French Wine Club, March 12th, 2011

Truth be told, I fell in love in with red wine when I made a trip to Paris. That was 1993 and I've been enjoying red wine ever since. Just not French wine. And judging from the results of last week's Wine Club gathering, I'm not missing much.

So, the theme was French wine and each guest was encouraged to bring a bottle (or two) of a French wine from Burgundy, I think. Amy made a French menu complete with fondue (OK, there was cheese involved), delicious savory crepes (ooh la la!) and for dessert, home made creme brulee with fresh blueberries and whipped cream.

And let me introduce our wines...

1. Louis Jadot 2009 Pouilly Fuisse'
A white burgundy with alcohol content of 13%. Fermented in stainless steel. Comments included: "smells like cake." Not acidic, not heavy, "tastes like a sauvignon blanc" even though it is 100% chardonnay grape. Laura offered "it lacks substance" and "I wouldn't go out of my way." SCORE: 22 points (out of 40 possible points)

2. Chateau L'Hospitalet La Reserve 2008
Truth be told, I bought this because I liked the name and I was interested in buying a white wine from Burgundy. This wine was made of three grapes, grenache, fermentino, and bourboulenc and was aged in French oak for 8 months. Yasheene liked this offering as did Laura. Timm was a definite "no." SCORE: 20 points

3. Chablis Domaine des Malandes 2008
Obviously a white wine, really light colored, somewhat acidic and "green apple sour." Not much depth to this wine, very thin. Alcohol 12.5%. SCORE: 16 points

4. Sancerre La Reine Blanche 2009
$27 at the state store. Yash liked this wine, but Laura dumped it. Someone offered "mushroomy" as a description. Alcohol content 13.5%. SCORE 18 (Laura did not vote).

5. Laforet Pinot Noir
Our first red of the evening. Color is "pretty, but thin." Had a rich smell, with some "tobacco-like smells." Very dry on the palate. Tony really didn't like this wine, neither did Laura. SCORE: 12 points

6. Louis Latour Volnay 2007 Grand Vin De BourgogneThis was "better than the first red." Tony commented "this is much different." Corinne said "I like this." Reminded folks of a "traditional" pinot noir. Alcohol 13.5%. SCORE: 20 points.

7. Chateau D'Or et de Gueules 2007From its label, this looks like a Rhone wine. "Vignobles de la Vallee Du Rhone" Comments included: "a little rough," "very Old World," "it's like drinking sweatsocks, not smelling them." And, "this is what we expect a French wine to be." Hands down winner for the evening's Wine Club with a whopping 27 points! Tony's last comment, "I am not dumping this."