Wine School, White Burgundies and Chardonnay, January 30, 2012

Wines

Perraud Macon-Villages White  2011

Color:  Pale, straw yellow

Nose:  Hints of lemon, lime zest, herbs, and wet stones.

Mouth:  Very crisp, light wine with nice minerality on a lingering finish with a hint of salt.
Price: $16.99

Conclusion: Enjoyed by all. Light, refreshing, would love to enjoy with a light meal sitting outside. 

Pairings

Cheese

• Havarti Cheese with Dill-went well with the herbs of the wine.
• Barber's 1833English Vintage Cheddar-not a match.
• Gruyere Cheese Roth Grand Cru-really enhanced the finish, made the cheese more vibrant.

Popcorn-just ok-now wow factor.
Crab Cakes-very good.
Smoked Salmon-just ok.
California Pizza Kitchen White Pizza-nice match.
Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Sea Salt Escape-wonderful, definitely recommend.

Domaine J.M. Boillot Bourgogne 2011

 

Color:  Straw yellow                                                                                                                                   

Nose:  Creamy oak with a bit of nuttiness and a hint of citrus.

Mouth:  Wonderfully balanced wine, refreshing with a bit of creaminess and nice mineral finish.

Price: $22.99

Conclusion:  Overall this was another hit with the winos, a bit more full bodied than the first wine. It paired wonderfully with the crab cakes, Havarti Dill Cheese, and the White Pizza.

Pairings

Cheese

• Havarti Cheese with Dill-wonderful!
• Barber's 1833English Vintage Cheddar-brought out the oakiness of the wine in a nice way.
• Gruyere Cheese Roth Grand Cru-it enhanced the fruit of the wine, but didn't work with the finish.

Popcorn-Fantastic
Crab Cakes-very good!
Smoked Salmon-better than first wine, but nothing special.
California Pizza Kitchen White Pizza-very nice pairing.
Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Sea Salt Escape-didn't work.

Gundlach-Bundschu Chardonnay 2010
 

Color: Straw yellow

Nose:  Very earthy in an unappealing manner, very musty.

Mouth:  The musty earthiness was present on the mouth too. It overpowered the fruit.

Price:  $20.99

Conclusion:  We feel that this wine was compromised in some way. It definitely had an old, mustiness on both the nose and mouth. It is our opinion that the wine was "corked". A wine is corked when a faulty cork, tainted with chemicals, leech into the wine. These trace chemicals aren't dangerous, but cause the odor that overwhelms the fruit of the wine. A disappointment, but it is estimated that 3-5% of all wines are "corked".

Final Thoughts:

Beth -  I was excited to compare the two French Burgundies to a U.S. Chardonnay, so I was disappointed when the U.S. wine was corked, but I think we still were able to get a sense of how the style of the French wines differ from U.S. Chardonnay. I enjoyed both of the French wines, and find it hard to pick a favorite. I loved the Perraud with the Ghiradelli Gourmet Milk Sea Salt Escape, but I found the Domaine Boillot best overall with our food pairings.

Lisa - This class was a great way to compare Chardonnays from very different soils-France and America.  I was looking forward to tasting the differences, however, agreed that the American was not up to par.  I'm sure we'll give it a try another time!  I think I had to favor the Domaine J.M. Bouillot over the other French wine (althought they were both delicious).  I preferred the cheeses with this one but who can resist the white pizza!

Mary Jo-This class was very interesting and I felt like I came away with so much new information!  As we know, the Winos like their reds, but the two French Burgundies were really wonderful!  Unfortunately, as Beth indicated, the U.S. Chardonnay we planned to compare the Burgundies to was corked.  However, it did provide us with a good lesson on what corked wine smells and tastes like!  I felt the Gruyere enhanced the finish of the Perraud and the Havarti with dill great with both the Perraud and the Domaine Boillot.  The English cheddar brought out the oakiness and creaminess of the Domaine Boillot.  As far as the chocolate, it was great with the Perraud.

Wine School, Zinfandel vs. Primitivo, January 17, 2013

Wine School, January 17, 2013

Primitivo, Zinfandel, Old Vine Zinfandel

Wines

 

Layer Cake Primitivo 2010

Color:  Opaque, ruby red

Nose:  Must, oaky, woodsy with white pepper. Mary Jo picked up a garden mixture aroma with a hint of mint too.

Mouth:  Fruit up front with minerality and a lovely mid palate. The finish drops off.
Price:  $15.99

Conclusion: A nice, easy drinking everyday wine. 

Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2010

Color:  Dark, deep ruby

Nose:  Deep blueberry and blackberry notes with some mustiness, and a hint of smokiness.

Mouth:  Nice finish with notes of pepper, a balanced jammy fruit. Definitely a longer finish than the Layer Cake.
Price:  $19.99

Conclusion:  This wine was definitely the favorite of the bunch. We all loved the finish and it seemed to pair best with most of the food. We especially enjoyed it with the White Pizza and dark chocolate.

Rosenblum Cellars Appellation Series Zinfandel 2005

Color:  Brick red

Nose:  Fresh pumpkin, dark fruit, with underlying earthiness

Mouth:  Some tartness on the finish with big tannins, acidic with a bit of spiciness on the finish.
Price:  $17.99

Conclusion:  This wine seemed to be a bit chewy for all of us and the tannins seemed a bit out of balance. It may be that wine had already met its prime.

Pairings

Cheese

• Gouda
• English Cheddar

California Pizza Kitchen White Pizza
Mexican Layer Dip
Chocolate

• 72% Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate
• Lindt Chili Chocolate

Final Thoughts:

Beth -  I love Zinfandels so this was a great class and perfect for a cold, winter night! Klinker Brick was by far my favorites of the wines we sampled tonight. I loved its finish and it went well with most of the pairings. It was fantastic with the layered Mexican dip and the dark chocolate. The Layer Cake was a bit disappointing in its finish, but the finish did improve with the food.  The Rosenblum was interesting with lots of tannins. I could see pairing it with a grilled steak. It was also wonderful with the Lindt Chili Chocolate. My biggest disappointment was the cheese just didn't stand up to these wines.

Lisa - It's been a while since I've had a Zinfandel so I was ready for the class!  Starting with the Layer Cake which I have had a few times in the past was very good but I think older vintages were a little better than the 2010.  The Klinkerbrick was definitely my favorite! I've had it a few times and with its high alcohol content (15.8% yikes!) you could get too much of a good thing, so be careful.  Finishing with the  Rosenblum, the tannins were a little on the high side for me. As for the food pairings, Klinkerbrick was by far the best and the chocolates were my favorite!

Mary Jo-I was so excited to do this class.  I have been so into spicy wines lately!  I have to agree with Beth with my favorite wine being the Klinker Brick.  I have to admit, I have had this wine several times and love it every time.  I did this class because DNA testing in the late 90's revealed that the zinfandel grape was identical to the Primitivo grape of Italy.  I thought we would pair that with a zinfandel and an "old vine" zinfandel.  I can't say that the three were strikingly similar - as I thought they would be.  The finish on the Layer Cake Primitivo was abrupt, but the food pairings did help.  The cheeses, while recommended, did not pair well, but the chili chocolate was a delicious pairing.  Klinker Brick takes the prize for the evening!