2008 Gemtree Bloodstone Shiraz Viognier

It is rare that my buddy Eden sends me a frantic wine email screaming "you've got to try this!", so I couldn't ignore his plea...

The first thing that leaps out at you is just how very, very smooth this 2008 Gemtree Vineyards "Bloodstone" Shiraz Viognier is. Big, classic, violet and blackberry on the nose, notes of allspice, butterscotch, and freshly cut wood as well. Smooth, soft, and beautifully textured, with silky tannins and a light, fresh finish (only a touch hot). Perhaps I simply have an affinity to the McLaren Vale? I thought it was just d'Arenberg...
Screwcap. 14.5% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: C$17.95 (LCBO)

Great catch Eden! This wine just made it into my house wine rotation.

A Sip of Long Island: Bedell Cellars

Long Island Wine is, for the most part, a local delicacy. With just 3000 acres under vine and an annual production of 500,000 cases you won't find much wine leaving the country, and it would probably be a rare wine shop that carried any sort of selection outside of New York and the neighbouring states.

But a wedding on Shelter Island put me a stone's throw away from Long Island's North Fork wineries. I regret to inform that this was NOT a wine tour - the wife and kids made sure of that - but I did have time for one stop, and local knowledge directed me to Bedell Cellars.

I coughed up 12$ for the "Premium" Flight, and this was how it went:

The 2007 Bedell Chardonnay Reserve was steel and oak aged - oaky, buttery, ripe red apple, with some wet stones, almost caramelly on the nose. Lighter bodied, tart and pleasing, short finish. 13% alcohol, Score: 16/20

The 2007 Bedell Gallery was an interesting blend of Chardonnay (69%), Sauvignon blanc (19%), and Viognier. Fleeting floral notes on the nose, probably from the viognier, but tangy citrussy and apricot aromas dominate, some toast. Terribly well balanced, and more flavourful than the Chardonnay, delicious spicy fruit... 13% alcohol, Score: 16.5/20

Long Island is famous for its Merlot (a grape getting a lot more play at Joe's house these days...), so I wasn't going to miss Bedell's red offerings:

The 2007 "Taste" Red was a blend of Merlot (56%), Cab Sauv (25%) and Syrah. Noticeably green and earthy at first, pretty violets, cedar and a hint of dark syrah berries on the nose. A spicy palate with tasty green tannins and gooseberries, a light- to medium-bodied everyday red. 13% alcohol, Score: 16/20

A whiff of the 2006 Bedell Reseve Merlot revealed smokey, dark earth, new leather, blackberries and vanilla, maybe some charcuterie - nicely done! Gritty, dark fruit, a good balance between fruit and acid, very Bordeaux like. This tastes too young - it has the acid, tannin and fruit to keep, I would age this one. 13% alcohol, Score: 17/20

The winery's signature offering was the 2006 Musée, predominantly Merlot (75%), but with some Cab Sauv (13%) and Petit Verdot blended in. Lovely aromas of green herbs, blackberries and roses, damp earth and crisp cherries, chalky... Soft and fruity on the palate, but with dense, velvety tannins, and a nice long finish. Lush, complex and very well balanced. 13% alcohol, Score 17.5/20

Overall, the offerings were very well done across the board, even those sips I had from my wife's flight of entry-level wines (the 2007 Merlot was particularly notable as a great value).

I would not dare make any generalizations about Long Island wine based on a 2 hour stop at a single winery, but I think I can say this - nearly every wine I tasted or saw in local shops was 1% to 1.5% lower in alcohol than their California bretheren. Perhaps it is climate, or a conscious effort to be "different" from their West Coast winemaking peers, but this observation and the wines that I tasted tell me that something different is going on in Long Island - and this "different" is more in line with the kind of wine I am seeking out these days...

PS - Congrats Rob (my Napa and Sonoma partner in crime) and Ellyn!

2007 CataMayor Reserva Viognier

I seem to have an unquenchable thirst for odd vinous pleasures, so much so that tonight's Uruguayan Viognier seems rather...pedestrian?

Fortunately, this wine experiment turned out rather well. The 2007 CataMayor Reserva (Bodegas Castillo Viejo) sported classic Viognier notes, with soapy white flower finding some minerally support. A soft, luscious palate with tasty flavours of lime rind, it started thin at first, but had good balance and really opened up as it warmed from up. Modest, but pleasing - a great Viognier at this price.
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$14.60 (SAQ)

2008 Cono Sur Vision Viognier

After such a nice experience with Cono Sur's "Visión" Pinot Noir I have been looking for an excuse to try the rest of the Visión lineup. That excuse came while on a shopping run for whites, and it had been a while since I have opened a Viognier....

The 2008 Cono Sur Visión Viognier was like spring cleaning, all floral and soapy, clearing out the red wine cobwebs gathered over a long Montreal winter. Peachy notes and some wet stones as well, a prelude to a flavourful white wine...bitter and tangy with nice minerality and a soft, luxurious mouthfeel...one of the nicest new world Viogniers I have ever tasted (and the bottle disappeared very quickly!).
screw top. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: C$18.65 (SAQ)

Taking on the Northern Rhone

Our tasting group, the inspiration for this blog, has been meeting for five years now. Over nearly 40 formal tastings we have torn apart and dissected most of the world's key wine regions and grapes in blinded, theme-based tastings, but we have never critiqued the syrah-based reds of the northern Rhône. This glaring omission was corrected tonight, with eight tasters taking on six of the region's greats.

After warming up our palates with some fine Burgundies we turned our attention to these northern Rhône treasures: four Hermitages, one Côte-Rôtie and one Cornas, ranging from 3 to 19 years of age. We even had a Parker 100-point wine at the table...

Some nights our group can be quite consensual, but other times our individual rankings are all over the map - tonight was one of those nights:

The winner of tonight's tasting was the youngster, Ash's 2005 Delas Frères Côte-Rôtie 'Seigneur de Maugiron', a wine ranked amongst the top 3 for most tasters. A youthful nose of spicy fresh berries, white pepper, violets and a flinty earthiness. The palate was a velvety carpet of dark berry fruit - fruitier than most of tonights offerings - but with a pleasing long finish and a nice minerally, acidic backbone. My third choice amongst this impressive flight of wines. I wonder if you threw this into an Aussie tasting, would anyone call it out as French? Score: 18/20

Consistently ranked first or second amongst the men, but last place rankings from the ladies resulted in a second place showing for Pramod's 1999 Ferraton Ermitage 'Le Méal'. It took a while to open up, ultimately revealing pretty floral, nutmeg, and old leather notes, earthy blackberries, flint, vanilla, and much more. Very, very elegant on the palate, perfectly balanced with supple tannins and a fine seam of acidity. Polished, with a never ending finish, very easy to enjoy today after a lengthy decant but I think it could be a decade or longer before we see the full potential. My second place, bravo! Score: 18.5/20

Third place (but my favourite of the evening) was Lloyd's 1989 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage 'La Chapelle'. Cam insisted on the scent of 'vomit' on the nose, but I was thinking cooked plums and dark berry fruit, violets and blackberries, leather, fern, hazelnut and flint. A great nose, but it was near perfection on the palate that separated this one for me - silky smooth tannins and fresh acidity held it all together, and despite nearly twenty years in the bottle it was still fresh. An extremely long finish, this has the stuffing to go at least another decade or two in the cellar. An absolute joy to taste one of Hermitage's legendary bottlings, perfectly aged. Score: 18.5/20

Fourth was an impressive showing for my inexpensive (in this crowd) Cornas, the 2003 Delas Frères 'Chante-Perdrix'. Someone suggested a nose of post-coital sweat, but I preferred fruit candy and flowers (pre-coital?), hay and earthy/mushroomy notes. Fresh, balanced, but simpler than the others with a shorter finish. Score: 17/20

Fifth was Cam's 1999 Ferraton Ermitage 'Les Dionnieres'. Meaty and ashen on the nose, firm gripping tannins but a touch hot on the palate. Rather awkward, could soften up and sort itself out with some cellar time. Score: 17.5/20

The biggest story of the night has to be the last place finish (first place amongst the ladies) for the 2003 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage, a wine Parker rated 100 points. What?! Actually a pretty good nose of ripe (overripe?) blueberries, blackberries, orange, cardamom and tea, liquorice and hazelnut...and LOTS of heat. The palate presented big juicy fruit and firm gripping tannins...and heat. So fruity and awkward, it just didn't show well tonight. I concede that it may simply be 'closed', but I doubt this will ever present a perfect score in my books. All of tonight's wines were 13% alcohol except for this one, which clocked in at a very noticeable 15%. Score: 17/20

Editorial:

For me there were many sides to this evening: a wine that was expected to be compelling (the La Chapelle), a pleasant surprise (the le Meal), an overacheiver (the Chante-Perdrix) and a surpising downside (the Chave).

That Chave surprise was not just ours - Larry Meehan over at Gang of Pour expressed shock at this wine, and Parker's link to Neal Martin's view was an 88 - in line with my 17.

So why were the men and women so diametrically opposite the men on the le Meal and Chave? I'm not going to touch that one.

PS - for my Montreal friends, that le Meal is being cleared out by the SAQ, on sale for C$71. Not cheap, but you rarely get a chance to get such a compelling, aged Hermitage for this price - I think the critics missed this one.

"Synchronized Tasting": 2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier

One of my best wine buddies is, in fact, a person I have never met. You see, Edward finds as much joy in the exploration of wine as he does in the tasting, and when you combine that with a love of back yard wine bottle photography, well, that's kinship. Unfortunately, Ed lives approx. 18,000 kilometres from Montreal, which makes a vinous "get together" nearly impossible. Recognizing that North America, the Pacific and the Australian continent separate our respective cellars, we agreed to the next best thing - a "synchronized tasting", opening one of Australia's finer bottles of precious liquid. Well, neither distance nor a 12-hour time zone difference could stand in the way of this e-meeting of great palates...

This evening Ed unscrewed the cap and I popped the cork on a bottle of the 2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier (Canberra District). With the eyes of the world watching, I decided to record my notes in the order that they arrived on paper...

t=0: The cork had a clean, clearly delineated purpley ring and smelled of cloves, some floral notes as well - beguiling...

t=1 min: As I poured this wine into the decanter I buried my nose in there (do not try this at home), smelling brie cheese, ivy and garden herbs (basil, oregano) - intriguing...

t=30 min: Light ruby red in the glass. Still cool from the cellar toasty new oak dominates on the nose, continued brie cheese. I couldn't wait any longer so I just dove in for a taste...I love the texture of a wine, and the first sensation was just how very smooth this wine was...medium-bodied, crisp and spicy, not showing the heat that some Barossas give off as they push 15% alcohol. I see an hommage a Cote-Rotie...

t=60 min: With the rising temperature and a dash of oxygen the nose explodes in aroma: liquorice, wet coffee grounds, white flowers, black cherry, truffles...

Overall impression: Incredibly soft, polished and balanced with silky tannins, fine acidity and a joyous nose. Don't let that softness fool you - rolling this juice across the palate reveals an edge that tells me more time in the cellar will be rewarding. Easy to love, probably the nicest Shiraz/Viognier I can recall (and that includes the Cote-Roties I have had).
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$72 (SAQ)

A couple of things: (1) I did not see Ed's score before I recorded mine (Ed kindly switched back to the 20-point system for me), and (2) The screwcap! Now why the heck do the Aussies ship it locally under screw top and overseas under cork? Surely the shipping hazzards are greater for thirsty Northern Hemisphere types? Perhaps it is hard to convince a Canuck to part with $70 if there is a screw cap involved...(guilty) 

PS - Some would call it suicide to go mano-a-mano with Ed's pen and camera, so I gave him a head start, ensuring that I would finish last and thus (hopefully) avoid the inevitable head-to-head comparisons...

Cheers Ed!

Oenology (Eno), A Wine Bar

"Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever" - Aristophanes - (from the menu at Eno)

Walking back to my hotel in Chicago from an evening business meeting, I spotted a sign: "Oenology". Hmm...promising...yes...a wine bar! Now, a wine bar in a big city like Chicago is not a surprise, but it was not on my schedule for the evening so I can call it a surprise...

A few comments on "Eno". Yes, it is located in a hotel (the InterContinental), but therein lies the charm - it was modern, but not so hip that I had to deal with the extra loud thumping of music, servers in tiny black minidresses and 25-somethings who already know everything about wine. But I wouldn't dare call this a "library" - yes there was modern music background and a youngish crowd, but the atmosphere accented the wine, not suffocated it. Perhaps even a detectable seriousness in the air which, for anyone who has seen me tasting, was absolutely perfect...

Most wine bars feature various wines by the glass and featured flights, and so did Eno, but Eno also featured thoughtfully prepared flights of cheeses and meats to pair with the wines, a simple, but well executed, touch  - I highly recommending some of the meat and cheese flights.

Flight #1 was a "Festival of Whites", paired with a flight of Wisconsin cheeses (perfect for this Cheese-head), olives and nuts, and a curiously delicious jam with mustard seed:

The 2006 www "Bordello" Verdelho (Lodi) showed a fresh greenness on the nose, with green melon and floral, woodsy, notes as well. Refreshing and flavourful with decent acid, but with higher alcohol and a heavy oaky hand.
13.4% alcohol, Score: 16/20

My favourite of the flight was the 2005 Atrea "The Choir" (Mendocino), a Rhone blend of Roussane/Viognier, had a nice earthy, musty nose, butterscotch (Werther's) and oregano later on. Smooth, soft, and luscious mouthfeel, very flavourful and poised, nice persistency. There's amazing juice in there if they just laid off the oak a tiny bit...
14.2% alcohol, Score 17/20

On the right was the 2006 Brooks "Amycas" (Oregon). A blend of Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Gewurtztraminer, and a dash of Muscat, it showed a simple nose of honeyed apples and wet bread dough, some citrus. Simple and refreshing, but a bit thin.
13.7% alcohol, Score: 15.5/20

Flight #2 was "Pinot Envy", paired with a unique selection of dried meats from around the world:

Pinot envy was not just Pinot Noir, and first up was the 2007 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Pinot Blanc (Oregon). Very minerally, with green grass and yeasty limes on the nose. Dry, limey, very nice acidity and minerality on the palate. Great persistency, very nicely balanced, this is quality wine making.
??% alcohol, Score:17/20

The 2006 Eola Hills Pinot Noir (Oregon) featured ripe raspberries, oak, vanilla, cocoa, white pepper, and a hint of cloves - more like a Californian Pinot on the nose - but back to Oregon on the palate, with good acidity, substantial tannins, and crisp fruit - better structure than the nose hinted at, nicely done.
13.8% alcohol, Score: 16.5/20

So here's one reason why I like wine bars - where would you try a STILL Pinot Meunier?Apparently Chandon's Napa estate has decided to set aside some of this classic champagne grape and use it in a dry, red wine. The nose of the 2006 Chandon Pinot Meunier (Carneros) was over-the-top California Pinot Noir at first - all ripe fruit and chocolate - but later opened up to reveal an appealing earthiness. Rather hot and unbalanced on the palate, with smokey dark berries (gooseberries?), modest tannin, and a deceptively long finish that lasts longer than you think.
14.3% alcohol, Score: 16/20

After the flights I had a craving for something European so I finished with a glass of Italian Cabernet Franc, the 2004 G. Puiatti "le Zuccole" from Friuli. Ahh, now there's the stuff...earthy green pepper, black pepper, tobacco, espresso coffee grounds... velvety dry tannins and crisp cherry fruit on the palate, a bit thin but still very good and nicely balanced, would work great with a wintery stew.
12% alcohol, Score: 16.5/20

For me, a wine bar should tease, taunt and educate, and it should be serious about the wine, not the bar. So in that sense Eno was a great success. No, it was not cheap, but not excessive, and I don't mind paying for the infotainment on occasion.

And for those of you looking for a hipper, trendier wine bar, Bin 36 is nearby.

Cheers!

WBW #46 (Part One): A Canadian Viognier from Chateau des Charmes

There are precious few Canadian wines on this site, perhaps a reflection of the fact that Canada represents a small fraction of global wine production. But the whites of Chateau des Charmes have tickled my fancy in the past, and there it was - a Canadian viognier! This I have to try - a perfect wine for today's WBW #46...

The 2006 Chateau des Charmes Viognier comes the winery's St. David's Bench vineyard. Pretty notes of lavender, honeyed apple, apricots, pear and lemon peel. I typically associate viognier with low acid and high alcohol but this was neither - crisp acid, notable minerality and a nice bitter apricot finish framed a flavourful and elegant Canadian white. Bravo!
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$22.55 (SAQ)

Mini Vertical #6: 2003 vs. 2005 D'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie"

Been away for a few days so I have a few posts to catch up on. Here's the last in my Mini Vertical series (for now), and it was another Australian night.

The 2003 D'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie" was a dark cherry red with a slight brick colour at the edges. Opened slowly over the eveing - liquorice and cloves, then violet, blackberry cedar, tobacco, flint and prunes. Quite angular and harsh when first poured, but it softened very nicely over the evening, retaining a nice fresh acidity and elegance. Drink now, or over the next few years.
cork. 14.5% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: ~$27 (LCBO) (swapped some Montus for this one)

The 2005 D'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie" was a purpley cherry red, with a very hot and spicy nose. Blackberry fruit, smokey, with some leafiness, later revealing violet, undergrowth, pepper, liquorice, butterscotch and cocoa, and a late showing of a strong, tar/fuel aroma. On the palate it was complex, with dry dusty tannins and not overly fruity, but not as well integrated. It should improve with some bottle age, but I really have no experience with wines aged under a screw cap. Give it a good decant.
screw cap. 15% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: $27.95 (LCBO)

So while tonight was meant to be a comparison of two different vintages, I couldn't help thinking about "closure". The 2003 has sat in my cellar for a few years under a cork closure, while the 2005 was purchased more recently and sealed under a screw cap. Can I really compare vintages in this scenario? Also interesting to note the difference that 0.5% alcohol made on my perception of the wines.

Sorry Edward - I promised a match up of the 2002 vs. the 2005 after your 2002 review, but I only had the 2003. Cheers!

2005 Bonterra Viognier

So, a few Joe Firsts here - my first Mendocino wine and my first organically grown wine (at least that I know of). It is also the first Viognier in a while, and sooooo worth the wait.

The 2005 Bonterra Viognier is actually 85% Viognier, with the balance other Rhone varietals (Marsanne 10%, Rousanne 3%) and a touch of Muscat - all organically grown grapes. Greenish-gold in the glass, the wine showed a very attractive nose, starting with hay, green grass and lemon peel, evolving to show some papaya, white flowers, oak, subtle vanilla, and a key-lime pie sort of finish. Bravo! On the palate this medium-bodied white was very well balanced, with an appealing honey (but not sweet) flavour, fresh limes, and a nice lingering aftertaste. It was an excellent match for rigatoni with home made alfredo and fresh summer (organic) vegetables. Note the experts are not big fans of this wine. I disagree - the balance is excellent, and it needs to warm up and air a little to express its complexity - something a power tasting might miss.
13.9% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$23.85 (SAQ)

2006 Alamos Viognier

I mentioned Alamos in my Argentinian Values piece, but this was my first taste of their viognier. Pale straw yellow in colour with modest, but pleasing, aromas - lemon, red delicious, melon, and toast. On the palate it was crisp, effervescent, minerally, and very refreshing. Nicely balanced, with a restrained use of oak for a new world white. An excellent pairing with a lightly breaded filet of sole and wild rice. alcohol 13.5%
Score: 14/20
Price: C$16 (SAQ)

This was a much nicer new world example of viognier than the EXP Viognier I tasted recently, and a better value as well.

2005 Viognier Dunnigan Hills EXP

Here in Montreal we don't have too many selections of straight up New World viognier. So when I was in the mood and unable to locate my go-to viognier from Yalumba, I settled for the R.H. Phillips offering. I have had great success with their shiraz in the past, so the white should be ok, right? Wrong.

The 2005 Viognier Dunnigan Hills EXP was a bright gold colour, and the nose was dominated by alcohol. I tried and tried to detect scents beyond that the powerful wave of alcohol, but all I could get was some faint melon and floral aromas. On the palate it had decent acidity, but the alcohol stunned the tongue so that it was difficult to catch the fruitiness. In my opinion, this unbalanced white is best served at a frat party (to get drunk quickly). Useful, perhaps, but definitely not my style of wine. alcohol 14.5%
Score: 11.5/20
Cost: C$19.75

2004 The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne

The 2004 D'Arenberg "The Hermit Crab" (get used to the D'Arenberg wines...) is a blend of classic Rhone white grapes, Viognier and Marsanne. Bright golden yellow, it had nice aromas of white flowers, pineapple, vanilla, and nuts, maybe even a bit spicy. On the palate it was rich, with nice acidity and excellent balance, some butter/oak, but not dominant. Likely a terrific match for lobster, or even a simply prepared chicken. I actually paired it with a mild chicken chili, and it worked. Another D'Arenberg success - I will definitely buy this one again.
Score:15/20
Cost C$16

2003 D'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie"

D'Arenberg is one of my favourite wineries, and "The Laughing Magpie" is one of my favourite values. It is also a good wine for drinking on its own, so it was a perfect way to finish off the evening after the Whitehall Lane below.

Young, with a beautiful deep purple colour, the nose was aromatic and dessert-like. There were scents of blackberries, cherries, mint, leather, pepper, cloves, and vanilla, but the nose was dominated by the vanilla and fresh fruit. Spicy and nice.

On the palate it had a nice, soft, mouthfeel. It was medium- to full-bodied, and despite the fruity, dessert-like flavours it was poised, with good balance.

This wine may keep for a few years, and could improve, but it is good now. Nice on its own, or perhaps pepper steak or lamb. Note the heavy sludge - I suggest you stand it up for at least a day and decant before serving.
Score: 16.5/20
Price: C$27

Note that Yalumba makes a Shiraz/Viognier for a few $$$ less, and it is also a terrific wine.