On Saturday evening I attended a wine tasting benefit for Wheeling Forward for the upcoming NYC Marathon. Wheeling Forward is a non-profit organization that provides guidance and resources to disabled individuals. The event was held at the Renaissance Hotel 57 at 130 East 57th Street. The event was supposed to be held at the rooftop but the windy conditions forced us to hold the event in the indoor lounge. It was a casual event with several wines being popped open to drink.
It was a varied group of white and red wines and I began the tasting with a glass of Deutz Champagne. Some whites poured included the 2011 Raats Chenin Blanc (South Africa) which had a nose of funky petroleum and over-ripe flowers. the 2009 Auxey Duresser “De Montille” had a stinky nose with crisp acids on the finish. The 2010 Milleseme Samur had a nose of petroleum and dried mushroom while the 2011 Monte Alpha Chardonnay (Chile) was big and ripe with notes of mango and honey
With the reds I started with a couple of PInot Noir. From California, the 2009 Donatella “Middle Ranch” was dark red with notes of cherry cola and leather on the nose with cola spices on the fruit. In a different style was the From New York State, the 2011 Element Pinot Noir (Finger Lakes). It was light red in color with a stinky nose with moderate fruit but with great balance and a long finish. From Italy, the 2009 Latium Valpolicella had a nose of roasted coffee and was concentrated with toasted nuts on the firm and balanced finish. From Bordeaux, the 2004 Chateau Massereau had a beautiful nose of ripe cherries, licorice and Asian spices and was silky and dusty with earth notes on the finish. The 2002 Les Fiefs de Lagrange was black in color with smoky black cherry on the nose and was dusty and velvety but dropped a bit at the end.
SocialVino 