Dear Wine Geometry lovers,
I am proud to share with you the results of my last weekend first very own wine tasting event!
Held at home, this type of event is designed to make friends and their friends know more about wine, and simply share a good moment!
I will be sharing the dates for my next sessions for you to come and join, as Wine Geometry is a true brotherhood!
This time, I had invited 9 pax to a Saturday night dinner; a group of 25-35 year old men and women who had moderate knowledge about wine.
The dinner was truly French, with baguettes, rillettes, and plenty of French cheeses. Not so much of a dinner, more like a compilation of French yummies! :)
I had bought three wines at Chateau Asia:
- Clarendelle 2011 (Inspired by Haut Brion, which is THE reference in Graves sub-region (Bordeaux)), 47$, made of 78% of Merlot
- Maranges Premier Cru 2014 (Burgundy), 71$, mainly Pinot Noir
- Margaux 2011 by Jacques Boyd, 65$ (Bordeaux, Medoc: Margaux is anyone's dream, as it is located on the left Bank of the Garonne river, and grows a superb Cabernet Sauvignon...)
Since the Clarendelle was 78% Merlot (a soft grape, see here), I decided to open the evening with this delicacy.
BIG MISTAKE!
Clarendelle is a full-bodied Bordeaux, with rich dark colors, an Autumn-like smell, black cherry and spice flavours that almost remind you of a Medoc wine! Very interesting wine indeed, it can be paired with any cheese, as our experienced showed.
But the mistake was to open this BEFORE the Burgundy (Maranges). You always want to start with lighter wines (in ABV) and light- or medium-bodied. Starting by the Clarendelle made it difficult for us to feel all the details of the Maranges, as its Pinot Noir reveals more discreet aromas and a shorter aftertaste. Burgundy wines are generally great for beginners or people who say they don't like red wine because of its strength. They are more universal, round, and you don't get any "spike" of alcohol attacking your palate at any time. These wines (as is the Maranges) are more fresh (especially in their young years as this 2014), spill out hints of Spring and fresh cut grass, which pair perfectly with appetizers.
The half of the audience who claimed not to enjoy red wine so much, all said they preferred the second wine (Maranges), whereas those who enjoy red wine all preferred the Clarendelle. Again, a question of taste, n'est-ce pas?
However, everyone agreed about the third wine: the Margaux 2011.
Sublime colors, slightly sweeter than the others (you can see drips from the wine trickling down while you are swirling your glass, which is a sign of sugar "holding on to the glass"), it met all my expectations.
The pepper hints, the strong tanins, characteristic of a Medoc, and its length are like a never-ending fermata which will make you want to listen to the best of Classical musics.
Pairs perfectly with a blue cheese, like the one we chose from Auvergne region.
I had decided to surprise my guests with a home-made chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream for dessert. What better to drink with this than a Moscato D'Asti, the world's lightest wine?
This Italian sparkling white brings joy to end your meal, and relaxes your tummy after a series of courses. Yes, it is only 5,5% ABV, but is still entirely appreciated, even after all those strong ones, since the atmosphere is completely different: you are eating dessert, it is a bubbly, so everything feels sweet and light (even though there's a lot of butter in that cake!). Obviously, this dessert goes perfectly with any champagne as well.
All in all, I think the guests really enjoyed the variety of pairings, and were especially astonished by the Margaux and Moscato d'Asti.
If you feel like buying them, here are the links below:
Clarendelle 2011 - 47$
Global note: 16,5/20
Maranges Premier Cru 2014 - 71$
Global note: 16,5/20
Margaux 2011 - 65$
Global note: 18,5/20
Moscato d'Asti - 14,90$
Out of this ranking, as it is a sparkling white.
Enjoy your shopping, and don't forget: if you click here, you can get 10$ off on your first purchase for those above-mentioned red wines! Just sign in, type the code CHATEAUWINEGEOMETRY, and the coupon is yours!
