Somewhereness 2013: Charles Baker
Charles Baker currently makes two wines, both Rieslings and both from purchased grapes. (A red may be in the works.) In absence of a dedicated winery, the wine-making is done at Stratus, where Baker is director of sales. The wines are made only with the post-crushing free-run juice and are fermented and matured in stainless steel. They clearly express a sense of place, being true to both the grape and their origin – not mock German, Alsatian or Austrian but unique, with their own sense of style, their own somewhereness.
Riesling 2011, Picone Vineyard, Twenty-Mile Bench VQA, Charles Baker ($35.25, Rézin, 6 bottles/case)
100% Riesling from 30-year-old vines grown in the Picone vinyeard on Vinemount Ridge. Screwcapped. 20 g/l residual sugar. 11% ABV.
Fresh, clean nose: dusty limestone, lemon/lime, green apple and a floral note. Smooth, even tender in the mouth. Present but not heavy, off-dry but with a tart substructure. Long limestoney finish. Remarkably poised for an adolescent. (Buy again? Yes, despite wishing it was in the $25 to $30 range.)
While the 2011 Picone was the only wine Baker was pouring at Somewhereness 2013, I’m taking advantage of this opportunity to post notes on two more of his wines that I recently enjoyed.
Riesling 2006, Picone Vineyard, Twenty-Mile Bench VQA, Charles Baker
The second vintage of the wine. 100% Reisling from 25-year-old vines grown in the Picone vineyard on Vinemount Ridge. Screwcapped. 25 g/l residual sugar. 11% ABV.
Complex, engaging nose of petrol, spice and citrus. Balanced intensity. Tense but not tight. A shade sweeter than the 2011 on the attack but drier on the finish. The fruit and minerals are fully integrated, inseparable: the product of time. Great length and purity. Transparent in the sense that the grape and terroir come through like light through glass. Saying this is the best New World Riesling I’ve tasted doesn’t do it justice: truly world-class. (Buy again? If only I could.)
Riesling 2012, Ivan Vineyard, Twenty-Mile Bench VQA, Charles Baker ($27.00 at Stratus)
100% Riesling from young vines grown in a 12-acre vineyard planted at the turn of the century. Screwcapped. 13 g/l residual sugar. 11.5% ABV.
Lime, linden, green leaves. Clean, tart, refreshing. Sour apple upfront, limestone more in background. Pure and intense with a lip-smacking finish. (Buy again? Yes.)
Somewhereness 2013: Introduction
Ask winegrowers, winemakers, sommeliers, wine merchants or wine writers to define terroir and you’ll get different but overlapping answers. For some, it’s the soil – the geology – period. For others, it’s that plus the vineyard’s topography, the lay of the land. Still others add climate – sunniness, degree days, rainfall – to the mix. A few will say it’s the interaction between all these factors and the people who work the land and make the wine.
I suspect this last definition – the land, its lay and the climate as expressed through the vintner’s art – is close to what six of Ontario’s better wineries had in mind when they banded together to form the Somewhereness group. One of its members, Norm Hardie, defines the concept of somewhereness as “not terroir but more … a place that you’re happy in, where you’re bien dans ta peau.”
The Somewhereness website is a little more specific about what the concept means to its members: place (bordering Lake Ontario), soil (clay and limestone), quality (a dedication to making premium wines) and stewardship (caring for the land, which has led to an increasing reliance on organic and biodynamic farming). And though they don’t specifically list it, they do refer to climate: “the coolest fine wine region on Earth.”
After holding annual events in various rest-of-Canada cities, Somewhereness recently premiered in Quebec at a well-attended presentation and tasting for wine media and trade types held at Montreal’s SAT. Here’s hoping the positive reception leads to wider availability of the group’s wares in local restaurants and on the SAQ’s shelves (while a few of the wines are available at the monopoly, most are private imports).
All 12 current Somewhereness members were present (13th Street, Bachelder Niagara, Cave Spring, Charles Baker, Flat Rock, Hidden Bench, Hinterland, Malivoire, Norman Hardie, Southbrook, Stratus and Tawse). I managed to visit eight tables before the end and will post my notes over the next week or two. First up, the wines of the group’s founder, Charles Baker.
Tricked out or treat
Margaux 2009, Château Charmant ($42.25, 00868620)
Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). Destemmed. Cold soak is followed by “traditional” vinification: Fermentation with selected yeasts (Davis 522) in concrete vats at 28 to 30ºC for about 21 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vats, after which the wine is transferred to oak barrels (25% new, 25% second fill, 50% second or third fill). 13.5% ABV.
Nose dominated by cassis and graphite. Plush and round on the palate. Dense, ripe fruit and a layer of sweet oak cushion the considerable tannic structure and acidity. Still quite primary. Broad and long, not so deep. Well made if modern in style. Probably fine with, say, a leg of lamb but, for now at least, a little heavy and cloying on its own. (Buy again? Probably not.)
IGT Toscana 2011, Guidalberto, Tenuta San Guido ($45.25, 10483384)
Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot (40%). Fermented separately in in stainless steel tanks at 30 to 31ºC. Macerated 15 days. Spends 15 months in oak barrels, French and a few American. Bottle-aged an additional three months. 14% ABV.
Cherry, cassis, some background pencil lead and tobacco-ish herbs and a whack of spicy oak. Medium- to full-bodied. While ripe and radiant, the fruit is admirably restrained. The tannins are firm but sleek, not at all rebarbative. The acidity is fresh and energizing. Surprisingly, oak doesn’t dominate the clean, layered and persistent flavours. This elegant, balanced, beautifully proportioned wine is the best of the several vintages I’ve tasted and the only one potentially deserving of the oft-applied “baby Sassicaia” moniker. (Buy again? Yes.)
Both wines had been carafed for about six hours. On opening, the Guidalberto was reportedly tighter than a drum.
So Tissot
Arbois 2011, Chardonnay, Domaine André et Mireille Tissot ($24.95, 11194701)
100% organically and biodynamically farmed Chardonnay from vines more than a quarter of a century old. Manually harvested. Pneumatically pressed. Fermented with native yeasts and matured for 12 months in oak barrels that are kept topped up so the wine doesn’t oxidize. Lightly filtered. A miniscule amount of sulphur dioxide is added at bottling. 13.5% ABV.
Pear, lemon, chalk, faint dried herbs, distant smoke. Intense on the palate, the richness cut by bracing acidty. The wine’s tension, fruit and crystalline minerality are reminiscent of Chablis but the flavours are otherwise: earthier and showing hints of oxidized butter (probably salted), white spice and something vaguely floral like chamomile or fennel pollen. The long, clean finish is tangy in that way that almost requires you to take another sip. Stupendous QPR. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
Salon des vins d’importation privée: 2013 edition
The sixth and biggest ever edition of Raspipav‘s Salon des vins d’importation privée, the city’s most enjoyable wine show, is taking place this Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3. The venue is the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal. The doors are open from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. (A separate session from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday is limited to in-the-business types.) $15 gets you admission, a tasting glass and a few coupons you use to pay for the wines you taste. Additional coupons are available for purchase, though in practice few booths charge for tastes if they see you’re serious about wine appreciation.
Around 80 visiting winemakers will be on hand to present their products. More than 1,000 wines, none of them available at the SAQ, will be poured. What’s more, for the first time ever, you’ll be able to purchase wines by the bottle instead of the usual case (you pay at the salon; delivery by courrier is a few weeks later).
A number of events with winemakers are planned before, during and after the salon. Six I know about are: a winemakers’ dinner at Les Trois Petits Bouchons on Thursday; Raspipav’s own La Paulée and oenopole’s more intimate four-course dinner at Nora Gray with Catherine Breton, Filippo Masseti. Thomas Pico and Ferdinando Principiano both on Friday; the concluding Vins, Vignerons et Vinyl bash at SAT’s FoodLab on Monday, featuring DJs, a bevy of big name local chefs and wines from Vinnovation, La QV, oenopole and Bambara; and Planvin’s tasting of Renard wines led by winemaker Bayard Fox and accompanied by hors d’oeuvres at Casa Bianca and La QV’s dinner with Morgane Fleury and Jean Roger Groult at Restaurant Les Affamés on Tuesday.
MWG October 17th tasting (5/5): New and old style Rioja
Rioja Reserva 2005, Siete Viñas, Barón de Ley ($39.50, 11962627)
An unusual blend of the seven grape varieties, including white, permitted in Rioja: Tempranillo (55%), Garnacha (15%), Graciano (15%), Mazuelo (7%), Viura (7%), Malvasia (2%) and Garnacha Blanca (1%). Manually harvested. The varieties were vinified and matured separately in French and American oak barrels for three years, then blended and aged another 12 months in French oak foudres. 14.5% ABV. The Cellier New Arrivals wine in this flight.
Meat, sawed wood, bright candied fruit, oak and musk. Concentrated and fruit-forward but surprisingly fresh; smooth on the surface but tense and astringent underneath; impressively broad but not what you’d call deep. The fruit seems perfumed (the white varieties speaking?), redolent of spice, flowers, sandalwood, balsam and, of course, oak, with some coffee and graphite joining in on the long finish. Fans of New World wine will enjoy this; traditionalists may too, even as they note that it’s not very Rioja-like. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Rioja Reserva 2001, Viña Tondonia, R. Lopez de Heredia ($42.75, 11667901)
Estate-grown Tempranillo (75%), Garnacha (15%) and Graciano and Mazuelo (10%). Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured in estate-made American oak barrels for six years, with twice yearly racking. Fined with egg whites. Bottled unfiltered. 13% ABV.
Lighter and redder than the red-purple Siete Viñas, with a hint of brick at the pale rim. The closed nose – little but anise and sweet spices at first – soon blossoms, with berries, cherry, old wood, leather, underbrush and clay wafting from the glass. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied, tart, lean and, despite the mildly astringent tannins, supple. The glowing core of sweet fruit is shrouded in thin, crinkly layers of dried herbs, minerals, old excelsior and leaf mould and, like a cooling ember, fades through the long slatey finish. So civilized, so balanced, so authentic. Continued evolving over the hour or so it was in my glass, indicating it hasn’t peaked yet. (Buy again? With pleasure.)
MWG October 17th tasting (4/5): Poor man’s Priorat?
Montsant 2011, Cellers Can Blau ($22.95, 11034644)
A new project started by the owners of Bodegas Juan Gil. Carignan (40%), Syrah (40%) and Grenache (20%) from vines averaging 40 years old. Manually harvested. Matured 12 months in French oak barrels, 30% new. 14.5% ABV according to the SAQ; 15.5% ABV according to the label. This flight’s Cellier New Arrivals wine.
Oak, spice, vanilla, slate and eventually toast. Grew in interest as it breathed. Rich and chocolatey on the palate. Fruit (black and blue) marks the attack, minerals the mid-palate and spice the finish. Hides the alcohol well but the combination of soft structure, low acidity and ultraripe fruit makes for a wine that’s more flaccid and lethargic than ideal. (Buy again? Meh.)
Montsant 2010, Vespres, Celler Dosterras ($23.90, 11667361)
A blend of Grenache (80%) and Samso (aka Carignan) from 20- to 50-year-old vines that are farmed organically, though the estate doesn’t appear to be certified. Manually harvested. Macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks, then transferred to oak barrels for malolactic maceration. Matured 11 months in 300-litre French oak barrels. No clarification or stabilization until bottling, when it is very lightly filtered. Bottle-aged at least three months before release. 14% ABV.
Appealing nose: leather, old wood, dried earth, slate, blackberry and raspberry. A tasty if concentrated mouthful of spicy red and black fruit with redwood and spice, structuring tannins and enlivening acidity. Very dry for such a juicy wine. Long. The best of the three. (Buy again? Quite possibly.)
Montsant 2011, Jaspi Negre, Coca i Fitó ($18.50, 11387351)
Jaspi is the label for the estate’s entry-level Montsants. The red is made from Grenache (45%), Carignan (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) and Syrah (15%) from organically farmed 15- to 90-year old vines. Manually harvested. Matured three to four months in French and American oak barrels. 14.5% ABV.
Candied cherry, marshmallow, hints of cinnamon and licorice. In the mouth, it proves relatively simple, dry but intensely fruity. Saved from bombdom by a sour/bitter current, dark mineral substrate and sufficient if subdued structure. The fair finish brings some roasted coffee and chocolate but not the expected alcoholic flare. Would probably show better at the dining – not the tasting – table. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Ilico presto
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011, Ilico, Azienda Agricola Dino Illuminati ($15.95, 10858123)
100% Montepulciano. The grapes are sorted and destemmed, gently crushed, macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 28ºC. Upon completion of malolactic fermentation, the wine is transferred into 250-litre Slavonian oak barrels for ten months’ maturation. Bottle-aged three or four months before release. The cuvée’s name, Ilico, is Latin for “on the spot” and these days is usually spelled illico. 13.5% ABV.
Sawdust, roast beef, dried herbs, black pepper. An hour or so after the bottle was opened, the fruit (black raspberry) and some sweet spice begin to emerge (so carafe it already!). Medium-bodied and supple, with ripe but not heavy fruit, bright acidity, lightly raspy tannins and some background old wood. Fair finish with that typically Italian bitter note and drying astringency. Not memorable but not bad, especially with food, though I kept thinking that a natural version (organic, spontaneously fermented, unmanipulated, unsulphured) would be a lot more fun. As it is, a decent enough weekday dinner wine. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG October 17th tasting (3/5): Bierzo @ $20, $25 & $30
Bierzo 2008, Men de Mencia, Pago del Vicario ($20.55, 11962715)
100% Mencía. Matured 12 months in French and Caucasian oak barrels. 13.5% ABV
Closed nose: earthy-verging-on-muddy plum and spice. Dense but fluid, with supple tannins, sleek acidity and dark minerals. The nose’s plums taste a little stewed. I’m not getting any oak and that’s a good thing. One-dimensional but not without appeal. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Bierzo 2008, El Castro de Valtuille, Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa ($25.60, 11155569)
100% Mencía from 70- to 80-year-old dry-farmed vines. Manually harvested. Fermented partly in French oak barrels. Matured 14 months in French oak barrels. Unfiltered. 14.5% ABV
Reeking of ethyl acetate, with a strong lipstick aroma. That slowly receded, allowing plum, black raspberry, pomegranate and some dried sweat to come through. Concentrated and fruity but not heavy. Tangy acidity, gritty tannins and a dusting of graphite and spice give the wine energy. Long and surprisingly fresh for such a high-alcohol wine. Seemed to strike a balance between the Men de Mencia’s plainness and the Carracedo’s high polish. Absent the EA, this would have been my wine of the flight. (Buy again? Assuming ours was an off bottle, yes.)
Bierzo 2007, Mencia, Carracedo, Bodega del Abad ($30.00, 11963478)
100% Mencía. Manually harvested. Macerated for ten days prior to fermentation. Ferementation lasted 12 days. Not subjected to harsh treatment. Matured 12 months in superfine grain Allier oak barrels with medium toast. Unfiltered. 14% ABV. Another of the Cellier New Arrivals wines.
Dark fruit, slate, spice, vanilla and, as our resident dill detector pointed out, a hint of that herb (in its dried form). Smooth and elegant. The whirl of fruit and earthy minerals is lifted by acidity, textured by velvety tannins. Sweet and spicy oak is definitely present but not overwhelming. Long, chewy finish. (Buy again? Maybe.)
MWG October 17th tasting (2/5): The naked and the clad
Rueda 2012, Bodega de Los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal ($14.35, 10270725)
100% Verdejo. Destemmed, cold-soaked on the skins and clarified through settling and fining, then fermented at around 14ºC for 20 days. After a short stay in barrels, the wine is bottled, usually in the winter that follows the harvest. Screwcapped. 13% ABV.
White grapefruit, cat pee, granite dust and barely audible lychee and dried herb high notes. Light and bright, very dry yet intensely fruity with a faint nut skin-like bitterness. Not deep but quite long. Yes, it’s a bit faceless. But it’s also clean, fresh and refreshing. As the French say, correct, especially at the price. (Buy again? Sure though not in preference to Ijalba’s similarly priced Genoli, which is made from organically farmed Viura grapes.)
Rueda 2008, Naiades, Bodegas Naia ($29.95, 11962707)
100% Verdejo from old vines, some of them centenarians. Manually harvested. Barrel-fermented then transferred to new French oak barrels for eight months’ maturation. Attractive label. Ridiculously heavy bottle. 13.5% ABV. One of the wines in the Cellier New Arrivals release.
Fragrant bouquet of tropical fruit, vanilla and coconut with background minerals and char. While you could say the dense fruit is balanced by the grape’s naturally high acidity, to my palate the wine is sweet and cloying. And if the oak doesn’t exactly mask the fruit, it certainly envelops it. Broad and long, this is far closer to a buttery New World Chardonnay – albeit one with some minerals and muscle tone – than to traditional Ruedas like the Marqués de Riscal or, for that matter, Naia’s own eponymous cuvée. Not at all my style though some people will love it. (Buy again? Nope.)
Brett happens 