In January, our wine tasting group met with Chris Tanghe, MS at his newly opened Walter's Wine Shop in West Seattle for a brief consultation in best practices to prepare for the CMS Certified Sommelier Exam. Some of this advice was included in his most recent GuildSomm Podcast Episode, where Tanghe transitioned the structure of his tastings from traditional blinds to single-varietal wine paradigms. Under his mentorship, I have designed a 20-weeks Wine/Theory Program for our group to cover the testable CMS Certified varieties in a series of 12-weeks single varietal paradigm tastings, 4-weeks comparative tastings, and 4-weeks traditional, exam-format blind tastings. Tanghe and his wine shop have kindly provided wine selections for purchase as good examples of high-quality, high-typicity producers appropriate for study. This week featured Chardonnay from Cote d'Or and Maconnais, with Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux and Napa Valley. I contributed one bottle of Washington State for comparison, as our group is local to the Cascade wine industry.

Chardonnay

2022 Frantz Chagnoleau Saint-Veran Prelude: Young, fresh and ripe fruited character with sweet apples and citrus. Chalky, marzipan minerality on the nose. Ripe/fresh on the palate with lemon, tangerine, peach, apple. Subtle oak influences, prominent lees and evidence of malo, well integrated. Crisp with an elevated acidity, medium alcohol. tech sheet

2022 Alex Moreau Bourgogne Blanc: Nose of white flowers and cut grass, minimal fruit. Tart citrus and stone fruits of candied lemon and peach. Dominant fresh brew coffee and vanilla flavors from oak influence. Rich on the palate with good weight. Lees, considerable malo with a custard-like texture. Moderate alcohol, medium acid. tech sheet

2021 Pierre Girardin Eclat de Calcaire Bourgogne: Almond flour and nuttiness on the nose. Ripe lime zest citrus with apricots and orange peel. Saline, salt spray, salted butter qualities. Zippy on the palate with a pronounced minerality. Prominent lees but light malo and well integrated. Sharp acid with medium alcohol. tech sheet

2019 Lecheneaut Hautes Cote de Nuits: Carmelized pineapple with a vanilla dessert, french toast quality. Tart and sour orchard fruits, citrus, peach. Creamy and rich texture, lees with heavy new oak influence on the palate. Saline and rocky minerality. Medium-plus alcohol and acidity. tech sheet

Paradigm: Tart/Ripe citrus, orchard and stone fruit. Salty minerality. Confected or pastry notes. Dominant lees, malo, new oak influences. Elevated acidity, medium alcohol.

Cabernet Sauvignon

2010 Chateau d'Armailhac Pauillac: Juicy fruit like fruit snacks, fresh ripe/tart fruit condition. Secondary notes of herbs and a distinct green bell pepper pyrazine quality. Slight smoke and cedar influence. Rich, flavorful palate with long finish. Elevated tannins, leaning high. Medium-plus alcohol, elevated acidity which leaves the mouth salivating. tech sheet

2015 Chateau Leoville Barton Saint Julien: Tart berry and herbs on the nose. Aromas are dominated by new oak influence like vanilla, mocha, even chocolate. Secondary notes of leather, spices, smoke, dried herbs. High tannins, although, this wine I personally took home and enjoyed 20 hours after opening and they have completely resolved. Elevated acidity. tech sheet

2015 Giscours Margaux: Herbs de Provence and berries. Tart red/black fruit condition. Sweet tobacco and intense pyrazine, green stem quality. Slight bramble kind of quality to the wine. High tannin, medium-plus alcohol, elevated acidity. tech sheet

2019 Matthiason: Ripe, fresh and juicy red and black fruits. Fruit-driven wine profile with subtle secondary characteristics. Pyrazines, tomato leaf, green quality. Moderate oak influence with some spice. Tannins are velvety smooth, medium-plus. Medium body with only medium alcohol and medium acidity. tech sheet

2021 Hourglass Blueline Estate: Ripe and fresh fruit qualities with red/blue berries featuring blueberry. Rich and round body with a slightly stewed, baked pie character. New oak influence and full body, elevated alcohol and moderate acid. Well balanced tannins, distinct quality overall. This was a crowd favorite. tech sheet

2021 From the Sky Down Heart of the Hill: Despite the disappointment of Todd Alexander, the person, this inaugural wine was delightful and held-up well against Napa. Ripe black and blue fruits of blackcurrant and blueberry. Luscious texture with well-integrated oak spices and vanilla. Full body with high alcohol and medium acidity. Balanced tannins compared to others within the flight, which was a little surprising given it's youth, Red Mountain fruit, and record hot vintage. tech sheet

Paradigm: Bordeaux – Tart/ripe black and red berries. Pyrazines, green herbs, dried spices, sweet tobacco. Earth and slight smoke qualities. New oak influence of vanilla and baking spice. Rich texture with long finish and prominent, grainy tannins. Medium alcohol with medium-plus acidity. Napa Valley – Fruit-driven ripe black and blue berries. Pyrazines, but otherwise minimal secondary characteristics. New oak influence of vanilla, spice. Full body with velvety, smooth tannins. High alcohol and moderate acidity.