Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category
MWG June 20th tasting (5/8): Valle d’Aosta v. Vallée de l’Isère
Valle d’Aosta 2011, Torrette, Les Crêtes ($21.30, 11951987)
Petit Rouge (70%) with Mayolet, Tinturier and Cornalin making up the remaining 30%; the estate is converting to organic farming. Manually harvested. Fermented at 28ºC in stainless steel tanks for eight days. Matured in stainless steel barrels for eight months. 13.5% ABV.
Cherry, old wood, obsidian dust, faint flowers (violets?) and a whiff of cheese. Medium-bodied but dense with ripe fruit that’s lifted by grippy acidity and firmed by soft tannins. Earth and animal notes lend the finish a rustic edge. Easy to like and a favourite of several around the table. (Buy again? Sure.)
Vin de Savoie 2011, Arbin, Mondeuse, Domaine Louis Magnin ($27.50, 10783272)
100% Mondeuse from vines averaging 35 years old and grown in various parcels in Arbin commune. Manually harvested. Fully destemmed. Fermented eight days in stainless steel tanks with once-daily pump-overs. Matured 12 months in stainelss steel tanks on the fine lees. 12.5% ABV.
Initial tomato-meat sauce eventually turns more to red berries, cassis, stones and pepper. Smooth and supple on the palate with fleshy fruit, bright acidity and round tannins (and not a lot of ’em). Cherry pits on the finish. Not much depth but considerable juicy appeal. (Buy again? While it’s a little pricey, sure.)
MWG June 20th tasting (4/8): A $55 rosé lives up to the hype
Palette 2012, Château Simone ($55.00, 11657489)
The SAQ lists the varieites as Grenache (50%), Mourvèdre (30%) and Cinsault (20%). The château’s website says Grenache (45%), Mourvèdre (30%), Cinsault (5%) and “secondary varieties” (20%) including Syrah, Castets, Manosquin, Carignan and assorted Muscats, though it’s not clear whether they’re talking about the vines in the vineyard or the grapes in the blend (I suspect the latter). Manually harvested and sorted in the field and again in the winery. Lightly crushed and partially destemmed. Pressed using a vertical hydraulic press. The press juice is blended with some saignée juice, usually in a 2:1 ratio. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured on the fine lees in small oak barrels. 13.5% ABV.
Deep orange-pink bordering on red. Slow to open but eventually offering a prismatic array of aromas: dusty herbs, spice chest, raspberry, cherry, yellow stone fruit, mandarin orange, flowers, hints of earth and smoke. Round and winey yet buoyant, fruity yet dry. Savouried by garrigue, minerals, threads of powdered ginger, saffron and licorice. Primary at first but revealing layer after layer as it breathes. Possessed of every dimension, in particular volume, not to mention balance and finesse. A favourite of nearly everyone around the table, this was the only bottle drained of the 14 in the tasting. As it was still developing after two hours in the glass, it will surely benefit from a year or two in the cellar. That said, the cork is as long and sound as a first growth Bordeaux’s, lending credence to claims that the wine is capable of aging a decade or longer. The very definition of a vin gastronomique and able to stand comparison with the finest reds and whites in the same price range. The world’s best still rosé? (Buy again? Yes (gulp).)
If you’re thinking about taking the plunge, the SAQ is offering 10% off all rosés, beers and coolers this Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30.
MWG June 20th tasting (3/8): Frankly pink
Ladybug rosé 2012, Niagara Peninsula, VQA, Malivoire Wine Company ($15.95, LCBO 559088)
Cabernet Franc (74%), Gamay (19%) and Pinot Noir (7%). After crushing, the grapes were left to macerate on their skins for 12 to 24 hours. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. 13% ABV.
Pink heading toward cherry red. Engaging nose of red berries and spice. Smooth texture. Clean and fruity though with a savoury streak. Off-off-dry though with enough acidity to lightly sour the finish. A summer sipper, nothing more but also nothing less. (Buy again? At that price, sure.)
Bourgueil 2011, Équinoxe, Domaine Yannick Amirault ($20.55, 11900872)
100% organically farmed Cabernet Franc from 30-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured 12 months in barrels. The winemaker suggests aging this for two to five years after bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Pale coppery pink in the bottle but pallid in the glass, a straw-coloured white with rosy glints. Faintly fruity nose (strawberry-rhubarb?) with whiffs of dried dill, seaside rocks, dried chlorine. Less spectral on the palate: dry, lightly and tartly fruity, chock-a-block with minerals and firm acidity. A bitter note chimes in on the finish. Seems to straddle the line between rosé and white. Its savour and strictness make it a food wine (I’m thinking a cool slice of seafood terrine). (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG June 20th tasting (2/8): Roussanne and Roussette
Vin de Savoie 2008, Chignin Bergeron, Domaine Louis Magnin ($28.95, 11901154)
100% Roussanne (aka Bergeron) from several parcels in Montmélian commune. Manually harvested. Gentle, slow whole-cluster pressing. The juice is allowed to clarify by settling at room temperature. Undergoes complete alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Matured on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks. 13.5% ABV.
Acacia, chalk, pear, faint smoke. The combo of restraint and zingy acidity give it an airy texture. The pure fruit has wispy overtones of nuts and honey, the finish is long, bitter-edged and minerally. Fresh, balanced and beautiful, a draught of mountain air. (Buy again? Yes.)
Roussette de Savoie 2009, Domaine Louis Magnin ($40.50, 11901146)
100% Altesse (aka Roussette) from two parcels located in Arbin commune, one with vines 35 years old, the other with vines around 10 years old. Manually harvested. Gentle, slow whole-cluster pressing. The juice is allowed to clarify by settling at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Undergoes complete alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Matured for 11 months in 500-litre oak barrels and, on the fine lees, in stainless steel tanks. Only 3,000 bottles produced each year. 14% ABV.
Maple-walnut doughnut, yellow fruit and a hint of something floral. A real mouthful. Delineated and tense almost to the point of unyielding. Thankfully not bone dry. Broad, deep, long and dense – but not heavy – with pure fruit, crunchy minerals, trenchant acidity and a pithy bitterness. The tail end of the bottle had relaxed and rounded the next day. A wine to contend with and, if you’re like me, surrender to. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG June 20th tasting (1/8): Les Compères et un confrère
Côtes du Jura 2010, Chardonnay, Les Compères, Essencia ($26.70, 11544003)
Essencia is a joint venture between Puligny-based caviste and cheesemonger Philippe Bouvret and cult winemaker Jean-François Ganevat. 100% Chardonnay (not 90% Chard and 10% Savagnin as SAQ.com claims). I haven’t found much technical information about the wine other than that the vinification is “traditional,” which in Ganevat’s case probably means organically or biodynamically farmed grapes, whole cluster alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no racking of the must, malolactic fermentation, maturation in large and/or small barrels, no filtering or fining and minimal use of sulphur dioxide. 12.5% ABV.
Lovely fresh nose of ripe apple, dried hay and lemon. The freshness continues onto the palate with its round, ripe-sweet fruit (more pear than apple), buoyant acitidy and crunchy minerals. The long finish brings a hint of salty hazlenut brittle. Mouth-filling yet the farthest thing from heavy, tense yet oh, so accessible. More complete than the 2005 yet equally pleasureable. (Buy again? Posthaste – this is a second shipment and there’s not a lot left.)
Côtes du Jura 2009, Tradition, Domaine Berthet-Bondet ($25.00, 11794694)
A blend of organically farmed Chardonnay and Savagnin (70-30 according to most, 80-20 according to SAQ.com). Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured two years sous voile, under a yeast veil, in large barrels. 13% ABV.
Textbook oxidized Jura nose: apple, silage and walnut. Medium-bodied and dry. Fine, even delicate bolts of fruit, straw, minerals and nuts unfurl and are wafted by smooth acidity. Fresher and less oxidatively full-bore than some (which is probably truer to the true traditional Jura style) but impeccably well-mannered and balanced, this would make a good introduction to non-ouillé wines as well as a fine accompaniment to Comté cheese, not to mention white fish and lobster, especially if in a creamy curry sauce. (Buy again? Sure.)
Cabernet Franc di Bolgheri
IGP Costa Toscana 2011, CiFRA, Azienda vitivinicola Duemani ($27.70, 11838415)
The estate’s entry-level wine, recently created in response to restaurateurs’ request for a less expensive wine from the estate. Biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc, fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in concrete vats. Lightly dosed with sulphur dioxide at bottling. 14% ABV.
Appealing nose of red berries, spice and faint incense. Medium-bodied with a fluid texture not unlike some of Thierry Germain‘s wines from warm years. The fruit – cherry mainly – is pure and ripe if leaner, firmer and less sweet than the Duemani’s but devoid of Loire-ish herbaceousness (there is some dried herb action going on though). The fine, astringent tannins have a ripeness and roundness that speaks of a warm climate while the refreshing acidity seems more in line with what you expect in a cool-climate wine. A bottle that might make believers out of Cab Franc skeptics. (Buy again? Sure.)
IGT Toscana 2007, Duemani, Azienda vitivinicola Duemani ($85.75, 11794310)
Biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled 30- to 40-litre oak vats with frequent punch-downs. Fermentation/maceration lasts about two weeks.. Matured at least 12 months in French barrels and tonneaux (50% new, 50% second vintage). Lightly dosed with sulphur dioxide at bottling. 14.5% ABV.
Candied fruit and umami (dried mushroom, soy sauce) on the nose along with a touch of vanilla. Full-bodied, rich and round. The mouth-filling fruit may be sweet but it’s buoyed by high acidity and firmed by a tannic framework that doesn’t really reveal itself until you chew the wine. The oak is just about resolved. The finish could be more sustained and emphatic, though tertiary flavours linger long. While there’s no denying the wine’s quality and breeding, it’s a little too over-groomed, overripe and New Worldish for me. And then there’s the price… (Buy again? No, but well-heeled fans of California reds should check it out.)
Pora! Pora! Pora!
Barbaresco 2008, Pora, Riserva, Produttori del Barbaresco ($50.50, 11214469)
(For background information on the Produttori and their wines, see last December’s Tasting with Aldo Vacca report.) 100% Nebbiolo from the Pora vineyard. Fermented with cultivated “Barolo” yeasts in temperature-controlled (30ºC) concrete and stainless steel vats. Fermentation and maceration – with regular punch-downs and pump-overs – last 28 days. Matured 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (though reportedly smaller than those used in earlier vintages). Bottled unfiltered and with a small dose of sulphur dioxide. Matured another eight months in bottle before release. 14% ABV.
Primary nose: sour cherry, tarry slate and faint notes of rose and sandalwood. Perhaps a shade lighter weight than the 2007 Pora yet if anything more balanced and complete. With its silky ripe fruit, it retains Pora’s typical accessibility. But chew the wine and you’ll get a different picture, one etched – albeit finely – in tannins and minerals and hinting at hidden depths. The wine’s airframe structure, tense acidity, ideal proportions, focus and purity make it a sure bet for aging (at least a decade, probably two), not that anyone will complain if you open a bottle now. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
The wine’s already high bang for the buck is off the charts this weekend with the SAQ’s “10% off every purchase of $100 or more” promotion: two bottles will put you just over the $100 threshold and cost you $90.90, or $45.45 each. For a wine that could be the dictionary definition of a Riserva Barbaresco. For a wine that’s more classically proportioned and eminently drinkable than big name Barbarescos costing twice as much or more. That constitutes an unbeatable bargain. A QPR winner if ever there were one.
Gang of Rhônes
Daumen is a fairly new line of négociant wines from southern Rhône producer Domaine de la Vieille Julienne. The handsome labels (Côtes-du-Rhône, Lirac, Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Principauté d’Orange) were designed by a Quebec firm.
Côtes-du-Rhône 2010, Daumen ($19.00, 11509857)
Organically farmed Grenache (60%), Syrah (30%) and Mourvèdre (6%). Unlike the label’s Lirac and Gigondas but like the VDP de la principauté d’Orange (an old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot blend available as a private import from oenopole), the grapes come from Daumen’s own vineyards. They are also co-planted, so this is a field blend. The grapes were hand-picked, sorted, partially destemmed, fermented in temperature-controlled vats with indigenous yeasts, matured approximately 12 months in concrete vats and neutral 50-hl barrels and bottled unfiltered and unfined. Sulphur is added – and then minimally – only just before bottling. 14% ABV.
Crushed blackberry (fruit and leaves), cherry pit, old wood. Medium-bodied and dry. The fruit is held back, leaving room for dark minerals and black pepper. Freshening acidity and fine if teeth-coating tannins only add to the savour. A kirsch note chimes in on the finish. Food-friendly: a natural for a thyme and garlic-stuffed lamb shoulder of course, but also capable of accompanying a wide range of savoury dishes, including all kinds of grilled meats and vegetables. Hard to beat at the price point, provided you’re not looking for a fruit bomb. (Buy again? Yep.)
By the way, when searching for info on the wine, I noticed another cuvée from Daumen, one I’d not heard about, including from Jean-Paul himself at the MWG tasting he led: Côtes-du-Rhône 2005, La Bosse, Domaine de la Vieille Juilienne ($196.00, 11905930). What’s this? A Côtes-du-Rhône that clocks in at 16.5% and costs more than a magnum of the same estate’s 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape?! A query to the agent elicited the following reply: “La Bosse: A micro-parcel (lieu-dit) within the “Clavin” zone, hence CDR, which is a hill that is geologically quite different from the rest of the parcel due to the high amount of sand in the topsoil (not unlike the particularities of the parcel that yields Vieille Julienne’s Réservé in Châteauneuf-du-Pape). Over decades, the estate has noticed a marked difference in the quality of the grenache, and in exceptional vintages, like the 2005 (which is also the 100th anniversary of the domaine) makes small amounts to pay tribute to this unique parcel. CDR in name, but can put a lot of Châteauneufs to shame… 480 bottles produced.” At four bucks shy of $200 a bottle, I doubt I’ll ever taste it but I don’t doubt it’s spectacular. Heads-up, millionaires!
A Greek bearing gifts
Sideritis 2012, Les Dons de Dionysos, Parparoussis ($18.95, 11900995)
100% Sideritis (which is a grape variety as well as an herb) from purchased grapes grown near Patras in the Achaea region of the northern Peloponnese. Fermented and matured in stainless steel. 12.5% ABV.
Subdued but unusual nose: lemon/grapefruit, yellow apple, dried honey, camomile, quartzy sand and tree sap. Light-bodied and lightly fruity – think lemon and pear – but dry. The smooth surface doesn’t quite gloss over the coursing acidity. A surprising vein of barley sugar (the flavour, not the sweetness) runs throughout and surfaces on the saline finish, giving a salted caramel spin to the aftertaste. A sensation of heat – not from alcohol, more like you get from fresh chile or black pepper – lingers long. Fascinating. An excellent aperitif and a natural with mezze. Not a keeper, though; the next day, the wine was still tasty but had lost a lot of its individuality. (Buy again? Yes.)
Early in a late bloomer’s life
Fleurie 2011, Cuvée Spéciale, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Chignard ($30.50, 11695135)
Gamay from a one-hectare parcel of 75- to 100-year-old vines in the Moriers vineyard on the border with Moulin-à-Vent. Traditioinal vinification, including semi-carbonic maceration, whole-cluster fermentaiton and no temperature control. The wine is matured in oak barriques (20% new), not large fûts. Also available in magnums ($62.00, 11695127). 13% ABV.
Dark garnet-purple: only the fading at the rim would keep you from thinking this is a Pommard or a northern Rhône Syrah. The muted nose hints at cherry, slate and violets. Concentrated and monolithic in the mouth, with a structure so massive it’d crush most Moulin-à-Vents. While the fruit is pure and ripe and bouyed by sappy acidity, an astringent streak robs it of sweetness. In fact, the tannins are reminsiscent of a young red Burg’s, though the wine’s weight is more Fleurie-like. The oak is noticeable, in other words not well integrated. Dimensions? Longer than broad or deep, though that may change with age. The elements are all there but the whole is disjointed and if not exactly rebarbative, not exactly engaging either. Needs time – say, five years in a cool cellar or double that for the magnum. (Buy again? Yes, though maybe not in preference to some of the private import “natural” Morgons, Fleuries and Moulin-à-Vents.)
Brett happens 