Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category
oenopole trade tasting (1/4): Jacques Lassaigne
In the run-up to the Salon des vins d’importation privée, oenopole held a couple of trade tastings led by their visiting winemakers and was kind enough to offer non-trade me a seat. Unfortunately, Arianna Occhipinti and Elena Pantaleoni (La Stoppa) were detained by hurricane Sandy, though they did make it to town in time for the various other activities.
The tasting began with three champagnes from the house of Jacques Lassaigne and presented by Jacques’s son and the current winemaker, Emmanuel. Planted to Chardonnay and a little Pinot Noir, the approximately five-hectare estate is located in Montgeux, a chalky hill in the southernmost part of the appellation. A small quantity of grapes is also purchased. All the grapes are organically farmed and the wine-making is as natural as possible. Disgorgement is performed monthly, surely one of the reasons why all the wines taste fresh.
Champagne, Brut, Blanc de blancs, Les vignes de Montguex, Jacques Lassaigne ($55.00, oenopole)
Always a blend of wines from two successive vintages and several parcels. The vintages here were 2008 (27%) and 2009 (73%). 15% is matured in cask. Emmanuel Lassaigne describes it as an aperitif wine, a role it performs supremely well, though it also makes a killer accompaniment for sushi.
Electrum to the eye. Pleasing nose of lemon, green melon, minerals, yeast and a lactic note. Super fine, tingly effervescence. Quite dry. Light lemon over a chalky substrate. Lingering savoury note. Clean, bright, refreshing.
Champagne 2005, Jacques Lassaigne ($105.00, oenopole)
No barrel or dosage. No sugar added during disgorging.
More golden. Richer, sweeter, winier nose redolent of yellow apple. Soft effervescence with bigger bubbles. Mouth-filling but not heavy. Comes across as less acidic and mineral-driven than the Vignes de Montguex, though that’s due to the richness of the fruit, not to any lack of minerals and acidity. Excellent balance and complexity of flavour. Broad, deep and long. Beautiful now but also capable of improving with time in the cellar. My favourite of the three.
Champagne, Extra Brut, Blanc de blancs, La Colline inspirée, Jacques Lassaigne (price to be announced but probably over $100, oenopole)
A blend of 2007 and 2008. Vinified and aged on the lees in used white Burgundy barrels. In the past this has been bottled only in magnums, though this year oenopole will have some standard 750 ml bottles.
Bronzer. Complex bouquet: golden apple, citrus, chalk, toast, brioche, a faint floral note and a hint of souring milk. The softest and fleshiest of the three. Some sweetness on the attack but dry on the finish. Oxidizing sour apples, candied citrus zest and lingering crystals. Long, round and layered. Less structured than the Millésime 2005, but no less appealing: a deluxe vin plaisir.
Textbook Chablis
The staff at the Laurier SAQ outlet were swooning over this wine. It made a great pairing for salmon with leeks and cream (recipe after the jump).
Chablis premier cru 2010, Montmain, Domaine de Bois d’Yver ($29.95, 11635108)
100% Chardonnay from 30-year-old vines; the estate is converting to organic farming. Pneumatically pressed, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with native yeasts. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. 13% ABV.
Classic – and therefore irresistable – Chablis nose: intense lemon and green apple over chalk and straw with the faintest hint of smoky gun flint. Eventually gained floral (hawthorne?) and honey notes. Clean, delineated and tense with acidity. Minerals dominate and what fruit there is is lemony. The finish is bitter-tinged with a little butter creeping in. Broadened and deepened as it warmed and breathed: pull it from the fridge and pop the cork if crystals and acid are your thing; carafe a couple of hours and serve at something closer to 12ºC (53ºF) if in search of fruit and richness.
MWG October 2nd tasting: report (2/2)
A Belgian transplanted to the slopes of Mount Etna, Frank Cornelissen is a natural winemaker’s natural winemaker. For background information and an explanation of why the wines’ high prices are justified, I can’t do better than link to Jamie Goode’s reports here and, more recently, here.
As some of the wines are blends of more than one vintage, Cornelissen numbers the productions of each cuvée sequentially.
I find the wines hard to describe as they’re quite unlike any other I’ve encountered and the regular descriptors don’t necessarily apply. But that uniqueness only adds to their appeal.
Rosso del Contadino 8, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($31.88, Glou)
A blend of local grapes, white and red, from the difficult 2010 vintage. 13.5% ABV.
Beautiful nose: spice, spruce, lava sand, pomegranate. Barely medium-bodied with bright acid and just enough tannins. Tingly, juicy, minerally, bittersweet, fruity (cherry and more pomegranate). Not very deep but what a surface! Am looking forward to trying this lightly chilled with a Sicilian rabbit stew. (Buy again? Yes.)
MunJebel Rosso 7, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($65.95, Glou)
Nerello Mascalese from various vineyards and the 2009 and 2010 vintages. 14% ABV.
Complex nose: funk, leather, red plum, gravel. Rocks, berries and herbs on the palate. A tense balance between acid and fruit. Tannins are there if you look for them. Gained pomegranate and slate in a way that reminded me a little of Occhipinti’s Siccangno (Nero d’Avola). An involving wine. (Buy again? Yes.)
Magma Rosso 8, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($185.90, Glou, NLA)
A super selection of usually single cru ripe Nerello Mascalese grapes, these from the 2009 vintage. 15% ABV.
All of the above plus leather, ephemeral spice, tar, mineral, funk, leather, dried meat, tea. Richer in the mouth but not heavier. An acidic undercurrent runs from start to finish. The intense core of fruit is wrapped in a complex matrix of minerals. Quite structured, though not in ways I’m accustomed to. The alcohol is not apparent. Exotic and beautiful. (Buy again? If price were no object, yes.)
MunJebel Bianco 7, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($45.50, Glou, NLA)
An “orange” wine (a white made like a red, with extended maceration on the skins) made from Carricante, Grecanico Dorato and Coda di Volpe from the 2010 vintage. 13% ABV.
Complex bouquet: initial funk then minerals, oxidized pear, hints of dried orange peel and herbs. A bit blurry on the palate. Soft texture and medium weight. Animated by an undercurrent of acidity. Straw and minerals dominate the flavour profile. Some tannins and a bitter almond note creep in on the long finish. Intriguing. (Buy again? Quite possibly.)
MWG October 2nd tasting: report (1/2)
Most members of the Mo’ Wine Group are intrigued by so-called natural wines and many are fans, so we were delighted when Glou’s Jack Jacob recently joined us to lead a tasting of private imports from two of the most radically natural winemakers around.
What is a natural wine? According to the Association des vins naturels, the basic principles of natural wine-making are organic or biodynamic farming (not necessarily certified as such), manual harvesting, fermentation with native yeasts and the avoidance both of harsh physical procedures (reverse osmosis, cross-flow filtration, flash pasteurization, thermovinification) and of additives, including sugar (an exception is made for small amounts of sulphur dioxide added as a stabilizer at bottling). As a definition, that works for me, though I’d also add that many natural winemakers say their wines are made in the vineyard more than in the cellar, which leads them to adopt a non-interventionist approach and to largely or completely avoid filtering and fining.
The upsides of natural wines include their individuality and a juicy tartness that, in the best examples, seems very close to the fruit and terroir. Many also have a rustic appeal – a sense of not taking themselves too seriously – that their more polished and manipulated counterparts lack. Downsides include greater bottle-to-bottle variability, the ever-present possibility of reductive notes on opening (which is why as a rule it’s a good idea to carafe natural wines an hour or two before drinking), the need to store the bottles at cool temperatures (ideally 14ºC/57ºF or less) and, for some drinkers and some wines, their cloudy appearance and funky bouquets.
Anyway, back to our tasting, which begin in the Loire.
Hailing from Brittany, Olivier Lemasson entered the wine world as a caviste (retail wine seller). After encountering natural wines, he headed for Morgon, where he trained under pioneering winemaker Marcel Lapierre, first picking grapes, then tending the vines and working in the cellar. He eventually ended up as a winemaker in the Touraine and, with Domaine du Moulin‘s Hervé Villemade, founded Les Vins Contés as a négociant business. Four years later, Villemade split, leaving the business to Lemasson.
Lemasson gets his fruit from three hectares of vines that he tends and from local and not so local growers, whose grapes he and his team harvest and bring back to his cellar. All the grapes are organic and the wines will soon be certified as such.
After harvesting, the whole bunches are placed in large wood vats and allowed to undergo carbonic maceration with no cap-punching or pumping-over. Maceration lasts between ten and 30 days, depending on the wine. The wines are unfiltered and unsulphured.
Finding his wines refused AOC status due to their atypicité, Lemasson decided to embrace the Vin de pays (now Vin de France) denomination, which gives him the freedom to make wines as he sees fit.
For a nicely illustrated report on a recent visit to Lemasson’s operation, see the Wine Terroirs blog.
Vin de France 2011, Bois sans soif, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($26.55, Glou)
A 50-50 blend of Menu Pineau and Romorantin from 20- to 60-year-old vines. 12% ABV.
Closed nose: chalk, straw and lees. Crunchy pear and apple fruit with a lemonade-like acidity. Long, lemony rainwater finish. A vin de soif if ever there were one. (Buy again? It’s a bit pricey for what it delivers but sure.)
Cour-Cheverny 2011, Les Rosiers, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($26.55, Glou, NLA)
100% Romorantin from 40-year-old vines. Matured 12 months in old oak barrels. 12% ABV.
Soft-spoken nose of honey, wax and apple. A bit cidery at first but blossoming into a richly flavoured mouthful of apple, lemon and chalk. Intense acidity. Long, crystalline finish with a hint of hazelnut. Intriguing and delicious. A standout. (Buy again? Would if it weren’t sold out.)
Vin de France 2011, Coup de brosse, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($22.00, Glou)
2011 is the first vintage of this wine, which is the fruit of a partnership between Lemasson, Glou’s Martin Labelle and Jérôme Dupras. Gamay (90%) and Pinot Noir (10%). 11.8% ABV.
Green bell pepper and chile, horsehair and earth wrapped around a core of raspberry. On the lighter side of medium-bodied. Juicy and acidic. The fruit starts sweet but sours and gains a slatey/earthy edge. Tart finish. (Buy again? Sure.)
Vin de France 2011, Le P’tit Rouquin, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($20.58, Glou, NLA)
Gamay from 20- to 60-year-old vines. 11.5% ABV.
Black cherry with notes of red meat, earth, slate, bell pepper and eventually a floral perfume. Light-bodied. As minerally as it is fruity. Bright acidity. Not a lot of depth but refreshing, i.e. another vin de soif. (Buy again? If in the mood for a light pound-backer, sure.)
Vin de France 2011, Gama-Sutra, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($27.40, Glou)
Gamay from ungrafted 100-year-old vines. 13% ABV.
Ashy, horsehair, slate/graphite, “clay and mud,” “tout le Fesitval de St-Tite dans un verre,” eventually red berries. Soft, fruity and sweet-tart on the palate. Faint tannins give astringency as much as structure. Peppery finish. Moreish. Several tasters’ wine of the flight if not the night. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vin de France 2011, Cheville de Fer, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($26.55, Glou),
Côt (Loire’s name for Malbec) from 50- to 100-year-old vines. Matured 12 months in old oak barrels. 12% ABV.
Sour plum on horseback: that’s the nose. Rich and smooth in the mouth, though no heavier than medium-weight. Light but noticeable tannins, enlivening acidity. Chewy cherry, earth and minerals with a sweet spice note chiming in on the finish. Fun. (Buy again? Yep.)
MWG September 13th tasting: report (3/3)
A member of the Mo’ Wine Group has a small vineyard just west of Lake Memphremagog in the Eastern Townships. The day of the tasting, he kindly delivered a shopping bag full of wine grapes, mostly red Marquette, that gave us the basis for dessert: a Tuscan winemaker’s grape cake (recipe after the jump). With it we served a vin santo.
Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2004, Badia a Coltibuono ($41.25/375 ml, 11544193)
A blend of organically farmed Trebbiano and Malvasia from 10- to 30-year-old vines. Once harvested, the bunches are dried for several weeks in well-ventilated rooms, then pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts. Fermentation and aging (four years) take place in small oak casks exposed to seasonal temperature variations. 16.5% ABV.
Enchanting nose of dried spice, nut brittle, apricot and autumn air. Intensely flavoured: mostly candied orange peel with some background caramel. Bordering on rich but saved from heaviness by bright acidity and residual sugar levels that are kept in check. Quite long if not especially deep. Enjoyable though it doesn’t erase memories of Isole e Olena’s often astounding vin santo.
MWG September 13th tasting: report (2/3)
Clau de Nell, a relatively young estate in the Anjou region of the Loire Valley, was acquired in the early naughts by Anne-Claude Leflaive from high-profile Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet. The estate is now organic and biodynamic. The new regime’s first wines sold were from the 2009 vintage. Only three reds are made, though some Chenin Blanc has reportedly been planted. The vineyards are worked by horse. Harvesting is manual and the fruit is sorted on a grape-by-grape basis. A manual press is used. Fermentations are natural (indigenous yeasts and no temperature control). The wines are barrel aged for 18 to 24 months before being bottled (with miniscule doses of sulphur dioxide). Nearly the entire production is exported.
In Quebec, the wines are sold exclusively at the two SAQ Signature outlets, and at this point, five or six weeks after their release, only the Quebec City store still has all three. Note, however, that Signature will deliver purchases to any Quebec address free of charge.
VDP de la Loire 2010, Grolleau, Clau de Nell ($33.00, 11818203)
100% Grolleau. Considered an inferior grape by local authorities, Grolleau is not permitted in Anjou AOC wines (except rosés), which is why this is classified as a vin de pays. 13.5% ABV.
To the nose and palate, obviously different from the two Cabernets. Blackberry leaf and cassis morphing into blueberry pie and gaining a rose note. Smooth and velvety texture. Simple but pure and fruity with brightening acidity, tannins well in the background and a scent of black pepper on the finish. An affable, quaffable bumpkin, probably my favourite of the trio. (Buy again? Yes.)
Anjou 2010, Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon, Clau de Nell ($32.00, 11818182)
A 50–50 blend of the two Cabernets. 13.5% ABV.
Red fruit, graphite, green bell pepper, spice and eventually ash. After a rocky start, it smoothed out. Supple and round though with a more delineated, Bordeaux-like structure that allowed several tasters to peg it as the Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Despite the green streak, the fruit is ripe and pure, buoyed by just enough acidity and grounded by the mineral/earthy substrate. Long finish. In short, a fine example of a Loire Cabernet blend that will only benefit from a few years in the cellar. (Buy again? Possibly.)
Anjou 2010, Cabernet Franc, Clau de Nell ($32.00, 11818174)
100% Cabernet Franc. 13.5% ABV.
Red cherry, green pepper, ash and hints of tobacco and violet. Medium-bodied yet the spicy fruit has a real density, with chewy tannins and refreshing acidity carrying it into the slate and green tobacco finish. Lingering impression of fluidity and opulence, not unlike a good Burgundy. Modern and polished but not overwrought. This, too, is a good candidate for medium-term aging. (Buy again? Yes.)
The wines were double-decanted about an hour before serving. We tasted them on their own and then with a couple of dry sausages and killer mustard from Le comptoir charcuteries et vins and excellent sliceable rillettes from Gourmet Laurier of all places. Not surprisingly, the charcuterie worked best with the Grolleau; something like a medium to medium-rare lamb roast or, in a couple of years, a guinea hen roasted on a bed of potatoes would be a more worthy pairing for the Cabernets.
MWG September 13th tasting: addendum
Santorini 2011, Sigalas ($22.00, 11034302)
100% Assyrtico from vines over 50 years old. The winery’s vineyards are organic but it also buys grapes for some of its wines; whether this is one of them isn’t clear. Temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks. 13.7% ABV.
Nose of briny lemon, quartz and chalk with wax and straw in background. Delicately fruity on attack, sweet green apple and pear on the mid-palate, crunchy minerals throughout. Acid surges from the mid-point on, dominating the fruit and turning the finish puckery. Minerals remain and gain a bitter edge. As it warms and breathes it settles into something like I remember other Sigalas Santorinis as being: well made, true to type, but never quite achieving the dazzle of the best. In other words, serve well chilled if opening now. Or stick it in the cellar for a couple of years and see what develops.
This bottle was supposed to have been in the first flight of the September 13th tasting but in my rush to leave home, I grabbed the 2008 Mylos by mistake and left the Sigalas sitting in the fridge.
MWG September 13th tasting: report (1/3)
Mo’ Wine Group members weren’t keen on tasting through the September Cellier releases. What’s more, due to schedule conflicts (vacation travel, work travel, parent-teacher meetings, looming publication deadlines and the like), we couldn’t put together a full house, a first in the group’s nearly seven-year history. I was ready to cancel but one member suggested we gather for a small-scale tasting with food. Enough people were interested, so it happened.
We began with a flight of Assyrtikos from Santorini.
Santorini 2011, Assyrtiko sélectionné, Hatzidakis ($29.75, oenopole, NLA)
Made to the specifications of Paris-based agency Oenos Fruit Pierre Lumière and distributed mainly in France, this blend of selected lots from four vineyards is fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and aged in used barrels. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with minimal sulphur dioxide. About 1,500 bottles made. 13.5% ABV.
Electrum to the eye. My first words on tasting this were “crystal palace.” An array of minerals, from chalk to quartz, wrapped around a lemony core, electrified by acidity, sparked by a spritzy, zesty tingle and slow-fading into a long, saline finish. Bone dry and ideally dimensioned. Simply superb and easily the most dazzling Santorini I’ve tasted. (Buy again? Moot but, yes, by the case.)
Santorini 2008, Vieilles vignes, Mylos, Hatzidakis ($35.50 in March 2011, oenopole, NLA)
Sourced from a single vineyard, the highest on the island. The old vines – ungrafted like all Santorini grape vines – average 150 to 300 years old. Half is vinified in stainless steel, the other half in casks. Fermented and aged longer than the Assyrtiko sélectionné but bottled identically. About 2,000 bottles made. 15% ABV.
Clear bronze. Far richer than the Sélectionné, the minerals – here more stony than crystalline – are joined by peach, brine and a hint of burnt rubber. Unctuous, extracted, powerful yet balanced, the alcohol felt but not tasted. Mouth-filling yet maintaining a sense of proportion. A wine to contend with and one that demands to be consumed with food. (Buy again? Yes, though maybe not if the 2009 were around.)
Santorini 2009, Vieilles vignes, Mylos, Hatzidakis ($36.50, oenopole, NLA)
Same technical info as for the 2008. 14.5% ABV.
Pale gold. Appealing nose: quartzy, toasty lemon and marjoram. Bone dry. Crystalline texture and vibrant acidity cushioned by the rich extract. Intermingling lemon pith, white fruit and minerals. Long finish that brings to mind linden tea and rocky seacoasts. Splits the difference between the Sélectionné and the 2008 Mylos. A beautiful geode of a wine. (Buy again? If only I could.)
Santorini 2010, Assyrtiko, Argyros ($21.15, 11639344)
100% Assyrtiko from 50- to 60-year-old vines. Fermented and aged on the lees in stainless steel. 13.2% ABV.
Almost transparent. Lemon bright and fluid though, next to the Hatzidakis wines, it seems less taut and tense than the bottle tasted in June. Long crystalline and briny finish. The best Assyrtiko available at the SAQ. (Buy again? Yes.)
The wines were tasted on their own and then with food. As always, they proved an ideal pairing for oysters on the half shell (ours were garnished with lemon juice, fresh oregano leaves and white pepper). The wines’ minerality and high acidity meant they were unfazed by a tomato and red onion salad with feta. And while arguably too classy for taramosalata, tzatziki and dolmades, the pairing didn’t do them any disfavours. Though we didn’t try it, an intriguing match recommended by oenopole’s Theo Diamantis, who knows a thing or two about Greek wine and food, is the Mylos with lamb.
My dinner with wapiti
wapiti and I bought a bottle of the Movia last spring intending to drink it together but only got around to opening it at a recent dinner also attended by the other half of Pork Futures.
Cour-Cheverny 2001, Domaine des Huards (around $16 at the SAQ when purchased in c. 2003)
100% biodynamically farmed Romorantin. Lightly pressed, then racked. Fermented at 18 to 20ºC (64 to 68ºF) in stainless steel, then racked and left to mature on the lees for six months.
Pale straw gold with a green cast. Lemon and wax on the nose, with a faint oxidative note and a Riesling-like hint of kerosene. Richly textured, bone dry, with coursing acidity. Flavour reminiscent of lemon pith and oxidized sour apple on a chalky substrate. A hint of powdered ginger creeps in on the long, bitter-tinged finish. Seemed a little flat on opening, then blossomed for about half an hour before slowly losing its edge; in other words, considerably less vibrant than the bottle opened in 2007 and probably a little past peak, though still fascinating, even memorable. An excellent aperitif but not a successful match for bruschetta topped with a savoury zucchini “jam.”
The SAQ currently carries two other wines from this winemaker (here and here) but hasn’t stocked the Cour-Cheverny for several years. Hard to understand why. These days, as far as I know, the only way to get a Romorantin or Romorantin blend in Quebec is through the private import channel.
Brda 2002, Veliko Rdeče, Movia ($39.00, 11213757)
A blend dominated by Merlot with some Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon (the 2004 is 70-20-10) from organically farmed vines an average 35 years old. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in large tanks with natural yeasts obtained from the same pre-harvested grapes. Macerated three to four weeks until the end of fermentation, when the pomace cap settles and clears the wine. Transferred to French oak barriques for malolactic fermentation and six years’ aging on the lees with no racking. Sulphur is avoided until bottling, when a squirt of sulphur dioxide is added for stabilization. 13% ABV.
Opaque/hazy dark maroon, lighter at the rim but with very little bricking. Complex nose of cassis, spicy plum, iron, sawed wood, hints of kelp and smoke. Rich, broad, deep on the palate. Fruity but not to excess, the ripe sweetness showing mainly on the mid-palate. Soft, velvety texture. The tannins are very nearly resolved. Long finish with a spicy note. Very smooth and drinkable. Went supremely well with a 1.3 kg dry-aged prime rib grilled over very high heat.
Astoundingly, there’s some of this left at the SAQ. A well-made, fully mature, ten-year-old, world-class red for under $40. What’s not to like?
Chimera classica
Dropped by the neighbourhood SAQ in search of a Sangiovese to go with spaghetti al pesto rosso (recipe after the jump) and walked out with this. Though I would have preferred a more reserved wine, it did stand up well to the bold flavours of the pasta.
Chianti Classico 2009, Castello di Volpaia ($22.85, 10858262)
100% organically farmed Sangioveto (aka Sangiovese) according to the estate’s website and the Quebec agent; others say it contains 10% Merlot and Syrah. Whatever the variety, the grapes come from the estate’s own vineyards, the highest in altitude in the Chianti region, and are destemmed and lightly crushed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts for two weeks, with twice daily punching down. Macerated on the skins for a further ten days. After malolactic fermentaion, the wine is transferred to large Slavonian oak barrels for 14 months’ aging. 13.5% ABV.
Reticent and slightly reductive on opening. Begins to open after half an hour in the carafe. The nose is dominated by earth, graphite, old wood and green tobacco aromas; the tangy red fruit – mainly cherry – is very much in the background.
Rich on the attack. The sweet, ripe fruit is immediately apparent but soon countered and eventually subsumed by bright acidity, light but firm tannins, a basso continuo astringency and a crescendoing bitternness that lasts though the long, very dry, cigar boxy finish. Gains weight, smoothness and a New World-like character (driving fruit, noticeable oak, superficial intensity) as it breathes, though the finish remains unmistakeably Italian. A chimera.
Brett happens 