At the October 15, 2009 wine class, we returned to some basic concepts — oakiness and tannin.  For oakiness we crossed continents to compare a white French burgundy, a 2008 Drouhin Laforet Bourgogne Chardonnay (13% alcohol),  which should have little oak flavor, with a new style California chardonnay, 2006 Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay (14.1% alcohol), that should be bursting with oak.  Here’s how we fared.

We found that the two whites looked very much alike, although we thought the second one was a bit golder in color.  When we got to the smell though, the second had more notes of wood and wet wool.  It seemed a bit grassy, while the first one smelled fruitier.  When we got to the taste, we had a harder time distinguishing.  The first wine tasted drier and lighter to some although others thought it grabbed the tongue more and had a stronger flavor.  Some thought the second wine was an oak monster with a more insolent taste (a la teenager), even though it had a clean finish.  Others thought it had a more pleasurable mouth feel.  Well despite the descriptions people came up with, more members of the class chose the first wine as the oaky one, but they were wrong.  It was the Laforet.  The second wine was the Beringer.  Thankfully, one of our member would happily drink either at a cocktail party.

Next it was on to explore tannin, that characteristic of wine that coats your tongue and even makes you pucker.  Here we pitted a low tannin 2006 Clos du Bois North Coast Pinot Noir (13.5% alcohol) against a high tannin 2005 Franciscan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (13.5% alcohol).

We could almost tell just from the look which was the pinot noir and which was the cab, one being almost see-through and the other inky and opaque.  The first wine had a crisper smell, more like grape juice than wine, perfect for a mid-afternoon snack.  (I’d like to know where that person works who has wine in the afternoon!)  By contrast, the second wine had a richer, more complex, almost velvety aroma.  It seemed like something to have with an elegant dinner or with a cigar after closing a deal.  (I’m beginning to see the proper workday progression here.)  When we got around to tasting, the contrasts were even more apparent.  The first wine had soft, floral notes.  It was fruity yet subtle, and in ways more drinkable.  The second wine tasted gritty and complex and was drying on the tongue.  It’s what you’d expect at a state dinner and quite fulfilling.  Well, it wasn’t hard for us to decide that the first was the pinot noir and the second was the cabernet sauvignon.  Tannin? We get it!!

Our next wine class for various reasons (like the Club will be closed for another Scorsese film shoot) is scheduled for November 12.  That evening we’ll be beamed to South America.  We’ll be tasting a 2008 MontGras Reserva Carmenère from Colchagua Valley, Chile (14.5% alcohol!).  The carmenère is Chile’s distinctive varietal.  We’ll compare that with a 2007 Lapostolle Casa Merlot (13% alcohol) from Rapel Valley, Chile.  Then we’re on to tango land to taste Argentina’s signature malbec — a 2006 Luigi Bosca Reserva (14% alcohol) from the Mendoza region.  Then we’ll compare that with a 2007 Navarro Correas Coleccion Privada Cabernet Sauvignon (13.9% alcohol), also from the Mendoza region.

I hope to see you all for our next class on November 12 around sevenish!!  Plan to stay for dinner, as these wines are going to be great with food.

Suzy Marquard