On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 4:15 AM, Sriram ET. <karra....@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 5:03 PM, Charles Haynes <charles.hay...@gmail.com> > wrote: >> we were not influenced by brand or price. It was in the course of >> years of these kinds of tastings that I determined my own preferences >> in wine style and varietals > Time and experimentation - that's the crux of the matter, isn't it? And that > means it takes a lot of money, particularly in India, merely to realize > (good) wine does not have a bitter-ish taste like some other unmixed drinks, > such as beer ;-) Cultivating one's own taste after 'tasting the world', I > would wager, is easily beyond the means of most IT professional types and > like classes. That is one of the beauties of these tastings, it's like a cooperative. The group of tasters splits the costs of the wines, which means that you get to taste excellent wines at a reasonable cost. However I agree that the economics of such a thing would be very different in India, where 1) imported wines are much more expensive and 2) IT salaries are relatively lower. Even so, it would be possible to arrange something similar if one were so inclined. I've appended an announcement from earlier this week for your entertainment. Remeber this is a tasting arranged as a hobby by a friend who's passionate about wine. These tastings are better than any professional tasting I've ever been to - I was very lucky to have them available to me. I've included this announcement because if I were still in the Bay Area, this is one I would have attended - I'm a fan of Cote du Rhones. The prices are in USD, but note that there are good Cote du Rhones available in the US for less than the price Sula sells for in India. Indian protectionist duties and taxes on alcohol are robbing you of the opportunity to enjoy some of the world's great wines and allowing domestic producers to sell plonk. -- Charles Cote du Rhones The designation of origin "Cote du Rhone" extends back to 1737 when the then king of France decreed that wines from the right bank of the Rhone River (the eastern slopes which will get the afternoon sun shining down from the west) as Cote du Rhone, with barrels branded with CDR. The Appellation d'Origine Controllee (AOC) system used across France to manage and control a high level of quality for wines of different regions was later loosely based upon this decree. The Cote du Rhone AOC is one of the largest in France, running from the northern tip of the Rhone region near Cote Rotie through the southern regions surrounding Marseilles. Although any wine in this region can be called Cote du Rhone, the appellation is primarily used areas not covered by Hermitage, Cote Rotie, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, St. Joseph and other more well known AOCs. Although there are white, rose and red Cote du Rhones, the majority of wines are red. For these, the accepted varietals mirror those grown in the region: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Carignane, and Counoise, with more Syrah-only Cote du Rhones from the north and more Chateauneuf-like blends from the south. The area is enormous, spanning almost 200,000 acres and producing 400-500 million bottles a year. Much of this is ordinary wine, meant to be drunk out of carafes in local restaurants. However, the minority of Cote du Rhone designated for export is of significantly higher quality. In the past decade or so, the quality of the exported Cote du Rhone has steadily increased, partially because more money and knowledge has flowed into the Rhone wineries, and perhaps partially because of global warming, which allowing the domaines to make rich, concentrated wines almost every year. Because of the volume, the price of Cote du Rhones have remained quite inexpensive, ranging from about $8 through $30, and good examples can be remarkable values. Most of these wines are meant to be drunk in their first 3-4 years, but I've found that cellaring them for up to 10 years can sometimes produce a lovely, complex wine that can have a passing resemblance to an older Chateauneuf or Hermitage. Tonight, we'll have a couple flights of Cotes du Rhone, the first a flight of 5 to 8 year old examples and the second flight including examples from 2007 and 2009, both outstanding years in the regiion. In each flight, we'll have a Chateauneuf du Pape ringer for comparison, and in the second flight, I will also sneak in a California Rhone ringer. Here are the lineups and some tasting notes: FLIGHT 1 2003 Perrin et Fils "Vinsobres - Les Hauts de Julien", Cotes du Rhone Villages (14%): "The 2003 Perrin Cotes du Rhone-Villages Vinsobres Vieilles Vignes Les Hauts de Julien is a real winner. A fruit bomb as wines go, this dense purple-colored wine shows wonderfully sweet black raspberry and cassis notes intermixed with crushed rock, kirsch, and spice. The wine has a fabulous attack, medium to full-bodied palate, terrific ripe fruit, and noticeable but sweet tannin. This wine should drink well for up to a decade. Don’t miss it!" (92/100, Robert Parker, Feb 2006) 2003 Chateau de Saint Cosme, Cotes du Rhone (13.5%): "One of the glorious things about this firm is their negociant line, called simply St.-Cosme, that includes so many extraordinary values, not to mention some profound wines at the top end. For example, the already bottled 2003 Cotes du Rhone, made from 100% Syrah from the department of the Gard, offers up lovely aromas of acacia flowers, blackberries, and creosote in an uncomplicated, fleshy, medium to full-bodied, high-octane style. This seamless, delicious, hedonistic, flavorful, textured Cotes du Rhone is a total turn-on." (89/100, Robert Parker) 2003 Domaine La Garrigue "Cuvee Romaine", Cotes du Rhone (13.5%): No reviews for this vintage, but other vintages before and after the 2003 have consistently rated in the 90s from professional reviewers. Domaine La Garrigue also makes Vacqueras, and the grapes which go into their Cuvee Romaine are usually declassified Vacqueras. 2004 Domaine La Garrigue "Cuvee Romaine", Cotes du Rhone (14%): "A stunning value, the dense ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Cotes du Rhone Cuvee Romaine is a 7,000-case blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. Its big, sweet bouquet of licorice, garrigue, kirsch liqueur, and black fruits is followed by a dense, opulent, medium to full-bodied, supple, luscious wine to enjoy over the next several years. This is a very special wine!" (90/100, Robert Parker) ""Silky and racy, with plum sauce and raspberry fruit flavors laced with spice, graphite, fruitcake and mineral notes that ripple through the lengthy finish. This has nice latent grip. Best from 2009 through 2028." (92/100, Wine Spectator, Nov 2008) 2004 Domaine Cristia, Cotes du Rhone (13.5%): No reviews available. Domaine Cristia is one of the top Chateauneuf producers. 2006 Giraud "Tradition", Chateauneuf du Pape (15%): "The dark ruby-colored 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape offers a delicious combination of strawberry and black cherry fruit interwoven with tobacco leaf, licorice, and spice. Opulent, round, medium to full-bodied, and generous, it should drink well for 7-8 years." (90/100, Robert Parker, Oct 2006) FLIGHT 2 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur (Alain Jaume) "Les Champauvins", Cotes du Rhone Villages (15%): "The top Cotes du Rhone, the 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Les Champauvins, is a serious effort that could easily be mistaken for a Chateauneuf du Pape. Sweet black cherry fruit, seaweed wrapper, licorice, pepper, and spice aromas are followed by a wine with a broad, savory mouthfeel, sweet tannin, and a long finish." (91/100, Robert Parker) 2007 Domaine Fond Croze "Les Romanaise", Cotes du Rhone (14.5%): "The full-bodied, deep ruby/purple-hued 2007 Cotes du Rhone Cuvee Romanaise (60% Grenache and 40% Syrah) exhibits lots of smoky black currant and black cherry fruit intermixed with hints of licorice, forest floor, and underbrush, a ripe, heady mouthfeel, and a succulent, fleshy style. It, too, can be drunk over the next several years. This top-notch estate typifies what is happening in the southern Rhone with so many properties breaking away from selling their wines to cooperatives, and a younger generation beginning to estate bottle." (91/100, Robert Parker) 2007 Domaine Alary "Cairanne La Brunote", Cotes du Rhone (14.5%): "Another long-distance runner is the exceptionally powerful, impressively endowed 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne La Brunote, a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre. Like its siblings, it is aged in ancient wood foudres, and the result is another big, full-bodied, brawny wine bursting with potential. Still tightly-knit (because of good acids and fresh tannins), it reveals incredible layers of black, blue, and red fruits as well as hints of road tar, licorice, and Provencal herbs. It is a quintessential Provencal wine of gorgeous power and richness as well as stunning elegance. Give it 1-2 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 10-12." (92+/100, Robert Parker, June 2009) 2009 Perrin et Fils, Cotes du Rhone Villages (14.5%): "Youthfully vibrant, with a delicious core of plum and raspberry fruit bursting forth, though there's length, buried minerality and racy acidity to keep it fresh and balanced for modest cellaring. Drink now through 2012." (89/100, Wine Spectator) "The 2009 Perrin et Fils Cotes du Rhone-Villages ratchets up the intensity level. A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, it exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue, black cherry, black currant, lavender, pepper and Provencal herb characteristics, medium body, pure fruit, silky tannins and no hard edges." (89+/100, Robert Parker) 2009 La Celestiere, Cotes du Rhone (15.0%): "La Celestière has the blessing of exceptional material and that goes a long way toward the definition of the wine itself. Their 2009 Cotes du Rhone has the muscle of the vintage but the basket of just-picked deeply pitched red berries never goes astray or too far afield into territory I would rather reserve for Quintarelli. The wine still has the tell tale chocolate of 2009 but it is a clean and wonderful layer of flavor that entices the taster back for a second and third sip. The wine is also very long on the palate and as oxygen is gobbled, the sheer mass of fruit comes to the forefront like a steam train drunk on a full load of gritty fuel. In my opinion, it is one of the definitive wines of 2009 – one that will go a long way toward your interpretation and understanding of the vintage. Light and delicate? Not a chance, but neither is the vintage. As a precursor for one of the Southern Rhone’s hippest portfolios of Chateauneuf du Pape (to be released next year), La Celestiere’s 2009 Cotes du Rhone is going to make waves...especially in a blind tasting of far more expensive examples. If you want to find out what the fuss is about before this wine moves closer to $20, today’s the day..." (Jon RImmerman, Garagiste) 2009 Kirkland "Cuvee des Nalys", Chateauneuf du Pape (14.5%): Latest review from Cellartracker "This deep crimson wine (a blend of 59% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 4% Vaccarèse, 4% Counoise, 3% Mourvèdre, 3% Muscardin and 2% Cinsault), shows a beautiful nose of blackberries, cinnamon, clove and garrigue. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, medium sweet tannins and well-integrated alcohol. The flavors are in line with the nose and the worthy middle palate leads to a medium-length, smooth finish. Screaming value on this one!" (90) 2009 Cameron Hughes "Lot 241 -- Syrah-Grenache-Mourvedre", Arroyo Seco (14.3%) Monday, November 7, 2011, 7:30PM, at Rich and Peggy's house. There should be room for all, but drop me a note if you are planning to attend. Ross UPCOMING TASTINGS Thursday (Nov 10): Sojourn Pinots and Cabernets with Craig Monday (Nov 14): 2004 Turley vs Carlisle Zinfandels Thursday (Nov 17): Cabernet Francs Saturday (Dec 3): dinner tasting
