The evening comprised five paired tastings based on grape variety and were designed as an exercise to recognise style and quality.

Pair 1:  Sauvignon Blanc

The two wines selected demonstrated how origin and climate influences style.  Sauvignon Blanc is an aromatic white variety, usually crisp and fresh, with vivid acidity.  In cooler regions, it’s grassy, nettly and herbaceous, but sometimes referred to perjoratively as “cat’s pee”.  In warmer regions, the grape develops flavours of ripe gooseberries and tropical fruit.

Wine 1:           Menetou-Salon 2004 Dme Henry Pelle (Loire) £8.50
Wine 2:           The Society’s New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2005  (£7.50)

The appearance of the two wines were similar.  Although the NZ should be slightly richer from ripe grapes, the MS had 6 months’ bottle age.  The MS is more restrained, with minerally,  nettly aromas, the NZ is more exuberant and fruity.  On the palate the MS is light and sharp and bone-dry, with a chalky minerally character.  The NZ is fuller, more concentrated, with flavours of gooseberry fruit gums.

Pair 2: Chardonnay

A comparison of Old and New World, oaked and unoaked styles. 

Chardonnay is a grape with no pronounced characteristics.  It’s a “middle of the road” variety, moderate in acidity, neutral to taste, even bland.  Nevertheless, it’s very flexible and compliant, and thrives on oak maturation.

From cooler regions, the flavours are of green apple, lemon, melon and white peach. From warmer regions, the characters can transform to pineapple, passion fruit, mango and ripe peaches.  Unoaked, this wine will have a pure fruit-driven style, oak, it will have flavours of caramel, vanilla, butterscotch and toast.

Wine 3:           The Society’s White Burgundy Macon-Villages 2004 (£5.95)
Chardonnay in stainless steel
Wine 4:           The Society’s Exhibition Casablanca Chardonnay 2004
            New World Chardonnay fermented in oak barrel

The MV is light in colour, with green-apple aromas.  The Cas smells of pineapple, mango, vanilla and toast.  On the palate, the MV is light and fresh, with green-apple and citrus, softened with a smidgen of butter. It’s generally bland, without much personality.

On the other hand, the Cas is a full-blown style, richer and more mouthfilling, generous and warmer.  It’s sweeter, with a better length of finish, with flavours of pineapple, mango and peach, vanilla, toast and butterscotch.  Over-rich and heavy, altogether clumsy.

Pair 3: Syrah/Shiraz

The only classic grape variety referred to by two names, each reflecting a different style.  Syrah cool-climate European, typified by the Northern Rhone, producing medium-bodied reds, with red-fruit flavours, firm structure, acidity and robust tannins.

New World Shiraz is richer, more mouthfilling, with more black fruit flavours, such as blackberry and blackcurrant, dark chocolate, vanilla and brown sugar.

Wine 5:           The Society’s Crozes Hermitage 2003 Northern Rhone (£6.95)
Wine 6:           Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2002 (£6.95)

A 75/25 blend from Barossa and McLaren Vale, aged for 18 months in barrel.

The CH had a purple hue and pink rim, and was more youthful; the Pen was black-red, with  brick hue, and was more mature.  On the nose, the CH had scents of raspberry, blackberry and pepper, whereas the Pen had blackcurrant and vanilla.

Palate-wise, the CH was fresher, with more lively acidity and drying tannins.  The Pen, by contrast, was warmer and sweeter, with blackcurrant, leather and smoke flavours, and a black-chocolate finish.

Pair 4: Zinfandel – an assessment of quality

The variety is most famous in California, but is also grown in Puglia, where it is known as Primitivo.  It makes a full-bodied, easy-drinking  red, with bramble fruit, soft tannins and spice.

Wine 7:           The Society’s California Zinfandel Lodi 2003 (£5.50)
Wine 8            Walker’s Pass Private Bin Zinfandel Sonoma 2002 (£8.95)

The Lodi had a more bright purple colour, and was simpler and more fruity.  The WP was a little lighter, but with finer, more penetrating aromas of vanilla and wild roses.  The Lodi had jammy rich bramble fruit, with broad flavours and a rich, sweet finish.  The WP was more elegant and complex, with flavours of smoke and cherries.  Altogether a more sophisticated wine, with a longer finish, indicative of superior quality.

Pair 5:   Claret – The Cabernet Blend comparing quality, colour and texture

A corruption of “Clairet”, a wine of paler colour, Claret refers to red wine from Bordeaux.  Within the Medoc, the wines are based on Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives structure, then blended with Merlot for softness and roundness.  The classic Left Bank claret flavours are blackcurrant and mint, sometimes herbaceous, generally with firm tannins, or often with characteristics of cedar, pencils, coconut and coffee-grounds.

Wine 9:           The Society’s Medoc 2003 (£6.50)
a lightly oaked blend of two-thirds Cab Sauv to one-third Merlot, from
                        the northern end of the Medoc
Wine 10:        The Society’s Exhibition Margaux 1999 (£18.00)
A second wine from the 2eme Cru Classe, Ch. Rauzan-Segla, from
                        the more well-regarded commune of Margaux

The Med had a dark purple rim, whereas the Mar had a brick hue, indicating greater maturity.  On the nose, the Med had ripe berry fruit, whereas the Margaux was more perfumed, with smoky cedary characters.

In the mouth, the Medoc wine was simpler, and had a shorter finish.  The Margaux, though, had more finesse, texture and length, with smooth, rich characters and a silky structure.

Although the Margaux was nearly three times the price, it was not an unfair comparison, as both are good examples of price and quality at their own level.

Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com