Notes from annual tasting group garden and bocce party.
2006 Soter Vd. Brut Rose – from the Yamhill Oregon area, this sparkler was very nice – clear salmon pink colour with notes of raspberry in the nose and a long clean finish.
2007 Dom. Blain Gagnard Batard Montrachet – a Batard wasn’t the first wine I’d be looking for in a garden setting, but none of us were complaining. The nose seemed more mature than I would have expected with some nice citrus notes and chalk that morphed in time to show additional vanilla and lemon. Smooth, rather low acid in the mouth and elegant.
2008 Jean Paul Droin Chablis 1er Montmain – creamy lime nose and entry, crisp and tasty in the mouth and medium length. I liked this.
2010 Mendel Semillon (Mendoza) – an Argentine Semillon isn’t in our normal focus, so it was interesting to taste it. Very little typical varietal character – maybe the hints of melon in the nose? Supple and smooth with medium weight and pretty good balance.
2009 Argiolas Perdera – one of mine and to my surprise, tasting a Sardinian wine made from the local Monica grape didn’t come as a first for a couple of the guests. The appearance was quite like a pinot, and the nose had big dark fruit and exotic spice notes. The wine was soft in the entry but big acidity came in at the end, and I think it would be a good food wine. Pleasant and worth searching out.
2006 St. Prefert CNduP Collection Charles Giraud – dry red fruit and earthiness in the nose and some black pepper, smooth, tasty and medium long with softening tannins. No rush on this one.
2009 Dom. Bosquets Gigondas – I thought this wine was forward and very pleasant right now, with dark, sweet fruit, not too ripe, and a mellow sweet middle with a very decently long finish. It drinks really well now, but I’d say that there is a future ahead too.
Plan Pegau (2009) – the prefect bocce (or maybe petanque) accompaniment. No lengthy note, but recall the usual good fruit levels and acidity.
1986 Grahams Malvedos Port – pulled this to go with cigars and quiet contemplation after some of the guests had gone, and for me it turned out to be better than I’d remembered. Dark sweet fruit with some peppery bits, and not as tannic as the last time I tried it. I think I better put a note on this one to hold a few more years before I pop another one as there is potential here.
A few of us then retired to the home theatre to watch and enjoy some music videos, and I opened a few bottles of older mature American wine to sip as we did that. My notes are a bit sketchier (not due to wine intake, necessarily, but because it was dark and Blair was hitting my elbow in his search for a top up….)
1994 Flora Springs Trilogy – this cab, merlot, cab franc blend was in great shape, as I’d expected, showing nice mature fruit and lots of vanilla in the nose, mellow sweet fruit on palate, very well integrated now, and good length.
1993 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet – I wanted to contrast a 100% cab as well as to show what a not overly expensive wine can do with age. Though probably considered well past its due date by many, I felt that it provided some interesting development in the nose and on palate and drank quite well.
1986 Cuvaison Cabernet – then a fully mature Napa cab in slow decline (IMHO, only the 1987s in general are still holding well). Pleasant plummy nose, with some oak, mellow fruit and complex flavours, essentially no tannins left, and a medium long finish.
Modesty prevents me from saying who retains the bocce crown – again! That may have been the last really nice Saturday we have for awhile, so we had good luck all round.