WTN: 2003 Cascavel "Le Vin", Côtes du Ventoux
I've decided to start posting wine tasting notes as specific posts here on OWF. Why? Why not. Who cares? Probably no one.
But seriously, good tasting notes are rare. That hit home as I read David Schildknecht's tasting notes about German wines in International Wine Cellar (background for an upcoming Mosel article! woo hoo!) I liked his notes so much I read some out loud to Melissa, and they inspired me to improve my own. Some husbands read poetry to their wives; I read her tasting notes. (I told him this, feeling like a groupie as I did so. He was gracious about my exuberance.) Inspiration to improve struck me again at Karen MacNeil's presentation at the symposium, where she challenged us to write compelling tasting notes. 'Cause really. How many people actually read them?
Since OWF has always been a way for me to practice writing, what better place to practice? I get some exercise from my features and Wine Blogging Wednesday, but Melissa and I drink wine more often than that. Ahem.
Some notes on my notes. I don't do scores. Well, that's not quite true. I'll do scores if an editor wants some, but my blog, my rules. I'll try to give background information on the wine when I can, but it probably won't go as deep as one of my articles or a Wine Blogging Wednesday. And I rarely take notes at restaurants or dinner parties. In the absence of categories for posts in Blogger (how hard can it be? yo, Blogger employees, I'll send you a database schema if you want), I'll try and remember to make the titles of the tasting notes WTN: + wine name.
2003 "Le Vin", Côtes du Ventoux, Cascavel — $12
Melissa and I found a bottle of Le Vin, "the wine", in the February shipment from our wine club. It's a collaboration between the Domaines Cascavel and Murmurium, two well-regarded producers in the appellation of Côtes du Ventoux, a sprawling Southern Rhône appellation east of Avignon.
This is a fruity, lightweight wine in nose and mouth. Aromas of jammy berries dominate, but fail to make much of an impression. One can find dusty minerality in the nose as well, and a whiff of vanilla on the medium finish rounds out the delicate berry flavors. It offers a sprightly acidity and modest tannins. It's friendly but frail, pleasant but plain. Twelve dollars seems steep.
We drank it with a pork roast and mushroom gravy that Melissa's mom made for dinner, but this airy wine would be a better partner to pasta with grilled chicken and a lightweight, non-intrusive sauce. The Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant staff suggests Macaroni and Cheese as an accompaniment, but I fear that would overwhelm the light flavors. It would, however, happily accompany you on a picnic.
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