Tag Archives: Tuscany

Canoe trip recipes for success

as seen on canada.com

Canoe trip cooking adheres to a less is more, zen-like philosophy. The chef must manage the intensity of absences, the maximization of omissions. The carrying weight of a tripping pack, storage restrictions and spoilage all combine to limit the boundaries of mis en place. Culinary science as outdated rhetorical lunacy, the act of banal heroism. My muse may not be a Jack Tripper Coq-au-Vin but “Lordy, Lordy, Lordy,” cooking outdoors is just plain fun.

The simple and meditative act of back country canoe camping perculiarizes the anthology of Canadian culture. Long before the assembly to dominion it was a summoning that defined our call to being. Today, the courir dans les bois persists as a tug of positable mythic that underlies who and what we are. Cherrywood paddles cutting whirlpools through ambient lakes.  Portage ambling over trails cut out of the forest lined with networking tree root systems and glacially deposited rocks. This base traversing of the landscape, in and out of a canoe, plodding a direct and simple course from points A to B.

Paddling Home

“Living on nuts and berries” once sustained us, we gatherers, fishermen, hunters and farmers. Canoe trip cooking marked an enlightened beginning for many Canadian chefs, a list not the least of which includes me. It was simpler back then. Tripper’s stew, Mac and Cheese, Boil in the Foil. I don’t miss and reminisce on those anti-culinary days. The paradox of modern campfire cooking merges the taste of maple, pine and birch smoke with gastronomical possibilities that leave beef jerky and tuna surprise in the dust. The demotic canoe trip maxim might state “show me a good casserole and I’ll show you a casserole.”

Pancake Breakfast

The key to canoe trip cooking, especially in the heat of the summer, is to keep perishable food cold for as long as possible. Freeze everything that can be frozen the night before departure, transfer to the food barrel and don’t open until dinner. Remove only last in, first out items and re-seal the barrel. The following morning the milk, eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese will all be good to go, straight from the “fridge.”

Green Beans, Feta, Golden Beets and Kale Shoots

Recent years have seen preparations that included Glazed Baby Back Ribs, Smashed Potatoes, Fried Rice, Deep Dish Pizza, Tortellini in Brodo, Grilled Flank Steak and Mushroom Risotto. Night one in July 2012 ventures into some new territory. Vietnamese Phở Bò Tái Nạm, Pan-Fried Halibut, Salad of Green Beans, Golden Beets, Greek Feta and Kale Shoots.

Soup’s On

Pho Bo Tai Nam

Ingredients:

1 package of flat rice noodles
2 lbs. centre cut beef tenderloin
2 litres frozen chicken stock
cheesecloth spice bag filled with cassia (cinnamon bark), fennel seed, whole cayenne chile, coriander seed, star anise, Szechuan peppercorn and clove. tied up with butcher’s string
fresh bean sprouts or baby greenhouse pea shoots
Thai basil (can substitute regular green, Genovese or purple basil)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Method:

Bring water to a rolling boil for 15 minutes and add rice noodles. Cook for three minutes, strain out the water and coat liberally in canola oil.

Grill Beef Tenderloin over campfire coals until charred and rare. Remove and rest for 20 minutes.

Take out frozen chicken stock from the food barrel, transfer to a stock pot and add one litre water. Drop in a sachet of spices. Bring to a rolling boil over extreme campfire heat and continue to boil for 15 minutes.

Slice beef very thin.

Serve bowls of broth with rice noodles, sliced beef, bean sprouts and Thai basil.

Slicing the Beef

Braised beef, fully cooked and frozen ahead, effectively works protein into night two of a canoe trip. Rump roast, stew beef and short rib can all be reshaped into stew. BBQ sauce glazed boneless short rib acts as esculent partner to rice, beans and pasta. In this case, good-bye baked beans and hello Garam Masala-spiced green lentils. The beef would star in a Khao San Road inspired Khao Soi but tonight it rides along with grilled Veal Knuckers, gluten-free corn pasta, olives, baby carrots and Padano Parmesan.

BBQ Flanken

Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients:

3 lbs. beef short rib, cut “flanken” style”
2 shallots, peeled and sliced in half
4 garlic cloves, sliced in half
2 cups dry red wine
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup BBQ sauce

Method:

The day before the trip, season flanken butchered short rib with salt and pepper.

Braise for two hours in a 375 degree oven covered in red wine, shallot and garlic.

Remove from the jus, cool, discard the bones, then deep freeze wrapped in foil and double-bagged.

Glaze with BBQ sauce and grill over hot coals, two minutes each on all four sides. Slice and serve.

Courtesy of PlatyPreserve

Boxed wines have been the go to beverage to pair with my uptempo, combative and sanguinary campfire cooking. On my next venture into a Canadian nature preserve I plan to bring better wine. On the reliable and heady advice of AM, hereto referred to as my “wine conscience,” this contraption will house a bottle or two of something more than drinkable. I’m not suggesting a classified growth Bordeaux or Barolo here. I’m thinking dry as the desert Italian reds will find their way inside the preservation system.

Argiano NC Non Confunditur 2009 (72397, $24.95) achieves crunge by amalgamating Cabernet Sauvignon (chocolate and berries), Merlot (basil, lead), Syrah (black as night) and Sangiovese (animale grosso) in a Super-Tuscan, spezzatura package. Could paddle without a care to the world and sip this all day while searching for “that confounded bridge.” He sure is a good friend.  90

Mazzei Fonterutoli Chianti Classico 2009 (977629, $25.95) confounds as a juxtaposition of the exquisite and the atavistic. A prince of raspberry purée, “I think I love you.” Yet oak and osseous variation turn the Mazzei into a Black Beret, a strong-willed and big-boned, alpha male animal.  Walk with the Moose.  88

Good to go!

A canoe tripper’s ode to boxed wine

canada.com

At the end of a long day paddling and portaging the lakes and rivers of Algonquin Park, nothing satisfies like a good mug of boxed wine. I know what you’re thinking. Beer? Come on, it’s a canoe trip. Into the pristine, wild interior of Ontario’s greatest nature preserve.  If this isn’t a desideratum that calls for thinking outside the glass, what is?

Portage Sign

Flipping Down

Eric Asimov once reported that to a snob, wine housed in a multilayer, aseptic carton was “…the epitome of déclassé, the vinous equivalent of trailer trash.” Then he noted, “the idea of putting wine in a box, or more accurately, in a bag within a box, is brilliant.” The cartons have been criticized for allowing flavour-destroying oxygen to seep in, when in fact the wine can stay fresh for weeks once it has been opened. Perfect for a canoe trip. Hey, that redneck wine also aids in the removal of  “ladybug taint,” an industry-wide, chemical-bad taste caused by alkyd-methoxypyrazines. Yep, soaked up by the packaging and essentially removed from the wine.

Afternoon Paddle

This lament cries out for the golden era of boxed wine. Where not too long ago a proliferation of quality abounded, locally available brands are now prohibitively limited. Where are you Bandit Cabernet Sauvignon? Who took away my Black Box out of Paso Robles? Why did the Aussies run away; yes you, Hardy’s and Banrock Station.

I did manage to locate four decent cartons to taste on the trip. The consensus number one was the Ciao Sangiovese.

Boxed Wines

Three Thieves Bandit Pinot Grigio (622019, 1L, $12.95) is made by California’s Trinchero from regions “not specified.” Pallid complexion, almost achromatic, like cheap Soave. Cheesy, effluence of a Petawawa tributary, Joycian “corpse of milk” aroma but rescued by coquettish, juicy fruit, Courtney Jaye flavour. Makes for a decent aperitif chilled straight out of the food barrel. When it comes to box wine,  “the bottom of the barrel ain’t bad when you make it feel like home.” Eaten alive by the Phở Bò Tái Nạm and the Halibut.  82

Ciao Bianco Pinot Grigio Carton (669200, 1L, $11.95) out of Italy’s Veneto region is the forward-thinking work of Cantine Luigi Sgarzi. Lambent, ochroid and organic, green head-water lake hued. Intensely dry and spartan for the varietal. Snappish yellow plum anointed with tarragon to support corn pasta, black olives, peas and carrots. 84

Pasta with Ciao Sangiovese

Ciao Sangiovese Organic Carton (29090, 1L, $11.95) puts overripe fruit and maximum colour extraction to good use. Moderate heft, renascent Tuscan red fruit of a Chumbawamba, straw flask era. Sincere, sugarplum, anarcho-rocker Sangiovese for straightforward campsite consumption. A friend to red sauce and to Padano Parmesan.  Ciao Bella.  86

French Rabbit Cabernet Sauvignon Carton (621680, $12.95) is contentious and inchoate of composition like oil poured over troubled water. That said, it’s an easy quaff. Fructifying enough to consume with nary an ill effect. Tiny molecules of mint, mineral and wild blueberry. The least interesting of the four but sneaks in under the wire for back country needs.  81

Moose Skull on Little Trout Lake

Good to go!

Solar flares and justice for wine

canada.com

While the move is just a baby step towards free wine trade in this country, the federal government is stepping away from the inter-provincial wine business. The repeal of a 1928 Prohibition law is hardly earth shattering news but it is a positive gesture and an ideological note aimed at the provinces to consider a similar and progressive course.

Shout out to the Henderson sisters, Courtney and Erin, for voicing their opinion, minus the grating, wine geek whine, concerning the passing of Bill C-311. Without this all important first chess move there is no future on the subject. The provincial monopolies are adamant that direct shipping of wine across borders will remove up to $300 million per year from the tax coffers. The law reform now opens the debate to prove that theory wrong.
The law allows you to order a firearm and have it shipped to your door, by courier. That’s what Sandra Oldfield of British Columbia’s Tinhorn Creek Winery did. Not a prosecutable offence! Cautiously optimistic kudos goes to an Ontario commission currently addressing wine shipping regulations. Arthur Kirkland would note “at this point, I would just like to say that what this committee is doing in theory is highly commendable. However, in practice, it sucks.” Arthur, let’s hope you’re wrong.
Now I turn my attention to the sun which continues to unleash its power upon the earth in the form of solar flares. Sun-kissed wine values continue to flourish at price points affordable to all.
The grapes: Carignan, Grenache and Syrah

The history: From the largest Appellation d’origine contrôlée in Languedoc-Roussilon

The lowdown: A microcosmic tour of southern France in a single bottle of wine

The food match: Fresh ground brisket, flat-iron and chuck sliders with cheddar, bacon and tomato jam

Chateau Ollieux Romanis Cuvée Classique Corbières 2009 (VINTAGES 281162, $15.95, SAQ 10507163, $17.65) betters le nez de Cyrano by a Pinnochio. Might just be the wood talking but the depth and girth is uncanny. Carignan, a.k.a., the hunchback of red French grapes, carries the load. It’s beauty is unearthed by the royalty of 30% Grenache (acidity) and 30% Syrah (tannin). A bouquet garni wafts through the Romanis cathedral and the orchestra’s A Day in the Life note holds on for the bows. Midi IVR* at its finest.  89

The grape: Chardonnay

The history: Oak plays no role. Think rocks, minerals and sharp fruit instead of butter and toast

The lowdown: If it’s not Premier Cru, Chablis is often disappointing. Geoffroy makes good from non-classified, less than estimable vineyard fruit

The food match:

Alain Geoffroy Domaine Le Verger Chablis 2010 (181289, $18.95) built of a “cold steel rail” is not accidentally, tragically on the verge of maximum dryness. Three pistols strong and searing Burgundy, mouth-puckering with green apple chalk.  Brings “on the brand new renaissance” so I wish you were here. Hip IVR* performance, vintage in, vintage out.  89

The grape: Sangiovese

The history: Producer of pedigree remembers its past but has a foot firmly cemented in the present

The lowdown: The Poliziano VNM had been closer to the $30 mark since 2004. This is a great vintage IMHO. Don’t miss it.

The food match: A great steak (Porterhouse or Rib-Eye) on the BBQ with Kosher salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil.

Poliziano Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2007 (988055, $25.95) should never be ignored. Does VNM get any better than this? Circumnavigates the Tuscan code, both ancient and modern. Assigns meaning to anagogic red fruit and flashes like a solar flare. Puzzling paradox of transparency and rich tinct. Chianina Bovi strength will need aeration or five plus years to relax.  90

The Splurge Wines

The grape: Chardonnay

The history: Ed Spragia was the winemaker at Beringer. His personal Chardonnay is biscuitous but good CVR**

The lowdown: This release adds an emphatic notch on the side of fair pricing

The food match: Steamed P.E.I. Lobsters and a twice-baked potato

Sbragia Home Ranch Chardonnay 2009 (52720, $34.95) from on the range in the Dry Creek Valley, “where seldom is heard a disparaging word.” Water-buffalo type comes out to play with buttered corn and elegant oak integration as the muted smell of smoked casks. A nearly $10 price reduction stares down in the face of the California price-fixing, conspiracy theorists.  89

The grape: Pinot Noir

The history: Transplanted Burgundian style shows most true to form in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

The lowdown: This is Lemelson’s most elegant bottling

The food match: Braised, plum glazed and crispy roasted pork bellies

Lemelson Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir 2009 (278721, $36.95) is a beautifully balanced effort. Coal smoke, meed, griottes and comestible tree fruit fragrance. Thyme and sage rubbed through fingers.  Sweet, resinous low country heartbreak.  90

Good to go!

Essential wine for Father’s Day

Father’s Day Wine. Photo Credit: ehow.com

What to get dad this year for Father’s Day. Perhaps not the gifting conundrum that is Mother’s Day but no walk in the park either. The obvious gadgets present themselves; Iphone, Ipad, Kindle, Nook or Golf Course GPS, because no real man wants one for the car.

Forget the camera, video recorder and BBQ. Those things just tell dad he has to work harder. Give him something he can use. Better yet, choose something you can share with him.

VINTAGES Essentials are the Fine Wine and Spirits Division’s collection of always available products. Imagine it’s Sunday afternoon. You are a mere hours away from Father’s Day dinner. You have been tasked with bringing the wine. You need to pick promising bottles to match hors d’oeuvres, appetizer, main course, dessert and one special bottle for Dad to take home to his cellar. In between Soccer finals and gymnastics pick-up there is only time to stop in at the nearest LCBO. The VINTAGES kiosk at the store’s rear only carries certain release products and is sold out of everything you came looking for. That is where Essentials answers the bell. These products can be counted on to be found in most (decent-sized) Ontario stores.

I tasted through 90 VINTAGES Essentials two weeks ago. Here are six to bring to dad; five to share with him and one as a special parting gift for his singular day.

Thirty Bench Riseling 2010 (24133, $18.95) with it’s Huet of the Loire, Chenin Blanc-like citrus, pear and honey blast begs for some BBQ starters. Like good wurst and spicy mustard. Like Chinese BBQ glazed ribs. Incredibly youthful, living in a wild west end of the Beamsville Bench. “Greasy hair easy smile..this is the seventh heaven street to me.” A benchmark Riesling to put Niagara on the popular map.  90

Louis Jadot Chardonnay Bourgogne 2010 (933077, $18.95, LTO until June 24, 2012 at $16.95) keeps on caramelizing but less so in ’10. The oak barrel toast level quotient is down close to 200 for those of you counting at home. This allows a searing acidity to zap the mellow white cherry, rose and raspberry fruit into life.  Best Jadot White Burgundy normale in quite a spell. Would serve well alongside soft taco or slider appetizers. Of fish, pork or chicken. Some cracklings would be nice.  88

Esporao Reserva Red 2009 (606590, $25.95) made from parochial Aragonés, the Tempranillo of Portugal. This particular vintage brings Spanish Montsant to mind, especially the wines of Celler Capçanes. A thread of ripe cherries, cocoa dust, milk chocolate and spice link it to a style also not unlike Napa. Stillwater runs deep for this deeply-hued, Portuguese raven and methinks it almost famous.  Rubbed ribs and chicken await.  88

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (255513, $34.95, LTO until June 24, 2012 at $29.95) signals reform and a serious return to form. Dictionary Napa entry, a reigned and refined milkshake of California berries and dark chocolate. Solid mineral bones full of might, fight and planar, ferric-iron leucos-phosphite. This is the tetrameric rub that notches new found response and respect for the can be found everywhere, once Philistine Mondavi.  Top cut, seared on high heat and rare of course. 89

Cave Spring Indian Summer Select Late Harvest Riesling 2010 (415901, $24.95) wins the race to accompany dessert for its Spätlese sensibility melded to a Niagara Crèvecoeur smoke and mildness mentality. The Peninsula’s typical lime, slate and chalk it shares with Germany’s Mosel are front and centre, cojoined by Icewine’s candied, orange marmalade. At half the tag, the Late Harvest is the leading Essentials sticky deal.  88

Tignanello 2008 (986786, $99.95) gets the nod for dad’s big gift because the singing Tig is flat out esculent. A smoked, Blueberry Margarita, Porcini Risotto with Tartufo di San Giovanni d’Asso and long espresso all rolled into one Super Tuscan. The Cabernet components don’t just get lucky, but are hugely supportive of the vernacular Sangiovese. The Tig might march you up a Florentine hill and get you singing “if you got a truffle dog, you can go truffling.”  90

Good to go!

Re-wined up. May openings and online releases

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/06/01/re-wined-up-may-openings-and-online-releases/

One Pinot, two Shiraz, three Tintos and 27 obscure grapes.

Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone Vineyard 2005 (652883, $39.95) has softened since the last visit on Mother’s Day 2009. Speculation upon release of Chuck Wagner’s Single Vineyard Pinot fetish was “just a bet on a race between the lights.” Mom (and dad) agreed back then there was too much mined, dark anise and vanila fruit, too much ore. The C & T abused the mouth, took no prisoners. Today the plum candy remains and despite a band-aid note, a silky texture lights the Paschal flame. The univocal Glos has transfigurated out of the “darkness and into the day.”  91

St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2009 (535104, $29.95) from the March 17th, 2012 VINTAGES release as I previously penned, “bests Barossa at this price point and on a limb for that matter, anywhere in the land of Oz.” From lands Ebenezer, Seppeltsfield and Greenock, receives extended elevage (20 months) in American Oak and shows off like a multi-coloured bruise. Blackwell’s got Squib Cakes, stands as a raw, intense tower of black fruit power. Has the chop and staining Syrah concentrate to oak land a knockout punch to the teeth, mouth and gums. The flagship $50+ equivalent to most South Australian Shiraz, this one is positioned middle of the pack for St. Hallett and is therefore impressive CVR** value for its full-on Barossa style.  91

St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2009, Barossa, South Australia Bottle

Howard Park Leston Shiraz 2005 (923565, $29.95) may come from vines beholden to the deep pockets of its founders but this is not exactly Napa dotcom milliionare playtime. “Members of the Australia wine trade aren’t precious about their wine. But they do love it.” This Leston (from a bonza vintage) spouts a fountain sluice of youthful Margaret River mint and tisserand scented red fruit. Muted middle earth note swings hypoteneuse through hoops and microeconomically bests McLarenVale and Barossa.  90

 

Quinta Do Crasto Old Vines Reserva 2004 (990572, $34.95) released through VINTAGES back in 2007 was juiced from upwards of 30 varietals from then 60-year old vines growing in schist soils. Firm framework, toast smokey, persistent cream and chocolate. Cherry-centered dark chocolate too. The newfangled Douro.  90

Notes on the May releases of 14 VINTAGES online wines.

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2004 (093495, $49) of apricot, peach, citrus and chevre verging on Cendrillon is just that; funky and stinky. Love the petrol age though.  86

Davis Bynum Bynum Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 (0201580, $34.95) emits sweet beet and licorice hokum from the dehydrator. A xerophytic aroma keeps it grounded in its Russian River Valley home.  87

Château Latour à Pomerol (0133876, $89) may be a bit corky but I can still see the leaves for the forest. Hints at so much lithe, like leafy tobacco, damp earth, landes shavings and pickled berries. A cushioned launch TGV’s on espresso and toughens late with a firm grip. Give it 10 to 15.  93

Château Le Croix De Gay 2008 (136879, $39) whorls along crude, jangling lines like a Heavy D remake of Ms. Jean Knight’s big tune. La Croix has front and back stuffing in ’08 sandwiched around an 80’s, less than flattering and infundibular midriff.   88

Château Haut-Bergey 2008 (136648, $45) while uncombed and unbraided, is mouth filling and ultimately shows a bit of balance.  87

Tablas Creek Esprit De Beaucastel (735654, $45) may cause addiction due to sweet, sweet candy and mama’s marmalade. Consistent with my April 24th note: “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

Casanova Di Neri Pietradonice 2007 (0103085, $79.00) from a master Brunello producer is a dark, dank, hefty and concentrated grunge effort. A brandied effect brings Vintage Port to mind. A meal not to leave hungry, from the mouths of decadence. Perhaps today Cornell and Vedder sip this seemingly evolved and enticing Super Tuscan.  92

De Bortoli Rococo Blanc de Blancs (0238014, $25) flashes some of the largest bubbles and that is not necessarily a good thing. Baroque, not so much. Late, yes. The chalk and talc do match a Roccoco-like creamy, pastel style but the wine is simple, not ornate.  May only “say its name in an empty room.”  86

Cooper Mountain Reserve Chardonnay 2009 (0232827, $22.95) gives orange peel, green apple and foil. Atomic number 16, Chardonnay pearls duettia and a Chablis (Fourchaume) fromage permeate this no toast radio Oregonian. A bit soft, but clean and certainly not oaked to a fault.  88

Château Chasse-Spleen 2008 (0134452, $44) has nearly peaked. The wine past its prime shines LED light. LED wines are so last year. The weald has wielded and waned, the caper and tobacco berries melded into molasses.  87

Château La Couspade 2008 (0229245, $72) of aromal Cassis, Panatela and CDP-like Kirsch is big on extraction for ’08.  Earth, wine and fire of a shining star. Just like meat in a stew. It’s got sustenance.  90

Château La Gaffelière 2008 (0136127, $84) my stars will be beautiful. Colour and potency but currently closed for business. Hidden purple perfume of Aubrietia, Lilac and Lavendar.  90

Château Malescot St-Exupéry 2008 (0137109, $64) never lets me down. “I feel my temperature rising” when a Malescot is on the table. Seamless wine showing a modified ’08 evolution. Noble as Bordeaux comes at this price. Terrific balance of forest, florals and ebon. The Malescot is always on the bus.  92

Fuligni Ginestreto Rosso di Montalcino 2009 (0245241, $24) is light, delicate and redolent Sangiovese. Impractically colourless to look at, the palate does the talking. Could drink this every day.  89

Good to go!

VINTAGES May 26, 2012 Release: Tuscany

Vineyards in Tuscany. Credit Peter Gridley

May 23, 2012

More from the VINTAGES, May 26th Release:

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/05/21/vintages-may-26-2012-release-chardonnay/

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/05/23/vintages-may-26-2012-release-tuscany/

Here five terrific wines that raise the bar for the varietally variable and blue-blooded Sangiovese. Etruscan treasures of high benevolence, proud and unwavering in stature. Quality across the board from Aziendie Agricoli enjoying a new Renaissance and representing a vinous gateway to classical civilization. Architecturally driven bottles of pleasure, engineered today by masters of their craft.

Vicchiomaggio Agostino Petri Chianti Classico Riserva 2008 (993360, $19.95) represents immense IVR* in modish CCR. High toned Sangiovese fruit perhaps void of a certain transparency but in equity with necessary acidity.  Forward thinker and delicious. The ’01 was $25.95.   88

 

Castello Di Ama Chianti Classico 2007 (39768, $33.95) the dictionary entry for CC defined eclipses the storied ’04 and ’06 in weight, balance and power. Complex, confounding, a funk of its own accord, not animal or barnyard, but something other. A Stanley Clarke, Zabadoobeede Bass Days beat. Smoke, tar and grotto florals like a Snake Head’s Frittilary.  92

La Mannella Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 (279083, $39.95) of compendiary and dirtless, sylvan cherry spice is “hard to handle now,” a corvo nero to Chianti’s gallo. Gangly at present, the old school Mannella will grow in stature to shake its money maker and take off in future flight.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruffino Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 (353201, $43.95) is money, a Siena red and golden sunset of  licorice sweetness. Viscous liquere-spiked espresso with big tannic grip. Five to 10 years away from pay dirt.  89

Antinori Pian Delle Vigne Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 (651141, $59.95) of fat and hearty, bubbling beef broth contributes towards defining Tuscan animale in Sangiovese. Iron and lead brined cherries soaking in beef suet. This Antinori is a resplendent, modern expression of Brunello.  91

Good to go!

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-To-Value Ratio

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

Old world wine Avengers

Avengers Wine

 

May 7, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/05/07/old-world-wine-avengers/

 

A generation of eonphiles older than myself are fortunate to have seen a forest for the trees. Their knowledge of the Truffula allows them to dwell in vinous perpetuity where “peace and balance are the rule.” This a land where gold is in them hills. Where a wine’s colour is detected by means analogous to the use of the eye. Wines that maintain the line of gravity, where fruit, tannin and acidity work together toward a common goal. Wines maxing out at 12.5% abv. The need to avenge the annihilation of proportion by wines that sold the world may be partially offset by emerging and steadying technologies but I am on the road again, looking for a miracle beyond the latest fashion. In this canned heat world of red berry, chocolate milkshakes “there’s a brand new talk…it’s loud and it’s tasteless.” It’s getting old and increasingly hard to handle. Were rebel winemakers superheroes they would be the Avengers and their wines the super-powers they wield to rid us of the scary monsters and once again restore an old world order.

Two recently (re-tasted) Vine Dirt wines on the card at Barque are a current source of enlightenment to “see me through the days of wine and roses…see me through when things get heavy.”

 

Terre Nere Brunello di Montalcino 2006 (208462, $35.95) the real water buffalo type is a rare throwback to a time when the likes of Biondi Santi and Soldera ruled the Montalcino mountain. The Nere must be admired for being fearless and without code. Perhaps it lacks a certain genome and it is this missing part that allows it to fly. Hovering and truffling about on a bed of parched, brick earth and roses. Redolent of balmy bracken and game roasting on an open-pit. A revertigo Brunello to send me back to the Fortezza circa 1987.  91

Terre Nere Brunello 2006

Terre Nere Brunello 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Pieve Barolo 2007 (213132, $28.95) shines as the adolescent kin to Marziano Abbonna’s two terrific adult Baroli, the recently released Terlo Ravera and soon to arrive Pressenda. Reconnoitering with the Pieve opens a window into an unparalleled universe of value to be found in this produttori’s Nebbioli.  End-of-tether quality of light shining ever so lightly in the glass. Cherries soaking in a bowl of rosewater. Top notch match to the simplicity of tortelli di zia and to the bold flavours of smokehouse chicken.  90

La Pieve Barolo 2007

 

 

Good to go!

 

 

My rehab wine? Brunello di Montalcino

May 4, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/05/04/my-rehab-wine-brunello-di-montalcino/

Thanks to Russ Martin, a new wine phrase graces the pages of canada.com. I’d like to think Amy Winehouse, alava shalom, has been serendipitously thanked for her contribution. Martin’s note, “…she likes to have a glass, or two, or three, as we’ve seen. This leads us to the week’s first WTF, a Who-The-F. As in, who the f better to make wine than Ronnie, sampler of chardonnay?

My desert island and rehab wine is the perfectly magical creature, the Sangiovese Grosso of Tuscany. To me, the effortless structure and ethereal liquidity of Brunello works for all food, including canoe trip wok pasta.

Waterclear Lake Wok Pasta

Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino 2004 is phenomenal stuff. Already integrated and seamless. Sublime. Black as night verging towards red brick rosy nectar. Sweet, saline and savoury, smelling of macerated cherries salted and chocolate dipped. Haute vinturi. “Yes I been black, but when I come back You wont know, know.”  So good, so right.  95

Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good to go!

 

 

VINTAGES Classics, May 2012 – Six “values” under $69

 VINTAGES Classics May 2012 

April 30, 2012

VINTAGES 

 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/30/vintages-classics-may-2012-six-values-under-69/?postpost=v2#content

 

The bi-annual fine wine catalogue is “free to those that can afford it, very expensive to those that can‘t.” Have been burning the midnight must, wondering from which discretion inspiration will come, trying to forge a splurge decision on a $100+ icon. A Bouchard or Dublere Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru? Champy Mazis-Chambertin GC? Beaucastel Hommage or CDP Blanc? Messorio, Clos Mogador, Quintarelli Alzero? What about the Vérité Le’s and La’s? Head shake as if oscillating, eye-level hung boxing punch bag. Have now come to my senses. Presenting a shortlist of six under $69.

 

Rex Hill Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 (275735, $39) quiet, honest and of a certified sustainable winery represents the best fruit from prized vineyard sources situated around Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It has been said and may be true that early on some vintages at Rex Hill were more promise than delivery. Notes on the 2009 swing the pendulum in this outfit’s favour, “…just a lot of depth and flavor for the money,” “…loquacious and slightly acidic, yet well behaved” and “…focused, satiny and elegant.” Released at $48 US, prices hovered around the $30 mark last summer and if you were to find it now, the average price nets over$40 US.

Rex Hill Reserve Pinot Noir 2009

Rex Hill Reserve Pinot Noir 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2009 (119081, $45) gumshoes while the iconic Littorai and Sea Smoke divert attention. Comfortably comparative, unrestrictive $10-15 tag versus our neighbours to the south. Make no mistake, this is deeply hued, 14.4% ABV Sonoma Pinot. Resides in that not yet greedy, none too precious wheelhouse once inhabited by Kosta Browne. Matthew Jukes says the Hobbs RRV owns an “…innate understanding of the celestial Pinot form.” The Scores are RP (92) , WS (91), JR-ST (90) and CT’s (91).

Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2009

Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2009

                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poderi Colla Roncaglie Barbaresco 2007 (715763, $49) totes Cru vineyard status and reminds me that Barbareschi offer some of the greatest $50 value. A tangerine site the Roncaglie, “she is my queen,” producing a shimmering wine with Nebbiolo country flourish. Galloni (94+) is joined by Kyle Phillips (**), Michael Franz (93)  and Monica Larner (91) on the butter pat.

Colla Roncaglie Barb 2007

Colla Roncaglie Barb 2007

 

Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon Post Vineyard 2006 (261982, $65) will fill the “going to California with an aching in my heart” hole in my current wine voyage life. A hovering Zeppelin of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon replete with Left bank lead blown by Pacific winds over Diamond Mountain. Mr. Laube at WS (82) is the sole detracting critical voice so skim his dis off the bottom, along with the (96) hyperbole from W & S, from off the top. The middle ground notes black fruit, high, coarse tannins and a wooden depth of flavour. Priced and continuing to sell near the $75 US mark so a steal by VINTAGES, California standards. Here some more critical thought from WE (93), WN (92), RJ (91), Vinography (9-9.5) and the CT’s (91).

Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon Post Vineyard 2006

Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon Post Vineyard 2006

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Serena Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 (149583, $69) the highly clicked Sangiovese will clog the Classics queues. The (97) from Spectator guarantees a lottery effect. A child might ask, “what’s so special about this wine, what’s its magic?” If Brunello is your thing, you have to put in a ballot. Oh Serena, “when I come to lie in your arms, you should not treat me like a stranger.”

La Serena Brunello Di Montalcino 2006

La Serena Brunello Di Montalcino 2006

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delas Frères Domaine Des Tourettes Hermitage 2009(91652, $69) will be the singularly most requested wine of mortal value from this catalogue. Robert Parker rated it (98). Drop me a line if your ticket comes in.

Delas Frères Domaine Des Tourettes Hermitage 2009

Delas Frères Domaine Des Tourettes Hermitage 2009

Other Wines of Note:

LOUIS JADOT CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET LES DEMOISELLES GRAND CRU 2008 (261032, $399)

JOSEPH DROUHIN MONTRACHET MARQUIS DE LAGUICHE GRAND CRU 2007 (670323, $675)

DELAS FRÈRES LA LANDONNE CÔTE-RÔTIE 2009 (92197, $149)

DELAS FRÈRES LES BESSARDS HERMITAGE 2009 (92205, $149)

PAUL JABOULET AÎNÉ HERMITAGE LA CHAPELLE 2009 (973735, $255)

CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL HOMMAGE À JACQUES PERRIN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2009 (985622, $325)

DOMAINE DE LA JANASSE CHAUPIN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2009 (940379, $85)

CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL VIEILLES VIGNES CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE BLANC 2009 (596098, $159)

PENFOLDS GRANGE 2006  (279695, $499)

 

 

Good to go!

 

 

Eight Under $28 From The April 28th VINTAGES Release

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2012

VINTAGES

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/24/eight-under-28-from-the-april-28th-vintages-release/

 

Vinea Garganega 2010 (230656, $13.95) sugars great Veronese IVR* promise out of the Veneto. Hyperglycemic green-eyed lady bass line and Hammond organ finger roll plum and honey-dew in a state of barm loaf. Glycerin of Amaretto and snappy Salak. Sour apple martini with candy swizzle stick, “soothing every wave that comes.”  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canonica a Cerreto Chianti Classico Reserva 2007 (275867, $17.00) was surely not decanted from a straw flask into this sleek and marketable bottle. A precocious and gregarious ruffle of polish and cask modernity speak of the Cerreto’s new worldliness. Splashes of Cabernet and Merlot lean IGT and yet just enough Chianti brightness remains to keep it honest.  Scales (“never heard of him“) on the label are indicative of this balanced effort. Easy money.  88

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hogue Genesis Syrah 2009 (687822, $19.95) is a steadfast and decent wine so my exegesis begins at its central core. Black colour of a world still unformed. Heady like a stand of old growth forest; black oak, ash and walnut. B’reishit Washington Syrah where the bifurcation of quality and cost collide. Big wall of Syrah sound, perfect for headphones playing “no need to hide. Keep it dark.”  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vincent Girardin Vieilles Vignes Mâcon–Fuissé 2009 (264515, $19.95) the vibrant fresh maker, with crisp, apple taut fragrance and void of oak annoyance. Just a touch of baby fat and some mineral too. Well-balanced for under $20. Girardin’s (940825, $39) Santenay on this release is not to be missed.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arnoux & Fils Vacqueyras 2009 (264663, $19.95) is as modern as it gets for the appellation, right down to “The Vac” label. Sweet Kirsch, lifted raspberry jam, soft, fleshy and forward. Has just enough funk to keep it real. Will have broad appeal and represents excellent Dogg value, if you like the plush style. Betcha Snoop drinks it.   89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leasingham Winemakers Selection Bin 61 Shiraz 2008 (448241, $24.95) the Kitty of Clare Valley is back in town. A loyal and trusted friend, reminiscent of the ’99. Burns no rubber and “goes runnin’ nightly, lightly through the jungle.” Less power, more strength. Less jam, more brakes. This Highway 61 should not be accused of having put its “bleachers out in the sun.”  90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saltram of Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (48579, $24.95) may inexplicably enjoy cult status but for the money no other Barossa Cabernet can demand such respect. I would pay $25 for this over almost any $50+ peer within the appellation. Opulent, ruddy, bursting, pickled berries.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isole E Olena Chainti Classico 2008 (704346, $26.95) the beguiler welcomes with cinnamon, cherry spice and award winning roses. Poised, confident, simply phenomenal CC issue. Delicious now and will be perfect in five.  Better than when tasted in November 2011.  91

TN from Nov. 29, 2011,“…a mouthful of black fruit, bourbon cask aromas, dark and stormy. The barque of a ship’s ocean misted, wooden planks and of a smoked beef rib. Hard lines but hard to resist. Bloody good CC but certainly not traditional.  89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Wines Tasted

Two Rivers of Marlborough Convergence Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (277707, $29.95) carries heavy alcohol bandwidth, tomato leaf pesto and band-aid across a frame of sweet lime concentrate. Hot for SB, over processed and heavy with silicone and collagen. Their will be superficial fans.  86

Chavet & Fils La Dame De Jacques Coeur Menetou-Salon Blanc 2010 (525048, $19.95) offers a rare VINTAGES sighting and would excite were it more Loire and less Marlborough. Salmagundi of pâté, gooseberry and kiwi, swathed by an alkaline grapefruit finish.  85

Torres Viña Esmerelda 2010 (113696, $13.95) zests halitious of ReaLemon and petroleum wax. Can’t help but hear the “smell of wine and cheap perfume” lyric played by a wedding band while the cast of Jersey Shore watch their drapery clad mothers put back the Esmeralda. Like Torrontoes with bad make-up. Won’t be tagging along on this Moscatel journey.  80

Colchester Ridge Crew Meritage 2007 (280990, $19.95) noses Ontario from the get go with burning campfire then wafts exotic towards Masala spice, brown derby dressing and horseradish root. Flavour of earth demi-glace, composted apple and black licorice.  84

Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (38075, $23.95) the “melody softly soaring through my atmosphere” is cute, sweet, lyrical and precocious. Gallo incarnate in the AlexanderValley. A death Cab for some but what’s not to like?  87

Stag’s Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (996405, $49.95) the model of consistency vintage to vintage and head to foot. Runs black cherry in its veins with nary a cut, scrape or bruise. Napa varietal profiling in its poised, beating heart.  89

Andrew Rich Cuvée B Pinot Noir 2008 (127043, $29.95) carries currant, candied pomegranate and the rocky crush of clove studded juniper berry. Well made, on the elegant side of Pinot life, even Burgundian if that can even be articulated.  88

Mendel Malbec 2009 (108225, $24.95) typifies Mendoza replete with old vines fruit adding canorous body. Infundibular midriff slows the smouldering, swelling berry pleasure. Crucial minerals carry red grape fluid away from the viscera and out of the body.  87

Susana Balbo Signature Malbec 2009 (79798, $21.95) at the outset teases TCA, then VA. Paulliac nez of tabac et peau d‘animaux. That and a whack of new French Oak where vanilla, chocolate and coffee lambaste and pummel the senses.  NR

Majella Shiraz 2008 (269308, $29.95) is a vitrified, mined vine of depth and power but short on finesse. Heavy extract with a touch of soap and mired in the details of oak. “The wheels are spinning but the car, neutral.”  86

Esprit de Pavie 2008 (244020, $32.95) shows good spirit as it amalgamates 2nd wine fruit from iconic Pavie, Monbousquet, Clos L’eglise and St. Columbe. Spiced coffee cake and soft yet pretty purple fruit. Obdurate push back indicates three years of cellaring will help. Would have been a CVR** steal at $20-25.  89

Brancaia Tre 2009 (164715, $22.95) the SGM speaks of identity theft and lack of spirit. Once upon a Tuscan, now a global commodity playing on MOR radio stations. This bottling recently rushed to great success but there is now “a question of your honesty, yeah your honesty.” Sure it’s delicious but what’s with “all this machinery making modern music?”  Pair not with pasta asciuta normale.  87

StefanoAccordini Acinatico Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2009 (85159, $19.95) is pitchy for a valpo with splendiferous up front fruit. Cimmerian red plum joined by buff vanillan cocoa and velveteen in the mouth. So far so good but ultimately flaccid and void of oomph.  86

Allende 2006 (954560, $24.95) in extant cantillates oak, oak, oak. What happened to my Rioja? Tempered Tempranillo so no fear that it may seize. Pendulous and potent, well-mannered, ready to please. Go Condado de Haza over this for sure.  87

Perrin Réserve Rosé 2011 (719062, $15.95) is warm and balanced, all strawberry, all the time. Nutty for its ilk.  86

 

 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR* – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

 

 

Good to go!