2000 Palazzo della Torre

Ok, so the White went down a little TOO easy...

Which forced me to open up this Red for the nightcap. Normally I'm cheap with the nightcap, but this 2000 Allegrini "Palazzo della Torre" has been calling my name for weeks. This Veronese wine is made in the Ripassa method (using dried grapes, like Amarone) and uses traditional Veronese grapes (Corvina, Rondinella, some Sangiovese).

The nose was very nice, fruity and sweet, with prunes and strawberry/cherry aromas, mint, truffles, and leather. Pencil shavings? The alcohol was also quite notiecable on the nose, despite the label that claimed only 13.5% alcohol.

On the palate, this was a very animally, spicy wine. Full bodied with fresh acidity and supple tannins, this wine was very well balanced.

Despite the heavy fruit on the nose and the supple tannins, this was not a "wimpy" wine - this wine had very good length. Overall, a very interesting wine with power and finesse. "A cure for the common Cab" (or Sangiovese)

I think this wine would be an excellent match for lamb, steak, osso buco or even a meat lasagne.
13.5% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Cost: C$25

2004 Hugel Gewurtztraminer

Ok, so the blog is a little short on whites - working on it...

Anyway, tonight I had the 2004 Hugel Gewurtztraminer. Most of my favourite whites are from Alsace, and this Gewurz is an old standby. And what wine could better match a juicy German sausage right off the BBQ?

This wine has nice, classic Gewurtz aromas - white flowers, peaches, some apricot. Good acidity, a well balanced quaffer, just off dry but not annoyingly so. While it is lacking some of the complexity I have experienced with more expensive Gewurtz, it is a really a nice drinking white wine for C$20 (SAQ).

I would recommend this as your go-to inexpensive Gewurtz, for pairing with spicy sausage or Asian cuisine (especially Sushi).

Ribs!

Some of my wife's friends came over for dinner, and we had two nice wines with ribs tonight:

2001 Sierra Cantabria Cuvee Especial (Rioja)
2003 Casa Lapostolle Merlot Cuvée Alexandre (Chile)

This was a huge departure for me, as I usually go straight to the Pinot to match the Black Bean Ribs. I actually opened the Merlot first, under duress, as I as late getting home and everyone was thirsty! Rapid decant, and drank it at cellar temp rather than chambre...

WOW - the Casa Lapostolle is big, powerful, fruity, long finish, spectacular. Sorry I don't have more detail - allergies were acting up and I lost my notes...

As for the Sierra Cantabria, also a wonderful wine. Whereas the Casa Lapostolle was not yet ready, the Sierra Cantabria was full bodied with a nice nose - ready for drinking.

1999 Hacienda Monasterio

The 1999 Hacienda Monasterio is from Ribera del Duero in Spain, and is made from tempranillo (70%), cabernet sauvignon (15%) and merlot (15%). The nose was beautiful and aromatic, with an overwhelming scent of vanilla. The bouquet also included scents of rose, black cherry, heavy oak, pine, pepper, smoke, maybe even some caramel. "Smells like dessert", to quote my notes. The taste matched this terrific nose. This well-balanced, full-bodied red had was amazing - powerful and elegant, soft and tannic, all at the same time. The soft glycerin/fruity taste finished off with a "walloping tannic follow through, firm acidity, Bordeaux-like". A very long finish. Very nice indeed. This wine should continue to improve, a theory I can test on the 3 other bottles in my cellar. I think it is important to note that this wine paired very well with our meal, accentuating rather than overpowering the dinner. Note this wine was the winner of our first Spanish tasting (see July 2004 post), and was a top wine at our Champions tasting in November 2004.
Score: 18/20

Had this with BBQ'd lamb chops (breaking my lamb/shiraz rule...). This would pair well with many different types of food, but especially the BBQ.

2001 Poggio Bronzone

Belguardo's 2001 Poggio Bronzone comes from the Morellino di Scansano region of Tuscany. Belguardo is owned by Marchesi Mazzei, the owner of Castello di Fonterutoli in Chianti, which happens to be one of my favourite Chianti producers. Anyway, this wine had a very nice nose, with scents of blackberry, cherry, flowers (violet and rose), leather, with some hints of musroom, pepper and tea. "Lovely, but not intense, great fruit with other nice aromas." On the palate I thought I had some truffle aromas as well? Anway, this was a very nice tasting wine, medium-bodied with firm tannins. Mmmm! It was neat to taste this just three days after my Vigna del Sorbo (see Aug. 20/06 post) - this packed as great a punch, but brought everything into balance. Nice, long finish, close to 20 seconds. A terrific wine that should still improve, an absolute steal at C$23.
Score: 17/20

I enjoyed this wine with a pasta dish containing mild Italian sausage and a light tomato sauce

2000 Vigna del Sorbo

Fontodi's 2000 Chianti Classico "Vigna del Sorbo" had a very nice and aromatic nose which I described as "rustic Italian, with some edge". Nice scents of blackcurrant, undergrowth, leather, cloves, pine, hay, pencil shavings and maybe some pear? "Lots of wonderful aromas, very sangiovese, very Italian". Promising! Unfortunately, the harsh acidity and rough tannins made this a very unbalanced wine. I wrote "Dilute and slightly astringent, not what I expected. Very sangiovese, but I have had better at a bunch of price levels." It settled down with some air, but was still quite unbalanced. It had decent length, and may get better with more time in my cellar. Overall, not a bad Chianti, but definitely not up to the lofty price tag - C$48.
Score: 15.5/20

I will say that it was an excellent foil for my famous 'pesto lasagna'.

2003 Sandhill Barbera "Small Lots"

A Canadian Barbera? Cats and Dogs living together? Yes, a rather unique idea (I am not aware of any other Canadian Barbera pioneers), but it works. I have spoken highly of Sandhill in other posts, and this further reflects on the quality of winemaking at this house.

The 2003 Sandhill Barbera is very interesting on the nose - spicy - my wife accurately described it as 'incense', with white cherries and some interesting forest notes. It was very "hot", with the high (14.5%) alcohol overpowering some of the other scents. On the palate it tasted wonderfully Italian, dry, oaky, with that taste of the wild. It was a light to medium bodied wine with a short finish, for drinking now.

Overall, it was a well balanced and very interesting wine, with the only defect the strong alcohol notes that overpowered some of the other (beautiful) scents and flavours. It was very much like the Italian Barberas that I have tasted, and competitive (C$27) with Barberas in that price range.

Readers should note that this was only the fourth vintage of Sandhill's Barbera - I am impressed with the quality of wines produced by this house with such young vineyards - their wines should continue to improve in coming years.

I would give this wine some air before drinking. It would pair well with a meat lasagne or thin crust pesto pizza.

2004 Campobarro Tempranillo

The 2004 Campobarro Tempranillo (Who?) is from the Ribera del Guadiana (Where?) region of Spain. Cost? C$9.15 Those who know me must certainly think I've gone crazy!

This was not a random act of penny-pinching. The Gazette guy gave it 'four stars', so I thought "What the heck? I can always cook with it". Not bad - nice gamey scents on the nose, good balance, nice fruit. No length, but hey - this is Vin de Table! It will probably sell out at that price, given the local media star's rating, but an excellent idea for a 'big event' wine. You know, where Uncle Bill from Moose Jaw will probably mix vodka into it anyway, and you still want to enjoy something reasonable.

$35 Smackdown

Awesome tasting! We braved the summer heat and the precarious state of the ceiling above Cam's dining room table for a 'boys-only' under $35 smackdown. Being a creative bunch, there was an oddball selection of wines from various countries. While the the overall quality was very high, personal taste led to a diversity of 'rankings'. With this collection of unusual wines we had 3 different first place rankings amongst our five tasters. Well, a winner had to be declared, so here is the final tally:

First: 1997 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva (Rioja, Spain)
While three first place rankings guaranteed Pramod's wine the grand prize, it also received a last place ranking (from me...). Since my notes were not in line with the group they are not particularly relevant. While I ranked this one last, this was mainly a reflection of the quality of the other wines - I did not hate this wine and I have purchased it on a few occasions. My problem was that the nose was not particularly complex (some subtle earthy smells, some mint, but I found the alcohol smell overpowering) and the taste was nice but somewhat rustic, with no length. Drink now. Would pair well with steak, available locally for $32.25.

Second: 2001 Chateau Montus (Madiran, France)
My Chateau Montus received only one first place ranking (Cosme), but was in the top three for most of the group. The nose was fairly simple, with subtle oak/leater/musk scents. But in the mouth - WHAM! This is powerful - knock you off your chair powerful. Serve it too a guest and they will be speechless for minutes. The finish lasts forever...I can still taste this one. This is not ready - stash it away and open it on its 10th anniversary. I do not recommend this for novices - they will hate it. (WS 91)

Third: 2003 Planeta Syrah (Sicilia, Italy)
Cam's Planeta finished very close behind the wines above. This was the first wine tasted, with such a beautiful, interesting and complex nose - early on I was sure this one would win hands down. According to my notes there was lots going on here - scents of rose, cherry, mint, truffles, cloves, leather - wow. It was very different in the mouth - light bodied and somewhat rustic with no length. Drink this crowd pleaser now.

Fourth: 2001 Chateau Signac Cuvee Terra Amata (Cotes-du-Rhone, France)
Cosme's Chateau Signac was the lowest price wine in the group, but held its own - Cosme ranked it second and I ranked it third. I found the nose to be nice, interesting, with gamey smells, truffle, spices (cloves, nutmeg), toast and 'wet stones'. On the palate I described this wine as full bodied with firm tannins and "Very delicious, interesting, well-balanced". Given these notes I am not sure why I ranked this third? (scores were close). While this tasting was meant to be a 'value-tasting', this wine is clearly a "value amongst values" - local stores now list this at $22.60 (cost was $26.25, price has gone down). This is a steal for the quality. (RP 90)

Fifth: 1999 Kanonkop Pinotage (S. Africa)
I have never tasted a Pinotage, so including this one in a blind tasting threw me for a loop. I have never had anything like this! This was also a controversial wine - three last place scores, one first (me). Since I was the only person ranking this first my views are not reflective of the group - others referred to the nose as "awful", "roadkill", and other un-postable expletives. According to my notes, I found the nose very interesting - aromas of hay, undergrowth (dominant), musk, vanilla, coffee, butter. In my opinion it tasted very nice as well - medium bodied with firm tannins, balanced and "hearty". Long finish, this will likely get better. The other controversy on this wine was price - I see the 2002 is 45 bucks at the local store - Chris swears he bought this for $34 something (nobody believes him).

Dessert: 1998 Chateau Guiraud (Sauternes)
In honour of the host's birthday, we opened a Sauternes for dessert - spectacular - bursting with apricot and pear aromas, very well balanced. Yum.

Editorial:

1. The ranking of the first to third was very close and could have gone in any direction. I believe all five were of similar quality with personal taste the deciding factor.


2. There were many big wines here tonight. These need to be decanted. At the end of the night the Cotes-du-Rhone and Pinotage were just opening up, and I think some tasters wanted to change their ratings. You cannot arrive late for a tasting with a bruiser of a wine!


3. Overall quality was very good - kudos to our group for so carefully selecting such interesting, quality wines - Pinotage, Italian Syrah, Tannat! Very cool.

Pizza Wine

I opened two simple wines to go with homemade pizzas:

2001 Nipozzana Riserva Chianti Rufina (Frescobaldi)
2001 Chateau d'Aydie Madiran

While the Nipozzana is an obvious choice (inexpensive, fruity, well structured - a perennial best buy for the price and a PERFECT match for pizza), the Chateau d'Adyie was a little, well, different. After all, who picks a Madiran to go with pizza?

For those of you who have read the posts below, you will see that I am a big fan of Madiran, and more specifically Chateau Montus (both the Cuvee Prestige and the regular). You will also see that Montus has done very well at our tastings (two second places). Even a South American Tannat (see Muy Macho tasting), the grape in Madiran, was a winner. So, while the d'Aydie was not an obvious choice for pizza, it was inevitable I would come up with an excuse to drink it and write about it.

I always think of Tannat as a fantastic steak wine - the big tannins, subtle fruit and gamey aromas complement and enhance a good steak. But pizza? I thought the tannins would complement the tomato sauce well? Anyway, while the Nipozzana was a perfect match the Madiran was a good match.

This was the first time I have tasted the d'Aydie. I bought this wine because I love the Montus so much that I wanted to find a good, but more reasonably priced, Madiran. The d'Aydie clearly displayed the lovely aromas (game, tobacco, undergrowth) of Montus, but was a little less balanced than the Montus, showing a little more acid and a little less fruit and that unbelievable tannin that only Madiran (ok, Barolos have this as well) has.

In summary, for pizza save the $$$ and buy the Nipozzana. For inexpensive Madiran, buy the regular Montus whenever you see it (it always sells out) and sock it away for a night when you have two to four hours for decanting and a lovely steak.

And for those days when you have too much money, buy the Montus Cuvee Prestige, cellar it for a hundred years, decant for four hours...

Steak with Spanish Wine

I am so fond of Bordeaux with steak, that I forget how wonderful some Spanish reds pair with a nice quality, simply prepared steak. For tonight, I brought out two Spanish wines:

2003 Castano Coleccion (Yecla)
2001 Torremilanos Crianza (Ribera del Duero) (Tempranillo)

This was not a good comparison, given the different grapes, but you have to make do with what is ready to go...

The Castano, a blend dominated by Monastrell (aka. Mourvedre, Mataro) with some Cab. Sauv., was younger and fruitier, with stewed fruit and gamey aromas. Very interesting, but a tad rustic. The nose and palate definitely gave away the higher alcohol. I generally love Castano wines (the "Hecula" and simple "Monastrell" are outstanding, and the Dominio Espinal is a great value), but this one was only "good to very good" in my mind. Probably better on its own, without the steak.

The Torremilanos was more tannic and lighter bodied, with good acidity. A classic tempranillo from the Ribera del Duero, this paired very well with the steak. Very powerful, with heavy oak and cherry aromas, it was slightly unbalanced, but that may soften with age.

Overall, tempranillo is a very good match for steak, but I wouldn't say the same for non-tempranillo Spanish wines. Castano is a great house, but maybe not their Coleccion. I will try some more Torremilanos wines before I make up my mind.

Shiraz and Lamb

I love barbeque season - so many new recipes and wine:food matchups to try! After a few successful experiments, I have found Shiraz and BBQ Lamb to be a fabulous combo, and this evening the wine matches were spectatular! To serve with a boneless butterflied leg of lamb (Weber's Big Book of Grilling, pg. 195), I chose the two following wines:

2001 Chateau de Cazeneuve "Le Roc des Mates" Pic Saint-Loup (Languedoc, France)
2000 Elderton Barossa Shiraz (Aussie)

Ok, so I cheated on the Roc des Mates - it was 80% Syrah, 10% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. Close enough. The Roc des Mates (the second Cazeneuve wine I have tasted) was sumptious and well balanced, with boutiful fruit, a good backbone, and velvety tannins. I suspect that this wine, the younger of the two, will get better, but it will be hard to wait! It was the favourite of my wife and our guests, but I was indifferent between it and the Elderton (in fact, it seemed the more 'Aussie' of the two). I highly recommend this wine. I paid approx. C$27, and I just ran out and bought the 2003 vintage.

On the Elderton, I have never been disappointed with the Elderton Shiraz, or any Elderton wine for that matter (the CSM is stunning). This wine was extremely elegant and well balanced, but (surprisingly) not as 'fruit-forward' as the French wine. I found the elegance of this wine made it a better foil for the lamb, while 'the Roc' was a better drinking wine. Note that this Elderton is now peaking, while 'the Roc' still has a few more years to go. I paid approx. C$29. I can't find this anywhere, but I will keep looking...

It should have ended there, but we had a friend drop by for wine after dinner, and we opened two more wines:

2001 Domaine Clavel "Les Garrigues" Coteaux du Languedoc
2000 Santa Duc "Les Garancieres" Gigondas

Overall, I was disappointed with the Gigondas - ratings of that wine are high, and it seemed a little unbalanced to my taste. The tannins were very firm - perhaps they will soften up over time - I will open my other bottle in two years. The Clavel was a great drinking wine, my last bottle of the 'Garrigues'. This is always a well-rated, inexpensive wine and worth seeking out.

Okanagan Valley - Summer 2006

Before I give a lengthy review of my recent trip to Canada's Okanagan Valley, here are the key wine 'finds' of the trip:

2004 Quail's Gate Pinot Noir Limited Release
A really great Pinot Noir at an affordable (for Pinot Noir) price. Visually it appeared a lightweight, but on the palate it was full bodied, well balanced with some complexity.
2004 Quail's Gate Merlot Limited Release
Powerful, full bodied, oaky, fruity and well balanced. Will probably improve, but very drinkable now. Reasonably price for the quality.
2005 Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Griggio
Inexpensive, lightweight patio quaffer - very competitive with any Italian Pinot Griggio.
2004 Sandhill Cabernet Franc
This was a very interesting wine, and the first time I have tasted a Canadian version of this Loire valley red varietal. Oaky, with dark berry aromas, with a somewhat 'wild-gamey' aroma, as I recall. Very full, with tannins that will give this wine a few more years.

But you want to hear more about my 'family vacation', of course! Here are some details on the wineries visited and BC wines tasted:

Winery Visits:

Mission Hill Winery
Architecturally, this is a stunning winery - the web site should give you a sense of the grandeur and beauty of this winery. Clearly, someone has a lot of money to spend! A definite must see if you are in the area.

Unfortunately, my tasting was interrupted by the screams of a 2 year old falling off a water fountain, but before the mishap I had a chance to taste the 2005 Five Vineyards Pinot Griggio, a 2004 Reserve Chardonnay and a 2004 Reserve Pinot Noir. I already mentioned the Pinot Griggio above, the Chardonnay was a dry, rich, and not over oaked (better than the Quail's Gate), and the Pinot Noir was uninspiring. Note to self - never bring a 2 year old to a wine tasting...

Quail's Gate
Quail's Gate is a 'cute', rustic, winery - more modest than Mission Hill (ok, everything is more modest than Mission Hill). I had quick sips of a wide number of wines, so it is hard to collect my thoughts. As mentioned above, the Pinot Noir (Limited Release) was wonderful. The Family Reserve Pinot was also nice, but pricey - almost double the price of the Limited Release. This was a disappointment, as I have had an older vintage of the Family Reserve that was spectacular (see my oldest Pinot Noir tasting below). The Merlot was also wonderful - a very rich, fruity, well-balanced wine - worth seeking out. I was not as impressed with the Old Vines Foch Limited Release (a very rare grape, apparently for good reason, but I have heard that the Family Reserve is amazing). I tried a few of the whites, the Chardonnay was not that great, but I loved the Chenin Blanc.

Sandhill
This winery is downtown Kelowna, so it doesn't have the country charm of Quail's Gate or Mission Hill. They make up for this by making great wine, and they are clearly experimenting with their terroirs - they grow Malbec, Sangiovese, Barbera, Petit Verdot. Their 2004 Cabernet Franc is spectacular, and the 2003 Sangiovese (Canadian Sangiovese?!) "Small Lots" was quite nice and competitive to other Sangiovese at that price ($27). I also tasted their Small Lots wine called "Three" (Barbera, CabSauv, Sangiovese, Merlot) - a very interesting wine. I purchased their Barbera (and the Cab Franc) but I have not yet tasted it - I will update you at a later date. I did not taste the whites on this visit (my wife thought I was at the gas station - I had to hurry), but I have tried their Pinot Gris in the past and it was great. Overall, this is a winery to visit - definitely innovative and focused on quality, and I suspect the wines will get even better as the plantings get older.

Cedar Creek
I did not visit this Cedar Creek during this trip, but I did a winery tour on my last trip through the Okanagan. I found their Alsace/German style whites (Ehrenfelser, Gewurtz, Riesling) to be very good wines. I cannot comment on their reds.

Other Wines Tasted on the Trip:

I also purchased a number of local wines to drink while we were there. Here are some comments on those that I remember...

Tinhorn Creek
I bought bottles of their Merlot and Cabernet Franc to try. I thought both were good wines. While the Merlot was not as good as the Quail's Gate and the Cab Franc was not as good as the Sandhill, I recall the prices for the Tinhorn wines were more reasonable. Good wines, good prices...

Sumac Ridge
I occasionally like roses during the summer, but I have never tried a Canadian Rose. This was a great Rose - dry, crisp, flavourful and dirt cheap C$11.

Overall, I have not tasted Canadian wines extensively (I have virtually no experience with Niagara wines), but I believe the Okanagan has potential greatness in both red and white. Clearly the Alsace/Germanic style whites do well here, and I am impressed by the Pinot Noir and Merlot. While Sandhill is having some success with unusual (for Canada) grapes like Barbera, Malbec, Sangiovese, only time will tell if those varietals are established in the valley.

The overall quality level is high, with easy-drinking well-balanced wines at good prices. I don't think the wines have yet reached the kind of complexity that would put them in the "outstanding" category (key caveat - I have not extensively tasted the hyper-expensive luxury cuvees of those wineries that have them, but the ones I did taste are not quite up to their lofty prices), but they are getting very close...it will be interesting to watch these wineries over the next few years.

2003 Vrai Canon Bouche

For Father's Day my wife bought some nice steaks. Naturally (for me), I reached for a Bordeaux, which I find pairs very well with lightly marinated grilled beef. However, I was interested in a more 'modest' (i.e. price) Bordeaux this evening. I recently received my 2003 Bordeaux futures (more on 'futures' in a future post...) and found a perfect wine. The 2003 Chateau Vrai Canon Bouche (AOC Canon-Fronsac) was absolutely wonderful. I had reservations that this wine would be too young, but I was wrong. While the nose matched the modest price of this wine (pleasant, but not terribly interesting), the flavour screamed "Drink Me Now!" Note, I decanted (more on decanting in a future post) this 30min before dinner - a good thing, as the sediment was substantial. Overall, while the length was modest, this young Bordeaux was very well balanced, with a nose that hinted of summer fruit. Excellent wine, an excellent match for steak, and at C$25 an excellent value.

Thank you, Wine Away

I can't count the number of times Wine Away has saved a tablecloth or favourite shirt.