What can I say about Bordeaux that hasn't been said before? Perhaps the most hallowed fine-wine producing region on the face of the planet, Bordeaux is known mainly for it's elegant red wines, a smaller number of dry white wines and a relatively tiny production of the liquid-gold wines of Sauternes. And of course, the biggest marketing coup of all time - the 1855 Classification of Great Growths of the Gironde.
On to the wines. My favourite white wine of the evening was a Domaine de Tariquet, 2011 (AOC Côtes de Gascogne), a blend of four grape varities, but predominantly Ugni blanc which is a variety I am already quite fond of. Most disappointing was a Château La Louvière, 2009 (AOC Pessac-Léognan), a 85% Sauvignon blanc/15% Sémillon blend which held such promise, but was ridiculously over-oaked.
The red wines on offer were a bit of a mixed bunch, but represented a fairly wide range within Bordeaux. And speaking of Cadillac, I did indeed taste a Château de la Meuliere, 2008 (AOC Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux) which was a very pleasant tipple. I had two favourites in this flight. The first was a Château Haut Mayne, 2010 (AOC Graves) and the other was a Le Clarence de Haut-brion, 2007 (AOC Pessac-Lèognan). Both wines, to me, had a very similar nose and palate, but came at vastly different costs - $21.99 and $84.99 respectively - which reinforced the fact that an individual's taste in wine and wine-pricing do not go hand-in-hand.
Speaking of the cost of wine, the most expensive wine this evening was a Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, 2005 (AOC Pauillac) at $138.99 - a nice wine, but nowhere near my favourite.
The evening ended with a gem of a wine from the southern end of the Graves district - a Château Rieussec, 2006 (AOC Sauternes). Golden and sweet, and at the same time tart, this young wine was surprisingly appreciated by the entire class - a Bordeaux miracle.
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5 comments:
V-girl:
"(A)n individual's taste in wine and wine-pricing do not go hand-in-hand"
Well said!
This wine class has me envious, and it seems that the wines tasted were alone worth the tuition cost. I'm guessing!
Vinogirl,
You like Ugni Blanc; get yourself a Trebbiano di Lugana wine. The grapes are related, if not the same. The latter wine, however, is far better than any Ugni Blanc from Bordeaux that I've tasted, except when Ugni is is in the from of Cognac...
Oh, I love the play on the word "Cadillac" in the title.
NHW: It's a great class with a great instructor, Dr. Krebs. And the tuition cost, plus lab fee, is well worth it. I would never be able to afford this much wine on my own...the total cost of the wines we tasted that night was $725.74.
Tomasso: I've heard that they are the same grape. I had a Trebbiano on Italian night, very pleasant. Vinomaker would agree with you on the Cognac front.
I'm glad you liked the Cadillac bit - it was just begging to be used like that :)
We had a really great one that a wine-y friend bought to drink at Chez Panisse (my fave restaurant on earth) and it was sublime. Of course if I wasn't so useless I would remember the name...
ALW: A ha! Now there's a thing...remembering stuff after a few glasses of wine...especially something French, in the name department, like Domaine du Plonk.
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