Friday Night Tasting Sheets
Click on the month below for tastings we've done in 2006.
November 2006 (Parker 92+ Tasting, Comfort Food Wines, Blow Out XIX, Holiday Wines)
October 2006 (Rhone Valley, Spain, Loire Valley, Sardinia & Sicily)
September 2006 (German Rieslings, Blow Out XVIII, Pinot Noirs, Under Ten Buck a Bottle)
August 2006 (Syrah vs Petite Sirah, Summer Bubbles, Wine & Tomatoes, Cab Franc)
July 2006 (Reds for Grill, Cal Wines Under 20, "Alternative" Whites, White Burgs)
June 2006 (Red Blends. Sauv Blancs. Bring a Bottle. Blow Out XVII. Hot Dogs.)
May 2006 (Rose Wines. Spain. Under Ten Buck A Bottle. 15 or 50?)
April 2006 (Taste Tour of France. Pinot Party. Rhones. Riesling)
March 2006 (Zinfandel. Oysters & Wine. Not-so-well-known grape.
Italy. Blow Out XVI)
February 2006 (Burgundy. Guess the Grape, Under Ten Buck, "How Sweet It Is!")
January 2006 (Sparkling Wines. Bigger Is Better, Blow Out XV, German Riesling)
tasting of friday, december 29
This inaugural tasting features TEN WINES TO TASTE.
All of them are for sale at 20% off.
This tasting is $10.
Spend over $100 tonight (in sale non-sale wines both) and your tasting is FREE.
These are the wines and the notes:
A. NESSA Albariño Rias Baixas, Spain 2005 $14
Classic, crisp, clean white from the shores of the Atlantic, above Portugal.
Break out the little fishies and imbibe.
B. DOMAINE CHIROULET Blanc, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2005 $10
This blend of Gros Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc and Ugni Blanc hails from near Cognac country, above Bordeaux. This white boasts exceptional texture and complexity for a “mere” eight dollar wine…tonight.
C. BORTHWICK VINEYARD Riesling, Wairarapa, New Zealand 2005 $18
On the southern tip of the North Island of New Zealand, this Riesling is ever-so-slightly off-dry. As a good Riesling should, this wine has plenty of tang and zip to it.
D. RAYE'S HILL Pinot Noir "Wightman House" Anderson Valley 2003 $22
Raye’s Hill is a long-time favorite of Back Room Wines. It tastes the way Anderson Valley Pinot should-ample personality combines with classy Pinot nuance. Wild red fruits and whisps of earth and spice make for lovely, delicate wine.
E. DOMINIQUE PIRON Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 $14
The clock is ticking on Nouveau season. Some say it’s passed, but what do they know? Taste on its own merits, and then share with friends on New Year’s Eve!
F. MARQUIS PHILIPS Cabernet Sauvignon, South Eastern Australia 2004, $16
Juicy, yummy, easy drinking Aussie Cab here.
G. ZOOM Zinfandel "108 Year Old Vines" Contra Costa County 2002, $20
From the sandy soils of Brentwood, Sacramento Delta, comes this rambunctious, big Zin. A wine like this demands big flavored foods.
H. CHATEAU PESQUIE Côtes du Ventoux "Quintessence" 2003, $22
This Southern France sweetheart is 80% Grenache & 20% Syrah. Earth and wild berry/cherry play for the lead.
I. ERIC BORDELET Sparkling Apple Cider, Brut "Tendre" $12
Mister Bordelet is the MAN of sparkling Hard Cider. His orchards are just above the Loire Valley. All organic. Only 4% alcohol.
J. ALVEAR Montilla Moriles, Solera Cream 500 ML Bottle $19
100% Pedro Ximenez grape from this region that used to be part of Sherry country (until they went out on their own). This is dessert all be itself.
CHEESE PLATE TONIGHT: Danish Blue, St. Jorge and Appenzeller. $8
tasting of friday, december 22 and Saturday, december 23
From 2 to closing each day
Gluwein
Come have a glass of warm, mulled red wine and do a little holiday shopping.
This is dan's favorite, made every year just before christmas. usually dan drinks more gluwein than he sells. $3/glass.
tasting of friday, december 15
Bring an Interesting
Bottle Night #3
tasting fee this night was an interesting, DELICIOUS bottle of wine. One 750 ML bottle admits two people. This was our third rendition of this tasting, and they've all been a blast.
tasting of friday, december 8
From 5 to 9 P.M.
Rhones and Rhone-style wines:
Is it from California,
or is it from France?
This night we poured three pairs of wine BLIND.
We poured a pair of White Rhone/White Rhone Style, two Syrahs and two Grenache/Syrah blends.
Tasters guessed which wine was from California, and which was from the Rhone Valley.
Those who guessed all three correctly won a Back Room Wines corkscrew.
We had forty tasters tonight, and 12 won corkscrews.
The wines poured were:
White Rhone Blends
Terre Rouge Enigma Sierra Foothills 2004 ($21)
Domaine de la Becassonne Cotes du Rhone 2005 ($15)
This turned out to be the toughest pair to differentiate. The Becassonne (owned and made by Andre Brunel, who also owns Les Cailloux of Chateauneuf-du-Pape) is fruit forward and easy to like for simple reasons. "Enigma," from high altitude, granite-laden vineyards in the Sierras, has a little stony edge to it. It's understandable that folks would guess this wrong, but ultimately the Enigma is definitely more Cal-like.
Syrahs
Phoenix Ranch Syrah Napa Valley 2003 ($33)
Domaine des Martinelles Crozes Hermitage 2003 ($21)
The color gave the Phoenix Ranch Syrah to most. It's darker and more brilliant, as one would expect. Those who were wrong were fooled by the Phoenix Ranch's very Rhone like aroma and flavor. As my notes state, the Phoenix is very Northern Rhone like, and tonight was no exception. The Martinelles is very authentic...a wine for gamey Rhone Syrah lovers.
Southern Rhone Style Blends
Skylark Grenache Mendocino 2004 ($22)
Domaine "La Garrigue" Cotes du Rhone Cuvee Romaine 2004
($13)
This pair was pretty easy to identify. The "La Garrigue" was reduced and funky straight away, so we decanted the bottles. The funk flew away and the wine drank very nicely. Still, the sappy raspberry/strawberry notes of the Skylark set it apart. A dead man could tell these apart. Interestingly, these were the two biggest sellers tonight.
tasting of Friday, decembeR 1
German Riesling Tasting
Tasting is from 5 to 9 P.M. (Reservations not necessary...come on in!)
Wines poured for sale for special 10% off during the tasting.
We shall start you with bubbles, then a little scheurebe,
Then four great rieslings! here are the notes:
A. SOLTER Sekt Spätburgunder Rosé Brut Rheingau 2003 $22
All Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder), Mèthode Champenoise.
It is always fun to start a tasting with good pink bubbles, and this rivals many a good Brut Rose.
The Solter was a nice suprise for many of our tasters, who liked the crisp dry fruit, nice acidity, and Champagne style, all for a great price.
B. MESSMER Scheurebe QbA, Pfalz 2004 LITER BOTTLE $16
Scheurebe is one of the “other grapes” of Germany, and does particularly well in the Pfalz, which is slightly warmer than its neighbors to the north. If this is your introduction to Scheurebe, welcome to the club. And note this a liter. 33% more for your money!
Definitelty one of the favorites of the tasting, the Messmer was nice and rich.....think Sauvignon Blanc with a bit more complexity and herbal qualities. Great tropical and citrus notes, spice, and herbs. Great with food, or on it's own.
C. DR. LOOSEN Riesling Bernkasteler "Lay" Kabinett 2005 $23
Loosen wine #1 tonight. Loosen is one of the preeminent producers in the Mosel River Valley. “Lay” vineyard makes relatively lush wines when just released.
This Loosen is bright and racy, with great minerality. You can really taste the slate in the vineyard, along with stonefruits and candied lemon peel. Every time we open this wine, it shows really well right out of the bottle.
D. VON SIMMERN Riesling Erbacher "Marcobrunn" Kabinett 2005 $19
You should find a very different style here from the Loosen “Lay.” Von Simmern is in the Rheingau region and makes particularly lush, rich, seductive Rieslings.
The Von Simmern is less racy and more lush and rich, coming from the warmer Rheingau region. Most of our tasters preferd the brighter acidity of the Loosen in the Kabinett class, although there were definitely some ardent supporters of the lush style of the Von Simmern.
E. DR. LOOSEN Riesling Urziger "Wurzgarten" Spätlese 2004 $26
Loosen #2, from “Wurzgarten” vineyard, which translates to “Spice Garden.” Get the spice?
We could definitely see the reference to the name, the wine finishes with a good bit of character and spice, while maintaing the silky richness and wonderful fruit component. White peaches and juicy apricots come to mind. After tasting the Wurzgarten again and again, we feel that it is a better wine than the Bernkasteler "Lay," displaying more richness and layers of flavor, although our tasters disagreed. We sold a lot more of the "Lay."
F. TONI JOST Riesling Bacharacher "Hahn" Spätlese 2004 $26
From the Mittelrhein, where Riesling is abundant yet the world class producers are few. Toni Jost is the tops here. No better example than his 2004 “Hahn” Spatlese here. Tropical fruits, super-exotic, summer corn just picked and kernels sliced off the cob.
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