Picpoul de Pinet, Rioja and a Sonoma County Meritage.  No theme tonight, just a random gathering of wines to taste for the evening.  Let’s see what we got.

2010 Domaine Guillermarine Picpoul de Pinet ($10) – a new grape varietal to add to the century club, but pales in comparison, in my opinion to a Picpoul Blanc I had recently.  Turns out that Picpoul de Pinet is a Languedoc designation for wines made from Picpoul Blanc in the commune of Pinet.  However, the nose reminded me of Sauvignon Blanc a bit with grapefruit pith and citrus aromas.  The palate brings on a lot of lime, citrus and mineral, though a little more flabby than expected on the finish.  Picpoul is expected to be more racy and that recent Picpoul Blanc I tried was more mineral, bracing and reminiscent of ocean breezes.  Still a nice quaffer for the summer and with oysters.

2005 Conde de Valdemar Riserva ($30) – wine of the night, baby.  The nose was bold with ripe black and red fruits, leather and herbs.  The palate supplied much of the same including earthy, dusty notes, with a medium level of tannins, good acid and wonderful finish.  I highly recommend this wine.   A blend of Tempranillo 90% and Mazuelo 10%.

2009 Lyeth Meritage Sonoma County ($18) – disappointing, really.  The nose was green with hints of chocolate, mocha, and dried herbs.  The palate was full of blackberries, cassis and medium level of tannin, but didn’t finish very strong.

What are you drinking for Wine Wednesday?

In descending order from most favorite:

2008 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc - This just a great well-balanced wine. Notes of grapefruit but not over the top like many of those from NZ. Lots of citrus and perfect level of acid with just a little zing on the backend. Had this with Alskan wild-caught Salmon and quinoa for dinner.

2007 Holdredge Pinot Noir Bucher - black cherries, great structure and a little cinnamon or clove spice on the nose.  Elegant and silky smooth with a but ‘o spice on the finish.  Phenomenal… ’nuff said.

2006 Iron Horse Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Bottled - Light ruby color. Cherry, hint of cinnamon and clove. Black cherries, red fruit and slight minerality but finish is a little disappointing tonite.

1999 Stags’ Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon - Chocolate and mint on the nose. Fruit forward with blackberries and cassis on the palate and slight mineral finish.

2008 Girard Sauvignon Blanc - Light grapefruit nose and granny smith apples and lemons on the palate.  This is a nice and refreshing alternative to the mainsream SB.  I’ll be having more this Spring/Summer.

Whether you are looking to host your first tasting or you are already a pro, I definitely encourage you to score, rate and make notes about the wines you taste if you are not doing so already.  Rating your wines, even if it’s only on a scale of 1-5 instead of the RP or WS 100 scale, as well as jotting down some aromas and tastes you experienced gives you some data to go back to after the round of tasting has completed which helps you learn along the way. 

Additionally, you can always add a little competition to your tasting that might get those who are little more tentative or not quite into the tasting thing just yet get more into it if they know they might get a little trinket at the end if they brought the highest scoring wine.

For some examples and templates for tasting score cards, check out my previous post on Hosting a Tasting as well as these 2 new cards we just created this year.  Have fun!

California

Throwdown