Enjoying the Red Wines by the Glass at Georges

A couple of nights ago, we had the distinct pleasure of spending time at Georges, tasting through many of their red wines by-the-glass (they have an extensive list, we’ll have to go back to finish it!). We were joined this time by Bart’s wife, Melissa, as well as one of our blog followers, also named Melissa. It was a party! In fact, we were having such a good time, also thanks to our excellent server Haz, that we forgot to take photos…

So you’ll just have to picture the wine glasses in your head. We did manage to get a photo of the wine list:

As mentioned, we didn’t get through all of these—only about half—but we really enjoyed the half we did try. Let’s get to it.

Starry Night Merlot, Pays d’Oc, France

Guys—yum. This is a Merlot from the south of France, and it drinks real smooth. We picked up notes of dark Bing cherries, black plums, and even some notes of leather. Being French, you also get a little earthiness in this, like eating cherries right off the tree that may be a little dusty. But this is a light, smooth wine that doesn’t have as much earthiness as the Merlots from the Right Bank of Bordeaux. We all really enjoyed drinking this! If we didn’t have more wines to taste, we would have been happy to order more of this one.

Château Blouin, Bordeaux, France

Here’s your Right Bank Bordeaux! As it comes from the Right Bank, you can expect it to be predominantly Merlot, and so this wine is: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. You know what we noticed immediately upon smelling this? The smell of caramel! Or maybe crème brûlée. That comes courtesy of the oak aging this wine has seen, but it definitely doesn’t overpower the wine and most certainly adds to its charms. And with that, also black plums and dark, ripe cherries and leather. This one tastes earthier than the first wine, classic for Bordeaux.

Mission de Picpus, Malbec, Cahors, France

You may be familiar with Malbecs from Argentina, which is by far and away where most Malbecs come from these days. But Malbec first came from around Cahors in France! This is an inky dark wine (called the “black wine of Cahors”) with a strong fruity nose of dark black fruit, like ripe blackberries, as well as sweet tobacco (that amazing smelling tobacco one would put in pipes) and cocoa powder. It doesn’t drink quite as fruity as it smells, which is pretty classic for Malbec. It’s a fun wine to drink. Bart blind tested Katie on this one, and she’s happy to report she got it right.

La Cuadrilla, Red Blend, Santa Barbara, California

What an interesting wine! This is a GSM blend from California, meaning Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. This combo is traditionally from the Southern Rhône Valley in France (think Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape), which is a pretty warm region in France. This version from California also includes the Italian grape, Sangiovese. Look up this wine—profits from this bottle go back to the vineyard workers! And it’s a fun wine—it smells a little like those hard red candies in a tin that your grandma used to have, dusted in white powder. Nostalgia. It also has a floral aspect to it. It tastes like tart candies cherries, with some mineral notes that smell like a wet stone walkway. It’s a delight!

Submission, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

We had to try the Napa Cab, as those are Melissa’s favorite wines. This one smells like vanilla and caramel (again, thanks to the oak it ages in). This also has notes of very ripe black plums, and it also reminded us of a cherry pie or cobbler made with dark, ripe cherries. If you’re a fan of oak-forward California Cabs, this is a good wine for you!

Predator, Zinfandel, Lodi, California

And here’s a classic Zinfandel for you! Zinfandel almost always comes from California, and Lodi is well known for them. This also has those oaky notes of vanilla and caramel, as well as baking spices and very ripe dark plums. It almost tastes sweet, though it’s not a sweet wine, and this is Katie’s giveaway in identifying it as a Zinfandel. Melissa loves the spices in it!

You probably already know this, but Georges is not a place to be missed in Wichita, and their wine list is excellent. Plan your next night out at Georges!