Bordeaux Tasting with Special Guest Laura DePasquale MS

Friday, September 13, 2019 - 07:30 PM

This Event has been read: 1582 times.

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"...Once upon a time, I drank a little wine,
 was as happy as could be..."

Get Down by Gilbert O'Sullivan

That's why we are so happy here at the Wine Watch, we're always drinking wine!! And we are going to call September Bordeaux month with six tastings (I’m counting the Opus One tasting in this genre because of the partnership with Mouton Rothschild) featuring top level wines from the world’s premier region for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The most expensive wines in the world come from this wine growing region located in the Southwest of France.  Some of the cheapest wines in France come from Bordeaux as well and the wines are not as far apart as you would think in terms of the proximity from Pauillac to Bordeaux Superior!
You always want to look at the best real estate in town that is close by to the real expensive stuff as you get to enjoy the view at a fraction of the cost.  The same can be said about the appellations of Bordeaux like Medoc, Lussac St. Emilion, Premier Cotes de Blaye and other lesser known regions that are right next to the better-known areas like Pauillac, Pomerol and Pessac Leognan which you will pay big money for.
Join us as we explore the last few recent releases from the world's most famous wine region.  With over 300,000 acres of vines Bordeaux is one of the largest wine regions of France in size.  In addition to making some of the best red wines which Bordeaux is most famous for, they also make some of the most age worthy whites and arguably the best dessert style wines in the entire world in the Sauternes region.
Tonight, we have one of the smartest wine people that I know on hand to educate the group about the wines of Bordeaux Master Sommelier Laura DePascuale.  I have known Laura for over 20 years before she passed her MS and was working as a Sommelier at Norman’s in the Gables and I was a sommelier at Café Maxx.  The MS exam is one of the hardest to pass and fewer people percentage wise pass this than any other professional exams in the world including the bar exam to practice law and the medical exam to practice medicine.   There are 165 professionals who have earned the title of Master Sommelier as part of the Americas chapter since the organization's inception. Of those, 139 are men and 26 are women. There are 262 professionals worldwide who have received the title of Master Sommelier since the first Master Sommelier Diploma Exam.
Join us as we welcome Master Sommeliers Laura DePascuale to tell the tale of Bordeaux and introduce the Chateau on the table this evening.  Chef Toni Lampasone has a food pairing for each flight making this a four-course tasting menu with a few of my favorite things.  The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Image result for Laura DePasquale MS
Bordeaux Tasting with Laura DePascuale MS
Friday, September 13th
7:30pm

Image result for 2016 Clos Marsalette Blanc Pessac Leognan

2016 Clos Marsalette Blanc Pessac Leognan
Price: $45.75       Sale $40.26
The Clos Marsalette 2016 Blanc is a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Sémillon picked 16-19 September and matured in 30% new oak. It has a light bouquet with grass clippings, Granny Smith apples and a touch of chalkiness. The palate is fresh on the entry with crisp acidity, veins of orange rind and mandarin accompanying the citrus fruit with a touch of salinity on the finish. (NM) (4/2017) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Image result for 2016 Chateau Lynch Bages Blanc Margaux

2016 Chateau Lynch Bages Blanc
Price: $77.25       Sale $67.98
(94 points) This offers more proof that the whites in the Médoc have resisted the heat of August. The pH here is 3.01, and certainly the impression in the glass is of beautiful freshness with a creamy mid-palate of white peaches, honeysuckle and gentle citrus sorbet. Fermented at a low temperature in a combination of stainless steel, one year old barrels and 45% new oak with a very light toast, this is very delicate and extremely pretty. A blend of 52% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Semillon and 18% Muscadelle. (JA) (4/2017) Decanter

Image result for 2012 Chateau Clos L’Oratoire St Emilion

2012 Clos L’Oratoire St Emilion
Price: $76.50       Sale $67.32
(94 points ) One of the von Neipperg estates, the 2012 Clos de l'Oratoire is an undeniable success story. Dense ruby/purple, with plenty of crème de cassis, roasted coffee, licorice and spice, full-bodied, opulent and sexy, it is a hedonist’s dream wine. Pure and long, it has a great finish and terrific palate presence. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. Yields were exceptionally small in 2012 – 25 hectoliters per hectare. (4/2015) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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2015 Grand Pontet St Emilion
Price: $41.25       Sale $36.30
(89 points) A parcel of limestone soil on this estate allows it to produce a small quantity of white wine. Vinified and aged in barrels, this is a soft ripe wine with light toast and lemon flavors. Textured and still young, this will age over the next few years. Drink from 2019. (Feb 2017) Wine Enthusiast

Image result for 2015 Chateau La Fleur des Rouzes Pomerol

2015 Chateau La Fleur des Rouzes Pomerol
Price: $31.50       Sale $27.72
Chateau La Fleur des Rouzes is a micro-estate located near Chateau Clinet in Pomerol’s exclusive district, known as ‘the plateau’. A family property for 100+ years, the estate is comprised of only 2.8 hectares (7 acres) of vineyards and the production is only about 500 cases. We grew up on a 10 acre horse farm, which was big for the suburbs, but very small for a wine estate! With such limited production, this wine has been rarely seen in the U.S. market. Made in a classic Pomerol style, the wine is from 26-year-old vines of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in complex soils with gravel, silt, iron and sandstone, sandwiched in between some of the most famous estates of the appellation. All harvesting is done by hand, fermentation is conducted in concrete vats, and aging is done in French oak barrels for 14-16 months (25 % new, 25 % one year 25 % two year and 25% three year).

Image result for 2010 Reserve de la Comtesse Pauillac

2010 Reserve de la Comtesse Pauillac
Price: $85.50       Sale $75.24
(90 points) Vibrant and silky, this slides down almost too easily, with delicious red and black currant fruit laced with hints of anise, violet and black tea. A flicker of singed balsa wood keeps the finish going along. (3/2013) Wine Spectator

Image result for 2007 Chateau Leoville Poyferre St Julien

2007 Chateau Leoville Poyfrere St Julien
(90 points) Offers subtle aromas of smoky wood, fresh herbs and dark fruits. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and soft, silky tannins. Very well-crafted and polished for the vintage. Much better than from barrel. Best after 2012. (3/2010) Wine Spectator

2014 Chateau Leoville Poyfrere St Julien
(93 points) The 2014 Leoville-Poyferre was surprisingly backward and tight on the nose (usually it is the most expressive and generous Léoville in its youth). The precision and focus is intact, but it is broody and sultry at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with firm structure, which suggests that it has turned volte face since its opulent showing in barrel. Overall, this comes across as perhaps a slightly more austere and masculine wine from Didier Cuvelier, though that is not a criticism, just an observation. I would like to see a little more persistence on the finish, but the tidings bode well for this mercurial and fascinating Léoville-Poyferre. I can see it improving with bottle age, hence the plus sign against my score. (NM) 93+ (3/2017)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2016 Chateau Leoville Poyfrere St Julien
Price: $169.50    Sale $149.16
(97 points) Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Léoville Poyferré hits the ground running with intense cassis, violets, dark chocolate, menthol and fragrant earth notions complemented by nuances of cigar box and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with energetic, super intense black fruit and floral layers, beautifully supported with super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness. This liquid is simply alive in the mouth, culminating in an epically long finish that will leave your mouth practically tingling. WOW! (LPB) 97+ (11/2018)   Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Image result for 2015 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes

2015 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes
Price: $105.00    Sale $92.40

2015 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (375ml)
Price: $54.00       Sale $47.52
(97 Points) The 2015 Suduiraut comes with 123 grams per liter of residual sugar, more modest than some of its Sauternes peers and 4.56 grams per liter of acidity. It has a sense of completeness on the nose already: immense clarity with wild honey and quince aromas that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very pure botrytised fruit, very focused and one of the most intense Sauternes you will find this year. It feels long and sophisticated in the mouth yet never overpowers, never really has to put its foot right down on the accelerator. This is a wonderful Suduiraut, not quite up to the level of the ethereal 2009...although not too far off. Barrel Sample: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2001 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (375ml)
Price: $75.00    Sale Price: $55.00                Quantity in Stock: 3
(98 Points) A prodigious effort, possibly the finest Suduiraut since 1959, the medium gold-colored 2001 offers notes of creme brulee, caramelized citrus, Grand Marnier, honeysuckle, and other exotic fruits as well as a pleasant touch of oak. With terrific acidity, a voluptuous/unctuous palate, and sweet, powerful flavors buttressed by crisp acidity, it is a phenomenal Sauternes. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040. Wine Advocate #153 Jun 2004

Menu
Charcuterie and Cheese Selection
Baby Octopus Carpaccio with Candied Citrus and Elderberry Aioli
Sliced NY Sirloin with Truffle Parmesan Shoestring fries
Canelés de Bordeaux with Pineapple Rum Carmel Sauce

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $125 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

 

A bit about our Hostess this evening:
Laura DePasquale MS began her hospitality career as a teenager, working for a fast food chain, but quickly moved into fine dining. Her first serious introduction to wine was in New York City, where she worked as a bartender at Arizona 206, followed by a stint as beverage director at the Royalton Hotel.

In the early 1990s, she moved to Miami and worked as an award-winning sommelier at Norman’s restaurant until she was recruited by Palm Bay International in 2001 as Florida state fine wine specialist.  In 2004, DePasquale achieved the Master Sommelier Diploma and has been an active educator, examiner and speaker for CMS-Americas.

After a series of promotions within Palm Bay over the course of 10 years, DePasquale left Palm Bay with the role of vice president of fine wine development under her belt. In 2011, she was recruited by The Country Vintner specifically to lead the turn-around of Stacole, the company’s fine wine distribution division in Florida which she developed into a leading fine wine distributor over 3 years.

Currently she is the Director of Fine Wine Development & Education at Southern Wine & Spirits Florida and is leading the creation of a new Fine Wine Distribution Concept for SWS called Artisanal Fine Wine & Spirits that launched in 2016.  Laura DePasquale MS was first a judge at the DWWA in 2015.
Image result for COURT OF MASTER SOMMELIERS
” ABOUT THE COURT OF MASTER SOMMELIERS The Court of Master Sommeliers was established to encourage improved standards of beverage knowledge and service in hotels and restaurants. Education was then, and remains today, the Court's charter. The first successful Master Sommelier examination was held in the United Kingdom in 1969. By April 1977, the Court of Master Sommeliers was established as the premier international examining body. Over the four decades since the Court's first examination was held, 186 candidates have earned the Master Sommelier Diploma. In the service of wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages, the Master Sommelier Diploma is the ultimate professional credential anyone can attain worldwide.

 

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