Kermit Lynch Tasting with Ryan Mullins @ Le Caveau 5/12/12

Kermit Lynch Wine Tasting with Ryan Mullins
We met Certified Sommelier, Ryan Mullins of Quality Wine and Spirits (Distributer) as we tasted through some gems from the Kermit Lynch Portfolio.

1. NV Achad-Vincent Brut Clairette de Die AOC - $24.99 - 11.5% alcohol, 100% Clairette - Fresh, clean-cut pear, and green apple notes backed by a tangy, refreshing finish.  The most well-known of Clairette de Die's producers today is the tiny Domaine Achard-Vincent.  Jean-Pierre Achard, and his son, Thomas, descend from five generations of growers.  The domaine has farmed organically since Thomas's grandparents were directing it, although it is now officially certified as both organic (since 1982) and biodynamic (since 2007).
2. 2010 Éric Chevalier Fié Gris Blanc Vin de Pays du Val de Loire - $26.99 - 12% alcohol, 100% Fie Gris - Wildflowers, tarragon, white peaches make an appearance on the aromatic nose, with hints of kaffir lime and sea salt.  Flavors on the mouth suggest citrus with more saline notes, hints of white fruits and lot of chiseled, chalky precision.  Fie Gris (also known as Sauvignon Rose or Sauvignon Gris) vines were discovered in Touraine and elsewhere in the southern Loire and are believed to be the ancestors - the pre-Phylloxera ancestors - of Sauvignon Blanc.  Fie Gris is a specialty of Eric Chevalier, who took over the family domaine, Domaine de l'Aujardiere in 2006 from his father.
3. 2010 Domaine Ostertag Pinot Noir Vin d’Alsace - $31.99 - 12% alcohol - 100% Pinot Noir - This wine displays good full red color with black cherry, raspberry, and cinnamon on the nose.  The palate is ripe and juicy, with high-pitched flavors of red fruits and spices finishing with a light dusting of tannins.  Alsatian Pinot Noir is very rare and it is a specialty of the domaine as Andre Ostertag, who trained in Burgundy with Dominique Lafon of Mersault while at enology school in Beaune, understands the grape varietal very well.
4. 2009 Terres d'Avignon 'Réserve des Armoiries' Côtes du Rhône AOC- $15.99 - 13.5% alcohol - 47% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 11% Cinsault, 7% Carignan - This wine displays intense red color with a nose of raspberry, spice, and a touch of smoke.  The same most appealing fresh impressions carry onto the palate.  Not a huge wine by any means but nicely ripe with supple tannins and great mouthfeel.  Since 1929, this cooperative winery has been bringing local vignerons together from the outlying areas of Avignon in the Southern Rhone to produce delicious wines that epitomize the region's complex terroir.  Kermit Lynch works closely with the winemaker, Jean-Francios Pasturel to develop the blend.
5. 2010 Éric Chevalier Cabernet Franc Vin de Pays du Val de Loire - $17.99 - 100% Cabernet Franc - A nice bright color and a lovely perfume to the nose; it has a smoky character, but lifting this up there is also a fine layer of floral Cabernet Franc fruit over the top.  On the palate there is dark fruit character, firmly styled, with moderate weight and a fine structure underneath.  Eric Chevalier is a rising star of the Nantais of the Loire Valley.  The Nantais is a maritime climate, and the vineyards are not far from the Atlantic Ocean.  Consequently, there is an interesting variety of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks, as this area was once the ocean floor.

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