Bordeaux Matchmaking

The following statement was said to me the other night: “You, young lady, have a California palate.”

No, really?

You, loyal reader, know just how much I embrace my California wines, so I would never dream of denying such an astute observation, but I was encouraged to tell this person that I have been enjoying quite a few French wines recently, including the Cornin Mâcon-Chaintré.

I don’t think of it as cheating on my locally fermented options; it’s more like playing the field.

However, “playing the field” is an analogy that can’t really be applied to the wine tasting event I attended last week. Unlike the Rhone Rangers event, where I randomly approached various wineries of my choosing and was free to taste as many wines as I wanted to, at the Bordeaux Matchmaking event at the Clift Hotel on March 27^th, I was provided with a table assignment and drink tickets upon check-in.

Before the event, I filled out a short questionnaire with simple questions about my wine preferences and based on my answers, I was matched up with the four wines poured at Table 7.

My friend Laura and I located our table and were presented with a glass of 2011 Château Reynier, Entre-Deux-Mers, a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillon. It was crisp and refreshing with tropical fruit notes and lively acidity.

Although we were off to a great start, we were dying to know what was being poured at the other tables. Why is it we always want what we can’t have?

As we worked our way around the Velvet Room to the beats of DJ Antiks, it was too dark to see what other wines were available. We got away with tasting the 2009 Château Beaumont Haut-Médoc at Table 6 (shh, don’t tell); it was quite tasty.

We returned to our assigned table where we socialized and conspired to switch tables. We met a guy whose nametag read “Sexy” and he was suave enough to convince the staff at Table 4 to let us taste the 2009 Château Guibeau Saint-Emilion—which was my favorite wine of the night. Rich blackberry and cassis with dry cocoa notes and sweet oak…it was soft but powerful, and one small taste was not enough of this delicious wine.

The last wine we tasted was the 2006 Château De Cruzeau, Pessac-Léognan. This blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc was starting to show some age; the palate was dominated with masculine notes of cedar and tobacco. It wasn’t the fruit-forward style of wine I’m used to drinking, but it was worth trying, and with the right meal—like mushroom risotto or duck breast—it would be incredible.

At that point, I was out of drink tickets. I only tried four wines that night; but three of them I would happily drink again (these are pretty good odds). There are more terrific (and affordable) Bordeaux suggestions at Bordeaux.com, the major sponsor of the event. This was a really fun event, even if it had a different format from what I’m used to. Because going to a wine tasting is all about trying new things, right?