Held February 11th. Three people, charged with bringing the salad and the apple pie, got the time wrong and showed up while we were about to have dessert so we had the salad after the meal like some Frenchmen do. We tried the first two white wines with crackers and cheese (smoked Gouda, Chevre, Danish bleu cheese, and Colby.) The intent was to have the Sauvignon Blanc with the salad also.
2015 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, CA. Estate bottled. One of my favorite California Sauvignon Blanc wines, it makes a very acceptable alternative when I want a slightly cheaper choice than a top Sancerre. Pale gold color with clarity. Crisp taste with good acid/fruit balance. Nicely chilled, this would be a good thirst quencher on the patio on a warm day. Well received by attendees.
2013 Talbott Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County, CA. 14.7% abv. I reported on this wine not long ago. The wine is a light gold color. The nose brings in some stone fruit and flowery notes. There is a suggestion of lanolin on both the nose and palate. The mouth feel is rich and textured. This may be more buttery than some like, but it has some balancing acidity and is not over-the-top in my estimation.
For our main course we had party potatoes and a broccoli/cheese casserole that I cooked with beef brisket from Blackstone Smokehouse and Pub. We had three reds to try with the brisket--the latter two probably better suited for the pairing than the first one.
2013 Foley Estate Pinot Noir Two Sisters Lindsay's Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, CA. Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soil. Sees 16 months in Gamba and Boutes French oak. The label describes the profile as ripe, perfumed, velvety, concentrated. The climate is cool, windy and arid. The elevation is 358 to 568 feet. 14.3% abv. The wine is a dark purple-red, nearly opaque, with ripe black cherry and raspberry on the nose. Those fruits emerge also on the lip-smacking flavors. (This was easy to gulp.) I had actually suggested trying it with a slice of cherry pie and that pairing didn't quite work, but it came close. I find this a "hedonistic" Pinot Noir but can't resist its charms. It's been a huge seller at Westgate Wine in Raleigh in two different vintages.
2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA. 15.5% abv. This was not the Oakville or reserve Cabernet. The cork was dried out and gave me some problems and there was sediment on the side of the bottle where it had rested. After the church fundraiser I returned to the Zinfandel blend and this wine four days later. I tasted the Zinfandel blend first which presents as all fruit; in comparison this Cabernet Sauvignon comes across as more "dusty" muted fruit with some earthy notes. With more aeration this improved upon its initial impression. I ended up liking it although it may be beyond its prime time.
2014 Tank Garage Winery All or Nothing Red Wine, Napa Valley, CA. 14.7% abv. This is a Zinfandel blend that contains Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carignan. This was deeply colored and opaque. Dark berries dominate on the nose and palate. Cassis or currants are also present in the mix. With its ripe flavors, this is a fun, friendly, fruit-forward wine not to be taken too seriously. Could be a crowd pleaser. This was the favorite of one person at the fundraiser who wanted me to pick up another bottle for her but the wine shop in Raleigh was sold out.
With dessert of apple and cherry pies (a la mode for some) we tried two white wines and some tried the Pinot Noir with the cherry pie.
2015 Weingut Josef Leitz Riesling Dragonstone or Drachenstein. 10% abv. This had an inviting acidity and lemony tones that encouraged repeated sips or even gulps.
The final wine was a nonvintage Zonin Moscato Venezia, Italy. I didn't take any notes on it but thought it was okay for its style. It was the favorite of another attendee and she took a bottle or part of a bottle home with her. I think with its sweetness it paired well with the apple pie.
After the desserts, we watched an older film in black and white, "A Thousand Clowns" with Jason Robards. Jr. This gave everyone more than two hours to alleviate the effect of the wines before driving home.