Wine Tasting at Domaine LA

Domaine LA has kicked off Sunday wine tastings complete with food trucks. The Ludo Truck showed up the first week. I wasn’t able to attend but check out F for Food’s post. I did go this past Sunday and for $15, you get to taste 8 different wines. Although this one included a 9th. Bonus wine!

The Lardon truck was the featured truck. I had tried Lardon the day before and just come from my Sweet Potato Fries crawl so I didn’t feel hungry.

Fortunately, I was thirsty.

I first heard about Domaine LA because owner Jill often does pairings for Ludobites. I’ve gone in a few times to buy bottles of wine and Jill always manages to find the perfect bottle or two for me.

Then at the Wolvesmouth dinner I attended where she was also a guest, she mentioned these fun wine tastings she was putting together. I have to say fun is an apt description. I have long admired how the store is arranged with the large purple light fixtures and the chalk board border.

White wines:

• Domaine de la Pepiere, Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, 2009 (Melon de Bourgogne is the grape, appellation is Muscadet-Sevre-et-Maine

Jill says people mistake the grape as muscadet but it’s apparently Melon de Bourgogne. It was served from a magnum which was an impressive way to start the tasting.

• Peillot Altesse de Montagnieu Bugey, France, 2009 (Altesse is the grape)
• Alice & Olivier de Moor Bourgogne, Chitry, 2008 (100% Chardonnay, from very close to Chablis)Mayr Nusserhoff Blaterle, Sudtirol Vino de Tavola, 2008

I have to say the whites were all very drinkable and perhaps my palate isn’t as refined as most but they tasted fairly the same to me. Sure, one would be sweeter, one smelled terrific and another could be slightly tart but in general, I think these would have been better paired with food. Hey, maybe I should pop outside for Lardon after all?  We sure had a lot of fun saying Blaterle though. If I had to pick, the Altesse was my fave.
Red wines:

• Thierry Puzelat Le Tel Quel, Loire Valley , 2009
• Cascina Tavijn Ruche di Castagnole, Monferrato, 2009 (Ruche is the grape)Eric Texier Cotes du Rhone Vaison-La-Romaine, 2007 (100% Grenache)

  Arianna Occhipinti SP68, IGT Sicilia, 2009 (blend of Frappato and Nero d’Avola)

  Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorres, Beaujolais L’Ancien, 2009 (100% Gamay)

The tasting was a casual affair. No one seemed to mind if you went back and forth between the wines. I tried to stick to the whites first then reds. The vendor touting one of the reds told the person in front of me he was getting that wine and nothing else from him, forcing him to switch from white to red immediately though he had a few more whites to go. But no one cared. It was in the spirit of learning about wine rather than being a stickler to rules and whatnot.

When I was going through the reds, the Ruche kept calling out to me. It smelled beautifully in the glass. I’ve bought the first red before, the Le Tel Quel with the cute doggie on the label. Jill sold it to me when I mentioned having fried chicken for dinner. The musky earthiness added to the picnic vibe. I have to say I liked all the reds except the beaujolais. I expect beaujolais wine to be perky, like the life of the party. This one seemed like the tired debutante who has kicked off her heels and is struggling to take off her pearls.

The Ludo Truck is back this Sunday for the tasting. Domaine LA will be featuring four wines from Amy Atwood. Pre-sale tickets are available.  It’s only $10 because it’s 10/10/10!

Domaine LA

6801 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280