winellama

Cabernet Franc, Les Muriers, Anjou Villages AC, Loïc Mahé, Loire Valley, France, 12.5% abv. 2013, US$20

Posted on May 15, 2017 by winellama

These are a few of my favourite things.

From a site located in the western part of Savennières and north of the Loire River, Brittany native Loïc Mahé grows bio/organic grapes on shale soils and makes unfiltered wines fermented with natural yeasts and few interventions like sulfites or chaptalisation.

Yes, it’s admittedly difficult (although not impossible) to find in North America. Make the effort though – it tastes great.

On the eyes, a translucent ruby with pristine aromas of crunchy raspberry and green leaf with a mineral kick.

The palate is dry with scratchy tannins and medium minus body. Flavours show very clean raspberry and tayberry with more green leaf and a strong finish.

So clean, elegant and layered, it’s WSET Very Good and went perfectly with BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, summertime cherry tomatoes and purple field peppers.

Posted in Cabernet Franc, France, Loire, OTHER, RED | Tagged 2013, Anjou Villages AC, bio, cabernet franc, france, Les Muriers, Loïc Mahé, loire valley, red wine, savennieres | Leave a comment

Tire Bouchon, D’Ourea, Adrien Roustan, Vacqueyras, IGP, France, 2014, 13% abv.

Posted on May 11, 2017 by winellama

Quick, I’m going to test your memory of high school French. What does tire bouchon mean? Corkscrew!

And you will want your corkscrew for this – so you can drink it all by yourself.

Certified organic and located in Vacqueyras, this is an IGP wine made from 60% Grenache with Carignan, Syrah and 10% each Aramon Noir and Oeillade Noire. This is the reason it’s an IGP and not a Vacqueyras AOC wine – the last two grapes are not approved in the appellation.

The domaine is named after Adrien Roustan’s 450-500m high vineyards located in Gigondas on the south side of the Dentelles de Montmirail. The name, ‘Ourea’ comes from the Greek god of mountains.

Adrien Roustan inherited some of his 18ha from his grandfather, but then went on to oenology studies in Beaune which culminated in an internship at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. He then worked at Turley in Paso Robles, California before returning to France to create his wines. These top notch work experiences should give you some sort of idea as to how well made this wine is.

The grapes for this wine are from 4.5ha in Vacqueyras. They were fermented together in whole bunches with indigenous yeasts. Translucent violet, the wine has seriously delicious aromas of blackberry, garrigue and minerals.

The palate is fruit forward, elegant, and dry with easy-to-take tannins. Flavours include plum and ripe berry with dried herb, and violets, all on a bedrock of black licorice.

An absolutely delightful, WSET Very Good plus wine.

Posted in Aramon Noir, France, Grenache / Garnacha, Oeillade Noire, OTHER, RED, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged Adrien Roustan, Aramon Noir, D'Ourea, france, grenache, IGP, Oeillade Noire, red wine, syrah, Tire Bouchon, Vacqueyras | Leave a comment

Zweigelt, Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 13.9% abv. C$26

Posted on May 2, 2017 by winellama

Zwei what? Zweigelt – a cross between St. Laurent and Blaufrankisch (aka Lemberger) created in 1922 in Austria. In this case it’s being grown in the Okanagan at several estates.

This version is an estate grown, 100% Zweigelt, fermented in stainless steel and then cellared in neutral French oak for 16 months before bottling.

On the eyes, it’s transparent ruby with aromas of boysenberries and raspberries, cocoa nib and light leather with ash.

The palate is dry with light tannins and flavours of bumble berry, black cherry, blackberry, cinnamon, leather and smoke.

WSET Good plus. A great gift from Ali that is lovely with BBQ hamburgers or especially with turkey (with its soft tannins).

Posted in British Columbia, RED, Zweigelt | Tagged BC, Canadian wine, okanagan valley vqa, red wine, Upper Bench, Zweigelt | Leave a comment

Marsanne, Nobles Rives, Cave de Tain, Collines Rhodaniennes IGP, France, 12.5% abv, US$12

Posted on April 25, 2017 by winellama

Marsanne, a grape from the northern Rhône, is usually blended with Roussanne and/or Viognier. Marsanne brings deep colour, nuts and spice, Roussanne offers floral tones, body and richness and Viognier, fruit.

This wine is 100% Marsanne though and is from the IGP region for Collines Rhodaniennes. This is a lower quality region, but it’s also part of a larger catchment which forms the home to some of the Rhône‘s most famous wine appellations, such as Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage.

Nobles Rives is one solid effort, even more so for its low price of only US$12.

On the eyes, it’s like most Marsanne wines – a deeper hue of gold – with a nose of stone fruit, nut and ginger blossom with rock dust. The palate is dry with good acidity and flavours of pear, bitter almond, more ginger and quince paste.

WSET Good with a short finish. Solid choice for food, including fish, chicken, pasta and cheese plates.

Posted in France, Marsanne, WHITE | Tagged Cave de Tain, Collines Rhodaniennes IGP, france, marsanne, Nobles Rives, US$12, white wine | Leave a comment

Chardonnay, Migration, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, 14.1% abv, US$32

Posted on April 24, 2017 by winellama

About 10 days after we visited Migration’s Alexander Valley tasting room and winery in August 2016, it was sold as part of the Duckhorn Wine Company deal (which includes Duckhorn Vineyards, Paraduxx, Goldeneye and Migration) to San Francisco-based TSG Consumer Partners.

GI Partners had owned the portfolio and the industry rumor had been that it was going to be sold the global behemoth Constellation.

On one hand I’m relieved Constellation wasn’t able to ink another deal and subsume yet another winery. But it is nevertheless deflating to realize there really are so few bonafide, small, hands-on, family-owned wineries left in California. Not that Migration has been a small operation for a long time now, but it just seems that as time marches on, there are fewer and fewer such wineries in existence.

Our tasting there was really pleasant and we ended up leaving with this bottle. On the eyes, it’s a medium lemon with aromas of nectarine, yellow apple and light oak. The palate is dry with flavours of more stone fruit and apple, almond and biscuit.

WSET Very Good; a lovely wine. Drink it chilled; the wood becomes heavy as it warms.

Posted in California, Chardonnay, OTHER, WHITE | Tagged 14.1% abv, california, chardonnay, Migration, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, US$ xx | Leave a comment

Tempranillo, Flor de Pingus, Ribera del Duero DO, Spain, 2013, 14% abv. US$90

Posted on April 21, 2017 by winellama

Spain is where I fell in love with wine in 2009 on a business trip.

I’ve been back since to visit Priorat DOQ, and I’ll go to Jerez this year, but Ribera del Duero DO – where this wine comes from – is still on my wine bucket list.

Pingus is slang for Peter – the name of the Danish owner of this benchmark estate. I can’t afford the first line Pingus wines, but the second line called Flor de Pingus is within reach.

On the eyes, it’s translucent garnet with deep legs and aromas of berries, black cherry, light leather glove and clove.

The palate is dry with high acidity and even tannins with flavours of blackberry, black cherry, black plum, calfskin, black earth and bright minerality.

WSET Outstanding – subtle, balanced and beautiful.

Posted in RED, Spain, Tempranillo | Tagged 14% abv. US$90, Flor de Pingus, red wine, Ribera del Duero DO, spain, tempranillo | Leave a comment

Chardonnay, Pur Prisme, Guiborat Fils, Grand Cru, RM, Cramant, Champagne AC, France, 12.5% abv. US$45

Posted on April 19, 2017 by winellama

This Champagne was created by Richard Fouquet, a 5th generation vigneron and récoltant manipulant (someone who grows his own grapes, makes his own wine and markets them under his own name) in Cramant.

We visited Richard and his wife Karine in 2014 and continue to order and enjoy their wines.

On the eyes, this Grand Cru, 100% Chardonnay Champagne is pale gold with evenly distributed beads and a gentle mousse. On the nose, aromas of lemon and pear mingle with shaved nut and crushed rock.

The palate is extra dry with deep acidity and flavours of lemon pith with yellow grapefruit and toasted almond. The long finish is augmented by toffee and fresh French bread.

WSET Very Good plus. Disgorged December, 2015 and purchased in Seattle, WA.

Picture credit: Mike Woods Photography

Posted in Champagne, Chardonnay, France, OTHER, WHITE | Tagged champagne, Champagne AC, chardonnay, Cramant, france, Grand Cru, Grower Champagne, Guiborat Fils, Pur Prisme, Recolant Manipulant, RM | 2 Comments

Pinot Blanc, Clos du Soleil, Grower’s Series, Middle Bench Vineyard, Similkameen Valley VQA, Okanagan, BC, 2015, C$20++

Posted on April 12, 2017 by winellama

I love Pinot Blanc wines – they taste great and compliment all sorts of dishes – from pork to chicken, fish and pasta – with their great fruit and acidity.

Many will argue though that because Pinot Blanc isn’t a ‘noble’ grape, one shouldn’t spend too much time on it.

It’s not an easily manipulated grape like Chardonnay (the ‘Winemaker’s grape’), doesn’t have the curmudgeonly, challenging-to-grow reputation of Pinot Noir, nor does it appear virtually everywhere with watery and boring regularity as does Pinot Gris.

But as more than a few wine writers have argued (and you can count me in this group), this is a grape that should be named as the Okanagan’s white grape. Others disagree, but I really think Pinot Blanc is the epitome of Okanagan fruit and flavour. As long as it’s not a fat or flabby version (aim for one with acidity), it virtually screams, ‘I’m from the Okanagan. Love me,” from the glass.

So, love it, you must and don’t overthink it; it won’t be overly complex, but it will enhance your dinner plate and shouldn’t break your bank.

On the eyes, this version is pale gold with aromas of ripe stone fruit, lemon verbena and a base of crushed rocks. The palate is dry with juicy acidity and flavours of sweet, yellow pears, ripe peach, green tea and lemon grass.

Delicious, refreshing and clean. I paired it with salmon, fresh roasted veggies and spinach pasta mixed with feta, parmesan, pesto and tomatoes for those at the dinner table who aren’t partial to reds.

WSET Good plus

Posted in British Columbia, Pinot Blanc, WHITE | Tagged 2015, BC, biodynamic, Canada, Clos du Soleil, okanagan, Pinot Blanc, Similkameen, white wine | Leave a comment

Cabernet Sauvignon, J.Lohr, Seven Oaks, Paso Robles, California, 2013, 13.5% abv, C$23

Posted on April 5, 2017 by winellama

Although Jerry Lohr may have started out small in the 1970s, you could hardly say he stayed that way.

Today, his Californian wine empire encompasses vineyards in three regions (Monterey, Paso Robles and Napa) growing grapes on 3,633 acres and pitches wine to masses of consumers at four different quality levels.

The Estates tier is their entry level wine, and although it states Cabernet Sauvignon (77%) on the label, it’s a blend with Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Syrah and 2% ‘other’ red varietals.

On the eyes, the wine is deep ruby but with light legs. The nose is bramble berry with tobacco leaf, leather, sandal wood and baking spice.

The palate is slightly off dry and shows medium acidity and light tannins with flavours of field berries, sweet rolled tobacco, cocoa, leather, and clove.

WSET Good, basic and predictable with a 5 year drinking window (until 2018).

Posted in cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, California, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, RED, Red, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged 13.5% abv, 2013, Cabernet Sauvignon, california, J.Lohr, Paso Robles, red wine, Seven Oaks, USA | Leave a comment

Meritage, Clos du Soleil, Estate Reserve, Similkameen Valley VQA, BC, Canada, 2010, 14% abv.

Posted on April 3, 2017 by winellama

A classic Meritage blend of Cabernet Franc 40%, Malbec 35%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, and Petit Verdot 5%, this wine hails from one of BC’s coolest biodynamic vineyards. Clos du Soleil is located in a unique microclimate of a region – think rocks and glacial action, buttressed by soaring desert-like summer temperatures and snowbound winters.

On the eyes, it’s deep ruby with aromas of blackberry, bright cherry, mint leaf and clove.

The palate is dry with strained tannins and flavours of raspberry with more blackberry, dried leaf and some light leather glove.

WSET Very Good, this is a super clean and delicious wine.

If you are one of those people who keeps driving straight through the Similkameen Valley to Oliver and Osoyoos, you need to stop doing that. Make the effort, stop, get out of the car, and visit them at Clos du Soleil.

Posted in British Columbia, Cabernet Franc, cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, Malbec, OTHER, Petit Verdot, RED | Tagged 2010, BC, biodynamic, Canadian wine, Clos du Soleil, Estate Reserve, meritage, red wine, Similkameen Valley VQA | 2 Comments