tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677406349160743982024-02-19T02:36:07.465-05:00North of 9 Previous TastingsWelcome to the North of 9 Fine Wine previous tasting archives. Here you will find a summary of each tasting conducted by our group. Please visit the main site to view the latest North of 9 activity.
Cheers!Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-23609145381798186292011-08-15T14:36:00.007-04:002012-07-11T08:17:53.818-04:00Sauvignon Blanc<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a few wines that just beg to pair with food and Sauvignon Blanc is one of them. Regional climate, soil conditions, and wine making technique dictate the resultant style of Sauvignon and most casual wine drinkers will recognize the characteristic herbal and gooseberry aromas of Sauvignon not to mention the occasionally offensive but always intriguing ‘cat pee’ scent. But Sauvignon isn’t always this bold, and from the old world, it tends to have a softer touch; melon and spice if I can attempt to narrow it down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I know of several people who shun this wine, which is unfortunate in a way, for the grape reflects the terroir in which it is grown and each example can vary rather dramatically.</span></div>
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Today, the North of 9 tasting group samples a collection of Sauvignon Blanc from around the world. We start with a wine from <st1:country-region><st1:place>South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region> followed by the famous Californian label created by the late Robert Mondavi. We would be negligent not to include <st1:country-region><st1:place>France</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s greatest expression of Sauvignon: Pouilly-Fumé and its modern equivalent from <st1:country-region><st1:place>New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Lastly, we’ll taste the lesser known but equally interesting, white <st1:city><st1:place>Bordeaux</st1:place></st1:city></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<br />
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<i>2010 Mulderbosch<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This exudes stereotypical characteristics of new world Sauvignon Blanc with its pungent aromas and grassy taste. A powerful wine and one best served well chilled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>2008 Robert Mondavi, Fumé Blanc<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It changed in the glass, and arguably for the better. Slightly creamy to start and a bit aggressive but the oak influence pulls this one together, softening this wine's sharp edges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>2008 Domaine Masson-Blondelet,Villa Paulus<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, I'm really biased here; this is one of the best examples of Pouilly-Fumé ever to tease my taste buds; elegantly soft with very little reflection of the new world, if any at all as it slides across the palate. Astonishingly good!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>2007 Astrolabe, Voyage<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A sweetness hit initially but it faded to show tropical fruits and a mild spice on the crisp finish; lots of lemon-lime zest here; fantastic wine and purely a pleasure to drink. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>2009 Château Les Bertrands, Cuvée Traditional<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pronounced herbal and spice notes intertwine with lime. It’s a bit hot on the finish I thought and a rather modern style from the old world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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As always, the guys at Bistro Seven Seven in Alliston have prepared appetizers to pair with our theme of the month. And while the wines were all quite good, the food was even better, though I neglected to take any pictures. I must share these unbelievable dishes with you though:</span> </div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beer battered Zucchini flowers in a dill sauce</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicken <st1:city><st1:place>Kiev</st1:place></st1:city></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smoked Arctic Char on a homemade potatoes chip with a dollop of crème-fresh</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goat Cheese in a Phyllo Purse with Wheat Grass and Ontario Strawberry Coulis</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Voted either the favourite or runner-up by everyone in attendance, the 2007 Astrolabe from <st1:country-region><st1:place>New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> was undoubtedly the wine of the day - Thank you Gary and Joy for contributing this amazingly delicious wine from your collection. Next in terms of group preference was the Masson-Blondelet, Pouilly-Fumé from Tyler and Jacquie’s cellar, and the third place wine was the <st1:city><st1:place>Bordeaux</st1:place></st1:city> offering from Château les Bertrands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for tasting with us today and stay tuned for a new style of tasting event from North of 9 beginning this October…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-17762267929820774302011-07-31T13:35:00.005-04:002012-07-18T18:55:38.277-04:00Flying Corks and Shattered Glass<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Sabreing wine at North of 9. July 10th 2011</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">. </span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year at this time we spent the afternoon sabreing <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state> on the patio at Bistro Seven Seven in Alliston. This month, we return to explore the vast range of sparkling wines available outside of the coveted French AOC. Like the previous year, with sword in hand, we planned to sabre a few of the corks off the bottles… I’ll get to that in a moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is nearly impossible to discuss, let along taste the vast array of sparkling wines available in wine shops today. In fact, the topic makes the isolated subject of <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state> seem rather basic by comparison. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A common misconception is that sparkling wine is inferior to <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state>. By <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state>, I am referring to bubbly from the French region of the same name. Indeed, <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state> is steeped in tradition and history but many famous <st1:place>Champagne</st1:place> houses have now firmly established themselves as leaders in the new world by creating sparkling wine of equal quality while selling their product for a fraction of the price. Today we explore <st1:country-region><st1:place>Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Prosecco, Cava from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region>, sparkling rosé from <st1:state><st1:place>California</st1:place></st1:state>, and an example from our own backyard here on the <st1:place>Niagara</st1:place> peninsula.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Many sparkling wines are made using the <i>Method Traditional</i> or <i>Method Classique</i>, the very same winemaking technique used in <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state>. Often these wines are a near flawless reproduction of that style, but regulations in other regions also allow contrasting methods and techniques which can cater to a significant difference. Is it inferior to the ’real thing’? Perhaps, but it may also be a question of personal taste: Good <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state> is rich in body and flavour; the use of oak while balanced is normally quite obvious and the bubbles should be always small and plentiful. In the north of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region>, by regulation, Prosecco is often the product of the <i>Charmat method</i> which employs large vats for the secondary fermentation rather than individual bottles. In contrast, this creates a crisper body and more fruit driven taste, but just as importantly, that is exactly what it's supposed to taste like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Cava, on the other hand emulates the <i>method classique</i> and the Spanish do this rather well. Once called Spanish Champagne, the French authorities have banned the use of the term <st1:state><st1:place>Champagne</st1:place></st1:state> outside of their own region and as of 1970 the official term for these amazing Spanish wines is Cava. Of note, Spanish sparkling wine not produced by the traditional method cannot be called Cava; these wine are referred to as <i>vinos espumosos</i>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The list of high quality sparkling wine regions goes on, and with a little background knowledge, you can sample great bubbly from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Hungary</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region><st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, to name just a few.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Santa Margherita, Valdobbiadene Prosecco – </i><st1:country-region><st1:place><i>Italy</i></st1:place></st1:country-region><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Charmat method makes this light, crisp, and fairly acidic; seemingly more fizz than bubbles; the label says Brut but it’s too sweet for the style; a very commercial example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>2007 Sadeve, Dama De Naveran Cava - </i><st1:country-region><st1:place><i>Spain</i></st1:place></st1:country-region><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A vintage cava with aromas of tea biscut and grapefruit; initially smooth to taste followed quickly by a celebration of bubbles on the palate and a lovely dry finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>2006 Jackson Triggs, Entourage – </i><st1:place><st1:city><i>Niagara</i></st1:city><i>, </i><st1:country-region><i>Canada</i></st1:country-region></st1:place><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good, I thought, though the majority of the group disagreed. A vintage dated sparkler showing toasted notes on the nose and a mix of citrus, stoney minerals plus a hint of spice on the palate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Mumm, </i><st1:city><st1:place><i>Napa</i></st1:place></st1:city><i> Rosé - </i><st1:state><st1:place><i>California</i></st1:place></st1:state><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great effervescence of fine bubbles bursting in the glass to release toasted aromas and hints of cranberry and strawberry. Nicely balanced on the palate with just the slightest sweetness and a lovely lingering dry finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The favourite of the day was by far the Mumm Napa Rosé followed by the ’07 Sedeve Cava. Both wines are fine examples of the style and available for a very reasonable price.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To sabre Champagne or sparkling wine, you must loosen the cage to expose the lip of the bottle (for a clean strike). Normally when unfastening the <i>muselet</i> (cage), one must maintain downward pressure on the stopper to prevent a ‘premature pop’. When sabreing this is not possible for obvious reasons making the exercise a touch risky on the best of days. As we loosened the cages on the bottles today, amazingly the corks ejected on their own, catching everyone off guard; one bottle even exploded in my hand as I touch it with the sabre. At the end of the day, only one attempt at saberage was successful, and that was the Mumm </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rosé</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">; the bottle of French descent. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In all, an very exciting day spent tasting fantastic wines paired with delicious appetizers. To watch Tyler demonstrate how to sabre a bottle of bubbly Click here ~> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HY8D-LOmcA" target="_blank">Sabre Demo</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-17049181364361321622011-06-28T10:04:00.000-04:002012-07-18T21:43:58.061-04:00Chablis vs. Côte de Beaune<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone has a favourite taste when it comes to wine. Yours might be a semi-sweet Riesling, a crisp Pinot Grigio, or maybe even a jammy California Cab, but for me, my preference is for the white wines of <st1:state><st1:place>Burgundy. </st1:place></st1:state>I truly believe that the longer one spends sampling fine wine, the fonder they become of this traditional region for its uniqueness of style and taste. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contrary to popular belief, white <st1:state><st1:place>Burgundy</st1:place></st1:state> is not always a product of the Chardonnay grape; there is indeed a tremendous amount of low-end white plonk crafted from the Aligoté variety as well. For our tasting today however, we compare the difference in style between high-end wine from Chablis and the Côte de Beaune, both which must represent Chardonnay without exception.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are so many strong opinions when you ask people about Chardonnay: Some prefer the aggressively oaked wines of the new frontier while others enjoy the soft wood flavours and tradition of the old. There is also a strong camp that does not favour oak influence whatsoever, seeking out instead, a wine that reflects a greater degree of minerality and/or a fruit forward style.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I’ve asked the North of 9 tasting group to determine their own preference by sampling two unoaked Chardonnays from Chablis and two barrel aged wines from the Côte de Beaune. As a comparison, we’ll also include an oaked example from the great 2007 vintage right here in <st1:state><st1:place>Ontario</st1:place></st1:state>. Let’s see what the group thinks…</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wines are listed below in order of sampling:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2008 Domaine Bernard Defaix, Chablis 1<sup>er</sup> cru, Côte de Lechet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2007 Remoissenet Père &amp; Fils, Meursault<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2007 Stratus, Chardonnay</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2000 Louis Michel &amp; Fils, Chablis 1<sup>er</sup> cru, Montmain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2005 Domaine Roux Père &amp; Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet 1<sup>er</sup> cru, les Macherelles</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2008 Domaine Bernard Defaix, Chablis 1<sup>er</sup> cru, Côte de Lechet<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first wine of the day added a citrus infused start to the tasting. There is no mistaking this one as unoaked; perhaps a bit aggressive initially but it did soften with some time in the glass.</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2007 Remoissenet Père &amp; Fils, Meursault<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is textbook Meursault and an absolute pleasure to drink. As the afternoon continued, this wine became richer and increasingly more full bodied to the point where I’d almost say that it was overpowering. Fantastic though - if you like buttery chardonnay.</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2007 Stratus, Chardonnay<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A fascinating aroma of floral scented soap caught me off guard with this Ontario Chardonnay. Stratus uses 100% Burgundy oak for the production of this wine and while initially the oak influence was not prominent, after an hour or so it came on strong displaying characteristics similar to that of the ’07 Meursault. A touch of heat on the finish reflects the high degree of alcohol in this wine but kudos to Stratus for their solid and highly unique Côte de Niagara!</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2000 Louis Michel &amp; Fils, Chablis 1<sup>er</sup> cru, Montmain<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Typically, white <st1:state><st1:place>Burgundy</st1:place></st1:state> will last 7-10 years in the cellar as it gains complexity along the way. It would appear though that we have just missed the peak with this premier cru example; the spark is still there but unfortunately the flame has faded. When tasted alongside the breaded seabass appetizer, the wine seemed to reenergize and suddenly hints of apples and white fruit added to the tasting experience. </span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2005 Domaine Roux Père &amp; Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet 1<sup>er</sup> cru, les Macherelles<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whoah! I’m not sure, I might have played this one up to the point were it <i>had</i> to taste good but wow, what a fantastic wine. Village level Chassagne-Montrachet is always good but to sample a premier cru is certainly special. There is a balance in this wine and a common ground; it is not as oak influenced as the Meursault, but is much softer than the Chablis offering greater complexity on the palate and perfect amount of fruit, acidity and hints of spice on the finish. <i>They say</i> nothing can compare to the great wines of Le Montrachet, the Grand Cru vineyard across the road from les Macherelles. But if it is indeed better than this example, then I fully understand why people pay such an incredible price to own a bottle. Wow! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The group tasted all five wines and ranked them in order of personal preference. The top three are listed below:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. 2005 Dmn Roux, Chassagne-Montrachet 1<sup>er </sup>cru, les Macherelles</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not at all surprised by the outcome today; the oaked samples of the Côte de Beaune were drinking beautifully while the crisper wines of Chablis, though still very good did not display the same level of finesse. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I can give you a piece of advice on white Burgundy, it would be to know your producer before buying the wine; do a little research on the vineyard and domaine before you commit and secondly, don’t over-chill high-end Chardonnay no matter where it is from, it mutes the aroma and masks the taste of what is undoubtedly the greatest of all white wines.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank our members: Ann/Ed, Stephen/Krista, and Jim for their very generous contributions to this tasting session.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next month we sabre bubbly on the patio… I’m off to find my sword right now!</span></div>
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</div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-21117659294482246732011-05-05T07:46:00.003-04:002012-07-18T21:52:23.757-04:00Viognier<div class="BodyIntro" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Hostage of Condrieu</i> - </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">French legend says that long ago a trade ship traveling north from the Mediterranean Sea toward the growing town of </span><st1:city style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" w:st="on">Lyon</st1:city><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was carrying Syrah grapes destined for planting in </span><st1:place style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" w:st="on">Beaujolais</st1:place><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. The ship would not arrive at its planned destination however, intercepted instead by a group of bandits who stole the cargo for their own use. Unknowingly, mixed within the payload of young Syrah vines were a few stems of a white variety called Viognier. Unaware of the difference, the local farm hands planted the vines in the vicinity of a place now known as Condrieu.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stubborn, unpredictable, and unreliable are only a few of the adjectives tossed around in frustration by many winemakers having attempted to make good wine from the difficult Viognier grape.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">This challenging nature is what makes Viognier fascinating for inquisitive minds and those in pursuit of something slightly off the frequently traveled path. In terms of varietal character, the grape can be rather overpowering, showing both a strong aroma and taste. On its own Viognier has become an alternative for the many once Chardonnay drinkers and when blended, Viognier adds a fragrant softness to the powerful Syrah/Shiraz of </span><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">Northern Rhone</span></st1:place><span lang="EN-US"> and </span><st1:state><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">South Australia</span></st1:place></st1:state><span lang="EN-US">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Viognier has never been a popular variety. In fact, at one point not long ago, only 35 acres remained planted in all of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">France</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US">. Today, the tables have turned and in addition to massive expansion in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">France</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US">’</span>s Rhône, Languadoc, and Roussillon regions, Viognier<span lang="EN-US"> is now successfully cultivated throughout the world. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We tasted five wine this afternoon, each profiling a variation of wine making technique, regional climate, and growing conditions in their respective countries. The wines are listed below in order of tasting:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">2009 Sandhill, Small </span><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">Lots</span></st1:place></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2008 Yalumba, Y-Series - Australia</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rich yellow colour with aromas of lemon, honey, and brown sugar. Somewhat unbalanced in terms of acidity but it did mellow after an hour or so in the glass. Okay on it’s own but much better with food. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2009 Sandhill, Small Lots Viognier - Canada</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shockingly deep yellow in the glass; it looks like a thick syrupy sweet wine but the nose is lifted by soft floral notes intermixed with honeydew melon. The oak influence is obvious but not overpowering and a pronounced white pepper finish only added to the pleasure; this one did seem to lack acidity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">2008 Fran</span><span lang="EN-US">ç</span><span lang="EN-US">ois Villard, Terrasses du Palat - France</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stunning old world Viognier; notes of fungus and earth mixed with white fruit and a hint of flowers; someone in the group said it smelled like </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Fran</span><span lang="EN-US">ç</span><span lang="EN-US">ois'</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> feet! But most of us found t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his example from Condrieu beautifully balanced, tasting of melon and very mild citrus followed by a lovely lingering aftertaste. Expensive but very good.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aromas of white flowers and lychee; a hint of sweetness on the palate with a slight grapefruit twist; fairly light bodied but nicely balanced. This one is good both on its own and with food.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s the same colour as Lemon-Love Fruitopia! There's also a very slight effervescence which settles on the surface and looks like soap scum; the wine is light, simple, and easy drinking, but I do suggest drinking this one well chilled.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Incredibly complex in terms of both aroma and taste, the wine from Condrieu, France stole the show today. When compared to the other selections in the tasting, this wine from Fran</span><span lang="EN-US">çois Villard appeared to be in a class of it’s own. But then for three times the price, I suppose it should be…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Anakena, Single Vineyard offering was drinking beautifully as well today and was voted second best by the majority of the group. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Finishing in third place behind the Chilean, but not by much, was </span><st1:state><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">British Columbia</span></st1:place></st1:state><span lang="EN-US">’s Sandhill, Small Lot program Viognier. In total, only 615 cases of this wine were made in 2009. By comparison, 16000 cases of the McManis wine we tasted today were produced in the same vintage making the B.C. rarity a real treat to sample.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are one of the many people who bypass bottles of Viognier on the store shelf to reach for something more familiar, I strongly recommend that you give this wine a try the next time you are in need of a really good bottle of white wine.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next month we taste and compare the different styles of fortified wine – see you then!</span></span></div>
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Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-52573344979620632342011-04-08T20:11:00.002-04:002011-04-11T06:18:28.928-04:00Amarone<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a huge advocate of Amarone. A well made example will stand second to no other wine and nothing else can make such a profound impact on one's palate as this rich Italian red - not even a jammy Cali Cab, an over-hyped Bordeaux, nor a big Aussie fruit bomb, they simply don't have the stuffing! Today, we seek out the classic Amarone powerhouse.<br />
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Amarone is a result of the <i>appasimento </i>method, the process of partially drying fully ripened whole grape clusters to concentrate the juice and sugar content. The grape varieties used in the production are Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara and approximately 40% of the grape's mass is lost during appasimento which leaves behind dehydrated raisin-like fruit. Good ventilation in the drying house prevents the development of Botrytis (noble rot) so highly sought after in French Sauternes and German Trockenbeerenauslese wines but unwanted in Italy's great Amarone. Typically, the grape must is fermented until completely dry and thus all residual sugar is converted to alcohol. As stipulated by the wine's DOCG status, Amarone must be at least 14% alc/vol and most are elevated well beyond that. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today we sample five wines, they are listed below in order of tasting:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2004 Luigi Righetti<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1993 Villa Bellini<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2006 Corte Majoli<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2000 Cesari, Bosan<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2004 Zenato<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p5zAmPZqs3s/TX2DEJ6eoAI/AAAAAAAAARg/OnmQWKTzBxU/s1600/amarone_btls_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p5zAmPZqs3s/TX2DEJ6eoAI/AAAAAAAAARg/OnmQWKTzBxU/s320/amarone_btls_blog.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a great opportunity to sample a range of vintages and the amount of variation across the five bottles was tremendous. We asked the Bistro to 'beef-up' the appetizers today in preparation for the weight of these wines and yet again Chef Jay at Bistro Seven Seven left us all flabbergasted by his culinary skills. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wines...</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2004 Luigi Righetti</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Initially some earthy notes followed by sour cherry which became quite pronounced. Quite light on the palate for the style; more like a high end Valpolicella with a good core of red fruit which developed nicely as the afternoon progressed. A very enjoyable bottle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1993 Villa Bellini</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interesting nose of truffle, green pepper, mushrooms, and underbrush. A very thin wine and we actually questioned the possibility of oxidation initially but later concluded the wine was likely past its prime, though still quite good in a 'funky' kind of way (much like the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><a href="http://previoustastings.blogspot.com/2011/02/bordeaux.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">'81 Haut Brion we tasted in May 2010</span></a>).</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2006 Corte Majoli</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some licorice on the nose. Initially light but it quickly filled out to become medium bodied with some air. Some figs and spice, this one paired beautifully with the lamb pot-pie appetizer. A bit young was the consensus - let it cellar for a few more years and see what develops.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2000 Cesari, Bosan</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BOOM! Now this is an Amarone! Big, bold, and powerful. Very old world - dry and complex; dark fruit, some spice and no hard edges whatsoever. An incredible wine!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2004 Zenato</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spectacular again! Amarone with perhaps a more new world twist. Ultra rich, viscous, port-like and lip-smacking good. Drinking beautifully now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The group tasted and ranked the wines in terms of personal preference. The top three favourites are listed below:</span></span></div></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2004 Zenato</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2000 Cesari, Bosan</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2006 Corte Majoli</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In terms of 'wow factor', the tasting was a bit slow to get started but I think that once we hit the jackpot with the 2000 Cesari Bosan, our keen tasting team clearly understood what all the fuss and anticipation was about. The Cesari Bosan, our second place wine was perhaps the greatest expression of the Amarone style even though the ’04 Zenato took first place today in terms of group preference, likely for its fruit forward style. Both wines were absolutely spectacular. In third place today, though not quite in the same league, was the 2006 Corte Majoli which while very enjoyable, will likely develop into something much greater with a few years on its side... The other two bottles were fascinating in their own way and I actually overheard someone say they enjoyed all the wines equally. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank-you Gary/Joy and Jim for your very generous wine donations for this tasting.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See you all next month for the highly perfumed 'Viognier'.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers!</span></div></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-58427105407043460452011-02-15T10:39:00.001-05:002012-07-18T21:47:57.206-04:00Gewurztraminer<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though rather cumbersome to pronounce, Gewurztraminer (<i>Guh-verts-tra-mee-ner</i>) is one of the most enjoyable white wines to sip both on its own and with food. The history of this grape dates back centuries and likely stems from Italy's Traminer grape. Over time, the green Traminer has evolved/mutated to become the pink-skinned Gewurz-traminer that we are familiar with today. Gewurtz literally means 'spicy' but these wines tend to display more floral characteristics than actual spice. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today we sampled three labels from Alsace, one from Ontario, and another from Chile. The vintages span from 2001 to a very rescent 2010 and touch three continents each famous for its own style and winemaking technique. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2008 Wunsch et Mann, Alsace, France</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2003 Dopff 'au Moulin', Alsace, France</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2001 Pierre Sparr, Alsace, France</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQl1tU0YwG5Pj0ap92rCZknstMXpqxCLF7M_sRrVJqIGdHK6gb6COo3q0m0a_OAu8ah4IiN1Ws__WWO9qXwgX6JFZhwaP5IZCrY_D3QBRqdBSeiKD-WZI_IgZ1xOmPf9XKQlA91h9xOs/s1600/gewurtz_btls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQl1tU0YwG5Pj0ap92rCZknstMXpqxCLF7M_sRrVJqIGdHK6gb6COo3q0m0a_OAu8ah4IiN1Ws__WWO9qXwgX6JFZhwaP5IZCrY_D3QBRqdBSeiKD-WZI_IgZ1xOmPf9XKQlA91h9xOs/s1600/gewurtz_btls.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We began with the 2008 Wunsch et Mann from Alsace which showed a lovely nose of citrus and spice. On the palate the wine was initially quite subdued but after an hour or so came alive with clean flavours of white fruit; 'the perfect summer sipper' someone said. Next up was Ontario's 2008 Malivoire from the Beamsville Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula. Quite different from the first wine, this one was nearly colourless not showing any evidence of the pink skinned grapes from which it was pressed. The Malivoire smelled of peaches and soap, interesting; a bigger wine, fuller in the mouth while still displaying the typical Gewurztraminer flavours; a little flat on the mid-palate but on the whole a nice wine with just a touch of effervescence. Third in the lineup was an older French bottling from Dopff of Alsace: the color here definitely showed the wine's age: deep yellow but with ripe citrus notes and a pronounced sweetness on the palate; 'delicate' in a word, soft, flavourful but at the same time very different in terms of Gewurztraminer. Moving to the southern hemisphere, we sample a wine from Chile, the 2010 Cono Sur, single vineyard Gewürztraminer. South America has exploded on to the wine scene in recent years with a plethora of great wines and this effort is no different: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">definitely of the 'new world' in terms of aroma and flavour: peach - and lots of it, lychee fruit and some apple plus a touch of sparkle here too; quite lovely. Last in line was the 2001 Pierre Sparr Reserve: at 10 years old, this wine unfortunately was on its slow decline having past its peak a few years ago. This sample lacked much of the character that Sparr is famous for. It's worth searching out a more resent bottling of this wine for a more accurate assessment of its potential. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The group tasted and ranked the wine in terms of personal preference. The top three wines are listed below in order of their ranking:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2008 Wunsch et Mann</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2003 Dopff 'au moulin' </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2010 Cono Sur </span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The favourite of the day, by far, was the Alsatian Wunsch et Mann, while the second and third place wines ranked so closely together that it seems almost unfair to differentiate between the two. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly, the wine of the day, the '08 Wunsch et Mann is the producer's entry level effort which was preferred over several other 'premium labels' which once again demonstrates that by not revealing details such as cost, grading, and vintage conditions, the group is left only with their love of wine and personal preference for style and taste; a clear demonstration that the best wines are not always the most expensive.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certainly one of the most enjoyable tastings from my perspective - Thank you everyone for participating and for the generous donations from our membership.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See you next month for the seductive taste of Amarone... I'm already working on the appetizers!</span></div>
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</div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-12789482541964320122011-01-15T10:42:00.001-05:002012-07-18T18:52:29.826-04:00Merlot<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's been two months since we tasted together as a group at the Bistro Seven Seven. In December, we held our Holiday Mystery Tasting (blind tasting) at Jacquie and Tyler's home featuring several of the wines previously sampled at our tutored tastings. We should probably commend the lovely Jacquie for identifying all but one of the wines by grape variety correctly - well done my dear! </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today we explore the amazing history of Merlot. Do you consider world's the third most planted grape a primary varietal or a winemaker's secret tool? In California and Washington State, they often bottle perfectly ripened Merlot as a stand-alone varietal whereas in Bordeaux, the grape is considered dominant on the Right-Bank and the perfect complement to the more structured and often tannic Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left side of the Gironde. Merlot is grown throughout the world in countries such as: Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Italy but today, we will focus on the greatest examples of both the new world and the old - the United States and France. Since we have two bottles from the US west coast we'll also include one from a little further north: Canada's beautiful Okanogan Valley in BC. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The new world represents an international style and preference for ripeness and full body whereas the old is the symbol of finesse and delicacy. The wines sampled are listed below in order tasting:</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2005 Chateau Barde-Haute, St. Emilion</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2000 Chalk Hill, California</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Quails' Gate, British Columbia</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2008 Charles Shaw Merlot, California</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Chateau La Confession, St. Emilion</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In fairness, the first wine tasted, the </span></span></span>2005 Chateau Barde-Haute was still quite young, though we did decant this one early in the afternoon to allow some breathing time. While the intensity of the Barde-Haute did mellow somewhat, the wine seemed slightly out-of-sorts; another 5-7 years in the cellar we all agreed. Incidentally, I tasted the Haute-Barde the following day, and it was lovely; my favourite of the lot in fact. Next up, the 2000 Chalk Hill, Estate Bottled Merlot. Judging by its brick-hue colour, the age of this wine was obvious. The inital aromas of were of mushroom and fungal characteristic and we agreed that with 10 years under cork, the wine may very well have been shocked by the reintroduction to oxygen. On the palate however, the Sonoma County example still possessed a good fruit core and over the afternoon developed a really nice flavour profile while still retaining it's earthiness. Our Canadian entry, the 2006 Quails' Gate from British Columbia was lovely and the favourite of several members; thinner in body when compared to the first two but a very nice balance of fruit and acidity. Having not originated from France or the US, the Quails' Gate was the perceived exception in the lineup today and inadvertently took the focus off what would come next:</div>
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The group was unaware of the next wine's identity or that they would be tasting a legend (so to speak) in California's quest for 'world wine domination'. To spring a bottle of this calibre is a fairly old trick in the wine tasting world and I was sure that someone in the group might recognize the label and spoil the effect. While we don't taste blind, this one needed to be a surprise to maximize the shock value. B<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">laming the humidity in my cellar for the label's absence, I introduced </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the bottle as 100% Merlot from the Bronco Wine Co., the monopoly that owns and bottles the Charles Shaw line of wines aka.</span></span></span>"Two Buck Chuck". So how was it? 'Simple wine' someone said, another: 'there is no aftertaste' while still another: ' I love it!' Personally, I think the stuff tastes like fruit punch combined with Thrills chewing gum but if it tickles your fancy, all the better for your wallet I suppose. But the question remains: does a bottle of 'Two Buck Chuck" actually have what it takes to best the other four bottles, each the product of skilled winemaking and tradition? We shall see...</div>
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The last wine in our line up today was the 2006 Chateau La Confession from Saint Emilion. The colour here was surprising considering the vintage; 2006 Bordeaux is typically noted for producing lighter bodied wines for early consumption but this example was deep purple and shockingly concentrated. At four years old, the La Confesssion was too young to truly appreciate. Give it another 5 years we agreed, this wine has the stuffing to become something spectacular.</div>
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Our group tasted and ranked the wines in terms of personal preference. The top three wines are listed below:</div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2000 Chalk Hill </span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Quails' Gate</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2008 Charles Shaw </span></span></span>'Two Buck Chuck'</li>
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The results were all over the board today with a mix of preferences. The Chalk Hill placed first by its total points accumulated but did not receive the most first place votes - that was the 'Two Buck Chuck'. The reason the Charles Shaw wine finished third and not higher in the ranking was simply because those who did not prefer this wine, thoroughly detested it! Canada's Quails' Gate was ranked third by almost the entire group though with the sporadic ranking of the other samples, the BC Merlot slid comfortably in to second place.</div>
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Thank-you Jim, Gary and Joy for your generous bottle donations!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next month, we switch to white wine and taste Gewürztraminer</span>. See you then.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cheers!</span></span></div>
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</div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-28086409455502293252010-11-15T10:46:00.001-05:002011-02-16T21:27:40.597-05:00Chenin Blanc<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tasted November 14th, 2010</span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A very exciting session this Sunday afternoon with the LCBO Fine Wine & Spirits auction occurring simultaneously downtown. A few of us spent Friday and Saturday at the auction and we setup the computer at the Bistro for live bidding during today's tasting. Our varietal this afternoon is the great chameleon Chenin Blanc, a native of the Loire Valley in France. It would be wrong to say that Chenin is an unpopular variety; it's actually quite common as an everyday quaffing wine though usually labeled tactfully as something else. In California for example, Chenin Blanc is the third most planted grape and produces thousands of gallons of everyday table wine. In South Africa, Chenin has been planted for over a hundred years where it is known as Steen. In fact, the varietal is planted nearly everywhere wine is grown and while once hugely popular, it is generally unrecognized under it's own name.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chenin's claim to fame is its ability to express the terrior of the land on which it is grown. The grape's personality, like Riesling, is rather transparent and small variations of the micro-climate are readily apparent in the wines it produces. Chenin vines bud very early and ripen quite late which makes harvesting the fruit in cooler regions somewhat challenging in cooler years. Like most varieties, when harvested too early, the fruit is low in sugar but high in acidity. To compensate, many producers chaptalize (add sugar to) thei<span class="Apple-style-span">r wines. This technique does have benefits but can also result is some very low quality wines and that unfortunately has been the downfall of Chenin Blanc. I regularly refer to Chenin as an extreme: it's either really good or downright bad with very few options in between.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After toasting Scott's triumphant completion of his PhD (with Sparkling Vouvray - of course) we sampled Chenin Blanc from several regions<span class="Apple-style-span"> which in some cases, are found at opposite corners of the globe. Five wines are tasted in total this afternoon and they are listed below in order of sampling:</span></span></span></div></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Domaine de Vaufuget, France</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2008 Lammershoek, South Africa</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Cave Springs, Estate Bottles, Canada</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Millton, Te Aria, New Zealand</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Bougrier Vineyards, France</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539558387726281122" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TOB3APj16aI/AAAAAAAAALU/4femA1CQUJc/s320/Chenin_btls.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 210px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 314px;" /></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chenin is famous for its incredible variation of style from one vintage to the next; dry in some years while sweet in others. This makes the grape very challenging to predict and thus difficult to market. For those who understand this constant variation and appreciate each harvest as a unique offering, Chenin rarely disappoints.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We began our tasting with 2007 Domaine de Vaufuget from Vouvray. Sweet but crisp is how one of the members described the nearly colourless wine. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In terms of sweetness, it was off dry or <i>sec-tendre </i>as they say in Loire. Next-up, the Lammershoek from Paardeberg, South Africa. For those who were able to attend our pairing dinner on November 6th, this wine conjures up some familiar aromas. Would you believe me if I said it smelt of Gasoline? It's not a bad thing, perhaps a bit obscure but the scent in our wine today slowly faded as the afternoon progressed. At the pairing dinner, we enjoyed the incredible 1996 Moulin Touchais which in its youth, is famous for this petroleum scent but with time in the cellar or when decanted well before serving, this unusual aroma dissipates to reveal softer notes of honey and almonds. Initially, the South African Chenin tasted today was quite aggressive but by the end of the tasting, the wine had softened nicely.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As we sampled the Chenins, Stephen, Gary, and Deb who were also monitoring the auction underway in Toronto brought to our attention an upcoming five bottle lot of vintage port. Tyler quickly polled the group for potential interest in a 'Port Dinner' - Absolutely, let's do it! they said and with Stephen at the controls and several Port fanatics </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">eagerly </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">peering over his shoulder the bidding was underway: 380 - 400 ... 460 - $480 - the lot is ours!</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lot 1962</span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1983 Fonseca 92 WA</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1983 Graham's</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1983 Taylor's 94 WA</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1985 Graham's 96 WA</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1992 Taylor's 100 WA</span></span></li>
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Back to the Chenin: Our third wine this afternoon was the 2007 Cave Springs. Light in colour again and a bit of a pungent odour; not flawed, no, that's the way it is. Jac and I tried this wine the week before and were less than impressed though at the same time hopeful that it might show better today - surprisingly, it did not and sadly, our quest for superior Ontario wine continues... Next up was the 2007 Millton Te Arai Chenin from New Zealand: "This is nice." I heard someone say; softer, rounder and quite pleasant on the palate to be exact. The 2002 vintage of the same wine is in <span class="Apple-style-span">Neil Beckett's book "</span><span class="Apple-style-span">1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die". Was it good? It certainly was. Lastly, another Vouvray, this time from Bougrier Vineyards. This one was sweeter and perhaps heavier on the palate with good fruit and just the right amount of acidity. In France, they refer to this style as <i>demi-sec</i> or half dry and the Bougrier will pair wonderfully with a multitude of dishes including seafoods, spicy asian or even just as an apperitif.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our group tasted and ranked the wines in terms of personal preference. The top three wines are listed below:</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Bougrier Vouvray</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Domaine de Vaufuget</span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Millton, Te Arai</span></span></span></li>
</ol><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Earlier, I said that Chenin functions as an extreme and that is exactly what we have witnessed here today. The top 3 wine were highly favoured and in terms of numbers, ranked very closely together while the bottom two selection did not fair well at all. In conclusion and to summarize Chenin Blanc: It's quite simple - When you do manage to find a good one, there really is very little that can compare!</span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cheers!</span></span></div></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-42603869895319235612010-10-15T15:03:00.001-04:002012-07-18T21:29:29.877-04:00Rioja Red<div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tasted October 24th, 2010</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a region of both great tradition and newfound modernistic views. The wines of Rioja are deep in flavour and complexity and vary tremendously in style. Our wine selections today range from an older 1996 gran reserva to a 2005 crianza from a newly founded bodega. It will be very interesting to see if the group prefers the heavy oak influence of tradition or the fresher approachability of modern taste.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While I have read about an endless supply of plonk that originates from the vast sea of Spanish vineyards, I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed by bottle of wine from Spain's great Rioja region. The soft texture and velvety tannins seem to hit the mark (or close to it) almost every time. I will even go so far as to say that the greatest bottle ever to stain my palate with it dark-fruit flavours was from Rioja, but then tradition will always earn the most points in our cellar.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With nearly 3 million acres under vine, Spain is the most widely planted of all grape growing countries. The conditions here can be harsh though, as much of the land is dry and generally infertile. For this, the vine's roots must tunnel deep into the arid earth to search out essential nutrients which concentrate the fruit's flavours. It is this intensity combined with the characteristics imparted to the wine by oak aging that creates some of the most rewarding and surprisingly affordable red wines in the world. Spanish wine aged in oak must fall under one of three classifications as dictated by the DOC. We should also note that these specifications are only a minimum and at the discretion of the producer, they may be exceeded:</span></div>
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<span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The use of extended oak aging truly is the backbone of Rioja wines but this tradition has come under intense fire in the last half-century causing some producers to take a more modern stance on winemaking. The wines are similar but the difference is certainly apparent and today we span this variation of style with five great labels:</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7DAjveEjgLSSPLpOPBsH5rccSnXnZOiIbo5mXcxXoMJs4YSQ8JCLDVomYh8pfgiaQAYqzzL9Tb7IlMoezy-VTphOoXyvoPCpWh7oImUGGV_KqznDuiXT7Yvd2PF0GbWRTNHUuiLYLNE/s1600/Rioja_btls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7DAjveEjgLSSPLpOPBsH5rccSnXnZOiIbo5mXcxXoMJs4YSQ8JCLDVomYh8pfgiaQAYqzzL9Tb7IlMoezy-VTphOoXyvoPCpWh7oImUGGV_KqznDuiXT7Yvd2PF0GbWRTNHUuiLYLNE/s320/Rioja_btls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2005 Navarrsotillo, Magister Bibendi, Crianza</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Muga, Reserva</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2002 Marqués de Murrieta, Reserva Ygay</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1996 Marqués de Vitoria, Gran Reserva</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2001 Bodegas Valdemar, Conde de Valdemar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wow! Judging by the response today, choosing a favourite was not an easy task. Some of the comments overheard during the tasting were: "Can I pick 3 wines as my favourite?", "Each wine is different but equally good.", and the best one... "We should organize a fieldtrip to Spain!". Selecting a favourite indeed was a challenge but that was the task and eventually everyone did successfully narrow it down to one. In terms of styles, there was some good variation and the peppery spice of the Garnacha grape was apparent in several of the samples.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Our first wine was Gary and Joy's Navarrsotillo Crianza which was accurately described as "lively and fresh". Being the first bottle opened, we were fortunate to witness this wine changing in the glass as the afternoon progressed. When compared to the Muga Reserva, a rather peppery and heavy LCBO Vintages essential product, the Navarrsotillo was clean and crisp and clearly the better wine. The Gran Reservas, one modern and one traditional were both incredible but varied significantly in style: the 1996 Marqués de Vitoria showed no hard edges whatsoever and some lovely earthy notes (for those of us who like that kind of thing) while also surprisingly deep in colour with no sign of browning at the edges for a 14 year old bottle. Conversely, the 2001 Conde de Valdemar, was a solid fruit-forward and very modern wine. The flavour profile was that of the typical black and red berries associated with Tempranillo/Garnacha blend. But it was the 2002 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva Ygay the took the top spot today. This wine was drinking absolutely perfect at 8 years of age and was perhaps the overall favourite because it displayed a balance of what the two gran reserva possessed individually. Murrieta is the oldest winery in Rioja which surprisingly produces their wine with a very modern and fruit-forward style.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Our group tasted and ranked the wines in order </span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">of personal preference, the results are show below:</span></span></span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2002 Marqués de Murrieta, Reserva</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1996 Marqu</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">és de Vitoria, Gran Reserva</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2001 Conde de Valdemar</span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Gran Reserva</span></span></span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As for a group preference, in terms of modern vs. traditional it is difficult to provide a decisive conclusion; the wines were all very enjoyable but for different reasons and the top two wines were polar opposites in style. If there was one thing emphasized today, albeit indirectly, it was the influence of food choices on the overall enjoyment of a glass of wine. We are privileged to conduct our tastings at what is arguably the top restaurant north of Toronto - Bistro Seven Seven. The food here is simply perfect and both our Chef and Host take great care to help co-ordinate the food choices with the region, variety, and style of wine which we sample each month. Today, to compliment the Red Rioja, hors d'oeurves such as the braised lamb shank on buttermilk smashed potato only highlight the incredible flavour combinations which make this passion so fascinating. A 'proper' wine tasting does not involve rich foods and exotic tastes but this is North of 9 Fine Wine and we don't pride ourselves as critics but instead, as connoisseurs of fine taste - Cheers!</span></span></div>
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<span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next month, we taste the wonderful wines created by the Chenin Blanc varietal. See you then...</span></span></span></div>
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Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-15288281619943847222010-09-15T15:04:00.004-04:002012-07-18T19:03:40.539-04:00Chianti<div style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">
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<i>Tasted September 12th, 2010</i></div>
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<i>What a Fiasco!</i></div>
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The original plan was to taste Supertuscans today but at some point, we modified the schedule to taste Chianti instead. Of course, just for fun, we'll throw in a Supertuscan anyway. Let's see how it compares...</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We taste four Chiantis this afternoon, ranging from a blend of all Italian varietals to a pure Sangiovese wine, a mix of traditional and international varieties, plus a riserva from Rúfina. As a comparison, the final wine in our line up is a Supertuscan. Let`s see if the group prefers the traditional style of Chianti or the more familiar new-world flare.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The wine samples are listed below in order of tasting:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2007 IL Corno, Chianti Colli Fiorentini</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2007 Antinori, Pèppoli Chianti Classico</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2007 Le Filigare, Chianti Classico</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2001 Frescobaldi, Montesodi, Castello di Nipozzano, Rúfina Riserva</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2007 Poggiarello, Montebruno, Supertuscan</span><br />
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Chianti is a wine region that is forever changing - for the better most would say. The main grape used in its production is Sangiovese which, like Pinot Noir, can be a little difficult to ripen should conditions not be ideal. The grape is rather intolerant and is therefore blended with multiple other varietals to add a degree of complexity to the wine. You might say that Chianti has come under a great deal of international pressure to perform. In fact, not long ago, the mere mention of the name made people cringe at the thought of a thin lifeless table wine. Additionally, the squat, straw-covered bottles only added to the fiasco - literally, and with the onset of a new international style, that being a more full-bodied and fruit forward trend, Chianti was approaching imminent extinction.<br />
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One of the more significant modifications in the region was to update both the vineyards and cellars to reflect modern winemaking techniques common throughout the rest of the world. The growth of vine canopies on olive trees or other framework is all but non-existent these days and cellars are now immaculate; the result, better wines. Relatively new to the region as well, is the addition of international grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz to list a few. Blended with the Sangiovese, the wine have a more familiar body and taste to new-world drinkers. On the whole, Chianti is a wine which has been redefined and revitalized. The wines are perfect for pairing with rich pasta dishes and a variety of light finger foods.</div>
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But change in this region has gone far beyond minor modifications and modern thinking. Change here has also led to a revolutionary discovery. In the late 1960s, the world was about to witness the birth of a new wine; one which would send shivers up the spines of the Italian government and leave the rest of the wine-world awestruck. International varieties were not permitted in Chianti and traditionally, Sangiovese has always been the majority grape in the blend. But Bordeaux and later, California and Australia were creating full-bodied wines that were quickly changing the preferences of wine enthusiasts everywhere. A small but devoted group of winemakers in Tuscany had secretly been blending their Sangiovese with the international varieties. The mysterious wines were full-bodied, lush, and complex on the palate, full of new aromas and fascinating flavours but at the same time, they were also contradictory to what Italian laws allowed. Coined the ΄Supertuscan΄, Italy`s new rogue wine took the world by storm, ploughing through political restrictions and barriers to challenge the very best of Bordeaux, Napa, and Barossa. Today, these wines are widely available starting at around $30 with no apparent upper limit.</div>
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Our group tasted and ranked the wines in order of personal preference, the results are show below:</div>
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1st - 2001 Frescobaldi, Rúfina Riserva</div>
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2nd- 2007 Antinori Peppoli</div>
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3rd - 2007 Le Filigare</div>
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4th - 2007 IL Corno</div>
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While not listed in the overall ranking, the Montebruno Supertuscan was the clear favourite today but also in a sense, an unfair comparison. Therefore, for the sake of commonality, we shall only list the Chiantis in order of personal preference. The Frescobaldi, at almost tens years old, finished well in front of the other three selections which was somewhat expected with this group: looking back through our previous tasting sessions, history has shown us that as a whole, the members of North of 9 prefer well aged wines. Chianti can be tart in its youth and arguably is better served with food than on its own. The Rúfina however, had lost most of the tartness so typical of the Sangiovese grape and instead was quite smooth and fragrant compared to the others. Several members commented on the scent of violets. Second in the ranking was the Pèppoli by Antinori. This wine is of a very modern and international style which makes it very approachable in its early years. Compared to the Il Corno, a traditional blend, the Pèppoli had greater roundness on the palate and a more pronounced fruit core - quite nice indeed, but also a wine to enjoy with rich foods. In third today, finishing just behind the Pèppoli, was the Le Filigare, a purely Sangiovese wine. When conditions are just right, the Sangiovese grape can produce some wonderful wines without the addition of other grape varieties and this wine was a perfect example.</div>
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A very interesting tasting session indeed. The group seems to prefer bigger wines and a more international style over traditional blends and an old-world taste. At the end of the day however, it would appear as though we are all heading to the wine shop to buy a few Supertuscans! I'll add a couple to the Virtual Cellar shortly... Enjoy</div>
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Thank-you for joining us today. Next month, we explore the fascinating wines of Spain`s great Rioja region. See you then...</div>
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</div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-43130126259465193582010-08-15T15:06:00.001-04:002011-02-16T21:30:13.058-05:00Riesling<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's always a pleasure to drink really good white wine and what a perfect day to taste Riesling from around the world. In fact, they say (though I don't know who they are) that only with experience will you will learn to appreciate white wine. Today we taste a combination of Rieslings, some dry and some semi-sweet. We begin with the dry, two samples: one from New York State and the other from Alsace, followed by three off-dry (semi sweet) from: New Zealand, Germany, and Ontario.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The key to really good Riesling is the balance of sweetness and acidity. Both are essential but when out of sync, one will overpower the other and seem rather obtuse on the palate. Riesling produces beautifully aromatic wines that pair with a multitude of food styles. The wine is considered the most versatile of all and will easily accommodate a range of food styles from white fish to Thai cuisine.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492842914496831506" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TDp_h0Wa4BI/AAAAAAAAAEo/RI3CInVg59Y/s320/bistro_treat.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our goal today is to determine what style both individually and as a group we prefer. The wines were served chilled one at a time and the group critiqued each selection in terms of personal preference.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The wines sampled are listed below in order of tasting:</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2008 Chateau La Fayette Reneau - New York State, USA</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2002 Pierre Sparr, Altenbourg - Alsace, France</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2008 Spy Valley - Marlborough, New Zealand</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Studert Prüm, Spatlese - Mosel, Germany</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2007 Henry of Pelham, Reserve - St. Catharines, Ontario</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492842211011167026" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TDp-43qXgzI/AAAAAAAAAEg/GXQ7Nu83Gms/s320/Riesling_btls.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Specific information relating the the cost and source of each wine can be viewed in the members only area.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are some beautifully balanced wines here today. In retrospect, when it comes to tasting red wine, a degree of concentration is involved: Burgundy and its terroir, Bordeaux and its complex blends, but the white wines are always a pleasure; still complex in many cases, but perhaps relaxing might be the right word. The wines sampled today, were all vastly different in terms of sweetness, body and texture but all reflected the varietal transparency of the Riesling grape. Riesling excels in cool climates; heat tampers with the magic formula making the wine flabby but our five examples are all grown in ideal locations and climates.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our group tasted and ranked the wines in order of personal preference, the results are show below:</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 - 2006 Studert Prüm, Spatlese</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 - 2008 Spy Valley</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3 - 2002 Pierre Sparr, Altenbourg</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tyler and Jacquie's 2006 Studert Prüm was tasted fourth and followed three very good wines but safe to say, the German selection shocked the group. Sweeter than the others, the '06 Spatlese was packed with intensity and flavour showing more honey than citrus on the nose and rich flavours on the palate. Next in line, from Marlborough, the '08 Spy Valley, a semi-sweet, new-world wine packed with aromas. It followed the Pierre Sparr, a wine that many of us felt was itself, very aromatic, but the Spy Valley exploded from the glass with jolts of green apple and grapefruit tasting balanced with wonderful minerality. Third was the 2002 Pierre Sparr from France's Alsace region. An older wine by comparison, showing golden yellow hues with lovely aromatics. On the palate, the Alsacian was softer and rounder than the other selections, perhaps losing its crisp edge with a few years in the cellar. A few in the group even detected an element of petrol in the older sample, which certainly invoked an interesting conversation.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's the off-dry style that has prevailed here today with 82% of the group selecting a semi-sweet wine as their favourite.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As always, thank-you for participating in our tasting today. We look forward to August when we sabre Champagne on the patio at the Bistro.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cheers!</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-28350274125138883222010-07-15T15:05:00.004-04:002011-06-27T22:00:48.533-04:00Champagne<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">le vin du Diable!</span></span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></i></div></div><div class="style28" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now that was a blast!</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style28" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than to sip champagne with friends on the patio. Mother Nature did her best to dampen our spirits today but after tasting a few samples indoors we moved outside to sabre the remaining bottles under the sun. Champagne is among the most celebrated of all wines. Its tiny bubbles appear as though they might be beads of crystals mysteriously appearing and floating single-file to the surface where they burst to release the wine's incredible aromas.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style28" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To say that champagne was once greatly frowned upon would not be an exaggeration. Those who first produced these wines did everything in their power to prevent the formation of the bubbles, but in the end, nature won and the bubbles prevailed. Rather volatile when bottled, the wine was considered extremely dangerous and the people of Champagne asked the church to investigate the demonic behaviour of their wine. Dom Perignon, a Benedictine Monk, learned how to control the seemingly untameable gas and mastered the art of blending wines to create a product Champagne could call their own while English scientist, Christopher Merret explored the concept of secondary fermentation and perfected methods of containing the wine. Together, both men helped shape what would soon become arguably the world's greatest wine. But can any one person take credit for its invention? Likely not. This Sparkling phenomenon is quite simply the product of enclosed fermentation which, though artificially contained, is completely natural.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style28" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our selections for today's tasting span a range of styles: two Brut, one Demi-Sec, and a Vintage wine. The wines were served chilled and were pair with delicious appetizers of varying textures and tastes.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style11" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The wines </span></span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">sampled </span></span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">are listed below in order </span></span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">of tasting</span></span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Louis Roederer, Brut Premier</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Moët et Chandon, Imperial Ros</span></span></span><span class="style27"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">é</span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1996 Gosset, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Grand Millésime</span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Veuve Clicquot, Demi-Sec</span></div></div></div><div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntPcR78KeWEyfELQyFjqJwSyPlu4Y8eRzhcqux_YsrQHN6wq__JB7zVu349yajmqQfsGZzIMimorIYUJkM45YfWOxp01hjzr0ej7O3jS4ZiFgqhr566RTAjPjFezFO5DzpNa3k0GmfLk/s1600/Champagne_btls_weblrg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntPcR78KeWEyfELQyFjqJwSyPlu4Y8eRzhcqux_YsrQHN6wq__JB7zVu349yajmqQfsGZzIMimorIYUJkM45YfWOxp01hjzr0ej7O3jS4ZiFgqhr566RTAjPjFezFO5DzpNa3k0GmfLk/s400/Champagne_btls_weblrg.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="style11" style="text-align: justify; width: 491px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="style11" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; width: 491px;"></div><div class="style28" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tasting from driest to sweetest, there is a good variety here today and our group tasted and ranked the wines in order </span></span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">of personal preference, the results are show below:</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style32" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1</span></span><span class="style27"><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">st</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> -</span></span></span><span class="style18"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1996 Gosset </span></span><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Grand Millésime</span></span></span></span></div></div><div class="style32" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2</span></span><span class="style27"><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">nd</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- </span></span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Veuve Clicquot, Demi-Sec</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style32" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3</span></span><span class="style27"><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">rd</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> - Louis Roederer, Brut Premier</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style32" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></sup></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> - Moët & Chandon Imperial Ros</span></span></span><span class="style27"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">é</span></span></span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The wine of the day was undoubtedly the 1996 Gosset, Grand </span></span></span></span><span class="style27"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Millésime</span></span></span></span><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. This bottle is a perfect example of how Champagne changes (arguably, for the better) with a few years spent in the cellar. The vintage Gosset had long since lost is crisp, citrus qualities becoming full bodied and displaying beautiful toasty notes on the palate. 80% of the group voted the Gosset as their favourite and 100% placed it in their top two selections. While the 1996 vintage is no longer available through the LCBO, the 1999 is, and you can view this wine in our </span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Owner/Desktop/My%20Web%20Sites/North%20of%209/Virtual%20Cellar.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">virtual cellar</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div><div class="style28" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3x2clKUYORUGhl2FBincE14LQNd_2HXJrc6eVb1ofegxtC3rB6e8SXoAQ7ZUfFQ3-JkaothxobGGWo0sap7JwVEGYZMOvCBoNjCOFC55LWop2kuvVc645BeDwpI3g5PYSJZGEoYvuzmk/s1600/Gosset_btl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3x2clKUYORUGhl2FBincE14LQNd_2HXJrc6eVb1ofegxtC3rB6e8SXoAQ7ZUfFQ3-JkaothxobGGWo0sap7JwVEGYZMOvCBoNjCOFC55LWop2kuvVc645BeDwpI3g5PYSJZGEoYvuzmk/s320/Gosset_btl2.jpg" width="212" /></a></div></div></div><div class="style28" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="style28" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Demi-Sec from the house of Veuve Clicquot was a sweet surprise and seemed quite smooth on the palate in comparison to the Brut selections. Of course, the milk chocolate dipped strawberries only added to the experience. The Louis Roederer, Brut Premier started off the tasting and displayed typical Brut champagne qualities of apple and toast - not a bad effort, but nothing to celebrate was the consensus on this one. Ranking last today was </span></span></span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Moët &amp; Chandon's Imperial Ros</span></span></span><span class="style27"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">é. Surprising in a sense, being from the house of the famous cuvée Dom Perignon, but most of us</span></span></span></span><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> felt the Moët Rosé lacked finesse and was perhaps, a touch sour.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div><div class="style28" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We opened the first three selections with very little pizzazz; just a pop to be exact. But Tyler brought his 18th century French sword-bayonet and was waiting patiently for the sun to peek through the clouds. When the dark clouds did finally part, he beheaded the two bottles of Clicquot to a great roar of cheer. Of course it's even more fun if you get to try it yourself he said, and with that, a case of Canada's great Spumante Bambino surfaced; at $7 a bottle, the perfect candidate for sabreing! Topped with fancy hats, we each tried our hand at sabreing. In all, a dozen bottles of bubbly fell to the sword this afternoon - too much fun, and Fernanda took the prize for the best chapeau!</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="style28" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thank-you once again for participating in our tasting today and we look forward to sampling Chianti Classico together in September.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HY8D-LOmcA">Click here</a> to watch Tyler sabre a bottle of bubbly. </span></span></span></div></div></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-31166709867963844872010-06-15T15:07:00.003-04:002011-06-04T10:57:57.537-04:00California Cabs<div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While the intention today was to simply taste Cabs from California, some of us were still coming down from the great Bordeaux tasting last month. As a result, during the planning phase, this California session quickly became a comparison between the two regions. And why not - California and Bordeaux are in direct competition with each other. With that said, the style of California and Bordeaux while both very good, are also quite different. The primary difference is one of temperature and thus the ripeness of the grapes. Poor vin</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">tages are few and far between in California and therefore variation from one vintage to another is usually a result of winemaking t</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">echnique and not bad weather. In a effort to 'keep up with the Jones' or to generate 'Parker-Points' (depending on how you want to look at it), the trend in Bordeaux in the last two decades has been to let the fruit hang as long as possible, but even so, that timeframe still does not achieve the same degree of ripeness witnessed in California. Of course, with ripeness comes sugar, among other things, but let's focus on the degree of sweetness or brix: As the sugar content of the grapes increases, so does the potential degree of alcohol during fermentation which in turn, will affect the body and mouth-feel of the wine. The higher degree of alcohol brings out the fruit and sweetness of the wine but too much can also be overpowering so there must be a balance. In terms of body the wines are full and round; the terms 'chewy and jammy' are often used to describe California Cabs.</span></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At North of 9 Fine Wine, we have tasted a great deal of old world wine in the past, and with last month's Bordeaux session still fresh in our minds, this afternoon we set out to determine what the group prefers. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today we sample four wines from various regions within California and one from the left-bank of Bordeaux. All the selections have a high concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon. The purpose of the Bordeaux sample is to refresh/remind our palates of the region and therefore indirectly, stimulate a comparison between the two regions.</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCV1rKWZ5_YvhhkDkAotCyy9XgNOJnSLM5IbLHDzMb2zr86S3ySL1X1d1nHSz5adLMxrSpQGVVF0YiuFPDuoyDNWATkhWhsqsGrVa9fzcTRe7DEg4EkdOeOlroVP6cy-ISZnFNPMbjp5E/s1600/Cali_bottles_blg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCV1rKWZ5_YvhhkDkAotCyy9XgNOJnSLM5IbLHDzMb2zr86S3ySL1X1d1nHSz5adLMxrSpQGVVF0YiuFPDuoyDNWATkhWhsqsGrVa9fzcTRe7DEg4EkdOeOlroVP6cy-ISZnFNPMbjp5E/s320/Cali_bottles_blg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
The wines sampled are listed below in order of tasting:</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Napanook - Napa Valley</span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2004 Clark-Claudon, Estate Grown - Napa Valley</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2001 Ségla - Margaux, Bordeaux</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2004 Clos du Val - Stags Leap District</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2006 Longboard, Redgrav Vineyard - Alexander Valley</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">These are some truly fantastic wines! I think as a group, we all agree that while the old-world is fascinating and its history captivating, the new frontier and specifically the high-end California labels are an absolute pleasure to drink.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span>Our group tasted and ranked the wines in order of personal preference, the top three are show below:</span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 - 2004 Clark-Claudon</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 - 2006 Longboard, Redgrav</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3 - 2004 Clos du Val</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">The top two wines today finished very close together and at the same time, well above the rest of the pack. In first place was the 2004 Clark-Claudon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon follow immediately by the Longboard, Redgrav Vineyard. Both wines were full-bodied and packed with red fruit aromas. The Clark-Claudon, at one point during the afternoon even showed some black licorice on the nose and perhaps a slight effervescent feel on the tongue - fascinating! If you like your wine 'jammy' and obviously the majority of our group does, the Longboard, Redgrav should be right at the top of your wish list. This wine exploded with fruit and sweet aromas straight out of the bottle. Thank-you Jim for generously donating both of these bottles to the tasting today!</span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Following behind, as the group's third favourite was the 2004 Clos du Val, Stags Leap District. By far the deepest in colour today, the Clos du Val was somewhat closed initially, though after a half-hour or so in the glass, the aromas and the flavours came to life.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482417540035903538" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TBV1tKA2ADI/AAAAAAAAAD4/Kg8wFeIdcD0/s320/napanook.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify; width: 320px;" /></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Based upon what we have tasted here today, the group has certainly favoured the new-world style. The three top wines are a very accurate representation of why California Cabernet Sauvignon is and continues to be the preferred wine style of the masses. Is it better the the Old World? The 2001 Ségla, our selection from Bordeaux was in top form today. In fact, there was no fault to be found in Château Rauzan-Ségla's second label, but like so many of the competitive tastings held since the famous Judgement of Paris in 1976, when pitting one region against the other, California finished on top yet again.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thank-you kindly to everyone who donated bottles from their collection for our enjoyment today. We look forward to gathering again in July to compare Rieslings from Niagara and Germany.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div></div></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-9698456230394337092010-05-16T15:08:00.001-04:002012-07-18T19:09:00.524-04:00Bordeaux<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tasted: May 16th, 2010</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bordeaux - Opposing Sides</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No other region is more often duplicated and no other wine is more readily sought after; its famed estates set the prices and trends for the fine wine market worldwide. At 800 million bottles per year, Bordeaux produces a massive amount of ordinary table wine but for those who choose to research the subject, to delve a little deeper, there are endless treasures awaiting to tempt one's curiosity and taste. For this session, we are comparing the two styles of the region: those of the Left and Right Banks.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The styles of wine produced on opposite sides of the Gironde river varies almost as much as the ideals of the two rival groups themselves. The soils are not the same either; the left bank is predominantly gravel while the right bank consists of clay and limestone. For this, the grapes of choice and blends produce highly contrasting wines. During this tasting session, we set out to explore these differences, to discover our personal preference for the style of either the Left or Right Bank and to learn how these wine change with bottle age.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wines sampled are listed below in order of tasting:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2000 Château Armens - Saint Emilion</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2001 Clos du Marquis - Saint Julien</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1999 Château La Vieille Croix - Fronsac</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2003 Château Gigault 'Cuvée Viva' - Côtes de Blaye</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Tyler presents a mystery bottle, one has to be curious and perhaps a little wary; he has tricked us before by substituting an Ontario pinot noir in with the collection of Burgundies back in March. This time however, there was no fooling around. Trays of glasses containing the mystery wine circulated around the room and everyone inspected the contents. We swirled, then sniffed and of course tasted, assessing the wine's colour, clarity, aroma, and body. "What do you think, do you like it?" Tyler asked. A simple request, normally the questions are a lot more involved. He continued, "In your opinion, is this a young wine or an older one? The consensus was that we were drinking something quite old. Everyone was rather intrigued by the mystery and most seemed to enjoy the brick-coloured contents. The wine itself was soft and smooth, the colour and taste thin by comparison to the other selection. The fruit, while still present, had faded bringing to the forefront earthy notes and a lovely lingering aftertaste. "I suggest that you savour this one, it's not a wine for the spittoon. This wine is very special, but it is also approaching 30 years of age." Tyler informed the group. "But what better opportunity to sample very old Bordeaux than today." he said, "And it's not every day that you will have the chance to drink a First Growth." Today however, we did just that; our mysterious guest was indeed a bottle of 1981 Château Haut Brion. Deborah, one of our members shared that she had picked grapes at Haut Brion back in 1985 so no doubt, this bottle brought back some wonderful memories for her!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 - 1999 Château La Vieille Croix</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 - 2003 Château Gigault 'Cuvée Viva'</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our top wine this afternoon was Gary and Joy's 1999 La Vieille Croix, a wine from the Fronsac region on the Right-Bank. This Merlot dominated wine was deeply coloured, balanced, and very fragrant. Most of us agreed that at 11 years, 'The Old Cross' was at its peak and seemed perfect for drinking today. Thank-you Gary and Joy for sharing your collection with us! The 2003 Gigalt 'Cuvée Viva', another right-bank selection was our second place wine and the product of an atypical vintage. The heatwave of the 2003 growing season made the wine stand out as 'different but very good' several members said. This wine had pronounced fruit and a 'jammy' body by comparison to the others. In third was the 2001 Clos du Marquis, a product of the left-bank and the second label of Château Léoville Las Cases. 2001 is a well above average year that is often overshadowed by the great vintage of 2000. This was indeed a lovely bottle that also seemed to hit the mark with a number of people this afternoon.</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Note regarding the 1981 Haut Brion: This wine was tasted blind and as expected, questions and comments quickly developed. After a short period I identified the wine, but also I fear, before the group had completed their final ranking of the other selections and therefore, I do believe that my description of the Haut Brion influenced the opinion of the group. It is indeed a very fine bottle but this example was also past its prime and had begun its slow decline from greatness. In terms of ranking, the Haut Brion finish well ahead of all the other wines though in retrospect, it probably would not have without my input and therefore is not included in the top three. - Tyler</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank-you for joining us today and we look forward to seeing you again in June for an afternoon spent sipping California's liquid sunshine.</span></div>
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</div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-22272641470017406642010-04-14T15:09:00.001-04:002012-07-18T21:20:50.453-04:00White Burgundy<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">April 14th, 2010</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">White Burgundy - "I'll have a glass of Chardonnay, please"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The best tasting yet!" said some of our members.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chardonnay is not only the most popular wine in the world but it is also one of the oldest known grape varietals. During this session, we taste five selections from the grape's place of origin - Burgundy, France. Chardonnay vines grows reasonably well wherever they are planted but history has proven that in the region of Burgundy, the grapes' true colours shine the brightest. Some of the most sought after wine are Burgundian Chards and on this Sunday, we are privileged to sample some very special wines. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wines sampled are listed below in order of tasting:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2005 Meursault, Domaine de Chateau Meursault</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2005 Chablis, 1er Cru Vaillons, Domaine Jean Collet</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2006 Chablis, Grand Cru les Clos, Domaine Louis Moreau</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2005 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, Domaine Louis Latour</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2007 Pouilly-Fussé, Terroir, Domaine Jean Pierre Sevè</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The five wines selected for this tasting span an array of regions and wine making styles: the unoaked Chablis; minerally and clean while the Meursault and Chassagne; rich and creamy by comparison, followed by the fruit-forward Pouilly-Fuissé. Judging by the numbers, there was no clear favourite here. In fact, all the wines, oaked or not, were very enjoyable and as usual, the food accompanying the wine selections was phenomenal. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our group tasted and ranked the wines in order of personal preference. The top 3 labels were as follows:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 - 2005 Meursault</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 - 2005 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 - 2006 Chablis, Grand Cru les Clos</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Normally one selection stands above the others while another is clearly disliked by the majority. This was not the case today. Surprisingly, the village level Meursault, a group purchase, was the preferred wine of the afternoon, edging out the others by a narrow margin. Of the five wines, the Meursault was the most perfumed and continued to display a multitude of aromas in the glass, never tiring as the afternoon progressed. Gary and Joy's 2006 might have been a bit young at only 4 years but with decanting and an hour in the glass, the Chablis Grand Cru began to open beautifully. The Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru donated by Tyler and Jacquie was a bit of a 'love-hate' affair with the membership; several ranked the wine as their favourite while a few found it the least desirable. In all, a very interesting tasting experience and a great opportunity to sample Chardonnay from this great region.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank-you for joining us and we look forward to seeing you again in May when we explore one of the wine world's great debates: Bordeaux and its difference of style and opinion.</span></div>
</div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-76337847905044147292010-03-14T15:45:00.000-04:002011-02-15T15:50:38.443-05:00Barolo<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tasted: March 14th, 2010</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The King of wines and the wine of Kings"</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This session showcased five outstanding examples of Piedmont's great red - Barolo. The tasting was one that from a wine selection point-of-view, we had to approach with a degree of caution. In its youth, Barolo is a powerfully tannic wine; to open and pour a sample from say, 2006, would surely to turn one's taste-buds inside-out! The five carefully selected wines were a combination of purchases on behalf of the group and some very generous donations by club members themselves. While we do provide the history of each bottle and its producer, we do not discuss grading or vintage conditions specific to the wine samples prior to the tasting. With this philosophy, the group is unbiased in their opinions and better able to rank the wines in terms of personal preference. Only after the session do we discuss details relating the grades, cost, and vintage conditions of each wine.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wines sampled are listed below in order of tasting:</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2004 Fenocchio, Bussia </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2003 Cascina Cucco, Vigna Cucco</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2000 Ascheri, Vigna dei Pola</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1996 Fontanafredda, Lazzarito</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2004 Paolo Conterno, Ginestra</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TA_wlWfiq_I/AAAAAAAAACw/xUzDjvUvwLw/s1600/Barolo+Btls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TA_wlWfiq_I/AAAAAAAAACw/xUzDjvUvwLw/s320/Barolo+Btls.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This tasting session was indeed an opportunity for discovery. Barolo, as we confirmed today is a food-wine. In fact, as a group we unanimously agreed that the regional food served this afternoon was key to the enjoyment of this wine. With the exception o the 1996 Fontanafredda, very little sediment was present in the bottles though we did decant each selection for aeration purposes with the younger wine further invigorated using a 'bubble-pour' technique. </span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our group tasted and ranked the wines in order of personal preference. The top 3 labels were as follows:</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 - 2000 Ascheri, Vigna dei Pola</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 - 1996 Fontanafredda, Lazzarito</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 - 2003 Cascina Cucco, Vigna Cucco</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Head and shoulders above the other selections in terms of membership preference was Stephen and Krista's Ascheri, Vigna dei Pola. From the 2000 vintage, the Ascheri was ready to drink and displayed red fruit and earthy notes both common to the Nebbiolo grape. The remaining wines were somewhat of a mixed-bag in terms of popularity; Gary and Joy's 2003 Casina Cucco was a pleasant surprise having received rather dismal reviews by the 'experts' as being heatstruck and the product of a poor vintage. In reality, the wine was lovely and the favourite of several club members. The '96 Fontanafredda, the oldest vintage served this afternoon displayed the characteristic truffle and earthy notes so typical of the varietal. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank-you kindly for donating these fine bottles, without the generosity of our membership this group would not be possible.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In April we will sample the whites wines of Burgundy. See you then!</span></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167740634916074398.post-36179091304846950502010-02-27T15:47:00.000-05:002011-02-15T15:49:33.830-05:00Red Burgundy<div class="style22"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tasted: February 21st, 2010</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Red Burgundy (Côte d'Or)</span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="style19"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="style11"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style21"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This tasting event was an opportunity to explore and learn about the ever-complex but amazingly delicious red wines of the Côte d'Or. No other wine region in the world offers such an array of variation from a single variety of grape, than Burgundy, and that grape is Pinot Noir. The session began by tasting examples of the different classifications of Burgundy beginning with a </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Village wine</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> from Gevery-Chambertin followed by a </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Premier Cru</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> from Beaune-Marconnets and finally a </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grand Cru</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> from Corton - an interesting comparison to say the least, with each wine both displaying characteristic traits of its status within the Burgundy ranking and increasing in complexity as we tasted our way to the top of the ladder. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div></div></div><div class="style34"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div><div class="style34"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In total, we tasted five wines plus an additional surprise bottle donated by Bruce and Terry (we'll get to that one in a moment...) Following the Corton-Grèves Grand cru, an incredible wine by all accounts, the group then sampled two Premier cru selections, both of the 1995 vintage. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div><div class="style35"></div><div class="style29"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wines are listed below in the order they were tasted:</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1999 Domaine Trapet, Gevery-Chambertin</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">200</span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Domaine Remoissenet, Beaune-Marconnets 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">er</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Cru</span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2002 </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Domaine Louis Jadot, Corton-Grèves Grand Cru</span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1995</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Domaine Remoissenet Pere &amp; Fils, 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">er</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Cru Pommard-Épenots</span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1995 Domaine Grivot, Vosne-Romanée 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">er</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Cru Les Beaux-Monts</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TA_zJL-aemI/AAAAAAAAAC4/N5VW0jv_OdY/s1600/Burgundy+btls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TA_zJL-aemI/AAAAAAAAAC4/N5VW0jv_OdY/s320/Burgundy+btls.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each bottle was decanted prior to serving and Tyler provided an explanation and demonstration of how to traditionally decant by candlelight and then gave some advice on the more common and practical methods of removing sediment from a bottle. As usual, vintage and antique corkscrews were available to provide anyone daring enough to try, an opportunity to open a bottle as wine enthusiasts might have over a hundred years ago (the arm-strong method!). Then, to add to the entertainment, a surprise bottle appeared wrapped in paper to disguise its identity. A Blind-Tasting the membership feared! No, not at all - there is no pressure at a North of 9 tasting event. Instead, we poured and tasted the 'secret bottle' donated by Bruce and indirectly Terry though she says that she was not </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on the plan. Everyone sampled the mystery bottle and then, the question: Based upon the colour and structure of the wine, where in the classification of Burgundy do you think this wine fits: ie. Village, Premier Cru, or Grand Cru?...</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div class="style34"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After asking the group for their thoughts and opinions of the anonymous wine, Tyler and Bruce then revealed their little conspiracy - a bottle of 2007 Pelee Island Reserve Pinot Noir - Ontario wine! The Pelee Island wine is a good example of Pinot Noir from outside of the Côte d'Or and can easily hold its own against many of the new-world producers but unfortunately, when compared directly against the mighty Pinot of Burgundy, it lacks complexity and finesse. Still, it is Canadian and we are proud of it. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="style34"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The older bottles were fascinating. At 15 years of age, both 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">er</span></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crus, the Pommard donated by Gary and Joy and the Vosne-Romanée by Tyler and Jacquie, were still very much alive, fresh, delicate, and still with plenty of fruit structure on the palate though on the nose, the earthy notes were pushing to the forefront; an absolute pleasure in both cases! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="style34"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As always, our group tasted and ranked the wines in order </span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">of personal preference</span></span><span class="style27" lang="en-ca"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The top 3 labels were as follows:</span></span></div></div></div><div class="style14"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 - 2002 Corton-Grèves Grand Cru (Côte de Beaune)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 - 1995 1er Cru Pommard-Épenots (Côte de Beaune) </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 - 1995 Vosne-Romanée 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">er</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Cru Les Beaux-Monts (Côte de Nuits)</span></div><ol></ol><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style33"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TA_zftIAiOI/AAAAAAAAADA/8gxThdxmRMc/s1600/corton_+greves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-UZn2V-UCNY/TA_zftIAiOI/AAAAAAAAADA/8gxThdxmRMc/s320/corton_+greves.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style33"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style33"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="style11"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The results of this tasting are not as clear-cut as our previous session. In this case, the second and third place wines were ranked very closely together; almost too close to differentiate in fact, though the Pommard did place slightly higher. To some degree, all things being ideal, we expect the Corton-Grèves Grand Cru to place first but for the older wines to follow immediately behind, is a indication the group's preference for mature wine.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span lang="en-ca"><span class="style27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To those who donated wine to this event - Thank-you very much! We look forwartd to seeing everyone in March for an afternoon tasting Italy's great red - Barolo. </span></span></span></div></div></div>Tyler Philphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09435914240300765715noreply@blogger.com