Photo by Flickr user SnapDoc
Last month I dropped into a Rhone Valley wine tasting at Pastiche Wines, an adorable retail space above Pastiche Restaurant in Bay View, where French wines are the main focus.
Oh, you missed the tasting? Mon dieu! Fortunately, I took good notes. Of the seven wines uncorked that night, here were my four favorites from France’s Rhone Valley.
2010 Michel Gassier Cerius Blanc (Vin de France, France, $14) is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, resulting in a nicely balanced wine that is soft and approachable. (www.michelgassier.com)
2009 Domaine Roche Cairanne (Côtes du Rhône Villages, France, $18) combines Syrah and Grenache grapes for a fruit-forward wine with milk-chocolate and black-cherry notes preceded by a peppery bouquet. Wine Spectator gave this wine 91 points.
2009 Domaine du Colombier Cuvee Gaby Rouge (Crozes-Hermitage, France, $32.50) is 100% Syrah grapes, expressing charcoal and smoke along with cassis notes, and chewy tannins. This would be a good wine to pair with grilled foods. (www.domaine-colombier.fr)
2009 Vignobles Mayard “La Crau de Ma Mère” Red Wine (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, $40) is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes that interlace to produce complex layers along with red cherries and a hint of dark chocolate on the finish. (www.vignobles-mayard.fr)
WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK
When I cruise down 1st Street through Walker’s Point during afternoon rush hour I literally want to slam on the brakes. No, it’s not what you think. It’s that darn sandwich board outside Chez Jacques (www.chezjacques.com) announcing a wine deal scrawled in colorful chalk. From Tuesday through Friday beginning at 2 p.m. – just like the French: an early Happy Hour – and stretching until 6 p.m., glasses of wine are a buck off, bottles are slashed by $5 and a carafe will cost you only $15. While I’ve lunched and dined at Chez Jacques many times, I’ve yet to drop by for happy hour – but I must soon, oui?
WINE EVENT OF THE WEEK
Do you have plans on April 21? Well, you might want to cancel them – or at least amend them. Because the Spring Grand Tasting (from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Milwaukee Public Market) sponsored by Thief Wine Shop & Bar (www.thiefwine.com) is a not-to-miss event. Only the second-annual event, it’s already got a following. And no wonder: for the price of three bottles of wine ($60) you can sample 125 wines that are far, far from the mass-production bottlers, and keep the Riedel glass they are poured in. (For access to the more-expensive wines, which would be those costing at least $75, a Reserve Level ticket runs $80 and admission is bumped up to 4 p.m.) Here is a list of what wines were poured at the Fall 2011 Grand Tasting: http://thiefwine.com/content/view/37. Buy your ticket from Thief Wine by dialing 414-277-7707 or visiting either the Shorewood or Milwaukee Public Market locations. Only 200 people are allowed entrance. Will you be one of them?
WINE OF THE WEEK
How can a $10 Chardonnay be, well, decent? I was thinking the same as I slowly sipped 2010 Parducci Wine Cellars Small Lot Blend Chardonnay (Mendocino County, California, $10). My verdict: Guava on the nose with a delicate, perfumed undercurrent resulting in a Chardonnay style that’s not buttery but not necessarily oaky either. If you like a light and bright Chardonnay this is one to try. As a bonus, Parducci champions sustainable grape growing, going so far as to power its winemaking facility via wind power. (www.parducci.com)
