Monday, April 21, 2008

Lower Falls Wine Co.-Saturday Tasting

Over the weekend, while I was out and about, I stopped by the Lower Falls Wine Co. for their regular Saturday afternoon tasting, held from 12pm-4pm. As usual, they had some interesting wines available for tasting.

The first wine was the 2007 Domaine de Triennes Rose ($15). Domaine de Triennes was founded in 1989 by three men, including two owners of famous wineries in Burgundy. This included Jacques Seyss of Domaine Dujac and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. The third man was Michel Macaux, a good friend of the other two men. They sought to buy a vineyard in the Var region of Provence. They eventually bought an existing estate, Domaine du Logis-de-Nans. The estate needed a lot of work but the three men saw great potential in the land. They renamed the estate Domaine de Triennes, after the "triennia," festivities in the honor of Bacchus that took place every three years in ancient Rome.

The Rose is a blend of Cinsault, Syrah, and Merlot. As there is a high demand for their Rose, they have had to purcahse grapes from other vineyards to make the Rose. The Rose is a very pale pink in color. It also has an incredible nose of lush fruit, strawberry and even watermelon. On the palate, the vibrant fruit tantalizes your mouth. It has a touch of sweetness but it is far from overly sweet. It has the elegance of an Old World Rose but with a bit more vibrant fruit. A chilled glass of this Rose would be perfect on a summer day. An excellent Rose and I made sure to buy some.

The next wine was a 2006 Argillae Grechetto ($18). "Argilla" is the Italian word for clay. Azienda Agricola Argillae is located on the hills between Allerona and Ficulle, northwest of Orvieto, in the Umbria region of Italy. The grape is Grechetto, an indigenous Italian grape that I don't think I had ever tasted before. Though it is used more as a blending grape so I may have had some and not knew it.

The wine was a pale yellow in color with a bit of a floral and herbal nose. On the palate, the floral notes remained but there were also some mild fruit flavors. It also had some mineral notes and it was crisp. It was a different type of white wine, not one of the usual suspects. It did not overwhelm me but I appreciated the fact that it had its own unique character. If you enjoy white wines, I definitely suggest you give it a taste.

Next was the 2006 Schweiger Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc ($22). Their vineyards are located on Spring Mountain in California. The grapes for this wine though come from the Uboldi Vineyards in Kenwood, California. It is barrel fermented in three to seven year old French oak and does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Only 900 cases of this wine were made. I am not a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc so I was not surprised that this wine did not thrill me. I got a strong grapefruit taste from the wine. It was crisp and clean but just not my preference.

The 2006 Cantine Colosi Nero d'Avola ($16) from Sicily was more to my liking. This wine had a moderate red color and a nice nose of cherry. On the palate, there were pronounced bright cherry flavors with some raspberry as well. There were also hints of vanilla and a touch of spice. A smooth, easy-drinking wine that would go great with Italian food. Enough complexity in the wine to make this a value wine.

The 2005 Chateau Virgile Cuvee L'Eneide is from the Costieres de Nimes AOC in France. This is a Rhone wine with an alcohol content of 13.5%. I very much enjoyed this wine. It was a more subtle wine, with subdued fruit and spice. It had a moderately long spicy finish with a touch of cinnamon. The tannins were a bit bold but drink this wine with food and it would not be an issue. An interesting and complex wine that is another good example of the quality of the Rhone.

And as usual, I could not walk away from Lower Falls without a case of wine. I was able to find a Kamen Cabernet Sauvignon, which I had wanted to try. I was told that the Kamen Cabernets had been big sellers at Lower Falls. I also found some Turtle Creek Pinot Noir, one of my favorite Pinots for $20, and which is also made in Massachusetts. Overall, another fine trip to the Lower Falls Wine Co.

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