Wine Club March ‘08 Meetup: The Recap!

This past weekend the F&WB Wine Club met up for an Easter-eve wine tasting. We had a good turnout this month with 13 attendees including 5 (two of which I am pictured with below near our bar) new people who haven’t been to any previous tastings. There were more than 10 cheeses, multiple salmon-based finger foods, grilled chicken and a bunch of other treats on hand. The theme was to bring a bottle of wine under $20 that was something you have had before and enjoyed. The hope was to find a handful of great value wines that would be outstanding for every-day consumption. About half of the wines fell into this category while the other half were randomly picked. The wines were all brown bagged and tasted blind and rated. We voted on our favorites at the end of the night before removing the bags. Below is a list of the wines on hand in descending order of how they were rated (I present the sparkling wines first which were tasted non-blind). The unanimous winner was the 2006 Fat Catz Cat Amongst Pigeons Syrah/Cabernet blend which I scored blind 91 pts and is an outstanding value.

One thing I learned tonight is that whenever you get a group together than consists of more than 50% scientists, you end up with some interesting conversations that you won’t hear in any other wine tasting in the world (Ben and Jim argued about differential equations for 10 minutes). Also, when you put a guy in charge of making arbitrary names for the brown bagged wines, be sure to pick a neuroscientist-in-training that has a background in physics and engineering. You’ll be sure to end up with quirky code names such as”love potion number 9″, the symbol for “Pi”, and miscellaneous equations. Kidding aside, great work Jim (pictured here Left - Right: Nadia, Jim, Aubrey, Kim)!

Thanks to everyone who came and joined in on the tasting. I look forward to seeing you all (including the New Yorkers!) at upcoming tastings. To those who missed it, you missed out on overall, a great lineup of wines! We look forward to seeing everyone at Aprils tasting (date to be determined!).

The Sparklers (tasted non-blind):

NV Sommariva Prosecco di Conegliano ($15): A new prosecco on my list of great value Sparkling wines. A bit more sweet than I’m used to with Prosecco, but it was notes of honey accenting fresh citrus flavors so it wasn’t too sweet. Crisp, refreshing acidity, great appertif for the price. My rating: 89 pts, VGV

NV Avinyo Brut Cava ($11): Consistently good value cava. My rating: 86/7 pts, GV

NV Gruet Rose Brut (New Mexico) ($12): Crisp, clean, good amount of fruit (mostly cherry), refreshing finish. Good value Sparkling Rose. My rating: 85 pts, GV

Wines Tasted Blind (two wines didn’t make this list as my notes were incomplete, one didn’t make it due to being corked):

2006 Cat Amongst the Pigeons Fat Cat Barossa Earth Barossa ($12): Deep purple color, cherry notes, subtle cassis, some black pepper. Great mouthfeel-elegant and sassy with sweet tannins and a nice finish. My rating: 91 pts, OV (Outstanding value)

(Tasted Non-Blind): 2005 Andre Brunel Cotes du Rhone ($12): Great quality for the price- Cherry, big cranberry notes, with a nice spice profile accented by black pepper and dried herbs. “Rhone-esque” character and weight with a nice finish. My rating: 89 pts, VGV

2001 Castello Romitorio Morellino di Scansano ($12): This Sangiovese comes from Montalcino and gets the vote for best label art of the night (image to right)! Loads of blackberry, raspberry with dried herbs and a touch of earthniess. The tannins are medium, 30 second finish that reiterates herbs and introduces a cedar component. Balance isn’t perfect which holds this back from receiving a better rating. My rating: 89 pts, VGV

2005 Esencia de Monte Yecla Red Wine (Spain) ($13): This Spanish wine consists only of Monastrell. Another wine with deep purple color that rightly suggest layers of deep, dark fruits, leather and anise flavors as well as mineral notes. Medium tannins that began rough but opened up after some time in the glass- decant an hour or two before serving. My rating: 89 pts, VGV

2006 Summers Estate Charbono (Napa) ($18): Beautiful deep purple color. Dark fruits galore; blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry…with interesting herb and spice notes. Good balance and pleasant acidity, this wine would be even better served with a nice dinner. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2006 Villa Maria Riesling Private Bin Marlborough ($13): This is a steal for a good Riesling. Light gold color with apple, pear notes with a bit of citrus, honey and resounding mineral notes. There is serious acidity and a refreshing citrusy-crispness. My rating: 88 pts,VGV

2005 Catena Malbec (Mendoza) ($18): Deep purple color in the glass - almost makes the glass feel heavier beacuse you know this has some weight to it! Aroma’s of blackberry, pepper, blueberry, cherry, and some tobacco with similar flavors on the palate with a touch of chocolate near the long finish. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2005 Baltos Dominio de Tares Bierzo (Mencia) ($10): Blackberry and raspberry on the nose that is accompanied by some serious dirty diaper/earth notes. The nose was funky but interesting, to say the least. On the palate, the wine was a bit dialed down with the funkiness gone with dark fruits and candy notes, good balance/acidity and a nice smooth finish. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2006 Palazzone Terre Vineate ($10): Crisp white wine of the Orvieto varietal. Interesting tropical fruit notes with jasmine and butterscotch. A fun wine to try. My rating: 86 pts, OKV

2006 Peique Tinto Mencia (Spain) ($13): Serious dark color! Notes of blueberry, sour cherry, spice, and a meaty component. Big luscious wine, big tannins- could use a little more acidity. A little heat on the long finish. My rating: 85 pts, OKV

2005 Trinchero Pinot Noir Vista Montone Napa Valley - $18: An OK Pinot Noir from Napa. This ‘05 had a nose of red cherry, prominent sweaty sock and earth notes. Red berry notes with sweet tannins. My rating: 84 pts, PV

2005 Chateau Saintongey Bordeaux ($12): Entry level Bordeaux that shows little effort. Plum, dark raspberry, blackberry notes, a bit of spice, lacks balance. My rating: 83 pts, PV

2006 The Wolftrap Syrah/Mourvedre, Viognier ($10): Smoked meats, some miscellaneous red and black fruit but seriously overpowering smokey and spice notes. A few people liked this a little better (84-85 pt range), but I can’t understand why! My rating: 82 pts, PV