Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category
Balanced bruisers
Côtes du Rhône 2011, Domaine de Fontbonau ($37.00, 12280134)
Longtime friends Frédéric Engerer (president of Château Latour) and Jérôme Malet (owner of Domaine Sarda-Malet) joined forces in 2008 to acquire the Fontbonau estate, which is located about 15 km northwest of Nyons. The third vintage of this wine is an 80-20 blend of Grenache and Syrah from organically farmed 70- and 30-year-old vines respectively. Vinified on a parcel-by-parcel basis. After manual harvesting and sorting, the grapes are destemmed, cold-macerated and fermented with alternating pump-overs and manual punch-downs. The wine is transferred by gravity to a mix of new (10%) and old barrels and a few 600-litre demi-muids for 12 months’ maturation. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 15% ABV per SAQ.com, 15.5% per the label. Quebec agent: SAQ.
Pleasing, warming nose: plum, sweet spice, whiffs of garrigue, a peppery note and a hint of leather. Rich but not heavy, extracted but not a bomb. Possessed of round tannins, fresh acidity and a certain dark-minerally depth. The long, spicy finish is marked by a fine astringency and vaporous alcohol. A surprisingly well-balanced bruiser that punches above its AOC weight. (Buy again? Not my style but those who appreciate heady Rhône reds needn’t hesitate.)
Opened at a BYOB (so no notes taken), the Côtes du Rhône Villages – Cairanne 2010, L’Ebrescade, Domaine Richaud ($50.00, 12205097) is a 40-30-30 Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blend of organically farmed grapes grown on vines between 20 and 50 years old that’s fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in used barrels and bottled unfiltered and unfined with little or no added sulphur. The estate is represented in Quebec by Rézin. It had an entrancing bouquet of plum, fig, black cherry, fired minerals and violet. In the mouth, it proved a big wine with dense fruit, vigorous if fine-grained tannins, sturdy acidity and a long, heady finish. A monolith, it needs another five years or so to open up, though like the Fontbonau, it will always be a warmer (15% ABV), never a refresher. (Buy again? Not my style but those who appreciate heady Rhône reds needn’t hesitate.)
Grappato?
Finishing off the tail end of a bottle of this impressive pomace brandy, two friends and I brainstormed a collective tasting note. Their contributions are in quotes. This being a new product made in micro-quantities, there’s virtually no mention of it on the Web and no technical information that I’ve been able to find. Even Occhipinti’s website is silent on the subject.
Grappa di Frappato, Arianna Occhipinti ($73.50/500 ml, 12329401)
Distilled from the pomace of organically farmed Frappato grapes. 44% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Crazy complex nose: “Tequila-like” “agave” then fruitiness (dried cherry, “raspberry jam with lots of pectin,” “russet apple”) then spice (anise, caraway) then “old-fashioned black licorice.” After ten minutes in the glass, the fruit evanesces leaving “green” and spice with hints of “pineapple sake,” dried violet and mastic. Mouth-filling and flavourful on first sip. Clean and polished but with a welcome rustic bite. A “green herbal note” brings “oregano” and “bison grass vodka” to mind. There’s some background cherry too. It’s dry and fiery but not harsh – the alcohol’s warm, not burning – and the finish lasts for minutes. “What distinguishes this is that it evolves so much in the glass.” Also, as another imbiber pointed out, while eaux-de-vie like framboise and mirabelle are made from the whole fruit, this is made from the grape pulp, skins, seeds and stems left over from winemaking and yet, in contrast to many grappas, it manages to retain a definite fruitiness. Literally and figuratively breathtaking. (Buy again? “Yes.” “Yes.” Yes.)
Chenin again
While SAQ.com says this will be available shortly, it’s already on the shelves of several Montreal stores.
Saumur 2013, Domaine Guiberteau ($23.45, 12370658)
100% Chenin Blanc from organically farmed, five- to 60-year-old vines grown in the estate’s three main vineyards. Manually harvested. Whole-cluster pressed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in concrete tanks. No additives other than sulphur dioxide. Lightly filtered before bottling. 11.5% or 12% ABV, depending on whom you believe. Quebec agent: Les vins Alain Bélanger.
Whiffs of lemon, white minerals, ham brine, flowery meadow. Buoyant texture: light but very present. Sweet and sour fruit, zingy acidity, strong mineral undertow, the faintest hint of honey in the background and an ample, sustained finish. Clean and tonic if a bit wound-up and austere in the manner of a Savennières, not that there’s anything wrong with that. A fine, food-friendly wine with a few years’ cellaring potential. (Buy again? For sure.)
Gravesville
Yet another wine that the Mo’ Wine Group used to order cases of when it was a private import has shown up at the SAQ. How cool would it be if the same producer’s fresh and delicious Sauternes, Château Roûmieu-Lacoste, joined it on the monopoly’s shelves?
Graves 2012, Château Graville Lacoste ($21.35, 12211358)
Sémillon (75%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%) and Muscadelle (5%) from vines between 45 and 50 years old. The vineyard’s microclimate is cooler than most in the area. The Sémillion is picked by hand, the Sauvignon Blanc by machine. The varieties are vinified separately and blended just before bottling. The wine sees only stainless steel. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts is at 18°C and lasts ten to 15 days. During maturation, the lees are stirred every three days until January. Racked and fined but not filtered. Bottled in the first half of the year following the vintage. About 85,000 bottles are produced. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Intriguing if discreet nose: melon, citrus zest, crushed limestone, whiffs of grass, flowers (honeysuckle?) and eventually white peach. Round and smooth on the attack, more so than in earlier vintages. Waxy textured. Not what you’d call fruit-forward but rich in extract. At the same time, there’s an ethereal quality to the fruit. Stealth acidity adds a sour edge and nips any incipient honey flavours in the bud. The Sauvignon, which in other vintages seemed to dominate the wine in its youth, is here apparent mostly on the long, dry and tart, chalk- and gooseberry-inflected finish. While the 2005 aged beautifully for the better part of a decade, this strikes me as a wine to drink in the next three or four years. In any case, you won’t find a better white Bordeaux for the price. And like the wine, the label is a model of elegance. (Buy again? Yes.)
Part of the September 4th Cellier release, the wine has already sold out at several Montreal area stores.
Etnalogico
Etna 2010, Rosso di Verzella, Benanti ($23.75, 11348459)
Around 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio from 40-year-old vines grown on the northern slope of Mount Etna at an altitude of 700 m (2,300 feet). (An SAQ wine advisor told me the 2010 was, exceptionally, 100% Nerello Mascalese but I’ve found nothing to support that claim.) The grapes are picked by hand in mid-October, destemmed, pressed and macerated 20 to 25 days in stainless steel tanks. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is matured in 225-litre barrels for eight to ten months. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: L’Enoteca di Moreno de Marche.
Dried black cherry, red currant, brick dust, dried herbs. Medium-bodied and satin-textured. The lithe fruit is on an equal footing with volcanic minerality; the acidity is illuminating if nipping; the supple tannins show some astringency on the long, savoury finish with its cedar and spice overtones and lingering maraschino. So dry and so drinkable. Pair with red meats, especially ones cooked more than rare, game birds or rabbit stew. (Buy again? Yes.)
Sincere Sancerre
Sancerre 2013, Terroirs, Domaine Sylvain Bailly ($23.35, 10861808)
100% Sauvignon Blanc from vines 20-plus years old grown in various parcels. Manually harvested. The must produced by slow and gentle pneumatic pressing was chilled and clarified by settling. Alcoholic fermentation used indigenous yeasts, took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and lasted 15 to 30 days. The wine was matured on its lees in stainless steel tanks, then racked, cold-stabilized and lightly filtered. Bottled in the spring of 2014. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Les vins Dupré.
Textbook Sancerre nose: gooseberry, grass, chalk and flint, hints of kaffir lime leaf. Rounder and less sharp than expected, fruity but very dry. Green grapes, salt and minerals dance across the palate, then segue into a smooth finish marked by crescendoing chalk and tart acidity. Earlier vintages have had more dazzle but this is, as always, well made and very fairly priced. Good with the season’s first Trésor du large oysters on the half shell and with shrimp marinated and grilled with butter, lemon, garlic and tarragon. Certifiably great with Crottin de Chavignol. (Buy again? Sure.)
Dido’s ferment
Montsant 2011, Dido, Venus la Universal ($26.85, 11376994)
Organically farmed Grenache (75%), Syrah (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Merlot (5%). Medium-long maceration of the whole grapes. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Around 60% of the wine is matured in barrels of various sizes for 16 months, around 40% in concrete tanks and a fraction in clay amphorae. Minimal amounts of sulphur are the only additive. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importation Épicurienne R.A. Fortin.
Engulfing nose of blackberry and black raspberry, sandalwood spice, turned earth, cigar box, and graphite with a fresh tarragon-like overtone. In the mouth, it’s rich yet elegantly fluid, fruity yet dry, clean and pure at its core. Acidity enlivens while tight, velvety tannins provide backbone and lend an astringency to the long, savoury finish. Cellar for two to five years or carafe an hour before serving, preferably with grilled red meat, braised oxtail or beef stew with red wine and prunes (recipe follows). (Buy again? Def.)
And, yes, the title’s a pun: Dido’s Lament.
MWG July 17th tasting: Sangiovesissimo
The tasting ended with a beautiful bottle generously donated by one of the members (thanks, MG!). The wine is sold at the SAQ, sometimes through the Courrier vinicole, but our bottle was purchased in Italy.
IGT Toscana 2006, Le Pergole Torte, Montevertine (importation valise)
100% Sangioveto (aka Sangiovese) from vines growing in the two-hectare Le Pergole Torte vineyard, whose orientation is to the north-northeast and whose micro-climate is cooler than most in the area. Macerated on the skins for 25 to 30 days. Matured about 12 months in Slavonian oak barrels and about 12 months in French (Allier) oak barrels. 13% ABV if memory serves.
Unfathomably complex bouquet: cherry, spice chest, cedar, turned earth, forest floor, terra cotta, smoke, leather, a lilting floral note and the faintest hint of rubber. There’s an almost New World level of ripeness and concentration here and yet it’s also a remarkably drinkable middleweight. The energy and focus are breathtaking, the fruit pure, the minerals deep, the acidity vibrant, the tannins ripe and sleek, the finish layered and long. Savoury yet astoundingly fresh. Oh, so enjoyable now – the oak is perfectly integrated – but still not at peak and with at least another couple of decades of life ahead of it. (Buy again? If only…)
MWG July 17th tasting: Syrah shoot-out
Syrah 2010, Okanagan Valley, Le Vieux Pin ($54.00, 12178674)
Mostly Syrah from vines between five and 11 years old grown in two Okanagan sub-appellations. As is often the case in Côte-Rôtie, a dollop (around 2%) of Viognier is added prior to fermentation. Matured 17 months in French oak barrels, 20% new. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Les vins Alain Bélanger.
On the nose and in the mouth, predicated around a core of sweet fruit and overtoned with spice, meat, graphite and oak. The medium weight, lean tannins and sleek acidity prompted on taster to describe the wine as “linear,” with all that implies in terms of flow and depth. Elegant for a New World Syrah, though I’d like it even better with less oak. Still quite young at this point, so a few more years in the bottle may digest the wood and deepen the fruit. The New World aficionados around the table preferred this to the Côte-Rôtie. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Côte-Rôtie 2012, Nature, Jean-Michel Stephan ($72.75, 11953616)
Last year the “nature” on the label was blacked out with a magic marker; this year it isn’t. A blend of Syrah (90% or 80% depending on whom you believe) and Viognier (10% or 20%) from organically farmed vines between 15 and 45 years old. Half of the Syrah – a clone (some would say a separate variety) known locally as Sérine – underwent semi-carbonic maceration. The Viognier was macerated on the skins for 15 hours, then destemmed and pressed. Alcoholic fermentation (with regular pump-overs for the first two weeks) took place at 15°C for five days, then at 31°C until complete. Matured 18 months in Burgundy barrels ranging from two to six years old. Unfiltered and unfined. No added sulphur. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Glou.
An echt-Syrah nose of violets, black pepper, red berries, animale. Sits suppley on the palate yet is intensely present. The remarkably pure and fresh fresh fruit is supported by a framework of fine tannins, carried on unfurling skeins of silky acid and sustained well into the long, aromatic finish. Time in the cellar will surely reveal more depth but, for drinking here and now, this is a joy, albeit an expensive one. (Buy again? Budget permitting, yes.)
MWG July 17th tasting: Cabernet Franc shoot-out
Cabernet Franc 2010, Laundry Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore, Tawse Winery ($35.00, 12211294)
100% Cabernet Franc . Sixty percent of the vines are more than 20 years old, making them some of the oldest Cab Franc vines on the Niagara Peninsula. Manually harvested. Matured 18 months in French oak barrels. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Importation Le Pot de Vin.
Rich nose of black raspberry, tobacco leaf, ashtray, slate, green pepper. Medium-bodied. Fruity but dry, with a creamy texture, fine, tight tannins and good acidity. Spice overtones embellish the fruit while ash and oak dominate the long finish. While there’s good material here, it’s spoiled by the cloying oak. Will that change with time? Good question, especially when the producer’s estimated shelf life for the wine is five to seven years and four have gone by. (Buy again? Only if in the mood for a wine that tries too hard.)
IGP Costa Toscana 2012, CiFRA, Azienda Vitivinicola Duemani ($30.75, 11838415)
The estate’s entry-level wine (the other Cab Franc bottling runs a cool $86). 100% Biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc, fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in concrete vats. Lightly dosed with sulphur dioxide at bottling. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: L’Enoteca di Moreno de Marche.
Striking nose: prune juice and fruit cake with a hint of menthol. In the mouth, medium-bodied, fluid, pure, clean. Devoid of herbaceousness, the fruit is ripe and sweet but the wine is dry. Round tannins, stealth acidity and a long, savoury finish complete the picture. A delicious Cabernet Franc that strikes a happy balance between Old World and New. (Buy again? Sure, though not without some grumbling about the 10% price increase over the 2011.)
Brett happens 