Tasting the Cote de Beaune

Continuing down through Burgundy's Cote d'Or into the southern portion, the Cote de Beaune. This area shares many similarities with its northern neighbor as far as climate, altitude and aspect but it has more soil variation promoting the production of red (57%) and more white (43%) wines. The red wines tend to be lighter than those produced in the Cote De Nuits while the white wines deliver concentrated flavor and are considered to be among the best in the world. There are 7 Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote de Beaune and only one produces Grand Cru red but there are numerous Premier Cru vineyards producing both. Although there are 17 principal communes in the Cote de Beaune, I am only focusing on 3 in this posting.

The commune of Volnay is home to 30 Premier Crus producing only red wines. Volnay reds are typically soft and aromatic.

2007 Volnay Vielles Vignes - Nicolas Potel $45
Appearance: Clear, pale garnet with a brickish rim.
Nose: Clean, medium intense developed aromas of leather, violets and smokey meat.
Palate: Dry, firmly structured with medium body/alcohol and medium+ acidity and tannins with a medium+ length finish.
Quality: Good+ Serve with roasted duck or goose.
Drink now with some aging potential.

2008 Volnay Premier Cru - Le Ronceret - Henri de Villamont $65
Appearance: Clear, pale garnet with a watery rim.
Nose: Clean, medium intense developed aromas of leather, red fruit and earth.
Palate: Dry, medium body, alcohol and tannins with medium+ acidity and a medium+ length finish.
Quality: Very good. Serve with bacon-wrapped filet.
Drink now, has some aging potential.

The commune of Meursault is considered to produce some of Burgundy's best white wines. It is home to 18 Premier Crus. 90% of its production is of white wine typically produced in a rich, creamy style.

2004 Meursault Charmes Premier Cru - Guy Bocard
Appearance: Clear, medium gold.
Nose: Clean, medium- intense aromas of oak with a hint of lemon.
Palate: Dry, medium body, alcohol and acidity with muted flavors of lemon butter and almond with a short finish.
Quality: Past its prime. Not recommended.

Continuing on down to Chassagne-Montrachet, home to 4 Grand Crus and 17 Premier Cru vineyards. The white wines of Chassagne are also considered to be among Burgundy's best.

2009 Chassagne-Montrachet Louis Latour
Appearance: Clear, pale lemon with a watery rim.
Nose: Clean, medium intense youthful aromas of lemons and lilacs.
Palate: Dry, medium body, alcohol and acidity with flavors of apple and citrus. Medium length.
Quality: Good+

2007 Chassagne-Montrachet Vide Bourse Premier Cru - Thomas Morey
Appearance: Clear, medium lemon with a watery rim.
Nose: Clean, medium intense youthful aromas of lemon, apple and butter.
Palate: Dry, medium+ body, alcohol, acidity and length with flavors of lemon butter and a slight nuttiness.
Quality: Very good
Both of these can be enjoyed now but may also have some aging potential.

related post:
Grand Cru Wines from the Cote de Nuits

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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