There are many ways to describe a wine. Some describe and remembers it as a memoir, food pairing, taste profiles, and so on…Previously, I did ask and was wondering what other ways can a wine be described? For the sake of this article, I’ll be swaying away from the conventional tasting notes but instead I shall describe the wines below as a ‘personality’. I’ll be describing the wines as how these personalities have charmed my palate.

Just recently, I was with a group of wine lovers for an “appreciation” night. Five wines, all red, BLINDED and well decanted by the host himself for no less than 2 hours. Let the fun begin! Surely different wines require different amount of ‘airtime’ to strut their full potential but this goes to show how serious these wine lovers are and how hedonistic pleasures may be achieved through various methods of preparation before serving.

Firstly, KUDOS to the host! He has certainly done it well and got most of us fooled (in a good way)! All the wines certainly had a similar distinct characteristic….very Bordeaux like indeed (Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot based wines). Since the wines were blind with the only theme of being present and to enjoy the company amidst the red velvets in front of us, most knew the style of wine but certainly were not sure of the origin, what more the vintage. All of us even thought there was a ‘joker’, otherwise a teaser, amongst the flight of wines. Soon enough when the bottles were unveiled, it turned out to be a VERTICAL TASTING!  Fooled! But this is how fun is defined in wine terminology (for geeks like me amongst aficionados)!

It was truly a great way to learn and to experience the true nature of each vintage, not forgetting the style of the winemaker and the terroir of the vineyard.  The wines were from……a Bordeaux Second Growth from the appellation St-Julien, Chateau Léoville-Barton. Below are the five vintages that we savoured.

1995
Wine Personality: A sexy shy damsel indeed, packed with inner beauty and elegance but only still peeking from behind. Perhaps, it’s a Burg lover’s style of Bordeaux.


1999
Wine Personality: This is a beauty from the first whiff, packed on some weight over the decade yet one who knows how to keep elegance in check to continue charming the beholder, leaving a long lasting impression!

2002
Wine Personality: Compared to the other siblings, this has a more petite personality, not bad just lesser dominance with slightly sharper and edgy characteristics.

2003
Wine Personality: A hunk in a tank top with muscles ripping through wearing a light musky floral perfume where one senses the raw might of a gymjunkie with a firm grip.

2004
Wine Personality: Similar to the 2003, yet different. Unlike his other 2004 counterparts who may be not as ‘big’ from this vintage, this is a well build teenager, young and masculine but dressed in a tightly knitted suit framed as a gentleman!


During your next sip, do think about how you’d like to express your drink!

Remember folks…..

Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!

Salut!

As a follow up from my previous post on Food and Wine pairings with Beringer’s Senior Wine Educator, here are some of my tasting notes on Beringer’s Private Reserves, some of which are Jerry’s favourite picks. After a truly informative and mind stimulating workshop, there comes the time to just ‘chill’ for some. However, for myself, it was great to have tasted the following:



Beringer, 2007 Private Reserve Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: Stonefruits, nutty and apple bouquet on the nose following on to a nice concentration on the palate with apples, mild buttery notes and slight honeyed like complexity.

Beringer, 2003 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes: Nose showing leafy blackcurrants, black fruits with herbaceous eucalyptus notes while it is medium bodied on the palate with good balance and nice acidity, once again with blackcurrants, herbaceous green pickles on the mid palate plus some chocolaty notes.

Beringer, 2003 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepage
One of Beringer’s single vineyard icons!

Tasting Notes: Truly Bordeaux like for the ‘Bord’ lovers with a bit more sunshine in my opinion!
The nose is showing funky earthy and black fruity nuances while the body is well structured, medium in depth with good concentration and intensity displaying black fruits, blackcurrant and dusty chocolaty oak. A well poised wine that is not over the top with vibrant acidity keeping it in check.

 

Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!
Cheers!

Bordeaux, an uncommon name to call upon for most drinkers. The Bordeaux region produces many dry reds, some great whites and off course fantastic ‘sweets’ / stickies as some like to call it, although the whites may sometimes be overshadowed by the great reds of Bordeaux, especially those coming from the Medoc 1855 Classification where they bear the pride of the Grand Cru Classé.  Besides the Grand Cru Classé classification of Classed Growths, there are also other levels of classification for those Chateaux which did not make it one and half century ago such as the straight AOC appellations to Cru Bourgeois (which comes with controversies) for the left bank of Bordeaux. Leaving legal issues and controversies aside, many people are just keen to enjoy wines as they are and what each bottled juice has to offer.

Hence, comes the question of what Bordeaux are available that one is able to enjoy, as most good Bordeaux wines are made to age and will often last for the medium to long haul?

True to say that most good vintages have the potential to age, however, the following red Bordeaux (but not limited to) does drink quite well with simplicity at the moment especially when there are good companions around!

Château D’Escurac, 2006 Cru Bourgeois Superieur (Medoc)

Tasting Notes: Dark blackberries and red cherries follow through from the nose with a touch of earthiness and graphite-leanness on the palate. Medium bodied, youthful acidity, not wholly complex but easy going with soft approachable tannins.

In my opinion, this is a decent value-play ‘weekday’ Bordeaux for the ‘Bord-lovers’ before lavishly uncorking the Crus at the end of the week. Besides, its soft tannins make it approachable even at this young stage. If you are around the Orchard shopping belt, this Bordeaux (and many other Crus) are available at 1855 The Bottle Shop.

Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!

Salut!

French fries? Definitely not! But rather a French-affaire with three beauties. After missing out on limited and low production Californian Syrah line-up recently, we headed back to the native old world where the famous Syrah comes from, France. Ironically, the line up did not include any Rhone Syrahs however, we travelled to Bordeaux, then Burgundy and to finish it off…at Champagne!

What more can one asks for at the end of the week but to enjoy good wines in the presence of good company?! This Friday had truly been a fortunate one being able to enjoy a 21 year old Bordeaux (reached puberty? adulthood?), a Burgundian red from a stellar vintage and a Grand Cru growers Champagne.

Château Clerc Milon, 1989 Grand Cru Classe (Pauillac)

Most Bordeaux drinkers probably know where Clerc Milon lies….in Bordeaux’s left bank, Pauillac where most of Bordeaux’s big full reds are from. What makes Clerc Milon even more sought after is not just its finesse and structure but also because it is under the stable of the great Mouton-Rothschild which happens also to be its neighbour. Lastly, 1989 has been long lauded as a great vintage in Pauillac which would give this red a bonus. In summary, after having tasted this wine, it shows that with great care and providence, great Bordeaux can go the extra mile in the cellar! Extremely young and vibrant….Forever 21?!?

Bouquet: Showing nice fruits – plums, graphite, some wet earthiness and sweet spices.

Palate: Rich with a good vibrant structure holding it together while dusty chocolaty tannins remains soft for the long haul encasing sweet savoury moorish plums, red fruits, graphite and mild earthiness on the mid palate. Great after 2 hours decanting!

Maison Champy, 2005 Aux Saints Juliens (Nuits-Saint-Georges)

A beauty in the making which currently remains in its infant phase. Decanting required, of which only after 3 hours did the wine start to show its soul, packing up more weight and seriousness!

Bouquet: Red cherries, some mouldy notes plus herbal tea nuances with very slight mint

Palate: Medium bodied packing up more weight with air, high acid and high tannin structure – ideal cellaring potential. On the taste profile, dense red cherries and sour plum core with slight earthiness and minty tea notes.

Jean Lallement et Fils, NV Grand Cru Brut (Verzenay)

Some may say Grand Cru Champagne while others say grower’s Champagne…nevertheless, no matter what one prefers to classify this beauty as…it’s a great value champagne!

Bouquet: Complex ripe fruit aromas of apples and more, some gingery spice and nutty tones.

Palate: Ripe Granny Smith apples flavours, nutty, yeasty and dried smoked hay notes. Sharp bubbles but great freshness!

For the lovers of grower’s Champagne…stay tuned!

Always trust your PALate, it’s your PAL!

Salut!