We recently did a tasting at the Wine Maestro in Mooresville, NC. They offer tastings most weeks on Thursdays and Fridays. The tastings are $10 per person for six or seven wines and they’re usually heavier pours. This week’s theme was the Maestro’s picks, consisting of a white, a rosé, two light reds and two heavier reds.
First up was the 2013 Gieson Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, NZ. It started off with a crisp clean nose with hints of floral notes. It was a full body white and had nice acids. It started bright then had a nice mineral mid-palate with citrus yet grassy mid tones and a lingering light finish.
Next was the 2013 Billete Rosé from Provence, France. While this wine was good, the Sauvignon Blanc really overshadowed this one. It started off with a fruity berry nose with hints of balloon (yes, balloon). It was light in flavor and body, almost delicate with a subtle raspberry start. Unfortunately that was the best part as it went dull midway through and then dropped off.
Third on the menu was the 2012 Herenica Altes Garnacha from Terra Alta Spain. At first glance, it had good color and nice depth. It was complex with dark spicy nose, almost warm. It was full of raisin and plum with nice fruit notes. On the mid-palate it turned to leather and showed moderate tannins. The smoky lingering finish was quite pleasant.
Still in the lighter red blends, we moved to the 2010 Lacrimus Rex from the Rioja region in Spain. It was a blend of Garnacha and Graciano. The color was a bit darker and almost had wet tea bag on the nose which developed into heavy cinnamon and cardamom. On first taste, it started with clove and spice, moved to cherry and then dropped off cleanly at the end.
Next we started to drift into the heavier reds with the 2008 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The first thing I noticed was the dark royal purple and violet colors. On the nose was cedar sappy nose with hints of dark fruits. It started with black cherry moving to a light tobacco. There was a nice boxy complexity to it and finished on a light note.
To finish the tasting, we ended with Cline’s 2011 Live Oak Zinfandel from Contra Costa county, in California. The color of this one was dark and rich extending all the way to the edge of the glass. On the nose there were hints of light spice and fruit. It was full of black cherry flavor and had almost a burnt or caramelized fruit. There was tar and tannin on the mid-palate and had a nice, full lingering finish.
