Essex County Wine Society

WINE PRESS

                          ESSEX COUNTY WINE SOCIETY

November 12, 2008

Our second tasting of the season, presented by Mahesh Lekkala and Stacey Rudbart,  covered a wide range of Australian Shiraz. We tasted wines from 4 different major growing areas – and included some recent wines and some wines with age. The Wine of the Night, as voted by attendees, was the 2006 Tatiarra Caravan of Dreams. The 2002 J P Belle Terroir was voted second – all other wines were statistically distant.

Our next tasting will be 2005 red Bordeaux, on December 4^th, led by long-time member Gary Schwarz. Please respond no later than November 28^th – and given historical response to ECWS Bordeaux tastings, you may want to respond earlier in order to insure your place.

Gary’s comments about the upcoming tasting:

“Winemakers, wine professionals, and consumers alike all concur that the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux was extraordinary – comparing it to such monumental vintages as 1945, 1961, 1982, and 1990. Near-perfect weather conditions, along with modern winemaking techniques, combined to produce wines with thorough ripeness, vibrant aromas and flavors, high alcohol (for Bordeaux) and serious tannic structure. Unlike many excellent years, the superb quality extends throughout all Bordeaux appellations. To illustrate this, we have selected one outstanding and highly-rated wine from each of the 7 major appellations (St. Estèphe, St. Julien, Pauillac, Pessac-Léognan, Margaux. St. Emilion, and Pomerol), along with an example from the Haut Médoc that rivals other classified growths.

All wines were purchased in 2006 as futures, allowing this tasting to be priced at a level that could not be reproduced if they were bought today. Although these wines are tannic and hugely concentrated (expect to go home with purple-stained teeth and gums), the fact they are infants in terms of their evolution shouldn’t diminish your ability to appreciate their outstanding quality. “

The tasting will be blind, so we are not providing more detail on the specific wines.

The cost for the tasting will be $65 for members, $78 for guests.

The tasting after this will be of Cabernet Franc, led by Dick Appert on January 8, 2009.

De gustibus non disputandum est (There is no disputing matters of taste),

“The Wines of Bordeaux give tone to the stomach, while leaving the mouth fresh and the head clear.  More than one invalid abandoned by the doctors has been seen to drink the good old wine of Bordeaux and return to health.”

--Comments by members of the Jury judging Bordeaux wines submitted under the new 1855 classification at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris, as noted in 1855: A History of the Bordeaux Classification

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