Nomadic Wines

Wine tasting at my house

I guess business school students are pretty busy... so busy that they cannot enjoy a few wines on a Sunday night... along with a beautiful sunset. Fortunately, I recruited McClure and Ellie to join me, so wine was not wasted. Cathy made it as well (priorities in line), while Matt swung by on his way home.

We opened the following wines, all procured at North Berkeley Imports.

2005 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre
If this is the modern version of Sancerre, I can dig it. It was ripe and fresh, but it maintained the steely, chalky notes that define Sancerre. The fruit was defined by sliced pear, along with some spiciness. Very subtle.

2005 Shenandoah Vineyards California Sauvignon Blanc - typical Cali-style wine with very ripe flavors and a touch of oak. It seemed like there were flavors of lime, vanilla and coconut.

2004 T-Vine Cellars Napa Valley Grenache - no oakiness, but super-ripe and smooth to drink. This is a full-bodied ripe Grenache with vanilla, coconut, and lots of dark fruit like black rasperries, blackberries, and good 'ol California jamminess. It was a great contrast to the:

2001 Domaine La Milliere Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes 375ml
The first bottle was muted and maybe a little corked, so I opened another one. This one was brighter and more what I expected - kirsch, earthy, spicy. Its layers start with flowers and raspberry, then finish with earthiness and some crushed stone. I am happy to have found an old world style CdP.

Some information about Domaine La Milliere.
All of Arnaud’s Châteauneuf vines are located in Cabrières, just below Mont Redon. This region is blessed with the best soils of Châteauneuf—round galet stones the size of fists, well-draining sand, and mineral-rich limestone. Vines that have seen close to a century of life in Châteauneuf sit north/west on Arnaud’s vineyard slopes.

Thanks to all those who made it... hope to do it more often.

posted by nomadfromcincy @ 7:42 AM