Master Class with James Suckling & RichPairings Tasting
What a fun time we had at home with RichPairings taking the @James.Suckling @MasterClass for Wine Appreciation and Tasting!
We did our homework by watching the first two courses and then took the study guide to our local Total Wine store to find the most comparable wines that were used in the Student Tasting course. (if you don’t have a Total Wine, try your local wine shop or search and order from Wine.Com they frequently have deals and feature James Suckling ratings) We also researched each of the wines to come up with some good pairings to make this a full dining experience! As part of our setup (9 glasses each!) we printed out our Wine Tasting Pairing Planning Guide to take notes on all the wines and pairings we sampled for future do-overs!
Bubbles Comparisons:
Mailly Grand Cru Brut Reserve - Wine Review: The Mailly Grand Cru NV Brut Réserve received a 91 rating, is rich, full with white fruit notes, and is ready to drink. It is considered "Excellent"
Tesoro Della Regina Prosecco - Wine Review: An easy and fresh Prosecco that would wash down with appetizers or light chicken salad. The bright sparkler delivers aromas of citrus, pear and white flower. Consider it “Consistent”
We chose to pair these with olives, brie and fried chicken – yummy! Winner was the champagne and chicken.
Italian/French White Comparisons:
Italian Pinot Grigio - Santa Margherita 2024 - Wine Review: With its straw-yellow hue, clean intense aroma, and bright, well-balanced taste, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is as authentic as it is refreshing.
Alsace Pinot Gris – Anne de K 2021 – Wine Review: Delightful white with medium dryness and light yellow hue. The mouthfeel was floral and slightly buttery lending to complexity.
We chose to pair these with brie and tuna sashimi, which went better with the Alsace than the Pinot Grigio. Winner was the Alsace – extra pours!
Rose – Whispering Angel - Wine Review: Full bodied, beautiful nose with hints of straw. Flavors of strawberry, raspberry with a pleasant tartness. Wonderful wine
We paired this one with the balsamic drizzled goat cheese and aged gouda – perfect!
Oregon/French Pinot Noir Comparisons:
Oregon – Four Graces 2021 - Wine Review: This 89-92 -rated Pinot Noir has a medium body, light tannins, bright acidity, and aromas of blackberries and lavender with raspberry and ginger flavors.
Burgundy – Ropiteau Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023 - Wine Review: This Ropiteau Pinot Noir received an 88 rating, is smooth with spice, plum, and chocolate notes, and is considered "Very Good"
We paired the pinots with super savories of Mousse de Foie de Canard au Porto, hard salamis, and an herbaceous affinois. These were both excellent wines and the pairings were great compliments.
Napa/French Cab Sauv Comparisons:
Napa California - Stags Leap 2022 - Wine Review: This slightly opaque and very dark ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags’ Leap opens with a mild black currant and graphite bouquet with hints of oak, thin mint cookies, and cinnamon. The finish is dry and its flavors, acidity, and its tannins build-up and stick around for a very long time.
Bordeaux – Fronsac Chateau Dalem 2021 - James Suckling 92 -France - Bordeaux - Fronsac - This red is fragrant, spicy red with olives, currants, iron, cloves, violets. Medium-bodied, fine, elegant with sleek tannins. Juicy, precise. Crafted from Merlot & Cabernet Franc
We made a meal out of this pairing, more Foie, a strong taleggio, and venison steak – perfect compliments!
We also added chocolates to the end with our final favorites of Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Highly recommend taking the MasterClass – we had a great time making it a multi-day and hours long experience together. There is also a course by Emily wines, “A Sommelier’s Snob-Free Guide to Wine”, that was fun and informative.