The Ultimate White Tasting - Is it worth it to collect white wine? Wine Watch

"I’d rather had a frontal lobotomy than a Laube in front of me” - Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm

White wine does not seem to get the same attention from collectors as red. We are guilty of giving red more attention than white as well with three of our four rooms of display at the store filled with red wines and only 2/3 of the 4th room filled with whites.

Recognition of the problem is half of the battle and we will give the great whites of the world their due beginning tonight we will add this Ultimate White tasting to our annual line-up of wine tasting events. This is all a part of the valuable scientific wine research that we are doing here at the Wine Watch.

Every wine on the table tonight will be 10+ years old and everything is white! Wine Watch Catering’s Toni Lampasone will be making a few tasty treats to accompany the tasting wines and the fee for this event is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

The Ultimate White Tasting - Is it worth it to collect white wine? Wine WatchFriday, June 6, 20147:00 PM

 2004 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux Price: $198          Sale $175

(93 Points) Although this spectacular 2004 tips the scales at an astonishing 14.5% alcohol, it is an elegant white Bordeaux offering notes of honeyed grapefruit, melons, orange rinds, and lemon oil. Medium-bodied, rich, beautifully textured, and pure, it should evolve for 15-20 years. Wine Advocate # 165, Jun 2006

1983 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Pessac Leognan Price: $265.00    Sale $233

(94 Points) One of the all-time great Domaine de Chevalier blancs, the 1983 still looks like a 4-5 year old wine. Its light to medium straw color is followed by glorious aromas of lanolin, marmalade, figs, minerals, and smoke. This intense, full-bodied, mouthfilling wine is gorgeously fresh yet explosively rich and persistent. It can be drunk now, but promises to evolve for another 20 years. Last tasted, 6/02.  Bordeaux Book, 4th Edition, Jan 2003

1999 Marcassin Chardonnay Upper Barn Alexander Valley Price: $300.00    Sale $264

(92)The 1998 Chardonnay Upper Barn's cloudy, evolved golden color will be off-putting for the technocrats among readers. If you're looking for crystal clean, spotlessly polished Chardonnays stay away from this offering. It pushes the unfiltered moniker to the limit. This is a medium to full-bodied, complex, smoky effort possessing notes of butterscotch, minerals, honeysuckle, and tropical fruits. This evolved 1998 is best drunk over the next 2-3 years. Wine Advocate # 142, Aug 2002

2002 Daniel Etienne Defaix Chablis 1er Cru Cote de Lechet Price: $66.50       Sale $58.22

This premier cru is on the hill right behind Vaillons and this wine is held back at the winery for Neal Rosenthal. Nice evolution on the nose with sea shell minerality and a lemon zest, marzepan to the nose the fruit has a bit of a candied fruit but still quite fresh. Still quite fresh on the tongue with nice development and maturity of fruit, tangy minerality through the finish, this wine has lovely balance and depth, drinking close to at its peak but should last another decade in your cellar. Finish 45+ Excellent +

1996 Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1er Cru Price: $120.00    Sale $105.60       Case $1224

This ancient, walled vineyard has the estates shallowest, stoniest soils. The wines are rich and intense. Many consider Bourg to be Vouvrays finest single vineyard site. Size: 6 hectares   Soil: Limestone-rich, clay soils

All grapes harvest by hand, which enables picking by successive tries each tri being a separate pass by the workers through the vineyard, ensuring only the best bunches of ripest (or even botrytised) grapes. Noel Pinguet was one of the first Frenc

1983 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes Price: $150.00    Sale $132

This is a classic vintage for Sauternes and it should be a fin comparison with these two sweet wines from the same vintage. 

1983 Deinhard Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Eiswein Rheingau Price: $190.00    Sale $167.20

This is the rarest of all the wines made in Germany and these late harvest wines have the ability to age for decades in your cellar.  

Menu

Selection of Cheese: 

Tuna Carpaccio with Citrus Fennel Salad, Meyer Lemon Aioli & Pumpernickel Crostinis

Chicken Kiev finished with Bernaise Sauce & Creamed Spinach with Roasted White Corn