2008 Croteaux Rosé

Though not our first gathering as a group, it was the first official meeting of our newly formed wine and supper club. It started with an event where we were all gathered to help friends pick a sparkling wine for an event. After that, we got together at the same house and ripped through California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas, of which I’ve now become a fan. Everyone was asked to bring a wine (or two since our group isn’t very restrained) to go with pizza and we did.

This time, it was an “official” gathering. The theme was set, BBQ. Due to the fact we live rather far from everyone, we co-hosted the first event with good friends of ours that we’ve shared many a great meal and even more great wines with. They tended to the proteins, which included slow-cooker pulled pork, grilled chicken and kick-butt ribs.

In addition, we had some scrumptious side dishes created by my wife, including a four cheese alfredo sauce mac-n-cheese / pasta bake, the best damn cole slaw I’ve ever had and two kinds of cornbread, traditional and the other (my favorite which I just had for lunch as I write this) with green chiles and cheddar cheese. A meal unto itself.

Of course, I brought sparklers. Rose sparklers. I still believe they go really well with pork, though I didn’t get to re-certify the authenticity of my theory at this festivity. We had them before the food was ready, but both were really tasty and for me personally, the highlights of the evening. Granted, I’m bias that way. I didn’t taste all the wines (too many and a few I was already familiar with) and actually missed a photo of everyone’s apparent favorite (I only got to sip it when I put the wines in order…I always get drafted for that duty), but since it was gone by the time I went to taste it, no matter.

[FULL DISCLOSURE: I received both the Croteaux and Graham Beck Rosés as samples]

2008 Croteaux Sparkling Rosé: Croteaux specializes in rosé and after drinking this, I can say they seem to know what they are doing. At least, from a wine making point of view. This wine isn’t available here in GA and retails for $24 on the winery website. Honestly, I’d pay $15 for it, so it is a bit pricey for what it is. Made in the tank method, this soft and juicy wine reminded me of a cocktail made with fresh red berries, a dab of ripe watermelon, with a spritz and twist of sweet orange (I forget the specific variety we’ve gotten from Whole Foods that are so sweet).

The packaging was whimsical and absolutely screamed W-E-D-D-I-N-G. I didn’t hear anyone complain, except that I only had the one bottle and between 16 people, that doesn’t provide for a very generous pour. C’est la vie. If you live in NY, I’d recommend visiting them and trying all their wines. Summer begs for rosé.

Graham Beck Brut Rosé

NV Graham Beck Brut Rosé: So, this isn’t that well known, nor well regarded by the big reviewers. Good. More for us who know and enjoy it, especially at the mid teens price point I was told it should make here in Georgia. I know the wine is available, as I sampled the lineup back in January at the local distributor’s tasting. I’m pretty sure the rep told me it would make a $15.99 retail. I had two different guests ask me about this, as they wanted to buy some for themselves. [UPDATE: After I wrote this, I saw local wine guru Gil Kulers gave this two thumbs way up.]

A firmer, fuller bodied wine than the Croteaux, this presented a profile of tarter red fruits with fine minerality giving it a more solid finish. I found this to the better wine with food, whereas the Croteaux was a great way to begin with its more pillow-like nature. I’m telling you, based on other professional retail buyer opinions and those of friends I’ve shared this with, I really think Graham Beck is one of the top values in sparkling wine.

I have to say, the rest of the wines that were brought was a more interesting mix than I was expecting. We only had 3 Zinfandels, where as I’d told my wife I thought everyone would bring at least one Zin. I went against my usual preferred tastes and gravitated towards the two old world offerings. First up, Spain.

2008 La Cartuja Priorat: I don’t know what the retail was, but based on my searches, this is usually around $15! Okay, read that again. $15 for Priorat. I wonder if this is somebody’s declassified juice sold on the auction market for a fraction of “normal” price. No matter, it was a good wine. A bit tight at first, it did open up in the glass. I highly recommend decanting this and remember folks, serve your reds at around 65 degrees. That is room temperature in Europe…or at least, it was when that rule was first circulated. Ripe red and black fruits, with plenty of warm spice and the signature “hot rocks” note I always seem to find in wines from this region. I would definitely recommend this as a great introduction to the region and the style of wine. Usually you have to look at the surrounding horse shoe shaped region of Monstant for wines of this taste profile, quality and price point.

Two favorite still red wines of the evening...yes, I'm shocked too...

2005 Les Bois du Menestrel Vacqueyras: Another nice value, but again, I don’t know the retail. I think it is probably in the same range as the La Cartuja, mid-teens. A good choice, but this would have gone much better with beef. The smoked tobacco leaf and roasted red cherry character, wrapped around a core of iron, beg for big food. I’d even say wild game or mushroom laden dishes would work well with this. It was another solid choice and give it bonus points for probably being the most esoteric. Nice job Mark.

2005 Wilson Diane’s Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel: This sucker weighed in at a whopping 16.2% alcohol. Safety tip: no open flames near this one. It should have been decanted and served much cooler, something the generous bringer of this wine lamented not doing. A limited production wine of 200 cases, with an approximate price of $48, this screamed Zinfandel. Black as tar dark fruits, but of the ripest variety, with a healthy dose of fresh cracked black peppercorns. You could definitely taste the alcohol, but it was more in the sweetness than in the heat. A big wine for big food. Throw down with some ribs, plenty of water and a cooler service temperature.

So, those were my three favorites. One other wine, which was the most interesting because it was the most non-typical example of a grape variety wine I’ve ever had, was the 2006 Montoya Petite Sirah from Paso Robles. It was light, almost to the point of if you wondered if the grapes were all under enormous shade trees. This wasn’t PS. It was PS masquerading as I don’t even know what. Maybe a Grenache or warm vintage Oregon Pinot Noir, with a pinch of Syrah thrown in. It was actually not bad, it was just not what a Petite Sirah drinker would want in their glass.

To finish the evening, there was an assortment of Pepperidge Farm chocolate cookies (Genevas are my favorite) and some two bite (really…why do I always eat them in one then?!) brownies. To accompany them, Mark brought a bottle of Casa Sant’Orsola Brachetto d’Acqui. Liquified raspberry juice is how I always find these sweet Italian red sparkling wines. Perfect with the chocolate and a nice way to wrap things up after a very rich, savory and superb meal. My compliments to the chefs! (All I did was some prep work, pour our two bubblies and put the wines in order…that was an easy gig.)

So, there you have it, the birth of Wineaux 75, our social supper and wine club.

View the video below or on YouTube.

The second tasting was at Hall’s of Fine Wines at a cost of $10 per person if you brought your own glass. I’m not sure if there was an upcharge for using their glasses, but they were available. This was my first visit to this store. Mr. Hall has a very nice selection of smaller winery labels, but still covers all the bases for most any wine drinker’s needs. There were a total of 10 (+1) wines being poured, 5 each from two different distributors, Atlanta Wholesale (a division of National Distributing and Gusto Brands. The following 3 selections were personal favorites.

2005 Chateau LaGrange Les Tours $21.99: Unless you are a recent resident of the International Space Station, I’m sure you’ve heard all the hype surrounding the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux. The prices went to their highest ever, with First Growth’s garnering over $1000 a bottle without breaking a sweat. Then reality kicked in, the world woke up from its monetary debauchery and the economy went brown (no offense to UPS). Well, for those of us who live in the day to day reality of $20 is nothing to sneeze at for a bottle of wine, this little bugger was pretty tasty.

This is a Bordeaux Supérieur, which means the legal yields are lower and the wines must be aged for 12 months before being sold. I also seem to recall they must be .5% alcohol higher than standard Bordeaux. Higher alcohol means the grapes were riper and theoretically, of better quality. Personally, I’ve never found a huge difference between standard Bordeaux and those with the Supérieur label, but I’m not the biggest drinker of the region’s wines either.

The wine exhibited a nice bouquet of tobacco, black plum and cherry. On the palate, it was quite smooth and delicious. I picked up black cherry, licorice and some nice earthy flavors. I’d pair this with lamb, always a solid bet when it comes to Bordeaux. If you want to try a Bordeaux from a great vintage, you could do worse.

2005 Martinet Bru Priorat (I didn’t take note of the price, but I think its around $50): Priorats don’t come cheap, so it was a great surprise to see one at the tasting. They also don’t typically show well at this age without a good 4 or 5 hours of decant time. Having said that, this was darn tasty, even with it playing things close to the vest. I got the classic hot rocks or scorched earth aromas, a signature of the region. If you’ve never had one, it is hard to describe, but sample and I think your nose will pick up what I’m trying to describe. It also had loads of black fruit, which repeated on the palate. The tannins made their presence known, but were sweet and balanced out by the abundance of fruit. Personally, I like a wine to bite back and like to drink wines like this a bit young, but your mileage may vary. Fire up the grill and throw on some red meat! This is a great cellar selection as well.

If you don’t want to lay down the $50+ for these wines, look for a Monstant. It is a region that horseshoes around Priorat and makes wines of a similar taste, but at much lower prices. You should be able to find them for under $20 and while they are typically better in their youth, they can still improve with age.

NV Sparkling Mad Shiraz (I think it was $18-20): Don’t laugh, they make this stuff in Australia and this is the third example I’ve ever had. I poured a less expensive version at one of my tastings a few years ago and it was a raging hit. Believe you me, this is a solid choice for the confunding Thanksgiving dinner with its surplus of sugary sweet dishes and dry white turkey. This version was less sweet than the other two I’ve had, which was a pleasant surprise. It had some eucalyptus and blueberry on the nose, with the palate being a cascade of black fruit with a spicy finish with a touch of tannic grip. While I’d say there was probably a bit of residual sugar, it wasn’t cloying. For those who like Aussie Shiraz (I still enjoy them), this is worth trying if for no other reason than to say you have.

Well, that wraps it up. There were some other fine selections, but these stood out the most. I was also graced with a taste of 2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon, just because the rep had some in his bag. It should run you about $50 if you should run across it. While that is nothing to sneeze at, it is still a bargain compared to many other Napa Valley Cabs that sell for 2, 3 or even 15X that amount (hello Screaming Eagle). For the price, this served up classic Napa Valley Cabernet flavors, including cassis, vanilla and spice notes that sailed on for a good 45 seconds. Great stuff.