winellama

Bordeaux, Château Malartic Lagravière, Grand Cru Classé, Graves, Pessac-Léognan AC, France, 2010, 14.5% abv, C$100

Posted on December 28, 2016 by winellama

I often find the names of Bordeaux wineries to be, well, kind of unusual. This one is no exception. After a little digging, I learned it started off as Domaine de Lagravière and in the late 1700s was owned by Count Hippolyte de Maurès de Malartic – who led many offensives against the English, including one at the Battle of Quebec in 1756.

In 1850 under the stewardship of the Ricard family, Malartic was added and the name has stuck ever since. The Ricard-Marlys ran it until 1996 when the Bonnie family from Belgium stepped in.

We stood in the rain for hours to buy this on the Bordeaux release several years ago. I’m happy to report it was worth it.

On the eyes, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (45), Merlot (45), Cabernet Franc (8) and Petit Verdot (2) is deep garnet with long, slow legs.

On the nose it’s deep with ripe cassis, black cherry, spicy cedar frond and pencil shaving.

The palate is dry with tightly woven tannins and medium plus acidity with flavours of ripe blackberry, loganberry, black currant, lead pellet, cedar and clove. A developing and powerful wine, the finish is exceptionally long while the flavours and nose are dense.

WSET Very Good plus – balanced and textured, it’s accessible (2016) although it may have benefited from more time laying down. If you have a bottle, age for 5 to 8 years longer.

Posted in Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, France, Merlot, OTHER, Petit Verdot | Tagged 2010, Bordeaux, cabernet franc, cabernet saugivnon, Château Malartic Lagravière, france, Grand Cru Classé de Graves, merlot, Pessac-Leognan AC, Petit Verdot, red wine | Leave a comment

Chardonnay, Upper Bench Winery, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley VQA, BC, 2013, 13.7% abv, C$22@winery

Posted on December 22, 2016 by winellama

My mother loves this wine, so I was honestly trying to save my second bottle for a dinner with her.

But then it got busy at work. And I deserved it.

Sorry, Mom.

This great little homegrown Okanagan beauty is light gold with aromas of grapefruit pith and yellow apple with light honey, caramel and wet rocks.

Ever so slightly off dry (with 2 g/l RS), it has great acidity and a creamy palate (from 3 months sur lies in French oak) with flavours of more yellow grapefruit, toffee and ripe Meyer lemon.

Don’t let it warm in your glass, as too much wood comes through. Still, with its solid finish and balance, it’s a great deal both in terms of quality and price point – WSET Good.

Maybe I’ll bring you some for Christmas…

Posted in British Columbia, Chardonnay, WHITE | Tagged 2013, BC, Canada, Chard, chardonnay, Naramata Bench, okanagan valley vqa, Upper Bench Winery, white wine | Leave a comment

Sauvignon Blanc, Waters & Banks, Haywire, Okanagan Valley BC VQA, Canada, 13% abv, 2014

Posted on December 18, 2016 by winellama

Love.

Haywire wines are consistently gorgeous. It doesn’t get much better than this on the BC wine stage.

When you’re committed to using organically grown grapes, and providing little intervention in the cellar – no additives or oak, indigenous yeasts and fermentation and aging in concrete – you can’t help but produce high quality wines.

These grapes are from the Terry Waters and Cathy Banks vineyard in Summerland on the west side of Okanagan Lake.

On the eyes, it’s a medium lemon with the nose showing fruit salad, green grape, melon, lemongrass and minerals.

The palate is dry with sharp acidity and flavours of pineapple, honeydew melon, mint and Meyer lemon with rocks.

WSET Very Good plus with no mouth puckering gooseberry or cat’s pee (yes, I wrote that) so often found in Sauvignon Blanc. Just beautiful wine.

Posted in British Columbia, Sauvignon Blanc, WHITE | Tagged 13% abv., 2014, BC wine, Canada, Haywire, Matt Dumayne, Okanagan Valley BC VQA, sauvignon blanc, Summerland, Waters & Banks, white wine | 2 Comments

L’Amateur, David Léclapart, Blanc de Blancs, Pas Dosé, Premier Cru, Trépail, Marne, Champagne AC, France, 12.5% abv

Posted on December 15, 2016 by winellama

Late blooming Pinot Meunier is the most frequently planted grape in the Marne, so the fact that David Léclapart has got Chardonnay growing in the frost prone village of Trépail is very interesting.

That he is a fervent devotee of biodynamism in this region that is so prone to wet and cold weather makes it even more so.

This wine, L’Amateur is made with native yeasts in enameled-steel tanks instead of the usual stainless steel, he uses the bare minimum of sulphites and after dosage, the last step before final corking, he doesn’t add any liqueur de dosage to the wine. This pas dosé style literally means there is pretty close to no sugar in the wine. So, at less than 3 grams of sugar per litre, it’s sharp, perky, and electric!

Pale gold with all-over, delicate bubble, the nose is dry with Gala apple, tart lemon and French bread aromas.

The palate is super dry with racy acidity. Tart lemon and yellow grapefruit with yeast dominate with an expressive layering of quince, ginger and hazelnut.

This Champagne is all edges, nervy and punk rock cool – WSET Very Good plus.

Posted in Champagne, Chardonnay, France, OTHER, WHITE | Tagged blanc de blancs, bubbles, Champagne AC, David Léclapart, france, L'Amateur, Marne, nv, Pas Dosé, Premier Cru, Recolant Manipulant, RM, Trépail | 2 Comments

GSM, Lafage, Tessellae, Old Vines, Côtes du Roussillon AC, France, 15% abv, 2013, C$23

Posted on December 9, 2016 by winellama

There are so few really delicious wines available at the BCLB, that finding this one makes it a treasure at the end of that rainbow. And I’m always hunting for these – GSMs are my desert island wines.

On the eyes, it’s a translucent ruby with lovely, even-spaced legs.

On the nose, it’s showing heavenly black fruit – blackberry and currant – garrigue and leather with rock dust minerals.

The palate is dry with perfect tannins and flavours of black currant, cherry and black pepper with dried rosemary and clove, licorice fern, saddle and a long finish with deep minerality. The alcohol is a shocking 15% abv, but there is no heat whatsoever.

Absolutely classic Grenache (40), Syrah (40) Mourvèdre (20) and WSET Very good plus with depth and flavour to the max, augmented by perfect balance.

This wine offers outrageous value for money. As Wine Advocate (#215) wrote, ‘It’s hard to believe you can get this quality for the price, but the consumer is the big winner here. Enjoy this rock star effort over the next 4-5 years.”

Cover me, I’m going in for more.

Posted in France, Grenache / Garnacha, Mouvedre, Monastrell, RED, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged Cotes du Roussillon, france, GSM, Lafage, old vines, Tessellae | 2 Comments

Barolo, Riserva, Bel Colle Montvigliero, Barolo DOCG, Italia, 2004, 14% abv

Posted on December 6, 2016 by winellama

We opened this wine at 12 years old on November 2016, at the end of its recommended drinking window (2010-2016).

Although initially worried we’d missed the boat, we were relieved to find an elegantly developed drink.

Winner of a bronze world wine award from Decanter in 2011, this Barolo is a translucent garnet with wide and even legs. The aromas are heavenly – all dried roses, cherries and dusty violets.

The palate is dry with good acidity and the most perfect of subtly strained tannins. Flavours include more dried flowers and cherry with a scraping of tar, some intense minerality and a long finish.

Harmonious and stunning, this wine is super slender and gorgeous. Drink now if you’ve got any.

WSET Very Good plus

Posted in Barolo, Italy, Nebbiolo, OTHER, RED, red wine | Tagged 2004, barolo, Barolo DOCG, Belcolle Aziendo, italia, Italian wine, Montvigliero, red wine, Riserva | Leave a comment

Chardonnay, Clos de Ste. Anne, Naboth’s Vineyard, Millton Vineyards, Gisborne, New Zealand, 2013, 13.5% abv, NZ$70

Posted on December 3, 2016 by winellama

From a biodynamic, dry-farmed, single vineyard of 25 year old vines, this is a tremendously delicious Chardonnay fermented with native yeasts.

On the eyes, it’s a pretty lemon with a nose of pomelo, quince, ginger and crushed rock dust.

The palate is dry with juicy acidity and flavours of candied ginger with ripe Maui pineapple, light toffee and bakery rolls.

If this wine were a song, it would be called ‘Yellow‘.

We decanted it prior to serving with lobster, mango and avocado salad. This was the undoing of the evening – the best pairing ever. Really.

We had envisioned some tropical notes possibly complimenting the mango and the creaminess of the avocado and lobster being enhanced by the breadth of the Chardonnay – but we couldn’t have predicted the perfection of the pairing in our wildest dreams.

A WSET Very Good plus wine – clean, gorgeous and pristine – from one of the Family of Twelve in New Zealand.

Posted in Chardonnay, New Zealand, WHITE | Tagged chardonnay, Clos de Ste. Anne, Clos de Ste. Anne Domaine, Gisborne, millton Vineyards, Naboth's Vineyard, New Zealand, NZ, white wine | Leave a comment

Champagne, Perrier-Jouët, Brut, Belle Epoque, Epernay, Champagne AC, France, 2006, 12.5% abv.

Posted on November 29, 2016 by winellama

Over two centuries, Perrier-Jouët has only had seven cellar masters. It was also the first House to create a dry Champagne in 1856. Then there are its famous art-nouveau bottles – and this one has been hand-painted. Since 1902 when Emile Gallé designed the trademark anemones to be engraved on the prestigious cuvées, the House has remained loyal to this heritage.

Beauty, history and innovation – these define the Champagnes of this House which is the third most prestigious brand in the world (and owned by Pernod-Ricard).

This gift (opened for my 50th birthday, yay me) is a vintage bubble, meaning all the grapes used are from the same year. This is unusual for Champagne which can blend as many as 90 different parcels from different years into one bottle, depending on the size of the House and the strength of its pull for grapes. This enables larger Houses in particular to ensure their wines have consistent taste and aroma markers year after year. So, for a cellar master to call for a vintage to be made, he or she must be very confident that the harvest is spectacular enough for a single vintage to be used.

On the eyes, this Champagne is pale lemon with all over, tiny but persistent and delicate beading. Its aromas are extremely delicate and lightly floral – with crisp green apple, white peach, lemon and shaved hazelnut with fresh French bread.

The palate is dry with high acidity, light body and a delicate alcohol level of only 12.5%. Its flavours are subtle with light lemon rind, yellow grapefruit, and almond with white flowers on the back palate.

WSET Outstanding – stylish, elegant and classic. All House, all the time. Thanks, Chef Francine of Table 1006.

Posted in Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Sparkling Wine, WHITE | Tagged 12.5% abv, 2006, Belle Epoque, brut, bubbles, champagne, Champagne AC, Epernay, france, Perrier-Jouët, sparkling wine | 2 Comments

Anaperenna, Ben Glaetzer, Barossa Valley, Australia, 2006, 15% abv.

Posted on November 22, 2016 by winellama

Australian winemaker Ben Glaetzer, descendant of German immigrants to the Barossa and Clare Valleys, has had a long list of wine awards come his way including New World Winemaker of the Year (2006), 12 awards at MUNDUSVini 2007, being chosen as Robert Parker’s Wine Personality of the Year (2005) and maker of Decanter’s Best Australian 2008 Red Blend, just to name a few.

Originally named Godolphin for the inaugural 2004 and 2005 vintages, the wine was renamed Anaperenna from 2006 for trademark issues.

The fruit for this wine is all dry grown – 75% from 85 year old Shiraz vines and 25% from 60 year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. On the eyes, it’s a deep garnet with long legs.

The nose is classic – all ripe blackberry, cassis and field berry with mint and dried herb, white pepper, leather saddle and crushed rock.

The palate is dry with medium plus acidity and strained, subtle tannins. Flavours show rich and bright blackberry and field berry, eucalyptus, smoke and leather glove perched atop a sumptuous finish. Surprisingly, despite very high alcohol, it’s not hot at all but shows good balance and integration.

Unfiltered and made with minimal sulfites, this is a WSET Very Good plus wine offered up by a kind and generous friend and opened at 10 years for a milestone birthday!

Picture credit – Mike Woods Photography

Posted in Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, OTHER, RED, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged 15% abv, 2006, Anaperenna, Australia, Barossa Valley, Ben Glaetzer, Cabernet Sauvignoon, Godolphin, red wine, shiraz | Leave a comment

Les Bancèls, Domaine de Cébène, Faugères, France, 2013, 14% abv, C$29

Posted on November 16, 2016 by winellama

What a lovely wine. Grown on classic slate terraces peppered with decades old organic vines at 320 m in southern France, this is a GSM you really must try.

The Grenache and Syrah are grown on north and east facing slopes, while the Mourvèdre vines face south to soak up the warmth. They’ve been growing grapes and making wine in Faugères since Roman times, but this Domaine was established not so long ago by Brigitte Chevalier who moved there from Bordeaux. Her vineyards are certified organic and she harvests everything carefully by hand. The AOC is located to the west of Montpellier and north of Perpignan, inland from the Mediterranean.

On the eyes, it’s a medium plus ruby and the nose shows intensely fragrant raspberry with violets and crunchy, dried herb, mint, clove and a deep, schist-like minerality.

The palate is dry with juicy acidity and an elegant body with solid tannins. Flavours show raspberry and tayberry with purple violets and garrigue – heavy on the rosemary and thyme – major sandalwood, and light dutch licorice. The stoney minerality adds elegance.

WSET Very Good – great balance and very fresh, not to mention a smoking deal for the quality of the wine. My one complaint is the weird cork with plastic conglomerate. We enjoyed it with risotto. Highly recommended.

Posted in France, Grenache / Garnacha, Mouvedre, Monastrell, OTHER, RED, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged 2013, Domaine de Cébène, Faugères, france, GSM, Les Bancels, red wine, south of france, southern france | Leave a comment