flavors of tobacco, vanilla, espresso aftertaste (the sweet, yet roasted flavor from a really good, dark, espresso or similar coffee), etc. from both of these reds, and yet they had completely different varietal blends.  The Collioure was predominately Syrah/Grenache, and the Cahors was 90% Malbec and 10% Tannat.  I’m finding that my taste in reds is really running to the more smoky, earthy, and flavors I described above than it is to more fruity or even spicy flavors.  I didn’t know that the tannin could make that much of a flavor difference – I had always associated it with the astringency (dry mouth) of a wine, but didn’t know it also had a flavor range.

Next class: Rhône wines on 15 October.  Before then, however, is the French Wine Society Conference.  I’m getting excited, but also nervous – I’m not sure I’m ready for the exam, and I really want to do well.  Lots of studying ahead this week, I think!

 

A visit to the Pyrénées

Last night I opened up a red from the South West of France, in the Pyrénées sub region.  It was a Madiran AOC; 2005 from Domaine du Moulié.  I’m not sure of the exact blend in this wine, but in the AOC, the blend must contain from 40-60% Tannat, which is one of the four most tannic commercially-produced wines in the world (the other three are Cab. Sauv., Nebbiolo, and Syrah).

This wine was another first for me.  That’s what’s been so fun about this purposeful tasting I’ve been doing along with my reading/studying – I’m experiencing a lot of new and interesting wines.  In appearance this was dull, deep, and ruby/garnet in color.  The nose had some pungent spice, some herbaceous vegetal aromas, as well as some red or black fruits.  The palate was dry, low acid, high tannin, and full bodied with a long finish.  The flavors I picked up were vegetal/oak – vanilla, animal – leather, and mineral – petrol.

I decanted the wine on opening, which I think was a good idea as tannic as this was.  I found it to be very easy drinking for as big a wine as it seemed to be – we had no trouble polishing off the bottle.  I’m not sure it would be my first choice, but I’m curious to try other things from this area.

 

A glass full of roses

That’s about the best way I can describe the Gewurztraminer we had last weekend.  It was my first, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I was wowed.

The wine was a 2007 Alsace AOC from Jean Albrecht; Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes.

The appearance was clear, pale, and golden.  The nose clean, and pronounced.  This was one of the most aromatic wines I’ve experienced.  There were some mineral aromas, but the floral, especially rose, was what stood out.  That carried over to the palate, which was dry, low to medium acid (I have to confess, this is one area I’m still struggling to describe – I’m not quite sure I can distinguish low, med, and high just yet), and full bodied with a long finish.  The rose flavors reminded me of Persian or Indian desserts that incorporate rose water.  It’s an unusual flavor, and something of an acquired taste, but one which I really like.  I’ll have to experience other Gewurztraminers to compare, but I think this will be a regular part of my repertoire now and competes with my previous Alsatian favorite – Pinot Gris.