Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Château Carbonnieux, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2011, 13.5% abv, C$65

Posted on November 4, 2015 by winellama

Today I learned I passed the French Wine Scholar course, so it is logical to celebrate with a French wine, mais bien sûr!  I opened the 2009 version a while back, but friends brought this 2011 over to share.

A Sauvignon Blanc – Sémillon blend from Bordeaux, it requires a little food to round out and fill in the corners.  Pale straw in colour, it has a nose of citrus and hints of honey, lemon balm and lemon grass.  Carbonnieux

The body is dry and has medium plus acidity with an elegant body and flavours of more lemon balm with dried herbs.

Delicate and tasteful, as it warmed in our glasses, it took on a deeper Meyer lemon profile.  

WSET Very Good

 

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Pinot Noir, Schug, Carneros, Sonoma, California, 2010, 14.5% abv.

Posted on October 31, 2015 by winellama

With American Thanksgiving on the horizon, this is a California Pinot Noir that would be worth finding to pair with the turkey.

On the eyes, this wine is the colour of raspberry juice with some garnet thrown in for tone.  Its legs are tight and even.

The nose is full on cherry and beSchugrry, dried fern, clove and cedar and the palate is dry with medium plus acidity, ripe tannins and high alcohol.

Flavours of more ripe field berry, black cherry, vanilla and clove, dried leaves, sous bois and cedar frond round out the palate.  The finish is a little light.

It worked perfectly with Winesnob’s homemade jambalaya and pizza made with a gluten free base topped with crumbled feta cheese, spicy Italian sausage and Taggiasche olives.

WSET Good

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Meritage, Clos du Soleil, Celestiale, Similkameen Valley VQA, BC, 2011, 13.4% abv.

Posted on October 24, 2015 by winellama

Straight from the heart of the Similkameen Valley in BC’s Okanagan, a veritable desert (yes, I know – non-believers have a hard time with that – there is actually a desert in Canada), here we have a  Meritage wine.image

What exactly is a Meritage (rhymes with heritage)?  It’s the North American term for a classic red Bordeaux blend – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Each varietal brings something to the wine – structure and fruit, acidity, plush body, spice and pepper and something to fill in empty corners.

Deep ruby, there are inital aromas of cedar and fir which soften slightly as it opens, with intense black fruit – blackberry and cherry – leather, light vanilla, black pepper and minerality.

The palate is dry with medium ripe, slightly green tannins and average body and alcohol.  Acidity is medium plus.  Flavours show more blackberry and cherry with purple plum, leather, vanilla pod, and leather.

Balanced, layered, fruity and broad – WSET Very Good.

Check this link for a 2013 tasting note.

Posted in British Columbia, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, RED | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lugana DOP, Cantine Colli a Lago SRL, Desenzano di Garda Brescia, Lombardy, Italy, 2013, 12.5% abv.

Posted on October 18, 2015 by winellama

Marta, my Italian wine expert friend, found this at the Cambie Street BCLB and picked it up out of curiosity.

imageQuite frankly, we were completely prepared to expose this wine as an insipid white Italian along the lines of most of the Pinot Grigios that find their way here. Knowing the Canucks had likely purchased a bladder of this and slapped some labels on to sell at The Phone Booth (Roger’s Arena), we weren’t expecting much.

But weren’t we surprised; with the cheese and fruit we selected, it showed far better than anticipated. From Lombardy in north central Italy, it’s made from Turbiana on the shores of Lake Garda.

Very pale lemon with uneven legs, it has light aromas of dry, crisp, not cloying, pear, white flowers, and a hint of ginger blossom.

The palate is dry with average acidity, medium body and flavours of crunchy pear and quince, white tree flower and again, a little fresh ginger.

Fruity yet elegant and refreshing – we agreed we could drink this all day long.

Maybe we will – Go Canucks, go!

WSET Good

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Sauvignon Blanc, Le Tronsec, Joseph Mellot, Pouilly-Fumé, Loire, France, 2013, 12.5% abv. C$35

Posted on October 17, 2015 by winellama

We stopped into the Joseph Mellot storefront in the centre of Sancerre when visiting the Loire in September 2014.  So, when looking for a Sauvignon Blanc recently, purchasing this white wine classic was an easy decision.IMG_6142

The grapes for this wine hail from the Tronsec vineyard in Pouilly-Fumé, across the river from Sancerre on the right bank.  Only whites are produced in Pouilly-Fumé and the soils in Le Tronsec are kimmerdigian marl based which accounts for the wine’s acidity.

Pale lemon in colour, this wine has moderate aromas of gooseberry, green leaf, white flower and citrus.

The palate is dry with high acidity and herbaceous flavours of lemon pith, yellow grapefruit, green clippings, more gooseberry, and white blossom alongside a solid finish.

WSET Very Good

 

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Pinot Noir, Domaine Ostertag, Fronholz, Vin d’Alsace, France, 2008, 12.5% abv.

Posted on October 16, 2015 by winellama

From all accounts, André Ostertag is one interesting guy.

One blogger who published about his visit there in 2010 noted “The Committee Interprofessionnel du Vins d’Alsace (CIVA) says that ‘André Ostertag is an eccentric, a wacky winemaking freak surrounded by the sanity and boredom of Germanic commercialism’.”

And the homepage of Ostertag’s website has a picture of the 1999 Riesling Manifesto published by Ostertag, Johannes Selbach and Randall Grahm urging people to give Riesling a chance.IMG_6141

Founded by his father in 1966, the Domaine has been biodynamic since 1998, and is ploughed and worked by hand.  The family owns 14.3 ha, but that’s spread between 80 small plots and divided even further between 5 villages.  The Fronholz, where the fruit for this wine is from, is 4 ha but only 0.3ha are planted to Pinot Noir on southwest facing quartz-based slopes.

The Domaine has bottled this wine in a brown flute which signifies it’s a ‘Vin de Pierre‘ or a wine that espouses its terroir – in this case, the quartz with sand, clay and marl.

This wine is unlike most Pinot Noirs I’ve tasted – so pure and clean.  Medium cherry with garnet overtones (we opened it at 7 years old), this wine is striking; it’s lines are absolutely pristine.

It’s also alive with aromas – cherries, sous bois, cedar, dried moss, spice and tingling minerality.

The palate is dry with an elegantly minor level of alcohol and mouth-watering acidity framed by lightly strained tannins.  Flavours are intense with ripe black cherry, pomegranate, dried leaves, cloves and crushed rocks and the finish is long.

Unfiltered, balanced and fully integrated, this wine is both elegant and delicate, intense and flavourful.  Available in the US, imported by Kermit Lynch.

WSET Outstanding

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Damilano, Cannubi, Barolo DOCG, Nelle Cantine di la Morra, Piemonte, Italia, 2009, 14.5% abv.

Posted on October 15, 2015 by winellama

The 2010 Barolos are widely renowned as being part of the best vintage in a long time, but this 2009 was no slouch.damilano

From the famed Cannubi hill in La Morra, the Damilano is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes planted on calcareous-clay and sand with a southern exposure.

The wine has a medium garnet tone, is crystal clear and shows the classic Barolo aromas of rose petals alongside black cherry, plum, leather, vanilla and cinnamon stick.

Dry with medium plus acidity and dry, dusty tannins, its flavours offer more rose and dried petal, plum and date, black cherry, dried grass, leather, baking spice, soy sauce and a Dutch black licorice layered onto a crushed rock minerality.

Nuanced and complex, it was enhanced even moreso by Frank’s Osso Bucco.

WSET Very Good Plus

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Clos du Joncuas, Gigondas AC, Southern Rhône Valley, France, 2006, 14.5% abv.

Posted on October 10, 2015 by winellama

Gigondas (yes, you pronounce the ‘s’) is an appellation in France’s Southern Rhône Valley often referred to as the ‘little brother’ of better known Châteauneuf-du-Pape.   Its wines are known more for their power than their elegance and they are only allowed to make reds and rosés under the AC rules.  clos j

The reds must have at least 80% Grenache and may be blended with Mourvèdre , Cinsault and Syrah (and other Rhône varietals except for Carignan) – which is exactly the blend on this version.

The organic Clos du Joncuas vineyards are terraced and located in the southwestern shadow of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range, just north of Vacqueyras and Beaumes-de-Venise.

We opened this wine at 9 years old (2015) and as such, the colour had shifted to a medium garnet.

The fruit is still fresh though and aromas of big fresh berries and red licorice prevail, with baking spice with dried herb.  On the palate, it is dry showing ripe tannins with medium acidity and flavours of boysenberry, loganberry, rosemary, vanilla and a load of minerality.

This wine was fermented with wild yeast in cement vats and spent 12 months in oak prior to bottling  – and it wasn’t fined or filtered.  Drinking well now – don’t age much longer if you have any.

WSET Very Good

Posted in Cinsault, France, Grenache / Garnacha, Mouvedre, Monastrell, RED, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pinot Noir, Boulder Bluff, Adelsheim, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2010, 13.6% abv.

Posted on October 9, 2015 by winellama

It’s Thanksgiving again – so here is the requisite post about a Pinot Noir and pairing it with your turkey.

Medium plus garnet with some ruby tinges and deep, broad aromas of plum with boysenberry and spiced tobacco, here is a gem from Oregon’s Willamette Valley purchased at the winery in 2012 and opened in September 2015.adelsheim

The palate is dry with light tannins and medium plus acidity.  Flavours are intense and show mulberry, plum, field berry and tobacco leaf with a little leather strap and baking spice.

A long finish compliments the broad nose and palate.  Beautifully made and well-balanced.  Great with the classic Westcoast pairing, salmon… and yes, turkey too.

WSET Very Good

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Viognier, Black Hills Estate Winery, Okanagan, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, BC, 2013, 13.3% abv.

Posted on October 7, 2015 by winellama

This wine screams ‘summer’ and since summer is about to leave us, I wanted to mark its passing.
black hills viognier 2013

Pale lemon with distinct aromas of canned peaches, fresh apricots, white flowers and fragrant blossoms, this is a great match for white fish dishes or salad with prawns.

The palate is dry with medium plus body and average acidity and flavours include more stone fruit, apricot, nectarine and white peaches with some mango to boot.  Honeysuckle and almond round out this WSET Good + expression of BC’s Okanagan Valley.

 

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