Le Caveau - Wine Tasting - 06/04/2011

Le Caveau - Wine Tasting - 06/04/2011

1) 2009 Domaine de Menard Colombard-Sauvignon Cotes de Gascogne Blanc - $11.99
(logo has seashell, because their vineyards are on top of a famous marine geological site and they occasionally find fossils between the rows of vines). Southwest France.
50% Colombard, 50% Sauvignon Blanc
...What is Colombard? I had to ask that also. It is an early fruiting white wine grape.
There is a French drink, similar to Cognac called Armengac - and Colombard grapes are used for this. Anyway, back to this delicious wine...
Tasting Notes from Le Caveau
"The nose on this wine is very aromatic, showing the exotic fruit and pineapple of the Colombard along with the aromas of grapefruit, passion fruit, and herbs delivered by Sauvignon Blanc along with crisp acidity. This is a great summertime aperitif and also really sings when paired with roast chicken or fish/shellfish.

2) 2010 Domaine du Vieux Chene "Cuvee des Seigneurs" Cote du Rhone Villages Blac - $16.99
1/3 Marsanne, 1/3 Roussane, 1/3 Viognier (Ecocert Certified Organic)
100% organic, husband/wife team, even use mule-drawn plow, very traditional wine-making.
Tasting Notes from Le Caveau
"This wine has a pale straw color, with greenish tint and a nose of red dates, acacia, flower and honey. It has very nice weight and gorgeous texture. A white designed to be the perfect foil for Provencal spices and sauces. Owners Beatrice and Jean-Claude Bouche harvest by hand and use native yeasts to produce wines of great harmony and elegance."
We thought it had very nice legs for a white - sexy. Very light, perfect for summer.

3) 2010 Chateau d'Esclans "Whispering Angel" Cotes de Provence Rose - $18.99
Grenache 73%, Rolle 4% (same as Vermentino), Cinsault 9%, Syrah 8.5%, and Mourvedre 5.5%
Tasting Notes from Le Caveau
"This Rose has a light pink color with savory notes on the nose followed by tart orange/tangerine and red fruits on the bone dry palate. This wine is perfect for a picnic, trip to the beach or backyard barbecues. Winemaker Sacha Lichine (son of Alexis Lichine who ran the fourth growth Chateau Prieure-Lichine in Margaux from 1951-1989) is at the helm of this gorgeous property in Provence. "
They use pressed and free run juice. Stainless steel fermenting to keep wine cooler.

4) 2007 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay - Saratoga Cuvee - $23.99
Santa Cruz Mountains 13.8% alcohol. one of the oldest estates, smoky nose, toast on barrels, rich texture, sticks to the tongue, declassified fruit (normally in estate wine), also has nice legs for a white.

5) 2009 Domaine Joel Rochette Regnie Cru Beaujolais - $17.99
100% Gamay
Tasting Notes from Le Caveau
"This wine has concentrated bright red fruits on the palate with palpable minerality which lifts the fruit and keeps it from veering into heaviness. It finishes long on a really attractive mildly tart cherry-skin note. This Regnie comes from 50-yr old vines on stony-sandy soils on granite bedrock."
Delicious!

I need one of these!

Envoyage Taschen Weekender Bag - holds Wine Bottle in the bottom!

http://www.highsnobette.com/news/2011/06/07/envoyage-taschen-weekender/

Le Caveau - new Wine Store in Town!

Le Caveau Fine Wine just opened in Chamblee, GA !
Press Release | Le Caveau Facebook | Le Caveau Twitter

We went to their Grand Opening on Saturday May 28th. They had a wonderful wine tasting and pairings of artisanal cheeses from Thomasville, GA based Sweet Grass Dairy Farms, and a tasty selection of meats from Pine Street Market. Owners Carrie and Eric Brown are super friendly (not snobby), and also Dan Crawford who works there is great! We love Le Caveau!

Tasting Notes:
1) 2009 San Felice Perolla Vermentino $11.99
Vermentino (85%), Sauvignon Blanc (15%) - straw yellow in appearance, the wine shows refreshing hints of grapefruit, spring blossoms, and fresh-mown hay on the nose while the crisp palate shows green melon and lemon cream.
Pairs with the Thomas Tomme cheese.
LOVED this one, perfect summertime wine!

2) 2010 Chateau La Tour de Berand Rose (Costieres De Nimes) - $13.99
Rhone Valley. Mourvedre, Carignan, Syrah, and Grenache
It has a soft pink color with excellent aromatic length and depth, it displays fresh, elegant, floral notes overlying aromas of pear and red fruits (raspberry and red currant).
Matt likes the finish (tart berry), flavorful and amazing.
Pairs with the Fresh Chevre (Goat Cheese).

3) 2008 Olivier Laflaive Bourgogne Blanc "Les Setilles" (Chardonnay) - $18.99
A blend of vineyards in the villages of Puligny-Montrachet (60%) and Meursault (40%)
This wine has a very fresh and intensely floral nose with hints of lemon-lime and earth, both of which can also be found on the palate. These rich and round flavors are not only intense and delicious but also deliver better than average complexity.
Scent of Smoky-Hay. 8 months in oak barrels. Very yummy Chardonnay and I am not usually a Chardonnay fan!
Importer is Fredrick Wildman & Sons Ltd.
Pair with Gow-da cheese (part cow part goat).

4) 2008 Freja Cellars Estate Pinot Noir - $18.99
Freja was the Scandanavian goddess of Fertility and growth.
Winemaker is Willy (Greek guy) who spent a lot of time in Burgundy, etc.
The vineyard is located on a south facing slope of the Chelhalem Mountains (800 ft elevation) in the North Williamette Valley and consists of Wadensville (Vahnds-ville) Clone (75%) and Pommard Clone (25%)
It has classic burgundy color and shows red fruit, violets, and earth aromas. the palate echoes these notes with tart red cherry, raspberry, and spice with lively acidity and moderate tannins. This wine was featured at the Masters Golf Tournament.
(Clone means it's a clone of Pinot Noir). Some other clones are Dijon 117 and Dijon 115 - from France, Cotes De Nuit.
Pairs with the Fresh Chevre.

5) Lot #2009 Plan Pegau Selectionne par Laurence Feraud - (Costieres De Nimes) - $19.99
(Female winemaker in France - which is fairly rare to find)
65% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Carignan, the balance is a kitchen sink blend of Mourvedre, Merlot, Alicante Bouche, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
With Medium garnet color this wine is showing garrigue (lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme) pepper, spice, and game aromas. It is a mid-weight wine with loads of luscious cherry fruit and gorgeous texture.
Pairs with the buttery tasting cheese (similar to a camembert)