WTN: Charity Wine Tasting

[Brad Ballinger]

A couple of months back, my wife offered a wine tasting as a silent auction item for a charity event to benefit the Minneapolis Chapter of the American Red Cross. Marcia is on the Board of Directors for the chapter, and a good Director should sponsor an auction item or two. It was featured as a wine tasting for eight in your home, with hors d’oeuvres, conducted by us. She wanted to add the words “wine expert” (or something like that, but I wouldn’t let her – because it’s simply not true). I can’t recall what we settled on as a compromise descriptor.

We’ve done this sort of thing before for other charities with which she has been involved. I like doing them most of the time. But at the last one I did, the bidders and the guests they invited seemed more interested in trying to show off their wine “knowledge” (quite badly I might add), and it left a bad taste in both of our mouths. But we got back up on the horse and decided to give it another go. Marcia was fairly new to the Red Cross board, and this would be a way for her to build relationships – that is, assuming a board member had the winning bid. After all, it could’ve gone to anyone in attendance.

Well, we were lucky. A fellow board member (also relatively new) bid on it. He and his wife invited three other couples into their home for the tasting. I usually leave this in the hands of the host as to what type of tasting they wish to do. The host said that his guests had some wine knowledge, and certainly liked it a lot. He thought a good idea would be to feature wines or wine regions that are “hot” right now. I thought that was a great idea, not knowing if I could deliver on it or not. But it would be a fun theme, and a good one that he could “market” to his guests. I also wanted to expose the guests to wines that they might not otherwise get a chance to taste.

I settled on Recoltant-Manipulant Champagne, Germany, Sicily, and domestic Syrah. I threw in a couple dessert wines for fun. This was a terrific group. They asked good questions – question they really wanted to know the answers to and not posturing questions for them to attempt to show off their knowledge (such as has happened other times I’ve done this). This made the conversation light, friendly, and effortless. They appreciated that I was there as one of them, a consumer, and that I wasn’t “selling” any of the wines I brought.

1996 Champagne Pierre Peters “Cuvée Speciale” Blanc de Blancs Brut, Les Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru. Dead dead dead. I pulled the cork – no pop, no sssss, no vapor. I poured the wine. No mousse. Damn shame. A very bad way to start. And I didn’t bring any back up bottles. $41.

NV Champagne E. Barnaut Blanc de Noirs Brut, Bouzy Grand Cru. At least this on is alive. Rich straw color. Active bead. A hefty dose of toast on the nose. Flavors of tart apples, strawberries, some roasted nuts, and a chalky mineral quality. Mousse was slightly on the coarse side. The core wine itself showed a high acidity level, which I always like. This helped avoid a drop-off once the mousse spent itself in the mouth. One person commented that this was the first Champagne he had ever liked. $28.

2003 Donnfugata Anthilia, Sicilia IGT. This wine is a blend of 50% ansonica and 50% cataratto. This is my first time with the 2003, which I found to be not quite what the lovely 2002 was. This one shows a bit more green character, and gives up a little something in the concentration of fruit department and the acidity department to the wine from the previous vintage. There are some carambola flavors that find a way to surface. But, overall, the wine didn’t have the complexity I was hoping for based on the 2002. The guests liked it, though, which is the important thing. One woman commented on how it was much better than the Pinot Grigio she usually drinks. I didn’t ask her which one that would be. $15.

1999 H. Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese, Nahe. One of the guests recognized this label the minute he walked in the door. He couldn’t wait to get to it. He also took the leftover wine in the bottle home with him. This is about the fourth of fifth time I’ve had this wine over the past 2-3 years. It’s still a powerfully fruity wine. The nose shows some sulfur/petrol that slightly blew off over about 20 minutes. It’s a juice bomb in the mouth – pears, some peach, some tropical, some telltale cherry. Although it lacks the acidity of some other wines in the stable, primarily from other vintages, there is still enough here to keep it from being fat and flabby. $23.

2000 Philipp Kuhn Laumersheimer Kirschgarten Spätburgunder Trocken, Pfalz. This was the first German red wine the group had ever seen. But I imagine many U.S. people reading this would be in that category. This was I wine I carried back from Germany last fall. Philipp uses new French oak, and it shows on the nose. At the top of the aromas coming out of the glass is an unmistakable scent of dill. I can’t stand dill in much of anything, so it’s going to turn me off straightaway. Once I commented on it, all the guests could smell it, too (ahhh, the power of suggestion). Layered beneath it was some mineral character, some black cherry, and some vanilla. In the mouth, the wine showed a surprisingly deft balance that I wouldn’t have imagine based on the up front dill. It was very pleasant – light bodied, yet not lacking for harmony of fruit, mineral, even if the acid is a bit on the low side. The guests liked this wine very much. $32

2000 Valle dell’Acate Tané, Sicilia IGT. This wine is a 100% nero d’avola that desperately wants to be a syrah (or at least wants to prove that nero d’avola can stand on its own and doesn’t need to be blended with syrah), and 2000 is the maiden vintage for Tané. The almost black color, though, belies the medium bodied feeling the wine creates in the mouth. The nose is one of freshly crushed and spicy blueberries and blackberries. Although this wine ages for 12-14 in barrique, it carries the wood well, and is not overpowered by it. Yet, one is always aware of its presence. The fruit is what shows through on the palate enveloped in herbs and spices. A nice acidity level as well. I think it still needs a year or two to bring some elements into harmony. Personally, I prefer a brighter, less heavy-handed winemaking approach to nero d’avola, but this wine has the potential to win me over depending on how it ages. $45.

1999 Garretson “The Finné” Syrah, Alban Vineyard, Edna Valley. One whiff, and I know I’m no longer in Europe. Quite ripe blueberries, cream, and oak. And oak. It’s a luscious mouthful of fruit and sweet oak. Acidity on the low side. But there’s plenty of power here to entertain and impress the guests. I’m not sure they’re the type to pay the sticker price, but they certainly liked it. I would’ve liked some more mineral and dimension. I have another bottle left, and will still let it sit for a couple more years. $65.

2000 deLille Cellars “Doyenne” Syrah, Yakima Valley. Blueberries (not as ripe as the Garretson), oak, and alcohol. And oak. And alcohol (15.2%). If it wasn’t being upstaged by the oak and alcohol, I really liked the fruit profile of this wine. And there were some secondary elements of spice and coffee, and a trace of minerality. Finished with a bit of a burn. The guests also liked this wine. The tannins were ripe, yet firm. This, too, may need a bit more time. But I fear the alcohol will always be an issue, for me at any rate. $41.

1989 Lafaurie Peyraguey, Sauternes. This wine is just starting to turn (in a good way) where the sugar is shedding some of its up front sweetness and taking on more of a crème brulée character. It’s more noticeable on the nose than on the palate at present. The flavors in the mouth show some caramelized tropical fleshy fruits, a bit of coconut, and some honey-roasted nuts. The acidity packs a punch, giving the wine brightness and lift even as it is starting to show some mature character. I bought this so long ago I have no idea what it cost then or now.

2001 Domaine du Mas Amiel Maury. The host couple advised there would be a rich chocolate dessert, so I threw this bottle in the mix. I’ve gone on record as still preferring coffee with chocolate, but in the interest of education I offered the group a wine that many like to pair with chocolate. They liked it quite a bit, commenting that is doesn’t quite have the Robitussin quality they’ve found in many ports they’ve had. The wine shows a nose of chocolate and sweet red fruit. It is equally uncomplicated on the palate – pleasant enough, even if it doesn’t blow one away with power or complexity. $18.

All eight of the participant thoroughly enjoyed the evening, commenting that they got “a steal.” And maybe they did, but I had a good time as well. To my surprise, the hosts offered Marcia and I a bottle of 1987 Lafite Rothschild, Paulliac. The bottle came into their possession when the husband stopped to help a woman with car trouble several years ago. She sent the bottle as a “thank you.” I don’t know how many years ago that was. The bottle had been in “storage” on a wine rack in the dining room ever since (but never in direct sunlight). When I spotted the wine earlier, and heard the story, I advised the couple that they may wish to drink it sooner than later given the reputation of the 1987 vintage. Now Marcia and I will be the ones to drink in sooner than later, most likely this coming weekend as we celebrate our anniversary.