Domaine Weinbach Muscat Reserve 2004

Somehow, with luck and a touch of knowledge I find myself consistently educated and challenged by French wines. One of the most exciting journeys in wine appreciation is that from generalization into particularity - that moment you realize the true singularity of great wines and the futility of universalizing or objectifying one's love for such a temporal creation. It can be easy in the early days of many wine drinkers to write off certain grapes or even regions and instead rely on the tried and true, the gatekeepers or the reliable. But the first moment one experiences a truly great version of something previously written off is a revelatory experience. And, it is just such experiences that us wine geeks seek to replicate, or return to, as much as possible. The irony is that this nostalgia, which precipitates passion, dedication and even a little obsession, is itself the pursuit of a particular moment that will never return. Rather, it is that very instance of particularity where a glass of wine becomes a perfect moment that is itself the joy and the truth of what wine is and what it means.

Having previously 'written off' many a muscat, I knew I could turn to Weinbach for a reeducation. This wine had a floral and honeyed nose with candied orange, grapefruit and peach promising quite a ripe and rich experience. The palate, however, was dry, and its peach and nectarine flavours acompanied hints of orange blossom and light honeysuckle notes. This wine is very long in the mouth, very layered, and very complex on the mid-palate. While there may be leaner and more austere versions of Muscat out there, this ripe and fruity version is presented with both balance and varietal authenticity and is a superb Alsatian white that without a doubt has its own sense of particularity.

Excellent
$40 at Marquis Wine Cellars

Domaine Grand Nicolet Vielles Vignes Rasteau 2006

Cote du Rhone can really kill it, or it can be decidedly boring pepper stew. Rateau, however, a single village within the Cote du Rhone offers better quality wines, and when you can get them from a good vintage, a good producer, and at a price such as this wine they really shine through as some of the best value reds in the world.

The nose on this old vines grenache based cuvée has dusty, chocolate-infused blueberry driving the wine over a tiny edge of manure, which dissipated with air. The palate has superb fruit up front with tons of blueberry and strawberry. The mid-palate has a considerable tannic grip, but the finish is soft and smooth. The wine also maintains considerable freshness from the acidity. Heat and chalk fill out the mouth of this big-boned incredibly food friendly wine. An awesome value for the price.

Very Good+
$20 at Marquis

Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée Théo 2006

I am no connoisseur of Gewurztaminer, only having been mildly unimpressed by several inexpensive offerings in the past. This wine changed my perceptions of what G-wine can achieve. With this bottle Weinbach suggests to me the underappreciated beauty of Alsatian wine.

Pouring a rich apple yellow in the glass, this smelled like burnt hay, caramel, and grapefruit. The palate was very deep and full and was somewhat like biting into a candy-apple laced with grapefruit jam and drizzled with caramel. The beautiful off-dryness balances the sweetness and acidity to crisply suggest freshness while not sacrificing the intensity of the rich fruit flavours. In the end this is a flexed wine, with a muscled finish. Highly recommended.

Excellent
$65 ($45 on sale) at BCLDB

Chateau Leoville Barton 1994

I seem to be on a lucky roll with these aged wines - it would be great to be able to afford these things for real and actually fully stock a cellar with them. Alas I suppose that will only make me value the occasional moments of joy! For those unfamiliar, this is a Bordeaux second growth that ranks among the "super seconds", which are said to 'approximate' first growths in quality.

This wine exemplifies why Bordeaux is considered the greatest wine region in the world. It also exemplifies the sheer singularity of pleasure when a wine heavily impacted by vintage variation, bottle aging, and history actually reflects each of these elements in a seamless balance. There is subtlety, deftness and poise in a wine that accomplishes this, and I must say that after spending a few months drinking mostly Californian wine, it was almost a shock and awe experience to delve into this wine - so much so that I declared to myself that California really had nothing on Bordeaux in the end.

The nose is profoundly expressive and layered beyond imagination. I don't enjoy long lists of descriptors, but here my consciousness of smell was wakened by graphite, violets, licorice, cassis, a bit of barn, layers of earth, black cherry and a bit of tomato vine. And all of that just on the nose! It is not often that one can nose a wine for minutes without taking a sip and keep experience new aromas. Astounding.

The palate mustered a bevy of skills to show its deftness, but also was as soft and eloquent as a Shakespearean sonnet: wood, tomato, pencil shavings, earth, tart blackberry and licorice were the operative motives. A great 90 second long finish completed the wine with earth, minerals and a rooty licorice lacing. Quite a fantastic wine, but in the end the nose is what took this oh so close to the upper echelon.

Excellent to Excellent+
$70 at K&L

Jacques Puffeney Trousseau Arbois Cuvee Les Berangeres 2005

You don't see a lot of Arbois wines around, which is a shame if this bottle is any indication. Given, Puffeney is acknowledged as the top producer of the region, but still, there is something special going on here. Arbois is a relatively large appellation located in the Jura region of eastern France. The red wines of the region are made from Pinot Noir and Poulsard grapes.

This is both a singular and an absolutely compelling wine. With a nose of earthy and minerally berry fruit, this is elegant and yet forward with a touch of licorice. The palate had awesome tart earth and loamy elements, with heavy minerality and yet juicy fruit that you don't see as much in true old world wines. With a combination of beautiful flavour and fundamental elegance, this wine will appease most any jaded palate. 13.5% abv.


Excellent and Highly Recommended.
$30 at K&L

Paul et Jean-Marc Pastou La Cote de Jury Vieille Vignes Sancerre 2006

For those seeking great cutting whites at recession prices, the Loire valley is the first place to look. Sancerre is, of course, the most famous region within the Loire, but it is still producing some superb wines at great prices. This is one such wine. Barrel selected by North Berkeley Wine Merchants (god I love it here, where a wine store barrel selects wine from great producers around the world).

The nose had round orchard fruits and subtle minerals. Simple, but still layered and enticing. The palate is quite tart with lemon and a very sharp citrus bite that slides into a mineral strike in the mid-palate. Mostly restrained in its fruit, this is meant for food, but is a great wine for that purpose. Try this with some tasty goat's cheese such as a Chabichou. Very nice for what it does.


Very Good
$20 at North Berkeley Wine Merchants

Chile vs. France

So my friend who has lived in Chile for a couple years and recently returned to Vancouver and myself decided to set up a Chile vs. France wine-off where we would compare red blends from the two countries. Luckily for me, my friend brought back a couple wines that are pretty hard, if not impossible, to find in Canada. I brought two aged Bordeauxs to the table. It was very interesting to compare two regions distinctly embedded in their terroir, and yet reaching internationally in their appeal. We started with the Bordeaux's...

Wine #1 Clos L'Eglise 1999
This Bordeaux from the Cotes de Castillon had a nice garnet colour and a nose of cherry and tobacco, which later with air exploded into a super-coffee/mocha monster. The palate brought tobacco, cherry, leaves, and moderate tannins, and again with air this expanded into a mocha-fest. I think this could do with a little more time in the bottle, but a good decant will bring out a lot of the flavour. A blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. I enjoyed this, and in better years I'm sure this can be fantastic.

Very Good+
$60 at BCLDB

Wine #2: Chateau Grand Pontet 1998
Here we have a wine from St. Emillon with a nose of subdued blackberry and maple. The colour was light-ish with a medium red fading to a light browny-red on the edges. This was a bit of a sleeper: dissapointing at first, but with 2-3 hours air opening to be the best wine of the night. The palate was soft, but slightly tannic, with licorice, mineral, cigar box, and chalky limestone. These were such smooth and subtle flavours that they really highlighted this wine's elegance. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon.

Excellent (but needs decanting)
$70 at BCLDB

Wine #3: Almaviva Epu 2001
This wine is Almaviva's second wine (Epu means "second"), and seems to be unavailable in North America. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, this had a nose of leather, mint and typical funky Chilean fruit. The palate was all chocolate, mint, toast, and blackberry. Very tasty, and while lacking the complexity of the Bordeaux's this was excellent value and tastes a lot more expensive than it is.

Very Good+
$30 in Chile

Wine #4: Torres Manso de Velasco Cabernet Sauvignon Viejas Vinas 2005
A wine from Curico, a southerly region in Chile, this cab had a nose of flowers, game, cedar and pepper. The palte again brought funky chilean fruit, chocolate, balckbery, and had really nice concentration. A bit awkward upon opening, the second day saw the wine somewhat smoothed out and much more mocha-like. However, this probably needs some time in the bottle to show its full potential. Good, but not drinking as well as the Epu.

Very Good+
~$45 in Chile

Mas de Boislauzon Chateauneuf du Pape 2005

Back to the Rhone for this nice holiday celebration wine paired with simple mustard roasted lamb chops. Chateauneuf du Pape is getting more and more expensive, and with exclamations by Parker and others of three great vintages in a row (2005-2007) these prices are sure to rise. Thus, finding and exploring some of CdP's lesser known, but still highly respected names is going to become more of a necessity for those wanting to purchase sub $60 Chateauneuf. This is one such bottle.

With a nose of pepper, spice, cherry and roasted nuts and a smooth garnet colour, the Boislauzon CdP was both classic and pure. The palate was very rich, with licorice, cherry, earth, herbs, spices and black pepper, with an intensity I would describe as 'cut' rather than 'flabby'. Traditionally styled, robust, and packed with flavour this is classic Chateauneuf for an excellent price.

Excellent

$40 at Marquis

Domaine Jean Marc & Hugues Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru "Aux Guettes" 2005

I may have forced this open a little early, but I was looking for a mid-weight Burgundy to go with a particular cheese. Anyhow, this premier cru comes from an area of the Beaune that is known for lighter bodied, but good value pinots. I believe there are no Grand Cru vineyards in Savigny-les-Beaune, and that they lack the muscle of other premier crus. However, they come in at a far better price. Pavelot is a quality producer that I think has a fabulous sense of 'terroir'.

The nose on this was all strawberry and rhubarb pie with a hint of candied cherry or cherry jam. It was very pretty, which I like and hope for from good Pinot. The palate was savory with earth, thyme, strong flavours of Rhubarb stalk, and strawberry. The finish took the Rhubarb stalk further and added a nice earthy and slightly metalic component. This may be a bit stemmy and astringent right now, but it tastes nice and I think has good potential for the mid-term. Not a long haul wine, but the textural smoothness and fullness in the mouth promises more in the future. Right now, again, probably too young.

Very Good to Very Good+
$63 at Marquis

Domaine La Monardiere Vacqueyras 'Les Calades' 2006

Vacqueyras wines are not terribly profuse in this market, and accordingly I have only had a handful. I normally love the Southern Rhone, however, so it was easy to give this a try at a relatively low price point.

The nose was simple and forward with red berries, pepper and licorice. The palate was peppery, gamey and a little vegetal. Overall I enjoyed the decent flavour profile and this wine's capacity to pair well with food, but I found it otherwise a bit thin and lacking in fruit concentration. It's nonetheless good for the price and I think may be a bit of a style-wine, meaning that likes and dislikes could be divided quite strongly based on a style preference.

Good+, but Very Good (with food)
$30 at Marquis

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 1998

I've been running through a host of older bottles lately. This seems to happen at the end of every first semester for some reason. I think the cold weather, first grey skies for months and the exam period brings on the urge to treat myself to something more than ordinary. Sometimes I am treated with something extraordinary. This is just such a bottle.

Beaucastel has a vaunted reputation. I have tasted some of their more recent wine and it was so intensely closed I couldn't fully appreciate it. The 2005 got on the Wine Spectator top 100 list and seems to have sold out of the province within a few days (before I had the chance to get any). I was, however, lucky enough to obtain a 2005 hommage de jacques perrin - perhaps the most storried wine in chateauneuf du papes. Perhaps in 20 years I will be reviewing that wine as a hologram (thanks CNN). However, I had this special old bottle waiting and felt I should open it to commiserate and celebrate :).

What can I say, I have never really tasted anything like this before. This is a very special wine. A wine to savour, a wine where each sip takes 2 full minutes to appreciate. This experience reminded me what aging can accomplish.

The colour was light brownish red - almost pale. This faintness belies the complexity and power of the liquid itself with a nose of cherry, earth, licorice and pepper. Now, I know I've written descriptors such as those before, and I am remiss to use them to describe this experience, but it is not so much the fact that the identifiability of the flavours changed. Rather, it is their character - I feel as though I have been exposed to the essence of cherry, to the subtle dusting of earth that blows across the vines at night - as if licorice were the blood of the vines and pepper the spice of their leaves. Each component has such an outstanding quality that they come together to make the whole transcend the details.

When I first sipped this I immediately thought WOW!. This was not a wow for intensity, juicyness, tannins, or palate overload. This was a wow of elevation - more like Aristotelian wonder. Unabashedly elegant spicyness soared into very friendly fruit, with a full, round, elemental palate. Some very fascinating metalic/mineral elements like zinc came into the picture in the mid-palate and the finish remained as complex and intense as the wine for 30 seconds, while taking another 2 minutes to drift off into a profound moment of silence. This is wine for the philosopher, the poet, the man who watches the rain streak down the window pane and says nothing. A rare experience - and one that every wine lover seeks to find at least once in their life. I am glad to have done so at such a young age.

Excellent++
$120 at BCLDB

Doudet Naudin 'Les Vignots' Pommard 2005

A Savigny-Les-Beaune from 2005 that came recommended as a fantastic early drinking example. Pommards can be iffy, but I trusted the recommendation and was glad I did.

The nose was very typical, but had excellent concentration and intensity: cherries, burnt hay, barnyard. Pommards are known for power and this certainly fell along those lines with a palate that brough all the nosed flavours together with a spiced backbone, medium tannin, sharp acidity, superb balance and a nice long finish. This is very high quality juice with a firm and potent structure. If you are looking for an 05 burgundy to open now - this is a good candidate.

Excellent
$50 at Everything Wine

Chateau Gruaud Larose 1997

A special occasion warranted opening this 11 year old bottle of the second growth Gruaud Larose. Given that 1997 wasn't a great year, I was worried this wouldn't deliver. However, my experience showed me that even in an off year quality wine can be made by a quality chateau. While I am not experienced in aged Bordeaux, I can safely say that I nevertheless thought this was a good example for a bad year.

On the nose was black current, wood and earth. A very stylish palate opened more flavours, such as minerally earth, tobacco and tea. The back end, while medium length for Bordeaux, was long compared to what I tend to drink. Complex and layered, this dissipated quite quickly after openining (which I find with a lot of aged wine).

Excellent

$150 at BCLDB

Frederic Magnien Vieille Vignes Nuits St. Georges 2005

Magnien is a quality producer with a huge range of wines. This had a very roasted nose, with strong aromas of Hazlenut. The palate had a really nice texture, with very fine grained tannins. The cranberry tartness had a fantastic purity and a touch of spicyness. The medium length finish rounded out this perfect early drinking '05 pinot with depth and complexity. Elegant to the T - 2005 is a great year for France indeed.

Excellent
$70 at Kits Wine Cellar

Daniel Dampt 'Cote de Lechet' Chablis Premier Cru 2006

Chablis is a special region for me in the world of wine. Good prices and yet outstanding flavour, complexity and depth can be found consistently here, and 2006 was a fantastic year.

The nose on this Dampt suggested pineapple and fresh citrus. The palate expanded dramatically to introduce apricot, pineapple, pear, banana and dried coconut. This wine had such beautiful viscosity while also maintaining a texture that remained light on the tongue. Full bodied, but not oaky, this paired superbly with affidelice cheese (washed in Chablis) from Burgundy.

Excellent (verging on Excellent+)

$38 at Marquis

Domaine Saint-Damien 'La Louisiane' Gigondas 2004

I seem to be drawn to Rhone wines, particularly those of the Gingondas region in the Southern Rhone. Something about the rough brambly texture, the dried dusty fruit and depth of concentration in these wines consistently brings me back. Add to that the great value of Gigondas and you can be sure that I will continue to tend in this direction.

It is also interesting, after having consumed a relatively large number of wines from diverse regions, to come back to the region that started it all for me. Consistently I seem to just prefer wines from the Rhone over any other region and it is somewhat comforting to know that even with a broadened palate, I've managed to stake a claim to wines that feel like 'home', despite my never having actually visited the Rhone. I suppose the metaphorical Odyssean in me has found the scent of sea air in a bottle, despite all the siren calls and lotus eaters on the way.

This Saint-Damien is simply put a superb wine. Dusty baked earth and cherry alcohol on the nose. The palate is peppery, slightly tart and savory and has a long, structured and potent development. None the less, this is not over the top, sugary or overly fruity. I love how Rhone wines give power without the cashmere texture found in wines from Napa or Australia. This roughness makes the wine feel more authentic to me. Even at 15% abv, this paired beautifully with wine reduced stewed beef.

Very Good+ to Excellent (and highly recommended)

$38 at Marquis

Alphonse Mellot 'La Moussiere' Sancerre 2006

Sancerre is a wonderful thing: the understated elegant version of Sauvignon Blanc. Alphonse Mellot is one of my favourite good value producers in Sancerre, and this particular wine's tart apple nose became a wonderful blend of pear, apple, river stones, and lime. The texture was smooth, light and very elegant in the mouth. Especially good with Crottin de Chauvignol cheese.

Very Good+

$35 at Marquis

2005 Bordeaux Tasting

Today I was lucky enough to attend a 2005 Bordeaux tasting. Vintage hype is perhaps one of the more annoying things in wine, but it does have substance behind the superlatives. Sometimes the substance is not equivalent to the hyperbole, however, and so this chance to check out Bordeaux's 'Vintage of the Century' was incredibly useful and fun. I tasted the following 12 wines:

Chateau Cornélie, Haut-Médoc

Long, structured blackberry flavour. Rough around the edges and very tannic, but good value.

Very Good
$35


Chateau d'Escurac, Médoc

Gamey and woody, with a long finish for this price point. Felt somewhat boring to me, though - and it needed more fruit.

Very Good
$40


Chateau Olivier, Pessac-Léognan

Nicely refined, with incredible structure. Cherry and backberry fruit was still very tight, but this has great potential and is a steal at this price.

Very Good+
$60


Chateau Grand Mayne, Saint-Emilion

This had large black current fruit that was well balanced with an earthy briariness. Tasted like dried shrubs and earth. A very nice flavour profile was unfortunately let down somewhat by a short finish.

Very Good
$110


Clos du Marquis, Saint-Julien

The second wine of Leoville Las-Casses, the 05 Clos du Marquis had incredible structure and an endless finish. It's relatively high acidity and muscled but very refined tannins ensure this is one to cellar for a long time. The fruit (classic blackberry and cassis) was very well integrated. Incidentally, this is also the one wine I picked up.

Excellent
$110


Chateau Duhart-Milon, Pauillac

Very nice aromatics on this gamey and woody wine. Tart and tannic, but perhaps a little simple for the price. Still, if the palate opens up with time to offer what the nose promises, this could be fantastic.

Very Good
$110


Chateau Balthus, Bordfeaux Supérieur

A garagiste operation with extremely small yields. This 100% merlot wine had exceptional structure, with sweet fruit and wood, with a touch of damp earth. Merlot rarely tasted this good. Made in a more forward style for earlier drinking than the classic Bordeauxs.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$120


Chateau Pichon-Longueville "Comtesse de Lalande", Pauillac

Ah, the super seconds. Gamey cassis again. But the higher growths are all about structure and elegance. This was very long and full in the mouth, with all the flavours well matched and brought into a refined finish. Very nice stuff, but didn't blow me away.

Very Good+
$250


Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe

Very big, chocolatey, herbal, but with sweeter riper fruit than the Pichon Lalande. This had what I would call a full structure, with no holes in development and tons of aging potential. I also loved the integration and boldness of the palate.

Excellent
$250


Chateau Palmer, Margaux

A third growth, but with the reputation to match the super seconds. This was miles beyond all the other wines we tasted. I have rarely tasted a wine with such incredible refinement and balance. The fruit had a beautiful flavour to it and layers and layers of complexity. I could imagine drinking this in 30-40 years and it still being exceptional. If I could afford it I would have picked it up.

Excellent+
$500


Chateau Lafaurie-Peygraguey, Sauternes

Great value. Tons of grapefruit and great acidity make this a beautiful little dessert wine. Perhaps a little one dimensional right now, the complexity will open up with a little time.

Very Good+
$50


Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes

Hands down THE BEST dessert wine I have ever tasted. Stupidly I did not pick any up, but if some survives the rush I may have to go back and get a bottle. This was like white berry and apricot confit made with the perfect balance of sugar and acid. The structure could send this into the next decade. Brilliant!

Excellent+
$75


In the final analysis: yes the wines live up to the hype. Yes you should buy some. Yes they are worth the money.

Grande Cuvée du Chateau Cabezac 'Belvize' 2003

First off, 2003 was not a good year for Minervois, where this wine was made. It was overly hot, which tended to bring alcohol levels way up (the Cabezac sat at a stunning 15% ABV), and this tended to bring baked character to the fruit.

This paricular Minervois was reddish brown and had a nose of plum and dark berry. The palate expanded to include roasted nuts, chocolate and gameyness. The wine was definitely a bit too alcoholic and lacked refinement. However, despite its not having a super elegent structure, it did have a core of intense well extracted flavour that wasn't artificial. So, even with all its faults I enjoyed this wine and would be willing to give it another try in a better year.

Very Good

$35 on sale (normally $55)

Domaine Oratoire St. Martin Haut Coustias Blanc Cairanne 2005

I rarely get the chance to drink Rhone whites, which is a shame. I have yet to encounter an example that elevates Rhone white varietals to the same level as Chardonnay, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc, but there is certainly potential.

This Marsanne and Rousanne blend was golden yellow in the glass and very pleasant to observe. It had a nice viscosity, and the palate offered boysenberry and herbs with a touch of oak on the back end. I also noted the smell of apple juice from concentrate, which could be good or bad depending on your perspective. In the end, the Oratoir was certainly a solid white and prompts me to spend a little more time exploring the lesser known side of the Rhone.

Very Good

$33 at Marquis