Showing posts with label semillon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label semillon. Show all posts

Saturday, February 10, 2018

February 10th - Wine & Chocolate - hosted by Steve and Crissy

February 10th - Wine & Chocolate - hosted by Steve and Crissy

This next event already has my mouth watering in anticipation.  Crissy & Steve have just returned from Napa, and they are hosting a Wine & Chocolate pairing tasting.   There will be at least 5, possibly 6 wines which they have curated, with pairings for each course.

WHEN:  Saturday February 10th, 2018  @ 7:30pm ET

THEME:  Wine & Chocolate Pairings

BRING:  TWITs should bring $20/per person

We learned a few helpful tips for pairing wine with chocolate:
1) The wine should be sweeter than the food with which it is being paired.
2) One should taste the wine, take a bite of the food pairing, and then taste the wine again.  This is to see if the food changes the wine on the palate in any way.

Fun Fact:  White Chocolate isn't really Chocolate.  White chocolate doesn't qualify as genuine chocolate because it doesn't contain chocolate solids (a.k.a. cocoa powder). White chocolate is typically made from a blend of cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar, milk fat and lecithin — a fatty emulsifier that holds it all together.  Who knew?

TWITs had a fabulous time tasting the wine and glorious pairings along with them.  I think my personal favorite of the courses was the flourless chocolate cake paired with the Biale Petite Sirah.  Yum!  Crissy is a fanTAStic cook!  However, the most unusual dish was the Dukkah.  I'd never had Dukkah before, and now I think I'm in love.  Crissy and Steve did a wonderful job of designing an exquisite menu to pair with the wines.  Each pairing was spot on, and absolutely delicious.


Welcome Wine:  2016 Ehlers Estate Sauvignon Blanc

~

Course 1:  
2015 Amici Sauvignon Blanc
and
White Chocolate Baba Ganoush

~

Course 2:
Chocolate Dukkah w Olive Oil & Bread
(this also paired with the Amici Sauvignon Blanc AND with the first red wine)
2016 Mollydooker "The Boxer" Shiraz
Course 3:
Chocolate Dukkah Dusted Chicken Breast & Carrots
and
2016 Mollydooker "The Boxer" Shiraz

~

Course 4:
Mole Chili
&
2015 The Seventy Five Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon

~

Course 5:
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Freshly Whipped Cream
and
2015 Robert Biale Vineyards "Royal Punishers" Petite Sirah

~

Course 6: 
White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies
and
2015 Ferrari-Carano "Eldorado Gold" Semillon

~

Course 7: 
"PBJ"
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bites
and
2016 Bella Vineyards "Late Harvest" Zinfandel 

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Spooky-good-to-be-true Bargain Bin Wines - Saturday October 8th, 2016


Spooky-good-to-be-true Bargain Bin Wines - Saturday October 8th, 2016

Happy HalloWine!  


When:  Saturday October 8th, 2016 - 2 pm - 5pm ET   

Theme:  Spooky-good-to-be-true Bargain Bin Wines

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

Recipe:   Chilled Creamy Cucumber Soup - Deb said she didn't need to add water to it.
All cheese purchased at CostCo, Whole Foods, Kroger (on Hammond in Sandy Springs)


Cheese to Wine Scale:
(Affinage is French term describing the aging and maturity level of cheeses)
Soft Cheeses  <------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Hard Cheeses
Fresh, High water, milky                                                  Affinage                                     Moisture evaporates - leaves
delicate,                                                                                                                                        behind the fat and protein (flavors) 
                                                                                                                                                       older more rich and savory

Delicate Wines  <-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Bold Wines
Young wines have primary                                                                                                      Time spent in cask or bottle knit
notes: fresh, spirited, lively aromas                                                                                       together and acquire nuance.
bright flavors of fruits, flowers, citrus,                                                                                  Secondary notes of oak, toast, 
herbs and spice                                                                                                                           earth, oxidation, minerals, umami
                                                                                                                                                        more complex and savory


Tasting Notes:
1) 2014 La Grange Tiphaine 'Noveau-Nez' Petillant Montlouis-sur-Loire - $28
13% alcohol,
100% Chenin Blanc farmed organically (certified ECOCERT in 2008) practicing biodynamic.  Damien and Coralie Delecheneau are based in Touraine-Amboise but work many vineyards in Montlouis.  This petillant naturel is made in the typical, minimal-intervention manner. The grapes were picked at a potential alcohol of 13.8%, Still in fermentation, the wine is bottled with 14 g/l of residual sugar after which secondary fermentation happens naturally in the bottle.  In the glass it has a vibrant gold with a fine yet plentiful bead.  There is a nose of grilled peaches and rose petals, peppered with nuances of marzipan and a touch of baked apple, yet despite this, it feels fresh with bright and powdery edges.
Cheese Pairing:  Blue Castello St. Agur

2) 2015 Chateau Ducasse Blanc Bordeaux  - $17
12% alcohol,
60% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle.
Made from 45+ year-old sustainably farmed vines planted within the Graves appellation of Bordeaux in limestone and clay soils, the wine is a blend of 60% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Muscadelle.  Aged entirely in stainless for 6 months before bottling, the wine displays fresh fruited, lively mineral character.  Fresh citrus, honeysuckle, and a bevy of tropical fruits, green mango, papaya, passion fruit, plantains.  The finish is long and oily lingering for some time.
Cheese Pairings:  Dubliner Aged Cheddar, Lancashire, Mahon, Derby, Brie

3) 2015 Domaine du Couron Rose Ardeche - $ 11
14% alcohol
100% Grenache
Jean_Luc and Marie-Lise Dorthe produce this dry rose exclusively from their 39-year old, sustainably farmed vines of Grenache.  The juice is rested on skins for precisely 8 1/2 hours to get this exact color and fresh-fruited aromas of strawberry, watermelon, and citrus.  With a rich, fresh-fruited palate and a slightly honeyed texture, it is easy to understand why this was handily our best-selling rose last summer, selling out in 3 weeks.
Cheese Pairings:  Oussau-Iraty, Azeitao, Tete des Moines, Gruyere, Cheshire

4) 2013 Bodega de Pinoso 'Flos de Pinoso' Alicante - $13
14% alcohol
100% Monastrell
Vinified from 100% organically farmed Monastrell entirely in stainless tanks, the 'Flos de Pinoso' boasts a remarkably perfumed, fresh-fruited nose.  Wild red and black berries along with dark spice, combine with integrated tannins and acidity on the palate.  Decidedly fresher and more toned than a lot of the chewy, dense Monastrell coming from this eastern Spanish region, the wine is an easy match with BBQ
Cheese Pairings:  Manchego

5) 2015 Domaine Duseigneur 'La Chapelle' Cotes du Rhone  - $14
14% alcohol
50/50% Grenache/Syrah Blend
composed of equal parts biodynamically farmed old-vine Grenache and Syrah, this delightful fruit-driven Rhone is easy to love.  The grapes are sourced from clay hills above the Rhone river, just across from Chateauneuf du Pape.  Fermented entirely in stainless, the wine has wonderful freshness. Founded in 1967, the domaine's principles of respecting soil and environment lead it to be among the first to embrace organic farming in the Rhone.
Cheese Pairings:  Dubliner Aged Cheddar, Cheshire, St. Nectaire, aged Gruyere, Manchego, Gouda

6) 2010 Quinta do Mondego 'Mondeco' Tinto Dao  - $11
13.5% alcohol
Blend of Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen & Baga
Made from hand-harvested Tinta Roriz (aka: Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen & Baga.  Fermentation in small stainless steel tanks, with 10% of the blend aged in French Oak casks for 12 months.  Intense, dark garnet color and elegant aromas of fresh dark fruits with a touch of mint and cigar box.  A full bodied palate of rich, ripe dark fruits is balanced with good acidity and firm tannins.  91 pts from wine enthusiast.
Cheese Pairings:  sharp cheddar, Azeitao, Mahon, Manchego

(not planned, but Marnie brought a bottle to share)
7) 2014 Cooper & Thief Cellarmasters Select Red Wine Blend  ~ $30
17% alcohol
Cooper & Thief is a dark and jammy red blend comprised of 38% Merlot, 37% Syrah, 11% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% other red varieties, and loaded with bourbon-inspired flavors and aromas. Aging for three months in ex-bourbon barrels gives way to soft velvety tannins, with a subtle heat. The combined result is a rich flavor with a long, lingering finish.
Reminded me of Orin Swift's The Prisoner but with more Port-like notes.
Cheese Pairings:  Blue cheese

Photos:











Thursday, March 8, 2012

Le Caveau - Chateau Le Noble Tasting - 03/07/2012









*note, the White Bordeaux has 40% Sauvignon Blanc, not Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a typo we believe.







Chateau Le Noble is a family owned vineyard established in 1820. Located at Saint Germain du Puch on the left bank of the Dordogne River, between Bordeaux and Saint Emilion.

Thomas Bonnefan is heir to an ancient tradition of winemakers rooted in the region of Languedoc and the southwest of France. He is a graduate of the prestigious wine agricultural and oenology school in Bordeaux, Blanquefort. His studies were completed by internships and hands-on perfecting at several Bordeaux Chateaux, including the famous cru classe Chateau Rauzan-Segla in Medoc.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone