Empty Glasses

Last April, my girlfriend went to a conference in Germany for her job. Held in Wiesbaden, they granted the participants with a nice welcome gift: a half bottle of Rheingau Riesling “Von Unserm” 2001, from Balthasar Ress. Not imported in Quebec, that little bottle piqued my curiosity and patiently waited in the cellar for a couple of months. I was not in a hurry, as it is well-known that rieslings, especially German ones, can gain a lot from ageing. A vertical tasting at the Fox Run winery in the Finger Lakes last year also proved that point in a very eloquent manner.

Located in Hattenheim im Rheingau, the Balthasar Ress winery is in business since 1870 and has been passed from generation to generation since then. It now cultivates 46 hectares of vines, 90% of which are planted with Riesling, a bit above the Rheingau average (80% of the production being riesling). The rest of the production is divided between Spätburgunder (Pinot noir) as well as some Weissburgunder (Pinot blanc).

We finally opened it last week and it proved to be very impressive. Nobody would have guessed that this wine was 10 years old. The tropical fruit notes that we often see in young riesling were still there, underlined by a suprisingly lively acidity and a bright pale yellow riesling. It seemed like a wine fresh out of the winery. As the night went on, I (somehow!) managed to restrain myself from drinking it all in one gulp in order to see how it evolved. The result was lovely: the petrol notes started to come up and pushed the wine to another level of complexity, as it did not take over the fruit. Everything was really well balanced and formed a cohesive whole. It’s too bad that we only had a half-bottle though, as I would have liked to see it evolve even more.

I wish that this winery was available in Québec, as I was impressed by the quality of what we tasted. It will prompt me to find a way to discover a bit more about German wines, which I don’t know well. Ninety wines from Germany, ranging from 10$ to 211$, are available at the SAQ, which gives us a rather small playing field. Of these, would you have any suggestions for a novice-but-willing-to-learn-about-german-wine drinker?

Remember when your mom told you: “Don’t play with your food“? However, when it comes to wine, playing with it is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But it’s exactly what we were asked to do during a workshop I had the pleasure to attend this week.

The Who wants to play sommelier? seires aims to introduce the guests to the work fo the sommelier: understanding the wines, how they are made and how they pair with food to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The first workshop focused on the art of blending, through a highly interactive tasting and experimentation session.

The workshop started with a chance for the attendees to taste two rather classic blends: Bordeaux blends and Rhone blends from all over the world, which were used to split the crowd in two smaller groups based on their preference. I will remember the Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot blend from Mission Hill, which was a nice surprise for many as Canadian wines often start with a bad reputation. I will also remember The Stump Jump, an Australian Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre blend, which I am grateful to have tasted there, instead of having bought a bottle…

I decided to side at the Bordeaux table, at which we were presented with three glasses of red wines, which were 100% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Taken individually, they showed a nice representation The goal was to create a nice blend of these three wines, trying to play on the strenghts of each varietal to cover to weaknesses of others. While I usually like the Chinon Expression from Alain Lorieux, it seemed overly green and metallic compared to the others.

We were then asked to mix these wines to create our own blend, which was done in a playful mood by all, with varying degrees success. My initial blend of approximately a third of each wine was a total disaster. Matthieu Dugal‘s blend of two thirds of Cabernet Sauvignon and a third of Cabernet Franc was a pretty good hit. Vanessa Bell‘s instinctive mix of “a shitload of Merlot, a base of Cab Franc and a kickass of Cabernet Sauvignon” was also quite spot-on and generous. I finally managed to get a good result with equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This exercise teached us that successful blending is an art which requires a good dose of thought and a lot of failed attempts…

The last part of the night was a small two-course meal, both paired with the Cep d’Antan 2008, a blend of Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Malbec from Château de Bouillerot. On it’s own, the wine was pretty good, and kept improving throughout the night. It had the power from the petit verdot and the malbec and a subtle exotic touch from the carmenere. The wine was outshone by a beet soup to die for and a main course of juicy duck magret.

All in all, we had a great time: we played with our food and wine in such a way that we don’t do normally, drank good wine and had some interesting discussions (some of them about wine). I’d take that kind of night 7 days a week and definitely look forward to the next workshop in March 2011.

When wandering at the SAQ a couple of weeks ago, while looking for an inexpensive red to serve with (and partly in) that night’s beef stew, my eye caught sight of a curiosity. A red wine from Marcillac, a tiny AOC from the south west of France which was still unknown to me. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that it was made from 100% Mansois (a.k.a Fer Servadou), a varietal I had no clue existed and it is imported by Rézin. Basically, it’s a step into the unknown, which I love to do. And at 15$ for a bottle, there was little to lose.

Jean-Luc Matha produces two wines, Cuvée Lairis and Cuvée Peirafi, which are both made entierly from Mansois. The Cuvée Lairis is fermented in stainless steel for 10-12 days and sees no oak, which would explain how fruit-driven the resulting wine is. As Jean-Luc Matha said:

“To use new wood, one must have grapes that provide a certain material. Mansois does not do that; Instead, we’ve simply turned our attention to achieving extreme concentration on the vine and in tank, which will ultimately help our wine to age gracefully.”

It turns out it was a really good choice. Packed with loads of spice and fruit, it was a little rough around the edges on the first sip. This rusticity passed quickly and left a wine with a solid backbone, but left enough room for all the components of the wine to express themselves clearly. As usual, balance is the key and this effort by Jean-Luc Matha really hits to sweet spot. While I don’t want to pull a Vaynerchuck, this could be summed by Beaujolais meets Cabernet Franc from Loire meets Syrah from southern France…

The Mansois is really a varietal I will try to find elsewhere, either in the other Marcillac wines available at the SAQ or from Gaillac or Madiran, where it is also used. As you can notice in the picture, the bottle was emptied rather quickly… One more empty glass!

If you had 3 unidentified bottles coming at your door and you needed to guess the appellation of each of these three wines, would you be able to do so? This is essentially what Secret Wine asked us to do. Organized by the French communication firm Clair de Lune, this contest gathered 85 bloggers from around the world (around half from France and a couple from Canada) and offered a 3 day wine-tasting trip as a reward for anyone who would guess all three correct appellations… While the reward seems nice, most of the fun comes from the blind tasting, so I invited some friends over for supper and decided to challenge ourselves.

Without any clue, I decided to serve the wines in the numerical order, so it would be wine #79 first, then #390 and finally #714. They could also have picked 1,2 and 3 as numbers, but I figured it would have been too simple… In hindsight, it might not have been the best decision, as it turns out that #79 was the most powerful and #714 was the lightweight of the bunch. Oh well, such is the pleasure of tasting blind!

Right from the start, #79 came out strong with black olives, tapenade and quite a hefty dose of alcohol. We can also see it in the glass, thanks to is deep color and the say it clings to the glass. This is definitely a hot wine, with a long lasting finish which makes us think of the coasts of the Mediterranean. Mourvèdre, Grenache? We finally settled for a Faugères, but it could have been as easily a Bandol.

We then followed with #390, which seemed similar in color than #79, but was a bit more quite on the nose. It eventually opened up with a rather meaty character, garrigue and some dark fruits. However, what interested us mostly in this wine was the smooth tannins which made us go for a mostly grenache blend (with a fair bit of mourvèdre mixed in), from Côtes-du-Ventoux. We got none of the spice that seemed to be detected by some other contestants so we ruled out some appellations which are mostly syrah-based.

With #714, we were taken to a different location. Not only was it lighter in color and alcohol (not gamay-like, though…), it was also the more fruit driven wine of the three. So it must come from a cooler region and it was also the weaker wines of the three, with a much lesser finish than the other two, where it my have suffered from the comparison. Is it a generic Côtes-du-Rhône? An AOC Languedoc? In the end, it was a Pic St-Loup for us, but I was not convinced with the answer I put in.

In the end, it was a fun challenge and, as with everyone who participated, I eagerly wait for the unveiling of the results. Will I win the grand prize? Probably not. But I had loads of fun. And if someone has three other nice bottles to taste blind, I’ll gladly take the challenge again!

In great vintages, go with smaller producers. In small vintages, go with the great producers.

With vintage of century after vintage of the century in Bordeaux, the great names are getting out of range of pretty much everyone. In order to pay 2100$ for one bottle of Ausone 2009, one needs to love wine and have very deep pockets. For us mortals, our focus will go to these smaller producers

]Back in september 2008, the SAQ put for sale an arrival of Bordeaux 2005, hailed as one of the best vintages in the region since forever (you know how it goes…). In a tasting which was organized to preview these wines, we have had the chance to sample the offerings from Château Clarke, Pape Clément and la Fleur de Boüard. While these wines were really good, they were also way over our budget, especially in this vintage.

We did focus to “lesser” wines which were presented in this tasting. Among the favourites were Château Beaumont and Haut-Canteloup, Cuvée Prestige.

Opened shortly after the tasting, I remember the Château Beaumont to be young, full of fruit with the tannins and acidity to allow it to last for a number of years. My other bottle is patiently waiting, with no haste to open it.

At that time, we also opened the Haut-Canteloup. I remember it as highly tannic, a bit harsh, actually, even after more than an hour in decanter. The other one was also laid to rest for a while, until the occasion would come. It was opened last week, along with friends coming over from Montréal. The harsh tannins were smoothed by that year, the apparent wood (iish) was well integrated and the dark fruit mass was brought to the forefront. The bottle drank itself over the course of the night, which is always a good sign!

With vintage 2009 coming up, along with the increased demand from the asian markets, more and more Bordeaux-lovers will need to learn to discover these smaller estates because in these great years, they have lots of quality to offer.

Weather seems to be acting up strangely in North America this year.

Thanks to a summer definitely warmer than average, the grapes have ripened faster than usual. The New York Cork Report reported on August 21 that harves for pinot noir destined for the sparkling wines of Macari vineyards was starting to be picked. In the Finger Lakes (in upstate New York), data has shown that the season was almost 2 months earlier than last year and 28 days earlier with regards with an average year.

In Ontario, Tawse winery and Chateau des Charmes have already started picking (via The Wine Case). Summer in this part of the country has also been particularly generous and it will most likely produce wines of pretty good quality and (if it holds steady), there should be no problems of under-ripeness in these grapes.

On the west coast, things are not looking so bright. In California, it’s been cool, if not cold, and rainy for good parts of the summer. San Fransisco has recorded its colder summer since 1975. This procued devastating mold and mildew in the fields Recently, things have turned around and a heat wave has struck California, which give problems of sunbruns on the grapes. In order to combat the mildew, many producers exposed the fruits as much as possible to allow them to dry. “Everyone opened up their grapes to get as much sunlight as they could, then the sun came out and fried them.” said Kyle Cameron, winemaker Russian River. The situation is not quite different in Oregon or Washington.

Is it global warming acting up, or just an exceptional summer? We’ll judge from what we will find in our glasses, but we will have to keep an eye on the north american wines from 2010 as winemakers will have a much different playing field than usual, be it good or bad.

The Long Now Fundation, founded in 1996, aims to creatively foster long-term thinking and responsibility in the framework of the next 10 000 years. They’re building a 10 000 years clock and use 5 digits in order to work around the Y10K bug.

Now, what has to do with wine? A wine called Long Now, that is.

The Long Now Wine is made by Giorgio Pelissero, a 3rd generation winemaker from Treiso, in the Barbaresco region of Piemonte. Known for his Barbaresco, Pelissero is seen as a rising star in the region, Gambero Rosso praises the consistency of his wines, good year after year and awarded his top Barbaresco Tre Bicchieri in 4 vintages.

In this case, Pelissero blends the traditionnal grapes of Piemonte, Nebbiolo and Barbera, which are grown together in the same vineyard. Vinified separately with selected (but indigenous) yeasts, they are blended after a stay of 15 to 18 months in small oak barrels. A further 5 months in bottles later, the wine is ready to be sold to customers.

Specifically, the Long Now 2005 got a 92-rating from the WIne Spectator’s Antonio Galloni:

The 2005 Long Now possesses awesome richness, nuance and detail. A blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera, it sweeps across the palate with tons of dense, layered fruit. The wine’s considerable richness covers the tannins nicely, but there is plenty of structure underneath. This is a gem from Giorgio Pelissero. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018.

We served the wine along on a fine summer night, with friends, around a nice barbecue. That ranks pretty high along the new scale proposed by Cory Cartwright over at Saignée. The steak was great and paired well with the wine. We actually got exactly what was advertised in the Wine Spectator critic: dense fruit, structured yet fine tannins, good length.

However, there was something in my glass that kept me from running to the nearest SAQ and to get one more bottle. It lacked a bit of soul, something that would distinguish it from other dense, powerful wines with lots of fruits. It leaves you wanting for a bit more interestingness in the glass.

So, what has the Long Now Fundation to do with this wine…? To be honest, the question still is unanswered in my head even after pondering it for a while…

When thinking about Soave, or more generally white wines from Veneto, many will first think of wines a bit dull, easy to drink but failing to deliver real character. In order to try to fight against this perception, many producers have started bringing Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc to the mix. However, for Leonildo Pieropan, the line of thought was wonderfully summarized by Matt Kramer in Making Sense Of Italian Wine:

No oak. No chardonnay. The real thing.

The Real Thing is what Leonildo Pieropan, along with his two sons Dario and Andrea and his wife Teresita, aim to put in the glass. Hand-picking, organic fertilisers (as few as possible!), a blend of the traditional Garganega and Trebbiano, we see a commitement to details backed by a long tradition, started by Leonildo Pieropan senior, in 1890. They now cultivate 45 hectares of vines, essentially white grapes in the Soave region, which consistently gets rave reviews from Gambero Rosso, counting 16 Tre Bicchieri. That can be enough to convince anyone to try their offerings…!

Their Soave Classico 2008, selling for less than 20$ at the SAQ, is exactly the type of whites I like and look for. Clean, honest wine, with hints of melon and white fowers, backed with a lively acidity and nice mineral notes. Paired with linguine alle vongole, it blended perfectly with the saltiness of the clams. And at only 12% alcohol per volume, its refreshing qualities were put to the front on that fine summer night.

This Soave Classico is their entry-level wine, but up on the ladder, they produce two single-vineyard bottlings, La Rocca and Calvarino, made of 100% Garganega for the former and 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano for the latter. They also produce two dessert wines, a Recioto del Soave and a Passito. I haven’t tasted them, but based on their simple Soave, it is very tempting to get a deeper experince with this estate.

For most people, a rosé wine is something taken exclusively among friends, on a patio, by a lovely weekend afternoon, which is perfectly fine. For others, it’s a blend of red wine and white wine (thank God that didn’t pass…).

To those who are looking for a bit more out of their rosé and those looking to bring that wine to the table (after maybe starting on the patio!), I present you the Vin Gris de Cigare 2009. Made by Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon Vineyards, the Vin Gris de Cigare aims for the same style which is made over in Provence. However, they add a twist to give this rosé plenty of interesting characteristics.

The Vin Gris de Cigare 2009 is mainly composed of Grenache Noir, but it also sees a bit of Grenache Blanc, Roussane and Cinsault, which is atypical for wines which would be made in Provence. A small portion of this wine comes from the vats of Cigare Volant (the house’s flagship wine), which are saignée‘d and incorporated in the rosé wine. This complex mix yields a truly above average rosé, which will keep the wino on its toes and will please the occasional drinker too.

In the end, this salmon colored wine has both the acidity and fruit it needs to cool of at the apéro, but has enough power and strength to be a crowd-pleaser even at the table. The only downturn is that it is a bit expensive, at just over 20$, which is more than most would be ready to put for a rosé wine.

Before heading to TasteCamp 2010 in the Finger Lakes, we knew that we would taste some really good riesling. After all, the region is renowned for its whites and each winery has (at least!) a couple of rieslings in their portfolio.

The first bang of the weekend came right at the beginning of the first tasting, held on Friday afternoon at Heron Hill Winery. The 2002 Heron Hill Ingle Vineyard Riesling exploded with this petrol character that we love from older rieslings and was backed with some fruity character. At its peak right now, it drinks beautifully and is still fresh and crisp as one would expect from riesling. Poured along with the 2007, which was an unusually warm vintage in the Finger Lakes, we could really see where the 2007 is heading (and it’s the right direction!). At 15$ for the 2007 and 20$ for the 2002, they represent great values and set the table for the rest of the weekend.

After going around Keuka Lake, we ended at Ravines Wine Cellars, for our second riesling treat of the weekend. It is hard for me to pick just one, as we were treated with their dry riesling from 2006, 2007 and 2008. All three offerings show a clear and assumed style. These bone-dry rieslings (0.3% RS) are made for the long run as even the oldest of the three was still razor-sharp, with the structure and acid which will hold this wine together for years to come. The same holds for the Riesling Argetsigner Vineyard 2008, a single vineyard offering made of fruit from the land farmed by Sam Argetsigner, which we had the chance to visit the next morning. Clearly, a winemaker with a vision.

The vertical tasting of Fox Run’s rieslings gets my vote for the most educational event of the weekend. The first flight, composed of Reserve 2008, Dry 2003, 2002 and 2001 rieslings, and the second flight, made of Semi-Dry rieslings (2008, 2006, 2003 and 2001), really put forward how Finger Lakes Riesling ages with time. As with the Heron Hill Ingle Vineyard Riesling on the first day, these wines really show their full potential after 6-7 years. For the record, the Dry Riesling 2002 and Semi-Dry 2001 were my favourites.

To be ranked along the most intriguing experiences of the weekend was the tank samples which were poured at Hermann J. Wiemer. Drawn directly from the fermenting tank (photo from the New York Cork Report), we were given the opportunity to taste how the “HJW Vineyard” and the “Magdalena Vineyard” rieslings from 2009 were coming along. Not being used to wine at this stage, it was quite interesting. We could sense all the elements in there, but did not know exactly what to make of them. Given the rest of the lineup at this event, I’m sure that Fred Merwarth and his team will be able to put it all together.

Bottom line? They know how to make great riesling in the FInger Lakes. It’s the most consistent varietal which we were given to taste over the weekend and it keeps you asking for more…!