Posts Tagged ‘Private imports’
Ribiera’s 2010 Causse Toujours
IGP Pays de l’Hérault 2010, “Causse Toujours”, Domaine Ribiera ($23.30, 12 bottles/case, La QV)
IGP? Indication géographique protégée, the French version of the Europe-wide term replacing the national vin de pays. As of the 2009 vintage, VDPs are no more. See Jamie Goode’s article for the back story.
This particular IGP is 40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 20% Syrah, all from organically farmed, ten-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Destemmed, pumped over, racked and returned (délestage). Aged eight months in vats and demi-muids. No sulphur added, so should be stored at 15ºC (60ºF) or under.
Fragrant nose: black plum and grape, sun-baked earth, sweet spice, dried herbs and flowers (peony?). Supple, medium weight, texture verging on velvety. Rich, pure dark fruit with high-toned kirsch and deeper gamey notes. Sinewy tannins. The sweet fruit fades on the finish, leaving inky minerals, bitter herbs and a light, tooth-coating astringency. The high alcohol (14.5% abv) is felt, not tasted. A more conventional wine than, say, Clos Mathélisse’s Exorde (which Pichon also makes) but loveable for its purity, fluid savour and appealing combination of lightness and intensity.
For background on Domaine Ribiera, see the Languedoc Wine blog.
A bouquet of bubblies from La QV
Notes from an informal tasting of some of the sparklers represented by La QV. The champagnes are sold at the SAQ; the others can be ordered through the agency.
Bubulle 2009, Méthode traditionnelle, Les Pervenches ($30.00, 12 bottles per case)
2/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Seyval. Made from biodyanmically farmed grapes grown near Farnham in the Eastern Townships. Produced using the champagne method and with zero dosage. The owners have been making a few cases of sparkling wine for several years now (the 2008 was 100% Chardonnay) but this is the first vintage sold to the public. Only a half dozen or so cases have been released due to a purely aesthetic problem with the other bottles, namely the lees sticking to the side of the bottle instead of sliding into the neck for removal during disgorging. Encouraged by our and others’ assurances that such a superficial blemish wouldn’t prevent us from buying bottles, the winemaker said he may decide to offer the lees-streaked bottles for sale in the new year.
Crystal-clear with a slight green cast and a very fine bead. Appealing nose of brioche and lemon with subtle mineral and floral notes. Soft bubbles. Fruity but bone dry. Bright, clean and long with a gooseberry note (the Seyval?) coming out on the finish. Like the estate’s still Chardonnays, a delicious wine that can easily stand comparison with similarly priced wines from around the world. 12% abv.
Foule Bulles, Clos Saragnat ($15, 12 bottles per case)
This sparkling cider is made from fruit farmed organically near Frelighsburg. Several varieties of apple are pressed to make the base cider but fresh plum juice is used for the dosage. Rusty pink to the eye (due partly to the apple varieties and partly to intentional oxidation of the raw fruit). Nose of sweet apple and, yep, yellow plum. Fruity but with an appealing sourness. Fine bubbles. Long drying finish. 9% abv. As they say around here, original.
Vin mousseux de qualité 2004, Domaine de la Chappe ($22, 6 bottles per case)
Based in the Tonnerre AOC, located northeast of Chablis, Domaine de la Chappe has been organic-converting-to-biodynamic since the early naughts. Chardonnay (80%) and Pinot Noir (20%). Colour bordering on pale pink. Intriguing nose with hints of red berries and roasted coffee. Fine bubbles, soft effervescence. Flavourful with a woody edge. Good finish, with sourish fruit giving way to faint walnut flavours. Unusual and enjoyable.
Cava 2009, Brut nature, Cellers de Can Suriol del Castell de Grabuac ($20.75, 12 bottles per case)
Organically farmed Macabeu (30%), Xarel.lo (30%) and Parellada (30%). Lemon zest and quartz. Fine bead. Fruity and floral on the attack yet very dry. Tastes “white.” Lingering bread flavours. Clean, elegant and refreshing. 11.5% abv.
Champagne, Grand cru, Blanc de Noirs, E. Barnaut ($46.25, 11152958)
100% sustainably farmed Pinot Noir. Brioche, white fruit, lemon, oxidized apple. Less dry than the preceding. Denser, too, but lifted by the bubbles and acid. Long. Not incredibly complex or deep but tasty and good QPR. 12.0% abv.
Champagne 1996, Brut, Fleury ($97.50, 11544062)
Biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir (80%) and Chardonnay (20%). Aged under cork – not the usual crown cap – before disgorgement to allow micro-oxygenation and encourage the development of a finer effervescence. Yellow-gold to the eye. Powerful, complex nose: oxidized apple, lemon, honey and more. Rich and deep on the palate, with layers of flavour. Astoundingly fruity and winey and far from bone dry yet in no way heavy thanks to the soft effervescence and coursing acidity. Long. Assertive yet seductive, a complete wine. 12.5% abv.
MWG tasting with Pierre Breton: report
Loire winemaker Pierre Breton, who with his wife Catherine owns Domaine Breton, was in town for the Salon des vins d’importation privée. On Friday, November 4, just off the plane from Paris, he came to the MWG’s subterranean lair to lead a tasting of six wines from his current release.
As a group, the wines seemed like a reflection of the man: natural, precise, articulate, speaking of their place, never shouting, always repaying close attention.
Vouvray 2010, La Dilettante ($21.35)
100% Chenin Blanc. Undergoes malo to soften the acidity. Spends eight months in two- to three-year-old barrels. Nose of wax, chalk, hints of honeydew melon and wet wool, gaining a floral note as the evening wore on. Soft on the attack. Pure flavours as minerally as they are fruity. A refreshing sourness but no sharpness. Straightforward yet also layered and very long. Delicious and oh, so drinkable. Serve on its own or with fish, white meats, sweetbreads. A favourite of everyone at the tasting.
Bourgueil 2010, Trinch ($21.35)
Young-vine Cabernet Franc. Brambly red berries and black currants along with the leaves and stems, spice, hints of game, charcoal and eventually gingerbread. Soft on the palate: a light but velvety texture and very pure fruit. Clean finish with a slight tannic rasp. Simple but in no way boring. Served lightly chilled, a wine for pounding back. Not a keeper.
Chinon 2010, Beaumont ($21.35)
100% Cab Franc. The bottle at the tasting was, unfortunately, ever so slightly corked. It was still possible to see that this is a medium-bodied, well-balanced wine, more structured than the Trinch, with ripe fruit and some aging potential.
Bourgueil 2009, Clos Sénéchal ($29.60)
100% Cab Franc. A wine to cellar while drinking your Trinch and Beaumont. Closed but deep nose of spice, red fruit, green leaves and slate. Medium-bodied. Intensely pure fruit. Fine structure. Tight but not harsh tannins. Long. Give it four or five years in the cellar and it’ll be singing (or, if unable to defer the pleasure, carafe it for a couple of hours).
Bourgueil 2009, Nuits d’Ivresse ($45)
100% Cab Franc. The nose again closed, more spicy than fruity, with an underlay of leafmould and slate. Tight yet supple on the palate, the fruit, tannins and acidity adroitly balanced. Long, savoury finish and a lingering dryness. Not very expressive – a little austere, even – but full of potential.
Bourgueil 2009, Les Perrières ($30)
Price notwithstanding, Les Perrières is the domaine’s flagship cuvée. Made from old-vine (70+ years) Cab Franc, aged in one- to two-year-old casks. Pierre says that in good vintages it can last up to 40 years. The 2009 has a more expressive nose than the Nuits’s: dried dill, sweet fruit, spice box and a hint of oak. More supple and accessible. Pure and balanced, the core of sweet fruit wrapped in a tight net of tannins. Long, astringent finish. Will only improve with time.
Bourgueil 2005, Les Perrières ($35, importation valise)
Beginning to open up. Gorgeous bouquet, the kind you can get lost in: sweet fruit, violets, turned earth, planed wood and a whiff of spicy perfume. Still very young but the tannins are more evolved, less astringent than the 2009’s, the texture more caressing, with a promise of silkiness in store. Ripe fruit swells on the mid-palate. Long, earthy finish. A beautiful bottle.
All the wines except the last are brought in by oenopole, though they’re disappearing fast (I’ve already seen the Vouvray prominently featured on three restaurant wine lists).
Claude Courtois’s 2009 Quartz
Vin de France 2009, Quartz, Domaine Claude Courtois/Les Cailloux du Paradis ($28.00, 12 bottles/case, La QV)
Thought this was a second shipment of the 2008, which I so enjoyed last June, but it turns out to be the 2009, which I enjoyed even more. Popular with the province’s new-wave bistros and wine bars, this will sell out quickly, especially as it’s about 10% cheaper than the 2008.
100% Sauvignon Blanc. 12.2% ABV.
Nose of minerals and rain. Hints of citrus zest (more lime than lemon) and herby hay but no extroverted grassiness, boxwood or cat pee.
Very dry. Initial fruit quickly joined by a crystalline, citrusy sourness and a faint quinine-like bitterness. Brightly, not screechingly acidic. Long, clean, minerally finish. Subtle, pure, transparent: a watercolour, not an oil painting
So refreshing and tonic, like water from a mountain spring. What Chablis would be if it were made from Sauvignon Blanc.
Perfect with oysters Rockefeller. Almost as good with pan-seared scallops drizzled with a Meyer lemon and white wine reduction.
• • •
Domaine Claude Courtois/Les Cailloux du Paradis is in Sologne, a Loire Valley district located just south of Touraine. Courtois likes to describe himself as a winemaking peasant with a deep respect for nature. That means old-fashioned farming, with no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, and using atypical winemaking techniques designed to bring out the essence of the terroir. Currently 13 ha (32 acres) in size, the estate is planted mainly with Gamay (for the Nacarat cuvée); Cabernet Franc, Cot and Cabernet Sauvignon (Racines cuvée); Sauvignon Blanc (Quartz and Plume d’ange cuvées) and Pineau (Alkimya cuvée). He has got into trouble with local authorities for planting Syrah (not to mention the rumoured Barbera, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, etc.), even though historical records show that it was part of the region’s grape mix prior to the phylloxera crisis.
Wine Terroirs profile
French Facebook page run by fans (Courtois is said to be, well, if not exactly a Luddite, someone who has little time for modern technology)
The estate’s way out-of-date website
Some excellent photos of Courtois and his estate and of Olivier Cousin
La Stoppa’s 2009 Gutturnio
Colli Piacentini 2009, Gutturnio, La Stoppa ($19.40, 12 bottles/case)
A blend of organically farmed Barbera and Bonarda. Fermented with native yeasts.
So intriguing. The nose is unlike any other: hay loft, old leather-bound books, dried beef, turned earth exposed to the sun for a while, black tea leaves and a hint of barnyard against a gossamer backdrop of red fruit stewed with spices. (If it’s not obvious, I’m grasping for descriptors.) The first sip brings a surprise: a sparkling tingle. Judging by the label, this isn’t the estate’s frizzante cuvée that bears the same name but it almost could be. Exceedingly dry yet light and fleet on the palate: acid galore, a fluid texture, light and raspy-bordering-on-rustic tannins and a long sour-fruity finish, all lifted by that spritz. Lingering dried wood (or is it lightly roasted coffee?) and faint astringency. You’d never suspect it was 13.5% ABV.
The fruit sweetens and the carbon dioxide diminishes as the wine breathes.
Cries out for salumi, though it’d also be great with spaghetti with pesto rosso, grilled sausages or just about anything in tomato sauce. A private import from oenopole, and it looks like they’ve got some left.
January 13th MWG tasting: report
FLIGHT 1: FOUR TABLE WINES FROM LES VENTS D’ANGE
Cuvée Valérie 2009, Vignoble Les Vents d’Ange ($15, Sublime Vins et Spiritueux)
100% Kay Gray. Floral, citrusy nose, extroverted in a Sauvignon Blanc kind of way. Bright and clean on the palate, with an acidic bite on the finish. Refreshing. (Buy again? Yes.)
Cuvée Catherine 2009, Vignoble Les Vents d’Ange ($15.50, Sublime Vins et Spiritueux)
50% Kay Gray, 50% Prairie Star. More restrained nose: hints of white flowers, spice and musk grapes. Rounder and smoother on the palate than the Valérie, a fact due not only to the less acidic Prairie Star but also to the higher residual sugar. White fruit with a suggestion of something green (fennel? bok choy?). Soft, buttery, minerally finish. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Cuvée Marie-Rose 2008, Vignoble Les Vents d’Ange ($13, Sublime Vins et Spiritueux)
And now for something completely different. 100% Montreal Blues (aka St. Theresa and Flambeau), a Concord-type black table grape. Candied apple, sour plum, a hint of foxiness and an oxidized note, a little like a rancio Banyuls. Intensely fruity yet surprisingly, even shockingly dry. Acidic, clean but abrupt finish. (Buy again? Doubtful.)
Cuvée Alexandria 2008, Vignoble Les Vents d’Ange ($15.50, Sublime Vins et Spiritueux)
70% Montreal Blues, 30% St. Croix. Oak chips added during fermentation. Spice and candied raspberry with subtle wood. Medium-bodied, brightly acidic. Straightforward fruit flavours, a suggestion of oak, a bit more than a suggestion of residual sugar. Light, raspy tannins and a tingly finish. (Buy again? Probably not.)
A relatively new arrival on the Quebec winemaking scene (first vintage was 2006), Vignoble Les Vents d’Ange is located in St-Joseph-du-Lac just east of Oka. In deference to the climate, the winery works exclusively with hardy hybrid cultivars developed by Wisconsin grape breeder Elmer Swenson. I first encountered the wines in November at the Quebec wine and cheese expo, where I found their straightforwardness and lack of pretension refreshing. This time around, the dry whites were exactly as I remembered them (my two sets of tasting notes use many of the same descriptors) while the rosé and red didn’t show nearly as well; this may have something to do with the fact that our bottles were uncorked only minutes before serving while the bottles at the expo had been open for a while.
FLIGHT 2: THREE AFFORDABLE AUSTRIAN RIESLINGS
Riesling Federspiel Terrassen 2009, Domäne Wachau ($18.35, 11034775)
Lime with a hint of lanolin. Clean, pure and intense: heading into racy territory. Biting finish somewhat rounded by residual sugar. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Riesling Kamptal Trocken 2009, Domaene Gobelsburg ($18.35, 10790309)
Minerals. Slight tingle, almost a fizz. Bracing acidity balanced by pure if lean fruit. Came across as very dry when chilled. Long, fieldstone finish. (Buy again. Yes.)
Riesling Kamptal 2008, Steinhaus, Weingut Rabl ($20.95, 10790341)
Stony with an initial spice-box note (curry?). Smoother, slightly sweeter and a little more complex than the other two. Acidic finish. (Buy again? Maybe.)
All three wines, especially the Wachau and Rabl, seemed to gain weight and sweetness as they warmed in the glass. Few of us thought this was a good thing; keep the bottles in the fridge or ice bucket when not pouring.
FLIGHT 3: TWO BOTTLINGS OF LAPIERRE’S 2009 MORGON
Morgon 2009, Domaine Marcel Lapierre ($26.80, 11305344)
The “SAQ” bottling: lightly sulphured and filtered. 100% organically farmed Gamay. Slightly clearer and more limpid. Pure fruit. Showing a bit harsher with a little less depth and character. Not as complete though still lovely. Tasting blind, three of the 12 people present chose this as the “Nature.” (Buy again? Moot. September’s initial release of 1,800 bottles sold out in six hours; a recent, less hyped restocking vanished almost as fast, though a few stragglers remain in St-Jean de Matha and other remote outlets.)
Morgon 2009, “Nature,” Domaine Marcel Lapierre ($27.55, Rézin–NLA)
The winemaker’s regular bottling: unfiltered and unsulphured. 100% organically farmed Gamay. A little cloudier. More complex nose: minerals, peony, spice and a bit of funk. More faceted and serious. Longer too. Acid, fruit and light tannins in perfect balance. Pure, lovely, caressing. Nine of the 12 tasters identified this as the “Nature.” (Buy again? If only I could.)
The late lamented Marcel provides some background in a short video made during his visit to Quebec last spring.
The differences between the two bottlings became increasingly apparent as the wines breathed. When I returned to my glasses after the tasting was over (about two hours after the bottles were opened), the SAQ bottling had lost presence and gained harshness while the “Nature” bottling was still chugging sweetly along.
FLIGHT 4: TWO ORGANIC SYRAH-GRENACHE BLENDS
Côtes du Vivarais 2007, Domaine Gallety ($23.70, 00918615)
Earlier vintages have been a 50-50 blend of biodynamically farmed Syrah and Grenache; I assume the 2007 is too. Slightly candied nose initially marked by alcohol (15.9%!) and volatile acidity; the latter eventually blew off, leaving plum, red meat and beef jerky. An intense mouthful of spicy baked fruit and tannins. Long, hot, garrigue-scented finish. Dry but somewhat port-like, the heat only partially balanced by the fruit. May improve with time though it will never become refreshing. (Buy again? Nope.)
Coteaux du Languedoc 2007, Cuvée 5 920 km, Terrenum ($23.25, Réserve et Sélection)
Organically farmed Syrah (65%) and Grenache (35%). Aged five months in new French oak casks. 1,800 bottles made. An altogether earthier nose than the Gallety’s: garrigue, black raspberry and a whiff of barnyard. Very dry, less tannic, somewhat lighter-bodied, with livelier acid: overall more digeste. Plum and spice flavours gain a faint bitter tarriness on the nicely sustained finish. (Buy again? Yes.)
Côtes du Vivarais is a relatively new (created in 1999) and obscure appellation that straddles the Ardèche river and, at one point, touches the west bank of the Rhône. Kermit Lynch, among others, claim the Gallety estate is the missing link between the northern and southern Rhône regions. Terrenum is a négociant operation run by Montrealer Simon Thibaudeau.
FLIGHT 5: FOUR FIVE SUB-SUPERTUSCANS
Toscana IGT 2008, Maremma, Mongrana, Querciabella ($19.90, 11192183)
Organically farmed Sangiovese (50%), Merlot (25%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%); a fraction of the wine sees three months in casks. The 2008 is the fourth vintage. Cassis and pencil lead, gaining a candied note and a hint of volatility as it breathed. Medium-bodied. Fluid. Structured, the tannins drying on the finish, but not particularly deep. Fruit sweeter and spicier than in the same house’s Chiantis. Good if a little one-dimensional and anonymous. (Buy again? Eh.)
Bolgheri 2007, Villa Donoratico, Argentiera ($27.25, 10845074)
Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Cabernet Franc (25%) and Merlot (10%); aged 12 months in new and one-year French oak barrels. Freshly ground beef, green pepper, cassis and ash. Smooth, round. Tannins seem fruit-cloaked, in the background. Oak a little too present for now. Good structure and length. Decent enough but lacking charm. (Buy again? No.)
Bolgheri 2008, Le Serre Nuove, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia ($59, 10223574)
The second wine of Ornellaia. Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Cabernet Franc (9%) and Petit Verdot (6%). Aged 18 months in a mix of new and year-old oak casks. Nose dominated by sweet oak (vanilla, toast, chocolate), albeit very classy oak; Bordeauxish cassis, graphite and cedar are also present, though you have to look for them. Far too oaky on first taste. With time, the wood receded slightly and you could see the makings of an elegant, structured and balanced wine. Obviously needs another five years or so to mature. That said, I’m left wondering whether it will ever taste Italian. (Buy again? No.)
Maremma Toscana IGT 2005, Sesà, I Vigneti di Poggio Foco ($39.50, 10538728)
Organically farmed Merlot (50%), Cabernet Franc (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) with the remainder made up of other, unspecified grape varieties. Spent 18 months in new French oak barrels. Lovely fresh nose of cassis and graphite yet more Langhe- than Bordeaux-like. Smooth and fluid texture. More medium- than full-bodied. Tobacco and cedar – but oddly little oak – scent the fruit. Good structure and acidity. Ripe tannins turn a little drying on the long finish. Many tasters’ wine of the night. (Buy again? Sure.)
Bolgheri Superiore 2007, Sapaio, Podere Sapaio ($47.50, 10860805)
Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (30%) with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Spent 18 months in oak casks. Complex and engaging nose: black cherry, red meat, ink, slate, wood, fresh-turned earth, grass/herbs, hint of kirsch (14.5%). Rich and dense, big and muscular but not galumphing. Sweet fruit on entry with a swelling bitter undercurrent. Velvety tannins, showing some astringency on finish. As the wine breathed, the oak became more apparent. Long, liqueurish (Chambord?) finish. A sun-drenched Cabernet, bordering on New Worldish yet retaining its Italian accent. Will likely improve over the next five to eight years. Made a credible pairing for a grilled rib eye sliced and drizzled with garlic- and rosemary-infused olive oil. (Buy again? Not my style but recommendable all the same.)
Popular with SAQ wine advisors and local critics, the Sapaio has a reputation for punching above its weight. I’d originally planned to include it in the tasting but inadvertently left it at home, leading to its last-minute replacement by Le Serre Nuove.
FLIGHT 6: A KAY GRAY ICE WINE
Cuvée Blanche 2008, Vin de glace, Vignobles Les Vents d’Ange ($35/375 ml, Sublime Vins et Spiritueux)
100% Kay Gray. Apple butter and honey nose with a hint of spice and vanilla. Sweet but not saccharine. Acidic enough to avoid syrupiness. Not particularly complex flavour profile. Long, honeyed finish with a cheesy note. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Exordium for a welterweight
It had been a long day for the Pork Futures guys but they’d managed to sell their umpteen kilos of sausage, cured duck breast, beef jerky, headcheese and other goodies. The hordes had departed, only to be replaced by a crushing wave of fatigue.
A last bottle was opened, glasses filled. The guys took a sip and sat up straight, eyes open wide. “Wow!” “This is fun!” “What is this?”
What is this? A wine that can revive the dead, apparently.
The label reads:
EXORDE 2009
Vin de France
Mise en bouteille par David Caer
Clos Mathélisse
Later that evening I searched the Web, trying various combinations of the wine’s name, estate and producer. Not a single hit. How often does that happen?
The bottle was a straggler picked up at La QV’s organic market event last fall. The next day I gave Mr. La QV, Cyril Kérébel, a call. Here’s what he told me:
Clos Mathélisse is a new estate – a couple of vineyards actually – owned by David Caer. 2009 is its second vintage. Its wines are made by Régis Pichon of Domaine Ribiera, whose Grenache-Carignan blend La Vista impressed me in October. Both Clos Mathélisse and Domaine Ribiera are located in Aspiran, a commune in the Hérault département of the Languedoc. (Aspiran is also the name of a once popular but now rapidly disappearing local red grape variety still permitted in Minervois wines.)
Pichon makes natural wines from organically farmed grapes and indigenous yeasts. He destems his red wine grapes before pressing. Whether to punch down, pump over or sit tight is decided on a day-to-day basis. Fermentation and maceration typically last 15 to 25 days. The wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined. Very little sulphur is added, so the winemaker recommends that the bottles be stored at 15ºC (60ºF) or less.
Clos Mathélisse’s Exorde is 100% Cinsault. Pichon says his aim for the variety is “matière veloutée et arômes” (velvety substance and aromas), both of which Exorde has in spades. That said, it’s a vin plaisir, an easy drinker, not a vin de contemplation or a keeper for that matter.
None of us was taking notes the evening we opened the bottle. My initial memory is one of delight. I also recall the wine as being slightly cloudy to the eye and extrovertedly funky-fruity to the nose. The fruit had a wild flavour, like elderberry or wild cherry, while the tannins were raspy and light. There was also a je ne sais quoi quality quite unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in a wine, including other Cinsaults from the Languedoc.
A few days later I asked the Pork Futures boys for their impressions. “Ripe fruit with a note higher up on the palate, something mineral or medicinal but not green (fennel? mint?), and a silky texture,” said one. “Light-bodied, like a Pinot, maybe with some Beaujolais hints. Not overly ripe. A super-fun wine that puts a smile on your face,” said the other.
The bad news was that La QV had sold out of the wine when I inquired in November. The good news is that a small second shipment is slated to arrive on a private-import basis in early February. Price should be $20.50 a bottle, 12 bottles per case. Carpe diem.
Be there or be square
The 2010 edition of Raspipav‘s Salon des vins d’importation privée, the city’s most enjoyable wine show, is taking place this Sunday and Monday, November 14 and 15, at the Marché Bonsecours in Old Montreal. The doors are open to the general public from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday. $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 that you’re serious about wine appreciation.
More than 500 wines, none of them available at the SAQ, will be poured. A pride of visiting winemakers will also be on hand to present their products and answer questions.
Several agencies have events with winemakers planned in the days before and after the salon. For example, on Sunday evening, La QV will be holding what looks like a fun and affordable cocktail dînatoire with Spanish and French winemakers in their new space on Beaubien. Rézin is organizing several events, including a dinner on Thursday featuring some of the delightful wines of Gaillac’s Domaine de la Causse Marines at Les Trois Petits Bouchons. And oenopole is hosting François Barmès of the biodynamic Alsatian estate Barmès-Buecher for a “six à sec” at Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins on Monday and a $90 (taxes included) four-course, six-wine meal at Au Cinquième Péché on Tuesday.
A bouquet of affordable red Bordeaux (right-bank edition)
Yet more notes – the last – from the under-$30 Bordeaux event. Arranged in order of increasing price. It wasn’t always clear whether the quoted private import prices were for restaurants or individuals, so check with the agency concerned before submitting your order.
Côtes de Castillon 2006, Cuvée Prestige, Château Vieux Monpezat ($16.90, 10844813)
Cassis, cigar box, hint of vanilla: classic. Smooth but grippy, with clean fruit, good balance and a long finish. Great QPR.
Puisseguin Saint-Émilion 2007, Château des Laurets ($18.25, 371401)
Merlot with about 20% Cabernet Franc. Estate acquired by Château Clarke owner Benjamin de Rothschild in 2003 and advised by Michel Rolland (microbullage !). Red fruit, spice and oak on the nose. Supple entry, pure fruit, subtle oak. Lingering mild astringency. Could use more focus and depth.
Premières Côtes de Blaye 2004, Château La Raz Caman ($18.60, 888578)
Around 2/3 Merlot and 1/4 Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance made up by Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Classic red Bordeaux nose: spicy plum, oak, tobacco. Clean and fruity attack. Supple tannins and bright acid structure the mid-palate. Shortish finish. Correct.
Lalande de Pomerol 2004, Château La Croix des Moines ($24.25, 973057)
Merlot with about 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Spent 14 months in barrels, 25% new. Sweet and sour cassis with toast and menthol notes. Plump fruit and tight tannins. Good length. Seems closed but promising.
Côtes de Francs 2005, Château Le Puy ($24.45, 709469)
Merlot with a little Cabernet Sauvignon and maybe a dash of Carmenère. Biodynamic and, going by the clarity, unfiltered and unfined. Engaging nose despite the hint of barnyard: cassis, herbs, candied plum, red meat. Smooth, medium bodied, lacy tannins. Savoury herbs and sweet fruit, turning a little tart on the long finish. Distinctive, authentic and delicious: a real winner.
Lalande de Pomerol 2007, Le Pavillon de Saint-Jacques ($27.39, 6 bottles/case, Plan Vin)
80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fresh and appealing nose: cassis, raspberries, green leaves and flowers. Round and smooth on the surface but with underlying tannins. Sweet berry fruit. Good length. Another winner.
Canon-Fronsac 2006, Candelaire, Château Lamarche-Canon ($32.75, 00912204)
90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Spent 16 months in oak barrels, 35% new. Toasty plum, black raspberry and spice. Rich and pure with tight, dense tannins and an oaky overlay. Long and well proportioned if a little monolithic for now: could use a couple of years in the cellar.
Brett happens 