Zeppoli's Wine Dinner 4/29

This was my first wine dinner of the semester, after hearing so many wonderful things about them from my roommates all semester.  Before beginning the wine tasting, several different foods were placed on the counter buffet style. The menu consisted of Mediterranean pasta, fried calamari salad, a variety of cheeses including fresh mozzarella with tomatoes, pasta pinwheels, manicotti, cheese bread and potato skins. I must admit, I was very excited to see potato skins.  
My food!

Caught a picture of the guy running the tasting! before he said no pictures of him...

But the tasting was more about the wine, and its ability to pair with food so...this Zeppoli's Wine dinner focused on all French wines.  There was a mix of wines from all across the country, representing the varying styles that are common to a particular region.


Whites
Chateau Gaillard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc ($11.99) Year N/A (I think he said 2010)-
Zeppoli's Descritpion: Pale yellow with green hints.  Very characteristic of its variety, flowery, delicate.  Fruity, dry, supple and silky.  White from pure Sauvignon grape, this fresh wine exhales perfume of the grape.  This wine's crisp acidity with notes of grapefruit would be delicious with bouillabaissee or cheese, canapes, olives cake or asparagus.
My notes: The nose on this wine was floral and slightly sour.  When tasting the wine it was very dry, I prefer a more sweet flavor.  This wine was very light, but also harsh.  There was a strong alcohol burn upon swallowing the wine.

Chateau Suau 2010 Bordeaux Blanc Sec ($10.99)-
Zeppoli's description:  Fermented in stainless steel tanks, aged on fine lees for three months.  This expressive, refreshing and aromatic wine reveals honeysuckle and white peach aromas.  It has an excellent depth of fruit as well as a long finish with a nice acidity.  delicious as an aperitif or when served with shellfish, seafood and grilled fish.
My notes:  This wine smelled like white peach, and alcohol.  The alcohol smell was harsh and overpowered the nose.  The taste of the wine was very light and subtle.  At first I had a hard time determining what it was exactly.  The wine was very acidic with a hint of fruit flavors.

Prochaine 2009 Chardonnay Vin de Pays d'Oc France ($10.99)-
Zeppoli's description: An unusual and delectable lightly oaked Chardonnay from the Languedoc region of France.  This wine is aged on the lees from a Viognier fermentation with constant stirring (battonages).  These Viognier lees gives the wine distinct, easy to enjoy, flavors of pineapple, mango, and passion fruit.
My notes:  This wine had a slightly oaky nose.  The wine tasted like tropical fruit and was very light and smooth.  It tasted very much like a California chardonnay, even though it was french.  I enjoyed this wine. 

 Me smelling the wine before taking the first sip.

Reds
Manoir Du Carra 2010 Beaujolais noveau ($10.99)-
Zeppoli's description: Just barely three weeks old, this fresh fruity red from the granite hills of Beaujolais comes entirely from Gamay grapes.  Beaujolais Nouveau day is November 19th this year and is a celebration of harvest and a festive event.  This bistro style wine should be consumed in copious quantities in the first full year of its life.
My notes:  This wine was served with a slight chill because it was right in the cusp of being spoiled.  The wine smelled like over ripened bananas.  The taste was harsh and tight, with a strong alcoholic burn.  There was also a slight hint of grape juice to the taste.

Jean-marc burgaud 2010 Beaujolais Villages ($14.99)-
Zeppoli's description:  The Burgaud 2010 Beaujolais-Villages les Vignes de Thulon offers a sappy, exuberant, and ultimately gripping profusion of ripe but tart-edged and prominently seedy blackberry.  A mouthwatering salinity helps to render this simple but pure and intensely-fruited recent bottling irresistible.  Plan to enjoy it over the next could of years.
My notes:  This wine smelled creamy and like dark fruit.  The taste of the wine was of blackberries.  There was no burn upon swallowing this wine and it was very smooth.  I could imagine drinking this wine with steak.  

Georges DuBoeuf 2010 Morgon Descombes Burgundy ($15.99)-
Zeppoli's description:  Shows perfect balance and a sumptuous bouquet of black currant, plum, violets and old-fashioned roses.  Elegantly smooth on the palate, revealing several layers of fresh red berries, especially cherries.  The silky, prolonged finish signals completely ripened fruit.  "Impressively powerful, structured wine that has spice, richness, plenty of firm tannins as well as a punch of sweet lum and red cherry flavors.  There is an edge of acidity that suggest aging potential" 
My notes:  This wine had a floral nose with hints of dark fruit.  When tasting the wine, the first thig that iI noticed were the stongly astringent tannins.  The wine also tasted slightly earthy with berry flavors.  There was also an after taste of pepper.

Charles Thomas 2009 Cotes de Rhone Rouge ($11.99)-
Zeppoli's description: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre.  Clear ruby wine with overtones of red berry fruits.  Round and supple with a smooth aftertaste.  A god all round red wine for meat courses, poultry and light cheeses.  Best drunk now while fresh with a good keeping up to 4 years.
My notes-  This wine smelled like spices.  The wine tasted slightly like berries with a strong tannic feeling in the mouth.  The wine was light to medium bodied with no burn of alcohol.  

Clos de sixte 2004: Lirac ($11.99)-
Zeppoli's description:  88-90 Robert Parker: "The 2004 Lirac Clos de Sixte has a dense ruby/purple color and exhibits a Syrah-like character in its blacker fruit-dominated aromatics and flavors.  With medium to full body, ripe tannin, and good freshness as well as definitive, it should drink well for 6-8 years."  50% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre
My notes-  The nose of this wine was of dark fruit and spices.  The nose was dominated by scents of dark fruits.  The taste of the wine matched this precisely.  This was a light bodied wine. 

Chateau Suau 2009 "Cadillac" Merlot/Cab ($15.99)-
Zeppoli's description:  The wine is made from 45% Merlot, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Grapes are weighted, destemmed then sorted on a table in the cellar.  Fermentation in thermo regulated stainless steel tanks.  Aging from beginning of November, after malolactic fermentation, in 100% French oak barrels (30% new oak) during 12 months.  Fleshy, fruity and ample in mouth, this wine is attractive both with its ripe fruits aromas melted with roasted hints as well as its nice.  Structure and elegant, pleasant finish.
My notes:  This wine smelled creamy and fruity.  The fruit in the nose was closest to blackberries or raspberries.  It was a medium bodied wine, but tasted slightly watery to me.  There may have been hints of fruit in its flavor, but I was not sure.  I did not particularly enjoy this wine.

Chateau Grimard 2010 Bordeaux ($11.99)-
Zeppoli's description:  This right bank Bordeaux estate is located in Lugon, just outside France.  The vineyards are well situated on a south-east slope and the clay/limestone/sandsoils provide an ideal growing environment in which Merlot thrives... (80% merlot/20% Cabernet Franc).  Sourced from vines that are at least 25 years old, the fruit was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks.  Displaying round and ripe Merlot aromas and flavors, the bouquet of red fruit and well-balanced tannins combine on a fresh and supple finish.  A classic Bordeaux, offering a deep red-purple color, a lush bouquet, and ripe plummy-cassis fruit with good structure, showing the promise of the 2000 vintage.
My notes: This wine had a very dark rich color which stood out to me.  The wine smelled first of red fruit then spices.  When tasting the wine it seemed creamy, with hints of earthy and deep cherry flavors.  The wine had a dryinf tannic feeling in the mouth. 

How Americans have affected wine labels in France