So sorry for the delay in posting last month's news; things have been hectic! But here at last is the wrapup of last month's meeting.
We met on Memorial Day weekend, so because of the holiday attendance was a bit sparse, but even though we were small in number, we sampled some very good wines. We were finally joined by two of our New Jersey members, Deirdre and Gary Smerillo, who made the drive all the way from Point Pleasant ("down at the shore") to a meeting. They were loads of fun, and were the main reason why, for the first time, we had nearly no wine left after the meeting was over! We had to have coffee, for goodness sakes! So needless to say, we had some fun that day! Welcome Smerillos, please come again!
So on to the wines. Our three favorites were:
THE WINNER: Parallele 45 French Cote du Rhone 2005 -- note this is the second time we've chosen a cote du Rhone as a favorite. Like last time, this was a very full-bodied red, loaded with flavor. It was really a bit heavy for the 90-degree weather we were having, but no matter, we had the AC running that day!
2ND RUNNER UP: Rancho Zabaco Sonoma County Zinfandel 2003: Unfortunately, I don't remember anything about this wine, good or bad! That's the problem when you wait two weeks to post, I guess. Guys, if anyone remembers our impressions of this wine, could you post and enlighten us?
3RD PLACE: Camelot Californis Pinot Noir 2004: This was my personal favorite (especially considering I'd brought it!). This was a fruity red with real berry flavor. Not nearly as heavy as the Cote; a nice drinking wine.
THE RUNNERS UP:
--Coppola California Chardonnay Gold Label 2005: We'd been looking forward to trying this wine from Francis Ford's very successful vinyard and found it quite pleasant. We haven't yet found a Chardonnay we love yet, so we're still looking. Keep that in mind as you shop!
--Graff German Spatlese Riesling 2004: The riesling lovers were pleased by this one, though they didn't love it more than the Schmidtt Sohn blue bottle we tried at the first meeting. Of course, those of us who prefer their wine on the drier side found this a bit sweet, but again, not unpleasant.
In other news:
--We still haven't chosen a name! This is getting a bit crazy, so I'm asking everyone to review the names listed in previous blogs, and either post or send an email with your choice. We'll just choose online. Hopefully by next meeting, we'll know what the heck to call ourselves!
--As the summer heats up, we may want to begin trying lighter wines. The merlots and Cotes may be a bit heavy for the higher temperatures, so feel free to shop for more Sauvignons, chardonnays, rieslings, roses, etc. But as usual, follow your curiosities.
--Notice how our tastes so far seem to lean toward the imports rather than the domestics? We tent to favor wines from Germany, France, Italy, and Spain so far, eschewing California and New York wines. We may be more sophisticated that we think!
--Remember to bring materials to write down your faves in the meetings; it'll help you as you shop.
So our next meeting is set for Saturday June 23, 3pm as usual. I'll send the evite out as usual. Hope you can make it!
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1 comment:
I really enjoyed the May club, and of course I missed my old friends. Since Navorn seems desperate to choose a name, my choice is DeVine Company.
I personally find this blogging stuff pretty difficult, so if I can do it you can too! So get to writing!
Went wine shopping today, had great fun. Will tell you guys about it at the next meeting.
See you on the 23rd!
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