Home for the holidays with Atlanta Wine School's new Vino Venue

I’m closing out the year back home in Atlanta visiting friends and family, where The Atlanta Wine School’s new Vino Venue provides a nice diversion from the usual holiday fare.

Vino Venue came together late in 2012 after much planning and preparation. The results are spectacular. It’s a beautiful spot with literally everything wine under one roof – a wine bar; an enomatic pouring system; a nice retail selection; service for small-plates and tapas; and an educational room with a gourmet kitchen. This is a must-visit if you live in or visit Atlanta. Between education (including WSET & CSW), shopping, or a leisurely evening out – all of the bases are covered!

 My stop was for a tasting featuring several highly rated wines from California, France, Spain and Italy. The tasting featured fine cheeses and charcuterie and was hosted by local Master Sommelier Michael McNeill. Wine highlights included a 2008 Bucella from Napa and a beautiful 2007Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano. Click here for notes on all of the wines tasted.

Retail-wise it was a good spot to pick up a great little entry-level Etna Rosso for holiday dinner. A 2011 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso, which is made from the Narello Mascalese grape and is from the unique soils of the active Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily. Think lightness and elegance of Pinot Noir with bright red fruit and crazy floral/mineral qualities, tidied up with sharp acid and firm tannins. I’m probably selling its uniqueness a little short with that description, so check it out for yourself.

 And with that here’s to a Happy New Year and more great wine and times in 2013. Cheers!

Cru Bordeaux Tasting

The 2007 Bordeaux vintage is interesting to me. Mainly, because I've been fortunate enough to taste a fair sampling of the wines. I went to the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux trade tasting in January and tasted wines from throughout Bordeaux, then got to follow that up with a Bordeaux tasting class at Atlanta Wine School that featured another sampling of 2007's. Furthermore, 2007 is a less than stellar vintage. With the wines initially priced high, and as inventories throughout the trade stagnate, there should be some nice bargains available over the next couple of years. For what it's worth, here are some notes on the wines that I tasted tonight.

~2007 Domaine de Chevalier Bordeaux Blanc, Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Leognan- 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon. Nose of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and river rock that grows more floral with time in the glass. Crisp citrus on the palate with mineral notes and light touches of heather honey. Finishes with lilac floral notes and lime---very good to excellent---$75-$100.

~2007 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere Grand Cru Classé Saint-Emilion- 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Really detailed with secondary depth on both the nose and the palate, with the black fruit wound tightly within. Aromas of cedar, coffee, cracked pepper, and minerals. Flavors of fig, currant, slate, violet, leather, apple, and espresso. Cedary tannins with closing notes of tea and wood that further clip the fruit. With some age and the fruit opening up to intermingle with the host of other notes, this could really shine---Very Good to Excellent---$60 up to $130 online.

~2007 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan- 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. Woodsy notes of cedar, chocolate, cherry- inviting with forward notes lavender, raspberry, mineral, and tea. Lush feel with herb-laced tannins. Good now.---Very Good---$20-$30.

~2007 Chateau Beaumont, Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois- 52% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. Piney aromas of eucalyptus and pipe tobacco- with espresso, sour cherry, tea, and bitter chocolate. Finishes with silky tannins---fair to good---$15-$20.

~2007 Chateau du Tertre, Margaux, 5th Growth- 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Leathery, anise, floral notes, and raspberry- with raspberry tort, cherry, wet stone, and chocolate. Velvety with lush finishing notes---Very Good---$30-$40.

~2007 Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Pauillac, 5th Growth- 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. Musky nose with leather and hints of fruit, and slightly medicinal- with berries, currant, violet-ripe with light secondary notes. Lush tannins with spice and fruit. Good now.---Good to Very Good---$38.

~2007 Château Branaire-Ducru, Saint-Julien, 4th Growth- 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Dense in the glass. Nose of tea, river rock, raspberry jam, cedar, and coffee- with integrated raspberry and currant fruit, slate, clove, tea, espresso, mint. Racy tannins with a long finish. Beautiful stuff with a long life ahead---Excellent---$35-$50.

~2007 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes, 1er Grand Cru Classé- 90% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle. Shines in the glass. Profound floral notes, mineral, key lime, and tropical fruit on the nose. Viscous texture with notes of tangerine, banana, coconut, and apricot-seamless. Lively and slightly medicinal. Decadent and long. Amazing stuff---Classic---$40-$60.

Wines of Germany tasting

Tonight was the Wines of Germany class at Atlanta Wine School. A great opportunity for exposure to more serious German Wines. I don't often drink German wines, although not due to lack of interest. It's more a case of lack of exposure to anything beyond the basic mass-imported QbA's, Kabinetts, and Spatlese. I know that profound expressions of Riesling emanate from the beautiful slopes above the Mosel River and throughout the rest of the German wine countryside- so the class was a welcome opportunity.

German wine can seem a bit dense on the surface. The nomenclature on the labels seems complicated, but is actually fairly simple upon memorization. The classification of levels of ripeness/sweetness on the top level QmP wines is different, but overall the quality classifications are similar to other European countries. The aesthetics of the bottles are unique but grow on you as you come to appreciate the wines. The German Wines website is a good source of specific information.

We tasted wines from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, and Rheingau. All were Riesling (QbA, Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese) except for a Scheurebe Spatlese from Pfalz and a QbA Troken (dry) Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) from Rheingau. Generally, I ended up preferring the sweeter Kabinetts and Auslese wines as the residual sugar consistently came with an intensity from the fruit profile and acidity. A good example of this was the Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2006 from Mosel- beautifully elegant and sweet heather honey flavors that were ushered into the palate by an attacking tart tropical fruit profile- bone dry on the tip of the tongue before the lush sweetness comes in. The Joh Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese 2005 was less sweet and more marked with apple, lime, petrol, and floral notes- very nice as well.

Other favorites included Gysler Weinheim Riesling Kabinett 2007 from Rheinhessen- red floral notes, red apple, and honey on the nose moving into citrus, exotic spice, pear, apple, and honey on the palate- very rich and complex. I also liked the Kurt Darting Durkheimer Spielberg Scheurebe Spatlese 2007. Great aromatics of currants, grapefruit, and wet stone and a palate of honeycomb, forest floor, grapefruit, and apricot- very nice. Both of these wines are selections of noteworthy importer Terry Theise.

A great overall experience, and a nice break from my usual wine suspects...

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2007 Vintage Tasting

Atlanta was one of four U.S. stops on the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2007 Vintage tasting tour. Thanks to an Atlanta Wine School email, I was able to be there today experiencing a virtual tasting tour through Bordeaux. It was truly a unique opportunity to taste my way through each of the appellations-experiencing the differences in terroir and style.

From all reports, the 2007 vintage in Bordeaux was a mixed bag. A wet summer put a damper on hopes for a good overall vintage; but a sunny, cool, and dry September improved prospects and some quality wines were made. This tasting included whites and reds from Pessac-Léognan, reds from Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, and sweet whites from Sauternes & Barsac. The Saint-Émilion were all Grand Cru Classé, and there were a good amount of classified growths among the Médoc and Sauternes offerings. I was able to taste 44 different wines.

From Pessac-Léognan my favorite white was Domaine De Chavalier- very nice hints of tropical and citrus fruit elegantly balanced with mineral and straw notes. From the reds I liked Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion with its anise, coffee, black fruit, and herbal notes; their white was good as well-very Semillon influenced. Overall the whites were more consistent than their reds. The reds were fairly muted in their fruit and astringent.

The Saint-Émilion wines were a little uneven, mostly highlighted with herbal and earthy notes. On the ones where the fruit came into balance you could see nice potential. My favorites were Château La Tour Figeac & Château Trottevielle. The Pomerol wines were big and ripe compared to the Saint-Émilion, the Merlot really standing out much more. The ones I tasted were nice but fairly simple and straightforward with fairly muted aromas. Château Clinet was a favorite here. Between Listrac and Moulis, Château Chasse-Spleen was nice- with good ripe fruit and light spice notes. Of the Haut-Médoc, Château Cantemerle stood out for its elegant balance of dark fruit and spice.

The Margaux wines were consistently very delicate and complex- many with beautiful floral and red fruit notes on the nose and complex palates of fruit, herbs, and baking spices that suggested great potential for development. Château Lascombes and Château Rauzan-Ségla were standouts here; several more were very nice as well. Moving into the Saint-Julien wines- what stood out here was the gripping tannins and fine structure. The fruit-spice balance like that of Margaux was present, but with the fruit a little more to the forefront and consistently firm tannins. Flavors like cracked pepper and coffee beans were present in some of the best of these as well. I think the Saint-Juliens were the best overall of the day- with Château Lagrange, Château Léoville Poyferré, and Château Saint-Pierre as the standouts. Their complexity and structure showing great potential. The wines of Pauillac had more brawn and masculinity- dark spice, dark fruit, and ripe tannins. Bolder and richer than Saint-Julien but with a more relaxed structure, probably a little more drinkable now. Château Lynch-Bages was the standout. Of the Saint-Estèphe wines, Château De Pez was similar in profile to the Pauillacs- big fruit and rich spice with coffee notes- nice for now. Château Lafon-Rochet was big and tannic with notes of pencil shavings, herbs, and enough fruit to suggest nice potential for development.

I finished with a few Sauternes. The flavors here seemed pretty developed-ranging from the very aromatic Château Bastor Lamontagne, whose nut-brown sweetness was very balanced with rich fruit; to the intense Château La Tour Blanche, whose dense layers reminded me of apple and lemon meringue pies with a intense tart acidity.

So for what it's worth, these are my observations of a cross section of the 2007 Boudeaux vintage. It may not be another 2005, but I'm sure I could be happy for a long time with a supply of 2007's! Thanks again to Atlanta Wine School for getting me into the loop for this fascinating tasting!