PTA Wine Tasting
Our House - Minnesota
Tasted Saturday, June 14, 2008 - Sunday, June 15, 2008 by vanpe003 with 808 views
Introduction
At long last, we finally had G's friends over for a much talked about and anticipated tasting / culling. Great group of folks including Dave and Theresa, Tim and Marilyn, Doug and Chris, Mike and Nance, Laura, Dave, and Randy. While not the same kind of over-the-top event as some I've read about, we opened a lot of good to really good wines. For me, as well as many of the guests, it was a nice opportunity to taste a number of examples of several varietals. Too many wines, but a good tasting and learning experience. Also, too much food. Grilled tenderloin sandwiches, grilled lamb chops, chips with crab dip, guacamole and jicama slaw, bacon wrapped dates courtesy of Chris, and a multitude of desserts courtesy of Theresa.
Tasting notes are a bit limited, and largely from memory and/or second day impressions.
Flight 1 - Bubblies (4 Notes)
The surprise for me in this group was the '97 Roederer, which was quite the bargain and my favorite of the bunch.
Flight 2 - Still Whites (9 Notes)
It never happens this way at my house, but for the first time the fans of whites were privy to a fair number of pretty good bottles. A bit of a hodge-podge, the consensus favorite was the 2002 Beaucastel, the only bottle finished. The Weinbach was disappointing compared to earlier tastings. Likewise, I was hoping for more from both the Hansel and Alban. Everything else was quite good, transcending ordinary summer party fare.
Flight 3 - Pinots (7 Notes)
I originally started this as a Oregon pinot flight. But after opening 5 of those, I added a couple of California bottles to add some variety. In general, while the Oregon bottles drank nicely, they don't have the same sort of quaffer appeal as the California bottles. The exception is the Scott Paul, which was very nicely balanced and the favorite of several.
Flight 4 - Syrah / Shiraz (6 Notes)
All good, but the Stolpman was the hands down winner for current drinking, the Lafage probably the best QPR on the cheap side.
Flight 5 - Cab / Cab Blends (6 Notes)
No real rockstars here. Both the Atalon and Mondavi were outstanding wines. The others were good but relatively ordinary.
Closing
A nice evening all the way around, good company and great weather....for the most part. Weathered a minor storm of 50mph winds accompanied by wines and tobacco products on the front porch. We successfully managed to send a lot of leftover wine home with our guests, leaving fewer bottles in the recycle bin for our neighbors to whisper about!
NV Spumantizzato Da Vi.S.Ma Marsango Prosecco San Martino 85 Points
Italy, Veneto / Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco
(6/15/2008)
Pleasant quaffer, if not very serious. Good summer splash!
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2002 Marquès de Gelida Cava 89 Points
Spain, Cava
(6/15/2008)
Screaming bargain. Fuller, better fruit and balance than the 2000 (whic may be too old at this point). Nice on its own, but a perfect mimosa bubbly....great quality at the right price.
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1998 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage 91 Points
France, Champagne
(6/15/2008)
Out of a 750ml, seems smoother and better developed than the 375's. A nice, midweight champagne that was just a shade outclassed by the 1997 Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut.
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1997 Roederer Estate L'Ermitage Brut 93 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
(6/15/2008)
Probably the best sparkler of the evening, and a flat-out steal @ $43/mag. Medium-bodied, somewhat toasty. A good middle-of-the-road style suitable for either drinking by itself or with food.
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