January 20 results. This was the first varietal tasting we’ve done in a while. The idea was to get to know Bordeaux’s #3 red grape a little better, partly because it shows up in a lot of blends and partly because it’s becoming more common as a varietal wine in its own right. Most of these wines were bright and fruity and not especially tannic, and they seemed to go well with crisp vegetable flavors. Terri made a fresh green bean and prosciutto salad that matched well.
     1) “Wright.” 2001 Hahn Estates Cabernet Franc, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County; 86% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 1% Malbec. $10 at Martin Wine Cellar. Average 15; range 13-16. Consistently good scores for one of the cheapest wines of the night. Eliot thought this Bordeaux-style wine smelled like licorice. Kate found peat moss in it. Chip, who had a stuffy nose that night, said this was the first wine he could smell. “If I was a truffle-hunting snout, that’s the truffle I’d want to wallow in,” he said. I was the closest thing to a naysayer; it reminded me of a good but generic California red, and the only thing that distinguished it was a barky layer buried beneath the fruit.
     2) “Fort.” 2001 Vinum Cellars Cabernet Franc, Sierra Foothills. $22 at Wine Seller. Average 13.4; range 8-15. This California wine is made like a classic Chinon -- which is to say, like a 100% Cabernet Franc wines from the Loire Valley. It’d be a good choice for a vegetarian who likes big Cali reds. Intense herbal nose, in addition to a bell peppery note that supposedly is characteristic of the grape. Pam, who showed an affinity for the Loire-style wines we tried, said she wouldn’t have an affair with this one -- but dinner and breakfast might be a possibility. Chip, whose low score was an outlier, found it overly chewy.
     3) “Ness.” 1999 Sakonnet Cabernet Franc Reserve, Southeastern New England. $16 at winery. Average 13.3; range 11-14. Billed as a Bordeaux blend, though I couldn’t track down the exact composition. Flowery; redolent of mulling spices, strawberries and other pitless fruits; and ever so slightly oaky. Wayne thought it worked well with chocolate. Cynthia thought it didn’t feel heavy but tasted much fuller than one might expect. Terri found it a bit thin but still pleasant.
     4) “Ball Park.” 1999 Conn Creek Limited Release Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley. $23 at Dorignac’s. Average 13.1; range 10-15. We tasted -- and loved -- this wine at the “Off the Beaten Path” tasting a year and a half ago, and the wine committee thought it would be fun to taste a subsequent vintage. But come to find out, we ended up re-tasting the same wine. Eliot found it chocolaty, and I thought it smelled like toasted butter. This was the seventh wine of the evening, though, and it didn’t leave much of an impression on anyone else. Possibly because it came right after…
     5) “Incense.” 1999 Stepping Stone Cabernet Franc by Cornerstone, Napa Valley. $15 at Cork & Bottle. Average 11.8; range 9-14. Reminded Pam of an innocuous Aussie Shiraz and Eliot of a Zinfandel. Many of us found it overly alcoholic and medicinal. Terri called it “an assault on my mouth.” Chip thought it tasted like “K&B-wine-flavored mouthwash.”
     6) “Stallone.” 2000 Jean-Yves Billet Domaine des Forges Bourgueil, Loire Valley. $10 at Cork & Bottle. Average 11.7; range 11-13. This one may have suffered as the first wine of the night, as its consistent and conservative scores indicate. Mild nose with a distinct thyme note. Variously described as drinkable, all-purpose and summery. Cynthia said it reminded her of her parents’ table wine, which she would steal as a teenager. Terri found it minerally.
     7) “Oz.” 1998 Domaine Daniel Chauveau Vieilles Vignes Chinon, Loire Valley. $15 at Cork & Bottle. Funny: The low scorer of the evening is the kind of wine that our second-favorite wine is trying to imitate. The nose on this one reminded some of us of honey, perfume, even pink roses and anise, but the pleasant notes evaporated pretty quickly. Kate didn’t like it from the start. She thought it smelled like what you treat leather with.
     Unfortunately, we ran into trouble with the wine that was supposed to be the blockbuster finale – the 1999 Havens “Bourriquot” Napa Valley Red Wine (67% Cabernet Franc and 33% Merlot). Priced at $33, it’s modeled after a Château Cheval-Blanc, which apparently is among Bordeaux’s best-regarded Cab Franc-dominated wines and has the exact same varietal composition. But there was something wrong with the bottle we tried, because the wine smelled like a plastic shower curtain. I traded it in for a new bottle at Martin’s but haven’t yet had the chance to try it.
     The fake names all refer to Franks.

 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 10:58 PM
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Oenophile's guide to the presidential race. According to Mike Steinberger says in this Slate piece, it's all been downhill since Thomas Jefferson. "The last wine aficionado to occupy the Oval Office was Richard Nixon, but he was hardly a credit to the cause. During State Dinners, he would apparently suck down Château Margaux while guests were served far less illustrious domestic wines."
     As for this year's (likely) contest: According to Steinberger, Bush has an iffy record on wine, though he did sign a bill allowing people who buy at wineries to ship home, and his brother-in-law is head of the Wine Institute. Kerry apparently has quite the wine cellar. But his campaign declined to talk about what's in it.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 12:43 PM
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