Wines of Aliane Imports

There was a tasting of wines from Aliane Wine at Solano Cellars.

Aliane Wine imports wines from independent, family-owned wineries who are focusing on terroir.

Hure Freres Invitation Brut Champagne NV
Acacia, apple and lime skin. Delicate bubbles.

Domaine Girault Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Loire Valley 2016
Jasmin, grapefruit and grass. Acid was there but soft.

Aliane Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2016
Anise, fresh coffee beans and pound cake.

American version label.
Boobs are not hidden in Europe.

Medium plus acid and medium plus body.


Pithon-Paille Grololo Grolleau Loire Valley 2015
Grolleau Noir is a red grape variety usually used to make rose wine in Loire Valley.
This wine was originally made for consumption for workers during the harvest.
Somebody realized that the wine was too good to be kept among locals, and now it's on the international market with PC label.

Bell pepper, herb, and some funkiness.
Not serious but fun wine.

Marchand-Tawse Pinot Noir Nuit Saint Georges Bourgogne 2014
Complex aromas of cherry, cranberry, nutmeg, fennel seed, coffee and cedar.
Powdery tannin and good acidity.

Blachon Nom de Bleu Syrah Vin de France 2016
Violet, black pepper and bacon.
Soft tannin and easy to drink.

Chateau Dauphine Rondillon Semillon Loupiac Cuvee D'Or 2007
Raisin, ginger and honey.
Sweet but not stickily sweet.

All good wines and affordable.
They were not a kind of wines to hold on to for years, but good quality wines for early consumption.

Grand Cru Classes of St-Emilion tasting

Grand Cru Classes of St-Emilion tasting

Wines of Saint-Emilion are divided into two categories: Saint-Emilion and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. Saint-Emilion Grand Cru wines are classified as Grand Cru Classe and Premier Grand Cru Classe. This classification is reviewed every 10 years or so.

This is a tasting of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe wines.
Soils here (clay and chalk) are more suitable to Merlot or Cabernet Franc than Cabernet Sauvignon.
At this tasting, each winery presented current vintage (2015) and another older vintage.

Clos des Jacobins 2015
80% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Herb and caramelized nut. Smooth texture.

Clos des Jacobins 2011
80% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Lovely aromas of flower and cosmetic. Powdery tannin.

Chateau de Pressac 2015
71% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec, 2% Carmenere

Rose, cherry, dried fruit and coffee.
Fine tannin.

Chateau de Pressac 2013
72% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec, 1% Carmenere
Rose, nut and cherry.
Fresh greenness of pyrazine.

Both vintages were very good.

Chateau Grand Corbin 2015
77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Quince, dried cherry and dried flower.

Chateau Grand Corbin 2012
77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Bell pepper. Some funkiness.
I tasted this with dried fig. Very good together.
JC thought this wine would do good with foie gras.

Chateau Grand-Pontet 2015
88% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon
Fresh fig, dried fruit, plum and coffee.

Chateau Grand-Pontet 2010
70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Dried mushroom and pickled fruit.
Coffee and sweet dried meat.

I liked both vintages.

Chateau La Tour Figeac 2015
70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc
It was youthful, but something about this wine reminded me of matured wine.
Caramel and tobacco. Soft tannin.

Chateau La Tour Figeac 2014
75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc
Light and classic.
Dried flower, currant, fresh plum, plum skin.
Really good with cheese.

Chateau Laroze 2015
62% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
Aromas of concentrated red fruit and pine. Soft texture.
Finish was short.

Chateau Laroze 2012
66% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
Dried and pickled fruit. Coffee and red berries.
Tannin was well integrated.

It was my first time to try so many Saint-Emilion at one occasion.
In my impression, aromas of flowers from Cabernet Franc really stood out, then softness of Merlot.
How these aromas will develop or fade in years. Hope I'll have a chance to find out.

Champagne Tribaut-Schloesser

Champagne Tribaut-Schloesser tasting.
It was at China Live,  casual Chinese restaurant in San Francisco.

Champagne Tribaut-Schloesser is a family-owned winery which makes wine from grapes that they grew or purchased from other growers.
Most of their wines have low dosage (lower level of sweetness is added after disgorgement).

Brut Origine
40% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier
Plum, herb and baked apple.
There was yeastiness like pizza crust.

Blanc de Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay.
Flower, ripe apple and pink grapefruit.
Very friendly and very good.
Kind of wine 9 out of 10 people fall in love with.

Brut Nature
35% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier
Tart green apple, peach and sweet herb.

Brut Rose
40% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier
Freshness of green tea. Plum and raspberry.
Good food wine.

Cuvee Rene
70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
Coffee, Hojicha (roasted green tea), orange skin and almond.

love the closure!

l'Authentique 2008
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Black truffle, herb, black tea and cigar.
Friendly up front then complexity kicks in.
Very good wine. Even after bubbles disappeared, I could still enjoy as a wine.

We had these wines with Chinese food. Pairing was good even with strong spice like allspice.

Delicate bubble. Easy to enjoy and complexity to explore at the same time.
I have a sweet tooth but really enjoy the dryness of their wine.
Very good Champagne. I like bubbly wines overall but didn't have particular favorite. This may be it.

Urakasumi Hiyaoroshi

Urakasumi Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi

This is Junmai, so there is no added alcohol.
Sake is usually pasteurised twice, after fermentation and before bottling.
This sake is pasteurised only once after fermentation. This is called Hiyaoroshi and said to retain more freshness.

Clear,  pale lemon color.
Medium plus intensity, medium dry, medium plus acid, medium umami and medium plus body.
Aromas of caramel, banana, ripe pineapple.
Nector of pink flower on the palate.

We had this with duck liver pate with walnut and a slice of Rakkyo.
The sake went good with duck liver.

Simply Italian Great Wines tasting

Simply Italian Great Wines tasting.
The participants of this tasting seem to change year-to-year.
I heard that there were some known names last year but this year, lesser known wineries are presented.
I like these kind of tastings which would give me a chance for new discoveries.

Below are some of the wines I discovered.

D'Angelo Casa Vinicola is from Basilicata.
Basilicata is in southern Italy, the arch of the boots.
Aglianico grapes are grown on the volcanic soils of this mountainous region.

Sacravite 2015 IGT Bacilicata
Baked black fruit, floral and herb.

Aglianico del Vulture DOC 2014
Sour cherry and fresh fruit.

Aglianico del Volture DOC 2004
Red fruit, flower and leather.
Very good wine.

Caselle Aglianico del Vulture DOC2011
Big wine from old vines.
Black fruit with tender texture.

Ciani Wines from Fruili Venezia Giulia.
Fruili Venezia Giulia is a wine region in northern Italy.
The Alps brings cool air while southern part of the region experiences the warm maritime climate.

Pinot Grigio 2016
Acacia and stone fruit. Refreshing wine with nice aroma.

Chardonnay 2016
White flower, peach and citrus. Use of lees gives texture.

Cabernet Franc 2015
Fruit and bell pepper. Notes of coffee beans from oak.

Azienda Zorzon is from Fruili Venezia Giulia.
This is a family owned winery founded at the beginning of the 19th century.

Friulano 2016
Friulano is a local white grape, originally from France.
Fresh peach and savoriness.

Pinot Grigio 2016
Pronounced aromas of flower and fruit.
Short but good finish.

Merlot 2015
Fresh raspberry and strawberry.

Cabernet Franc 2015
Flower, red fruit and herbs.
Fine tannin. Very good wine.

La Ponca is also from Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Friulano 2016
White flower and herb with soft, round oak.

Ribolla Gialla 2016
Ribolla is a local white variety.
Stone fruit, medicinal herb and nuts.
Subtle bitterness gave good balance.

All of them are worth to try, but not widely distributed.
Hope to see them around more often.

Bourgogne wine class

There was a seminar of Burgundy wine.
Burgundy is, of course, one of the most famous wine regions in the world.
It seems like everything about Burgundy wine had already been told, but this seminar was about a side of Burgundy yet to be discovered.
This event was held at The Barrel Room in San Francisco.

Burgundy is AC in eastern France, with 2000 years of wine making history.
Its climate is continental with moderating effect from west and south.
Many of the best vineyards are located at mid slope which has good drainage and nutrition from top soils.
Majority of grapes grown here are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Wine makers in Burgundy produce rich, complex Chardonnay with techniques such as barrel fermentation, barrel ageing and/or MLF while wines from Chablis are drier, lean Chardonnay with high acid.

Domaine Thevenot-le-Brun & Fils Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes-de Nuits 2014
80% Pinot Blanc, 20% Chardonnay
Vineyards in Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes-de Nuits (regional appellation) are located at a higher altitude.
Fresh fruit of apple, pear and mango. Pink flower and citrus.
Chardonnay adds finesse. Very drinkable.

Domaine Olivier Fichet Macon-Burgy Les Vercheres 2013
100% Chardonnay from small village of Ige.
Pronounced aromas of flower, tropical fruit and stone fruit.
Subtle bitterness of grapefruit.

Domaine Belleville Rully Premier Cru Les Cloux 2014
100% Chardonnay
Incense, dry rocks, and cosmetic aromas.
The savoriness of wine goes good with food.
Restrained wine. I likes this.

Domaine Rene Bouvier Marsannay Le Clos 2014
100% Chardonnay from old vines.
Lots of minerality.
Acid gives freshness but not too sharp.

Burgundy is a home to renown Grand Cru vineyards which produce great Pinot Noir.
Each vineyard has so much depth in its history, philosophy, terroir, vintages...
Unfortunately I don't have chance to try these big names (someday!) but this day's selection showed that lesser known vineyards could also create wines that make you a Burgundy lover.

Domaine de l'Abbaye du Petit Quincy Bourgogne Epineuil Cuvee Juliette 2014
Aromas of pink flower and cherry.

Domaine Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry
Chitry is AC in Auxerrois (south-west of Chablis).
Decayed flower, fruit and green tea. Very smooth texture.

Domaine Laleure-Piot Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de Bully 2014
Complex aromas of sour cherry, wool, moss and Hojicha (roasted Japanese green tea).
Rich texture. Lovely wine.

Domaine Chevalier Pere & Fils Ladoix 2014
Ripe fruit and savoriness.
It wasn't that impressive at first, but became vibrant with food.

Many of the wines we tasted this day were relatively affordable and lesser known, but they express the terroir of Burgundy yet offer versatility.
Vineyards have been passed down in families and their philosophy is that they don't inherit the land. They are borrowing it from children.

When it comes to Burgundy, I tend to look into depth, and it's amazing how deep I can dig like there is no ending, but if I look around, there are still other aspects to be discovered in Burgundy.

By the way, Burgundy has a web site which offers e-learning course from history to grapes of Burgundy and you can test your knowledge with quiz.
Highly recommended!