WTN: ABC French Wine Tasting

[Jenise]

My shopping instructions were to "pick anything but chardonnay". With this group's help, I purchased five bottles each of the following locally. The wines were served blind to about 60 tasters.

2007 Fernand Engel Gewurztraminer, Alsace, $15
Possibly the biggest gewurz I've ever tasted. No, make that definitely the biggest gewurz I've ever tasted. Big and concentrated, deep yellow gold, heavy lychee and yellow nectarine fruit with ginger and subtle spicing. Some RS in the finish. The acidity's there and adequate, but it was a little hard to find at first. As wines go too-too for me, but since bigger is always better with this group, this was their WOTN by a mile. And I'll readily admit it's a lot of wine for the money.

2006 Marc Bredif Chenin Blanc, Vouvray $20
Pale gold color, the only lighter wine was the Apremont. Lovely and subtle chenin notes of bees wax, lemon and quince with white flowers. It built quietly in the glass and I think we all finished our wine before we saw everything this wine is capable of. Interestingly, the crowd loved it. Their second place, mine too.

2007 Domaine Schlumberger Le Princes Abbes Pinot Gris, Alsace, $16
The tightest of all the wines served, this wine wasn't showing a lot on the midpalate and it's finish was a bit clipped, but it was pear and lemon in a good way and in need of time to realize it's obvious potential. 3rd place with the group, 4th with me.

2007 Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Theo Riesling, Alsace, $35
Steve Tanzer said "high pitched, precise aromas of lime, fresh herbs, flowers and mint, juicy and penetrating with brisk acid cut to it's fairly rich lemon and lime flavors." Oh yeah, I got all that and more. A flawless wine for my palate so my first place wine without question, but surprisingly only 4th with the group.

2007 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc, $15
Bold gold color, with the bruised peach and old lady perfurme of the marsanne and viognier aromas one expects of those grapes so easily identified for what it is. A marzipan note speaks to the ripeness. Doesn't have the acidity I would personally hope for especially when drinking alongside these Alsatians, but Rhone whites rarely do and it's nice enough. Group 6th place, to my shock and surprise--was sure the Apremont would get that vote.

2007 Bernard le Cellier du Palais, Apremont, Savoie, $14
This little gem from the French Alps was crisp and briney--it actually has a slightly salty minerality--along with taut and tart green apples. Very much a food wine that reminded me of the refreshing white wines we drank in Switzerland and I liked it a lot, but it was relatively unpopular. One guy at my table actually voted for the gewurz and this as his 1st and 2nd favorites respectively: I joked, "What are you, bi-polar?"

Thanks for posting notes.
I often think Apremont (though usually for me it's Boniface) has an almost Muscadet-iosh salinity.

Jenise
Many thanks for reporting back with notes and it's always interesting to see how opinions go. I find Gewurz incredibly difficult these days, often blowsy and thick with alcohol. However in my formative drinking days, I recall Gewurz making a very positive impression. I guess the issue is intensity vs complexity/balance with balance being pretty much a showstopper for me now if it's wrong - where Intensity probably used to have a bigger say years ago.

Riesling is riesling. Wine geeks and professionals love it, outside of this group it gets a pretty tough reception. Thus is the world I guess.

I share your surprise at the Vouvray bagging 2nd (especially over the Pinot Gris, though that sounded a little tight). It did sound like a good one and the bonus is potential cellar improvement.

regards

Ian

2007 Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Theo Riesling, Alsace, $35

Scrolling quickly through your post, Jenise, I read this as Weinbach Cuvee Thor Riesling, which under the circumstances would be a highly amusing name.

Nice notes!
Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

Thanks for posting notes.
I often think Apremont (though usually for me it's Boniface) has an almost Muscadet-iosh salinity.

Perfect comparison, Dale, wish I'd thought of it.

Jenise, congratulations on making an interesting selection out of what looked a fairly unpromising list. I am surprised at the group popularity of the Vouvray; 2006 tended to be lowish acid and some producers, e.g. Foreau, left a trace of RS in their sec. Was this Brédif like that?

It might have been amusing to slip in as a ringer a Chablis or Mâcon to show how different these are from stereotypical "Chardonnay".

[Jenise]

I guess the issue is intensity vs complexity/balance with balance being pretty much a showstopper for me now if it's wrong - where Intensity probably used to have a bigger say years ago.

I think most of us can say that. Bigger was better, and there was no such thing for me as too much oak.

I share your surprise at the Vouvray bagging 2nd (especially over the Pinot Gris, though that sounded a little tight). It did sound like a good one and the bonus is potential cellar improvement.

I think what sold the Vouvray was it's feminity and softer acids.

Which gets me to Tim's question, the Bedrif had a mildly sweet impression in front but finished pretty clean. Compared to the Huet Lieu-Dit from the same year yes, that trace is there, but I tested it side by side with the gewurz to measure just that thing and it passed as reasonably dry. Re the chardonnay thing, I'd probably have been the only one amused. Without other chards around, this group of mostly social wine drinkers wouldn't have made the connection.


regards

Ian[/quote]

2007 Domaine Weinbach Cuvee Theo Riesling, Alsace, $35

Scrolling quickly through your post, Jenise, I read this as Weinbach Cuvee Thor Riesling, which under the circumstances would be a highly amusing name.

Nice notes!
Mark Lipton

Too funny, although I'm sure Thor does get the Alsatian producers to make his own cuvees!

Scrolling quickly through your post, Jenise, I read this as Weinbach Cuvee Thor Riesling, which under the circumstances would be a highly amusing name.

Too funny, although I'm sure Thor does get the Alsatian producers to make his own cuvees!

Mark, if you recall Thor's history with the Fallers, you'll understand the irony of that particular misconstruction.

The Other Mark

[David M. Bueker]

Digging up ghosts?