Hearing it firsthand

Tasting wine - whether it is at the winery, a wine tasting, or a winemaker dinner held locally - is always the best way to buy wine. You try it, you like it and you buy it - or you try it, think "not so much" and decide not to buy it. The important thing is that you actually have the chance to evaluate the wine for yourself to guide your buying decisions.

While tasting is key, many times your judgment is enhanced or clarified by hearing the story behind the winemaking and the winery. Hearing it firsthand increases your knowledge of what goes into the wine and helps you to understand why you like or don't like certain things.

This past week, we hosted Griffin Frey of Corliss Estates and Tranche Winery. We held a tasting at our shop as well as a winemaker dinner at Fleur de Sel in Post Falls. Laurent and Patricia, co-owners of Fleur de Sel, put on an amazing dinner. The food pairings, as they always are for these events, were spot on. The service was well timed and all of the dishes exquisitely prepared and presented, leaving no doubt as to why FDS remains at the very top of the restaurant list between the Cascades and Montana.

Griffin, who is the primary winemaking talent behind the Tranche wines and also has his hand in the Corliss wines, was articulate in presenting the concept behind the two separate brands. He was able to explain the different approaches to winemaking, the need to truly structure them as separate wineries under one ownership, and how the planting and maturation of their vineyards will ultimately elevate the wines.

I will be the first to admit that when Corliss/Tranche entered the market, I was skeptical. The wines on their inaugural release came in with very big price tags and no track record. Without anyone articulating exactly what Corliss/Tranche was and what they aspired to be, it left me a bit underwhelmed. But not any more.

Tranche is French for "slice." The Tranche piece of the puzzle is the Corliss ode to French winemaking, with many of the wines being their tribute to the Southern Rhone valley and, more specifically, Chateauneuf du Pape. The wines see only neutral oak barrel aging, if any oak at all, many times opting for concrete vat fermentation and aging. Varietal selections are the more well-known names used in Chateauneuf; Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc are contributors moved around based on vintage. Reds include Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault and Counoise. Their "Pink Pape" is a bone dry crisp rose of the same red varietals. Again, varietal composition is changed each year in response to what the vintage has to offer.

The results for Tranche are spectacular. While we found the wines to be delicious, many times sales to those who joined us for the events is a better barometer. Folks clearly loved the wines.

Corliss is a more traditional approach to winemaking in the style of Washington State. The portfolio is based solely on Bordeaux varietals produced in small lots, employing more oak barrel aging and riper fruit. Since I first tried the wines, they have come a long way. We were fortunate to have the winery send four cases of the 2007 Corliss Cabernet to North Idaho for the events. The wine came from their library and has not been available for a year, and likely will not be available again. Some of the oak flavors that were a bit much for me when the wine first released have tamed and integrated, providing a lovely backdrop for rich, vibrant fruit from the epic 2007 vintage. The wine has plenty of structure, alluding to age ability for another 15 years.

Also a testament to how the wine was evaluated by our guests, it was the largest seller, despite being the most expensive bottle in the tasting. That says quite a lot.

The wines clearly spoke for themselves, but without hearing the story firsthand from Griffin, they likely would not be appreciated for what they are, but also not embraced for the value they represent, given the prices. That is why participating in events with the winemaker present is so valuable to the overall wine experience.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene, by Costco. George has worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. He is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com, and get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.