And the wine!

Sorry to keep you waiting on the whole wine thing, but it seemed to pale in comparison to the other events of the last weekend.

Anyway. Last Sunday we had a wine tasting event at Mercado. Kenny bought a $500 bottle of wine, and 10 of us chipped in $50 apiece in exchange for a glass of the expensive stuff, as well as hors'doevres and a sampling of some other, more affordable, wines chosen by Kenny and Yoko-chan.

The big dog was the Vega Sicila Unico, a Spanish red wine. It was really a difficult wine to fully understand. The wine wasn't allowed to breathe before it was poured, so the initial taste was rather raw, with strong tannins and an oakey nose. As it sat in the glass, the flavors began to assert themselves, and the wine grew smoother and richer. It went very well with the roast beef, sturdy enough, but not overwhelming...very nice overall, but I'm not sure if it was $500 nice.

The supporting cast included a Pinot Noir , Vougeout Clos Du Prieure 1998; Chateau Canon 1ere Grand Cru Classe 2001 (St. Emilion); an unremarkable Margaux from Segla, and a couple of whites and german Icewine.
The Pinot Noir was not really spectacular, but respectable. Light body, a nice ruby color, strongish tannins all combine to produce a wine that is rather bland on its own, but when paired with the beef, it became fruity and refreshing. The slight tartness and crispness that is kind of a turnoff at first really acts to cut the oil from the meat and leaves that delightful fresh clean fruity feeling on the palate. Very nice.
Now, I am a strong supporter of St. Emilions. I love them, and the Chateau Canon did not disappoint. The greatest thing about St. Emilions is that they almost "blossom" on the tongue. However, as the wines were not allowed to breathe at all, this characteristic wasn't as noticable as it should have been. That small gripe aside, the Canon presented a full body, smooth and rich feel, and nice spicy taste. When paired with some french cheeses (brie, St Andre Triple Cream) the Canon became almost floral...a truly delightful transformation...while the strong tannins helped to cleanse the palate as well.
The Margeaux was a little dull, the Icewine was SWEET... the other high note from the afternoon was an Argentinian wine, Pascual Toso 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was big and tough, but with a nice porty finish, eminently drinkable. I will actually try to track this one down at the local boozery.

So thats the wine geekery....happy? I was!