What a meeting! I think we had our largest attendance yet, almost 20 ladies showed up! Plus Dennis outdid himself with our appetizers this time. He made individual Rosemary Bread Puddings and an Artichoke Spinach Crab Dip served with Tortilla Chips. WOW! We were all impressed. After we were finished with our appetizers he served us Chocolate Creme Brulee. Appetizers & Dessert truly fit for a Diva.
Now for the wines we tried. I brought two and several of the ladies brought one to share as well. First up was the Astrale e Terra Arcturus from Napa. It's a Bordeaux-style blend that was a dense ink-purple in color with a mouth-watering aroma of blackberries, blueberries, black currant, chocolate & spice. It is full-bodied, thick & chewy, with mouth-filling viscosity & fruit-forward flavors of berries, currant, cedar & mocha. With good structure & grip, the wine has a finish that balances power & elegance. It received 87 points from Wine Spectator and 91points from Wine Enthusiast.
Next up was a true Bordeaux - Chateau Laroque Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. It showed concentrated scents of black cherries and cassis, followed by admirably pure flavors of black cherries and vanilla. It was supple enough to drink now, but appears to have the stuffing to go another 5–10 years. A long, berry-filled finish caps off this find. This wine received 90points from Wine Enthusiast.
Then Crystal shared her Lockwood Meritage VSR with us. This was another Bordeaux-style blend made up of all of the Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot. This luscious had depth, complexity and elegance.
It was Terri's turn next with Hardy's Oomoo Shiraz. The nose on this Aussie offering was brimming with prunes and mulberries with hints of licorice and sweet spice. The rich mid palate is supported by ripe blackberry fruit flavors, chocolate and soft, fine tannins. I'm a sucker for an Aussie Shiraz and this was no let-down!
She also let us sample Hardy's Oomoo Chardonnay. Now Chardonnay is not my white wine of choice, but Australia has some terrific ones! The nose was brimming with lifted peach and melon aromas with hints of zesty citrus fruit. The ripe full-flavored palate exhibited delicate, fresh stone fruit characters with a well-balanced finish.
We tried Renee's Westside Red Claret and we were all pleased with that blend. It had sweet cherry, pepper, Provencal herb and spice box scents. It was a tasty medium bodied, elegant effort that was enjoyed by all.
I haven't figured out what we'll do next month...so many wines, so little time. Any ideas, Divas?
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