Essex County Wine Society

Essex County Wine Society

September 17, 2010

Dear Fellow Wine Society Members and Friends,

We had a fantastic start to our 2010-2011 season last Sunday with our Annual Fall Dinner held at VINE in Basking Ridge. It was great to see so many smiling faces enjoying themselves with good food, good wine, and lots of laughter. We started the evening with a tasty Nicolas Feuillate NV Brut Rose, which may account for the overabundance of laughing, and plenty of passed hors d'oeuvres.  The first course was pan-roasted Yukon Gold potato gnocchi in a butter sage sauce which was paired with  the Domaine Raymond Dupont-Fahn Chaumes des Perrieres white burgundy.  The second course, ahi over warm lentils & crispy prosciutto, the favorite course of many, was matched with a 2004 Grand Cru Clos de la Roche from Nicolas Potel. Many felt this wine, served about 90 minutes after opening, was initially disappointing  but changed their minds after a little more air and a few bites of tuna. A tricky pairing  for sure.  A 1996 Chateau Lynch-Bages was served with the 3rd course of New Zealand lamb racks, ratatouille and thyme Sangiovese syrup.  The wine, decanted 2 1/2 hours before serving, matched well with the lamb and most thought  it was in its youth.  A  3-cheese course of manchego, tellagio, and a blue-veined cheese came with a heavenly 1986 Chateau Guiraud Sauternes.  The cheese was unremarkable but the Sauternes, near the end of its reported drinking window, was memorable. Many thanks to Gary Schwarz for keeping it so cold for so many years. A warm chocolate cake with vanilla gelato provided a tasty finish to a wonderful evening. We should do it again!

We will start our tasting season on October 7th with a rare opportunity. Mahesh Lekkala will lead us in a tasting of the famous Rioja Alta wines of  Bodega Lopez de Heredia (http://www.lopezdeheredia.com ).  Maria Lopez de Heredia will also be participating via a special video recording made for ECWS. Dr. Jay Miller commented recently in Issue # 189 (June 30, 2010) of the Wine Advocate:

            "A visit to the venerable Bodega Lopez de Heredia, located in the Rioja Alta capital of Haro, is         akin to entering a time machine taking you back 100 years. Construction of the Bodega began in       1877 and continues without any apparent changes to the present day. The winery is operated by      the voluble Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia, her sister Mercedes, and their father Pedro, still active       into his 80s. All of the wines are produced from estate grown bush vines. Tondonia and Bosconia           are two different vineyards; Bosconia has a larger percentage of Tempranillo and a different orientation. For an excellent overview of the estate, read Eric Asimov’s blog in the New York   Times dated August 11, 2009."

You can find the Asimov blog at   http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/tradition-ascendant-in-rioja/

For this tasting you will be presented with a multi-layered treat starting with a 2000 Tondonia Rosado for the aperitif.  Dr. Miller comments further:

            " A current release is the 2000 Vina Tondonia Rosado, a blend of 60% Garnacha, 30%        Tempranillo, and 10% Viura aged for 4.5 years in oak and 6 years in bottle. Orange/pink in color,          it still displays some fruit on the nose leading to a wine with notes of bitter almonds, hazelnuts,        rhubarb, and cranberry. Definitely not your typical rose!" WA 90 points

Next on the treat list will be a mini-vertical tasting of two Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva wine from the 1981 and 1987 vintages. Antonio Galloni (In The Cellar, erobertparker.com) said in 2006:

            " The richly-colored 1981 Vina Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva captures the essence of this             house’s wines. It is a wine of great complexity as well as contrasts. At once mature yet             seemingly ageless, full-bodied yet somehow also miraculously delicate, it displays evolved sensations of earthiness, smoke, roasted nuts and dried apricots in a more oxidative style with          great persistence on the palate and enough acidity to make me think it will drink well for at least      another ten or so years. 93 Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016"

We will next get to taste mini-verticals of the Gran Reserva reds from the Tondonia and Bosconia vineyards. The first of these will consist of the 1991, 1976, and 1973 Tondonia Gran Reservas. The second set will consist of the 1991, 1976, and 1973  Bosconia Gran Reservas. Of course you will be able to compare the two vineyards horizontally too. The Wine Advocate comments for the 1976 vintages should pique your interest:

            "Thirty years after the vintage the two 1976 Gran Reservas still fully express the qualities of their      unique terroirs. The outstanding 1976 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva offers a multitude of tertiary             nuances in its suggestions of leather, licorice, coffee beans, earthiness and dried prunes on a     medium-bodied frame of notable elegance. It is sweeter and riper than the Bosconia Gran   Reserva, with a resonating note of alcoholic warmth that frames the long, lingering finish.     92/Anticipated maturity: 2006-?"

            " The seductive 1976 Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva is another ethereal beauty, revealing an expressive nose along with notes of earthiness, sweet perfumed fruit, cocoa, flowers and an    occasional hint of white truffle that floats out of the glass. Fresher and more vibrant than the            Tondonia Gran Reserva, it offers outstanding length and notable structure in an understated yet profound expression of Rioja. It is that rare wine that invites contemplation by engaging all of            the taster’s senses. A great effort. 95 Anticipated maturity: 2006-?

This promises to be a memorable tasting and will be a great start to our tasting season. Mahesh has obtained Gran Reserva wines up to 37 years old so we can enjoy the unique chance to compare two mature white wines vertically as well as six mature red wines both vertically and horizontally. 

The cost for the tasting will be $95 for members and $110 for guests. We will have limited seating due to wine availability so be sure to get reservations in without delay.

Date: Thursday, October 7, 2010

Place: Montclair Women's Club, 82 Union St., Montclair, NJ 07042

Time: 7:30pm Aperitif,  8:00pm tasting

Hope to see you all there!

Dennis Roland                         "In vino veritas" -Pliny

 ______________