Game 8: Up at the Cottage: Bordeaux

If you can't be in Bordeaux, a good second choice would be to be in Haliburton in September drinking Bordeauxs. What a beautiful setting - providing needed respite after the hangover of the Chardonnay tasting.
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The Chard tasting was fun boys - but the Bordeaux - that was a quality night. What a beautiful tasting boys - if I may say so. Father Kev made it up, so there were six; we had a beautiful beef tenderloin (from Blackstone's), those outstanding Alex Farm cheeses procured by Cabernet Chris - and then there were those Bordeauxs. I have to say that I felt that this was our most impressive line-up ever:

A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc
C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%
D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc
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Before we started into those beautiful bordeauxs though boys, Father Kev had the great idea of having us choose a famous guest.
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Below are the picks that you and your guest made:
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Pinot Paul & John Lennon:

Selected:
1-B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc

2-A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
3-E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
4-F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc.
5-D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
6-C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%
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Stevie Sancerre & Johnny Cash:

Selected:
1-A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
2-B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc
3-C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%
4-F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc
5-D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
6-E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
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Johnny Vinovich & Cleopatra:



Selected:
1-E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
2-B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc
3-F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc
4-C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%
5-D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
6-A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
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Cabernet Chris & Oscar Wilde:


Selected:
1-B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc
2-A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
3-F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc
4-E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
5-C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%
6-D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
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Father Kev & Napoleon (?-You'd think he'd have selected Jesus):
Selected:

1-D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
2-C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%

3-F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc

4-A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
5-E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
6-B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc
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Languedoc Lloyd & Warren Buffet:


Selected:
1-A. Rothschild Reserve Speciale Medoc France 2005 $20 13% alc
2-B. Cru Bourgeois Chateau D' Agassac Haut-Medoc France 2000 $30 13% alc
3-D. Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 California $29 14.2% alc
4-C. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal Pauillac France 1996 $111 12.5%
5-E. Grand Cru Classe Chateau Larcis Ducasse Saint-Emillion Grand-Cru France 2003 $52 13% alc
6-F. Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2001 $80 13.5% alc
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And what do we take from all of the above-apart from Chris coming out of the closet? The $30 bottle of Agassac was the group number one pick while the $20 bottle Rothschild was a close number two. The rest were all pretty evenly matched - and that only points to the quality in this field of reds.
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I think that this was our best tasting yet.
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And it was a nice night too - more dips in the lake - and finishing off the bottles and the great cheese in front of that beautiful outdoor fireplace.
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Thanks Pinot - you done well, you hosted well. Great cottage. This tasting - a road game - was a resounding win for us all. Yes - we use the word "win" - for this is not a mere club - this - is - a wine "league".

Game 7: Up at the Cottage: Chardonnay

Ah yes, to be at a cottage in the sweet month of September. With the leaves just starting to turn and the lakes of Haliburton cool but refreshingly swimmable - what a place to go for a wine tasting. Thank you to the gracious Pinot Paul for hosting.

Here was the line-up for night number one - a tasting of Chardonnays - our second consecutive tasting of that varietal:

A-Franciscan Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley $25 13.5% alc
B- Natura Chardonnay Valle Casablanca 2007 $15.95 Chile (Organic) 14% alc
C-Torlesse Chardonnay Waipara, New Zealand 2006 $11.95 14% alc
D-Muga Rioja Spain 2007 $16 13% alc
E-Balnaves Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005 $37 13% alc
F-Chablis Grand Cru Bougros William Fevre 2006 $66 13% alc
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And here's how the Wine Leaguers voted:
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Pinot Paul:
1-D-Muga Rioja Spain 2007 $16 13% alc
2-A-Franciscan Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley $25 13.5% alc
3-C-Torlesse Chardonnay Waipara, New Zealand 2006 $11.95 14% alc
4-B- Natura Chardonnay Valle Casablanca 2007 $15.95 Chile (Organic) 14% alc
5-E-Balnaves Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005 $37 13% alc
6-F-Chablis Grand Cru Bougros William Fevre 2006 $66 13%
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Stevie Sancere:
1-B- Natura Chardonnay Valle Casablanca 2007 $15.95 Chile (Organic) 14% alc
2-C-Torlesse Chardonnay Waipara, New Zealand 2006 $11.95 14% alc
3-A-Franciscan Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley $25 13.5% alc
4-F-Chablis Grand Cru Bougros William Fevre 2006 $66 13%
5-E-Balnaves Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005 $37 13% alc
6-D-Muga Rioja Spain 2007 $16 13% alc
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Johnny Vinovich:
1-E-Balnaves Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005 $37 13% alc
2-F-Chablis Grand Cru Bougros William Fevre 2006 $66 13%
3-A-Franciscan Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley $25 13.5% alc
4-B- Natura Chardonnay Valle Casablanca 2007 $15.95 Chile (Organic) 14% alc
5-C-Torlesse Chardonnay Waipara, New Zealand 2006 $11.95 14% alc
6-D-Muga Rioja Spain 2007 $16 13% alc
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Cabernet Chris:
1-A-Franciscan Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley $25 13.5% alc
2-C-Torlesse Chardonnay Waipara, New Zealand 2006 $11.95 14% alc
3-B- Natura Chardonnay Valle Casablanca 2007 $15.95 Chile (Organic) 14% alc
4-F-Chablis Grand Cru Bougros William Fevre 2006 $66 13%
5-E-Balnaves Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005 $37 13% alc
6-D-Muga Rioja Spain 2007 $16 13% alc
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Languedoc Lloyd:
1-B- Natura Chardonnay Valle Casablanca 2007 $15.95 Chile (Organic) 14% alc
2-F-Chablis Grand Cru Bougros William Fevre 2006 $66 13%
3-E-Balnaves Coonawarra Chardonnay 2005 $37 13% alc
4-A-Franciscan Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley $25 13.5% alc
5-D-Muga Rioja Spain 2007 $16 13% alc
6-C-Torlesse Chardonnay Waipara, New Zealand 2006 $11.95 14% alc

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The overall results show that the group preferred the Franciscan from Napa at $25 and the Casablanca Organic from Chile at $15.95. No one picked the $66 Chablis at number one, though Lloyd and Johnny had it at number two. Three people had the Muga Rioja at number six - though clearly the Muga was the ringer and definitely not a Chard.
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This tasting was fun, if not raucous. We stayed up late, took numerous dips in the cool lake, sauna-ed and of course drank and talked and laughed.
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And to think - after all that joy - there was another tasting to come - Bordeaux - and another Wine Leaguer to arrive - Father Kev.