Beliveau Estate Visit: Wine Pairing Seminar

Beliveau Estate held a wine pairing seminar conveniently timed for the last day of our class blog entries. I admit, I went for the points, but I took a lot more than that out of the visit.

Above: the centerpiece at the table

Four different wines were featured:

1. Kaleidoscope (2012): a dry Pinot Grigio

First Impressions:

• Aromas of dandelion and fresh cut grass. 
• Puckering mouthfeel due to the dryness coupled with the strongly acidic bite. 
• Flavors of granny smith apple and lemon. 

After Food Pairings:

• With lemon: acids balance acids, neutralized each other, while bringing out flavors
• With Apple: Don't pair with sweet foods. It makes acid too strong!
• With butter: it cut the fat nicely

Mystique (2012): a dry, heavily oaked Chardonnay

First Impressions:

• Higher tannins than expected
• Very strong earthy and floral aromas
• Flavors of peaches, melon, honeysuckle
• Extremely smooth finish

After Food Pairings:

• With lemon: acids dull oak. No good. 
• With butter: good at cutting the fat. 
• With Peppermint: strong flavors of oak compliment other strong flavors! (This was the best pairing for this one.)

Silhouette (2012): a dry, lightly oaked Cabernet Sauvignon

First Impressions:

• Aromas of blackberry, plums
• Strong smoky, berry flavors contained a lot of the heat
• Very heavy mouthfeel
• VERY high tannins

With Food:

• With lemon: acids dull tannins (not that good)
• With butter: tannins great at cutting fat
• With salt: Horrible. Made it so tannins were cringe-worthy strong.

Sweet Surrender: a sweet red Concord

First Impressions: 

• "Jammy" is not enough to describe this. This is literally a cup of concord jelly. 
• Smelled like gummy fruit snacks
• All the heat from the alcohol was virtually undetectable
• Popular "beginner" wine

With Food:

• With apple: sweet compliments sweet
• Sugar counteracts salt. This is a good thing for REALLY salty food
• Tastes very odd with lemon/acid. Bad aftertaste.

Above: Beliveau Estate seen through the vines

Above: Myself at the winery

Wine Tasting #6

Some weeks, there will be a wine or two at the Vintage Cellar that I don't particularly care for, but all the ones this week seemed to be pretty darn good. And from what I could tell around me, I wan't the only one with this opinion; they seemed to be big crowd pleasers overall! Here's the details on each:

1. Le Clou ("The Nail")

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Burgundy, France

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95

Critic Review: Reflects the style of Macon with little intervention and no use of oak. Golden hue. Floral aromas. Intense, clean, and fresh on the palate. Citrus notes with bold acidity. Good match for seafood with buttercream sauces or blue cheeses. (Vintage Cellar notes). 5 stars from artisan wine depot. 

My Review: I can see why they call this one the nail! It was a nice, crisp Chardonnay, with the acidity piercing sharply up front, and then gradually melting away. Traces of orange blossom and lemon zest on the nose. Basically all citrus on the taste; not much complexity elsewhere that I could detect. It reminded me of sweet tarts candy in that it wasn't really sour, but the finish left your mouth puckering slightly. This is a wine that I believe you would discover more and more subtle flavors as you continued drinking it.   I would love to try this wine with shrimp alfredo, or a white pizza.

2. Tarima Blanco ("White Platform")

Variety: 70% Mereseguera, 20% Viura, 10% Moscatel

Region: Alicante, Spain

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Critic Review: Light yellow color. Aromas of Meyer lemon, melon, and white flowers show good clarity and a hint of ginger. Juicy, open-knit citrus fruit an peach flavors are firmed by a zesty mineral quality and a touch of white pepper. The melon note repeats on the clinging, but slightly warm finish. (Vintage Cellar)

My Review: Red apples, white tea, and something close to cilantro on the nose (which was exciting). This was different from many white wines I've had in that I couldn't detect any citrus or strong acidity in the wine. It was definitely very fruity, but instead of tasting like granny smith apples and citrus, it called to mind flavors of honeydew, red apples, sweet green table grapes. 

3. Coreto Tinto ("Red Bandstand")

Variety: From most to least amounts: Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Caladoc, Toriga Nacional, Shiraz, Alicante Bouschet

Region: Portugal

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Critic review: Despite its light touch, this is fruity and full, with its blackberry note dominating the warm spice and acidity. Soft tannins keep the wine together (Vintage Cellar). 

My review: I found it interesting that this wine uses a grape from Alicante, which is where two of the other wines on this list were from.Very fruit-forward wine, with basically every type of berry commonly found in the grocery store in both the smell and the taste. Much more new-world-esque than I expected from Portugal. Hints of clove and cinnamon. A little bit more heat came through than I would normally like. Because of all the different fruit flavors being so bold in this wine, I would probably drink it by itself. 

4. Tarima Monastrell

Variety: Monastrell

Region: Alicante, Spain

Year: 2013

Price: $9.95

Critic Review: 90 points from Stephen Tanzer. High-pitched red and dark berry scents show good clarity and pick up a licorice nuance with air. Tangy and focused on the palate, offering juice black raspberry and spice cake. Flavors with an exotic touch of candied violet. Closes spicy and long, with silky tannins building slowly and adding gentle grip (Vintage Cellar notes). 

My Review: It was interesting to compare a red and a white from the same winemaker. If I had to pick a favorite between the two, I would pick this one. I say this only because at this stage in my wine drinking education, I prefer varietal wines over blends because I like to see what one grape can do on its own, and it helps me a develop a profile for each grape more easily. This wine definitely reflected the region it's from, with a lot of bold color (violet!) and spiciness. Very big, tannic wine with dark fruit flavors and subtle earthy tones. Very complex; gives you a lot to think about. To further reflect the place it's from, I'd eat (and I say eat because it's that much to take in) it with Spanish food.

5. Bera Asti

Variety: Moscato Bianco

Region:Vineyard spans several acres in Alba and Asti

Year: 2011

Price: $9.95

Critic Review:Wine Searcher says this is among the highest-priced wines in Asti, which reflects a high demand. 90 points from Decanter Magazine. "Soft and plush wine with creamy foam, lemony mousse, and loads of fragrant peach blossom, honey, and sweet almond on the bouquet. Elegant, rich flavors, and vibrant acidity. 

My Review: A fun, super sweet wine. Aromas of lilac and lavender with soft fruit. Slightly more complex than a lot of other Moscatos I've had, with subtle flavors of orange blossom honey (of which I have way too many jars of at home), bubblegum, lemon cream, and citrus. Almost tasted like the lemon/raspberry throat lozenges that Halls makes (not menthol tasting at all). I'd drink this by itself and watch a chick flick after dinner.

Wine Tasting #5

It was cold and rainy day today, but the Vintage Cellar was warm and dry, and there were some nice wines this week!

1. Dibon Cava

Variety: 45% Macabeo, 25%Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada

Region: Catalonia, Spain

Year: 2014 (I'm guessing)

Price: $9.95

Critic Review: "The nose offers regal yeast and richness, while the palate has complexity to prop ip apple, citrus, and grapefruit flavors. Solid from front to back, with health and freshness." Vintage Cellar (88 points Wine Enthusiast)

My Review: Good bodied wine, with a lot of fruit-forward aromas. If I didn't drink, I still would consider buying this wine for the smell alone. I've had Macabeo before, but had never tasted the grapes. There was a lot of complexity in this wine from the mixture of varietals, and I wish I could pinpoint which flavors/aromas were from which grape!

2. Marques de Caceres

Variety: Verdejo

Region: Rueda, Spain

Year: 2013

Price: $9.95

Critic Review: "Fresh, clean and intense bouquet enlivened by notes of citrus fruit with a depth of pears and apples. Fresh and full in the mouth. Good length and a refreshing finish. Has all the character of the best from its appellation." - Wine.com

My Review: This wine had a very fruity, summery flavor. Very simple, almost  to the point of plain, but not bad if you're just looking to casually sip something at the pool. I usually like verdejo a lot, but this one was a bit to acidic for my taste. It made the inside of my cheeks feel dry. Perhaps it would be better chilled. 

3. Breca Tovana

Variety: Garnacha (Old Vine)

Region: Munebrega, Spain

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Critic Review: "Aromas of blackberries, plum, and cherries fill the glass and develop into luscious flavors of black stone fruit. Long, supple tannins." Vintage Cellar

My Review: This wine was a delight, with dark fruit flavors with notes of clove and a really smooth mouthfeel. A quality wine, considering the price! Would love to try this again with milk chocolate, especially the type with a bit of chili powder in it! Spanish flavors for a spanish wine, I might have to make this part of my next wine dinner!

4. Rare Red

Variety: Zinfandel, Prinitivo, Sangiovese, Merlot

Region: California

Year: 2012

Price: $9.95

Critic Review: (95 points, best of class, California Appellation.) "The attributes of the four varietals all contribute to the excellence of this robust blend. Merlot gives character and structure. Zinfandel and Primitivo add body, depth, color, and raspberry/blackberry aromas. Sangiovese mitigated the other more tannic components with softness and bright fruit flavors. All constituents harmonize with each other and create increased syndergistov complexity. This rare wine is medium bodied and fragrant with instantly appealing, fruit-forward characteristics." L.A. Wine Company

My Review: This was an interesting wine to say the least, and I think it was well-made. I think a lot of other people would really like this wine, but it doesn't really fit with my personal preferences. I'm really into Sangiovese right now, and I'd much rather have that straight up, rather than cloud it with a bunch of other grapes. This is a wine I would come back to in the future, though. It would probably be really good with a big old bacon cheeseburger. 

5.Jam Jar

Variety: Moscato

Region:Western Cape, South Africa

Year: 2014

Price: $8.95

Critic Review: "Flavors of peach, apple, lychee, and orange blossom with a lively bolt of acidity. Fancy enough for a special occasion toast, yet sweet-natured enough to enjoy every day." -Jam Jar

My Review: This wine embodies the phrase "short and sweet and to the point." If you're into sweet wines (which I very much am, at this early point in my wine journey), this one would be sweet enough for a child to like (not that I'm promoting the delinquency of minors). The strongest flavors I got from this were of apples and skittles; if you have a problem with skittles than there must be something wrong with you. (Also, this is the first wine I've had from South Africa!)

My Wine Milestone

This is an unofficial blog post - while other posts are aimed at getting points for my wine class, this post is just because I HAD TO get these thoughts out there on "paper." And that's because I am just SO EXCITED.

The reason for my excitement you ask? Or maybe you didn't ask. But this is my blog and I'm going to tell you anyways.

I finally, finally, FINALLY experienced the whole front/mid/back palate thing that all wine-o's (including my professor) talk about! And it was with some $10 Gamay: Henry Fessey, 2010.

This whole semester, I could never get past the initial bite of alcohol and whatever fruit decided to hit me first. My definition of a "smooth finish" was simply that it didn't burn my throat on the way down.  But NOW I can actually talk the talk.

It started fruity kool-aidish, mid-palate gave me a bit more spicy cinnamon, and it ended with a weird herbal (almost vicks vapor rub) sensation. And it was pure awesome.

This is the moment that I consider this wine class to be a success. I now feel much more confident in my ability to drink and talk about wine at the big kids' table.

Wine Tasting #4

The Vintage Cellar had some pretty nice wines for tasting this week. Here are my thoughts on them:

1. Grande Reserve des Bastides Gaillac



Variety: 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Len de I'el (a new one for me!), 30% Mauzac

Region: Gaillac, France

Year: 2013

Price: $9.95

Critic Review: "5 stars. Excellent, slight sauvignon blanc undertone quite fresh easy drinking with food or on it's own." - Vivino.com

My Review: I was excited to try a new grape variety, but I found it difficult to tell exactly what it tasted like because this was a blended wine. I would've fathered my first fast of a grape to be pure. Nevertheless, It was a nice clean wine with bright fruit flavors. There was a malic acidity to it just to the point to make it refreshing, but not sour. (I wouldn't give it 5 stars like the above critic, though.)


2. Sean Minor, Vin Gris Rose



Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Carneros, CA

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Critic review: "The Vin Gris is a bright and vibrant salmon color with cherry, strawberry, cranberry and ripe watermelon aromas on the nose.  On entry, the wine displays bright strawberry flavors. Throughout the mid-palate and finish, raspberry and cherry fruit characters are balanced with spicy and crisp acidity that linger creating a refreshing and lengthy finish." - Vintage Cellar

My Review: A good rose, though a bit more dry than I was expecting. I detected notes of cinnamon or nutmeg with the strong fruit flavors.


3. Laude



Variety: Montepulciano d'Arezzo

Region: Abruzzo

Year: 2012

Price: $8.95

Critic Review: "This opens with dark aromas of leather, tobacco, cured meat, plum and prune. It shows soft tannins and loads of dark fruit on the finish." - Vintage Cellar

My Review: I was expecting such a young red to have intense tannins, but the Vintage Cellar's description rang true. The tannins were soft, and the whole wine was smooth all the way down. Very well-crafted for the price, I would say! Heavy, jammy, smoky, charcoal flavor. Probably would be much better with food, perhaps steak or ribs.


4. Charles Thomas



Variety: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre

Region: Rhone, France

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Critic Review: "Clear ruby wine with overtones of red berry fruits. Round and supple with smooth aftertaste. A good all round red wine for meat courses, poultry and light cheeses. Best drunk now while fresh with good keeping up to 4 years." - Vintage Cellar

My Review: Honestly, I didn't really like this wine. I wouldn't say there was anything wrong with the wine, per se; it was likely my personal preference getting in the way of me enjoying it. I could definitely taste the Syrah (it says 50% but it tasted to me like 80%) and I think it was a bit too intense for me. All I tasted was Syrah grape and then alcohol; I wasn't able to even pretend I could get anything else out of it. I would be willing to try it again later, when my tastes have matured (or if I had food with me).

5. Peter Mertes Platinum



Variety: Riesling

Region: Rheinhessen, Germany

Year: 2013

Price: $8.95

Critic Review:This quality Riesling is crisp, clean and easy drinking. Floral and fruit aromas suggest sweet melon and honey with enough acidity to ensure a beautifully balanced and versatile wine." - Vintage Cellar

My Review: Low on alcohol and high on sweetness, this one was delicious and refreshing, but definitely not something you could have with every meal. The price is right, though, so I'd definitely buy a bottle or two for drinking on its own or with something sweet and light like a vanilla yogurt parfait. Because it's Easter, I bought a bottle and drank a glass with a handful of jelly beans. Every little girl's dream.