Thursday, March 31, 2016

Winderlea Tasting with Bill Sweat at Le Caveau

Winderlea Tasting with Bill Sweat at Le Caveau - Thursday, 03/31/2016




Friday, March 25, 2016

White Burgundy Wines at Le Caveau - Saturday March 26th 3p-5p

White Burgundy Wines at Le Caveau - Saturday March 26th 3p-5p

When:  Saturday, March 26th 3pm - 5pm ET

Theme:  White Burgundy Wines The Burgundy region, in eastern France, runs from Auxerre in the north to Mâcon in the south, or to Lyon if the Beaujolais area is included as part of Burgundy.  Of the white grapes, Chardonnay is the most common. Another grape found in the region, Aligoté, tends to produce cheaper wines which are higher in acidity. Aligoté from Burgundy is the wine traditionally used for the Kir drink, where it is mixed with black currant liqueur. Sauvignon blanc is also grown in the Saint Bris appellation. Chablis, Mâcon wines and the Côte d'Or whites are mostly produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes.

Bring:  TWITs should bring $20/each to cover the cost of the tasting.  Le Caveau does accept credit/debit cards.

Where:  Le Caveau Fine Wines
5256 Peachtree Rd.  Ste. 102
Atlanta, GA 30341
Phone: 770-837-0710

RSVP: reply to the TWITs email invite and let us know if you are joining us.



Tasting Notes: 
1) 2014 Jean Collet et Fils Chablis $23.99
100% Chardonnay farmed sustainably, 12.5% alcohol
Pear, apple, sweet citrus, and crushed white rocks fill the nose.  Tart apple and pear, alongside lemon juice and pith dominate on the palate.  Additional notes of caramel linger in the background with white flowers.  Heaps of crushed white rock melding with mouth-watering acidity all make for a textbook Chablis.
Descended from generations of vignerons stretching back to the late 18th century, Jean Collet founded his domaine in 1952, which is now headed by his son Gilles, alongside grandson Romain.  The 16 hectares of vines for this bottling are from 25 yr old vines on top of Kimmeridgian limestone.  It is fermented and aged entirely in stainless before bottling to preserve the hallmarks of the Chablis terroire.
TWITS notes:
Pair with steak tar-tar, this is Dan's first wine he had in Chablis when he visited. Matt says he would "drink the sh*t out of this" wine.

2) 2011 Demessey Bourgogne Blanc  $14.99
100% Chardonnay farmed sustainably 13% alcohol
Yellow apple skin, apple flesh, lemon juice and pith are supported by ample white flower, mirepoix, and fresh mozzerella on the nose.  The palate follows with classic chardonnay fruits of apple and citrus, finishing with crushed white rocks.
Located within the commune of Meursault, Demessey is a negociant helmed by winemaker Isabelle Laurand.  With projects throughout the entirety of Burgundy, Laurand sources only fruit which best reflects Burgundy's varied terroires.  This bottling is sourced entirely from a South-East facing slope of clay within the Maconnais.  Sustainably farmed and hand-harvested, the wine is aged in a mixture of stainless and French oak to emphasize the rich, roundness of the wine.
TWITS notes:
more juicy, flowery, white flowers, fresh pineapple, yellow fruits,

3) 2011 Bruno Debize 'Cepage Gris' Beaujolais Blanc $34.99
Chardonnay and Pinot Gris farmed biodynamically, 11.5% alcohol
The Cepage Gris has a beautiful yet floral nose with orchard fruit, smoky caramel, salty sea air, and wet rock notes.  The palate is mouth-filling yet restrained with layers of aromatic apple, pear, and smoked caramel alighting on a lithe frame of well-integrated acidity and minerality.
Bruno mostly makes vineyard selected bottlings from a few places in and around the little village of Bully in the southern part of the Beaujolais.  Biodynamic since 1999, he makes some of the purest, most terroir-driven wines in a region where style and dogma often trump transparency.  The fruit for this wine comes from a single vineyard of old Pinot Gris, and younger (40-50 year old) Chardonnay vines planted on white clay and broken limestone.  Note:  Bruno retired last year.
TWITS notes:
like a Jura, apricot, briny, salty, viscous, would pair with white fish and cream sauce, pork tenderloin, scallops, bechamel sauce.

4) 2008 JanotsBos Bourgogne Blanc $24.99
100% Chardonnay farmed biodynamically, 12.5% alcohol
The nose shows ripe orchard fruit aromas that have a wonderful purity and freshness to them.  The medium-bodied palate echoes those pure notes framed by churned butter and a stony Puligny-Montrachet minerality.  The texture is opulent, but offset by lively acidity and great finesse.  This wine is drinking beautifully now and easily has 5-6 more years of positive evolution ahead of it.
Thierry Janots has worked for Joseph Drouhin and Domaine des Comtes Lafon, while Richard Bos bought and ran a cafe in Nijmegen Holland.  In 2005 they partnered to create a winery in Meursault with the idea of making real wines with a sense of place.  The 2008 is a blend of grapes from four different parcels in and around Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.  The bulk of the fruit comes from 30 year old vines in 'Les Femelottes' and 'La Combe' which are farmed biodynamically.  Les Femelottes is on the Puligny-Montrachet/Meursault border and Le Combe is in Puligny-Montrachet.
TWITS notes:  more fruity initially but then butter on the end of the palate, delightful!

5)  2013 Nicholas Maillet Macon-Verze $32.99
100% Chardonnay farmed organically, 13% alcohol
Intense, concentrated aromas of fresh heirloom apples and pears, orange marmalade, white flowers, and grilled hazelnuts entreat the nose.  Rich, yet lively, on the palate, beautiful apple, pear, and meyer lemon, with nuances of lanolin and mineral all wrapped in a cream and citrus oil texture.
Nicolas was one of the first in the region to go back to manual work, plowing, no weed-killers, and hand harvesting.  He doesn't like oak and his wines are kept a long time in vat on their lees to give them more richness and texture, without the need for oak.
TWITs notes:  that's dense, so good, unctuous, lanolin, orange on palate, classic duck l'orange, viscosity