As much as I love food, I am also (almost) equally enamored with wine. Thus, naturally, I am a member of the American Wine Society. For anyone wondering, the American Wine Society "is the oldest and largest consumer based wine education organization in North America." I love it for a variety of reasons. First, monthly meetings consist of a $10 or $15 (premium) flight of wine tasting. This usually includes six wines, along with a presentation about either the wine itself, or about other viticulture related topics. Second, it is a completely non-threatening environment, as you run the same chance of sitting next to the local wine critic as you do someone who isn't 100% sure that Merlot makes a red wine. Lastly, everyone is friendly and open, often bringing cheese, crackers, meat, fruit, and other standard wine-tasting fare.
http://www.americanwinesociety.org/index.cfm
Last night, we had out monthly chapter meeting. A representative from Dr. Frank's vineyards presented six wines, three white and three red. Our wine evaluation chart consists of five categories: Appearance (3 points), aroma/bouquet (6 points), taste/texture (6 points), aftertaste (3 points), and overall impression (2 points). The chart also lists the price and the year of each wine tasted. There were about fifty people in attendance, broken into tables of about eight. Our table was, in general, in agreement regarding our evaluations. They were:
2009 Gruner Veltliner - $20 - 17 points
There was a lot of pear, green apple, and a hint of green pepper on the nose. The alchohol also came through. However, despite the light color, the wine was full in the mouth and went down smooth. The finish was wonderful, not leaving your mouth dry or having any acidic aftertaste.
2009 Dry Riesling - $16 - 17 points
A bright color, the fruit coming through the nose was much more subdued, bringing orange and grapefruit notes, perhaps with a bit of the rind to add a little punch. As with the veltliner, the riesling was rich and full-bodied in the mouth, echoing the grapefruit flavors from the aroma. The finish was very crisp and clean, and did not linger long after going down.
2008 Rkatsiteli - $20 - 15 points
As before, this wine was very clear and light in color. One can smell the coming acidity almost a harshness, on the aroma. It smelled of mango, both the rind and fruit. It came through on the flavor as well, along with a hint of lime. For a third time, the light color betrayed the syrupy fullness of the wine which continued on into the finish.
2008 Pinot Noir - $20 - 10 points
The pinot's aroma was spicy, smoky, and full of dried berries. However, the pungent aroma did not follow through on the palate, as the wine sort of fell flat, almost having a watered-down flavor. As the taste was not as present, neither was the finish.
2008 Lemberger - $25 - 10 points
This red had a maroon tint, but not the full coloring. It seemed too clear. The alcohol present (close to 14% naturally. The presenter mentioned that they had to blend it to lower the content to avoid additional taxes) was harsh on the nose. That translated into a spicy bite on the toungue, continuing down the throat on the finish.
2008 Cabernet Franc - $20 - 13 points
The maroon color was present here as well, but was much fuller and looked intentional. Mulberry, blackberry, and raspberry came through with a jammy sweetness on the nose. That flavor came at you fast as you drank it, but died quickly on the finish. As expected with a cab franc, there was strong tannic presence, leaving you wanting some sausage, smoked ham, or other spiced meat.
As you are gathering, Dr. Franc makes some great value white wines, but fell a little short on the reds. Still, the presenter was very informative and was able to answer any questions we had about the wine, grapes, etc. As usual, I walked away with some new friends, some great (and some not-so-great) wine to look out for in the store, and a wonderful night.
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