We attended Sommelier Selection, Inc's "100 Wines 2012" event last June. I usually enjoy these events as this allows you to taste A LOT of wines in one sitting and buy them at a discount.
As we just got back from my trip, I was only able to organize these wines during this stormy weekend and took advantage of the "house arrest" situation caused by this year's UPCAT and the Anti-RH Bill rally in EDSA.
During the tasting, I was particularly fascinated with three wines and I'm now trying to recall the experience.
This is an Italian wine from the Marche area (pronounced "Marké"). Distinguished by it's absolute dedication to the "organic" wine philosphy. A Moscato varietal, resulting in a lovely floral, but not perfumy, white wine balanced by light citrus flavors enhanced by some apricot and peach notes. A well-balanced and medium bodied wine that is complex enough to drink alone just to enjoy how it plays around in your mouth ending in a moderate to long finish. It should pair well with well seasoned crustaceans and cream pastas.
This wine is classified as Marche IGT ("Indicazione Geografica Tipica") or a "Typical Regional Wine" of Marche. This is because it wasn't made with Verdicchio or Trebbiano. Personally however, their Moscato worked extremely well.
The next memorable wine for me was the 2006 Domaine du Pech Buzet Le Pech Abusé.
This is a fascinating red wine from the Buzet appellation in South-West France. Buzet wine usually has similar characteristics with Haut-Medoc in the Bordeaux region, but this wine is absolutely far from that.... It is aptly named, La Pech Abusé... "abused peach"? This to me is a lighter bodied, silky vino rosso bursting with red fruit, plus peach notes dancing around your mouth. Mushrooms and minerals can also be discerned with smooth tannins and a decent finish. Quite complex, fascinating and fun to drink. Pairing would probably be perfect for Asian non-spicy meat dishes, in particular Lechon.
The last wine looks very unassuming, thus hiding the powerhouse inside. This is the 2008 Azienda Agricola Il Carpino Merlot Vigna Runc Venezie IGT.
This was one of the favorites of the night. Another "Super Friuli-Venezia" for want of a better term. This is wine which can disprove the bad press that Merlot had received from the movie, "Sideways." At first taste, one will not think it is Merlot. Then later, you find out that there's absolutely no oak fermentation. What you get is a balanced preserved black fruit with herbal notes, but not too grassy. Quite appropriately, this one will be best paired with tomato-based Italian food and some of the lighter meats, such as well-seasoned chicken and pork.
These notes are just preliminary impressions, mind you. I have yet to have them with with a properly paired meal, but I will eventually.
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