Peter Wasserman Tasting at Le Caveau - Oct 12th

Peter Wasserman (importer) Tasting at Le Caveau - Oct 12th

Nicole, Peter, and Abbie

Abbie, Nicole, Heidi

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

Holiday TWITs 2015 - Oregon "Pick Your Pinot" - hosted by Ms. Marilyn -Friday, December 4th

Holiday TWITs 2015 - Oregon "Pick Your Pinot" - hosted by Ms. Marilyn - Friday, December 4th

December - TWITs Event

WHEN: Friday, December 4th, 2014 - 7:00pm ET

THEME:  Oregon "Pick Your Pinot"

BRING:  Bring a bottle of Pinot (could be Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris), from Oregon, within the specified price range (Up to $20/bottle for Singles, between $20 - $40/bottle for Couples)

1)  2013 Illahe Vineyards Williamette Valley Gruner Veltliner ~ $17 @ Le Caveau

100% Gruner Veltliner

light, crisp, refreshing

2)  2014 Brainstorm Silver Linings Rose - $14.99 @ Minx

12.5% alcohol

light pale pink color, light on the palate, some acidity, dry

3)  2014 Winderlea Dundee Hills, Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir ~ $26-28 @ Brookhaven Wines

14.1% alcohol, 100% Pinot Noir

darker reddish pink, fabulous, viscous, light, nice acidity, delicious

4) 2014 Erath Pinot Noir - $15 @ CostCo

13.5% alcohol  100% pinot noir

lovely ruby color, almost no nose at all, velvet smooth, cran/orange palate, dusty road, chocolate powder, powdered chalk, charcoal, flat cherry cola, orange, citrus peel, satsuma, cheap chocolate orange.

5) 2013 Cristom "Jessie Vineyard" Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir - $46.99 @ Total Wine Brookhaven

13.5% alcohol, 100% Pinot Noir
Marilyn guesses 2011 or 2012, more brown in color, showing some age, asphalt, chocolate, crumbly cooked chocolate, it did a complete 180 in my glass, smells perfumey, "like my boyfriend who thought I'd like donuts in the parking lot", perfumey, floral, a little flabby on the palate, the palate is typical Pinot Noir, light, the nose is more promising than the palate

6) 2014 Williamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir - $29 @ Whole Foods Emory

13.7% alcohol, 100% pinot noir

milk chocolate nose, fruit forward, you smell bush? a privet bush, cola on the nose

7) 2012 Shea Estate Wine Cellars Pinot Noir - $36 @ CostCo Perimeter

14.3% alcohol, 100% pinot noir

stinky, funky, perm solution, Frenchy, funky, super bitter, tart, pucker, "assaulting me in a good way" or "a-salting me", smells like placenta, briny, salty and bitter, sea air, "you could commit a crime and I wouldn't remember it."

8) 2012 Rex Hill Pinot Noir - $28 @ Savi Market Buckhead

14% alcohol, 100% Pinot Noir

darkest color yet, toffee, French, funk, mint and eucalyptus, reminds us of Cotes du Rhone, bitterness on the finish, a little pepper, chalky

9) 2013 Kings Ridge Pinot Noir ~ $19 @ d'Vine Wine Dunwoody

13% alcohol, 100% Pinot Noir

lighter color, lighter alcohol, dry, bitter, perfumey, tart "Pinot more in the yard", blackberry, cherry, cola

10) 2013 Omero Williamette Valley - $24.99 @ Le Caveau

12.1% alcohol, 100% pinot noir

pepper, cherry, bell peppers, lilac and violet aromas, black plums, and spice

11) 2014 Elk Cove Pinot Gris Williamette Valley ~ $20 @ Savi Market Buckhead
13% Alcohol, 100% Pinot Gris
light, hint of sweetness, crisp, 

Marilyn's "Dishwasher Salmon"

Winter White Wines - Thursday January 29th, 2015 - hosted byMs.Abbie &Mr. Matt

Winter White Wines - Thursday January 29th, 2015 - hosted by Ms.Abbie & Mr. Matt

Theme:  Winter White Wines & Rabbie Burns Supper
We will do our usual blind tasting method, but after unveiling, we want to hear the story behind the wine you brought to the tasting.

Bring:  TWITs should bring a bottle of white wine:

• it should be a white wine which you like to drink in the winter
• come prepared to tell us why it's a winter white wine
• within the specified price range (Up to $20/bottle for Singles, between $20 - $40/bottle for Couples)

Tasting Notes:
Welcome Wine:  1996 Michel Schlumberger Chardonnay - was a gift from a friend, estimate price around $45/bottle from the winery. 100% Chardonnay,

1) 2013 L'Acino Chora Bianco, IGP, Calabria - $18.99 @ Le Caveau Fine Wines
12.5 % Alcohol
TWITs Tasting Notes:  effervescent, perfumey, pear and grapefruit on the palate, sweeter, viscous, a nice wine, latex, a little petrol, sulfur on the nose, soft tart not harsh tart,

Le Caveau Notes: "Mostly Mantonico a little Guarnaccia Bianca, Pecorello & Greco grown organically.
This white displays layered notes of dried apricots and tropical fruits with undertones of toasted almonds, bulgar wheat, and honey. This white is rich, flavorful, and mouth-filling with vibrant acidity, incredible depth, and a long finish.
About the Wine & Winemaker:  Founded in 2006 by Antonello Canonico, Dino Briglio and Emilio Di Ciann (all natives of the mountain town of San Marco Argentano), L'Acino is a communal effort to showcase the oft-forgotten terroir of Calabria. When the project began, the three friends were working full-time in unrelated fields: Antonello was a film director, Dino a historian and Emilio a lawyer. Though they had no prior viticultural or winemaking experience, their love of wine was enough to start the estate, and the trio's taste for "natural" wine meant focusing their attention on organic viticulture and minimal intervention winemaking.

As far as the grapes planted, the vineyard features the indigenous grapes Mantonico (white) and Magliocco (red), as well as a small percentage of other indigenous varieties.The vines here are young, planted by the L'Acino team 7 years ago from cuttings of older vines (sélection massage) on their own rootstock. The vineyard is being plowed every year following harvest and legumes, grains and other plants have been planted between the rows of vines to promote mineral richness and depth to the soils.

Never heard of Mantonico and Magliocco?...neither had we! Mantonico was once thought to be a color mutation of the common Calabrian red grape, Gaglioppo. Magliocco Canino is found in many of the oldest vineyards in the region, but was supplanted by the more productive Gaglioppo. The wines are fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel vats and aged on the lees. They are bottled unfiltered and lightly sulfured and released in the Spring following harvest. "


2) 2011 Vielles Vignes Pouilly-Fume, Loire - $22 @ Sherlocks Wine Merchant
13% alcohol
crisp, green notes, herbacious, wasn't impressed with the nose, perm solution, grassy-gassy, nose is what we don't like about white wine, astringent, cleaning solution, shy volatiles, acidic, bitter, guessing sauvignon blanc, chalkiness

3)  2013 Peter Jakob Kuhn Trocken Riesling - $18 @ Le Caveau Fine Wines
12% alcohol
white florals, geyser water, petrol, passion fruit palate, papaya or guava, lily-of-the-valley sprayed with gasoline, pinot grigio? sweet, jolly ranchers, a touch of acidity, ripe fruit, sweet-tart, pectin, granny smith, "granny smith's knickers", sour pears, a firm pair (ha ha), magnolias, long and thin, a late honeysuckle

4) 2010 Scholium Project Midan Al-Tahrir, California - $24 @ Le Caveau
15.71% alcohol, blend of Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Sauvignon Blanc Verdelho
cough medicine, cherry, jasmine, saturated sweetness, honey, golden yellow color, natural wine - unfiltered, sweet/bitter, menthol - throat hit, short-chained volatiles, too acidic, would go well with an almond brown butter cake.

5) 2007 Trimbach Reserve Pinot Gris, Alsace - $38 @ Hintons Savvy Cellar
13.5% alcohol
chicken tenders, honey, toffee, butterscotch, olives, mushrooms, golden yummy, mint, herbal, fungi, funky cheese, guessing a Grecian white (slaps you in the face),

6) 2011 Domaine de la Tournelle, Jura, Terre de Gryphees - $34 @ Le Caveau
13% alcohol, 100% Chardonnay
all spice, OMG Goldschlager, red hots, candy cinnamon, tart, capsaicin, "gravel or something in my mouth", marine fossils, salty sea breeze

7)   2011 Red Mare Chardonnay, Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley - $40 @ Total Wine
13.5% alcohol
doo doo locked in a cupboard, awful, dog poo on your shoe, straight up turd, oak bomb, California Cheek-Twitcher, newly poured asphalt, steaming turd, nasty, skanky weed, cannabis, smells like an old friend, guessing Lodi, CA?

8) 2011 Gobelsberger Riesling, Kamptal, Terry Theise Estate Collection - $18 from a friend
12.5% alcohol
petrol, gasoline, asphalt, hot highway, tickling my tongue, this is a NICE Riesling, expensive tasting, honey on the end, light, drinkable, quaffable,

9) 2013 Tenuta Sant Antonio Scaia, IGT - $10 @ Whole World Beverage
12.5% alcohol, Garganega 60%, Chardonnay, 40%
glass cork, licorice, grapefruit, cat piss, dirty dishrag, pear, unexpected gorgeous acidity, hydrangeas first bloom, stupidly good! FAVE WINE OF THE NIGHT!

10)1982 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes, 1er Cru Classe mute 1855 - $130 @ Sherlocks Wine Merchant
13.5% alcohol
thick nose of sherry, nose of SueEllen (someone's ex), pear, honey, caramel, rich, sweet, warm apricots, sharp honey, vanilla, pineapple, warm Christmas, minerality, Bordeaux, sweetness, fungus, YUM!

Special thank you to Lauren for sharing this rare treat with us!

Cranachan - Scottish Dessert made of Whipped Cream, Honey, Whisky, with Toasted Oats and Raspberries

Vegetarian Haggis, Neeps & Tatties

October 19th, 2013 - TWITs Georgia Mountain Winery Bus Tour

October 19th, 2013 - TWITs Georgia Mountain Winery Bus Tour

The TWITs had an absolute blast tasting wines in the North Georgia Mountains.  Even though it was chilly and bit overcast, we embraced the Autumn weather and wined on!

Photo Gallery

Our first stop was Monteluce.  If you've never been to Monteluce, you are in for a treat.  The entire countryside reminds me of Tuscany. The views and buildings are just beautiful!  Our bartender was John Hammond, a very humorous, sassy, guy.  He had served us last year as well, and it was a pleasure to see him again. I did the Red Wine tasting for $16 and split it with a friend.
Overall, I think Monteluce's wines are an improvement this year over last year.  I also recommend they stop using the tiny tasting glasses, the wines taste TOTALLY different and BETTER in a larger wine glass.  Request one if you go there for a tasting.  All the Monteluce wines were between 12-13% alcohol.

1) 2011 Montaluce Risata  $5 glass/$19 bottle
(Blend of Monteluce grapes:  Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec)
Monteluce's tasting notes:  "This off-dry Rose is made from all 9 varietals we grow.  It is the perfect example of a Georgia Rose with its raspberry and cherry flavors along with a zesty, spicy undertone of citrus, melon, and white pepper.  Pair with Idiazabal Cheese or our Garden Beets."
TWITs tasting notes:  Risata means "Laughter" in Italian. could not gather a nose for this one, no aromas to me, light simple rose.

2) 2012 Monteluce Super Georgian $7 glass/$27 bottle
26% Merlot, 20% Sangiovese, 18% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, and 8% Petit Verdot
Monteluce's tasting notes:  "Monteluce Estate grown red grapes co-fermented create this luscious wine with fresh red cherry and dark chocolate flavors.  Pair with Drunken Goat cheese or the Rabbit Duo."
TWITs tasting notes:  was able to gather some nose, but it was not very fragrant.  The palate is very very very fruit forward.  Almost too much for me.

3) 2009 Monteluce Baleno $5 glass/$12 bottle
100% Merlot,
Monteluce's tasting notes:  "Candied cherry on the nose, Medium bodied with a rustic finish.  This is a wine made for food.  Pair with Pimento Cheese "
TWITs tasting notes:  Baleno means "Lightning, glitter, sparkle, or glow" in Italian.  This wine had a funky nose, I felt it might benefit from aerating or decanting.  The palate was much more pleasant, but ended abruptly in a thin finish.  I would try this one again at a later date perhaps?

4) 2009 Monteluce Tramonto $6 glass/$17 bottle
Monteluce's tasting notes:  "A Bordeaux style blend named for the beautiful North Georgia Sunset.  Medium on the palate with flavors of red berries and faint smell of cigar box. Pair with Crater Lake Blue Cheese"
TWITs tasting notes:  Tramonto means "sunset" in Italian.  faint mushroom, cedar on the nose, more promising palate, very light red wine (to me), but MUCH better than the previous ones.

5) NV Monteluce La Stella $9 glass/$35 bottle
60% French grown & 40% Georgia grown (varietal specifics weren't listed)
Monteluce's tasting notes:  "The Georgia grown Merlot, was aged in oak barrels for 6 months before blending with French grown Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  This very balanced wine has earthy tones of dried mushrooms, black currant, cherry, and whiffs of old leather on the nose.  Pair with Painted hills Short Rib."
TWITs tasting notes:  Beautiful nose on this one, lots of leather and mushroom.  This was my favorite Red of the entire flight.  I considered buying a bottle but thought it was a bit overpriced for the quality.

The next stop was Wolf Mountain Vineyards.  Wolf Mountain seems to be higher up and has another spectacular view of the countryside.  Their tasting room and restaurant are built into the mountain, so you have amazing panoramic views on 3 different levels of decks/balconies.
Our bartender at Wolf Mountain was Blake Stevens.  He was super sweet and even poured a little "heavier" for us, since we split our tastings again. We got the Reserve Tasting Flight for $20 (shared with a friend).
Blake informed us the red grapes are grown at Wolf Mountain, but the white grapes are from Frogtown.

1) Blanc de Blancs Brut - $10 glass/ $25.95 bottle / 200 cases produced
Chardonnay
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "A light bread flavor was imparted by aging en tirage (on the yeast) for almost a year.  This combined with hints of citrus, spice notes, and crisp acidity makes this our signature style sparkling wine."
TWITs notes:  I liked this wine, it was light, crisp, dry, I would say a good "breakfast" wine.

2) Vintner's Reserve Brut Rose - $10 glass/ $27.95 bottle / 100 cases produced
Blend of Chardonnay & Claret grapes (Malbec, Tannat)
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "Made by adding a small amount of our Reserve Claret to the dosage in order to produce a beautiful light salmon color. This adds more complexity and red berry flavors, without overwhelming the delicate citrus flavors and crisp acidity."
TWITs notes:  Lovely Rose, nice and crisp, dry, just how I like it.

3) Blanc de Syrah Brut - $10 glass/ $29.95 bottle / 200 cases produced
Syrah
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "A one of a kind in North America, our Blanc de Syrah Brut is made from Estate grown and whole cluster pressed Syrah.  It offers complex raspberry and strawberry flavors building to a dry crisp finish. "
TWITs notes:  I felt this one tasted a bit sweeter than the others, and seemed "off" somehow.  not thrilled.

4) Sparkling Demi-Sec- $10 glass/ $25.95 bottle / 100 cases produced
Chardonnay
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "A medium-dry sparkling wine designed to bring out the delicate fruit flavors of the Chardonnay grapes.  The addition of sweetness softens the acidity and smooths out the finish. "
TWITs notes:  Much better than the last wine, a good compromise if you like a slightly sweeter sparkling wine.

5) Plentitude- $8 glass/ $21.95 bottle / 650 cases produced
Chardonnay & Viognier
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "French for "All the best" Plentitude is a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier.  Aged in stainless steel to preserve its acidity, it expresses beautiful citrus and grapefruit notes with a crisp refreshing finish. "
TWITs notes:  It smells like fresh picked green grapes, and while it's not unpleasant, I feel it needs a food pairing to be fully appreciated.

6) Chanteloup- $8 glass/ $25.95 bottle / 375 cases produced
Chardonnay & Viognier
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "French for "Song of the Wolf", Chanteloup is a full-bodied Oak aged blend of Chardonnay and Viognier.  Chanteloup offers notes of melon and apricots with a softer finish "
TWITs notes:  Better than Plentitude, definitely get the melon and apricots on the nose, the oak is Kentucky oak, I think the TWITs quote of the day was "Their heart is in the right place" - Jackie

7) Private Reserve Chardonnay- $10 glass/ $32.95 bottle / 100 cases produced
Chardonnay
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  "We broke tradition blending varietals to bottle this small lot of Chardonnay. Barrel fermented and aged 11 months in New American Oak, this wine exhibits rich melon and banana notes with a buttery oak finish"
TWITs notes:  Reminds me of a California Chardonnay, it is good, but I'm not a Chardonnay fan in general.

8) Howling Wolf Red - $10 glass/ $27.95 bottle / 470 cases produced
70% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Wolf Mountain tasting notes:  " A non-vintage blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, these varieties are aged for 18-20 months in New American Oak barrels, offering notes of raspberry and strawberry jam with richer oak tannins on the finish."
TWITs notes:  There we go, finally a good decent red!  Nice nose, nice palate, love the finish.  Good, I love it, I really really wish they had more than ONE Red wine on their tasting sheet, but they said they ran out of the other red wines, unless you were in their wine club.  

9) there was an option to try the Delicieux (Delightful) - their port-style dessert wine, but I don't care for Port so I re-tasted the Howling Wolf Red.

Then we went to Frogtown Cellars.  Frogtown has a bit more casual atmosphere than the first two wineries we visited, but their wines are definitely a force to be reckoned with.  Hands DOWN Frogtown has the best red wines we tasted!  Frogtown was packed, as it was still harvest for them.  I had visited before, but this was by far the busiest I have ever seen them.  I didn't even have a chance to get the name of our bartender, it was too hectic.  They have bowls of Goldfish crackers that you can nibble while tasting. Yum!  Also, for some odd reason the entire lobby was humming with fruit flies.  We were constantly waving the flies away.  I believe we made a joke that "where's the frogs? they should be eating these flies like crazy" This is not the norm for Frogtown.  They told me it was just this way due to the harvest.  It was better if we got our tasting glass and some wine, then we went out on their back deck to admire the view.  Much fewer flies outside. Then we had to go inside to get a pour of the next wine, and so on.  However, it was a very nice day and we had fun looking out on the vineyards.  I did the All Red Wine Tasting for $15.

1) 2010 Frogtown Sangiovese - $8.50/glass, $20.99/bottle
12.5% alcohol.  90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet
TWITs notes:  earthy, tart, lovely nose, rich palate, big and bold, spicy as it opens up.

2) 2009 Frogtown Reserve Sangiovese - $12/glass, $28.99/bottle
TWITs notes: funky, dirty, I LOVE it!

3) Frogtown Applause FSO (First Standing Ovation, means their first time making it) - $8.50/glass, $21.99/bottle
TWITs notes: this one was okay, but not as wonderful as the first 2 wines.

4) 2008 Frogtown Cabernet Franc - $10.00/glass, $29.99/bottle

TWITs notes: absolutely delicious

5) 2009 Frogtown Propaganda - $12.00/glass, $33.99/bottle

TWITs notes: even better

6) 2009 Frogtown Personality - $8.00/glass, $19.99/bottle

TWITs notes: yummy!

7) 2008 Frogtown Norton - $12.00/glass, $28.00/bottle

TWITs notes: WOW AMAZING, we bought 2 bottles of this.

Last we had very brief stop at Cavender Creek.

Our driver was the lovely Nevolia from Georgia Wine Tours.

We had 7 attendees and we rode in a large comfy van for this trip.  After the tour, we had dinner at Season's 52.  Yummy!

June 20th, 2013 - I Don't Always Drink White Wines, But When I Do, I Drink This One - hosted by Ms. Abbie & Mr. Matt

June 20th, 2013 - "I Don't Always Drink White Wines, But When I Do, I Drink This One" - hosted by Ms. Abbie & Mr. Matt

Theme: As we know, many of the TWITs members are red wine fans.  However, some folks like to drink white wine in the summertime.  We want to know what your favorites are.  Bring your favorite white wine, and come prepared to tell us WHY it's your favorite white wine.  (singles price point for a bottle $20 or less, couples price point $20-40/bottle)

Check out this fantastic white wine info graphic by Sean Seidell:  http://seidell.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/whitewineinfographic_web.png

TWITs Tasting Notes:
Welcome Wine:  2012 Laurent Miquel Chardonnay Pere et Fils -  $9.99 @ Le Caveau
From southern France.
This is Matt's fave white wine because it's an unoaked Chardonnay.  He did not like Chardonnay's much before tasting this one.  It's got crisp acidity, and a simple "Stelvin Enclosure" (fancy way to say screw cap), so if you are at the pool or beach, you don't need to worry about bringing a corkscrew.
Abbie likes this wine because it tastes refreshing, it's cheap, it's good, and the label speaks to her.  If you look at the label, it has a tree on it with roots, and under the roots are the names of the winemaker's ancestors.  Enjoy!

1) 2011 Acrobat Pinot Gris ~ $12-13 @ Vino Venue
From Eugene Oregon.
Marilyn likes this wine.  She first tasted it when she attended the Downton Abbey cooking class at Vino Venue, and it was paired with lump crab and roasted red pepper crostini.  It's good with food, softer than a Chardonnay, and smooth.  She can drink it on its own or with food.

2) 2011 Domaine de Gerbeaux Macon-Solutre Chardonnay - $20 @ Le Caveau
13% alcohol, French Burgundy
Les and Melissa like this wine because it is well-balanced, smooth and can pair with almost anything.  They are not Chardonnay fans, but this is a good one.  We paired it with goat cheese.  They like to enjoy drinking this wine out on the deck.

3) 2009 Domaine Alain Normand Macon La Roche Vineuse - $30 at PH Wine Merchant (but it can also be found at Sherlocks Wine Merchant in Brookhaven.
Valerie likes this white burgundy wine because it's a rare Chardonnay that has minerality and a teeny tiny kiss  of oak.  This particular region is known for its Chardonnay, and has limestone soil.  This wine had long fermentation on the lees.

4) 2012 Tenuta la Marchese Gavi Marchesa - $15.99 @ Hintons
12% alcohol, Italian wine, varietal is Cortese
Susan likes this wine when she first tasted it 2 weeks ago at a networking conference event.  It's easy to drink, good out on the porch, and can be consumed with or without food.

5) 2012 Coteaux du Languedoc-Roussillon Pic-Poul de Pinet - $10 @ Sherlocks, but Le Caveau will be carrying this one in a few weeks.
12.5% alcohol.  Pic -Poul is the varietal, and Pic-Poul de Pinet is the region.
Rheinallt wanted to bring something edgy to the club that he discovered last year.  Pic-Poul is Catalan for stinging lip or "lip stinger".  It is a combination of full body and acidity and has good salinity (saltines).  It would pair very well with oysters or seafood.  Because it is a lesser known region and varietal, it is a cheaper wine.  Rheinallt likes to drink this one on weeknights.  It has great viscosity.

6) 1996 Michel Schlumberger Chardonnay - Dry Creek Valley Sonoma - $40.00 for a Magnum, but only available to the Vintner's wine club members (which Brian happens to be).  This is one of their Library Wines (aka older vintages)
13% alcohol - Benchland (the name of the estate)
"it's a Magnum, big hit with the ladies."  Brian likes this wine because it is an aged-Chardonnay (aged in French Oak barrels), it tastes good, has a golden honey hue, and notes of butterscotch.

7) 2011 Fritz Zimmer Bernkasteler-Kurfstenlay Riesling Spatlese, Mosel - $18.00 at Sherlocks, but once in a while Kroger has it for $9 if you have a Kroger Plus Card.
8% alcohol
Kim says she grew up with Italian parents who did not know good wine.  However, when she went to college, her German roommate introduced her to "German wines" and Rieslings, "the horse-piss of wines".  She says this wine is good with everything, and sometimes she likes to put a little piece of watermelon in her glass when drinking it.  It has faint petrol/gasoline on the nose, but refreshing palate.

*at this point we got side-tracked with a discussion of Riesling and Reefers (I think because the nose of this wine had a faint Marijuana smell?), anyhoo - the joke was that after Pot is legal in Georgia, we should start up a club called PHITS = "potheads in training"

8) 2011 Riesling St. Urbans-Hof - $16 @ Kroger
Janssen is normally a full-bodied red wine drinker (he wants flavor, character, oomph!) and doesn't like white wines.  However, last year he was on a Bachelor party cruise (Carnival cruise lines), and he joked he was only sober when he woke up each morning. BUT he remembered this wine (in the haze), and that is why he likes this particular white wine.

9) 2002 Chateau St Michelle Riesling - he paid about $15 for it in 2002, not sure what it would cost today.
Ken says this is his 2nd favorite white wine.  His first favorite is the Swan Valley Sandalford Sandalera fortified wine, but he can't seem to find anyone in the USA who can get it for him.
Anyhoo, back to Chateau St Michelle.
He has had this Riesling for several years.  He says the 2003 vintage is also very hard to get.  He loves this wine.
It has nose of hot asphalt, diesel (spilled on the road), and the palate reminds Valerie of teriyaki glaze and peaches.

Le Caveau - Featured Wines - 01/21/12

Le Caveau - Featured Wines - 01/21/12
Dan Crawford was pouring for us today.
Le Caveau was not having an official tasting this week, but we were there to discuss the upcoming wine club meeting for TWITs and Dan graciously let us taste some of their featured wines for the month.
I was particularly tickled to see "EWC=b2" (well it was B squared, but I couldn't find a way to do that in this blog). Read below to figure out why.
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Eugene Wine Cellars (EWC)
Bruce & Brad Biehl (brothers or b2) were introduced to the wine industry in the late 1970s after working in agriculture during their youth. Bruce leased his first vineyard in 1978 and began developing independent vineyards in Williamette Valley, while earning his degree from Oregon State University in Agriculture Resource and Economics.
Since Graduating school, Bruce has developed over 140 vineyard operations in 13 counties within Oregon through his additional company A.R.E.A. Inc.
Meanwhile, Brad Biehl graduated from UC Davis with a Viticulture and Oenology degree, then moved to Provence in Southern France to co-manage Chateau Revelette. Brad returned to Oregon in 1990 to work with Bruce developing vineyard sites. In 1991 Brad was recruited by Ed King to build one of Oregon's premiere wineries, King Estate.
In 2000 Bruce opened the doors of Eugene Wine Cellars. Bruce continues his management of independent vineyards, while providing custom wine development services, private label wines, and bulk wine products.
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1) 2008 Eugene Wine Cellars 100% Pinot Gris - $14.99
A blend of Dion, Wotruba, and Cook vineyard, in the Northern Williamette Valley. This wine was fermented in separate small lots at cool temperatures of around 50 degrees to preserve fruity aromas and characters. The fermentations were stopped at approximately .9 residual sugar for an element of sweet and fruity flavors. Then Lees stirring for 4 months to improve mouth feel and texture. Finally the lots were blended and made bottle ready.
Aromas of apple, earth, and spice. Crisp yet good viscosity and mouth feel with nice fruity character through the front, middle, and finish.
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2) 2009 Eugene Wine Cellars 100% Pinot Noir - $18.99
"A blend of four vineyards: Fox Arbor in the Southern Williamette outside Eugene 10% added nice color and complexity and great aromas, Dion is the backbone of our blend, 70%, just south of Hillsboro, nice fruit flavors with good structure all through the mouth and nice raspberry and earthy aromas. Wotruba Vineyard in McMinnville, 10% of this blend, adds nice delicate fruity flavors and complexity. Pendarvise Vineyards located in Boring, Oregon [seriously that's the name of the city], in the Northern Williamette makes up the remaning 10% of our blend. It is with this fruit that we get our color and tannin structure. Together these vineyards have produced what we think is a very balanced and drinkable wine with good complexity."

Pinot Grigio - June 30th, 2010 - Ms. Marilyn

Pinot Grigio - June 30th, 2010 - Ms. Marilyn (and Buddy)

Wikipedia: Pinot Grigio is a white wine varietal (also called Pinot Gris).
Pairings: Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio pairs well with light crisp foods - examples, shrimp scampi, oysters or bacon wrapped scallops. Also Creamy Sauces, Turkey, Shrimp, Veal. Avoid tomato or spicy foods.
Notes: The grape grows best in cool climates, and matures relatively early with high sugar levels. This can lead to either a sweeter wine, or, if fermented to dryness, a wine high in alcohol. Clusters of Pinot gris may have a variety of colors in the vine. These clusters can range from bluish grey to light pinkish brown. The grapes grow in small clusters (hence the pinecone shape), and upon ripening, often display a pinkish-gray hue, although the colors can vary from blue-gray to pinkish-brown. Grown in France, Northern Italy, Australia, and on the West coast - US.

Marilyn was a lovely hostess providing us with a veritable feast of pairings including: a shell-shaped mold of crab dip (complete with cream cheese and cocktail sauce), artichoke/parm/Rotelle dip, pesto/cream cheese/sundried tomato dip, baked brie with almonds and honey, chicken/pesto/polenta lasagna (invidual portions) garnished with pinon, olive platter, fresh veggie platter, fresh fruit platter, homemade whipped cream, several cracker/pita chip options for dipping, and I'm sure I probably forgot something on this list, but anyway it was all DELICIOUS!

Tasting Notes:
1) 2009 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio - $17.99 at Total Wine
(depending where you buy this one, it may run you upwards of $30/bottle or as low as $13.99 at Costco)
Light and refreshing taste, pale straw color, crisp but not too tart, dry finish, no scent or nose that we muster, as it warmed the flavor mellowed, also tastes of green pear and banana

2) 2009 Conte Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio - $11.99 or $12.99 at Total Wine
light and tangy, not as dry, little to no scent, faint scent of apple perhaps? Lingers longer at the back of the mouth, green apple, fresh green grape taste, goes down too easy. very drinkable.

3) 2007 Francis Ford Coppola Bianco Pinot Grigio - $7.35 Kroger closeout
straw yellow color, golden peach flavor with sharp tang at the end.
others said light gentle flavor, does not linger, but is buttery on the frontal tongue, goes VERY well with the Cocktail sauce, memorable! balanced flavor.

4) 2009 Conte Priola Pinot Grigio - $6.99 Total Wine
dryer, mellow flavor, green apple, tart, herbacious, tastes slightly of lemon, reminds me of Sauvignon Blanc, aroma is also lemon, apple, tangerine perhaps, crisp, long refreshing finish.

Pinot Grigio - June 2008 - Hostess - Ms Amanda

Pinot Grigio - June 2008 - Hostess: Ms Amanda

Wikipedia: About Pinot Grigio. White Wine.
Food Pairings: seafood, light pasta, cheese cracker pairings, AVOID Citrus or Tomato flavors since this varietal is acidic already

Abbie's Tasting Notes:
Sorry folks I missed this month's wine club. Please email me any updates you wish to be posted.