wineismylife Arlington, TX
 Master of Wine Posts:12003


 | | 06/02/2004 1:58 AM |
| NBC: Nothing But Chardonnay
The DAWGS gathered for our monthly semi-regularly schedule wine tasting this Memorial Day at WineDrinkerofTexas’s house. WdoT’s wife Master Chef Ying did her usual fantastic job in the kitchen and saw to it that we had more dishes than wines present: not an easy feat considering we are talking about the DAWGS here. Many thanks to WineDrinkofTexas and his lovely wife for hosting this month’s event in their beautiful home and being their usual gratious and giving hosts.
This month’s theme was “NBC: Nothing But Chardonnay”. Yessirree folks, we deliberately went out of our way to drink way too much chardonnay in one sitting. All wines were tasted blind. Each person was allowed a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place vote. 1st place votes were given 5 points, 2nd place votes were given 3 points and 3rd place votes were given 1 point.
Wines:
Palate Primers 1995 Herbert Beaufort Brut Champagne Cuvee du Millenaire NV Drappier Brut Champagne Carte d'Or
The Main Event 1994 Jarvis Chardonnay Napa Valley (23) 2001 Frank Family Chardonnay Napa Valley (22) 2000 Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain McCrea Vineyard (19) 2001 Pride Chardonnay Napa Valley (17) 1999 Testarossa Chardonnay Chalone Michaud Vineyard (13) 2000 HdV Chardonnay Carneros (11) 2000 Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley (10) 2001 Fritz Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley (9) 2000 Neyers Chardonnay Carneros El Novillero Vineyard (3) 2002 Francine & Olivier Savary Chablis (3) 2002 Henri Boillot Mersault “Les Cras” (2) 2001 Rochioli Chardonnay South River Vineyard (1) 1999 Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Charmes (1) 1999 Domaine Cordier Pouilly Fuisse “Vers Pouilly” (1)
The Latecomers Round 1999 Antinori Umbria Cervaro della Sala (33) 2001 Blackjack Ranch Chardonnay Wilkening Vineyard Reserve (30) 2001 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Sonoma County Reserve (24) 2001 Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma County Quarry Vineyard (20)
Cellar Raid 2000 Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel 2000 Shafer Port
I'll post tasting notes later but want to get this posted so others can start posting their notes and comments.
Thank you to everybody for attending. I look forward to seeing everybody at our next event. | | Joe ----- Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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texaswino
 Barrel Sampler Posts:2184


 | | 06/02/2004 2:47 AM |
| | Thanks for posting all the wines, Joe. My notes were incomplete on some vintages and vineyards. I would like to echo your comments on the outstanding hospitality and great food provided by Tom and Ying. What an incredible table of great food! Although I am not a big fan of white wines in general, I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting and I found a few Chards to look for. Really looking forward to the next get together. Thanks to all for the great wines. | | | |
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ChangeMe
 Grape Stomper Posts:153

 | | 06/02/2004 2:40 PM |
| Ditto on Tom and Ying's hospitality. Thanks also to Joe for coordinating and for keeping track of the wines. I especially enjoy the blind tastings. It keeps you honest. I was surprised with the low ranking of several of the wines.
Thanks to everyone for bringing some great chards!! | | | |
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ChangeMe
 Grape Picker Posts:2

 | | 06/02/2004 7:20 PM |
| | well, i registered -- i think. am a little overwhelmed by the comparative complexity of the site. once again, enjoyed the wine and the camaraderie. | | | |
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wineismylife Arlington, TX
 Master of Wine Posts:12003


 | | 06/02/2004 7:35 PM |
| Welcome to VinoCellar h-a, D-K or justaarkie. I thought that was you when you registered this morning. | | Joe ----- Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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wineismylife Arlington, TX
 Master of Wine Posts:12003


 | | 06/02/2004 7:36 PM |
| Here are my brief tasting notes and comments on each of the wines:
1995 Herbert Beaufort Brut Champagne Cuvee du Millenaire Nose of pear and toast. Flavors of apple and kirsch. Nice little Champagne. Drink now.
NV Drappier Brut Champagne Carte d'Or CORKED! This was my first corked Champagne.
2001 Rochioli Chardonnay South River Vineyard Light yellow color. Nose of clove and cinnamon. Flavors of apple and fresh baked bread. Drink over the short term.
2001 Fritz Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley Light yellow color. Nose of ripe pear. Flavors of vanilla with a little sweetness on the palate. One of the wines I identified exactly. Drink now.
1999 Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Charmes Light yellow color. Nose of fresh cut pears. Pears and lemons with a bit of earth on the palate. Drink over the short term.
2002 Francine & Olivier Savary Chablis CORKED! However, one of the wines I was able to identify. Don’t ask me how I could identify a corked wine.
1999 Domaine Cordier Pouilly Fuisse “Vers Pouilly” Clear yellow color. Nose of pear and apple. Flavors of spice up front with a slightly bitter finish. Mid-palate of apple tart and cookie dough. The finish was also a little hot. Drink now.
2000 Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley Yellow color. Slightly spicy nose. Flavors of apricots and pears. Drink over the short term.
2000 HdV Chardonnay Carneros Light yellow color. The nose was a little subdued. Flavors of mineral, vanilla and butter and citrus fruits. Drink over the short term. I voted this wine number three of the first flight.
2002 Henri Boillot Mersault “Les Cras” Light yellow color. Slightly closed nose of lemon and pear that carries through to the palate. Drink over the short term.
1994 Jarvis Chardonnay Napa Valley Yellow color. A bit of mineral up front with some heavier butter and a bit of pear. Just a whisper of kerosene or fodel. Drink now. I voted this wine number two of the first flight.
2000 Neyers Chardonnay Carneros El Novillero Vineyard Slightly cloudy gold color. Soft nose of lemon zest. Flavors of apple and apricots. One of the wines I was able to identify.
2001 Frank Family Chardonnay Napa Valley Light yellow color. Floral nose. Flavors of peach, spice and a hint of vanilla. Good wine. Drink over the short term. I voted this wine number one of the first flight.
1999 Testarossa Chardonnay Chalone Michaud Vineyard Yellow color. Floral nose. On the palate I got a strange sensation of “baked pasta in cream sauce”. Take on some pear and citrus fruit flavors as well. Drink now.
2000 Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain McCrea Vineyard Yellow color. Floral nose with some spice. Flavors of spice, figs and and odd flavor that reminded me of “floor cleaner”. Don’t ask me why. Drink over the short term.
2001 Pride Chardonnay Napa Valley Medium yellow color. Nose of clove and cinnamon. Passion fruit on the palate up front and then a dead halt finish. Going nowhere. Drink now.
1999 Antinori Umbria Cervaro della Sala Yellow to gold in color. Pear on the nose. Apples, toast and minerals on the palate. This is the Antonori without a doubt. Drink now because it is drinking as about as good as it will get. One of the wines I was able to identify. I voted this wine number one in the second flight.
2001 Blackjack Ranch Chardonnay Wilkening Vineyard Reserve Light yellow color. Citrus fruits, honey and spices on the palate. Drink over the short term. One of the wines I was able to identify. I voted this wine number two in the second flight.
2001 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Sonoma County Reserve Yellow color. Stlightly subdued nose that gave up a little pearu and apple. Spiced pears and honeydew melon on the palate. Drink now. I voted this wine number three in the second flight.
2001 Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma County Quarry Vineyard Light yellow color. Subdued nose that have away to a little pear and apricot. Apples and a little hazelnut on the palate. Drink over the short term.
2000 Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel No notes taken.
2000 Shafer Port No notes taken. | | Joe ----- Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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Winetex Austin, Texas
 Master of Wine Posts:10573


 | | 06/02/2004 8:34 PM |
| | Nice notes all! Fairly suprising results. Blind tasting is indeed interesting. | | | |
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stemor Collierville, TN
 Wine Thief Posts:2813

 | | 06/02/2004 9:21 PM |
| | Nice notes, Joe. And welcome aboard to the Arkie! We need a few more folks from that side of the River, to balance things out ... | | Cheers, y'all | |
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Pool Boy Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
 Master of Wine Posts:13660


 | | 06/03/2004 12:17 PM |
| Quote:
well, i registered -- i think. am a little overwhelmed by the comparative complexity of the site. once again, enjoyed the wine and the camaraderie.
Welcome aboard, JA. The site may seem complex at first, but hang around for a bit and you get used to the navigation. What's really kewl is the feature of the site that remembers the last post you read in every thread so it automatically takes you to the last place you finished off in a given thread. Great time saver.  | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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Tom
 Barrel Sampler Posts:2384

 | | 06/05/2004 2:13 AM |
| Welcome justaarkie...
Thanks for coming to our home. We appreciate your making the journey to meet new friends and share some wine.
Come back again soon, ya hear. | | | |
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Tom
 Barrel Sampler Posts:2384

 | | 06/05/2004 2:16 AM |
| Thanks to those of you that were able to attend our event. We certainly appreciated you visiting our home, sharing wines and getting to know each other a bit better.
Joe deserves a lot of credit for coordinating this event, as he does so many, and keeping a bunch of thirsty DAWGS in line. The blind tasting was also a good idea to help us avoid any preconceived notions we may have.
To those of you that did not get to make it (tsk tsk), there will be another opportunity, perhaps sooner than later.
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wineismylife Arlington, TX
 Master of Wine Posts:12003


 | | 06/05/2004 2:22 AM |
| Quote:
... there will be another opportunity, perhaps sooner than later.
I'm ready. Name the date. | | Joe ----- Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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Tom
 Barrel Sampler Posts:2384

 | | 06/05/2004 2:24 AM |
| Not quite that quick. We are still putting away glasses from the other night.
The trash guys that picked up the recycles are beginning to give us a very odd look lately. Especially this last week. | | | |
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gus fleener gilroy
 Barrel Filler Posts:1343


 | | 06/05/2004 4:42 PM |
| Quote:
I'm ready. Name the date.
sometime in the july 18-20 window would work for me . i actually get to dfw at 5:41 pm on sun18jul04 & i leave wed21jul04 a 3:55 pm. they might try to have some sort of "team-building" event on one of the evenings, but i don't know yet. | | | |
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wineismylife Arlington, TX
 Master of Wine Posts:12003


 | | 06/05/2004 8:05 PM |
| | I already have that on my calendar. As you get closer and maybe figure out how your evenings look we'll plan from there. Sunday night can always be a fall back position. | | Joe ----- Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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Tom
 Barrel Sampler Posts:2384

 | | 06/05/2004 11:09 PM |
| Quote:
Quote:
I'm ready. Name the date.
sometime in the july 18-20 window would work for me . i actually get to dfw at 5:41 pm on sun18jul04 & i leave wed21jul04 a 3:55 pm. they might try to have some sort of "team-building" event on one of the evenings, but i don't know yet.
The best team-building exercise there is....winedrinking!
Keep us in the loop because we DAWGS never turn down an opportunity to meet others over a glass (or 6) of wine.
Right Joe? Geary? etc. | | | |
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ChangeMe
 Grape Stomper Posts:153

 | | 06/07/2004 3:35 PM |
| gfleener
I'm going to be in Sonoma area the dates you're in Dallas! I'll have to catch you on the next trip! | | | |
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