In Washington we had dinner at a fancy chain restaurant called Legal Sea Foods. The restaurant is awesome and offers flights of wine tasting comprising three glasses. Cassy chose the "Crisp Dry Shellfish Wines" and I picked the "Terroirs of Chardonnays". There is a professional sommelier who oversees wine selection for the chain - and judging by the tastings we had he does a remarkable job. All the wines were seriously good for the tasting and remarkably well priced - I would have been happy to pay the menu price at a bottle shop. There was a McLaren Vale shiraz called "Red Silk" which was on the list but I didn't taste it. I will definitely hunt out some of this when I get home.
The flights were presented on long cards with tasting notes and a space to make your own tasting notes. I jumped at the chance to hone my viognierial skills ahead of Europe and, more importantly, bulk up the lean offerings in Wines of the World. We started with the Crisp Dry Shellfish Whites.
Louis Metaireau "Petit Mouton" Muscadet - Loire Valley
I had never tried wine made from muscadet grapes before so this was a good place to start before my palate became too tainted by the fabulous foods on offer. The aroma is reminiscent of sauvignon blanc and the initial flavours and mouth feel recall cranberries. The long lingering alcoholic aftertaste that became deeper and deeper reminded me of the linger of a durif. A great wine to start. Verdict - A bottle.
Martin Codax Albarino - Rias Baixas
Another new grape variety which Cassy quickly declared her favourite of all time. I am not sure if this is because it was packaged as "Spain's quintessential seafood wine." Floral aromas lead into a bright tingly fruit flavour with an aftertaste like Chenin. Verdict - I'll have a bottle and Cassy can finish the case.
Manaw Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough
How can a New Zealand wine remind anyone of Australia? Except we have all rifled through the fridge in a bottle shop on a hot summer's day looking for a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. And I have to say that this is the best I have tasted (although that is possible because I have never visited the region and my tastings have been limited to bottleshop fridge selections.) Vanilla aromas threaten a creamy wine, the wine is quite dry. Not bone dry as the tasting notes claim, perhaps that is a reference to the consitent and lingering aftertaste. It is a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc! Verdict - A case for summer.
Louis Latour "LSF Cuvee" - Burgundy
Unoaked chardonnays are note my favourite although I was taken with how they are called "pure" chardonnays instead of unoaked. As if the oak barrels do something nasty to the wine. The LSF Cuvee has bold fruit flavours that are remarkably well restrained without the oak - no sharpness on the tongue here! I liked it even though it was an unoaked chardonnay. Verdict - a bottle.
Morgan - Santa Lucia Highlands
Finally an American wine at an American restaurant - although the Santa Lucia Highlands are on the west coast so this glass wasn't helping our wine miles. A pear aroma belied the light creamy tastes. The chardonnay was lightly oaked and there was a light fruit flavour - both of which lasted. Not a bold wine but a fine quaffer. Verdict - A bottle.
Sonoma Cutrer "Russian River Ranches" - Sonoma Coast
I had never heard of the Sonoma region before trying this wine. It was last on our tasting menu so I did something I shouldn't have - I sniffed it first. I then spent the whole meal trying not to race through the rest of the wines to taste this baby. Huge oak aromas burst from the glass into my nose. The wine followed into my mouth straight after the second smell and the flavour was so buttery. Creamy apple toffee and sugar flavours abound. This wine is a perfect complement of oak and fruit; both are large flavours that are ideally counterbalanced, restraining either from winning the battle of the tastebuds. Verdict - a case or two.
The flights were presented on long cards with tasting notes and a space to make your own tasting notes. I jumped at the chance to hone my viognierial skills ahead of Europe and, more importantly, bulk up the lean offerings in Wines of the World. We started with the Crisp Dry Shellfish Whites.
Louis Metaireau "Petit Mouton" Muscadet - Loire Valley
I had never tried wine made from muscadet grapes before so this was a good place to start before my palate became too tainted by the fabulous foods on offer. The aroma is reminiscent of sauvignon blanc and the initial flavours and mouth feel recall cranberries. The long lingering alcoholic aftertaste that became deeper and deeper reminded me of the linger of a durif. A great wine to start. Verdict - A bottle.
Martin Codax Albarino - Rias Baixas
Another new grape variety which Cassy quickly declared her favourite of all time. I am not sure if this is because it was packaged as "Spain's quintessential seafood wine." Floral aromas lead into a bright tingly fruit flavour with an aftertaste like Chenin. Verdict - I'll have a bottle and Cassy can finish the case.
Manaw Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough
How can a New Zealand wine remind anyone of Australia? Except we have all rifled through the fridge in a bottle shop on a hot summer's day looking for a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. And I have to say that this is the best I have tasted (although that is possible because I have never visited the region and my tastings have been limited to bottleshop fridge selections.) Vanilla aromas threaten a creamy wine, the wine is quite dry. Not bone dry as the tasting notes claim, perhaps that is a reference to the consitent and lingering aftertaste. It is a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc! Verdict - A case for summer.
Louis Latour "LSF Cuvee" - Burgundy
Unoaked chardonnays are note my favourite although I was taken with how they are called "pure" chardonnays instead of unoaked. As if the oak barrels do something nasty to the wine. The LSF Cuvee has bold fruit flavours that are remarkably well restrained without the oak - no sharpness on the tongue here! I liked it even though it was an unoaked chardonnay. Verdict - a bottle.
Morgan - Santa Lucia Highlands
Finally an American wine at an American restaurant - although the Santa Lucia Highlands are on the west coast so this glass wasn't helping our wine miles. A pear aroma belied the light creamy tastes. The chardonnay was lightly oaked and there was a light fruit flavour - both of which lasted. Not a bold wine but a fine quaffer. Verdict - A bottle.
Sonoma Cutrer "Russian River Ranches" - Sonoma Coast
I had never heard of the Sonoma region before trying this wine. It was last on our tasting menu so I did something I shouldn't have - I sniffed it first. I then spent the whole meal trying not to race through the rest of the wines to taste this baby. Huge oak aromas burst from the glass into my nose. The wine followed into my mouth straight after the second smell and the flavour was so buttery. Creamy apple toffee and sugar flavours abound. This wine is a perfect complement of oak and fruit; both are large flavours that are ideally counterbalanced, restraining either from winning the battle of the tastebuds. Verdict - a case or two.
