Oliver Conti - the case about a dream

I feel incredibly privileged this summer to be working on two projects. I said from the start that I wouldn't be doing an internship just because right ... well, sometimes patience and stubbornness pays off. It took me until damn near the end of the term, but I did find two projects that fit exactly what I was looking for, and that I could genuinely be excited about. The first one is writing a business case for IESE about a winery in the north of Catalunya, by the French border in a small village called Capmany. Oliver Conti has been in business for 20 years in the DO Empordà, crafting wines from French varietals and pushing for quality in a region that is virtually unknown, even in Spain. The second project will begin in a few weeks, and will be in Zaragoza. But let's talk about this one first.

The wine business is tough, and ever so apparent when you begin seeing it through the perspective of the winery. Margins are thin, negotiating power is tiny ... what is a small producer to do? More marketing/brand-building? But how do you afford it? Go international? But how do you attract distributors who've never heard of the Empordà? Tough. Real tough here.

I visited Oliver Conti last week. What a beautiful place. Right at the foot of the Pyrenees, all sun, wine, and wildness. There is a northernly wind that always blows - it was particularly vicious the day we were there. That's why all of OC's vineyards are planted with a northern exposition, to protect the vines from simply being blown over. A huge wildfire ripped through the region in 2012. You can still see the blackened trees, with entire tracts of pine forests wiped out. OC lost 25% of their vineyards. Nature gives and with the same hand, takes away. They have about 20 hectares of vineyards planted, with high density. For whites, they plant gewürztraminer, muscat, and sauvignon blanc. For reds, pinot noir, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and marselan (a cross of cabernet sauvignon and grenache). Aged in French oak, the wines reflect the man behind the brand - elegant, sophisticated, and utterly, utterly sincere.

But how does the wine make me feel? Because really, that's all that matters. All that I really care about, and I wouldn't be up at nearly midnight writing this nonsense if I didn't care. This visit taught me so many new things, in wine and otherwise. First, the power of family. The only thing of importance and significance in this ridiculous world we live in. Second, the need in this industry for vision. The distributors have all the power with setting prices, the kinds of wines they want to carry in their portfolio ... consumers either are slaves to trends or have no goddamn clue what they want ... so what's a winery to do, if there is no vision? With a clear path, a clear idea of what your brand represents - that's the only way to make it. The man behind Oliver Conti, my mentor for writing this case - he taught me all those things. So onto the wines, with the exception of the Marta (a sweet gewürztraminer), tasted at the winery, and again at home over 2 days ...

2013 Treyu: a blend of gewürztraminer and macabeu, aromas of gewürz right away, that tropical, spicy fruit; subtle, very dry on the palate tensile and quite linear; long

2010 Blanc Etiqueta: same gewürz/macabeu blend, with 12 months in new French oak; oak apparent immediately, creamy and quite rich, with an elegant palate; high acid on the finish, bright and very intense

2012 Pinot Noir: Niagara here? Bright red fruits, spice, a brambly character that evokes what I know (and love) so well; not much in way of structure, but high acid and spice, great elegance

2011 Turo Negre: both cabernets in the blend with merlot and garnacha; dark here, earthy, with a bit of that road tar aroma from the cabernet; great freshness and structure, very good here for the price

2011 Ara: a blend of garnacha/cabernet sauvignon; more subdued on the nose, some oak, darker, quieter; very high acidity, fine tannins

2010 Carlota: 100% cabernet franc, very unusual for this region (and Spain); immediately my favourite of the lineup, full cabernet franc character on the nose - slightly green, juicy fruit, fresh and vibrant; pillowy texture while retaining excellent acidity and fine tannins; a gorgeous wine

2010 Negre Etiqueta: same blend as the Turo Negre; some alcohol here, elegant with some tarry, earthy aromas; juicy fruit on the palate, bigger, but remaining elegant; extracted, crunchy finish; an excellent wine

Wow. The character of the Empordà and Oliver Conti shines through the entire lineup. In their words, the seek to achieve two things: aroma and elegance. And boy, do they ever do it. Gorgeous fruit throughout, impeccably balanced, with great acidity and fine structure. French-style wines, perhaps, but retaining that wildness, that absolute beauty of the Costa Brava. I've always been a believer that to fully appreciate a winery is impossible without walking the vineyards, to breathe the same air as the vines. Inspired? Definitely. And motivated, now more than ever, to tell their story.

DF

IESE Wine & Spirits - The Grand Wines of Spain

2013 Marques De Caceres. Ecológico Bio | Rioja
2012 Legaris Roble | DO Ribera del Duero
2011 Arzuaga Crianza | DOC Ribera del Duero
2009 Marqués de Murrieta Finca Ygay Reserva | DOCa Rioja

As in life, wine is about time and place. Time and place. A few hundred metres in one direction, a few hundred in the other ... a few months early, a few months late ... it's all to give a sense of identity, a sense of purpose to the wine, isn't it. And just like in life, the best wines represent those three immutable qualities: authenticity, honesty, and character.

I was excited for this. IWS hosted a tasting of the two most famous wine regions of Spain: Rioja and Ribera del Duero. A pair of wines from each, of varying ages. What we wanted to achieve was to give our members a sense of how differently the same grape varietal - tempranillo - can react depending on where it's grown, and the winemaking applied. So we started with the Marques de Caceres, an organic wine. Young and fresh, a bit nondescript, but a good, simple wine for the table. The Legaris was a clear step up in quality. A wine I've tasted before, and what I felt was a good representation of the modern Ribera. Fruit forward, but remaining balanced, a plushy, well-textured wine. The Arzuaga was a major discovery for me. Grown just downwind from the vineyards of Vega Sicilia and Pingus, this was a throwback Ribera del Duero. Structured and tight, but with the most beautiful red fruit character and integrated oak. Creamy vanilla and bright fruit, finishing focused and tensile. Square-shouldered yet remaining elegant. And finally, the Marqués de Murrieta, the grand old man of Rioja. Superbly delicate and fine, all silk and cashmere on the palate. The ballerina to the blockbusters of Ribera. A slight orange hue on the rim, but youthful and linear. Sheer elegance, class in a glass.

Time and place. We look for these inimitable influences in wines of quality and distinction. Is there really a framework for tasting? I don't think so. Sure, experience teaches us to look for certain things, for certain attributes that tell us about a wine. But is that the only point? Put in another way, should we be tasting or drinking? Perhaps a discussion for another time, another bottle. Let's think a bit on it, the next time we reach for a glass. The tasting brought up a lot of interesting discussion - about tasting, about the influence of winemaking, about the language of wine. Let's keep those conversations going.

Many thanks to my officers for making this tasting happen, as well as to our members who continue to show love and support for IWS.

The culture of drink endures because it offers so many rewards ... above all the elusive promise of friendship and love

Pete Hamill, A Drinking Life: A Memoir

DF

IESE Wine & Spirits at L'Anima del Vi

2012 Xavier Benier 'Pur Jus' | AC Beaujolais-Villages
2012 Simon Busser 'Sauvages' | AC Cahors
2012 Cueva by Mariano Vino Natural | DO Utiel-Requena | Valencia

Take courage when the road is long

Don't ever forget you're never alone

I want you to live forever

Underneath the sky so blue

I want you to live forever

Underneath the sky so blue

- Live Forever, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

I'm so proud to announce the official kicking off of the IESE Wine & Spirits Club, at an event that was at once both a realization of a personal dream as well as a statement about Europe as a continuing source of inspiration in wine. Firstly, much gratitude and credit to my other club officers for helping me set up IWS, as well as this first tasting.

And what a tasting it was.

This (as yet) adolescent wine adventure has been a roller-coaster, so to speak. Barcelona's been fantastic for cheap and cheerful bottles, but we should never be settling, no ... never accepting. Give me a decent bottle, or I'll break your fingers. Nicely. Gently. Because without a challenge, without constant change, we get lazy, we get complacent, we start to think we know it all. And if I want to accomplish anything with IWS, it's to challenge our members' perception of what wine is, what taste is ... in short, everything they thought they knew about wine. If I can get just one person to say, You know what, eff this, I'm drinking this the way I want to drink it, I think we've done our job. Hack at the feet, pull that noose tight around its neck ... let's pull down those statues the old standby worshipped, and be free to have our own personal relationship with wine.

Right. Back to the tasting, before I took a sharp right. There's a tiny wine bar in Barcelona, in one of my favourite neighbourhoods. El Born is such a cool place, with all these little alleys hidden away in dark corners. And in one of them stands L'Anima del Vi, run by a man absolutely committed to natural wines. Benoit brings in interesting things, across France and Spain ... and the latter was the big learning for me. I've been to L'Anima del Vi many, many times, always finding something new to taste, something inspiring. I never knew that there was such a large group of Spanish natural winemakers, but there are - and they're doing a great job. Wines of great depth and purity, with all the sunshine-y brightness you expect from Spain. As I said to my members, this first tasting was organized partly for selfish reasons, and partly because I wanted to set the tone for what IWS will stand for. Selfish, because I'm a bit obsessed with natural wines at the moment ... but more importantly, IWS will be about real wines, true wines, and wines that sing of honesty, authenticity, and character.

After all that build up, how did the wines show? Benoit chose some good ones. Beginning with a Beaujolais-Villages (100% gamay), sharp and expressive, like a rapier. Deadly acidity, screeching in the natural style. The Sauvage Cahors was next. Simon Busser, a disciple of Olivier Cousin in the Loire, who returned to the Cahors to make wines of great finesse and depth. Dark, with an animale personality that roars on the bouquet, yet coos on the palate. A bit of love from the fact that Simon farms these 100% malbec wines with horses? Or simply because he's able to stick to the principles (zero sulphur) yet create these magical wines that change a hundred times in the glass. We ended with a Spanish wine from Valencia made from a varietal that no one's even heard of, much less tasted. Bobal, a native grape, and for all intents and purposes, a minor blending varietal. And as luck would have it (or the other way around), the winemaker was at the next table. Immediately recognizable as a lush, full-blooded Spaniard (the wine, but also the man). Sunshine and spice, like all things nice. Soft and round, that glorious ripe, raisin-tinged fruit.

Good. A good start. The Chairman is pleased. Many thanks and much appreciation for those who attended, and all those who supported IWS. Many, many, many big things coming up for us!

DF

新年好!

It's the new year! As you can see, buried in cases, Spanish classes, and other (fun) school-related activities. Fun-tivities. Something simple for dinner, away from family. Some pork ribs I had in the freezer, some rice. But I had to drink something that reminded me of wine, as cheap and borderline drinkable as it was. So, a Shaoxing wine normally reserved for cooking. More a symbolic gesture, really, but it worked. Looking forward to big things in the year of the horse!

DF

A first tasting - IESE Wine & Spirits

Some photos from that first wine tasting we held for IESE Wine & Spirits. A lineup of 5 wines, all white, all Spanish. Two from Catalunya, two from Penedès, one from Rueda. Our tasters were asked to taste through all 5 wines in groups, and then vote for two wines - their favourite of the 5, and which one they thought was most expensive. Right. Four wines were bought from the supermarket, and were under 5€. One was from a good wine shop, and considerably more expensive. The results were interesting. Most people preferred the second cheapest bottle, and only a handful identified the expensive one correctly. It took some experience, but the most expensive bottle, a Penedès, showed an elegance and restraint that the other wines clearly didn't have. Was it my favourite? No - the cheap Rueda really blew me away. Cheerful and incredibly drinkable, simply delicious.

Which goes to show that price sometimes really doesn't have bearing on our enjoyment of wine, if we remove it from our tasting equation. Can you tell expensive wine from supermarket wine? I believe so. I remember a tasting I did a few years ago with a company that made kit wine, a tasting that clearly proved that cheap (under $10) wines were very distinguishable from those over $15. 

I could talk more about each individual wine, but I'm a bit distracted at the moment. Toronto's been hit by a wicked ice storm, and a huge number of people, my parents and many friends included, are without electricity. There are reports of another major storm heading its way over soon, and people are being told that it will take 72 hours to restore power. There's not much I can do but sit here and wait for updates, but you know me ... I hate sitting on my hands and being useless. Take care of each other, my friends.

DF

#IESEVino

I'm so proud to get #IESEVino started, to share this with my classmates. On December 4, just as we were beginning a long weekend, a handful of my classmates got together at a restaurant for the first (unofficial) IESE wine club event. We aren't officially registered yet, we don't really have a finalized mandate yet ... shoot, we haven't even figured out what name we want to be called. But what I want - what's most important to me - is to shape this club into what my ideal of what wine is. I want it to be educational, fun, and irreverent. I want it to matter, and to let the European wine industry know about IESE, that we are students who understand and care about wine (and spirits, and beer). A lot to ask for? I don't think so. I'm heartened by so many classmates who've expressed interest, and support in what we're doing. In what we're trying to do. This first event, this was just a taste of what lies ahead.

DF

making the pilgrimage to Chambers Street Wines

As part of my day off in New York, I visited the temple of wine retail that is Chambers Street Wine in Lower Manhattan. I'm a bit upset that I didn't get to visit the Met - it'd be criminal if I didn't get to do a bit of wine shopping. So, after a nice, leisurely lunch, we made our way down in search of some old (and odd) bottles to bring back home.

As luck would have it, Dominik Sona of Koehler-Ruprecht from the Pfalz was pouring a range of his wines. We started with his 2010 Pinot Blanc Kabinett Trocken, with lovely lifted fruit and floral aromas. His 2010 Kallstadter Riesling Kabinett Trocken had pure fruit, on a good tensile palate. The 2010 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Kabinett Trocken showed a bit more density, a very elegant style of trocken. And then the granddaddy of them all - the 2008 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spätlese Trocken 'R', a Reserve bottling that utilizes the smallest berries, is aged for at least 4 years before release, and is only produced in agreeable vintages. Impressive weight and precision here, lovely elegance, but certainly a feeling that it's just sleeping now, not ready to open up before 10 years of age - at $82.99 a bottle, one would hope that buyers have great patience to see it unfold to its full potential. And finally, the only wine in the lineup with residual sugar, the 2010 Kallstadter Steinacker Riesling Kabinett, shimmering with tropical fruits on a linear palate. Lovely wines, understated yet showing the charm and elegance of the Pfalz.

The shop is a tiny space, but packed with all sorts of interesting selections. I spent the most time checking out the Barolos - had my hands on a 1967 Burlotto, but ended up going with (on a recommendation) a 1995 Oddero. Picked up a Puffeney Poulsard, as well as a half bottle of 1988 Lamothe-Guignard. The staff were engaged, and fun to talk to. I hate to bash on our folks here, but LCBO Vintages could gain a lot from a visit to these kinds of wine shops. Lots to see, lots to learn here - like the proverbial kid in a candy store (although being a Canadian, it'd be the Bulk Barn).

It was a good day.

DF

The 'California Legends' Tasting

A few weeks ago, we went to a tasting of Californian wines held at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum. It was billed as a tasting of the icons of the industry - some of the pioneers, the old-timers who built the reputation of California. I was so pumped to attend - I needed a break from writing applications, and our regular tasting group was in full attendance - not to mention, Calera, Dunn, and Ridge was pouring.

The wines were stunning. I started as always with the chardonnay. I expected a certain style - not necessarily that big, buttery, obnoxious chard stereotype, but a certain sunshine-y style nonetheless -  but the wines delivered (pleasant) surprise after surprise. They were definitely new world chardonnays. Ripe and viscous, with good amounts of caramel and sweetness from the oak. But they're fresh - great acidity with balanced alcohols. Wines that I would easily be comfortable putting away for 10 years. Fabulous. And then came the pinot noirs and cabernet sauvignons. The pinot noir was, as expected, more variable in style. Some super big and overripe, the worst kind of wines - flabby and lifeless. But the best, from Calera, some of the most exciting new world pinot noirs I've ever come across. By that point, I was pretty lubed up, and we had yet to taste the cabernets. The majestic cabernet sauvignons, both varietal and blended wines. My goodness. The quality was just mind-blowing. And the one thing I kept thinking about during the tasting was something I never expected to be the main takeaway: balance. BALANCE, in California. Complex, interesting, balanced wines that showed so much character. Completely changed the way I see these wines, and although expensive, worth every penny. Incredible. I've never come out of a tasting so excited about what I had just tasted, and although my memory of what happened afterwards is a bit hazy, our photos show some of the carnage. Tasting notes from the evening below.

Beringer | Napa Valley
2000 Chabot Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon:  so French, graphite mineralis, lean berry fruit, good structure, fresh and lively; a vibrant wine

Bonaccorsi | Santa Rita Hills
2009 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir: burnt wood, way overripe, physically painful to smell, completely dull and one-dimensional

DF and the great Josh Jensen, Proprietor/Winemaker of Calera

Calera | Central Coast
2011 Chardonnay: so ripe, fragrant of orange and citrus oils, sweet fruit, caramel oak, good acid on a crunchy finish
2009 Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mount Harlan: more depth, fuller and heavier, good tannin structure, a beautiful wine
2007 Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mount Harlan: slightly more vegetal, but showing good tannin, juicy and fresh
2009 De Villiers Pinot Noir, Mount Harlan: big, slightly dried fruit, jammy raisins, with an intense sweet palate

Caymus
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley: subtle, integrated oak and fruit, very good oak profile
2010 Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands: ripe fruit, slightly jammy here, candied, that big style of red wine that has little varietal character

Chateau Montelena | Napa Valley
2010 Chardonnay: completely subtle, slightly oaky palate, but elegant and harmonious; needs time
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon: subtle fruit, fragrant, on a sweet, elegant and finely structured palate; great potential here

Dominus | Napa Valley
2009 Dominus: the grand vin, tight and a bit closed, lean fruit, very compact at the moment; like a St. Julien with the raciness
2009 Othello: the entry wine, slightly overripe, deep fruit, more of the sunny Californian style here, some savoury, soy elements on the palate, slightly saline
2009 Napanook: from declassified Dominus fruit, this was a revelation; fresh, vibrant nose, beautifully fragrant and minerally; palate is gorgous, sweet and linear, fresh yet fine, dark and underlined with graphite minerality; beautiful!

Duckhorn | Napa Valley
2010 Merlot: soft, round fruit, ripe and sweet, good structure, primary but some potential here

DF and Randy Dunn, Winemaker/Proprietor of Dunn

Dunn | Napa Valley
2002 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: saline and mineral, lean fruit, wonderfully savoury on the palate, like seaweed and kelp; so elegant, fabulous length, a stunner!
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain: fine and lean fruit, so French here, dark and mineral; ripe on the palate, so integrated and fresh, a truly vibrant wine

DF and the legend, Gary Eberle, Owner/Founder/Winemaker of Eberle

Eberle | Paso Robles
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah: 50/50 of each, fresh, ripe fruit, very juicy here, great balance
2008 Côtes-du-Rôbles: syrah, mourvèdre, and viognier; classic, ripe nose, sweet fruit with an elegance; juicy and surprisingly fine

Frog's Leap | Napa Valley
2012 Sauvignon Blanc: my goodness, booming grassy notes, pungently oily, almost pickled; unsubtle sauvignon aromas to say the least, but good acid, fresh fruit on the palate, almost a bit bi-polar in that aroma and palate have almost no correspondence
2011 Chardonnay: round oak, great acid on the palate, vibrant

Joseph Phelps | Sonoma Coast
2010 Freestone Vineyards Chardonnay: spicy oak, somewhat muted, round palate; good extract, elegant, with great acidity

Kistler | Sonoma Coast
2010 Trenton Roadhouse Chardonnay: spicy oak, nutty and round, good extracted acidity on the finish
2009 Vine Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: good focus, lean and minerally; round oak on the palate, some spice

DF and Stephan Asseo, Owner/Winemaker of L'Aventure

L'Aventure | Paso Robles
2010 Côte-a-Côte: fresh, linear fruit, good sweetness, very good stuff here
2010 Optimus: graphite minerality, intense, rich and filling; elegant palate, wonderful extract and precision on the palate; wonderful and so damn French!
2010 Estate Cuvée: freshness, combined with good ripe fruit; lean but intense

Pahlmeyer | Napa Valley
2010 Chardonnay: subtle, round nose, some minerals, a bit closed at the moment

Paul Hobbs | Sonoma County
2010 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: good colour, very oak, spicy and rich, integrated oak on the palate, finishing slightly bitter

Ridge
2010 Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley: fresh, vibrant, and minerally, like spring water; good tannin, elegant in structure, and very subtle
2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Cabernet/Merlot: wow, so earthy, so dense, wonderfully rustic; even slightly stinky, but so good, and so French

Sea Smoke | Santa Rita Hills
2010 Southing Pinot Noir: big name, with equally big prices, but what a disappointment; incredibly jammy and dried out, what's the point
2010 Ten Pinot Noir: at $109, I just don't get it; completely nuked fruit, slightly saline, so overdone and coca-cola-ish as to be undrinkable

Stag's Leap Winery | Napa Valley
2010 Chardonnay: round, integrated fruit, great oak, fresh and structured

DF

UGC Bordeaux - in notes

So I didn't get to them all, but 2010 Bordeaux is a fabulous vintage. A great uniform quality across dry/sweet whites, and red wines. Classic, really, with all the communes showing great typicity and character. For dry whites, my favourites had fresh sauvignon aromas on the nose, with integrated oak, on a well-extracted palate. The reds are dense and tight, with many of them showing hard tannins, but the complexity is there. They simply need time; expect the dark fruit and minerality to unravel and start showing off after a decade in the bottle. And the Sauternes - I tasted through all of them that were presenting this year, and they were just as exciting as 2007. Maybe a notch below, if we were pressed to compare them, but the best wines are balanced and fresh, with botrytis character already showing. Destined for a long, glorious life. 

And so, my tasting notes for this year's UGC Bordeaux tasting ...

Graves

2010 Château de Chantegrive Blanc: minty, lithe nose, sweetness on the palate; balanced, slightly creamy already in texture

2010 Château Rahoul Blanc: oaky nose, extracted palate, lemon citrus finish; very interesting potential

DF with Anne and Olivier Bernard, Managers of Domaine de Chevalier and President of the UGCB

Pessac-Léognan

2010 Château Bouscaut Blanc: oak on the nose, but elegant, linear fruit giving it freshness on the otherwise oaky palate

2010 Château Carbonnieux Blanc: always one of my favourites; fresh sweet fruit, mineral and floral; very pretty here, palate slightly awkward at the moment, but big potential

2010 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc: my chats with the Bernards always a highlight of the tasting; great fruit here, ripe and framed by creamy vanilla; sweet on the palate, great acidity; will need time to round out the palate, especially on the finish

2010 Château de Fieuzal Blanc: oak and citrus, textbook dry Bordeaux here, great extract, long

2010 Château de France Blanc: fresh, some cedar-y oak, oily; sweet palate, tropical fruit, a big wine

2010 Château La Louvière Blanc: greenish nose, oil and petrol, sweet palate, finishing slightly bitter

2010 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc: pale, subtle oak, good roundness and a buttery aroma; great freshness, clean, textural

2010 Château Latour-Martillac Blanc: grassy nose, sauvignon booming; fabulous intensity and focus, spicy and lean at the moment, with the acidity a bit shrill

2010 Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc: a bit closed, but subtle oak, great juicy fruit on the palate, fresh, compact, and dense

2010 Château Olivier Blanc: again, slightly closed, with the alcohol rising up, good texture and extract on the palate

2010 Château Pape Clément Blanc: good fruit, lean, definitely closed off

2010 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc: intense sauvignon aromas here, lean, and really floral

DF and Comte Stephan von Neipperg, Director of Château Canon-La-Gaffelière

Saint-Émilion

2010 Château Canon-La-Gaffelière: with the always dapper Count present, a wine that keeps getting more impressive; round sweet nose, some oak, but very integrated palate; a dense wine for the cellar

2010 Château La Gaffelière: oaky, alcohol coming up, dense fruit

2010 Château Troplong-Mondot: jammy fruit here, slightly spicy, lean with high acid on the palate

Pomerol

2010 Château Clinet: graphite minerality, dense fruit, tight palate, on very fine tannin; like its director, handsome

2010 Château Gazin: inky, dark fruit, really dense but fresh, tannins a bit harder; showing that cabernet profile

2010 Château La Conseillante: powerful, intense sweet fruit perfume, tannic, tight, but a very fresh wine

2010 Château Le Bon Pasteur: with the lovely Dany Rolland presenting; fruit forward with some alcohol showing, but fresh, juicy, and linear

DF with Jean-Pierre Foubet, Managing Director of Château Chasse-Spleen

Moulis-en-Médoc/Haut-Médoc

2010 Château Poujeaux: oaky, dark nose, lean palate with lots of that oak replaying

2010 Château Chasse-Spleen: always a pleasure to talk to J-P Foubet, even if I didn't immediately recognize him with the beard; graphite minerality, lean palate, very fresh dark fruit, yet chewy on the palate; truly a great Bordeaux 

2010 Château La Lagune: a wine close to my heart; rustic and earthy, a hallmark; complex palate, harder tannins at the moment, great potential

Margaux

2010 Château Brane-Cantenac: lean, tense red fruits, tannic, and very four-square

2010 Château Rauzan-Ségla: layers of fruit here, tight tannins, very high acid; wound up tight

Saint-Julien

2010 Château Branaire Ducru: graphite minerality, very elegant and soft right away; a plushy wine on the palate, with great fruit

2010 Château Gruaud Larose: again that graphite minerality, tight fruit, really sweet and juicy on the palate

2010 Château Langoa-Barton: dense, tannic, high acid, and very lean

2010 Château Léoville Poyferré: a bit of alcohol here, with dense fruit, harder tannin, clear potential

Pauillac

2010 Château Batailley: graphite minerality, lean, with an oaky palate

2010 Château Clerc Milon: coffee oak, lean great fruit, dense, linear palate; a very hard wine

2010 Château d'Armailhac: really floral and perfumed, with integrated oak, good extraction; great acidity and fine tannin

2010 Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron: the wine I'm always so impressed by yet saddened at how expensive it is; dense nose, with oak coming off as mocha; great fruit, balanced palate, beautiful structure

2010 Château Lynch-Bages: graphite minerality, dense fruit, really fine and elegant, if a bit high-strung at the moment

2010 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: elegant, mineral nose, dense fruit with high acid and hard tannin

Saint-Estèphe

2010 Château Lafon-Rochet: more graphite, dense fruit, round palate, following on the palate; long

DF with Aline Baly, Marketing & Communication Manager of Château Coutet

Sauternes/Barsac

2010 Château Bastor-Lamontagne: minty, great freshness, floral; almost dry on the nose; extracted minerality on the palate, long; an achingly gorgeous wine

2010 Château Climens: honey and citrus, rich, slightly candied on the palate; well-integrated acidity, really sweet, long

2010 Château Coutet: always look forward to seeing and chatting with Aline every year; apricot nose, perfume; apricots replay on palate, showing that botrytis character already; fabulous balance and finish; a star of a wine

2010 Château de Fargues: concentrated, dense fruit; great sweet, cool fruit on the palate, very fresh

2010 Château de Rayne Vigneau: fresh, clean nose; great balance already on the palate

2010 Château Doisy-Daëne: one of my favourites of the region; fresh nose, minty, with good sweetness and extracted acidity; very long

2010 Château Guiraud: floral, perfumed, with delicate sweetness; long and finishing a bit dried

2010 Château La Tour Blanche: fresh, clean nose, with some mintiness; great sweet tropical fruit on the palate, round and very elegant

2010 Château Suduiraut: some alcohol here, very tropical; rich, sweet, with a creamy texture

DF

UGC Bordeaux - tasting the 2010's

DF and Comte Stephan von Neipperg, Director of Château Canon-La-Gaffelière

When we go to these tastings, we need to wrap our heads around exactly what we want to get out of the evening. Is it to actually taste and evaluate the wines? Or is it to hang out with friends and have a good time? I've generally gone in guns blazing, looking to taste everything. But Friday night, at the UGC tasting of 2010 Bordeaux in Toronto, all I wanted to do was to blow off some steam, talk to some familiar faces, and drink a lot of expensive wines. As one does when in the same room as Bordeaux nobility.

So no, I didn't get to taste all the wine; not even most of them. But I did taste all the white wines, dry and sweet, and they are extraordinary. Lithe and tensile, with all the energy and structure I'm looking for in white Bordeaux. Some of the better dry whites have a lovely dry extract, giving a distinct chewiness on the palate - certainly candidates for aging. Vibrant, racy wines that remain linear and elegant. And Sauternes, getting back to that botrytis spice and apricot character we're looking for, showing a beautiful balance already. Delicious wines of great finesse.

I came into the tasting with a murky impression of the red wines. So much print has been published about how the 2010's are shaping up to be yet another grand vintage. A contrast with the flamboyant 2009's - a return to classicism. And after tasting (a limited number) of wines in each commune, I've gotten a clearer picture of the vintage. The wines showed a lot of purity and minerality. Dark fruits, with a lot of the wines slightly closed off. Lean at the moment, with evident tannin and acidity - they're structured wines, but the tannins remain quite fine and in many cases, delicately balanced. It's not a knock-out vintage that's instantly charming, but the quality is apparent. All the elements just need time - a lot of time - to really come together. Temper your expectations for the next few years, because this vintage will (in this wino's humble opinion) require a lot of patience. A vintage for those who love classic Bordeaux, as the wines will need age for the acidity (more so than the tannin) to integrate. Chiseled, well-defined wines that will take time to fill out. 

Overall, a fantastic tasting. The quality of the wines are just so high - really, winemaking at its highest level. Detailed tasting notes of the wines I tasted tomorrow. We (well, I) stumbled back uptown for a late dinner, more than a little tipsy, more than a little happy, and more than a little inspired.

DF

a taste of something new

And this is why the industry is in desperate need of good sommeliers. Despite the fact that we'd like to think we know what we're doing, we still need guidance from true wine professionals to introduce and teach us new things. New regions, new varieties, new producers. And this particular bottle is by far the greatest wine experience I've had all year. A Croatian plavac, served by the glass at The Spoke Club in Toronto, brought in by sommelier Ludo.

I've heard great things about Croatia. It's sort of a hidden part of Europe, a little gem that tourists haven't yet picked up on. It's wine history dates 2500 years ago to the Ancient Greek settlers, who arrived on the Croatian coast in the 5th century BC, with wine production on the southern Dalmatian islands of Vis, Hvar and Korčula. Empires came and went, and in the 1400's, the Ottoman Turks governed under Islamic law, which forbade alcohol. However, they allowed Christians to maintain Catholic traditions, and this was to have saved wine production, in the form of Sacremental wine. The Habsburg Empire came into power in the 18th century, and wine culture really developed during this time - it lasted until the early 1900's, with the onset of phylloxera, and then Communism under Yugoslavia, which decimated fine wine production by swallowing vineyards into large cooperatives. The early 1990's saw the beginning of a revival of traditional Croatian wines, after the Croatian War of Independance.

Plavac Mali is the most widely planted grape along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. In Croatian, mali means small and plavac means what is blue. It's the descendant of zinfandel - a cross between Crljenak Kastelanski (an ancestral Zinfandel) and Dobričić. The best quality is achieved on the southern slopes of Hvar Island, which is where this wine is from. This particular bottle, the 2010 Tomić Plavac Mali from Hvar, is stunning. So unique and utterly original. A bright crimson hue, showing lots of spicy, floral notes, with delicate red berries. This follows on the palate, showing great balance and texture. Finishes very dry, finely structured, with a soft kiss of cranberries and red currants.

We need good sommeliers. How else do we get to learn about, and experience wines like this? As winos, we always speak to the importance of keeping an open mind, and trying new things, but sometimes that's the hardest thing. Vintages and the LCBO certainly don't mind it if people drink only French/Italian/Californian/Australian. So the burden falls upon agencies, restaurants, sommeliers, and yes, wine consultants, to introduce people to truly unique wines from previously unheard of parts of the world. It's only when we step outside what we're familiar/comfortable/accepting of that we come to a  closer understanding of what wine is. Now - where do I find a bottle?

DF

ApéroChic, The French Touch in Toronto

Timing really is everything.

Last Thursday was the kind of day that turns you inside out. All of last week actually - I think I slept a total of 20 hours over 5 days. Exhausted, but after sending off my third application, it was time to head to The Spoke Club, to celebrate the release of 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau.

The event was put on by ApéroChic, a social club that puts together monthly events in Toronto, all with a French flair. They partner with some of the top venues in the city, always looking for interesting new things to do. Take a look at the website to see past events. In their own words, ApéroChic was born a year ago, created by Peggy Harvey (aka « La Parisienne »). Her idea was to initiate a monthly itinerant and informal evening, starting just after work hours where one could take time to share a glass and experiences, meet with friends and new people and even a dance for those who want to. Estelle Saint-Martin joined Peggy a few months later, helping her continue and further develop this new “rendez-vous”. Every ApéroChic has a theme : Beaujolais nouveau, the Galette des Rois  - Twelfth Night Cake - Red, Spring, VIP Night , Summer garden Party, Chic Escape , Serenity … We also organize special events following the life of Toronto (A kick-off TIFF party in September), or a sponsor or venue’s demand (Girl only in December).

The night was a lot of fun. And the two Beaujolais Nouveau wines for taste were ... incredibly drinkable. One from Beaujolais, one from Ardèche. Both showing good structure, freshness - some fumes from the carbonic maceration, to remind you that these are barely wines - and overall, not bad. From a wine standpoint, however, what really got me excited was learning about the wine list at The Spoke Club. Sommelier Ludo is putting together a really interesting lineup of wines by the glass, as well as a selection of natural wines. We tasted two, both available by the glass. A muscadet, completely blowing me away with its refinement and texture. A certain purity of fruit too, that you don't get out of most muscadet which tends to be very lean. And then he showed me a red wine that left me speechless. A Croatian plavac, my first ever experience with wines out of this part of the world. Incredible. Just ... incredible. So unique, with indescribable character. Balanced and fresh, with a lovely spiciness and delicate red berry fruit. Finished so dry, with a lingering cranberry/red currant kiss on the palate.

And now we're getting a little carried away. Sign up with ApéroChic to receive event news. A fabulous way to meet people, socialize, and get your French on!

DF

Catch the Wave, October 17, 2012

There's been a dearth of Vintages tastings this year, so I was all over this one - Catch the Wave, described as new sophisticated wines from 40 top Australian producers at a casual, waterfront tasting event. I was looking forward to really wrapping my mind around what Australian wines were, outside of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, and more importantly, to see if there were going to be any surprises beyond that stereotypical Aussie style of wine.

Sadly, there were no surprises - not with the red wines at least.

The reds, whether a varietal shiraz, some blend of grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, or pinot noir were all utterly devoid of character. Certainly sticking to that Australian style of nuked fruit (wayyy past overripe), high alcohol, no structure, no acid ... simply flaccid, boring, completely uniform wines. They didn't really need to name the varietal - a simple "Australian Red" label would have sufficed. And that's either indicative of the Australian palate preference, or a really sad lowering of expectations about what red wine should be among New World wine drinkers. Judging by the prices some of these wineries are charging, dead wines obviously still hold some kind of appeal.

But it wasn't all gloom and doom. The chardonnays were wonderful. Many possessing great balance and finesse, and if not showing a degree of complexity, then at least showing a certain charm. Acid, ladies and gentlemen. It doesn't matter WHAT wine you're talking about - it's the acid that's the most important determinant of complexity, ageability, and drinkability.

Overall, the event was a lot of fun. Great venue, at Corus, right on Toronto's waterfront. I was with 6 other friends, a few who had never been to one of these tastings before. Going with a large group does mean that I can't be so intense about tasting everything - but it was fun to hang out a bit, relax, and taste together. Notes below, by region. Apologies if the shiraz notes are similar to each other, each more curt than the next.

Canberra District | New South Wales

2010 Clonakilla O'riada Shiraz: cooked fruit, really nothing here

Sunbury | Victoria

2010 Galli Estate Winery Camelback Chardonnay: buttery, rich, obvious chardonnay; focused palate, very good indeed

Yarra Valley | Victoria

2011 Oakridge Wines Over The Shoulder Chardonnay: slightly closed, leesy, citrus fruit, fresh lean palate, good energy
2010 De Bortoli Wines Gulf Station Chardonnay: bit tight, lean and closed, some leesy quality on the palate
2010 Oakridge Wines Pinot Noir: overripe, jammy, what's the point?!
NV De Bortoli Wines Deen Vat 10 Pinot Noir: delicate, but even then it's ripe and to the Aussie style

Mornington Peninsula | Victoria

2010 Stonier Wines Chardonnay: open nose, good richness, young at the moment, showing some bitterness on the finish
NV Yabby Lake Vineyard Cooralook Pinot Gris: soft and pleasant
2010 Yabby Lake Vineyard Single Vineyard Chardonnay: focused nose, leesy, some oak, but no palate
2010 Stonier Wines Pinot Noir: nondescript, an overripe mess
2009 De Bortoli Wines Riorret Merricks Grove Vineyard Pinot Noir: quite a delicate nose, good fruit, linear, slightly smokey

Nagambie Lakes | Victoria

2008 Takbilk Cabernet Sauvignon: good freshness, alcohol comes up, but good fruit and structure
2006 Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Cabernet Sauvignon: deeper, darker fruit, alcohol rises, dense palate, good texture

Strathbogie Ranges | Victoria

2011 Fowles Wine Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Wild Ferment Chardonnay: quite sweet fruit, leesy, good thing the name is interesting

New South Wales

2008 De Bortoli Wines Noble One Botrytis Semillon: good acid, apricots, much more like an old, slightly oxidized icewine than any Sauternes

Margaret River | Western Australia

2011 Fraser Gallop Estate Chardonnay: yes, the region I was most looking forward to; fresh, quite subtle, oak comes up on palate, elegant and very young, some bitterness on the finish

South Australia

2011 Yalumba Organic Viognier: soft fruit, pleasant, a good fruity wine that goes down easy
2009 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay: oak and all that, big chardonnay but focused on the palate

Adelaide Hills | South Australia

2009 Hardys Heritage Reserve Bin Chardonnay: leesy, down the line fruit, obvious chardonnay

Eden Valley | South Australia

2006 Peter Lehmann Wines Wigan Riesling: petrol, oily nose, that old fashioned New World style; if you tell me it's riesling, I'll believe you, but what's the point?!

Barossa Valley | South Australia

2006 Massena The Eleventh Hour Shiraz: jammy, rich, that soft fruit, from 100 year old vines
2008 First Drop Wines Fat of the Land Ebenezer Shiraz: rich and ripe, big fruit but otherwise balanced, dried on palate
2010 First Drop Wines Half & Half Shiraz/Monastrell: ripe, slightly overdone, but palate tightens up
2010 First Drop Wines Pinot Tempranillo: jammy, no varietal character
2008 Langmeil Winery Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon: super ripe, soft, but pleasant
2009 Langmeil Winery The Fifth Wave Grenache: overdone, macerated, hollow middle on the palate
2008 Henschke Wines Tappa Pass Vineyard Selection Shiraz: ripe, almost immediately forgettable; and you pay $112 for the privilege
2008 Henschke Wines Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz: high alcohol, jammy, nondescript, macerated, almost like a burnt aroma; will cost you $119 for the pleasure
2009 Rusden Wines Black Guts Shiraz: at $99, nothing but alcohol and macerated fruit, forgettable
2009 Teusner Wines Avatar GSM: that southern French blend, alcohol on the nose, dried out fruit, some juiciness on the palate though

McLaren Vale | South Australia

2010 Paxton Vineyards AAA Shiraz/Grenache: some reduction here, ripe fruit underneath, but otherwise nondescript; awkward
2008 Pirramimma Wines Old Bush Vine Grenache: good focus, complex, earthy fruit, but overtly sweet palate destroys its charm
NV Pirramimma Wines Petit Verdot: a biodynamic vineyard, fat and all but showing better focus on the palate
2009 Mollydooker Wines The Maitre D' Cabernet Sauvignon: harder, ripe fruit, almost slightly stemmy, but overdone and completely macerated on the palate
2010 Mollydooker Wines Carnival of Love Shiraz: overdone palate, jammy palate, very cooked and boring at $99
2009 Mollydooker Wines Velvet Glove Shiraz: the most shocking wine of the tasting at $211; soft, jammy, overdone, limp, dead; everything a red wine shouldn't be

DF

Catch the Wave

Another one completed - I submitted my application to Berkeley Haas School of Business last night. I don't know whether to be happy or relieved ... to say it challenged me is a gross understatement. But it's over, and I'm taking the next few days off until the next one. Until the next one.

A really great next few days lined up, starting with tonight. We're going tasting! My first time going with a large group of buddies, so should be interesting by the 4th or 5th table down. Australian wines being shown, described as new sophisticated wines from 40 top Australian producers. Photos and tasting notes will be posted shortly! If you're attending ... please say hi! We'll be the only group of Chinese people without the Asian glow.

DF

Corks Wine and Beer Bar @ Longo's Leaside media event

As part of the event held by Longo's, there was a tasting in the new wine and beer bar upstairs, Corks.  Nicely designed place, bright and airy, and with a patio too.  It looks out onto Leaside, but you can't get everything you want now, can you.  Anthony Longo kicked things off - certainly a great feeling of family, with the 3rd generation of Longo's coming up in the business.  And then we got to the food.

The prime rib roast is spectacular, just jaw-dropping in all that beefy, succulent, richness.  Desserts and all that are great, as is the chocolate from the in-house chocolatier (yes, they have an in-house chocolatier).  The cheeses were fabulous, the crown being a French triple-cream described as cheese-flavoured butter.  Wines being poured were a sauvignon blanc and merlot/cabernet from Creekside Estate Winery, and a chardonnay and pinot noir from Tawse Winery.  As is usually with the case with young Niagara wines, both white wines showed better, with the Tawse chardonnay showing lovely perfume and great extract on the palate.  Beer selection was great too.  Really going for that craft brewing, all-in kind of beer.  Corks focuses on local wines, and rotates the selections offering various price ranges by the glass. 

I'm definitely coming back for a drink and bite.  Man, I have pretty much zero sweet tooth, but the pastries look good too.  And the beef . . . if ever there was a compelling reason to ditch turkey, this is it.  Many thanks to everyone at Longo's who showed us around, and to Mansfield Communications for organizing.

DF

Longo's Leaside

There's a new Longo's in Toronto, at Leaside, south of Eglinton just off the DVP!  They hosted a media event last week to show off the store, as well as the second floor wine and beer bar, Corks.  Lots of food and wine/beer to taste, but firstly, you've got to take a look at this building.  It was built in 1919, and was used as train maintenance facility.  That motif runs throughout the store, including the font and style of the aisle sings.  The entire building underwent a huge restoration, but the results are quite spectacular - well, as spectacular as a grocery store can be!

They kept the original wood beams for the ceiling, and the window frames - fitted with new glass - but everything else was gutted and brought to specification.  The high ceilings create this cavernous effect, but the lighting is bright and warm, and the store is nicely segmented into stations.  Among other things, there's a pizza station, vegetable prep station, pastry counter, bakery, and pharmacy.  And just look at how stunning those Frenched veal chops look.  A really enlightened grocery shopping experience - all for a price, of course.

Definitely worth a visit, if not for the groceries, then to take a look at the building.  Well, maybe for the steak too.  More photos and notes from the tasting at Corks to follow.

DF