Commercial Wine Tasting

1. Commercial Wine Tasting Wine Flavor 101: Brettanomyces

2. 2010 Pierre et Catherine Breton "Trinch!" Bourgueil • “This is an everyday Cabernet Franc from organic and biodynamic growers Pierre and Catherine Breton. (Their name, coincidentally, is also the local word for Cabernet Franc.) Made from their younger vines grown on gravelly soils, this is the perfect introduction to this producer's range--youthful, with bright cherry fruit, spicy black pepper and savory herbs. Delicious!” • “Sweet tobacco, marinated mushrooms and sea water on the nose. Earth, herbs and dark cherries in the mouth. Good mouthfeel. Gentle tannins dry out the gums and front of the mouth. Acidity comes in on the mid-palate and lifts these dark, brooding flavors. Well-balanced, but the generous acidity makes this a food-friendly wine. The flavors are relatively simple, but come through as quite pure.” • Panel Comments: bell pepper, sweat, lotion, plastic, cedar, barnyard, musty, dank cellar, wet rocks, mossy

3. 2009 Pithon-Paille "Les Graviers" Bourgueil • “Pithon-Paillé focuses on quality wine grown from organic vineyards and vinifying in neutral oak. As négociant, this allows them to explore different appellations and terroirs using Chenin Blanc for the white wines and Cabernet Franc for the red . Fantastic red color with a nose of bright fresh red fruits and underlying mineral tones of gravel and sand. The mouthfeel is fresh and lively with more bright red fruits and a juicy structure with plenty of length and well-integrated tannins.” • Panel Comments: boiled cabbage, root beer/cola, band aid, cardboard, metallic, spice, floral, metallic, barnyard, musty, plastic, pepper, horsy, cherry cough syrup

4. 2009 Fonreaud, Listrac • “This is elegant, with iron and toasty spice notes melded into core flavors of warm plum confiture, cassis and black tea. A nice tug of earth holds onto the finish. Drink now through 2015.” • “(53% cabernet sauvignon, 43% merlot and 4% petit verdot): Dark red. Mellow aromas of plum, red currant and mocha. A supple, smooth, moderately sweet midweight with a slightly medicinal cast to its plum and spice flavors. Boasts good texture and ripeness and finishes with slightly drying but essentially harmless tannins.” • The appellations of Moulis and Listrac were once backwaters of mediocrity, but as interest (and money) has poured in, quality has risen dramatically. This little gem of a chateau has pursued surprising freshness and elegance. Here there is good sweetness to the Bing cherry and red plum fruit, along with touches of tobacco and mineral on the lingering finish. (Steve Bearden, K&L San Francisco Bordeaux Specialist) • Panel Comments: cedar, lotion, strong floral, face powder, leather, soy, vegetal, coffee with rancid milk, wet paper, canned fruit, metallic

5. 2010 DomaineBrusset "Les Hauts de Montmiral" • “The 2010 Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail is composed of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre, the Syrah and Mourvedre aged in small oak and the Grenache in tank. The soils here include more clay than those of the Traditional cuvee. A big, inky/black color is followed by rich notes of blueberry liqueur, acacia flowers, graphite, licorice and scorched earth. With sweet tannin, a dense, full-bodied style, and better integrated oak than Brusset achieved 15-20 years ago, this brilliant, young, vibrant, full-throttle Gigondas can be drunk over the next 12-15 years.” • “(50% grenache, 30% mourvedre and 20% syrah): Deep ruby. Pungent aromas of dried cherry and smoked meat, along with an herbal nuance. On the rustic side but shows good depth and punch to its dark fruit flavors. Finishes with firm grip and hints of bitter cherry and spices.” • "DomaineBrusset is one of the pioneers of the more modern style of barrique-aged Gigondas," writes Robert Parker, "although in fact, their traditional cuvee is aged in 70% tank and 30% small oak. The luxury offering, Les Hauts de Montmirail, is aged in equal parts small oak and tank. These 2010s are both sensational efforts as Brusset always seems to get everything possible from his vineyards." • Panel Comments: vegetal, cola/root beer, smoked meat, floral, fruity, plastic, spicy, burnt earth, rotten

6. 2007 Pyramid Valley Vineyards Cabernet Franc Hawkes Bay • “This has a wonderful nose: black cherries, plum and a touch of cooked meats – well defined with no peppery elements normally associated with Cabernet Franc. The palate is ripe, almost over-ripe with sweet black plum, macerated cherries and a honeyish note towards the svelte, weighty finish. Perhaps it does not need to be pushed so hard?”  • Mike and Claudia Weersing, owners and winemakers at Pyramid Valley Vineyards, make some of our favorite New Zealand wines. Their terroir-driven Pinots, Chardonnays and Rieslings shouldn't be missed, and this Cabernet Franc from the Howell Family Vineyard is really something special. Incredibly aromatic, scents of black olive, black pepper, wild game and violet frame black fruit on the nose. On the plalate, the wine is dense, revealing layers of briar fruit, violets, herbs, spice and mineral. Fine tannins and juicy acidity round out the sweet mid-palate fruit. • Panel Comments: floral (old violets), floral stems, lotion, hay, grassy, anise, artichokes, sour, cedar, raw lumber, pencil shavings

7. 2009 Haut Sorillon, Bordeaux Superior Consumer Descriptions: • “The wine has a perceptible berry aroma when it is tipped back.   The tannins are fairly strong with the first sip and remain present all the way to the last drop and swallow. But the berry aroma and flavor is right there alongside the tannins and does not quit. I can say that the berry flavor is not overly complex and the tannins do overpower the berry flavor. It is a very serviceable wine and if it had just a bit more complexity in the flavor it might be much better.” • “Pretty decent wine . Nose showed some classic Bordeaux aromas. On the palate, full-bodied and quite tannic with lots going on. Still a little rough around the edges with some heat and sharp flavors.” • “Extraordinary surprise. The nose is incredible and typical Bordeaux with fruit and wood, pencil, perhaps resembling a good Paulliac - great balance and long finish. I just bought 2 cases at "that price" to drink and keep.” • 2009 Chateau Haut Sorillon, Bordeaux Superior, about $9 at Trader Joe's. That's not a typo! Eight bucks for a delicious, balanced, fruity red with a nose of violets and lavender.  Ready to drink, good for at least four more years. A best buy! • Panel Comments: Band aid, spicy, smoky, floral, classic Brettanomyces

8. 2007 Pyramid Valley Vineyards "Eaton" Pinot Noir Marlborough (Biodynamic) • “Good full red. Sappy aromas of red cherry, strawberry, blood orange, graphite and spices. Densely packed and sweet, with an urgent, sappy quality to the lush red fruit and licorice flavors. A fairly full and pliant style with excellent stuffing. Finishes with suave tannins and excellent length.” • “Receiving 15% whole cluster and aged 15 months in French oak, 33% new, on original lees, the 2007 'Eaton Family Vineyard' Pinot Noir has a medium ruby color. There’s a funky/wild character on the nose over aromas of warm strawberries and raspberries, game, earth, forest floor, loam, truffles and a whiff of dried herbs. Very crisp and tight in the mouth, this medium-full bodied Pinot gives a medium level of silky tannins with great flavor concentration and a long layered finish. Drink it now to 2015+. (Oct 2010)" • "Grown on clay slopes on the south side of the Wairau Valley, the 2007 vintage is a fleshy, elegant and supple wine with concentrated, ripe plum and spiceflavours, savoury and complex, and a silky, sustained finish." • Panel Comments: soy, band aid, earthy, anise