Tag Archives: Barolo DOCG

The Wine Diaries. VINTAGES June 9, 2012: Reds

Tuscany

Most of the reds from these 23 tasting notes are hearty enough to help with the summer BBQ season.

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/06/11/the-wine-diaries-vintages-june-9-2012-reds/

Dominus Napanook 2008 (212357, $59.95) usually displays more finesse than many Napa Cabernet blends but at $60 the flaws in nuts, bolts and chunks stand out. This was a great $40 “2nd wine.” It was solid at $50. No longer has light in its eyes and yet will sell through by week’s end.  88

Easton Estate Bottled Zinfandel 2004 (281501, $39.95) has seen its glory days but persists as a terrific, lively Zin full of ripe berries, bramble and brush. Shows good depth of fruit but no zinsanity. What an amazing wine the original $23, ’98 was. Looking forward to the dregs of this one setting sale south of $30 later in the summer.  90

Macrostie Pinot Noir 2007 (674911, $24.95) is easy drinking with a nice smile that won’t pick the locks. Sweat lodge of woodsmoke and smouldering evergreen spice notes but certainly won’t make you “weak in the knees,” or land you 30 days in the hole.  A slice of humble pie and a seamless transition from Goat’s Halibut en papilotte to a trio of Strawberry and Rhubarb desserts.  87

Shafer Merlot 2009 (346262, $59.95) will always show its long legs best at 10 years old. A fashionista this Shafer, Napa Merlot incarnate. Olive skin, perfume scent, sculpt make-up and total body tone. Sashays down the runway like a supermodel. Lush and possessed of a masculine-feminine dichotomy.  89

Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (111880, $59.95) the paradigmatic Napa trailrunner is positively derivitive, more Marillion than Genesis. Kicks up progressive breccia and calcite aromas, creating energy and power. Chunky liquid viscocity. This one throws many bits at you; berries, currants, crushed fault rock. Less is more. Builds to a crescendo but “whatever rises eventually falls.”  88

Altos Los Hormigos Reserva Malbec 2008 (678987, $27.95) to taste is like sucking on a fig-flavoured Starburst chew dipped in milk chocolate. Heavy juice and cloying welded purple-red dacite.  85  

Anakena Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 (208439, $15.95) nimbly bricks iridian and follows well more serious wines. New and improved new world Pinot order. Eastern spice meets Southern Hemisphere lacquer.  86

Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Merlot 2009 (939827, $19.95) flaunts Syrah like pitch, baked earth and a bounty of spicy seasoning. A world party of Merlot on a ship of fools.  Get too close and the alcohol burns up the nasal passage.  “Save me from tomorrow.”  86

Mayu Carmenère 2009 (90035, $17.95) certainly elevates the bell pepper status of this grape with a smoulder of imported coffee beans roasting over a cedar fire. A welcome Carmenère more toothsome and bursting with vim than one would expect. Also an elegance akin to Elqui Valley Syrah.  88

Oveja Negra The Lost Barrel 2008 (273979, $24.95) symphonizes Aussie nomenclature, avant-garde Spanish (Terra Alta) blending and Chilean vitality. Malodorous maw meets sugarplum pudding on a lissome frame.  87

Mitchell McNicol Shiraz 2003 (278572, $45.95) persists with furvor nine years on. Classic Clare Valley blueberry fruit, anise, licorice and pencil shavings. No holds barred, Mitch funky bass drum leads, fills and jazz fusion. Successful if perhaps not conventional Shiraz.  91

Château D’angludet 2008 (133082, $39.00) plays a game of concentration, coupling coup de couer colour and smokey, berry concentrate. Weaves a balance of fruit and acidity, is a bit closed but should be great. Wait a few years.  89

Château Fourcas-Dumont 2001 (280016, $19.95) is stuck on brett overdrive. “Filtered through a cow’s skivies” notes the E-man.  NR

Domaine Louis Jadot Beaune Les Avaux 1er Cru 2009 (932855, $52.95) seems agitated in early life. Nose out of joint and not liking the body language. Maybe five years will allow the flesh to eat away at the anger.  87

Henri De Villamont Prestige Pinot Noir Bourgogne 2009 (84616, $17.95) represents good value, actually. But again, what’s with the dumbing down, double designation? The Villamont is equilibrious, slight of body but well made and will work for food.  87

Ramosceto Lacrima Di Morra D’alba 2010 (277889, $14.95) is not unlike the garage band sparkling red Lambrusco. Tony is so right. If you close your eyes you could be sniffing Gewurztraminer. The lychee, the white roses, the salve. Not so much my cup this Lacrima.  86

Marziano Abbona Pressenda Barolo 2007 (276584, $43.95) strips down and readies for the pop and pour. Ad hoc muscles rolling, flexed and waning, Pressenda enters into an enlightened stage where “hours are like diamonds, don’t let them waste.” Drink alongside a muscle shoal, country-soul-tinged Stones record.  90

Pio Cesare Barbera D’alba 2010 (938886, $19.95) of pungent Caciotta al Tartufo slathered on Melba Toast. Of black cherry cordial, Cointreau, orange zest and fennel biscotti. Grainy tannins. Excellent example. 88

Barone Ricasoli Castelli Di Brolio Chianti Classico 2008 (942607, $59.95) grandstands commodious, extracted chroma for Sangiovese. Gargantuan beak of Rosmarinus officinalis, Frantoio olive and ripe blackberries. Polish, discretion and savvy. Everything under the Tuscan sun and more.  For a current splurge.  91

Poggiotondo Bunello Di Montalcino 2006 (276576, $34.95) gifts yet another sub $35 sub-escarpment Sangiovese Grosso out of the vineyard mouth by Tenuta Pietranera. Stands on nani gigantum humeris insidentes, bespoken of an urban diction. Precocious, fruit forward, gold on the ceiling. Onyx gem in the key of black, “a roar at the door.” An oasis of pleasure for present day consumption.  89

Remo Farina Le Pezze Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2008 (171587, $33.95) underwhelms as a no kicker. Needs no Euro hype nor boozy heft to make itself understood. Modish mocha java speaks fluent huttish, communicating by lingua franca vernacular to the initiated. “Goopta mo bossa!”  92

Fernández De Piérola Reserva 2004 (270579, $25.95) is an oxidized bottle.  NR

Rioja Bordón Tempranillo Reserva 2006 (194753, $18.95) has zest, zing and bling. A freshmaker for ’06, full of mint and Ibex exudation. Needs three to five years to achieve excellency.  89

Good to go!

Triassic Tasting at Pangaea

Pangaea Upstairs Dining Room

Pangaea Upstairs Dining Room

 April 24, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/27/triassic-tasting-at-pangaea/

Pangaea Restaurant, 1221 Bay Street, (416) 920-2323

Chef du Cuisine: Derek Bendig, Sommelier and Manager: Benjamin Hardy

 

The group of seven. Sorry. Not THE Group of Seven. This group of seven. Our new format is really taking shape. We no longer each bring wine from cellar to share. Now one leader, one cellar, nine wines. Plenty to share with Mr.’s Hardy, Bendig and crew. Seamless sally forth through five courses. Godspeed to Pangaea for an all out effort in syncopated rhythm. This tasting the high water mark (of the new era) to date, with no disrespect to what came before, but the senescence has reached the early stages of maturity. Laud and applaud to AZ for coordinating food and wine synergy. A coup de foudre from the get go.  

Nine Wine Night

Nine Wine Night

 

Amuse Bouche, radish ‘ravioli’ stuffed with chèvre, tomato, basil

Chef’s Creek (Fanny’s Bay, Vancouver Island) Oysters, on the half shell, horseradish, lemon, shallot mignonette

  1. Peninsula Ridge Fumé Blanc 2008 wants to be 1er Cru Chablis in my universe but sweats heat and spice, “green cardamom pod and roasted salsify,” adds AM. Nutty lemon custard and did someone say Boxwood? Not quite Sauvignon Blanc but PR brings out enough mineral to do this style proud up on the Bench.  88
  2. Domaine De Congy Cuvée Les Galfins Pouilly Fumé 2009 tasted blind is undoubtedly old world but the lack of grass and oak leads me to Muscadet. Wrong! Oh the marl and fossilized oysters of it all! More Sauvignon Blanc to confront my tasting demons. Solid, if not as cursive as the PR.  87

 

Ahi Tuna Tataki, seared tuna, blood orange and fennel salad, avocado pureé

  1. See Ya Later Ranch Brut NV strikes a match from the outset and never wavers. The other MG senses After Eights but for me that possibility is smothered by a leesy, cheesy lard maigre et fromage. Gismondi calls this BC bubbly “a Champagne ringer.” Not so much. Flat finish so s’ya later, “s’alright ma’, i’m only sighing.” Just tasting.  85

 

Intermezzo, grapefruit and tarragon flavoured ice

 

Quebec Duck Breast, pan-roasted, seasonal vegetables, potato rösti, game jus

  1. Fontanabianca Barbaresco Sori Burdin 2004 the blessed and confounded queen Nebbiolo is the totipotent master of the moment. Italianate yet without animale, rosy cheeked and impossibly elegant, it still manages to anesthetize the mouth. So pretty it hurts. Along with the Sori Paitin, easily the best value in Barbaresco. On this night my allegiance is to the queen.  92
  2. Renatto Ratti Barolo Marcenasco 2004 of the famiglie Pola e Ferro is polar as compared to the non of the Burdin. AM and D nose “car exhaust.” I am tricked by its charm and think New World Syrah, but am reminded that the colour lacks gloom. Hugely muscular, girded by plastron and decades ahead of itself. “Leave it open all night and it’ll be amazing” says Dr. C.  91
  3. D’arenberg Ironstone Pressings 2001 holds the title of GSM pop star of the Mclaren Vale. Eponymous iron filings and pressed fruit roll up. A mixed bag of Grenache, Syrah and Mataro, the IP’s warm, berry and balsamwood address is veiled by a touch of oxidation. “Stinky feet” corrects AM. Good integration of fruit, acidity and tannin present proper balance.  90
  4. Mas Doix Salanques 2006 is a revelation. A Pegau-esque perfume aux gasseuse leans Rhône but an amazing (65%) Garnacha sweetness veers Priorat. Iodine (Syrah and Carignan) of black slate soil, tar, smoked meat and bacon. A Parker and Galloni thesaurus of descriptors must be bequeathed on this candied (Merlot) wine loaded with acidity in magnums.  CVR** WOTN.  93

 

House Made Cheeses, goat camembert, blue haze, cloth bound cheddar, truffle tomme

  1. Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf du Pape 1998 would be my wine of choice walking a boulder strewn vineyard on a misty morning in the Southern Rhône. Expressions are hurled around the table, “candified Pinot nose” and “tutti frutti.” For Beaucastel? I can’t believe the tripartite fruit freshness, ambient funk immersion and pencil lead sharpness. This ’98 is “light as a feather, heavy as lead.” The Beaucastel will brighten up your tomorrow. WOTN  96
  2. Tablas Creek Espit de Beaucastel 2008 the worthy adversary is just a dude from California. A honey pot of stewed prunes and “Seville oranges” notes the quote machine. A sinkhole of 38% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 26% Syrah and 6% Cunoise, the Esprit does admirable expatriate yeoman’s work and I wouldn’t even think of marking it zero.  88
Tasting Table

Tasting Table

 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR** – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

 

 

Good to go!

Would Air Canada Serve These Wines?

 

March 19, 2012 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/19/would-air-canada-serve-these-wines/

Union disputes, factory closures, protests, pilot book-offs, flight delays. Rachel Sa was grounded. Did Air Canada spoil your March break party? More importantly, if you did manage to fly on time, did they pour you stellar wines? Not likely. My March break concluded with a defrosting lake and a growing fort. Also with a little help from friends, family, food, sunshine and of course, fine wine.

 

Cline Zinfandel Live Oak Vineyard 2000 ($30) was the price I paid through VINTAGES Classics a decade ago. Intuition (and 15.5% alcohol) at the time suggested a lengthy cellar slumber. Good thinking. Heavens to murgatroyd! Ten years on the power of this Zin sets a land mine off in the mouth. Imbued of chewy caliginous thew, berries super concentrated still while tannin and acidity proliferate. Milk Chocolate character acts out the vineyard’s name. Fruit could last at least five more years.  91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beni di Batasiolo Barola Vigneto Corda della Briccolina 1998 may not be a wine to blow my mind yet there remains enough ro, ro rosey to be the apple in my cherry pie. Faintly herbal, sweet as fiori d’arancio. Expertly evolved tone, sound down low and baked of a colour as if weathered bricks that fashioned the backyard oven.  91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 (512384, $29.95) posolutely states its case as spokesperson for modern CCR. User-friendly, ruber-rich tree fruit cup runneth over. Chroma of pigeon’s blood corundum. Molto crema; gelato, cassis and anglaise.  89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the fort is really taking shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good to go!