Ah, the holidays are upon us. This past weekend we had a houseful of 7-year-old girls. There was much squealing, giggling and singing of Christmas carols, and surprisingly little whining! The girls did some crafts, decorated (and subsequently ate) a bunch of cookies, watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", and generally had a fun time. They went home happy (hopefully that wasn't JUST the sugar buzz they were riding!).
As nice as it was, it was tiring for us grownups! The volume level alone was enough to drive the dog into hiding and give me a headache. Once the girls went home, I self-medicated with a glass of 2008 St-Jean-Des-Graves Blanc. Now, I can hear those of you who know me saying, "Whaaat?" I know! Although the experiment is still in the infancy stages, I have vowed to expand my horizons and see if I can't find some white wines that I enjoy. One of my first attempts - the 2008 St-Jean-Des-Graves - was a resounding success. This is a great value at $14 a bottle. 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% semillon, this is a crisp, refreshing wine that also has some personality. It was slightly minerally on the palate, with notes of grapefruit, and - hold on to your hats - I liked it! Best of all, now I'm actually excited to discover more white wines that I enjoy.
As nice as it was, it was tiring for us grownups! The volume level alone was enough to drive the dog into hiding and give me a headache. Once the girls went home, I self-medicated with a glass of 2008 St-Jean-Des-Graves Blanc. Now, I can hear those of you who know me saying, "Whaaat?" I know! Although the experiment is still in the infancy stages, I have vowed to expand my horizons and see if I can't find some white wines that I enjoy. One of my first attempts - the 2008 St-Jean-Des-Graves - was a resounding success. This is a great value at $14 a bottle. 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% semillon, this is a crisp, refreshing wine that also has some personality. It was slightly minerally on the palate, with notes of grapefruit, and - hold on to your hats - I liked it! Best of all, now I'm actually excited to discover more white wines that I enjoy.
We ended the evening with a bottle of 2005 Chateau Pedesclaux Pauillac. At $40 a bottle, this is the splurge part of the evening. The nice folks at K&L Wines helped me pick this one out. This is a fifth growth Pauillac. Apparently, it was ranked in the top three in a blind tasting of all major 2005 classified growths, along with Mouton Rothschild and Pichon Baron, and above the other first growths. So really, based on that, it was a bargain, right? Anyway, I took the advice of the salesman and decanted the wine in the afternoon. When first opened, it had a very intense aroma and was very earthy and minerally on the palate. When we sat down to drink it later, it had opened up and rounded out nicely. It was rich and sweet, with intense black fruit. As the evening went on, it tasted strongly of cherry cola. The one surprise to me was that it had a pretty short finish. I did enjoy this wine and look forward to trying it again in a couple of years. I'm also even more interested in trying some other Pauillacs now to compare (pocketbook permitting!).
All in all, I'd say that it was a very successful evening of armchair (or should that be wine glass?) travel in Bordeaux. A votre santé!
All in all, I'd say that it was a very successful evening of armchair (or should that be wine glass?) travel in Bordeaux. A votre santé!
RSS Feed