Below are three wines that will be featured by-the-glass at next week’s Braddock’s American Brasserie Tuesday Tasting for only $5 per glass (located at the Renaissance Hotel downtown Pittsburgh). I will review and discuss new wines every Tuesday – all people and opinions are welcome – should be fun!
Gloria Ferrer’s Sonoma Brut NV is a Pinot Noir dominated sparkling wine made in the traditional technique of Champagne makers in Champagne France – méthode champenoise. The tiny bubbles rushing through the light gold colored wine certainly make the sparkler look like a traditional Champagne, but we know it is from Sonoma California, no slouch when it comes to wine-making. The wine is crisp and light but with an undercurrent complexity afforded by the high percentage of Pinot Noir (over 90%) blended with Chardonnay. Through the finish there are initial notes of pear and apple with a hint of creamy strawberry underneath, followed by a mineral and toasty notes at the end. A solid American value in sparkling wines…
Nobilo New Zealand Savignon Blanc 2009 – New Zealand has successfully captured the wine world’s interest with its Sauvignon Blancs, mainly from the Marlborough Region. Nobilo’s 2009 Sauvignon Blanc is a representative of this very popular type: Clear straw yellow color, with a bouquet of lemon and lime, the wine presents a juicy mouthful of crisp lime, tropical fruits and grapefruit flavors followed by a tight, lingering finish. While this SB is fuller and more gripping than many Bordeaux Blanc blends that define many people’s ideas of a SB based white wine, as with many NZ SBs, the wine nearly makes you pucker, but stops just short of being too tart.
The 2008 Navarro Correas Malbec presents itself as a dark purplish wine with slightly floral aromas combining with dark fruit and cherry scents. The Argentine vineyards for this wine are generally above 3,000 ft elevation which is common to Argentine wine makers – and sets the wine apart from the traditional Malbec makers in the Cohors region in southern France. This Malbec is medium bodied and delivers flavors of plum and blackberry with a light tannin structure and notes of herbs and vanilla, finishing with a smoky, savory flavors – overall balance is good.
Jack Brice Wine 