Matt of Five Grapes did a really fun , across-the-board French wine-tasting here back in early April ( the 9th, 2010 to be exact ) for our customers and it really was an excellent example of some of France's best with great versatility, too.
I will have to get the names of all these domaines and chateaux wines as I am at home now trying madly to catch-up on all that I have placed here in " draft " form with these pictures. Matt tasted an excellent Cotes-du-Rhone-style red blend Saint-Esteve De Nieri that we had ON SALE I believe for only $11 a bottle. He also tasted two grand wines ( CHATEAU DU CHATELARD ) from France's beaujolais district with an impressive dry white 100% Chardonnay that impressed me no-end : as well as the red 100% Gamay dry red 2007 Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes ( old vines ). I loved both : more so the white than the red.
The 2007 Chateau Du Chatelard Vieilles Vignes Beaujolais Villages was a really good food wine at this stage in it's development. It had a good acidity and toasty, tangy dark berry flavors with some tannin to give it a foundation and structure for everything else to hang nicely on. I would not keep it any longer : rather drink it this summer when outside and chill it slightly to wash down beautifully the many grilled foods and tasty warm-weather salads.
We are currently now on Tuesday evening, May 18th, 2010 out of both and I could really use some of the red. I'll just have to pick up my phone and call you Matt.
Matt also tasted some excellent CHATEAU OLIVIER Pessac-Leognan dry red Bordeaux from the 2007 vintage I believe? I will check my notes back at the store and list everything correctly this week. We're also sold-out of it. It's a great young food wine that still needs lots more time in the bottle but I'd be willing to wager anyone that the bottles we sold have already been consumed and enjoyed immensely with food.
We also had Matt taste a " wild card " dry, complex, golden-colored multi-dimensional ( old-world style ) white " Terre-Blanque " that really needed to be served with a meal to flesh it all out and give it something to hang itself out on to really shine. People loved it and we sold everything that we have. We are also currently out of this dry white Bordeaux and I need to call Matt for more.
Are you all starting to see a pattern here? I am and all it needs is a quick call to Matt and everything will be alright after that. All I have to do is throw some money at the problem and there will be problem. The problem being that I am out of all these wines and we could use them all back at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ).
Then Matt also poured an already successful and popular dry white Les Perdriaux ( $19.99 ) " sec " Chenin Blanc Loire Valley white from the town of Vouvray. It's another great food wine : salads, cold-cuts, some dry cheeses, even some rillettes?!? It's so bold and crisp and bright with minerals galore and great accents of acidity and with a tart 'n creamy fruit core of Chenin Blanc. Lovely. We're out of that, too! Drat it!
Thanks Matt, this was a lovely tasting and we will have to invite you back really soon for an encore performance. Cheers to you and these fine French Five Grapes wines. See you soon. TONY
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