Earlier today I stopped by my favorite wine store/classroom, Amanti Vino, for their weekly free tasting. I'm supposedly on a "wine buying break" due to overcrowding in my wine fridge, but after trying Wes' terrific lineup from this week, I couldn't help but leave the store with a few bottles. Guess I'll just have to try to drink something tonight or tomorrow to make space....
The tasting featured an excellent Rose (Mas Champart St Chinian 2009), a fruit forward and juicy red from Campania in Italy (Cantina del Taburno Torlicosco 2007), a classicly light and off-dry Gewurztraminer (unfortunately forgot to note the winery) and my favorite, a spicy, peppery, berry-filled Gamay from Beaujolais. Gamays from Beaujolais tend to be juicy and simple to me - perfectly nice to drink, but nothing to write about. But this Beaujolais was excellent. Lots of fruit, but with enough acid and tannins to be age-worthy. Moreover, it's a wine I'd actually enjoy during the summer because it's not heavy.
And then Wes went on to recommend the Haut Bourg Muscadet Cote de Grand Lieu from 2000. Though I didn't get the chance to try a fresh sample, I trust Wes' tastes and I love Muscadet so I also took home a bottle of this. I'm sure I'll post something on this in the not too distant future.
So, to all my local friends, let me know when you can get together for a meal at a local BYO because I have plenty of wine for us to try.
Until the next sniff, sip, quaff,
Cheers,
Alli M.
p.s. Unlike overcrowding in the California jail system, the overcrowding in my wine fridge does not entail the most famous of my bottles an early release - even if the words "f*** you" were to magically appear in nail polish on the side of the bottle.