Wine Tasting

featuring the French imports of…

Robert Kacher Selections

Red Or White Wine Discount Center in Mobile

Wednesday, September 24

3:30-5:30 P.M.

The Red Or White in Mobile will welcome Marie-Edith Olivier, of the Washington, D.C.-based importing house Robert Kacher Selections, to its tasting room. Mademoiselle Olivier will introduce an assortment of French wines from an importer that critic Robert Parker has described as “one of the world’s most influential wine personalities of the last twenty years,” most notably because of “his single-minded obsession with quality.” Featured wines at this tasting will include…

Tariquet Sauvignon, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne ’06. Since 1912 Château du Tariquet has been home to the Grassa family. The family first gained notoriety for Hélène and Pierre Grassa’s Armagnac, which is still produced today. In the 1980’s their children, Maïté and Yves, broke all the rules by producing the estate’s first still wines. This 100% sauvignon blanc displays intense floral notes and great minerality. Its beautiful texture makes it the perfect accompaniment to any fish or seafood dishes.

Benjamin de Vieux Château Gaubert Graves Blanc ’05. The owner/winemaker of this terrific estate, the young Dominique Haverlan, named this special bottling for his son Benjamin, who was born at the Vieux Château Gaubert. The estate and its vineyards are located in the small village of Portets, not far from the banks of the Garonne River. The cuvée Benjamin blanc is composed of equal parts sauvignon blanc and semillon. A portion of the semillon is barrel-fermented in new cask to enhance the wine’s texture, while the wine is made using skin contact prior to fermentation. The result is characterized by tropical aromatics and sumptuous fruit flavors.

Brunel Côtes du Rhône Rouge ’05. The vines for this wine are located in the commune of St-Génies de Comolas in the Gard on a poor sandy soil with lime-clay subsoil. With elegance and finesse in mind, the Grenache grown there produces a low yield. The rest of the fruit comes from Travaillan in the Vaucluse and is grown on a stony soil with lime subsoil, which yields a powerful wine. The Grenache vines are head-pruned, while the Syrah is grown on wires. The yield is 30-35 hectoliters per hectare. This wine consists of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% old-vine cinsault. All fruit is handpicked, followed by a 20- to 30-day maceration period. Pigeage takes place every day during fermentation, which is temperature-controlled at 82°F. The fermentation occurs in tanks, and the bottling is done with no fining and very light filtration. The result displays notes of small red berry fruit, blackcurrant, and cherry, accentuated by a light touch of spice.

Benjamin de Vieux Château Gaubert Graves Rouge ’03. The owner/winemaker of this terrific estate, the young Dominique Haverlan, named this special bottling for his son Benjamin, who was born at the Vieux Château Gaubert. The estate and its vineyards are located in the small village of Portets, not far from the banks of the Garonne River. The cuvée Benjamin rouge consists of 55% merlot and 45% cabernet sauvignon. The fruit is hand-harvested, and only the best grapes make it to the small barrels in which the wine is aged for one year. The result is bottled unfiltered.

Brunel « Les Cailloux » Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge ’05. André Brunel, the renowned producer of Les Cailloux, vinifies this Châteauneuf-du-Pape with fruit he sources from neighboring vineyards owned by three well-known vignerons in the appellation. This bottling is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah, with 75% of the fruit de-stemmed. The Grenache is aged in large cask and tank, while the mourvèdre and Syrah are aged in small 228-liter barrels (once & twice used). The result is a classic example of super-ripe, old-vine Grenache with characteristics of cherries and blackberries, alongside the typical Provençal spice and herb notes. Like all of André’s wines, it is bottled unfiltered. Supple and open in style, the ripe fruit is marked with notes of earth and spice, while the texture offers profound complexity.

The Red Or White Wine Discount Center in Mobile is located at 1801 Old Shell Road. Please call 251-656-0402 for more information.

The wine career of Robert “Bobby” Kacher began when he took a backpack tour of Europe as a college student. While travelling through France, Bobby was captivated by the country’s lifestyle of wine, food, family, and vineyards, a way of life that would eventually become an all-consuming passion for him. Bobby founded Robert Kacher Selections in 1986, with the mission of associating himself with growers and producers who have both the passion and energy to strive to become their country’s most renowned winemakers. During the first two decades of Robert Kacher Selections, Bobby spent almost half of each year in France, criss-crossing from region to region in an effort to select and help develop the finest portfolio of French boutique estate wines of any importer in the US. Through this hands-on approach of working side by side with growers and producers, Bobby was able to ensure the quality and authenticity of every wine in his collection. Bobby still works as a partner with the growers and winemakers in all aspects of viticulture and vinification, constantly pushing them to produce an even higher-quality product. In 2004 Bobby became one of only a handful of U.S. importers to receive the prestigious French honor of Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole. For more information about Robert Kacher Selections, visit www.robertkacherselections.com.