Here I am again at work after a trip in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France. A dozen people gathered around the table for a tasting which lasted almost an hour instead of the usual thirty minutes. Second time that I decide to put my tasting sheet to the test and by spending more time with my fellow listeners in explaining how the sheet works I noticed more similitarities in the scoring than for our first trial.

As usual, I rated the first wine by myself which gives me the opportunity to explain each of the different chapters. The Soave Classico comes from the Veneto region in the Northeast of Italy and I love to recommend it with fish because it is one of the crispest available in this country when talking about white wine. This one was a Pieropan Soave Classico 2006. The nose was not very aromatic, mineral with confit lemon and some hints of petroleum. The palate was great with a come back from the minerality, good balance, fresh & crisp with a lot of acidity, some white pepper and rocks. The finish is pleasant with a dusty feel and a great lengh considering that the wine is made of Garganega grapes.

I rated this wine 69/100 which is very good for a white wine because I think that the maximum I will get out of a white will probably be around 80/100.

We stayed in the Veneto for the second wine which was white again. The Pratto 2006, Benaco Bresciano Bianco, Ca' Dei Frati (Lugana/Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc). As it should be, this wine was much bigger than the first one...Here on the nose: oak, some minerality, confit fruits, butter. On the palate: Intense & rich, fig, apricot & apple, very fruity with some tropical hints(pineapple), long finish but a bit sweet. The little acidity was not consistent which made me think of a puzzle with a “not fitting” piece...The wine had ratings variating from 69(my score) to 75.

The last wine was a red from South Africa, situated at a 100km from Cape town, the vineyards enjoy the proximity of montains. Merlot Bain's Kloof 2005, Bergsig Estate, Breede River Valley. I was surprised by the nose because I found it very complex for a wine supposed to be easy drinking. I found aromas of licorice, mocha and black fruits. On the palate, light & elegant with lots of acidity and ripe plums. I didn't like the finish with too much acidity and not enough lengh. The wine was rated between 62 and 71.

Fabrice Bouffant
Head Sommelier