Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category
Black is back
Achaïa 2014, Kalavryta, Tetramythos ($16.85, 11885457)
The estate is located in Achaea, on the Gulf of Corinth in the northern Peloponnese. This wine is made using the free-run juice from organically farmed Black of Kalavryta (Μαύρο Καλαβρυτινό) grapes, an indigenous variety once widely grown in the area but now nearly extinct (Tetramythos is reportedly the only remaining producer). Alcoholic fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) and nine months’ maturation are in stainless steel vats. Unusually for a red wine, malolactic fermentation is prevented. Use of sulphur dioxide is kept to a bare minimum. The wine is unfined but coarsely filtered before bottling. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Popped and poured. Subdued nose of sour cherry, black olives, dark spice and an old leather jacket splotched with dried earth. In the mouth, it’s light- to medium-bodied and bone dry. Here the clean fruit tends more to red plum and is infused with slate and iron. Acidity is present but not biting. A fine tannic astringency dries and textures the finish with its black pepper and red meat (iron again) notes. Half the bottle was transferred into an actual half-bottle, recorked and stuck in the fridge. Drunk two days later, the wine showed a tad sweeter, rounder and, if anything, tastier. In other words, a few hours’ carafing might not be a bad idea. A decent match for chicken braised with white wine, rosemary and garlic; the winery’s suggested pairing of fish baked in tomato sauce intrigues. (Buy again? For sure.)
True to type and under $20
Madiran 2011, Odé d’Aydie, Château Aydie/Vignobles Laplace ($17.95, 10675298)
100% Tannat. Manually harvested. The various plots are vinified separately. A pre-fermentation cold soak (10 to 12°C) in wooden tanks lasts three to five days. Maceration and alcoholic fermentation at 25°C with repeated pump-overs last 30 days. Maturated 12 to 15 months in oak tuns and wooden tanks. Reducing sugar: 2.7 g/l. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Maître de Chai.
Appealing nose: blackberry, drying leaves, fresh mushrooms, cedary wood and a hint of vanilla. Dry and, despite the high alcohol, medium-bodied. A mouthful of tannins, saved from overwhelmingness by their sleek ripeness, the cloaking fruit and a ripple of creamy oak. Lingering mineral and wood flavours colour the fairly sustained finish. Approachable now but probably better in a year or two. Needs food (duck confit, cassoulet, grilled duck breast – you get the idea). Great to find such typicité – true-to-typeness, authenticity – for under $20; for an affordable introduction to Madiran wines, you’d be hard pressed to find better at the SAQ. (Buy again? Sure.)
Quality price Orthogneiss
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2013, Expression d’Orthogneiss, Domaine de l’Écu ($22.70, 10919141)
100% Melon de Bourgogne (aka Muscadet) from biodynamically farmed, half-century-old vines grown in a three-hectare vineyard with a thin, gravelly top soil and an orthogneiss subsoil. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are pneumatically pressed and the juice unclarified. Fermented with indigenous yeasts at 15–17ºC (59–63ºF). Matured on the lees for 18 months. The winery uses gravity, not pumps, to move the must and wine. Reducing sugar: 1.2 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Raisonnance.
Subdued nose of stones and apple with whiffs of honey and dried lemon peel. Slightly viscous texture. The subtle fruit – again apple and lemon – is wrapped in minerals, overtoned with honey. Acidity is brisk but unassertive, the finish long and aromatic with long-held notes of paraffin, seawater, bitter herbs and durian. Bone dry yet rich enough that you don’t really notice. Impeccable and age-worthy (up to 10 years from the vintage). Ridiculously high QPR (Muscadet may be France’s most unappreciated white wine). Though Muscadet is the raw oyster wine par excellence, this has the wherewithal to accompany more elaborate, richly sauced dishes. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Noble Nebbiolo
Langhe Nebbiolo 2014, Produttori del Barbaresco ($25.20, 11383617)
Rain and frequently cool temperatures made 2014 a difficult vintage in much of Europe, including Piedmont. Fortunately, the Barbaresco region was drier than nearby areas (receiving only half the rainfall of the Barolo appellation) and enjoyed good ripening conditions in the late summer and early fall. This 100% Nebbiolo is made from young vines, all of which are located within the Barbaresco DOC. Fermented with selected “Barolo” yeasts at 28ºC in stainless steel tanks. Macerated on the skins for 24 days. Matured six months in very large oak barrels. No fining, light filtering, minimal sulphur dioxide. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Young but already beautiful nose: cherry fruit and wood, hints of sweet spice, tar, rose and forest floor. More voluptuous than the 2013 though still medium-bodied. The sweet, ripe fruit is tinged with dark, tarry flavours while wiry tannins and trenchant acidity provide a structure finer and more serious than in most $25 wines. Bitter chocolate and burnt licorice thread through the long, astringent (but not too) finish. Always good, this food-friendly wine excels in 2014 and is worth buying in quantity, as it will only improve with a couple of years’ aging. (Buy again? Automatically.)
Previously on Brett happens:
– Transformer (the 2013 + recipe)
– Baby Barbaresco (the 2012)
– Striking gold at Orange Rouge (the 2012)
– Charcuteries + uve italiane (the 2011)
– We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming (the 2011)
– Tasting with Aldo Vacca
– Nebbiolo and quail (the 2010 + recipe)
– The Schwartza as miracle fruit (the 2009)
Two sweet meads
Hydromel, Cuvée de la Diable, Ferme Apicole Desrochers ($19.95/375 ml, 10291008)
An off-dry mead made near Mont-Laurier in the Upper Laurentians from a selection of organic honey (spring, fall and buckwheat) and aged in oak casks for three years. The raw honey is mixed with water. The resulting honey water is decanted to eliminate impurities and transferred into stainless steel tanks for fermentation at ambient temperature for three to six weeks. Fermentation is stopped naturally by the alcohol and winter cold. The mead is then matured on the lees for six to 12 months before being transferred to oak casks for two and a half to five years’ aging. Selected casks are blended and bottled. Residual sugar: 80 g /l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV. The product is named after the nearby Diable River, la [rivière du] Diable in French (if it were named after the devil, it would be Cuvée du diable).
Complex nose of flowers, caramelized white fruit, honey, dusty beeswax, a touch of vanilla and more than a hint of cheese. Smooth, even buttery texture. Not particularly sweet. Possessed of a certain heft but far from heavy, thanks in no small part to the sustained acidity. Long finish with citrus and nougat notes. (Buy again? Sure.)
Hydromel, Or d’âge, Ferme Apicole Desrochers ($76.75, 12644145)
To make this sweet honey wine, the best barrels of the Cuvée de la Diable are given extended aging (between eight and 18 years) under a flor-like veil in oak casks that are not topped up. Unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: > 60 g/l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV.
Astoundingly complex nose of dried honey, spice (especially cinnamon), dried flowers, aged pine, faint nuts and more. In the mouth, it’s semi-sweet, spicy and ultra-refined, infinitely more layered than the Cuvée de la Diable, with great balance between extract and acidity. The complex flavours are dominated by caramel and dried pear. An intriguing bitter thread emerges on the mid-palate and wends its way through the long, dry finish. Unique, disorienting, fascinating and ultimately convincing. Excellent with blue cheese. (Buy again? Definitely.)
As usual at MWG tastings, the wines were served double-blind and it was interesting to see people’s reactions to this flight unlike any other. Within seconds of taking their first sniff of the Cuvée de la Diable, two of the more critical tasters declared it to be a mead and did so with a frown on their faces. Their initial reaction on tasting the wine was hardly more positive. Other tasters were less vocal, uncertain what to make of it. The grumbling died down as more time was spent with the mead and turned positive, even enthusiastic, as people moved on to the Or d’âge and tasted both meads with cheese. In the end, the consensus was that, while both were impressive, the Or d’âge was exceptional, a world-class if unusual product and the solution to the sticky problem of what made-in-Quebec gift to take when visiting out-of-province wine lovers.
MWG November 12th tasting: flight 6 of 6
Three Triguedinas
Cahors 2010, Clos Triguedina ($28.40, 00746412)
A blend of Malbec (80%), Merlot (15%) and Tannat (5%) from 30-year-old vines. The grapes are manually harvested and sorted. Maceration and fermentation with pump-overs last 15 to 18 days. Matured 18 months in Allier oak casks (one-third new). Reducing sugar: 2.4 g/l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Sélections Fréchette.
Wafting nose of plum, blackberry, spice, cedar, turned earth, leafmould and, eventually, a floral note. In the mouth, it’s on the lighter side of full-bodied. The ripe fruit is structured by fine, silky tannins and bright acidity, overtoned with spice and a hint of game. Finishes long and savoury. Earthy yet refined, modern though not to a fault, above all delicious. (Buy again? Yes.)
Cahors 2009, Probus, Clos Triguedina ($38.75, 12450287)
100% Malbec from vines more than 50 years old (the estate’s oldest parcels). The various lots are vinified separately. The grapes are hand picked and sorted, then destemmed. Maceration and fermentation at 30-32°C last 20 to 25 days. Matured more than 18 months in new Allier oak casks. All the lots are tasted and only the best are blended to make the wine. Reducing sugar: 3.1 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Sélections Fréchette.
Gorgeous, inexhaustible nose with all of the above and more, including an integrating dose of faintly smoky oak. Full-bodied and intensely flavoured yet fresh and beautifully balanced. Layered, structured, long and complete. Accessible now if still young and tight, this will improve with another five to ten years in the cellar. Probus is always a good wine but this 2009 is exceptional. If it were a Médoc, it would cost upwards of $100. (Buy again? Done!)
Cahors 2009, The New Black Wine, Clos Triguedina ($69.00, 10706293)
To explain the origin of this bottling’s name, I can do no better than quote the Cahors entry in Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion: “The ancient town [of Cahors] on the River Lot […] is linked in the public mind with dramatic-sounding ‘black wine’. This was because so much of the wine made in Bordeaux was thin and travelled badly, and the merchants needed something to give strength and body to their exports. Their position at the commanding mouth of the Garonne enabled them to call the tune at Cahors, whose growers they encouraged to produce a thick, dark brew by boiling some of their wine, even fortifying it. This was the famous ‘black wine’, so celebrated, at least in myth, that Crimean winemakers produced a ‘Cahorski’ in tribute.” First produced in the mid-1990s, The New Black Wine is owner-winemaker Jean-Luc Baldès’ homage to the long-lost tradition. 100% Malbec from old vines. The grapes are hand picked and sorted, then laid on trays and gently heated overnight in a prune oven, slightly desiccating the fruit and concentrating the flavours. The wine is macerated and fermented in tanks and matured 18 months in new Allier oak casks. Reducing sugar: 2.4 g/l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Sélections Fréchette.
While the other two wines are a deep magenta in colour, this is indeed much darker, purpler and opaque, though not black. Brooding nose of plum, prune, clean raw beef and a hint of virtual acidity. On the palate, it’s dense, rich and tightly wound, finely but intensely tanninc, possessed of fluent acidity and a velvety texture. The fruit is dark and dense but, somewhat to my surprise, not at all cooked or jammy. At this early point in its long life, it’s a bit monolithic though obviously deep, broad and long. Gets better and better as it breathes, indicating it will benefit greatly from extended cellaring (the winemaker recommends 20 to 30 years). (Buy again? Maybe, but I think I’d rather have two bottles of the splendid Probus instead.)
MWG November 12th tasting: flght 5 of 6
Three lighter reds
Württemburg 2014, Trollinger, Without All, Weingut Knauss ($28.00, private import, NLA)
100% Trollinger from organically farmed though uncertified vines. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. No added anything, whence the “without all.” Unfiltered and unfined. 9.5% ABV. Screwcapped. Quebec agent: Ward & associés.
A bit spritzy and reduced at first, then sour berries, slate and developing clay and animale notes. Light and fluid on the palate. Airframe tannins and bright acidity provide some structure and faint minerals some depth but this is mainly about the pure fruit. Lip-smacking, sweet and sour finish. Light-bodied almost to the point of lacking substance and yet refreshing and ultra-drinkable, this ethereal wine was a hit with several around the table, despite its high price. (Buy again? Gladly.)
Côtes du Forez 2014, La Volcanique, Cave Verdier-Logel ($21.80, private import, 12 bottles/case)
Based in Marcilly-le-Châtel, the certified organic 17-hectare estate grows Gamay and a little Pinot Gris and Viognier. This cuvée is 100% Gamay from old vines rooted in basalt soil. Manually harvested. Macerated 21 days at around 20°C. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Lightly filtered (earth filters) before bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Sappy in the way of a good Beaujolais, though the red berries are a little candied and shot through with some greenness. Supple and tasty. Juicy fruit and sustained acidity play against a schisty backdrop while the tannins turn a little bitey on the sustained finish. Finely balanced yet appealingly rustic. To my surprise, this didn’t create the same sensation that the 2013 did (different contexts?). (Buy again? Yes.)
Quebec 2012, Pinot Noir Réserve, Domaine les Brome ($26.00, 12685879)
100% Pinot Noir according to the winery’s website (SAQ.com says the wine contains 7% Maréchal Foch). Macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Matured 12 months in oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 1.9%. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Univins.
A nose that tasters described as “electrical fire,” “cordite” and simply “weird.” Reactions to the taste were similar, “copper penny” being the one I noted. The not very pinot-ish fruit is brightened by good acidity but deflated by saggy tannins and muddied by extraneous flavours. Odd-tasting finish. I’m hoping ours was an off bottle. (Buy again? Unlikely.)
This flight was built around the Trollinger and the other two wines were chosen in the hope that they might be close to its light body. Neither was. In fact, I’ve encountered only one wine recently that is: Domaine de la Pinte’s 2012 Arbois “Poulsard de l’ami Karl,” which we tasted back in October.
MWG November 12th tasting: flight 4 of 6
Two racy whites
Côtes du Jura 2013, Fleur de Savagnin, Domaine Labet ($41.50, 10783248)
The estate was certified organic in 2012. Technically a 100% Savagnin, this is actually a blend of Savagnin Vert (65%) and Savagnin Jaune (35%) from five parcels planted between 1940 and 1989. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Matured 12 months on the lees in large oak barrels, which were regularly topped up to prevent oxidation. Unfiltered. Reducing sugar: 2.8 g/l. 12.5% ABV per the label, 14% per the SAQ. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Lean nose of quartz, wax, faint honey and lemon. Flavours are similar but also include “tart butter” (quoting another taster) and a hint of fennel. The fruit is vibrant and pure, a state only amplified by the dazzling, mouth-filling acidity and minerality. The effect is not so much tense as energetic, acrobatic even, and it lasts through the long, racy finish. A subsequent bottle paired brilliantly with a selection of fine cheeses. I always enjoy Labet’s Fleur but this is sensational. (Buy again? Yes, despite the $6 price hike from the preceding vintage.)
Côtes du Jura 2013, Chardonnay, Bajocien, Domaine Labet ($42.50, private import, 6 bottles/case, NLA)
100% Chardonnay from organically farmed vines rooted in Bajocien limestone. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured on the lees in barrels. Minimal sulphur dioxide. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Oats and lemon with hints of pear/apple, wool, hay and burned fennel. “Not as clean or precise as wine number 1,” though equally engaging and appealing. Bright acidity turns the fleshy fruit tart while the extract rounds the sharp edges. Complex flavours entwine in a sunny, hazy mid-palate. The finish is as long and minerally as the Fleur’s but also a little softer. It’s rare to encounter a Chardonnay with this much character, especially at this price. Accessible now but so balanced and deep it can age for several years. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG November 12th tasting: flight 3 of 6
Two weighty whites
Soave Classico 2012, La Froscà, Gini ($26.80, 12132107)
Organically farmed Garganega from 57-year-old vines. The manually harvested grapes are soft-pressed and the must is cold-macerated on the skins. Temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation is in a mix of stainless steel and neutral French oak casks. Does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured on the lees for at least eight months, partly in stainless steel tanks, partly in 228-litre “seasoned” oak barrels. Sulphur is added only at bottling. Reducing sugar: 3.4 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Bambara Selection.
Peach, lemon, quince, honey and fresh-cut hay make for a fairly appealing nose. In the mouth, however, it’s a different story. Viscous, extracted, dry, alcoholic and bitter on the finish. The relatively low acidity and lack of prominent minerals mean the wine tastes flat. Very different from the wine sampled a couple of months earlier. Even a Bambara employee who was present didn’t recognize it. Probably an off bottle, then. (Buy again? Based on this bottle, no. Based on the earlier bottle, absolutely. You pays your money and you takes your chances…)
Robola de Céphalonie 2014, Vino di Sasso, Domaine Sclavos ($25.20, 12485877)
First time at the SAQ. 100% Robola from organically farmed, ungrafted old vines grown on the Ionian island of Cephalonia. Vino di sasso means “wine of stone,” a reference to the island’s rocky cliffs and outcrops. The manually harvested grapes are directly pressed. The must is fermented at low temperatures with indigenous yeasts and matured eight months on the lees. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with only a tiny squirt of sulphur dioxide. Reducing sugar: 3.9 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Wafting nose of quartz, seashells, lemon and fresh sweat with faint background herbs. Medium-bodied yet possessed of a certain fruity heft, though by no means an exuberantly fruity wine. A rich vein of minerals runs throughout and lends a salty tang to the long, bitter-edged finish. Tasty enough, especially at table alongside a sea bass, but maybe lacking the last bit of éclat found in the 2013. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG November 12th tasting: flight 2 of 6
Two sparkling rosés
Crémant du Jura 2011, Rosé, Domaine Labet ($26.75, private import, 12 bottles/case, NLA)
A 60-40 blend of organically farmed Pinot Noir and Poulsard from 30- to 40-year-old vines. Macerated on the skins for several days. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured on its fine lees in fûts (42%), vats (32%) and barrels (26%). Allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. A small amount of yeast and sugar was added to the finished wine, which was then bottled and matured. After three years, the bottles were disgorged, given a small dosage and corked. 12.2% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Lovely if understated mix of minerals, red berries (“old cherries” per one taster) and rhubarb with faint honey, old wood and floral overtones. In the mouth, it’s dry, minerally, haunted by fruit and wood, animated by fine bubbles and brilliant acidity. The long, clean finish has hints of toast and – could it be? – tannins. This was shown on trade day at the Salon des vins d’importation privée and restaurateurs were understandably all over it. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
3B Rosé, Método Tradicional, Filipa Pato (c. $25.00, private import, 6 bottles/case, NLA)
A 70-30 blend of Baga and Bical from the Bairrada region (whence the three Bs); the vines average 30 years old and are rooted in sandy and clayey limestone soils. Manually harvested and gently pressed. Allowed to clarify by settling, then cool-fermented (16°C) with indigenous yeasts in 650-litre barrels and stainless steel vats. Sparkled using the traditional method. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Dense though not particularly fruity nose: “cream soda meets barley candy,” terracotta, melon, a hint of strawberry and a whiff of musk. More viscous than the buoyant Labet. Fruitier, too, though not bonbon-ish, thanks in part to the mineral substrate. Mild effervescence and soft acidity may explain the slight lethargy. A touch of peppery bitterness and astringency enlivens the long finish, which is more felt than tasted. Dry at first, the wine seemed to gain sweetness as it warmed and breathed. The member who donated the bottle said the white 3B is even more interesting. (Buy again? Maybe.)
MWG November 12th tasting: flight 1 of 6
Brett happens 