Theme: Blends Host: Erich Sachse Date: Dec 23rd - 30th Format: Details below, this will be fun! Raffle: 1998 Le Vieux Donjon & 2011 Saxum James Berry
And now a word from our host Erich:
Thanks for the opportunity to “host” a virtual tasting series!
Charity
The charity I’ll be supporting is Profugo (http://www.profugo.org). I am a board member and am very passionate about the sustainable development work being done in India, as well as a long term model that pursues initiatives in three areas: Health & Wellness, Human Development, and Social Capital. See below or visit the website for more details.
Because Profugo “blends” people together in a global neighborhood, I wanted to pursue a theme of blends. Plus, who doesn’t need Champagne, Port, and other fun blends during Christmas week?
Here’s how it works:
I will donate $1 per grape in the blend… if you can provide the blend, great. If not, just estimate! A blend is defined as 2 grapes minimum and 15 maximum, state the number/estimate in your post.
If you match (or exceed!) my donation at https://profugo.org:8080/ or buy some of the work from the tailoring school at http://profugomarket.storenvy.com/, I’ll “match you back” and double my donation to Profugo! Just post or PM me if you donated so I know to double up!
Raffle:
Free case of craft beer from Anthony Lombardi - post a note and you may have already won!
[winner.gif]From those who post a note, I’ll have a drawing and offer up a bottle of 1998 Vieux Donjon
Both bottles will be added to or upgraded when we hit a stretch goal of $2,500 donated as a team!
Some ideas:
Port - 100 sanctioned varieties… who can make me spend some $$?
Chateauneuf du Pape - 13 varieties allowed… drink some Beaucastel and I’ll donate $13!
Champagne - 3 varieties is easy… but can anyone do more?
Bordeaux - 5 varieties
Old vine field blends
Note: I want everyone to be able to participate, so if you think you don’t have anything, get creative… clonal blends, vineyard blends, etc… find a way!
More about Profugo:
Profugo is a grassroots non-profit organization involved in International Development. Our mission is to provide communities with access to tools and resources that enable them to build a better quality of life. Our vision is creating a world where brighter futures are possible because all communities have equal access to a better quality of life.
We use our Center of Development model as a channel in which to work alongside a community to generate social change that is sustainable, cost efficient, and long lasting. Our Center of Development model is a three pronged approach to positive community development that focuses on Health & Wellness, Human Development, and Social Capital. Profugo cultivates the expertise, training and resources of individuals and organizations to build the capacity of our Center of Development and generate social change. By doing so, Profugo is creating a global neighborhood where skills and resources are shared to improve healthcare practices and alleviate poverty in developing countries.
A few of my personal favorite current programs:
Tailoring School - Profugo identified an entrepreneurship opportunity for the women of the community by helping find tailoring training and providing business training. See their work and buy their products at http://profugomarket.storenvy.com/
Health Programs - providing medical care and support in the community to enable people to be active participants in the development effort.
Water for Life - Profugo’s field team worked with the community to pursue clean water initiatives including installing 3 new wells!
Documentary - Villanova students made a documentary about the work being done in the community – see the trailer here: Before We Sleep Trailer - YouTube
Great cause. On a personal note I’m the proud owner of a water well in a remote Cambodian village, a gift from my mother for Xmas 4 years ago. I have a picture of it somewhere if I can find it, and my wife has purchased numerous hand made purses from the organization.
Small world
Todd, before you ask… A list of wines that are blends in your cellartracker.
1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/23/2014)
Absolutely beautiful showing for my last bottle of this vintage. Purchased on release from Kermit Lynch and perfectly stored. Fully mature,“old school” Chateauneuf…It could last longer but I would not keep them as they seem to be showing extremely well right now. Excellent mouth feel, in beautiful balance with no elements out of place. Slightly “animal” with briary, dark fruit. A touch of Provencal spice, showing rosemary, pine and even lavender . To me, everything in its’ proper place. (95 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
I’m game. Had fun doing the beer one! That was my first try at a tasting note, so this will be my second. An awesome idea, as a charitable cause will hopefully draw out more of the hermits/newbies like myself. Didn’t have much to choose from blend-wise around the house, figured I’d give this one a go, even if it’s a bit out of season.
Color is a light golden. Aromas of yellow apple, pineapple, peach, there is a clean, herbal like smell I’m having a hard time describing. My mind seems to wander to fennel/anise, but it isn’t that. A faint salty/mineral sort of smell also. Less fruity on the palate. Still get some of the apple and peach, but it is more of that salty/mineral component that takes over. Seemingly high acidity, side of tongue numbs a bit and mouth waters. The mid-palate (at least what I think to be the mid-palate lol) has a sort of oily/smooth texture to it. Pretty long finish, that numbness stays with me for awhile anyways. Went well with a baked salmon dish.
*Prior to submitting, I noticed the nose seemed to change a bit as there was less in the glass and the wine warmed up. Fruit notes less intense, but some additional woody/toasty aromas. But, as I poured out some more from the bottle, it went back to the initial findings.
Wasn’t sure if posting the picture is commonplace like the beer notes, but I went ahead anyways:
*Side note, I couldn’t figure out how to list the wine as the hyperlink to cellartracker.com. Any help greatly appreciated.
This delightful white is one of Canada’s most popular vinifera blends. Made from the most premium Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Pinot Blanc grapes in the Okanagan. Pale yellow in color, very fruit driven with loads of citrus, orange and spice notes. Big mouthfeel yet finishes refreshing clean and crisp with a hint of sweetness and excellent acidity. Went well with chicken schnitzel and bok choy.
Evan, great SECOND note! Keep going and don’t worry if you get stumped, that’s when you hand the glass to the person next to you and say “what the heck is this?” We all need a little help from our friends.
BTW Evan made a donation and purchased some of the goods mentioned above. We have a leader in the clubhouse for the raffle: case of beer, 1998 CdP, and 2011 Saxum in a single post!
Tonight it’s a blend of Acetaminophen, Dextromethorphan and Doxylamine succinate among other inactive ingredients. Washing it down with a 2012 St Francis Old Vines Zinfandel. Hopefully this cold passes as tomorrow night we’re getting serious.
Erich, thanks for taking on a week and to Brig for continuing to provide support for the community to give.
OK, so here is my first one. Didn’t take notes last night but this is my recall on what was yet another great bottle of champagne coming out of Envoyer.
More to come Erich, I wuill ensure we get some more notes up from dinner tonight. OOPS–this is a 2 blend bubbly.
2008 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Brut Millésimé- France, Champagne (12/24/2014)
Dug this last night. No sweetness here (dosage listed at 4g on bottle) and for those who may not prefer cut and things that are a bit taut in bubbly, they won’t like this but there were 4 of us at the table and this bottle went very quickly.
2008 Tercero Cuvee Christie. PnP. Not 100% sure but I believe around 70% Grenache, 15% Mouvrede and 15% Syrah. Wow, this was delicious. Best Tercero showing to date and I have been a big fan. Red fruits, cherry and raspberry, with loads of baking spice on the nose and palate. Kind of a cherry pie feel but not sweet if that makes sense. My wife, who thinks she hates Grenache, also loved it.
My first entry… Going field blends is very tempting but since we did that a couple weeks ago, this week Everybody Must Get Rhòned! We’ll be bringing out the big boys soon, but a little warmup first:
2005 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (12/24/2014)
Decanted at cellar temp and served immediately. Medium ruby color with hints of garnet lightening the edges. Nose of fresh strawberries and red raspberries with grilled thyme and black tea. Palate enters with red fruits, slightly hollow through the mid-palate, but finishes with pepper, Herbs de Provence, and an acidity which brings the fresh fruit back for a long finish. Still some tannin lingering. This is just starting to transition into its middle-age and has lots of life left.
Erich, forgot the other one from last night. Didn’t take notes but the bottle paired well with a great meal and really just enjoyed the time over dinner talking and having a couple glasses of the Insignia. Made me remember how good my last '99 was that I drank a few years back. This '08 doesn’t seem to that level but given the air we deprived it and the speed in which we finished it, I enjoyed the wine. PS–this is a 3 blend.
2008 Joseph Phelps Insignia- USA, California, Napa Valley (12/24/2014)
We drank this without a decant, and with air it did evolve. There is red fruit in the core, with good polish and some oak fading through but just a seasoning of it IMO. Picked up grip as it sat with air and I would have liked to have tried this say with a day of slow ox to see what’s here. We drained the bottle, had a great meal with friends and so in that way, the bottle was fantastic.
I’ve always had a soft spot for this traditional St. Emilion, which seems to buck some of the trending on the Right Bank. A blend of about 80% merlot, 15% cab franc and the remainder is cab. Needed about 30 minutes to air out the stink, and now after 1.5 hours open, it’s showing well. Musky, crispy red fruits and some soft darks, bell pepper and tobacco. still a bit angular and lean. Medium weight on the palate, crisp finish. Let’s see how this fleshes out as it appears I am drinking it solo, my guests all going white.
Cheers – I have a '94 I plan to hit later in the week – not as strong a vintage, but I’ve been impressed with them so far. I believe they use a touch of most of the grapes, so I’m putting this down as a 13-er – well done!
Gotta contribute to my own cause! I hadn’t considered the Deiss until I went rooting around in Cellartracker – The Saxum being corked is a bummer, but I’m counting it… and a good excuse to dive into an Ovid as a replacement.
Deiss was served with cheese
Ovid was served with a dry aged ribeye and some scallops (overpowered the scallops for sure…)
2008 Marcel Deiss Burg- France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (12/24/2014)
Blend of 13 Alsatian varieties… Medium gold in glass with some legs. Intoxicating nose has floral and melon notes, with some light citrus notes. Really interesting to see the interplay of all the aromas. Palate shows just a touch of sweetness, giving it a really pleasant mouthfeel, and continues the floral/melon character, with some honeycomb. Nice finish. Really a great bottle of wine for $39. (93 pts.)
2007 Ovid Red Wine- USA, California, Napa Valley (12/24/2014)
47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 7% Petit Verdot. Nose shows predominantly red fruit, along with some herbal character that gives it an airy quality. palate shows red fruit, chocolate, blueberry, and sage. really nice velvety tannins give this a beautiful mouthfeel. med(+) acid. long finish. (94 pts.)
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