Napa Valley, US
In the absence of President Bob, John took the OECD wine tasting club on a lunchtime journey from Paris to the Napa Valley.
In Doug’s absence, I had the pleasure of hosting the club. Fortunately, we can fit at least 13 people around our dining table.
Here are the wines we tasted with some plagiarised tasting notes
1. Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa 2016. This wine was one of the Californian selections in the famous 1976 “Judgement of Paris” when it was ranked higher than some fancied Burgundian whites. This 7- year- old Chardonnay s drinking very nicely now. Nicely balanced and feels much younger than it is.
2. Black Cordon Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma 2017. This was balanced and well rounded. Enjoyable but maybe a bit too much oak.
3. Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain, Napa 2005. Dark, opaque and brooding; great aromas of dark black fruit, leather, tobacco and mint; a broader version of a Pauillac wine from a good vintage.
4. Blankeit Estate Proprietary Red, Paradise Hills Vineyard, Napa 2011. This wine is a Bordeaux blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Nuanced and intellectual but with enough tannic and alcohol power to still be recognizable as Californian in style.
What better way to finish the day than with a South African sweet white wine!
5. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, 50 cl., South Africa 2016. This dessert wine is made with Muscat de Frontignan. A little history of this wine is in order. The vineyard was established in the Cape at the end of the 17 th century and the wine was world famous in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among its habitues were Frederick the Great, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, George Washington, Napoleon, Queen Victoria, to name but a few. Jane Austen cited it in her novel Sense and Sensibility“ for its healing powers for a “disappointed heart”, as well as a remedy for colicky gout!
This wine is clearly Muscat, with a strong apricot flavour and a nice acidity. Drinkable now but should last forever!!