The Pope is in the House

The quick posting from our wine club tasting this last weekend - excuse the spellings - they will be cleaned up in a later version with proper notes to follow :)

Once again we managed to get together for an eclectic tasting, this time of southern Rhone and the popular multi-varietal blend Chateaueuf-du-Pape. Here's the Wikipedia link for the wine geek:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rh%C3%B4ne_wine#Southern_Rh.C3.B4ne

We tasted a total of seven bottles, and they all averaged arund $30 to $40. Not a cheap wine, and the ost amazing thing is that they all had similar bouquets - amazing!

Top Three vote getters (in order)

2005 Clos de L'Oratorie des Papes - 8 votes - here is the write up on it (so much better than me writing it) - 90-92 points from Robert Parker: "The 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a deep purple color and a somewhat modern style of up-front black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with a bit of licorice, spice box, and flowers. It is deep, round, generously endowed with silky tannin and no shortage of near-term appeal, although I suspect it’s capable of lasting at least a decade. This is another estate that has turned away from making rather run-of-the-mill, overly commercial wines and seems to be intent on turning out far more concentrated, nuanced, and complex examples of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with their luxury cuvee, Les Choregies, a really top-notch wine. Drink 2007 - 2017" 90 Points Wine Spectator: "Dark and juicy, with fig paste, currant, mocha, tar and graphite notes that stay fresh and racy through the finish. The structure is nicely embedded. Drink now through 2015. 7,500 cases made." (10/07)"

2002 Chateau la Nerthe - 7 votes - "Our last wine came from Château La Nerthe, one of the main producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and one of the most historic domains in France—the wines of Château La Nerthe were served at the court of Louis XVI in Versailles. One of the property's owner was the eminent Commandant Joseph Ducos, the first French grower who imported American rootstock to overcome the phylloxera epidemic, and who is remembered as the soul of the viticultural reconstitution. The 2002 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château La Nerthe had a medium ruby color and a earthy nose of sweet berry and jasmine aromas. The palate was round, fruity, and peppery. For a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the wine was rather light and easily overpowered by the Schwarz Thiele Road Grenache (2002, known as the "flood" vintage, produced light wines in the Southern Rhône). But, as the dinner progressed, I found the wine to be one of the most food friendly and balanced of the tasting. The wine finished in third position. "

http://manageyourcellar.blogspot.com/2006/09/blind-tasting-of-grenache-based-wines.html

2005 Cuvee de Vatican - 7 votes (my wine!) - "Powerful, rich Châteauneuf - layers of brambles, redcurrants, and spice. Parker loves what he calls Vatican's "powerful, rich, in-your-face style of wine" so we fully expect a rave review for this 2005. It has all the hallmark layers of brambles, redcurrants, spice and tar yet - incredibly - with even more ample body and flavour than in previous years. Above all, it's the balance and purity that set this apart. Winemaker Jean-Marc Diffonty deserves all the praise he receives and is delighted that there's so much enthusiasm for his wines among our members. Drink 2007-2016."

"The property owns 23 ha. AOC Chateauneuf du Pape. White wine is made from 1 ha.The blend for the classic red cuvée comes from 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Cincault. The grapes are not de-stemmed. The fermented wine is matured for 18-30 months in old foudres.Cuvée Reserve Sixtine comes from old vines: 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre. The yield is limited to 25 hl./ha. The wine is at first matured in steeltanks and then for about one year in new barriques (60%) and old foudres. "

2005 Domaine de la Cote de L'ange - 6 votes

"A rising star of the region. This winery hangs on to tradition as it has been around for many generations. This vintage is well-made, with low acidity, lovely fruit, and an attractive, plump style, it should be enjoyed during its first decade of life. "

Runners up:

2004 Les Vignes de Alexrandra - 5 votes

2005 Les Vignes de Alexrandra - 4 votes (they actually were different)

2005 E. Guigal - 1 vote! - "Red Wine Rhone Blends from Guigal Rhone. ... the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape... has the potential to be the finest Chateauneuf Guigal has produced. It reveals more power, richness, and intensity than any previous vintage, including the highly regarded 2000" - so what happened? The taster's notes: "Sweet dirt! Very easy and smooth - medium finish, young and very drinkable" ONly one person ranked it 3rd - oh well.

Earth, leather, and tannins - oh, my! Interestingly, they all possessed a very similar earthy and complex nose except for one or two exceptions, and the finishes varied as well. Some had more tannins than others, and it was obvious that this was a wine to wait for, but also drinkable as is, depending on your thirstiness! A great introduction for many of us to this complex wine that comes from a rocky region in southern France. Thanks Steve, and more later!

Results of the Riesling Tasting November 2007

From the Riesling tasting in November, 2007

Of the 5,000 true agricultural varietals of grapes, about 150 are grown commercially in the world. Of these, there are five classic white wine types (chardonnay, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, riesling, and semillion). Riesling (REEZ-ling) is very difficult to grow, and does best in cool to cold climates, hence it is found coming from places such as Germany, the Alsace region of France, northern Austria, and even the upstate regions of New York and California and the Pacific Northwest. From Karen MacNeil, "The Wine Bible"(2001):

"Despite its neglect in the United States, riesling is considered by many wine experts to be the most noble and unique white grape in the world. Given the right soil and winemaking methods, the triad of high acidity, high extract (flavor), and low alcohol leads to intensely flavorful wines of ravishing delicacy, transparancy, and lightness. Riesling's refined structure is complemented by the mouthwatering delicate flavors of ripe peaches, apricots, and melons, and sometimes pierced with a vibrant mineral quality, like the taste of water running over stones in a mountain stream."

Most American wines are straightforward and easy to figure out when you look at the label - they usually indicate the grape varietal and where from (who what, where, and when). As for quality, it's a bit of a crap shoot ("reserve" means nothing, and they can add other grapes to a certain percentage). Since most of the wines we tasted were German, the labels take on a whole different meaning. They are not only in a different language, but can give indications of what to expect in the wine. We discovered this during our preparation for the tasting, so here's a primer on the Basics of German Rankings:

Like most European wines, there is a ranking system to indicate the quality, type, or specific attributes of German wines (there are ten different leading types of wines - riesling is one of the top). From what I can find, (and without taking course in German), the quality rankings (lowest to highest) for all German wines are from the German Wine Law of 1971. There are three grades of quality:

Qualitatswein - certain grape varieties, and have a rating associated with the weight (specific gravity) and can have added sugar if the grapes are not ripe enough

Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet (QbA) - "Quality wine from a specific appellation" - the grade for the Qualitatswein wines that should come from one of the offical thirteen growing areas (Gebiet)

Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (QmP) - "Quality wine with special attributes" - the top of the line grapes that do not use sugar. If they grapes are not ripe enough, they don't make it into their wine, and may sell it off to others. Within this top rating, there are six levels of sweetness:

Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese (most common rankings found on labels)

Beerenauslese (BA), Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), and Eiswein - sweetest desert wines

Since sugar in the grape is converted into alcohol during fermentation (and this can be controlled with the extra sugar and fiddling with fermentation), the less alcohol on the label, the more likely it will be sweet. Not always true, but a basic rule of thumb for Rieslings. The above rankings also help us to remember that less sweet = Kabinett, more sweet is Spatlese and Auslese, if you have a preference.

In west Germany near the Luxemberg border, the best Reisling can be found from wineries along the Mosel and Reine Rivers. Rain, temperature, soil, sunshine, and wind all play a part in determining which wines will end up the best. Of course, tasting will give you a better idea, and since the tasting was blind, the relative price (and label design - remember Blue Nun?) have no influence here - it's your palate and nose having their say.

Blind Tasting Results (number of first place votes and the order in which it was tasted among thirteen wines):

Caveat - names of wines may contain typos due to bad penmanship :)

#1 - eight votes - 2006 Armand Riesling Kabinett - easy and pleasant forward nose - citrusy, a bit tart, even some mineralty to balance it out - most popular with the group (tasted tenth)

#1 - see note below (tasted sixth)

#2 - six votes - 2006 Dr. F. Weins-Prum Wehlemer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - light and fruity - peachy - medium finish (tasted fifth)

#2 - six votes - 2005 Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten - Riesling Kabinett Pfalz - also light and fruity - not harsh or alcoholic and best complexity and finish (tasted ninth)

#3 - five votes - 2006 Van Hovel - Riesling - a bit of asphalt and sulpher combined with fruity forward nose and tip of the tongue aloofness - good combination and well balanced (tasted seventh)

Of note (four votes or less):

2006 Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Montery County
2006 Pfeffingsen Dry Riesling
2006 Weingut Max Ferra Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett
2006 Columbia Crest Riesling Columbia Valley
2004 Von Hovel Estate Riesling
2005 Donnhoff SchloBbockelheiner Felsenberg Riesling Spatlese
NV Pacific Rim Dry Riesling - Bonny Doon Vineyard
2006 Dr. L Loosen Bros.

Note: There was a mystery wine that was tied for first and received eight first place votes, but the wine club member took home what was left of the bottle for her husband to taste so we did not record it :( - from my notes it was a 2005, somewhat easy and light on the palate but with serious structure, and was tasted sixth, receiving eight first place votes!

Mark