Tasting Note: 2006 Les Vins de Vienne Côtes du Rhône Les Laurelles

The Story: Tired of eating meat and turkey for the last week, I decided to cook seared scallops with chorizo and lemon juice last night. I had a Gruner Veltliner and a Riesling on hand that probably would have paired decently with the dish, but I thought that a nice buttery Chardonnay would pair best. I had also been meaning to try out a new wine shop near me, Cellar 72, which is supposedly run by former sommeliers at several NYC restaurants (Per Se, Marseille, and Nice Matin). With those two thoughts in mind, I headed to Cellar 72 to pick out white wine that would go with my scallops and chorizo.

Although I my assumption was that a full-bodied Chardonnay would pair nicely with my dinner, I knew that a former sommelier would probably have more knowledge about pairings than this newbie, so I told him what I was cooking and let him take the reins. I patted myself on the back when the sales clerk suggested Chardonnay. The sales clerk gave me two options: a "smoky" California Chardonnay or a white Cotes Du Rhone, that, while not a Chardonnay, had Chardonnay-like characteristics that would pair well with the scallop dish. I have had many smoky California Chardonnays, so for the sake of being adventurous, I selected the 2006 Les Vins de Vienne Côtes du Rhône Les Laurelles, which just under $18. The clerk mentioned that this wine was one of his favorites, so I assumed that I picked well.

The Region: This wine is a Cotes du Rhone from Southern Rhone. Les Vins de Vienne on Google Maps

The Grape: This is a white blend. The back of the bottle tells me that it is composed of 50% Marsanne grapes and 50% Viognier grapes and that the wine has been aged for 10 months in tanks.

The Look: Medium-dark amber.

The Aroma: Apples predominated. I also smelled hints of lemon and fresh-cut grass.

The Swish: I am often disappointed with my first taste whenever I taste a wine. I do not know why this is; the only possible explanation I can think of is that I am thrown off when a wine does not taste as I assumed it would. Rather than becoming more interested in a wine that tastes different from expectations, I tend to be disappointed at first. This wine is no exception. Even though I was well aware that this wine was not Chardonnay, I expected it to taste like a Chardonnay. Instead, I was thrown for a loop when I noticed strong flavors of lychee-- it reminded me of a Gewurztraminer. I have tasted Gewurztraminer only once before, but I did not care for it, so I was disappointed with this wine at first.

As is usually the case with wines that I have high hopes for but disappoint me with the first taste, this wine proved itself after a few more tastes. The lychee transformed itself to pear. I was able to identify apples and lemons as well. This was a very interesting wine.

The Verdict: I really enjoyed this wine. I think the best proof of my enjoyment of this wine would be that I sipped two glasses over the course of almost an hour and a half. I did not take a long time to finish it because it was bad, but because it was so good. I tend to quaff most decent wines, but this one I sipped all the way through because it was such an interesting wine. With each sip, I tried to figure this wine out, to notice all of its nuances. I have never tasted anything quite like it. It paired very nicely with my scallop dish, and I would definitely buy it again.

My First Tasting Note: 2006 Bolognani Trentino Nosiola

The Story: Choosing a fairly esoteric Italian white varietal is an odd choice for the first tasting note on a novice's wine blog, but this was the wine that I had on hand that I thought would go best with the dinner I made: pan roasted chicken in a vermouth, shallot, and thyme sauce. I had picked up this wine at Moore Brothers for $18.00 a week ago when I had asked the salesperson for a "full-bodied Pinot Grigio." Normally, I think of Pinot Grigio as watered down plonk, but I had heard that P.G. could be reach great heights as a full-bodied wine and wanted to give it a try. The salesperson picked out a Nosiola rather than a Pinot Grigio, and stupid me did not notice the mistake until I got back to my apartment. Nonetheless, I was very satisfied with the mistake.

Here follows what will be the format of all my tastings, which I hope will evolve as I learn more about wine:

The Region: Trentino Alto Adige, Italy. Looking at a map, I see that this region is in the middle of the northern-most part of Italy. Bolognani on Google Maps

The Look: Very pale yellow. Fairly clear. Similar to a Pinot Grigio. I wonder whether the salesperson not only got the varietal wrong, but also did not hear my request for a full-bodied wine?

The Aroma: Very fresh. Grassy, similar to that of a Sauvignon Blanc, but not quite as strong.

The Swish: I pull the bottle out of the fridge too late, so it is too cold at first. However, I want something to drink with dinner, so I have a glass anyway. In my first swish, while the wine was only slightly above fridge temperature, I notice a very subtle fizz, and not much else due to the wine being too cold. Once the wine warms up a bit, I enjoy it much more. It's definitely fairly full bodied (one point for the salesperson!), but keeps it's fresh taste. I do not notice much more to this wine, but I enjoy it. It really coats my mouth long after I sip... I believe this is what wine experts call a "long finish."

The Verdict: I tend to like full-bodied wines, and I certainly like this one. I will definitely buy it again if I want a full-bodied Italian white.

Post Tasting: As they do with every purchase, Moore Brothers gave me a handy sheet of paper that included tasting notes on the wine and the history of the region where the wine is made. From this sheet, I find out that the word nosiola is derived from the Italian word for walnut, and that the wine has walnut and citrus flavors. I swish around another few sips and still do not notice any walnut. The citrus is slightly apparent to me, but not by much. I guess I have much more wine to drink before I can identify these flavors...