American Wine Society Triangle Chapter, American Wine Society
Serving Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC, and Vicinity
www.awstriangle.org
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The highest ranking wine in each tasting is highlighted.

September 2008:  Paso Robles

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Garretson "G Series" White $21 13.6 6
2006 Tablas Creek Cotes du Tablas Blanc $22 14.8 5
2005 Bianchi Cabernet Franc $20 15.6 3
2006 Kunin Zinfandel $24 16.0 2
2004 Tablas Creek Mourvedre $37 15.2 4
2006 Four Vines Peasant $40 17.5 1

June 2008:  Southern France

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Château Jolys Jurancon Sec $12 15.2 5
2006 Château Ollieux Romanis Corbières Blanc $13 14.7 6
2002 Château de Haute-Serre Cahors $17 17.0 2
2003 Château Bouscassé Madiran $18 15.6 4
2004 "La Mère Grand" Le Loup Blanc Minervois $22 17.7 1
2003 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol Revolution $16 15.8 3

May 2008:  Finger Lakes

Wine Price Average Score Rank
NV CLV Chardonnay Casa Larga Vineyards   13.3 8
2006 Riesling Catharine Valley Vineyards   14.8 4
2006 Riesling Cr Franks Wine Cellars $18 15.4 2
2006 Rkatsiteli Dr Franks Wine Cellars   14.8 3
2006 Gewürztraminer Red Newt Cellars   13.9 6
2005 Pinot Noir Leidenfrost Vineyards   13.9 7
NV Oak Reserve FL Meritage Casa Larga Vineyards $20 16.7 1
2006 Reserve Cabernet Franc Catharine Valley Vineyards   14.6 5

The wines without prices above were not available locally to our chapter.

April 2008:  South Africa

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2007 Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc $16 15.3 4
2006 Thokozani Chenin Blanc / Viognier   14.3 7
2007 Springfield Estate Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc   15.7 2
2007 Fairview Pinotage $14 13.7 8
2007 Diemersfontein Pinotage   16.3 1
2004 Hartenberg Shiraz   15.6 3
2003 Diemersfontein Cabernet Sauvignon   15.2 5
2005 Kanonkop Kadette (Melange) $15 15.0 6

The wines without prices above are not currently generally available in the USA.

March 2008:  Virginia (specifically the Monticello AVA near Charlottesville)

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2006 Horton Vineyards Rkatsiteli $14 15.4 1
2006 White Hall Gewürztraminer $15 11.9 6
2006 King Family Vineyard Michael Shaps Viognier $24 13.2 4
2006 Horton Vineyards Pinotage $19 15.2 2
2005 Veritas Cabernet Franc $16 12.0 5
2006 White Hall Petit Verdot $16 14.1 3

February 2008:  Northern Italy

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2004 Giovanni Puiatti Le Zucole Chardonnay DOC $18 12.2 5
2006 Giacomo Vico Langhe Arneis DOC $13 13.7 4
1997 Vascosassetti Brunello di Montalcino $70 17.3 1
2005 Vascosassetti Rosso di Montalcino $13 12.0 6
2002 Corte Majoli Ripasso Valpolicella (Verona) $15 16.0 2
2003 Fonchera Ceretto Barolo $48 15.8 3

January 2008:  Southern Italy

Wine Price Average Score Rank
Fontana Candida Frascati Blend $12 13.9 3
La Cryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco $16 13.0 5
Torre Primitivo del Salento $14 13.8 4
Sedara Nero D'Avola $14 14.2 2
La Cryma Christi Del Vesuvio Rosso $17 14.5 1

Extra wine tasted: Diemersfontein Pinotage from Capetown, South Africa, scored 17.4!

October 2007:  Halloweins & Hayrides (Attendees Supplied the Wines)

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Smoking Loon Syrah $9 16.3 1
2005 Cycles "Gladiator" Cabernet Sauvignon $11 16.3 2
2004 Hope Estates Shiraz "The Ripper" $16 15.3 3
2004 El Coto Rioja Crianza $12 14.5 4
2004 Ca'Marcanda Promis--Tuscany/Gaja $30 13.6 5
2005 Bogle Old Vines Zinfande $12 12.9 6
2005 Pedroncelli Chardonnay $12 12.8 7
2006 Domaine Pral Beuajolais $13 12.6 8
2004 White Lie Early Harvest Chardonnay $6 11.9 9
2005 Robert Mondavi "Vinetta" Meritage $12 11.7 10

September 2007:  Syrah (National AWS Tasting)

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Smoking Loon - California $9 14.6 1
2004 Edna Valley Paragon - Cal Central Coast $17 12.2 6
2005 Marquis Philips - SE Australia $14 14.3 3
2004 E. Guigal - Cotes du Rhone $12 12.6 4
2004 The Wishing Tree - West and South Australia $11 14.6 2
2004 Schild Estate - Barossa (Sparkling) $24 12.3 5

August 2007:  Summer Wines

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2006 Edna Valley Chardonnay $14 12.2 5
2005 Reichstaff von Kesselstatt Piesporter Riesling $18 15.7 1
2005 Lucien Albrect Gewürztraminer Reserve $16 12.9 4
2005 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir $18 12.2 6
2004 Columbia Crest Merlot $9 14.7 3
SKN - Screw Kappa Napa Cabernet Sauvignon $11 15.5 2

June 2007:  Alsace

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Hugel Gentil $14 15.2 1
2003 Trimbach Pinot Blanc $18 12.5 6
2004 Heimberger Gewürztraminer "Reserve Particular" $19 14.0 3
2002 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve $21 14.0 4
2005 Dopff & Irion Riesling $19 15.0 2
2002 Dopff & Irion Riesling "Les Murailles" Vineyard $29 13.3 5

May 2007:  Malbec

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2004 Pigmentum Georges Vigouroux (FR) $9 12.1 6
2006 Terrazas de los Andes (Argentina) $17 14.5 4
2004 Fabre Montmayou (Argentina) $25 13.6 5
2003 Proemio Reserve (Argentina) $35 16.0 3
2004 Steltzner (CA) $33 17.1 1
2002 Catena Vinas Adrianna (Argentina) $35 16.4 2

April 2007:  Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2004 Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reserve (Chile) $16 13.7 5
2004 Graham Beck Gameskeeper's Reserve (S Africa) $17 15.4 3
2003 Gordon Brothers Columbia Valley (WA) $21 15.5 2
2003 Avalon Cabernet Winemaker Select (CA) $18 15.3 4
2004 Chateau Paradis Casseuil (Bordeaux, FR) $18 13.5 6
1997 Beringer Knight's Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (CA) $40 16.5 1

March 2007:  (Red) Zinfandels

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Artezin (Cuvee) $13 14.3 7
2004 Old Vines (Old Vines Cuvee) $15 15.0 6
2001 Eric Ross (Old Fines, RRV) $25 15.8 3
2002 Porter-Bass (RRV) $30 15.7 5
2003 Paradigm (Oakville) $50 15.8 4
2004 Biale (Black Chicken) $40 17.8 2
2004 Turley (Hayne Vineyard) $125-$175 17.9 1

Note:  The first four wines are readily available at wine retailers.  The last three are available directly from the winery, their mailing list, or the secondary market, although the Biale can occasionally be found at the best wine shops.

February 2007:  Oregon Wines

Wine Price Average Score Rank
2005 Bridgeview "Blue Moon" Oregon Riesling $9 14.8 2 (tie)
2005 Adelsheim Pinot Gris Willamette Valley $17 13.8 4
2002 Hamacher Chardonnay Oregon Cuvee Forets Diverses $25 11.2 6
2004 Sokel Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $35 13.2 5
2005 Torii Mor Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $33 14.8 2 (tie)
2004 Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $35 16.3 1

January 2007:  Grenache

Wine Average Score Rank
2005 Campo de Borja (Vina Borgia, SP), $6 13.5 6
2004 Las Rocas Garnacha (SP), $9 13.3 7
2004 Priorat (La Conreria d'Scala Dei, SP), $16 14.2 5
2005 Top Hat Grenache (Linda Domas, AU), $22 14.9 3
2004 Prodigal Grenache (Kilikanoon, AU), $30 15.0 2
2004 The Spainnéach Grenache (Garretson, CA), $30 15.3 1
2004 La Gille Gigondas (Perrin & Fils, FR), $28 14.8 4

Also tasted:  1928 Maury Solera, average score 14.8

October 2006:  Wines of Northwest Italy (The Piedmont)

Wine Average Score Rank
2005 Piccolo Ernesto Gavi di Gavi 12.5 6
2004 Alessandria Dolcetto D’Alba 13.7 5
2003 Icardi “Tabaren” Barbera D’Asti 14.4 2
2003 Lodali Nebbiolo D’Alba 13.9 4
2000 Lodali Barolo 14.4 2
2000 Lodali Barbaresco “7 Brothers Vineyard” 16.6 1

September 2006:  AWS National Sauvignon Blanc Tasting

20 people rated the six wines specified by AWS.  No discussion was allowed!  The chart below indicates the wine, our average score, and our ranking of the separate vote for "liked best" (rank followed by number of best votes).  Since nationally more wines were tasted, those results are listed after our tasted wines, and the national average score (by chapter members) has also been added.

Wine "Best"
Rank
Our
Rank
Our
Average
Nat'l
Average
Nat'l
Rank
Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc, California 3 (4v) 1 14.7 14.4 3
Babich Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2 (5v) 2 13.9 14.3 4
Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley 6 (0v) 5 12.6 13.5 7
Pascal Jolivet, Sancerre 5 (1v) 6 11.6 13.0 8
Casa LaPostelle, Rapel Valley 4 (2v) 4 12.9 13.7 6
Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc, Sonoma County 1 (6v) 3 13.8 15.0 1
Tohu       14.7 2
St Supery       13.8 5
Chateau de Sancerre       13.0 9

NOTE:  Separately, AWS Certified Wine Judges rated the wines.  With no disagreement (i.e., zero standard deviation), they all agreed that the Tohu, an Australian vegetative Sauvignon Blanc, was the clear winner by a full point (at 16.0) over all the other wines, liking the Geyser Peak, Babich, and St Supery as runner-ups (at 14.9 and 15.0).

August 2006:  Loire Valley (France) Wines

Wine Average Score Rank
Chateau de Cleray Muscadet 13.9 2
Langlois Cremant de Loire 12.8 5
Domaine des Aubuisieres Vouvray 14.2 1
Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fume 13.2 4
Chateau de Fesles Rose d'Anjou 13.5 3
Guy Saget Les Tenanceaux Chinon 11.9 6

April 2006:  German Wines

Jerzy Buczak introduced us to German wines, and we sampled six of them, starting with the driest, increasing in sugar content and perceived sweetness.  Here's how they scored (average of 18 evaluations filed).  The scores for the Spätlese and Auslese varied widely, proving Jerzy's point that "you either love 'em or you hate 'em!"

March 2006:  Non-California Pinot Noirs

Mike Crusenberry lead us through a tasting of seven Pinot Noirs, none of which were from California.  He challenged us with an interesting variation of a blind tasting:  the wine bottles were covered, but we were given a list of the wine names and detailed descriptions.  Our task was to match the wine to the description.  We didn't do very well, but we had a great time!

The tasted wines were as follows, served in order of light to heavy:

February 2006:  Rhone Wines

This month Aris Ragouzeos, a wine consultant for The Wine Merchant since 1981, selected wines from the store and his own wine cellar to educate us on the wines of the Rhone region of France.  Aris has been tasting since 1975 and has written wine columns, appeared on TV, and taught wine pairing and wine appreciation courses.  Here are the results of our tasting at the Hunsicker's home with 25 attendees:

Wine Range Mean Rank
1995 Domaine Sainte Anne
(Syrah)
10-16.5 12.7 6
2003 Domaine Entrefaux
(Crozes Hermitage)
12-18 15.4 4
2003 Chateau de Segries
(Cotes du Rhone)
9-18 14.3 5
1995 Domaine Sainte Anne Saint Gervais
(Cotes du Rhone Villages)
13-19 15.9 2
1999 Domaine des Bosquets
(Gigondas)
13-19 15.8 3
2001 Chateau de la Gardine
(Chateauneuf du Pape)
16-20 18.3 1


September 2005:  Pinot Noir

We were privileged to have Doug Parsons, owner of cellarexchange.com, lead us in a Pinot Noir tasting at the Brack's house in September.  Doug travels the west coast to small wineries periodically and really knows his wines and wineries.  He brought us some interesting Pinot Noirs to taste.  Here's what the group thought of them ...

Using the middle of each rating range (e.g. 19 for the 18-20 range), we did a weighted average of the Pinot scores.  In descending order, the results were:
  • Testarossa Sleepy Hollow 17.2 (Excellent)
  • Etude Heirloom 16.7 (Excellent)
  • Etude 15.0 (Excellent)
  • Elkhorn Peak 14.1 (Good)
  • Soter 13.3 (Good)
  • Casa Carneros 12.7 (Good)
  • Selby 10.5 (Commercially Acceptable)


August 2005 Tasting:  Rate the Ratings

The August Triangle (NC) Chapter tasting was hosted by Michael and Denise Whitley.  With a theme of "Rate the Ratings," the objective was to see how our evaluations stacked up against those of critics from major wine publications.  The selection included familiar grape varietals to give participants a reasonable frame of reference for assessment.  Wines tasted were scored as better than (+), about the same (=), or not as good as (-) the critics' results.  All, however, were affirmed by the majority to be within one rating category of what was published.

Wine

Published Rating* Chapter Evaluation Price
'02 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) WS 89 - $18.99
'04 Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc (Sonoma County) WS 91 - $12.97
'03 Acacia Chardonnay (Carneros) WE 90 - $17.49
'03 Acacia Chardonnay (Carneros) WS 88 - $21.99
'01 Castello di Monastero Chianti Classico WE 89 = $15.99
'01 Merryvale Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) WE 91 = $21.99

* WS = Wine Spectator Magazine; WE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine


July 2005 Tasting:  Any White But Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

1st  - '02 Trimbach Gewürtztraminer (Alsace) $16.99
2nd - '03 Kanu Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) $8.99
3rd - NV Zardetto Prosecco $10.49
4th(Tie) - '04 Santa Julia Torrontés (Mendoza) $7.99
4th(Tie) - '04 Bodegas As Laxas Albariño Val do Sosego (Rias Baixas) $14.99
5th - '03 Kotrotsos Moschofilero (Mantinia) $11.99
6th - '04 Principessa Gavia (Gavi) $12.99

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This page was last updated October 26, 2008.  You are visitor since June 2005.