Burgundy
Among wine jokes, the one where someone says they don't like Chardonnay but love Chablis has to be one of the classics. Overused as it may be, I have actually met someone who during the course of an evening of drinking wine told me about how he had had a marvellous Chablis at a restaurant recently and that the only type of wine he really hated and never ever drank was Chardonnay.
Whatever you may think of this joke, you can argue that it reflects a popular perception of Chardonnay as very oaky, often over-oaked in fact, versus Chablis representing a light, elegant style of Chardonnay that is mostly untouched by oak. As this is a style of wine the Wine Rambler is really interested in, I was more than happy when I was recently invited to taste a flight of Chablis - in fact, the nominees of the 24th annual Chablis Wine contest run by the Burgundy Wine Board.
Tasted blind, and very subjectively, here.
Thursday evening we ventured to the Clapham Picturehouse to see a movie about wine, and to drink some, of course. The movie is Bottle Shock and it features the (in)famous 1976 Paris wine tasting during which the French wine elite was defeated by the products of the (then) newcomers from California. To re-enact the Judgement of Paris, the cinema offered eight wines, four each from France and California, and the movie ticket for £22. So off we went! [read the full post...]
Surprisingly dark colour, very shiny. In the nose lots of cherry with a little pepper, fresh, almost minty. In the mouth, very intense fruit with lots of cherry but also very clear cut. Also very fresh and light with, again, mint. Thank god, it is also very very light on oak. Round and light in general, maybe a tiny bit too much acid/tanin much for me (although I tend to be overcritical in this regard if it comes to Pinot Noir). A good companion to the pasta with thyme, tomato, asparagus sauce. [read the full post...]
This is one of the wines that Oliver and I liked best at the last WoW tasting. We remembered it fondly for its buttery creaminess with shellfish notes and a nice finish.
So I had to examine one of them in more detail. Yellow colour with a hint of green. Fresh in the nose with a hint of buttery nuts and green apple - and shellfish. Also fresh in the mouth with some green apple and melon; creamy. Quite a presence with a well formed body. And a really nice finish - round, creamy, buttery nut that stays with you for quite a while. Aromatic core and nice finish give it its own identity. Really good with food!