France; Loire, Rhone, Vin du Pays
June 27, 2009Saturday 4:00pm until 7:00pm (or until it's gone)
$5 per person
Presented by Catherine Price, Wine Consultant — Roanoke Valley Wine Co.
Château Gaillard
The vineyard of Chateau Gaillard is located on the slopes which are on the northern bank of the Loire between Amboise and Blois, in the middle of AOC TOURAINE-MESLAND.Vincent Girault, who is the owner and winegrower since 1978, endeavors to transmit to his wines the character and the authenticity of their soil. He offers you a typical wine range: "AOC TOURAINE", "AOC TOURAINE-MESLAND» and "AOC CREMAND DE LOIRE".
The Chateau Gaillard vineyard is cultivated according to biodynamic agriculture's methods in order to protect the ancestral wine quality of this vineyard. All Chateau Gaillard wines have Demeter0. Eco-label since 1992 vintage.
Chateau Gaillard "Les Doucinieres" Cremant de Loire $15.95
France, LoireDescription: Cremant prepared 'brut' (additional sugar dosed at less than 8 g/l). Blend of Chenin 40% — Chardonnay 40% — 20 % Cabernet Franc for a better balance and richness.
Wine making: Carefully hand-picked in small baskets, pneumatic pressing; only the best cuvees "Tete de cuvee" & "Premiere taille" are reserved for this Cremant.
After a light racking of the must, fermentation starts with the natural yeast born by the fruit, in order to bring out more typicity. Temperature controlled between 18 and 20°C.
Racking and filtration, bottling in March. Two years of maturation at 12°C on wooden traditional sloping racks. Bottles are turned by hand.
Color: pale yellow with pink hints. Bubbles are very small and persistent.
Nose: fresh and fruity.
On the palate: round & fruity at first, it has a long aftertaste.
2008 Château Gaillard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc $11.95
France, Loire, TouraineThe vineyard: Producer: Vincent Girault
Appellation: AOC Touraine
Acreage: 30 hectares of which 7 hectares are exclusively reserved for this wine
Age of the vines: 17 years
Blend: 100% sauvignon Blanc
Wine making:
Harvest mid September with all the aromatic characteristics present. Tasting of the ripe grape directly off the vine. Maceration with skins present for an average 12 hours for 2/3 of the pressing. We use a pneumatic wine press. Temperature control at a constant 18° centigrade with in temperature controlled stainless steel vats. Wine left to mature without filtration until April.
Color: pale yellow with green hints
The nose: very characteristic of its variety (the Sauvignon), flowery, delicate
On the palate: fruity, dry, supple and silky
Domaine de la Janasse
Domaine de la Janasse has quickly become one of the Superstar estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Led by the dynamic Christophe Sabon, the estate combines the best of both traditional and modern techniques to craft a collection of truly riveting wines from "simple" value-priced VDP's to benchmark Chateauneufs. The estate was founded in 1976 by Aime Sabon, Christophe's father, who still oversees the vineyards and farms organically. The property consists of 40 Hectares, spread over as many as 70 different parcels throughout the appellation.While Aime works in the vineyards, his son, Christophe Sabon, is in charge of wine production. Christophe is a self-proclaimed "great defender of Grenache," which still represents 75% of their vines. He manages the common rusticity of Grenache-based wines through meticulous work in the vineyards and cellar. The result is a wide range of lavishly ripe, extracted Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Cotes-du-Rhones that are complex and yet balanced with acidity — often in contradiction to an appellation better known for sheer exuberance and power. As Robert Parker points out: "The young and talented Christophe Sabon continues to display the sure-handed touch of a veteran winemaker
2006 Janasse Terre de Bussiere $$17.95
France, Vin de PaysThe 2006 Vin de Pays Terre de Bussiere is a blend of 50% Merlot and the rest varying percentages of Syrah, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine possesses dark ruby/purple color and chunky, somewhat monolithic, solidly constructed flavors with moderate tannin and good fruit and depth. It is not complex, but it is solid and mouth filling. For casual drinking, this is an inexpensive choice.
Wine Advocate 88 Points: "The 2006 Vin de Pays Terre de Bussiere exhibits plenty of tannin and earth, along with abundant fruit, medium body, and good spice."
2006 Janasse Cotes du Rhone Villages Terre d'Argile $29.95
France, RhoneOne of the more brilliant inexpensive wines of the southern Rhone is Janasse's 2006 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Terre d'Argile, which essentially means "clay soils." A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, the wine is deep, medium to full-bodied, showing peppery, smoky, earthy notes intermixed with plenty of black cherry and raspberry fruit notes as well as hints of chocolate and spice. The wine should drink well for 5-7 years if not longer.
Wine Advocate 90 Points: "The outstanding, deep plum/ruby-tinged 2006 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Terre d'Argile reveals beautiful aromas of crushed rocks, blue and black fruits, roasted meats, and abundant spice, pepper, and earth. It should drink well for 5-6 years."
