Burgundy Night by B without Burgundy Wines

This was supposed to be a Burgundy Night with wines provided by Mr. B.

All five wines were properly blinded and we tasted them in two flights, one white, one red.

Knowing B, we knew these would not be typical wines, but we were all positively underwhelmed by the bottles.  The answer came when the foil was torn away.  These turned out to be Vin de Pays d'Oc wines from Joseph Roche, and not Burgundy at all.  This was too much of a joke!

Anyway, we did have a taste of them:

Chardonnay 2007: Medium lemon.  Some citrus on the nose.  Dry with medium flavours.  Not much body.  Short finish.  Your typical 'house white'.

Sauvignon Blanc 2006.  Pale lemon.  Nearly non-existent nose.  Palate was quite vegetal and resembled a white Bordeaux, so I guessed SB.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2007:  Deep ruby with a purple rim.  Typical black fruits on the nose with some wood.  Tannins were there but not too rough.

Merlot 2007:  Plummy nose with some tannin and spiciness in the mouth.

Syrah 2006:  This wine tasted like nothing, and I thought it must be Merlot.  With hind sight, the colour was quite purple and there was some black pepper flavours.  Didn't really care whether I got this right by now!

The only conclusion I could make was while there were some varietal characteristics in the 2007 wines, the 2006s were simply too bland. 

Luckily, some wine legs bought over some unusual and interesting stuff, so there was something drinkable afterall. 

Jerome Prevost La Closerie Les Beguines Champagne Brut Nature:   Quite untypical in that it's made only of the Pinot Meunier grape.  Pretty strong nose of toast.  The body was full, mousse was kind of coarse and quite clumsy overall.  Hint of grapefruit and bitterness towards the end.

Larmandier-Bernier VV de Cramant Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2000:  Tasted their rose last year and was quite disappointed.  Luckily, this one was much better.  Yeasty and citrus on the aromatic nose.  Delicate mousse on the palate.  Nice balance.

Henri Giraud Ay Grand Cru 2006, Coteaux Champenois Blanc:  First time tasting a still white wine from Champagne.  Lovely light golden.  Strong nose of creamy sesame paste, with some toasty oak showing itself with breathing.  Dry with good acidity and nice citrus flavours.  Good body with some prickly sensation on the tongue.  The only thing lacking was the bubbles!

Jermann Red Angel on the Moonlight 2006, Venezia Giulia:  Cherries and strawberries showing at first, which probably came fron the Pinot Noir base of the wine.  Later its Italian pedigree began to appear as earth and farmyard, even meatiness.  No doubt the 10% Merlot played a role.  Watching it evolved was like seeing streaks of crimson clouds gradually floating over a full moon just after sunset. 

The Dom. Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue 2001 was the only wine that fits the theme tonight.  Fresh red cherries on the nose.  Dry with good acidity, medium body and integrated tannins.  Failed to wow me but a decent bottle nevertheless.

After tonight, B still owe us some real Burgundy wines!