A wine night excellently hosted by by Sally and Matt in Crich.
All wines were chosen because they meet the requirements of biodynamic wine growing. These wines are all based on emphasising the use of composts and natural sprays. So no synthetic chemicals are used and astronomical readings are used to determine optimum times for vineyard activity! The focus is on developing high quality organic soil in the belief that this will aid superior wine.
All wines were purchased from Liquid Treasure in Belper [http://www.liquidtreasure.co.uk/]
The wines:
Curatolo Marsala Superiore Riserva
18% Alcohol
Curatolo Marsala Superiore Reserva £15.95
This is aged for 10 years from a family producer who have been making Marsala wines for over 100 years. The wine has an intense nose of bitter almonds, dates, sultanas and vanilla. It is soft, elegant and full bodied on the palate with hints of dried fruit. Serve chilled it is ideal as an aperitif. It is a strong match with strong cheeses.
The Riserva has been aged for a minimum 4 years in casks.
Group comments:
A strange after-taste; the colour of burnt straw and dry on the palate; lovely; smoky taste with good legs; too warm.
This wine scored 67/90 and came 3rd out of 9.
Lani Gerwurztraminer 2012
Lani gewurztraminer 2012 £16.50
From Marlborough in NZ. Made by Alana McGettigan. She has been developing small parcels of Gewurztraminer for several years. The vines are between 8-15 years old in heavy soil. Each harvest is a challenge to seek a balance between flavour and sugar ripeness. At harvest the grapes are de-stemmed at the winery and held in cold in the winepress for 6 hours, to extract some delicate phenolics from the skins.
Learning note: ‘phenolics’ = chemical compounds found in pips, stalks, skin, juice and pulp of the grapes
Aromas of Turkish delight and crystalised dry ginger good weight and balance
Our group said: Sweet honey taste medium dry with complexity; straw coloured sweet on the nose and soft apple; taste of lychee, dry and fruity; buttery and melon with a complex flavour; watermelon and hints of honey.
This wine scored 63/90 and came: 4th out of 9
Hugel Alsace (France) gewurztraminer 2010 £17.75
Hugel Alsace (France) gewurztraminer 2010 £17.75
An Alsace stalwart, Hugel et fils produce clean cut wines. They are one of the region’s largest landowners. The Alsace region is known for its ability to produce a rich dry spiciness. Gewurtztraminer is the most fragrant grape in all Alsace. The grapes are taken in small tubs to the presses, which are filled by gravity, without any pumping or other mechanical intervention.
After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled barrels or vats (at 18 to 24°C).
Learning note: ‘must’ = the mixture of grape juice, skins, pips and pulp produced by crushing, but before fermentation.
The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling, and the bottles are then aged in our cellars until released for sale.
Soft, aromatic, scented bouquet, showing opulence and body, flowers and fruit: rose, fruit, and some spice : cardamom, saffron, liquorice stick.
Dry on the palate, but round, soft, nicely harmonious and mouth-filling, with a long, rich agreeably aromatic finish.
Our group said: lively and rounded on the palate; honey and flowers on the nose; much better balance, full of flavour; lychee on the palate; great balance, full flavour and crisp acidity; Soft on the mouth with melon on the nose
This wine scored 69/90 and came 2nd out of 9
Macon Villages Quintaine (Chardonnay) Guillemot Michel 2007 £22.50
Macon Villages Quintaine (Chardonnay) Guillemot Michel 2007 £22.50
An unmissable Burgonian Chardonnay that cannot fail to impress. Colour is bright lemon – Gold with fine aromas of honey peach and apricot. Dry on the palate yet with a rich creamy texture and fresh acidity to finish. This is a very sophisticated wine. This wine comes from a 7 hectare domaine in the commune Quintaine and considered to produce some of the finest wines in the Marconnais region. The producers of this wine broke away from the cooperative in order to produce this biodynamic wine. Yields are kept low and quality high. They have moved away from aging the wine in oak and now produce an unbridled chardonnay with richness and extremely long length.
Our group said: Lime on the nose; sticky jam and citrus on the palate; sharp lime; would make a good aperitif type wine;; lacks balance; this made me frown, don’t like it!; very unusual; urine.
This wine scored 56 /90 and came 6th out of 9
Paxton Chardonnay (2008) McLaren vale (Australia) £18.95
Paxton Chardonnay (2008) McLaren vale (Australia) £18.95
Established in 1979, Paxton is a family owned McLaren vale wine company. The owner (David Paxton) is one of Australia’s most respected wine growers. Sine 2005 Paxton have managed their vineyards using biodynamic principles. Paxton produce exceptionally high quality grapes with strong fruit.
Our group said: flowery; terrible; tastes of chemicals, not nice; simple and not sophisticated, bland but drinkable; onion to apricot on the palate, poor and acidic
This wine scored 42/90 and came 7th out of 9
Alpha Domus (2002) The Aviator New Zealand (£27.00)
Alpha Domus (2002) The Aviator New Zealand (£27.00)
Alpha Domus wines are produced at the discretion of the winemaker based on the quality of the yield. This wine comes from the Hawkes Bay area and is hand crafted in limited quantities. The ‘Aviator’ is Cabernet 38%; Merlot 24% ; Cabernet Franc 20% and Malbec 18% – a real Bordeaux blend and so has a similar style to its French counterpart.
It has an intense aroma of red fruits, spice, leather, cedar and cigar-box notes, complemented by fine oak. On the palate the wine is sweet with rounded berry flavours complemented by chocolate spices and fine oak tannins. There is a full, silky texture and firm structure. This wine will age well.
Our group said: Dry; vanilla; tannins tasting of old French wine; this was much nicer when tasted with cheese; peppery with a dry finish; a girls wine
This wine scored 62/90 and came 5th out of 9
Chateau Haut Brisson Grand Cru 2002 St Emilion (France) £30.00
Chateau Haut Brisson Grand Cru 2002 St Emilion (France) £30.00
This wine has a woody expression with a rich texture and the tannins are big. Ready to drink. It is a complex big claret with a soft finish and a palate of ripe black fruits.
Our group said: vinegary; berry on the nose and dry in the mouth with good legs; lacks any complexity; acidic finish.
This wine scored 34/90 came: 8th out of 9
- Gevrey Chambertain Burgundy (Pinot Noir) 2008 (France) £38.95
Gevrey Chambertain Burgundy (Pinot Noir) 2008 (France) £38.95
This domaine has been in the hands of the family of Georges Lignier for many generations, and own some of the finest vineyards in some of Burgundy’s finest locations. Georges Lignier is a wine maker with over 30 years experience and makes a magnificent range of powerful yet elegant wines. Well structured burgundies that reflect their terroir. The fruit is manually harvested and after fermentation the grapes go into oak barrels for more than 24 months. There is no filtration used in the bottling. Dark red in colour the wine shows intense blackcurrant aromas, as well as red and black fruits with some gamey notes. The wine is well balanced with fine tannins and good length. This matches well with red meats and strong (but not blue) cheese. in terms of ageing it will last for 5 -12 years and open 1-2 hours prior to drinking.
Our group said: Acid sharp berry; very acidic ‘reminds me of a cardigan I wore in the 80’s , it was a roll neck with big buttons; quite weak on the palate; vinegar like and not improved with cheese.
This wine scored 22/90 and came 9th out of 9
Erath Pinot Noir 2006 Oregon USA £35.00
Erath Pinot Noir 2006 Oregon USA £35.00
Dick Erath is one of the original wine pioneers of Oregon who in the 1960’s travelled up and down the west coast in search of the ideal place to grow Pinot Noir. He wanted to make elegant food friendly wines. Having made extensive studies of the soil and climate, he settled in the Williamette Valley. His pinot plantings were among the first in the state and Oregon Pinot Noir is considered to be world class (it has Pinot Gris as its secondary grape). Achieving the complexity and depth of flavour for which its Alsace counterpart is famous. The wine has apple and lemon aromas with peach and melon on the palate. It is a balanced wine with refreshing acidity. Enjoy with salads, fish and light Thai dishes.
Our group said: soft and really good with cheese; smooth and even balanced.
This wine scored 75/90 and came 1st out of 9
winersmelfare 
Great work. Fantastic blog. You must have lots of spare time. See you in Feb.