Presidential Wines

The wine lovers held a salute to the President that was first in the taste buds of our countrymen -- Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Jefferson's eclectic tastes in wine were highlighted as we transported our guests back to 1804 to the wines that Mr. Jefferson was serving guests at the White House. Thomas Jefferson played an enormous role in starting viticulture in the US.

I tried to mimic what TJ might have served guests. We started with a Vermont hard apple cider, Woodchuck Draft Cider. At roughly $9 per six pack, many found this sweet and tangy quaff a delicious way to start the evening. Our friends the Brownlee's have family ties to the Charlottesville VA and were good enough to share some wines they had purchased at the Jefferson Vineyard adjacent to Monticello. None of the vines that Thomas Jefferson had planted survived to this day, but it was fun to try the Rose and Chardonnay.

There were two wines that were great values and two wines that were over the top wonderful.

• Chateau Beaulieu Comtes deTaste 2005 Bordeaux Superior ($20 Marty's) This Bordeaux Superior wine has lots of tannin and body. It took a while to open in the glass, but once it did it demonstrated remarkable aromas of black cherries and cassis. I found that it had great texture with enough fruit to offset the astringency of the tannin. It is a blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.
  
• La Botte Dell Abate Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2003 ($13 Colonial) Jefferson not only loved Bordeaux and Burgundy, he also was quite partial to Montepulciano. This 2003 offering was an exceptional value delivering complex earthy tones with an exceptionally long finish. The wine was perfectly balanced.

We don't often serve sweet wines at wine tasting, but we finished our Presidential Wine tasting with two extraordinary dessert wines.

• Haut Charmes Sauternes 2003 ($35 Marty's ) This is rumored to be the second label of Chateau Climens (Ok, it really is a Barsac. So sue me for .5 kilometers). This was an over the top Sauternes with dewy sweetness wrapped around grapefruit notes. It was an extraordinary melding of sweetness and acidity that made me a believer in Sauternes.
• Cossart Gordon 5 year old Malmsey Madeira ($35 Acton Wine & Spirits). have some Madeira, my dear? Too bad Tom Lehrer wasn't offering up this late winter evening beauty. It had a rich texture of toasted raisins and smoke.