by Ken B » Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:18 am
Fall Favorites Tasting
The Wine Market, 1200 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY
Thursday November 8, 2012
Secco Bianco Italian Bubbles, Sparkling White Blend, Veneto, Italy
We're not ones to crow about ourselves too much, but right now, we think you will not find a more well selected sparkling wine section in the city. We've got rock solid winners in every style and price point, and we can't wait for you to try the Charles Smith Secco Bianco. We've been in love with this wine from the get go, probably because it reminds us of an Italian movie star or model: lively, charming personality backed up with style and finesse. Clean fruits: late summer melons, bright citrus, warm apples bounce off beeswax and some light toasty bread notes. The killer nose is followed by a sultry mouthfeel and layered, complex finish. Invitingly priced so you can get one to enjoy tonight, a couple for the coming holidays, and a bunch more just to have on hand 'cause it's so darned good! Come back and check out the Secco Rose next week!
Chateau Naudeau Bordeaux Blanc, Entre-deux-Mers, France
A stunning value in Sauvignon Blanc (and Semillon) from France. Regular shoppers may recognize this label, and for certain know we do our best to keep a $10 white Bordeaux on our shelves - this one hits the mark for us right now. The nose is built up on herbal Sauvignon notes and calciferous minerality, with bright acidity on the palate. Think crisp, light whites are only for the summer? We'll bet you enjoyed your share of hearty reds during the warm months, and besides, we eat seafood, cream based dishes, cheese, and vegetarian fare year 'round, all slam dunks for pairing with this nice white!
Evolucio Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary
We're all about the funky, offbeat whites right now, and you can't get much more off the beaten path than a dry Hungarian Furmint. Wine nerds like us know Tokaj as the origin of the great dessert wines of Eastern European royalty, and Furmint is the grape used for those wines, but this great bargain (yep, another $10 bottle!) is vinified dry. All kinds of fantastic fruit dominates the nose of this wine, generous honeydew melon, exotic ripe pears (seckel or forelle, anyone?), white peaches, Turkish apricots...even a hint of spice...it's all in there! The palate is balanced though, with some mineral backbone and reasonable acidity to offset the touch of residual sugar (not even enough to qualify as off dry) giving it a round, pleasant mouthfeel in spite of the wine's relatively light body. Plays well with others: soft and firm cheeses, poultry, rich seafood, vegetarian/vegan cuisine, Asian foods.
Le Cirque Rose, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
We know, we just got done lecturing you on how you can drink lighter whites in the cooler months, you bet we weren't gonna let you go on Rose' now, did you? Good stuff from this bone dry, dual Grenache and Mouvedre blend: watermelon, strawberry and raspberry notes, some sage and green herbs, and clean, tart acidity without sharpness. Nothing not to enjoy here, and you got that right, only $9/bottle, plus, if it makes you feel any better, Mr Robert Parker gave this one a mighty 90 points.
Estampa Estate Cabernet/Petit Verdot Blend, Colchagua Valley, Chile
If you read the national wine press, or even wine articles in the WSJ, NY Times etc. you've been seeing plenty about the values to be found in South American wines. You are tasting what we consider to be the absolute best example of said value available in town right now. Delivers more balance and complexity than any Cab at this price, and many more expensive ones. Lush dark fruit is balanced with subtle notes of oak and exotic hints of butterscotch and new leather. Utterly drinkable but with enough guts, richness and backbone to push aside all those mass produced Cabs with cute names and trendy labels, and priced right to find its way onto your table any night of the week. Like this wine?...check out it's Malbec brother or step up to the Reserve Cab or Carmenere for a few dollars more, all tremendous bang-for-your-buck reds!
Andrew Murray This Is E11even Red Blend, California
How can you argue with a wine whose name is taken from Spinal Tap! We knew after having gone through cases and cases of Andrew Murray's high volume Syrah that this wine would be right on, and in fact, it is right on. Cabernet Sauvignon is paired with Cab Franc and a couple of other varietals for a wine that is altogether different than the Murray Syrah, but every bit as great. The nose is just beating you up with red fruits, red fruits and did we mention red fruits?...but then the palate comes together in an unexpected way, with zesty acidity to balance out that ripeness. Even our jaded palates had to sit up and take notice, and we're sure yours will too. Crowd pleasing and accessible, but with enough class and depth to impress any snobs you may find yourself entertaining, this wine pairs beautifully with the richer dishes of the upcoming season, and works just as nicely on its own as a cocktail wine.
The Wine Market
1200 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY
and next (Nov. 15) at the Wine Market, 1200 Bardstown Road, from 4:30-6:30 pm. This week we'll showcase a handful of new arrivals, all great for the shift from summer sipping to the fall holidays including some a great new sparkling wine at a great price (Secco Italian Bubbles), a unique Hungarian white (Evolucio Furmint) and a red blend we think is pretty dynamite (This is E11even). Next week we'll preview wines we recommend for Thanksgiving (and beyond): another sparkler, some Riesling and some reds, too.