User Archives: Peter Gentilli

Thursday evening saw the 2^nd in our series of regional 'head-to-head' tastings between Caviste Managing Director Ben Llewelyn and Mark Bedford, Director Private Sales. The evening’s duel was between two of the big guns of the wine producing world: Rioja and the Rhône. Having taken the lead at the previous event Ben, representing Rioja, was feeling confident of another win but alas it was not to be. Mark’s choices, a selection of Northern and Southern Rhônes, wowed and were voted to victory by our guests! The variety of wines was spectacular ranging from the rich, unctuous melon, apricot and stewed apple flavours of Château Beaucastel’s 2005 Rousanne VV in Châteauneuf to the beautifully matured, yet vibrant, earthy 1991 Viña Tondonia from Rioja.

Six wines from each region were paired against each other in the following categories:

Best Modern White: Tierra Fidel Blanco Labastida 2009 (£30.00) vs. Bruyères Crozes Hermitage Aux Bêtises 2009 (£19.95)
Best Traditional White: Viña Gravonia Blanco 2000 (£16.25) vs. Château de Beaucastel Roussanne Vielles Vignes 2005 (£63.95)
Best Everyday red: Domaine de la Graveirette Côtes du Rhône 2009 (11.95) vs. Tierra Crianza Labastida 2007 (£14.95)
Best Single varietal: La Cifras Garnacha 2009 (£17.95) vs. Montez St Joseph Cuve Papy 2009(£25.00)
Best Modern red: Cirsion 2000 (£127.50) vs. La Griffe 2010(£25.00)
Best Traditional red: Viña Tondonia 1991(£49.50) vs. Domaine Villeneuve Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006(£34.50)

The 3rd round will be taking place on Wednesday 23rd May in Overton. Tickets will be £35.00. The regions: New Zealand vs. Washington State & Oregon

Tonight Caviste MD Ben Llewelyn is hosting a Rhône Master class at our Overton shop.

If the table setting is anything to go by it's going to be an illustrative as well as informative evening for all those attending...

Some epic red wines being served too!

Update 03.11.11, by Peter Gentilli (Caviste Overton manager)

Last night saw the 2^nd in the Caviste Master Class series focussing on the wines of the Northern Rhône.  MD Ben Llewelyn led the lucky tasters through a grand tour of famous appellations; Côte Rôtie, Cornas and Condrieu to name but a few. He also wowed the crowd with a hand drawn table sized map (from memory!) of the region which helped bring a sense of geography to the proceedings. The session started with a contrasting pair of whites, the beguiling 2008 Condrieu from Domaine Phillipe Faury in all of its floral beauty followed by a magnificent 18 year old Hermitage by JL Chave from the 1993 vintage which served to show white wines really can age well. Plenty of minerality, green apples and a little candied orange peel.

We then moved onto the grape variety the northern Rhône is really all about – Syrah. 2010 Syrah, Yves Cuilleron from the top of the Côte Rôtie hill was soft juicy, full of dark fruit, smokey bacon and black pepper. Following the river south, next stop was the biodynamic 2009 Crozes Hermitage, Domaine Bruyères -  a great vintage and lovely Crozes. The next 2 wines really showed off the granitic qualities of the area’s soils – 2008 Cornas Granite 60VV, Vincent Paris, so called because the vines are planted on a 60 degree slope and 2005 St Joseph Les Granits, Chapoutier, brimming with sweet leather, black pepper, mocha & dark chocolate and a finish that just went on and on. The penultimate wine of the evening took us back up the river. The 2004 Cote Rotie ‘La Turque’, Guigal from the Cote Brune was stunning, its 46 months in oak had given it plenty of time to develop into a silky, complex, brooding wine drinking beautifully on the evening but with the ability to age for many years to come – fabulous.

The intended final wine of the evening found us staring down at the village of Tain from the hill of Hermitage itself, 2005 Hermitage ‘La Chapelle’, Jaboulet -  one of the most sought after and revered wines of the appellation. Damsons, plums, leather, five spice, and a clean minerality tantalised the taste buds in a seemingly never ending array of flavours and aromas. Just when we thought it was all over, and purely for comparison’s sake, a 2002 Hermitage ‘Cuvee Emilie’, Remizières managed to sneak its way into the tasting just to prove that you can find excellent Hermitage for less than £100 a bottle. There was no unanimous agreement on the ‘wine of the evening’ which proves that wine is truly a subjective entity. A magnificently informative and entertaining Master Class, roll on the next one!

Caviste Overton last night hosted the first of a series of Masterclasses featuring the wine of the Côte de Nuits.

A range of producers and vintages from the main village communes where presented by Ben  Llewelyn and Mark Bedford to highlight the sheer class and variety available from this wonderful wine region. The wines, listed below, all performed as expected and all who tasted were left with a lasting impression that, if one chooses carefully, burgundy is still the place for the world's finest Pinot.

See Mark's video of Ben introducing the wines.

Among the the 2003 David Duband was showing beautifully, even for this massive vintage. The tannins had resolved and the fruit, although brooding and powerful was nicely rounded and seductive. Virgile Lignier's 2006 Morey 1er Cru Aux Charmes was possibly the most attractive to drink now, proving that even in a difficult vintage like 06, terrific wines (and value) are to be found. Surprise of the night was the 2007 Morey Blanc from Dujac, which was described as ferric, mineral and racy, which it certainly was, but as it opened up over the evening the fruit bloomed and it showed its class-Chablisesque with a touch of the Beaune, and still a long way to go.

Download: Côte de Nuits Masterclass notes and tasting brochure

The next Overton master class is on the Northern Rhone, focussing on the reds, and that means it's going to be a Syrah fest. Please book your tickets early as they are selling fast - buy tickets online here.

We will post the wines on the web site when we have confirmed the line up for the evening.

Please book all events directly with Caviste Overton manager Peter Gentilli by emailing him directly or by calling the shop on 01256 770397.

CAVISTE OVERTON SATURDAY TASTINGS

1^st Saturday of every month

Venue: Overton Shop

Start: 10.30am to 5.30pm

Free of charge

We always have wines open for taste, but on the first Saturday of each month we will be opening a range of 8 to 10 wines to highlight the ever changing range at Caviste, as well as some old favourites. Check our blog, Facebook or Twitter to see what is open to taste each week.

CAVISTE WINTER TASTING

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday 19^th November (Venue and times to be confirmed)

To celebrate the arrival of Christmas we are holding a Caviste tasting of all our favourite wines for Christmas and lots more besides. We are inviting a number of producers to come and pour their wines, and will have lots of offers and exclusives.

£10 per person refundable on a spend of over £100 at the tasting.

TASTING AND TAPAS

Thursday 15^th September

Thursday 20^th October

Thursday 17^th November

Venue: Overton shop

Start: 7.30pm

£15 per person

An informal and fun evening of food and wine matching with plenty of opportunity to discover more about our range or just enjoy the wonderful wines on offer. Please book early!

INTRODUCTION TO WINE AND FOOD MATCHING

Friday 23^rd September

Friday 28^th October

Venue: Overton shop

Start:7.30pm

£25 per person

An evening focused on the art of food and wine matching with Overton Manager Peter Gentilli. This is an opportunity to learn about this wonderful partnership and taste some interesting and quirky wines along the way.

MASTER CLASSES

Wednesday 5th October : An exploration of the Côte de Nuits, Burgundy

Wednesday 2^nd November: A review of The Northern Rhone

Venue: Overton Shop

Start: 7.30pm

£35 per person (12 tickets per session)

Lead by Caviste Managing Director Ben Llewelyn, these master classes will scrutinise a specific area of wine production and explore themes surrounding terroir, viticulture, winemaking and even philosophy!

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Thursday 8^th December

Venue: Overton Shop

Start: 7.30pm

£35 per person (30 tickets available)

Burgundy vs Piedmont
Ever wondered which region produces the best wine (and food?!)? Well, we can’t decide so we thought we would have an evening of tasting and put it to the vote. Ben Llewelyn will be presenting the case for Piedmont, with Mark Bedford pitching for Burgundy, using some of the best examples from each region. This promises to be an epic event so book early!

We are also running a series of events with The Red Lion, Overton:

Tuesday 20^th September: New World vs Old World, the philosophy behind the wine

Tuesday 15^th November: Wines for the Winter

All events start at 8.00pm prompt and are £30 per person. Call the Red Lion direct on 01256 773363 to reserve your place.