White and Rosé Bordeaux from Planet Bordeaux's Twitter Taste Live

This past May 20th, I participated in another even from the Planet Bordeaux group, facilitated by Balzac Communications. Since late last year, I've had the chance to sample through something like 20 bottles of red, white, and rosé wines from the geographical area of Bordeaux, France. Within that region, I've tasted wines classified as Bordeaux as well as Bordeaux Superieur. I wrote up the previous "Twitter Taste Live" where we (the San Diego Wine Mafia) sampled red wines from the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur appellations.


I've also tasted singly, the following bottles:
2005 Domaine de Cantemerle
2008 Chateau Pey La Tour
2006 Chateau Lestrille
2006 Costes Du Chateau Feret-Lambert
2009 Chateau La Freynelle Bordeaux Rosé

A blogger's setup!

This recent tasting dealt with white and rosé wines from Bordeaux, and was a bit smaller at four bottles versus six or more. As with previous tastings, the point here is to showcase the fact that Bordeaux produces a lot of good wine at very reasonable price points. Planet Bordeaux is aiming to introduce Americans to the wide array of styles from the region in addition to helping shatter myths that there are only a few, super expensive wines from there.

1. 2010 Dourthe Grand Cuvée
100% Sauvignon blanc.


Smells like wet river stones, grassy, almost New Zealand-like. A hint of melon and tropical truit too. Someone tweeted about grapefruit but I'm not so sure I ever tasted it in this particular white Bordeaux. Brimming with bright acidity, this has nice balance and is everything I want in a sauvignon blanc from the region. It's got a clean flavor profile, with hints of minerals, lemon pith, some herbal notes too. I loved the clean, dry finish because it readied my palate for the next bite of food, in my case some cheese and crackers. It's a winner especially for $12. B and a BUY recommendation. 
The importer's information is: 
MHW, Ltd.

Marjorie Paraison

516-869-9170

mparaison "at" mhwltd.com

2.  2010 Chateau La Freynelle
50% Sauvignon blanc, 30% semillon, 20% muscadelle.


Richer, more lush characters on the nose than the first wine. Citrus blossom, hit of limestone, some ripe peach playing in the background.
A lot softer than the Dourthe, less acidity and more fleshy tones. Quite nice! There is a balance between the initial acidity as a lemon peel note, then it's followed by some nice floral elements and a hit of lemon curd that really adds dimension. And orange/citrus oil also comes through very strongly on the finish and that's absolutely delightful for me. B+ and STRONG BUY recommendation. $13. 
The importer's information is:

Young’s Market Company

800-627-2777

custserv "at" youngsmarket.com

3. 2010 Chateau Ballan Larquette Rosé
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc


Gorgeous color! I think it's considered a "salmon pink" but one from a Silverbrite salmon versus something lighter. Hey, I work in a grocery store so I see various colored salmons come through. Not shopping per sé, but being shopped for.
Smells wonderful..strawberry tarte, crushed cherry, watermelon candy, hint of something like herbs. Barest trace of alcohol right at the end of the bouquet but that doesn't detract too much.
More fruit than I'd expect in a French rosé but that could indicate it pairs with food. Ripe strawberry and some cherry give weight through the mid palate. There is some acidity present and I'd love to see more of it as a foil to the bright sweet berries. Fleshy, rich for a rosé. Makes you think about what you are drinking and I respect that. B from me and a BUY recommendation. $16. 
The importer's information is:

Exclusive Imports

310-247-3800

sales "at" exclusiveimportsinc.net

4. 2010 Chateau Fontenille Clairet
100% Cabernet franc with 3-4 days on the skins and partial saignée.


This baby looks like someone took a ruby and ran 20,000 volts through it then put it into my glass! 
Aromas like balsamic-glazed ripe strawberry and cherry mixed with earth. Hints of fireplace ash too, like you've burned the Christmas log all day and night. I absolutely loved how the nose made me want to take a sip, it was so alluring!

Delicious tasting, the acidity and that woody ash comes at you right away before receding and allowing some raspberries and herb to come out and play. As I sipped the Ch. Fontenille I marveled at the bright acid, keeping the sweeter, ripe red fruit elements in near-perfect balance. For reference, "clairet" is a light red wine, made in a different style  than a traditional rosé.  People need to get out and taste clairets to experience what is possible with different winemaking techniques and philosophies. B+ and a BUY recommendation. If you're a wine geek or someone who just enjoys exploring outside your comfort zone, the 2010 Chateau Fontenille clairet is something not to be missed. At $14 or so, it's a screaming deal. 
The importer's information is: 

D.B. Wine Selection Inc

Didier Boutet

508-405-1868

didier "at" dbwineselection.com

At the end of the tasting, I stuck around for a little bit (in the chatroom) and talked to some Twitter friends, the consensus being that this is a fun, informative way to taste. Representatives were on hand from the various wineries to chat with us tasters and relay pertinent information. Mike, our moderator, did a great job of keeping us on track and moving through the wines. He's getting very good at these live-virtual tastings!

If you're reading through the tasting notes above and are interested in finding a wine listed, please by all means contact the distributors/importers, they can direct you to the right wine shop. I cannot stress enough that Bordeaux wines needn't be hugely expensive to be great quality. Price does matter, and each wine I sampled was under $20, making it a bargain! You could do a lot worse, especially with white wines and rosé.


These wines were sent as media samples by Balzac acting for Planet Bordeaux.


Beau Carufel

Continuing With Rosé Wines, Here Comes the Rhone!

While a bunch of my Twitter/blogger friends were up at the annual Hospice du Rhone celebration in Paso Robles these past few days, those of us who didn't/couldn't go had to make do with what was in our own cellars. Since the weather has been beautiful and only promises to get better over the next week, today seemed like a wonderful day to open another rosé. I chose the 2009 Chateau de Nages from the Costieres de Nimes appellation in the Rhone Valley.

The 2009 Chateau de Nages was made with 70% grenache and 30% syrah, a fairly standard blend and proportion for Rhone rosé wines. Sometimes you'll see a bit of cinsault and counoise tucked in there too. If you happen to be a big fan of rosé then by all means keep your eyes open for wines from Tavel or Bandol, as they're reputed to produce the best examples on the planet. I don't disagree..

First off I look at the color, it's like a piece of fresh salmon, absolutely gorgeous! Not light like a Silverbrite, but dark like Coho or King Salmon. Why, you ask, might I know about fish coloration? It's where I work that does this to me. Granted, it also drives me to drink..The workplace, not the fish coloration..

Anyways! On to the "sniffy-sniff" as Gary Vaynerchuk calls it. Nice bit of herb, red berries, river stone, grapefruit, and a hint of fresh melon. Before sipping the 09 Chateau de Nages, I predict it'll have some bright acidity and be very dry. Or am I projecting my desires onto this wine? You tell me!

Well I was right..sort of..Bright acidity pops right away, lip-smackin' good..The ripe strawberries and melon come along right behind that opening volley of acid, to give the wine a sense of depth and structure. I picked up a dollop of ruby red grapefruit too, so that balance of sweet and acid is there throughout the wine. This is very good, each flavor is blending together seamlessly for me. There's a sense of depth and weight here but it leaves so quickly that you retain the refreshing quality which makes rosé so alluring. At 13.5% alcohol, it sure isn't a lightweight for a rosé but that's hidden fairly nicely. You get a bit of heat through the finish but it's barely there. I would say that it prevents this wine from getting an A-, truth be told. On a warm, sunny day like today, this is something to enjoy while sitting on your patio reading or hanging out with your friends.

I gave 2009 Chateau de Nages a B+ and a STRONG BUY especially since it lists at under $15, but I bought it for $7 at San Diego Wine Company. Are you freakin' kidding me?! $6.99 to be precise, and it's worth every single penny. I'm going back to buy more bottles. You should too, especially if you live in San Diego.

Beau Carufel

The Long Awaited San Diego Wine Mafia Rosé Rumble Recap!

It's been a while since we, the SDWM (San Diego Wine Mafia), tasted through a fun lineup of rosé's. Unfortunately I got a bit sidetracked with other projects and this recap-post was put off for too long. I'll be highlighting some delicious rosé's that we tasted, and since spring is approaching quickly, that means the weather is becoming far more conducive to drinking this type of wine. For us rosé lovers though, any time is a good time to drink it.

The 12 bottles were put into brown paper bags and numbered before most of the San Diego Wine Mafia arrived at the Secret Lair. Obviously, we wanted to keep the tasting "blind". I knew only that we were tasting some rosé's and that some were going to have bubbles. Data pertaining to location, varietal composition, pricing and other factors weren't made known until the bottles were unveiled. My tasting notes are below and I noted the name of each only after the came out of the bag. Looking back I think a better idea would have been to avoid the sparkling rosé's entirely this time around. Perhaps next time we'll do only still wines or only sparkling wines. I'd like to taste more examples as the seasons continue to change, so stay tuned for the next rosé installment, hopefully this June.

*Note* This is the order randomly put together at the tasting, of which I had no say in the matter...

#1. Jaume Serra Cristalino Cava - Ripe strawberries, nice bubbly texture, some kind of ashy note though? Maybe it's just me but I cant get into it too much. C+. $7 SRP.

#2. Valdo Nerello Mascalese Brut Rosé - Sweet, almost Brachetto-like? Some acidity comes through, and I like how my palate is cleansed on the finish. Not too bad at all, after that first hit of sweetness. C+ $13 SRP. 12% abv.

#3. Stepping Stone Corallina Rosé by Cornerstone Cellars - Good color, nice balance of sweet and tart on the nose..hints of residual sugar on the finish but also a nice balance with acidity creating a refreshing sensation. Everyone kept saying they could detect melon, for me this wine was all sliced sour cherries and strawberries. B- $16. 13.1% abv.

#4. Pink Girl Rose - Dry cheese, like a sour or bitter Swiss or something? Weird and unexpected nose. Doesn't grab me and I question whether or not it's actually got some bottle shock going on or some bottle instability? **Upon reviewing the notes, I think there might have been acetic acid present, hence the bitter cheese smell**  Not rated. $18 SRP, 14.1% ABV


#5. Garrineau Rosé Bordeaux - Raspberry sorbet on the nose, beautiful. I love the acidity that washes across my palate, cleansing it off and getting me ready for that next bite of food. If I had to guess, this would be from France, Provence even. (Note that I was pleased to find out it was from Bordeaux) Maybe northern California but someplace cooler up in that area? B $10 SRP


#6. Charity Case Rosé - Higher residual sugar than any of the previous rosé's? Tastes like a rosé of a noble varietal, like merlot or syrah. Fairly beefy/meaty, sweet cherry, raspberry and strawberry. Tasting and smelling very light, this might be better if it was colder. B-. $12 SRP. 13.5% ABV


#7. Banfi Brachetto Rosa Regale - Or any Brachetto? Not for me. But if you like Brachetto you will love this. Too sweet, desperately needs to be paired with a dessert, hard to sip on it's own. I guess I just prefer my wines drier. Loaded with raspberry and sweet strawberry. Soft, round bubbles and some delicate acidity. B- $25 SRP. 7% abv.

#8. Penman Springs Paso Robles - So far I really like this, nicely acidic, what I want from a rosé. Balanced lightness with fruit flavors and flower petals. Very crisp and clean. Up to this point, the best of the bunch for my palate. I hope it's from France. B+ $15 SRP.







#9. Mushal Rose of Merlot - Sweet but tart, good contrasts! Dried flower petals, hints of fresh sliced fruit (melons). I want to say domestic OR Spanish. A bit heavy on the residual sugar but still, if it's cheap enough, good juice and a lot of fun to drink. B. $20. 14.1% abv.

#10. Not rated, horrible stuff. I suspect volatile acidity caused the wine to go bad.

#11. Blenheim Vineyards Rose Virginia - Good, bracing acidity. Dried flower petals, smells like France. Romantic, classy juice. Beautiful tart berry makes your lips pucker with pleasure. B+ $19.









My notes are rough and mostly unedited because I tend to type very quickly as I taste wines in order to capture as accurately as possible what my brain is telling me right that instant. Later, I go back and fill in the blanks, so to speak. Out of all the rosé examples, only two thoroughly impressed me and both were domestic. Even more surprising was the Blenheim Vineyards rosé because it's from a state not yet very well known for wine. While Virginia has a small, passionate group of people making and promoting their wines, the West Coast doesn't see much exposure. Hopefully this will change over the next few years though, I know that as a blogger I would love to taste through some more Virginia wine.

In the near future for me, a book review, a wine-preserver review and we explore Soave! Also some delicious wines from Ceja Vineyards will be gracing my palate. Further along, a wonderful dessert wine tasting is coming up on the 23rd of this month.

My contribution, the Mushal rosé was a media sample kindly provided by the winery.

Beau Carufel

Mushal Winery and Their Merlot Rosé

At the beginning of February, I tweeted a feeler asking if any wineries who followed me were interested in sending samples for a rosé tasting the San Diego Wine Mafia was going to be doing. Happily for me, Sonia Sandu-Torre, the Director of Marketing at Mushal Winery & Vineyards responded offering to send some samples of their 2009 Mushal Merlot Rosé from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma.

The story behind the founding and evolution of Mushal is one that should be told. Their website does a far better job telling it than I ever could, so click here to learn more about the founder, Avtar Singh Sandhu and his vision. We're quite fortunate to have many small wineries and vineyards in California, and supporting them is the right thing to do, period. These self-proclaimed "little guys" are making wine not for a balance sheet or a business, but because wine enhances the human experience.

Sonia was generous enough to send me two bottles of Mushal's rosé, one of which was opened at the Rosé Rumble and tasted by the San Diego Wine Mafia. The other was opened about two weeks later and tasted by me alone. No blind or double-blind tasting here, but I had forgotten the suggested retail price as I made my tasting notes.

I noticed the color right away, a beautiful pink with hints of orange mixed in, veering a bit towards the lighter end of the rosé color spectrum. One day I want to try a very dark rosé and compare it to the lightest example I can find. I don't think one or the other will be sweeter based on color, but I want to see what flavors present themselves in each wine. Pardon my thoughts wandering away for a moment.

The nose reveals strawberries and raspberries with a hint of rhubarb. Some exotic florals feel like they are coming out as well. Mushal's rosé smells sweet too, not tart like some other examples I've had of late. One area of concern is a slight prickle of alcohol and when I checked the bottle, I was a bit saddened to find it's 14.4%. In my opinion that is about 2% too high and actually can defeat one of the purposes of a rosé. The French example I recently tasted came in around 12.5%, much more accessible on a hot summer (or spring) day. Alcohol can weigh down the feeling of a wine and I suspect it might do so with the Mushal.

Tasted at a temperature a few degrees below room temperature, as I do with nearly all my wines regardless of color. Sweet tasting right on the front palate, with acidity that came through quickly enough to keep me from cringing. Very good! Still, a touch rough around the edges and I think that comes from the high-ish alcohol. I tasted raspberry, melon, and fresh cut hay in this merlot rosé. There's a silky core of flavor that I find immensely appealing, it feels like each sip glides across your tongue. Unfortunately the pesky alcohol gremlin rears up on the finish, delivering too much heat for a rosé, for me at least.

Mushal's 2009 Merlot Rosé does remain light on the palate and is very refreshing. It won a gold medal at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, high praise from some very practiced palates. If you chill this more, perhaps an hour in your refrigerator, the acidity will shine through without the encumbrance of the alcohol. I'd like to see Mushal's next rosé come in at a much lower alcohol level while still retaining this set of scents and flavors. As it stands, the 2009 Mushal Merlot Rosé gets a B and a BUY recommendation.

The sheer variety of foods you could pair with a merlot rosé makes the Mushal a wine you should keep in your collection. Plus, like I said before, I am a strong advocate of supporting the little guys, the boutique producers. Mushal is definitely one of those and out of every $20 bottle of rosé sold, 15% of that goes to The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation. Just like Charity Case and Cleavage Creek, Mushal is giving back. For that, we need to support them. I look forward to bringing you their red Merlot bottling soon.

This was received as a media sample.

Beau Carufel