The holidays are a time for the three 'F's': family, feasts and forgetting ... yup, we forgot one of my niece's gifts on Christmas Day which gave us the perfect excuse to have them over to our place to share in some beef stew and a few bottles of wine. Now I know the title of this post only refers to one wine, that's because it is the only wine I have not written about recently; the others, like the Rosewood 2011 Pinot Noir, the Malivoire 2011 Small Lot Gamay Noir and the Cattail Creek 2009 Riesling, have all appeared on my website in the past few years and it's too soon to write a "Taste it Again" piece, though the Cattail Riesling is getting close. I can say that all those wines are drinking very well, and of the 3 the Cattail received the most compliments. And so, without further ado we'll move on and take a look at the Rock Wall 2011 Rock Hound ... I did a little digging to find out what exactly the Rock Hound was made of, but my research could only bring up the 2010, which was a blend of Syrah (70%) and Petite Sirah (30%), though some further digging might have shown the 2011 is the same blend (depends what they were serving at the 2012 Rock Hound Event) ... I got this wine from my friend Dave, in Michigan, who works at Champane Wine Cellars, who told me this was a big wine that needed early opening and a decanter, so I did both. Aromas of cassis and black raspberry along with a mix of black and red licorice; palate showed quite a bit of milk chocolate, spiced-blackberry, some sweet dark fruit, nice pepper notes, licorice root and a long finish. I probably could have aged the wine a bit more or left it in the decanter longer to get more of the fruit out of it, but I liked the way it was drinking with those multitude of flavours, and it paired well with the stew.
Showing posts with label Gamay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gamay. Show all posts
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
One from France, One from Ontario and One from Washington (France / Ontario / Washington)
My brother and his wife came over for dinner, we made roast pork and a whole bunch of appetizers ... maybe next time we'll just have an appetizer party because there was lots of pork left over and very little of the appetizers ... the wines we poured were interesting and enjoyed (enjoyable). My brother kicks his evening off with a little Dead Elephant, an India Pale Ale from Railway City Brewing Company located in St. Thomas, Ontario - I'm a fan of the Dead Elephant, but it sounds disgusting to tell people you're sucking on a Dead Elephant on a hot summer day. Bro has never done such a thing and his response to having his first was to have a second (he must have liked it), at one point he turned to me and said, "quite hoppy, more so than you'd expect in an India Pale". The ladies (my wife and his) decided to go with white in their glass, so I opened a bottle of Keint-he 2009 Chardonnay out of Prince Edward County, they polished off the bottle in record time. Myself, I kicked off my evening on the red side with a chilled bottle of Laurent Gauthier 2011 Grand Cras Morgon, a "vieilles vignes" (old vines) Gamay from the Beaujolais' Morgon region: black cherry and cranberry, both tart, with white pepper notes to compliment ... I must say this wine was quite young and still has plenty of time to go, proving that Beaujolais can age, this could easily go 5+ years. The dinner wine was from one of my favourite regions in Washington, Horse Heaven Hills, this is the one from Columbia Crest, 2009 Les Cheveux, a Bordeaux blend: lovely blackberry and black raspberry with a great chocolate seam that runs right down the middle, proved to be very smooth and silky. All-in-all a great night of food and wine.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Family and Five Bottles of Wine (Ontario / France / California / Australia)
It's always fun to gather family around the table, it's even more fun to ply them with alcohol and find out just what you can get people to try ... now it's not like I was pouring strange wines, in fact this might possibly one of the best array of wines I have poured for a group in a long time, starting with the Collin Bourisset 2011 Brouilly 'Les Terres Bleues', something new to hit the LCBO shelves here in Ontario. This is a lovely wine from the Beaujolais region of France and one I just couldn't wait to try again. I put a touch of a chill on this bottle and it just sang from the glass with lovely ripe cherry with a hint of white pepper on the finish and the freshness of acidity to keep it lively on the tongue. I could have had two more bottles myself, but instead we moved on. The EastDell 2010 Gamay Noir was a perfect follow up to the Collin Bourisset - a little more darker in the cherry department; my full review can be found here (video and written review). Moving on ... for dinner of fresh pulled pork and some left over ribs from our feast a couple nights before at Ravine Vineyard, I pulled the cork on a Villa Mt Eden 2008 Antique Vines Zinfandel ... what a pure Zinfandel delight this is - there was smoky plum, hints of cocoa, dried cherry and red licorice, touches of spice, all melding together and pairing so well with the pulled pork and ribs; yum.
After dinner you had your choice of sweeties: 2008 Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Franc Icewine (opened specifically for my mother-in-law who has a sweet-tooth that makes mine look like a minor itch) and an Australian Tawny Port-style wine from Dutschke called Old Codger (which three people partook of) ... The Codger is a wine I've had in my cellar for quite some time and has no date on it: spiced orange and cherry on the nose with a smoother than expected mouthfeel of dried cherry and spice along with the 18.8% alcohol heat ... it was a cool night (6 Celsius) so the warmth of this liquid was quite welcome. As for the Icewine, mother polished off a good 3/4 of the bottle, which was just simply a lovely version: strawberry, raspberry and cherry mingling together with a honeyed sweetness and near perfect acidity to keep it from being cloyingly sweet, there was just enough left in the bottle for me to get a little taste and make this note. Congrats to the Chateau on this beauty - if I were to score it (which it turns out I never did on my website, I'd give it 4.5 stars)
It is my understanding that everyone had a great time - and ate well - and of course, we drank well too.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Domaine Boudau 2008 & Finca Las Palmas 2007 (France / Argentina)
Easter dinner with family, it's what the holidays are all about. A brother who can make a hell of a lamb and another who picks a hell of a good bottle of wine (or three) it's a perfect combination for a fun and delicious evening. Started with a bottle of the inaugural Tawse 2011 Gamay - could have used a bit of a chill, but it was a nice wine to start the evening. Next up, a bottle of Domaine Boudau 2008 Côtes du Roussillon Le Clos a beauty full of white pepper, plum, spice and black raspberry - good acidity and some fine tannins round it off. Even more interesting was the shockingly imperceptible 15% alcohol - this wine packed a hidden punch amongst all that fruit and light-spice flavour. Also poured with dinner was a bottle of Trapiche 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Finca Las Palmas from Argentina, paling in the alcohol department by a full percentage point; but it proved to be an even bigger hit than the Boudau with its chocolate-mocha-coffee nose that followed through onto the palate adding rich dark berries and a silky smooth finish along the way. I was very happy with the performance of all these wines ... after all they had to match up with the dinner that was cooked to perfection. I'd say the Boudau has a few more years left under the hood - while the Las Palmas is ready to drink now.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Valdiviesvo 2009 Single Vineyard Malbec and Two Others (Chile / Ontario)
It was the day of Christmas and we stirred ourselves from where we had been stationed in Michigan for the last few days and came back home to the comfort of the surroundings of St. Catharines (where we call home). Invited out for a Christmas get-together I thought it only right to bring some of the amazing Ontario juice I had tried in the past couple of months but also something that would blow the socks of guests from somewhere else. The two Ontario wines I chose were favourites of both my wife and myself - her newest fav Riesling: Cave Spring 2011 Riesling, and my Gamay of choice from 2011: Malivoire 2011 Small Lot M2 Gamay - both will soon appear as reviews at www.ontariowinereview.com. The other was a Malbec form Chile - yes I know Malbec is making a name for itself on the other side of the Andes in Argentina but it seems there are some old vines in Chile and they seem to be doing a bang up job with the grape as well. The Valdivieso 2009 Single Vineyard Old Vines Malbec is a wine I tried a few months back and really enjoyed it - and tonight I thought it would be fun to give it a try. Rich in blackberry, smoke, vanilla and mocha notes were what made this wine a delicious addition to the night's poured wines.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Vigneronnement Votre 2009 Fleurie (France)
I have to be honest, I haven't been keeping up with this blog of late because I have been on the road and most of what I have been drinking has appeared in one form or another in the On the Road blog, so I am just playing a little catch-up with some of the wines I have had over the past month. This is a Beaujolais from the Fleurie region made with Gamay Noir and it truly was a beauty with lots of black cherry fruit and great acidity - it wasn't a very complicated wine but it hit all the right notes, and with a little chill it was perfect for what it was - an easy drinking, put your feet up kinda wine.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Two Reds and a White on Meatloaf Night (Ontario / Argentina)
It's not often I have a three bottle night, but it is not everyday you get to celebrate a birthday and an anniversary. My parents came to visit on Friday afternoon (it had been my mom's birthday and their anniversary in the past week). We were making them dinner, but because of their early arrival there was time to catch up before dinner was served. What better way then out on the deck in the beautiful sunshine and nice weather. Mom was talking about a wine she had had earlier in the week with a friend that she thought was quite nice; turns out it was a 2008 Gamay from Malivoire. I said, "If you liked that one then you're going to love this one," and I grabbed a bottle of Malivoire's 2009 Small Lot Gamay, this one is a stunner and one of the best Gamays I have tasted out of Niagara so far. My wife is a white drinker, so when she returned and joined us on the deck it only seemed fair that she get a great wine too, which lead me to pull out a Cave Spring Cellars 2009 Dolomite Riesling. Finally, with dinner a special meatloaf with my first attempt at an Israeli couscous salad (turned out pretty good), for this I pulled out a bottle of Finca El Retiro 2004 Tempranillo Reserva Especial (from Argentina) - this was a spicy number that still had some good dark fruit to balance off the spiciness. Smooth and enjoyable, especially with the meatloaf.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Malivoire 2009 M2 Small Lot Gamay (Ontario)
Way to soon for a Taste it Again review, but not too soon to pull out another bottle and give it a try. I am working on an article for Tidings about Gamay Noir and it reminded me of this beauty from Malivoire - a barrel selection of interesting Gamay from the 2009 vintage - which was a stellar vintage for Pinot Noir in Ontario so why wouldn't the Gamay Noir grape benefit!?! They, the folks at Malivoire, have now repeated this barrel selection process for the 2010 vintage, but there's just something about this inaugural bottling that has something special. Is it the super delicious flavour of black cherry with enough spice to hold it all together? Or is it the fact that you can cool or even chill this wine to make it all at once better and to watch it blossom as it warms up to that perfect temperature in the glass? I paired it with a garlic pork chop dish and had a great time sipping it before, during and afterward (who's kidding anyone, it is such a gulpable wine that the before was even more enjoyable) ... this is one wine not soon forgotten and just in case you were wondering here is my original review: http://ontariowinereview.com/wine-reviews/malivoire-2009-m2-gamay-small-lot-.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Grand Vins Villa Ponciago 2009 Fleurie, Beaujolais-Villages (France)
Although it's been said,
Many times,
Many ways,
I really enjoy a
Good Beaujolais
I hope you sang along with that one ... What? Not a fan of good Beaujolais? Shame on you. A good Beaujolais is worth its weight in gold, especially on a nice spring or summer afternoon - and especially when chilled. Last night a little chicken on the bar-b and instead of yanking something out of the cellar with some heft and balls I grabbed for a light and easy drinking Beaujolais-Villages. This wine isn't going to set the world on fire, but it won't set your throat or tummy on fire either. The nose is pure black cherry with a hint of floral to make it really pretty to smell. On the palate those black cherries are there with a touch of spice to round it out and keep it from being one-dimensional ... with a nice little chill (say 30 -60 minutes in the fridge) it's a real pleasure ... and the deeper the chill the more lift to the fruit (until you kill it with too much, that will deaden it altogether, stick with the hour up to a maximum of 2).
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Bouchard Pere & Fils 2009 Macon (France)
The bottle says "Vin de Bourgogne", the natural assumption would be Pinot Noir; but I got in trouble making that assumption a few weeks back, when I thought the 2001 version of this wine was Pinot Noir, when in fact it is Gamay (or so I was told). I re-read the back label of the 2001 Macon Superior and found no mention of the grape in the bottle; this 2009 has it clearly stated on the front label (Gamay), so there is no confusion to be had on this one. And truth be told it has lovely Gamay colour and flavour, which are simple and delicious. Pretty red colour with the nose is loaded to the gills with cherry aromas, the palate is red cherry with a hint of spice, which starts to show itself around the third or fourth sip. I chilled this bottle a little to bring out the red fruit aspect, for those who prefer a little more kick in their Gamay, leave it out of the fridge and drink at room temp - it's also a great experiment to see what a chill does to a red white. Paired nicely with the Chicken Parmigiana that one's this evening's meal.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Cattail Creek 2008 Gamay Noir (Ontario)
I reviewed this wine not too long ago, so I can’t legitimately look at it as one of my taste it again wines, therefore I will just tell you what I did with my day before going into my thoughts about the wine. Highlight of the day was the great lunch I had at About Thyme Bistro, pulled pork sandwich and an ice tea, broke up the tedious day of painting nicely. As for this Gamay, it is one of those wines with a funny smell – no bad just funny – but the taste more than makes up for it, and it’s so juicy and quaffable with flavours of fresh cherry juice, had I been thinking I would have put it in the fridge an hour ago, to give it a little chill so that the red fruit would pop and crackle, kinda like the fireworks going on outside, must be some kids lighting off the one’s they didn’t get to last night.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Domaine Jean Manin 2005 Fleurie "La Madone" (France)
This is a beauty of a Gamay is from the Beaujolais region of France. Now before you all run off screaming "He's drinking Beaujolais" - know that there are different kinds of Beaujolais - the candied version we all have at Thanksgiving (at least the Americans can have it at Thanksgiving) is the Nouveau kind - this wine is as far removed from Nouveau Beaujolais as California Pinot from Burgundian Pinot. First things first, at 5 years of age the only use for a Nouveau is salad dressing, on the other hand this Fleurie is still full of fruit and hints of peppery spice (the idea that it could hold another 5 years springs to mind). Lovely black cherry and raspberry fruit shakin' in a bag with a little white pepper. That pepper is quite apparent especially on the finish - and the longer it's open the better it gets. When I first opened it there was no nose and the taste was barely black fruit; what a difference 30 minutes makes. Wish I had a few more bottles of this beauty, alas this is my last one so I might be nursing this one all night.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
More wines on the second night dinner of the ACWC (from all over)
The farewell dinner of the All Canadian Wine Championships saw us congregating as an Asian/Fusion restaurant with wines from popular European countries and one from BC ... not all great, but definitely some real winners here: http://ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.com/2010/05/report-from-dinner-at-chanosos-in.html
Saturday, May 8, 2010
13th Street 2007 Gamay Noir (Ontario)
A simple dinner of chicken-pizza called for a fairly simple wine, and what could be simpler than a Gamay. I reviewed this wine 8 months ago and it is still drinking beautifully today - dare I say even better than when I reviewed it ... this was such a quaffable wine that I caught myself on several occasions just sucking it back instead of sipping on it.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Malivoire 2008 Courtney Vineyard Gamay (Ontario)
Tonight, I uncorked a half finished bottle of Courtney Gamay that was slipped to me after a tasting yesterday. I love the fruitiness of this wine, even a day later it is still loaded with cherries. My full review of this wine will be published in my upcoming newsletter #133. This wine is set for release on May 15, 2010 - I behoove you to get some, Gamay fan or not, you will like this wine. To show you how serious I am I even used the word 'behoove'. Now, I am going to go and finish my glass of Gamay before dinner ... Cheers.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Mission Hill Pinot Blanc, Fielding Gris, Bichot Gamay, Applewood's Crazy (B.C., Ontario, France)
Today was my first (unofficial) day as vice-president of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada (it becomes official on February 5, 2010) ... we met to have an informal discussion of the annual activities of the Circle with our administrator. Unfortunately we were missing out president (John Szabo) who was out of town (hence the "unofficial" meeting). Most meeting last an hour or so and it's all business, but today, being that it was "unofficial" we had a few bottles of wine during our discussion.
We started with a 2007 Mission Hill Pinot Blanc ... what a treat on a cold winter's afternoon - I think it would have been better on a hot summer's day, but since summer is a few month away it was nice to dream of warmer weather with sips of this summertime treat. The nose was lemon, lime and sweat pear, while the palate was apples, pears and floral tinged; light and fruity with a refreshing finish of limeade.
Next up, someone pulled out a bottle of Fielding's 2008 Pinot Gris ... I have reviewed this is the past and that review still holds true today, delicious.
Next, a bottle of Albert Bichot 2006 Domaine Monthoux Beaujolais-Villages ... another treat. 4 years from vintage date and this wine still has beautiful cherries on the nose and palate with a titch of spice to really make it complete.
Finally, we tired a couple of bottle of Applewood Farm and Winery's Crazy 8 Raspberry Cider, this is a real treat and real beauty for raspberry fans. It's cider that is fermented to 8.8 percent alcohol and is just the most lovely and refreshing beverage one could imagine made from raspberries - Matt Passafiume, owner and booze-maker at Applewood (in Stouffville, Ontario) gets better and better at making this every year; think cider made with raspberry with a light spritz and refreshing raspberry flavour.
The "meeting" ended with little accomplished though a good number of wines were consumed and I can't wait to begin my duties, whatever they may be. I look forward to working with the executive over the next 2 years: Dean Tudor and John Szabo; and hopefully we'll drink a few more interesting bottles during our meets.
We started with a 2007 Mission Hill Pinot Blanc ... what a treat on a cold winter's afternoon - I think it would have been better on a hot summer's day, but since summer is a few month away it was nice to dream of warmer weather with sips of this summertime treat. The nose was lemon, lime and sweat pear, while the palate was apples, pears and floral tinged; light and fruity with a refreshing finish of limeade.
Next up, someone pulled out a bottle of Fielding's 2008 Pinot Gris ... I have reviewed this is the past and that review still holds true today, delicious.
Next, a bottle of Albert Bichot 2006 Domaine Monthoux Beaujolais-Villages ... another treat. 4 years from vintage date and this wine still has beautiful cherries on the nose and palate with a titch of spice to really make it complete.
Finally, we tired a couple of bottle of Applewood Farm and Winery's Crazy 8 Raspberry Cider, this is a real treat and real beauty for raspberry fans. It's cider that is fermented to 8.8 percent alcohol and is just the most lovely and refreshing beverage one could imagine made from raspberries - Matt Passafiume, owner and booze-maker at Applewood (in Stouffville, Ontario) gets better and better at making this every year; think cider made with raspberry with a light spritz and refreshing raspberry flavour.
The "meeting" ended with little accomplished though a good number of wines were consumed and I can't wait to begin my duties, whatever they may be. I look forward to working with the executive over the next 2 years: Dean Tudor and John Szabo; and hopefully we'll drink a few more interesting bottles during our meets.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Louis Jadot 2007 Beaujolais-Villages (France)
Beaujolais has gotten itself a bad name over the years because of the nouveaus that come out in November; but a well made Beaujolais is tasty and wonderful under the right circumstances. Tonight I was looking for something easy to drink and not to taxing on the palate, so I opened this Beaujolais-Villages and it delivered in spades. Big cherry and spice on the nose and a continuation of the same on the palate. This is the wine for non-red-wine drinkers, and those looking for a simple red - either party should enjoy this wine immensely.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Albert Bichot 2006 Beaujolais-Villages (France)
In typical French wine style this wine has no back label, but I have a story to tell about how it finally got to my table. Way back when I went to an Albert Bichot dinner and tasting (May 22, 2008), this wine turned out to be one of my favourites of the evening and so, Dean Tudor (fellow wine writer) and I decided to split a case. We were told that it was a private order wine and might take some time to land on our shores - we thought it was a good enough wine to wait, and at $15.95 a bottle, a steal for the quality therein. Well I finally got the wine on Friday (October 24, 2008) a little over five months to the day that I ordered it. In truth I couldn't remember what it tasted like, so I decided to open one tonight and see (and taste) whether it was worth the wait ... I am happy to report it was. Beautiful bright nose of ripe fresh cherries and a palate to match - yummy. I had it with meatloaf and salad, but as far as I'm concerned it would have gone with just about anything ... 5 months may seem a long time to wait, and it was, but when a wine is this delicious, it's well worth it.
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