Fizz & Fine Reds

(by peter & susie)

Kids in a sweet shop.

That’s what we felt like last night – my word we’re lucky to do the jobs we do.

This was our Fizz & Fine Red Wine tasting, one of our new Seasonal Specials events (the next being Fine Whites & Sweet Delights in the autumn – dates to follow soon…)

It was a sell-out occasion and, with some very fine wines and wonderful banter, a great atmosphere.

The wines we tasted were as follows:

• Roederer Estate Quartet Brut, Anderson Valley, USA, 12% (£21.99, Majestic)
• Coates & Seely Britagne Blanc de Blancs NV, Methode Britannique, 12% (£25.85, www.coatesandseely.com)
• Champagne Dom Pérignon 2003, 12.5% (£125; Selfridge’s, Harrods, Majestic etc)
• Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château Monopole 2002, Domaine du Vicomte Liger-Belair, 13.2% (c.£55, Justerini & Brooks)
• Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) 1995, St-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, 13% (c.£95, Four Walls Wine Co)
• Penfolds Grange 1995, South Australia, 13.5% (£200-220, Nickolls and Perks)
• Montes Folly 2006, Apalta, Chile, 15% (£30.40, www.slurp.co.uk)
• Moscato d’Asti Nivole 2011, Michele Chiarlo, Italy, 5% (£7.49 for 35cl, www.wineman.co.uk)

(You can also download this list as a pdf document by clicking on the following link: Fizz & Fine Red Wine tasting sheet March 2012.)

The headlines were undoubtedly a wonderfully refined, still youthful Grange 1995 (very kindly provided by Paul and Linda Atkins) and an intense, knotty, beguiling Dom Pérignon 2003.

The Quartet and Coates & Seely provided a wonderful opening juxtaposition – the one rich and succulent, the other bracing and vivid.

The Vosne-Romanée was drinking beautifully, all perfume and finesse, a real hit on the night.

The Beauséjour was beautiful mature claret, probably somewhat different in style, though, from the 2009 vintage, which has just received 100 points from Robert Parker, praised as a, ‘massive super-concentrated powerhouse’. This wine was all savoury elegance and subtle charm.

Montes Folly was a lovely contrast to end the reds – big, burly but ravishing – and the Moscato a real high point to end on, light yet uplifting.

A few guests have been kind enough to write to say thank you – one wrote of how the wines were ‘still lingering in my palate’. He went on: ‘Thank you for a memorable evening, being introduced to some magnificent wines in a very pleasant and straightforward way. My children chose right for my birthday present!’

Another wrote: ‘Thank you both very much for a brilliant evening…as usual with you two, a super mix of the serious educational bit and good fun.’ Other comments are as below.

We had a great time too – for which we’d like to thank our brilliant guests, those who helped supply the wines and the Winchester Hotel du Vin team.

FEEDBACK COMMENTS

‘I love your events, which get more enjoyable each time. You and Susie are really smashing hosts, with a way of presenting your specialist subject which makes it mouth-wateringly exciting. And as for the wines, well…last night’s were truly superb.’ (Rose)

‘Many thanks for an excellent evening which was very enjoyable; I very much liked your relaxed approach. I’m not an expert taster but even with my limited knowledge could really appreciate the wonderful wines. I will certainly be looking for other events later in the year.‘ (Simon)

‘I enjoyed the wine tasting very much. Fabulous wines. Look forward to another one.‘ (Rachel)

‘We both thought it was a fantastic evening. Great wines (…) the atmosphere you created was very relaxing and I thought the format worked extremely well.‘ (Nick)

‘Thank you both very much for a brilliant evening…as usual with you two, a super mix of the serious educational bit and good fun.’ (Paul)

‘Thank you for a memorable evening, being introduced to some magnificent wines in a very pleasant and straightforward way. My children chose right for my birthday present!’ (Rafael)