Summer White Tasting at Cafe Maxx

Wine gives us liberty, love takes it away. Wine makes us princes, love makes us beggars.

~Wycherly

It’s summertime and that means it is time to show the white wines some love!  This is our annual Summer White tasting at Café Maxx and these tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines, you get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time, a great way to spend happy hour.

Tonight we will feature an array of white wines from around the world that are clean and refreshing just in time for the summer.   This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Summer White Tasting at Café Maxx
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
6:30 PM

2014 Steele Shooting Star Sauvignon Blanc Lake County
Price: $13.50    Your Price: $11.88

We ferment the juice in stainless steel tanks to preserve the wonderful freshness and character of the grapes. With the exception of this Sauvignon Blanc, all our other white wines spend some time in barrel. We make this wine without any barrel fermentation or aging. Additionally, the wine does not go through malo-lactic fermentation. This helps to preserve the crisp acidity and fresh fruit flavors in the wine. The Shooting Star Sauvignon Blanc is a field blend, containing approximately 10% Semillon from the same vineyard. We feel the Semillon adds a bit of richness to the wine.

2013 Mormoraia Vernaccia di San Gimignano Ostrea
Price: $19.75    Your Price: $17.38

Attractive aromas of acacia, hawthorne, orchard fruit and delicate, oak-driven spice mingle in the glass. The elegant palate offers apple, passion fruit and a touch of candied lemon. It’s brightened by firm acidity, while a hint of white almond backs up the finish.

2012 Zind Humbrecht Zind White blend Alsace
Price: $32.25    Sale Price: $15.75

We started to blend and separately bottle the Chardonnay (65%) and the Auxerrois (35%) from the Clos Windsbuhl vineyard in 2004 when we believed the vines to be old enough to produce a certain quality (15 years old). Unfortunately (or funnily) the presence of the Chardonnay is the reason why we are obliged to declassify this wine to the Vin de Table category, despite the fact that this vineyard is one of our top sites. In 2012, the grapes harvested were very healthy with a nice acidity. Due to a structural problem, cask 51 (105hl) needed to be replaced with a new cask and the Zind 2012 was the obvious choice for the first wine in this cask. Being the first wine, the cask did not contain any yeasts from previous vintages and explains perhaps partly why the 2012 kept a little more residual sweetness than expected.

The new foudre (large old oval oak cask) influence is negligible and only a very sharp taster would be able to detect its presence. The light toasty aromas combine with herbal and white fruit, light smokiness and chalk on the nose. The palate is very elegant and shows little of the sweetness. I did rate this wine indice 1 for a long time before I saw the analysis! Long finish that feels dry but so easy to drink, already today.

2011 Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Gris Spiegel Grand Cru
Price: $35.00       Sale $30.80          Case $357

There is a strong flinty smoky mineral note to the candied pear and lime jolly rancher candy fruit on the nose, pretty white flowers, really opening up nicely as the wine airs out in the glass.  A very rich and layered wine on the tongue with a nice amount of sweetness here on the tongue, a good hand of minerality and a long finish, very rich but has wonderful balance and minerality lengthening the finish.  Finish 45+              Most Excellent

2014 Baron de Ladoucette La Poussie Sancerre Blanc
Price: $31.50       Your Price: $27.72

La Poussie’s history goes back 1000 years to the time of the Capetians as witnessed by a document on the property dating back to 1040!  This bowl shaped vineyard, an almost perfect semi-circle of 180° is one of the most unique in the world.  Today is owned by one of the most important producers in the region, La Doucette.  This wine is textbook Sancerre with that chalky sea shell like mineral character along with white grapefruit and lemon citrus, white flowers and green herbs.  This wine is light and refreshing on the tongue with a light savory mineral laced finish leaving your tongue salivating for food, that green herb and salty note lasting through the finish.  Finish 40+    Excellent

2013 Ladoucette Pouilly Fume Loire Valley
Price: $31.50       Your Price: $27.72
Quantity in Stock: 8

Pale golden-green in color. The nose develops a natural range of subtle floral and earthy green plant aromas such acacia, ferns, peppermint and white nettles. Notes of stony minerals and lemon give the wine a beautiful structure balanced by a fruity roundness, with a finish marked by hints of citrus fruits.

2013 Domaines Ott Clos Mireille Blanc de Blancs
Price: $47.25       Your Price: $40.16
Quantity in Stock: 3

A blend of 70% Semillon, 30% Rolle.  A pale yellow robe with green glints. The first nose is powerful and clear, suggesting notes of toast, thyme, and pine nut, and subtly transforms into fruity aromas. The attack is fresh and crisp with lime notes, while the ample mouth’s silky texture is harmonized by aromas of sage and broom. The long-lasting, mineral finish evokes the herbal scent of the garrigue found on our Mediterranean coast.

2013 Querciabella Batar Toscana             
Price: $96.00       Sale $84.48

A blend of 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, a Vegan wine that only 1000 6pk cases are produced, they do battonage and there is 25% new French barriques used here.  This wine has a very unique bouquet with lots of tree fruit, white peach, green apple and there is a flinty mineral character and maybe a hint of anise and vanilla bean spice.  A very rich texture on the tongue with hints of wet stone and this is the bastard part of the vineyard between two hills and the aspect is perfect for these two varietals, creamy rich texture and a pronounced minerality to the finish, very rich and even better on the second day.  Finish 45+  Most Excellent

This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.