Friday, March 26, 2010

Tasting 2009 Dry Roses Of DOM. DE LA MORDOREE Y MAIPE Vineyards W/ Jeremy Sutton Of Kysela Imports March 22nd, 2010 @ Cleveland Park Wines



Jeremy Sutton's of Kysela Pere et Fils et Fille tasting of four dry rose wines with me this March 2010 was timely and much-appreciated and really got me jump-started thinking about getting some fresh dry roses from the store. It had worked out pretty well and we had almost sold out of the old inventory from last year and that is always a really good thing as some rose improves for a year or so in the bottle and develops more flavors and others fall apart and lose all their charm and brightness/edge.

If you blow this first picture up on your screen you can get many of the details of what Jeremy brought with him to taste with prices, full names and grape percentages. Jeremy you have made my job so easy here and I have helped by including the sheet with the bottles to complete the scene. All that is missing are pictures of both you and I. Maybe there are some that follow? I can't remember as it has been awhile since I downloaded these pictures here into this draft form on blogspot.




Ah, so right! Here's a picture of you Jeremy! I can't help myself : I love taking pictures of the wines in my Reidel wine-tasting glass with the people that bring them to me, whether wine-makers or wine owners or reps : it's all important as it is all part of the moment and the story that unfolds each and every time that is always unique and mostly always enjoyed by all I feel.




As you can see with the picture below that I took I am looking for interesting angles and new compositions to make you look harder and to take you out of your comfort zone somewhat by jarring you with odd or unique angles and images like this one. Do you like it? I do. Look at the deep color of the rose in the Reidel glass that probably comes from the Cinsault and the Syrah more than it does from the Grenache in this DOMAINE DE LA MORDOREE " La Dame Rousse " Cotes Du Rhone ( $16.49 ) 2009 blend of Grenache/Syrah and Cinsault from twenty-year-old vines. We have it now in the store along with the DOMAINE DE LA MORDOREE Tavel 2009 ( $26.49, it's the same blend of the Dame Rousse except that some Clairette is included ).

We had to have them both as they are so distinct and flavorful : beautifully balanced, very toned and fit and always great matches for a broad range of foods. I like them : I always have and they always make me search around for something to eat as I enjoy them. I think that that has always been the goal : to match them with different meals and to see/taste how the combinations work? I believe that they will complement many a dish and that they will often help to delineate the flavors in the meal and bring both light, attention and of course moisture-welcome wetness and freshness, too.




Thanks for being so well organized Jeremy and for helping me to start the process of buying some fun and interesting roses for Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. 2008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com ).

I only bought the DOMAINE DE LA MORDOREE dry French Rhone roses to begin with. I suppose that you are already out of both of them? Probably. I did ask you about the MAIPE rose of Malbec Mendoza, Argentina dry rose on your last visit and you said that you were waiting for more to arrive. I liked it, too and should have ordered some at the time. Oh well, I hope that I can get some on this next shipment. It's a great deal at $10 or so I believe. I liked it color and it's smoothness and fullness on the palate. It's a lot of rose for the money.





I also enjoyed the Reserve GRAND VENEUR 2009 dry Cotes Du Rhone ( $14-$15 ) and I know from what Jeremy told me that it was still available to purchase. It's got some real muscle and clout and it definitely needs a meal as I think it's quite strong and has great acidity and very defined spice, too. It would be great with a barbecue, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Cajun, Asian and Indian meals, etcetera.




I am trying for some new perspective in these two pictures above and below. I like how all the colors seem to melt together as if fused by light and with the rose color they all have a warmth and a comfort about them that tends to relax me. The fact that I had red in my shirt was also a plus that I had not planned on and yet it works really nicely. Being an artist I like to take these more experimental and artsy photos to see what my trying and my Canon digital camera's eye will record? I never know : that's a big part of the excitement : the not knowing, the not being in total control, not knowing the ending?





The image of the bird on the label of the DOMAINE DE LA MORDOREE wines is essential and here in the picture above I see what I can get as I focus on it and the color of the dry, beautiful rose that it holds inside the bottle.




I love this picture above : look how beautiful the color here is of this rose? It's amazing : so peaceful, so tranquil, so warming and zen-meditation-like ...




Love this composition in this picture above that includes the year 2009 and goes from the warm colors of the rose at the bottom to the green colors of the wine bottles above that also speak of course of " going green " and the earth and the grapes, vines and roots : parts of the circle of life.




I like this close-up above and the images here on the labels that begin to speak and tell their stories here to anyone that is willing to pause and to listen and wait for them to unfold ...













I have more to say but now here at home in northern Virginia at 11:01 AM on April 14th, 2010 I will post this and then add to it later tonight when I get home from selling more wines and rose wines, too like these DOMAINE DE LA MORDOREE southern French Rhone Valley wines. Cheers et a bientot. TONY

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