Grand Cru (Perth) Tasting Group – “Grape Varieties You’ve Never Tried Before”
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2023 5:41 pm
G’day
This is an unusual theme, I know. This was the blurb promoting this tasting:
”Usually (not always) we bring a wine along because we've tried it before, like it, and want to show it to the Grand Cru group.
Let's change it up a little. Not only will the rest of us be surprised - so will you! Please bring a wine of a grape variety you've never tried before. There's several thousand to choose from!”
This was easier for some than for others, as those with different levels of wine experience will have tried more or less grape varieties. We certainly got a range of varieties, and not an Australian wine among them! We started with two white wines:
Plessis-Duval Suvre Et Maine Muscadet 2020 (Loire Valley, France): Pale straw in colour. Perfumed nose with musk, pears and some minerality. Honeydew melon and grapefruit on the palate, with refreshing acid and moderate length. A good wine for a summer’s afternoon.
Bodega Maranones Picarana Albillo Real 2016 (Spain): I’m advised Albillo is the grape variety. Yellow tending to gold in colour. Apricot blossom, toasted almonds, bruised apple, ripe paw paw and sherry / flor characters on the nose. The sherry character runs through the palate also, with marzipan and soft cheese. Medium acid and good length. Obviously made in an oxidative style, and a couple of tasters thought it might be a Jura. The group was divided on its future – some thought it was at its peak, others thought there was plenty in the tank. Well regarded by the group.
The reds followed:
Almanova Mencia 2020 (Spain): Crimson in colour. Raspberries, mulberry, plums, violets, bubble gum and graphite on the nose. Tart red fruits and sour cherry sit on the palate alongside grippy tannins. There’s quite high acid and alcohol, and leads to a medium finish.
Ronchi Di Cialla Schioppettino 2019 (Italy): Schioppettino is a grape that was saved from extinction about 50 years ago. Light garnet in colour. Very herbal and slightly medicinal nose, with red cherries, tomato leaf and dill. Cola on the palate with modest tannins, good acid, but a short finish.
Terranoble Valle Del Maule Carmenere Gran Reserva 2019 (Chile): Deep crimson. The nose is complex, with cocoa powder, graphite, blackberry, dark fruits, green capsicum, tomato leaf and tobacco. There’s more dark fruits on the palate. Tannins are considerable and grippy, and there’s good supporting acid and the wine finishes long. This was very Bordeaux like and had we not known the theme of this tasting …… Highly regarded by the group.
Sericis Bobal 2018 (Utier Requina, Valencia, Spain): Deep crimson in colour. A straightforward nose, with cranberry and fennel. The palate shows green and stalky characters, under-ripe grapes, red fruits and cocoa powder. There’s firm chalky tannins leading to a moderate finish. Well regarded by the group.
Domaine Wachau Blauer Zweigelt 2018 (Wachau Austria): Deep crimson. A touch of acetone. What little nose there was showed a little Ribena and some medicinal notes. We suspected Brett had struck, although this remained unresolved. The palate was flat, with sour cherry and blueberries and very grippy tannins. The fruit finishes short, while the acid and tannins linger longer.
Wine of the night was the Terranoble Valle Del Maule Carmenere Gran Reserva 2019.
All present agreed that this was an unusual but entertaining theme, and we got to try bottles we might not have otherwise considered. I have since purchased one of the wines myself and might track down another.
Cheers
Allan
This is an unusual theme, I know. This was the blurb promoting this tasting:
”Usually (not always) we bring a wine along because we've tried it before, like it, and want to show it to the Grand Cru group.
Let's change it up a little. Not only will the rest of us be surprised - so will you! Please bring a wine of a grape variety you've never tried before. There's several thousand to choose from!”
This was easier for some than for others, as those with different levels of wine experience will have tried more or less grape varieties. We certainly got a range of varieties, and not an Australian wine among them! We started with two white wines:
Plessis-Duval Suvre Et Maine Muscadet 2020 (Loire Valley, France): Pale straw in colour. Perfumed nose with musk, pears and some minerality. Honeydew melon and grapefruit on the palate, with refreshing acid and moderate length. A good wine for a summer’s afternoon.
Bodega Maranones Picarana Albillo Real 2016 (Spain): I’m advised Albillo is the grape variety. Yellow tending to gold in colour. Apricot blossom, toasted almonds, bruised apple, ripe paw paw and sherry / flor characters on the nose. The sherry character runs through the palate also, with marzipan and soft cheese. Medium acid and good length. Obviously made in an oxidative style, and a couple of tasters thought it might be a Jura. The group was divided on its future – some thought it was at its peak, others thought there was plenty in the tank. Well regarded by the group.
The reds followed:
Almanova Mencia 2020 (Spain): Crimson in colour. Raspberries, mulberry, plums, violets, bubble gum and graphite on the nose. Tart red fruits and sour cherry sit on the palate alongside grippy tannins. There’s quite high acid and alcohol, and leads to a medium finish.
Ronchi Di Cialla Schioppettino 2019 (Italy): Schioppettino is a grape that was saved from extinction about 50 years ago. Light garnet in colour. Very herbal and slightly medicinal nose, with red cherries, tomato leaf and dill. Cola on the palate with modest tannins, good acid, but a short finish.
Terranoble Valle Del Maule Carmenere Gran Reserva 2019 (Chile): Deep crimson. The nose is complex, with cocoa powder, graphite, blackberry, dark fruits, green capsicum, tomato leaf and tobacco. There’s more dark fruits on the palate. Tannins are considerable and grippy, and there’s good supporting acid and the wine finishes long. This was very Bordeaux like and had we not known the theme of this tasting …… Highly regarded by the group.
Sericis Bobal 2018 (Utier Requina, Valencia, Spain): Deep crimson in colour. A straightforward nose, with cranberry and fennel. The palate shows green and stalky characters, under-ripe grapes, red fruits and cocoa powder. There’s firm chalky tannins leading to a moderate finish. Well regarded by the group.
Domaine Wachau Blauer Zweigelt 2018 (Wachau Austria): Deep crimson. A touch of acetone. What little nose there was showed a little Ribena and some medicinal notes. We suspected Brett had struck, although this remained unresolved. The palate was flat, with sour cherry and blueberries and very grippy tannins. The fruit finishes short, while the acid and tannins linger longer.
Wine of the night was the Terranoble Valle Del Maule Carmenere Gran Reserva 2019.
All present agreed that this was an unusual but entertaining theme, and we got to try bottles we might not have otherwise considered. I have since purchased one of the wines myself and might track down another.
Cheers
Allan