UNCORKED : Sore gums, stained teeth, happy palate
Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Every year about this time, the large number of charity and wine events leave my gums sore, my teeth stained with red wines and my notebook filled. I walk into these occasions for purpose of exploration and with the hope of discovering the next great wine. Here are just a few of my notes on Value and Splurge wines tasted at exceptional functions in our community.
THE VALUES 2006 Cote du Rhone Parallele 45 Rose, France (about $ 15, retail )
This wine, with its refreshing taste and light-bodied texture, paired beautifully with the cheese course at Easter Seals ’ Wine Dine and Donate dinner. It is a pleasure to watch those who love the exploration of wine and food revel in a new discovery. It was a rave with guests.
Rose wines are misunderstood at times and thought of as simple and inexpensive, and, because they’re pink, that they will be sweet. Of course, not all rose wines are sweet, and finer examples are bone dry. A dry rose is between the style of a white and a red wine. The aromas are almost always a fresh enticing strawberry and cherry and the flavors crisp and refreshing with a light zesty acidity.
2006 Martin Codax Albarino, Spain (about $ 13, retail )
The Cystic Fibrosis Wine Opener had many wines that will eventually make the Value and Splurge lists, but when asked which wine to taste... Martin Codax Albarino almost always came to mind for its great value and uniqueness. It is produced and grown in the Rias Baixas region of northwest Spain. The climate in most of Spain can best be described as hot, hotter and unbearable. This Rias Baixas area offers much cooler temperatures than most of Spain and has an abundance of rainfall, all contributing to Albarino’s delicate, lively, aromatic characteristic. For centuries, its following was in the local Spanish market, but since its release to the rest of the world, it is emerging with cult status in limited quantities. Even the best producers make only a few hundred cases of wine a year. But in the last few years, with more international demand, the wines are beginning to arrive in fine wine retail stores.
THE SPLURGE 2005 Ambullneo Big Paw Chardonnay, California (about $ 88, retail ) Ambullneo is a world-class wine from California’s Santa Maria region. A private party lined up nine of the amazing offerings. It was an exceptional evening as the hosts as well as the tasters reveled in anticipation of this year’s wines available in Arkansas. Many of the world’s most respected critics compare them to the great wines of Burgundy. Anyone who has tasted these masterpieces agrees. But, as I have said before, Ambullneo needs no comparison to Old World wines, because the winery continues to offer wines with distinction and elegance. The 2006 Big Paw Chardonnay would be a wonderful addition to any collector’s cellar. Lorri Hambuchen holds a Diploma in Wine and Spirits from London’s Wine and Education Trust and is a member of London’s Institute of Wines and Spirits. Write to her at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P. O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail uncorked@mac. com
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