Les Fondettes Sancerre 2006

We really enjoyed this 2006 Les Fondettes Sancerre. We found melon, apricot and floral notes on the nose, and the flavour reflected that. Lots of tart green apple as well and citrus, but more lemon than grapefruit. On the lingering finish, a bit of grassiness comes through. Recommended!

(My apology for the dreadful label photograph! Darn cellphone camera...)

Peter Lehmann Barossa Riesling 2005

This Peter Lehmann Barossa Riesling 2005 and appropriately petroleum (Rieslingy) nose. It was tart, dry and citrusy, with a lingering grapefruite aftertaste. It was an excellent accompaniment to Cambodian Chicken and Rice with Shrimp. We'd buy it again.

Cairnbrae Old River Marlborough Riesling 2004

This 2004 Cairnbrae Old River Marlborough Riesling had lots of petroleum on the nose (in other words, it was very varietal). As it warmed, it opened up with a touch of grapefruit, and maybe even honey. Tart, dry, pleasant.

Vineland Estates Pinot Noir Reserve 2004

This Pinot Noir Reserve from Vineland Estates was garnet in colour, with lots of cherry and other red fruit on the nose. Even though it certainly looked mature, the tannins could still have softened a bit with additional aging. It went very well with light, curryish beef and beans baked in molasses and rum. We'd buy it again.

We're back!

Yes, I know, it's been over half a year since the last Willetts on Wine post, and things were pretty sporadic before that, but, well, life happens.

We realized we've been missing posting our wine remarks on here, not so much because we figure a lot of people are reading them but because the main reason we started this in the first place was so we could easily look back and see what we thought of various wines in the future.

So, without further ado, we begin with the annual meeting of the German Wine Society here in Regina, held at the Travelodge Hotel, and featuring, for the second year in a row, a matching of fine German wines with fine cheeses, this year from the Italian Star Deli. And to simplify things, I'll give my notes in point form:

Martinshof Heroldrebe Rose Trocken 2002

• Lovely pale coppery colour;
• Very dry;
• Diesel on the nose most prominent feature;
• After that, just sort of a generic wine;
• We didn't like it much.

(Heroldrebe, a varietal we hadn't run across before, is a cross between Portugieser and Blaufrankisch, and one of the parents of Dornfelder, with which we're quite familiar.)

Martinshof Riesling Trocken 2000

• Sparkling (which surprised us);
• Diesel nose (which didn't);
• A touch of sugar;
• A touch of fruit;
• Very refreshing.

Matched very successfully with Emmenthal Swiss, made from raw cow's milk, this one aged a minimum of twelve years; nutty, mild, only produced in the Emman valley in Switzerland

Martinshof Muller-Thurgau Halb-Trocken 2003

• Rather bland;
• No nose;
• Well-balanced but not a lot of fruit;
• Very generic.

Kindermanns Pinot Grigio 2003

• Wine is fairly dark;
• Not much nose;
• Still fairly bland;
• Not what we're looking for in a Pinot Grigio.

Served with Santa Lucia Pepato, creamy sheep's milk cheese with whole peppercorns in it--and once again, we thought the Riesling was the better match, cementing what we already knew: Riesling is, without a doubt, one of the most food-friendly of all wines.

Martinshof Kerner 2003 Spatlese

• Nice nose, quite floral;
• Nice balance;
• Sweeter, honeyish.

It was served with Applewood Smoked White Cheddar, and this was the best wine/cheese match of the evening--but just the same, the Riesling still worked well with it, the sparkle in it helping to cut through the cheese's creaminess and honey/smokey flavours (very much like bacon and maple syrup).

Martinshof Scheurebe 2003

• A bit more floral nose;
• Nice balance, tilted perhaps a bit more to acidity than some wines of the evening.

Served with Guinness White Cheddar, and it matched it well enough. The Kerner was also a nice match.

Martinshof Weisserburgunder Auslese 2001

• Nicely balanced;
• Nice touch of sugar;
• Lovely bouquet, a mixture of floral and honey (heavier on the honey).

It was matched with, and went well with, Onion Cheddar.

As always with the German Wine Society, it was a most pleasant evening.

And as for the photo up there...hey, if life hands you a fuzzy cellphone picture, make Impressionistic art!