Wines of Reason “The Group” Wine Tasting – July 11, 2024

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Hosted by: Steve Percudani,  Darragh Fitzpatrick, Declan Daly

It’s been a very busy summer for Matt and me as we’ve both been traveling. Matt’s been having lots of fun tasting wines in Sonoma and Napa California, and we’ve both been on a cruise together to Alaska. Alas, we did not get to a winery in Alaska, but we did get to drink lots of good wines on the ship!

However, before we went to Alaska, we facilitated a wonderful wine tasting for “The Group”, a networking group for business leaders/owners/entrepreneurs of professional service companies who meet monthly to talk business and make referrals for one another.

On this occasion, the leaders of the group – Steve Percudani, Darragh Fitzpatrick and Declan Daly decided to treat their members to a wine tasting on a hot summer evening in July. Of course, Matt and I were only too happy to help them out and organize a wine tasting of 10 different wines for about 30 people.

We had a budget of about $15 to $25 per bottle, and we went to a favorite store of ours in the Inwood section of Manhattan and made our choices. Our goal was to taste three different varietals from three different places to demonstrate how the same varietal of grape can taste so different in each region given all the conditions that impact on wine – terroir, climate, the vintner and on and on. We had 3 different Sauvignon Blancs’, 3 different Rose’s and 3 different red wines.

It’s not easy handling a crowd of 30 wine drinkers, especially when you get to the 10th wine! But we prevailed with the help of 2 pourers, and a group that was interested in learning more about wine.

Matt and I like to start a tasting with a nice sparkling wine to open the palette, and so we began with an Italian prosecco – RUGE PRIMARIO PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE NV which was perfect for a warm summer night.

Most everyone likes a Sauvignon Blanc in the summer and so for our first Sauvignon Blanc, we traveled to New Zealand (metaphorically) and presented a CRAGGY RANGE TE MUNA ROAD MARTINBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 from New Zealand/Martinborough. The wine had the grapefruit nose typical of where it is from and a unique level of texture and complexity, aroma, steely minerality and intensity of fruit.

For our next wine, we traveled to the Loire Valley of France. Again metaphorically!  We tasted a SYLVAIN BAILLY BEAUCHARME QUINCY 2023 which is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from old vines.

Although the description of this wine is “lip smacking acidity with minerality that dominates the palate, crisp with subtle citrus notes that finishes bone dry,” Matt was quick to determine that this was not a wine he would like to drink on the rooftop of where he lives?

Our third Sauvignon Blanc was THE VICE THE HOUSE NAPA VALLEY SAUVIGNON  Blanc 2022 from Napa Valley, California. At 14% alcohol, which seems to be a lot for a white wine like this, it did have some real body and was a contrast to the two other ones we tasted.  Here is a description of the wine which may explain why it felt so big and different:

“The House” Sauvignon Blanc was crafted along the lines of fine white Bordeaux. The grapes were gently pressed as whole clusters and fermented in neutral French oak barrels. The wine was aged on its lees in a combination of concrete eggs, neutral oak barrels and stainless steel for 5 months with monthly stirring. Seductive and inviting aromas of spearmint, melon, kiwi and quince.”

For me, the wine description such as the one above is like poetry, and at the same time an education as how to describe how a wine tastes, and why it is different from other wines.  Of course, I’m not sure that mattered to the group as we had just completed the first of the 3 wines, and we were rolling along. Everyone was engaged, talking to one another, eating the cheese and crackers and fruit which Steve’s wife Schielle had so beautifully presented.

Our second varietal of the evening was a Rosé. Who can turn down a rosé while watching a beautiful sunset?  Not me! Not Matt!

Once again, we tasted 3 rosés from 3 different regions.

The first one was CORA CERASUOLO D’ ABRUZZO 2023 from Italy/Abruzzo crafted from 100% Montepulciano.  The online wine description is: “Vibrant Cerasuolo cherry-like color. Watermelon rind, lemon zest, and bright juicy cherry with intensity and verve.” And the description is perfect, as this was  our favorite rosé of the evening.

The second rosé was DOMAINE DU BAGNOL CASSIS ROSÉ 2023 from France/Loire Valley and was a mix of 45% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre, a classic rosé from Provence and very easy to enjoy. Matt loves rosés from this southern France region that match typical Rhone style full bodied red wines. Although these rosés  can be pricey, it is often worth the price.

For our final rosé of the evening, we traveled to our own Long Island back yard, the WOLFFER ESTATE LONG ISLAND ROSÉ 2023 from Long Island/South Shore/Sagaponack.

60% Merlot, 32.75% Chardonnay, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Pinot Gris, 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.25% Vignoles make up this delightful easy drinking rosé. The nose offered a beautiful fresh fruit aroma with an elegant fresh mouthfeel.

There is no shortage of rosés from all over the world. They can be complex wines with bold aromas and tastes, or simple enough so they make you feel like you are drinking “Summer in a Bottle”. They can be expensive or inexpensive, but they should always be fun to drink!

At this point in the tasting after 6 different wines plus the Prosecco to start, you might think the crowd was going crazy and finding it hard to stand up. That was not quite the case. After all, this was a tasting, so the drinking was still somewhat reserved, as we had 3 more wines to taste. Of course, the conversations were going strong, the laughs kept coming, and we were all relaxed and looking forward to tasting the red wines that were aerating through the evening.

The first of the three reds was FREQUENCY GSM SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 2021 from California, comprised of 50% Grenache/30% Syrah/20% Mourvèdre. This would be a classic Rhone style wine from France, but it was from Central Coast California, a great representation how wines made from the same varietals in different places can be so different but so similar depending on the region where the grapes are grown.

This wine had an intense nose, and jammy fruit and pepper like spices on the tongue. We liked the wine, but we thought it was too warm a night to drink this wine. We would have wanted to taste it on a cooler evening.

Our second red was a ROGUE VINE GRAND ITATA RED 2020 from Chile. This was a Red Blend/95% Cinsault/5% Pais. Both varietals are a bit unusual. One does not typically find a red wine dominated by the Cinsault grape, and the Pais grape is specific to Chile. Initially we were not crazy about this wine, but the wine after being opened for about 1 ½ – 2 hours it really started to show some bright red fruits of raspberry and strawberry and we changed our mind. A lesson we often learn is that many wines need to open or aerate before passing judgement as to whether you like it or not!

And finally, the last wine of the tasting was PERRIN ET FILS COTES DU RHONE-VILLAGES 2021 from France. This was a classic Rhône style French wine comprised of Syrah and Grenache grapes. This was a relatively inexpensive wine, well balanced with focused fresh aromas of cherries and currants. It did not stand out for us, but it can be a delightfully easy drinking red wine on a cool Autumn night.

By the way, Matt and I had prepared detailed notes on all the wines, plus a WSET tasting sheet so everyone could record their thoughts about each wine.  The Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, the Cora rosé from Italy, and the Frequency GSM from California seemed to be the crowd pleasers of the night.

Well there you have it!  It was indeed a fun filled night!

Michael Gansl
Matt Plociak
www.winesofreason.com

Matt and Mike Attend Somm Cellars White Burgundy Tasting on 7/31/24

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It was a typical August evening hot, steamy and one where you long to be in an air-conditioned room, and especially if you’re going to taste twenty five  2022 white burgundies.

The room was crowded with about 25 people, you might say 1 bottle per person, but we all know that’s not how a wine tasting works!

There were 4 sections with Regional, Villages, Premier Cru and Grand Cru and you could walk around from section to section deciding what order of wines you wanted to taste.

We decided to start with the Villages because we always love to start with the better wines which often are the more expensive wines, but as we all know, that’s not always true. The bigger question is when and where can you find Burgundies that offer great value and great prices? That was our quest this evening!

The first two wines in the Villages section – Etienne Sauzet Puligny and Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne had very alluring noses which in my case is a slight barnyardy aroma. (This is Michael chiming here.  Matt loves a funky, barnyard nose, as I do, as it is a real treat to experience the difference in the nose and the actual taste of the wine.) We gave them a 7 – 7.5 out of 10. (Michael again – I liked the Etienne better – it was simpler and not as complex as the de la Maltroye. Matt went back for a second taste and discovered he didn’t like it as much as when he first tasted it.

Note: A good rule of thumb is to go back and taste the same wine a second time, to make sure you still experience it as you did the first time around.  There are one too many times, when you don’t like it as much as the first time you tasted it!

The Violot-Guillemard Meursault ‘Les Meix Chavaux’ had a very funky nose and Matt thought it was a little light in the delivery in both fruit and body. The Renaud Boyer Puligny ‘Les Reuchaux’ felt closed and suggested that it needed a bit more time (this was the most expensive of the Villages at $200). Matt thought the best of the group was the John Colin St.Aubin ‘Mes Sept Terroirs’ at $77. It had nice fruit and a pleasant finish. After tasting 10 wines, that ranged in price from $70 to $200, $77 for a good white Burgundy seemed reasonable at the time. BTW, Michael liked the Morey-Coffinet Ladoix ($70) and the Bachey-Legros Meursault ‘Les Chevalierres ($95). Both were easy drinking, with floral noses, and were ready to drink today!  Michael is always partial to young and expressive wines1

Moving on to the Premier Crus we got a lesson on why these were the premier crus. The first one Vincent et Francois Jouard Chassagne ‘La Maltroie’ had a lovely nose. It was very complex and had a beautiful lasting finish (certainly one of both of our favorites at $105). The Jean-Marc Boillot Puligny ‘Les Combettes’ had big fruit, but Matt felt it didn’t seem as interesting the second tasting of it.  On the other hand, Michael thought this wine had it all – nose, taste, and finish. It was his favorite of the group.   Matt’s favorite of the premier cru’s was the Morey-Coffinet Chassagne “Morgeot-Les Fairendes’ which had a pleasant nose, a caramel flavor and was very enjoyable at $135. Michael liked it as well and considered it his second best of the group.

Note: Michael and Matt don’t always agree about the wines they taste – but that is no surprise if you know them!

Then we discovered why wines are called Grand Crus. The Rapet ‘Corton-Charlemagne’ was delightful. It had a light nose, but surprisingly, was a big complex wine. The finish lasted nicely on the palate, and it was a beautiful wine. You might say it is expensive for  $225, but then again, it’s up to you and your budget!   If we had more time, we would have loved to taste it again, again and again to see how the taste would change with each sip – certainly a trait of great Burgundies.

And last but not least, not to leave out the Regionals, we both found them to be in general, reasonably pleasant white burgundies ranging from $33 to $75. They were not very complex and would be fun to have with a nice meal during the week. Matt’s favorite in this group was the Pierre Girardin Bourgogne ‘Eclat de Calcaire’ at $52 and he felt that it hit all the right notes at an almost affordable price point. Michael  did not have a favorite in this group

Overall, we truly enjoyed this wine tasting. We got to taste wines we might not have tasted anyplace else. Of course, that’s why you go to wine tastings!

For those of you who might be interested in taking a deep dive into understanding the differences of Regional, Villages, Premier Cru and Grand Cru white Burgundies, we asked Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI to describe the four classifications of white burgundies below:

Regional

A regional white Burgundy wine typically refers to a Chardonnay produced in the Burgundy region of France, outside the more prestigious appellations like Chablis or Meursault. Here’s a concise description:

Origin: Burgundy region, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Usually labeled as “Bourgogne Blanc”

A regional white Burgundy wine typically refers to a Chardonnay produced in the Burgundy region of France, outside the more prestigious appellations like Chablis or Meursault. Here’s a concise description:

 

Origin: Burgundy region, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Usually labeled as “Bourgogne Blanc”

 

Characteristics:

– Color: Pale gold to light straw

– Aromas: Apple, citrus, white flowers, sometimes with hints of oak

– Flavor: Medium-bodied, crisp acidity, flavors of lemon, green apple, and subtle mineral notes

– Finish: Generally clean and refreshing

 

Winemaking: Often fermented and/or aged in oak barrels, but typically with less oak influence than higher-end Burgundies

Price point: Generally more affordable than village-level or premier cru Burgundies

Food pairings: Versatile, pairs well with poultry, seafood, and creamy pasta dishes

These wines offer a good introduction to the Burgundian style of Chardonnay at a more accessible price point.

 

Villages

A Villages white Burgundy wine is a step up from regional Burgundy, offering more specificity in terms of origin and often higher quality. Here’s a description:

Origin: Specific village-level appellations within Burgundy, France Grape: Chardonnay Classification: Labeled with the village name, e.g., “Pouilly-Fuissé” or “Saint-Véran”

Characteristics:

  • Color: Typically pale to medium gold
  • Aromas: More complex than regional wines, often featuring ripe fruit, floral notes, and subtle oak
  • Flavor: Medium to full-bodied, with balanced acidity and more pronounced minerality
  • Finish: Longer and more complex than regional wines

Winemaking:

  • Often aged in oak barrels, with more new oak used than in regional wines
  • More careful selection of grapes and vineyard management

Terroir: Reflects more specific soil types and microclimates of the village

Price point: Generally pricier than regional Burgundies, but less expensive than Premier or Grand Cru wines

Aging potential: Can often benefit from a few years of aging, developing more complexity

Notable Villages : Mâcon-Villages, Pouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Véran, Montagny

These wines offer a good balance of quality and value within the Burgundy hierarchy. Would you like more information on specific Villages appellations or how they compare to other Burgundy classifications?

 

Premier Cru

A Premier Cru white Burgundy represents a step up in quality and prestige from Villages-level wines. Here’s a description:

Origin: Specific, high-quality vineyards within villages of Burgundy, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Labeled as “Premier Cru” or “1er Cru” along with the vineyard name

 

Characteristics:

– Color: Usually deeper gold than Villages wines

– Aromas: Complex and intense, often featuring ripe fruits, floral notes, nuts, and subtle oak

– Flavor: Full-bodied, with excellent balance between fruit, acidity, and minerality

– Finish: Long, complex, and often with a distinctive mineral character

 

Winemaking:

– Typically aged in oak barrels, often with a higher percentage of new oak

– Careful grape selection and lower yields for concentration

 

Terroir: Expresses unique characteristics of premier cru designated vineyards

Price point: Significantly higher than Villages wines, but less than Grand Cru

Aging potential: Often benefits from 5-10 years of aging, developing more complexity

Notable appellations : Chablis Premier Cru, Meursault Premier Cru, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru

These wines offer exceptional quality and are considered some of the finest expressions of Chardonnay in the world. They typically show more depth, complexity, and aging potential than Villages wines.

 

Grand Cru

A Grand Cru white Burgundy represents the pinnacle of white wine production in Burgundy, and is considered among the finest expressions of Chardonnay in the world. Here’s a description:

Origin: Specific, exceptional vineyards in Burgundy, France

Grape: Chardonnay

Classification: Labeled as “Grand Cru” with the vineyard name

 

Characteristics:

– Color: Deep gold, often with a slight green tinge when young

– Aromas: Extremely complex and intense, featuring ripe fruits, flowers, nuts, spices, and subtle oak

– Flavor: Full-bodied, powerful, with exceptional balance of fruit, acidity, minerality, and oak

– Finish: Very long, complex, and multi-layered

 

Winemaking:

– Aged in oak barrels, often with a high percentage of new oak

– Extremely selective grape harvesting and low yields for maximum concentration

 

Terroir: Expresses the unique characteristics of grand cru vineyards, often with pronounced minerality

Price point: The most expensive category of white Burgundy

Aging potential: Can age for decades, often 15-30 years or more

 

Notable Grand Cru vineyards:

– Corton-Charlemagne

– Montrachet

– Bâtard-Montrachet

– Chevalier-Montrachet

– Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

– Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

– Chablis Grand Cru (sevra climats)

These wines are known for their power, complexity, and ability to age. They often require several years of cellaring to reach their full potential.

Vida Valiente

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Recently I had the pleasure of visiting 15 wineries and tasted about 54 wines in Napa and Sonoma.

Several were special but one stands out for several reasons. My wife and I, and another couple had the pleasure of being invited (actually, our friend who is a travel guide was invited and we tagged along) to experience wines from Vida Valiente. (please visit their website at your leisure).

Why was this tasting so special? First, instead of needing to make a reservation we were invited to this tasting, a private tasting. The thought that went into the hospitality and presentation immediately suggested that this would be something special.

Then the thought that went into the tasting itself. The 4 wines we tasted were opened in the cellar the day before our tasting with the cork placed back into the bottle. And, the wines were poured an hour before we arrived for our tasting.

The first wine we tried was Movement. It’s a cuvée of the cabernet sauvignon of the first press from all three of their vineyards. The nose had wonderful fruit and wine had delicious flavors of cherry and blackberry with a satisfying mouthfeel.

Next, we sampled the High Ranch. It is at an elevation of 1100 to 1200 ft. next to the Konisgard Chardonnay vineyard (which I tasted a couple of years ago in Big Sur at Nepenthe. It was beautiful, though I’m not sure it was worth the $35 by the glass. Although the setting certainly made up the difference.) This wine was much more tannic than The Movement which I understand was partially due to the elevation. I thought it needed to be open longer. Even so it was a treat.

Beckstoffer To Kalon was our next experience. If you’ve ever had any wines from this vineyard, you know you are in for a special treat. It had beautiful, yet restrained, spice and balanced tannins. The most elegant of the three so far.

Finally, The Estate is a unique vineyard on Glass Mountain. It has excellent drainage resulting in a powerful cabernet that has elegance and is introduced by the wonderful nose as its first expression of what is to be enjoyed as one tastes the wine.

Lastly, I should say that Vida Valiente donates $100 for every bottle purchased of The Movement to the Vida Valiente Foundation for the support of the education of first generation students from low-income backgrounds.

If you enjoy high end cabernet sauvignons and are interested in giving back to the wine community in Napa/Sonoma region these wines merit your attention. You will experience artisanal wines with unique characteristics and at the same time be contributing to the local wine community to help encourage young people to learn and become part of the community and spirit that is special to this wine region.

A Piemonte Tasting Without Barolo and Barbaresco

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You are probably wondering why you would have a Piemonte tasting without Barolo and Barbaresco?  Well, that is a good question. But there are other wines of distinction besides these two in Piemonte.

We were at Moore Brothers one of our favorite wine shops, and at one of their weekend tastings.  They’re located in Industry City in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn, NY  and they had  decided this would be a fun theme to explore the other wines of Piemonte.  Admittedly it was raining cats and dogs that day, but what could be better than tasting wine on a very rainy Saturday afternoon?

The first wine was an Alta Lange Rosanna Extra Brut Ettore Germano. It’s a delicious sparkling wine from a great producer. The grape is Nebbiolo so right there it starts off with a positive, at least for me! The wine ferments 80% steel and 20% used barrels for about 6 months. The wine is bottled and after 18 months on the lees, the bottles are disgorged and topped up with the same wine, no dosage is used.

It has a pleasant fragrant nose with red berries shining through. The wine notes indicate you can drink this wine through 2025 and complement it with any cuisine you can imagine.

Next, was a Grignolino d’Asti from Gianni Doglia 2022

Grignolino, I learned, are very small berries with a lot of pits in each berry. This gives it a good bit of tannin from the pits (or seeds). Given that tannins, I suspect that you could lay this wine down for several years and see how it matures.

It is a complex wine even though the lighter red color of the wine would lead one to believe otherwise. If you like Nebbiolo and want to see how Piemonte terroir can influence another varietal, you will not be disappointed trying this one. And, if you get a chance to try a Grignolino from California (Heitz makes a very good one) you’ll be surprised at how different the grape shows in warmer California weather (and terroir), where you will find a fuller more rounded wine than you would see from the grape in Piemonte.

The Coste della Sesia Rosso Uvaggio from Proprietà Sperino 2019 was almost all Nebbiolo. It has a small amount of Vespolina which I’ve heard of (don’t know much about it), but I was not familiar with and a grape Croatina. I discovered this is a local varietal that has been in Italy for a while.

This is a Nebbiolo that you want to keep several years to get its full potential and could easily go for 10 to 15 years if you have the time. I’d give it at least 3 -5 more years as I thought it tasted pretty young in its current state.

The Dolcetto from Dogliani D.O.C.G. Superiore Maioli Anna Maria Abbona 2021 was delicious and ready to drink now. It had a fragrant nose and would go well with most Italian foods.

I have been told that the best Dolcetto is from the Dogliani area of Piemonte. So, this is a safe bet if you are looking for an Italian red that hits the right notes for flavor and your pocketbook. You can keep this for 3 – 4 years and not be disappointed.

The final “wine” – Roero Mosto Parzialmente Fosso Della Rosa Giovanni Almondo 2023 technically it is NOT a wine. Because it is very low alcohol content, (5%), it can’t officially be called a wine. It’s a frizzante with wonderful fragrance and a delicious “desserty” flavor and finish. You may just want to drink this like soda with a little bit of alcohol in it or drink it with prosciutto and melon.

It was raining when we got there, and it was still raining when we left, but it was definitely a pleasant way to spend some time on a rainy day!

Colares: A Great Portuguese Wine and Shakespeare

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I’m a huge fan of Colares wine from Portugal. Part of it is the story, part of it is the scarcity and part of it are the flavors, aromas, and overall taste of this ancient and unique wine, and it can be both red and white.

In 2017 I visited Viúva Gomes in Almoçageme, a small and somewhat remote village in the Portuguese municipality of Sintra in the parish of Colares.  Their production is quite limited, and they produce their wine in 500 ml bottles, with both white (Branco) and red (Tinto) versions.

So, what makes this wine so special?  First, the vines grow several meters from the Atlantic Ocean which imparts a salinity that is unusual for most wines. Next, the vines are not on stakes or trellis’, the vines are lying on the sand dunes near the Atlantic Ocean. And their red wine is usually not offered for sale until it has aged for at least 8 to 10 years.

The white wines will show minerality, saline, salt, citrus, lemon, stone fruit, and a variety of other flavors and notes. Frankly, I usually can taste some of these flavors, but even after drinking and tasting wine all these years, I still find it a challenge to see how many flavors I can identify. It is a challenge I willingly accept!

The red wine exhibits earthiness, leather, red fruit, raspberry, cherry, raisin maybe fig. I had a vertical tasting of the Colares Tinto from Viúva Gomes from their 1938 vintage (or so, I forget the exact year) that still had so much fruit and freshness, that you would never think it was a wine that was more than 50 years old!

The reason for this preamble of Colares was also to demonstrate how an AI engine (ChatGPT 3.5) could describe this wine in the voice of Shakespeare, obviously a much more poetic voice than me??. I hope you enjoy the text and poetry. I know I will enjoy that bottle of Colares sitting in my wine cabinet, waiting, waiting…

How would Shakespeare describe a red wine from Collares, Portugal?

In Collares, whence this red wine doth hail,
A Portuguese gem, its tales we shall unveil.
From land of ancient vines and coastal breeze,
Comes nectar that doth put the soul at ease.
Its hue, a garnet cloak, rich and profound,
In goblets gleams like rubies ‘pon the ground.
From native Ramisco grapes, its heart is pressed,
A noble heritage, by time caressed.
The nose, a symphony of scents, doth rise,
With whispers of the sea and earthy ties.
Saline airs and forest’s ancient grace,
Mingle in this wine’s aromatic embrace.
Upon the palate, stories of the past,
Of sun-drenched slopes, and rugged vineyards vast.
Tannins, firm and sturdy, yet refined,
Like verses penned by poets, intertwined.
Oh, Collares wine, a treasure to behold,
In Shakespearean verse, thy tale is told.
Thy taste, thy lineage, thy coastal lore,
In every sip, a journey to explore.

Michael Gansl and Chad Eaves Talk Creating a Wine Business with Sheila Donohue

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Please join Chad Eaves and Michael Gansl for a fascinating conversation with Sheila Donohue who shares her journey from a career in hi-tech to founding verovino.com, an international company selling undiscovered wines and food from small wineries and farms from around the world.

I think you will be as impressed as I was hearing how Sheila has used her passion to create a successful business. And don’t forget to subscribe here.

Wait…It’s a RED Wine!

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Surprises, at least happy surprises when it comes to wine especially, help us enjoy it even more!

Such was the case, two days ago when our neighbor gave my wife a bottle of wine to thank her for a kind deed. My wife protested, but relented, perhaps knowing that a self-proclaimed wine buff like me would certainly appreciate it.

Since we were having roasted chicken for dinner that evening, I thought the gift of a bottle of Sancerre would be perfect with the chicken.

I got the bottle from my wine room, which used to be my daughter’s room (I somehow had convinced my wife that it was OK for me to turn our daughter’s former room into MY Wine Den), and I put it in our refrigerator to chill down the wonderful white wine to accompany our chicken that evening.

As I set the table, I opened the Sancerre and brought it to the table. After a bite or two of the delicious bird, I decided I should try this white wine (which I’ve enjoyed many times). As I poured the wine into my glass, I exclaimed, “It’s a RED wine! Wait, What!

Yes indeed, it was a RED Sancerre! Now I’ve drank and tasted hundreds or wines over the past few years and I’m sure I’ve had a red Sancerre before, but to say I was surprised this time is a gross understatement. This was not the white Sancerre that I am typically used to with its expressive nose and wonderful mineral quality.

Instead, I got a marvelous shock and surprise that a red Sancerre is a perfect pairing with roasted chicken. It had a fragrant nose, somebody, a bit of tannin, a textured mouthfeel, and a lovely mineral quality.

But what was it? What grape varietal could it be? In my Vivino app, I discovered it’s a Pinot Noir. WOW! Another pleasant surprise! I’m a huge Pinot Noir fan and have had Pinots from California, Patagonia, New Zealand, Burgundy of course, Tuscany, the North Fork of Long Island, and the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York, but it had been quite a while since I had a red Sancerre.

As I drank this wonderful surprise over two nights, I enjoyed it more and more. I love surprises, especially one where it totally challenged my expectation and I learned perhaps something not new, but something I had forgotten, and this entire experience reminded me of why wine is such a fascinating subject and why I enjoy it as much as I do!.

Matt and Michael Attend a Red Burgundy Wine Tasting of 12 Wines at Somm Cellars on 9/28

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Michael and I had the distinct pleasure to attend a red Burgundy tasting recently at Somm Cellars, a lovely wine shop located in Waterline Plaza on the Upper West Side at 59th street and Riverside Blvd. As the sheets with the list of wines shows, the vintages were from 2010 to 2020.

Red Burgundy is a favorite of ours and it was with anticipation that we looked forward to discovering some older vintages than we normally don’t get to taste.

As there were about 30 people there, a couple of people were pouring. We actually started with a 2021 Bourgogne which was not on the list, but we noted it as 1A. It was definitely very young and probably needed more time. The fact that it was just a Bourgogne (meaning the classification was from a generic Burgundy wine and not from a specific area in Burgundy, that would require it to be designated as a village AOC).

We worked the list backwards, starting with the #11 wine, a 2010 which we rated to be the lowest (5 on a scale of 10) according to my own personal preference. Bear in mind my rating could change depending on what order I’ve tasted each wine or just my preference that day. I liked the 2011 and 2012 better as I rated them 7.5 and 7 respectively. The 2013 was a challenging year and was not a likeable as the ’11 or ’12 vintage. 2014 was decent and poured from a Magnum, so it probably was aging a bit slower than a 750ml bottle.

I have a soft spot in my palate for any Morey St. Denis. So, I rated the 2015 my third highest at an 8. It had a bit more fruit than the prior vintages and the weather was hot so that probably helped give it a more fruit forward profile than the older vintages I tasted.

A note here from Michael, who agrees with me most of the time, but does not have a numeric scale, but he definitely agreed with me on the 2015, which had some very nice fruit up front, and a reasonable finish.

Then, with a different pourer, we started in the opposite direction with the 2020, which was a hot year, and a really dark purple color, and was 13% alcohol.  I liked it very much with a 7.5, while Michael did not really like it. See what I mean – we don’t always agree!

The 2019 was my favorite! The vintage had a 30-50% loss of yield because of frost. This made the grapes that remained more concentrated, thus more complex and for my palate much more interesting. I gave it an 8.5. (BTW, I had this a second time, and I loved the funky nose of this wine after it had been opened a bit longer). Believe it or not, Michael agreed with me that this was the best wine of the night!

The 2018 was very nice. It was a hot and dry year with a lot of sun and an early harvest. This was a 7.5 for me.   Overall, I rated this the 4th best wine of the night, while Michael rated it the 3rd best for him.  The 2017 was blessed with perfect weather, and had a nose similar to black tea, and was very approachable to drink now, but it didn’t quite do it for me, and I rated it a 7, and again, Michael agreed with me.

Finally, my second favorite was the 2016. It was a cold and rainy year with cold nights, producing lower acidic and was a very clean tasting wine.  I think this gave the wine its character and made it more interesting for me than most of the other vintages. I gave it an 8.25. Michael also agreed with me and rated this his 2nd best choice of the tasting.  Admittedly, this was the 10th wine he had tasted in the evening, but we did spit from time to time, and so we were still pretty clear eyed at that point, and with some water in between tasting each wine, we still were able to discern the differences in each of the wines. At least, we thought so?

We learned how important the weather is for the vintage and how it determines when the wine is harvested, how thick or how thin the grapes are, how structured are the tannins, and how soon you might want to drink the wine, or how long you might want to put it down to see how it ages and tastes over time.

The other thing we learned from this tasting is that both of us tend to like slightly younger wines that are fruit forward, fresh, energetic, have a bit of a funky nose, with a long finish. We particularly like it when each time you sip the wine again and again, the taste continues to change ever so slightly!

Want to read more about what we each thought of each wine? Click here for Michael Gansl’s tasting notes and click here for Matt Plociak’s tasting notes.

Michael Gansl Holds First Wines Of Reason Wine Tasting Event With 9 California and Oregon Wines

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We tasted nine wines plus we started with a Sharffenberger Sparkling wine from Mendocino, California to open up our palettes.

The goal was to compare the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles/Sta. Rita Hills and the Willamette Valley/Oregon and understand the expression of the two varietals in each region, and compare their similarities and differences.

It was a great evening for all, and I could tell which wines people enjoyed most, by seeing how much or how little was left in each bottle!

Want to learn more about what wines we drank? Click here for our tasting list and click here for a tasting notes worksheet.

What a Wine Collection! Billionaire Selling $50 Million Worth of Wine

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Talk about a wine collection for the ages! And it could be yours for only $50 million.

From Yahoo! News:

“Taiwanese billionaire Pierre Chen is auctioning off 25,000 bottles of wine from his vast collection, with some of the rarest items expected to fetch as much as $190,000 each.”

Read the Full Article