The holiday season is upon us. The celebrations provide opportunity to sample a number of wines, something I could not do independently without the rest of the crowd to help finish the bottles. Also, the endless parades of food provide interesting possibilities for pairings. Some of the wines have been on this blog previously, and some may appear in upcoming posts. So here are the highlights of the last weeks, in the order tasted.
Helfrich Alsace Grand Cru Riesling, 2006. I have been on a search for wines from Alsace and have been having a difficult time finding options which I liked, predominantly because of residual sugar. This wine was the true "find." I has aromas of violets and white fruits, a nice floral bouquet but you can smell the minerality of the wine. The taste follows through on the flowery theme with a nice sense of pear or nectarine. This is well balanced by crisp acidity and minerality. It was a special purchase in the Pa state store system and is a good choice; I cellared a 6 bottle case. Great wine and a great price.
Ehrhart Cremant d'Alsace degorge le 25.08.2010. This is another "find." I used it as the sparkling wine at Thanksgiving and it has become a staple through the rest of the season. It is labeled as chardonnay. The mousse has fine, uniform bubbles which persist well in the flute. The nose is clean and fruity, with a hint of green apple. The taste is green fruits and citrus with an almost creamy texture in the mouth. The acid and mineral are well balanced with the 12.5% alcohol level. It is dry. I really like this wine.
There was an easily forgettable white Beaujolais which I tried just because it is so uncommon; there are only 500 acres of white grapes planted in the region. This wine was pure chardonnay, no aligote was in the blend. It was good, but certainly would not stand up to its northerly neighbors.
Domaine Pral "Au Pays des Pierres Dorees" Beaujolais 2009. Red obviously, and all Gamay. This is a very nice wine example of Beaujolais. The color is bright red and clear. The nose is floral and red cherry bubblegum. The tastes match the nose and the finish is well balanced. I picked this up as an experiment and I am glad I got a couple of bottles. This is not the Morgon in the cellar, but it is great to drink while waiting for that to age. This is a good and flexible wine.
Les Hauts d'Acantalys 2008 Lirac (white). This is actually produced in Tavel with grapes sourced from Lirac (remember, Tavel is rose wine). I really liked this wine. The aromas are of fruits and flowers, the taste is well balanced with white stone fruits, pears, and citrus. It is well balanced with nice minerality and acidity. The stated blend is 58% grenache blanc, 28% clairette, and 14% bourboulenc. I only bought 2 bottles of this and I intend to go back and get a case. It is a wonderful white southern rhone wine. This was the bottle for sipping while cooking on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th. It was consistent for 3 days after being opened.
Domaine Cherrier et Fils Sancerre 2008. This was the first wine opened for the "early" arrivals on Christmas day, and for the uninitiated it provided a fine example of its region- citrus and grass. I like this wine, as did everyone else. It was a good prelude to beginning the party with the cremant previously described.
Pierre Amadieu Gigondas "Romane Machotte" 2007. I blogged about this wine a few months ago and chose it as the main wine for dinner. It went well with all of the courses- onion soup, salad, ham, potatoes gratin, and roasted haricots verte with garlic. Plenty of young fruit but just enough tertiary aromas and flavors to be interesting with the entire meal. Again, I really like this wine and patiently anticipate what it will do over the next 5 years.
Clare Luce Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2006. Again, this is a wine discussed months ago. It was a wonderful contrast to the Gigondas and went well with second servings.
Something had to stand up to dessert. Chateau de Veyres Sauternes, 2003. This may be regarded as infanticide, but it went quite well with the sweets. The wine is just beginning to gain some darkness, the nose is floral, with fruit and honey. And, the honeyed taste of botrytis comes shining through. The sweetness is nicely balanced by the acidity and alcohol. This is a wine sitting in the cellar for a long while to come. We had not tasted it in a year; it is coming along well.
And for the clean-up crew... Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. Young, red fruits, pepper, and smoke. This gives a slightly different meaning to the clean up.
My thanks to the intrepid group of tasters and eaters who made this wide range of samplings possible. Obviously, without a group there would have been a lot of waste. I have noticed that the rubber stopper in the remaining cremant popped out during the night but the mousse is still quite good. The last of the Sancerre did not deteriorate sitting on the counter over night. Posts will be coming on my search for wines of Alsace in Pennsylvania, a collection of Sancerre tastings, and maybe a midwinter comment on the rose wines of Tavel. Best wishes to all for a safe and joyous holiday season. And a light snow has just begun to fall.
