The sun is shining for the first time in awhile this Sunday ... so we decided to watch it from the comfort of our den (after all it was still just 5 degrees out), put on the new Louis CK special ("Oh My God" - very funny) and watch a bunch of other things, while trying to decide what we should have for dinner on our new wheat-free diet (sorry, lifestyle change). We came up with some kind of pizza concoction made with cauliflower - my wife asked, "what happens if it doesn't taste good?" - I responded, "well, we've always got wine." And with that we each opened a bottle. She, a bottle of Huff Estates 2011 Pinot Gris and me, a bottle of Maysara Winery 3o Pinot Noir from Oregon (read: Three Degrees). I have recently reviewed the Huff so it's all linked up, but this is my first experience with Maysara wine. Turns out it is an organic/biodynamic winery out of Oregon and for the most part when I see a US winery playing with the biodynamic I get a little queasy ... I just don't think they have it quite down pat yet ... it's just too new to them. Anyway, I did not know this about the wine before I sipped at it, I found the wine incredibly earthy with hints of vegetation that were not all together pleasant. That's when I inspected the bottle and thought I would try to give it the benefit of the doubt. Next up on the nose and palate was a mushroom-iness ... after about 45 minutes to an hour I began to find some fruit. First came cranberry then a little later some sour cherry came by for a stay ... and thankfully the earthy, mushroom and vegetation took a back seat. Was this my favvourite Pinot ever ... not really ... but it did come across better in an hour than it did from the start. As for the pizza, not bad at all.
Showing posts with label Pinot Gris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pinot Gris. Show all posts
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Friday, July 27, 2012
Malivoire 2010 Pinot Gris (Ontario)
It's too early to look at this as a Taste it Again (http://tasteitagain.blogspot.ca/) wine, but it's worth taking another look at it especially on a hot summer day on an island in Lake Nipissing. When first I unscrewed the cap and tried the wine it was fairly bland, but I have to tell you that after an hour (back in the fridge with half a glass removed) it opened beautifully. The aromas were a lovely peach and lime mix, while the palate follows right along with the right amount of acidic backbone and lime pith on the finish - a real refreshing patio wine, especially for where I am (see above).
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Four Ontario Whites and a Big Red Zin (Ontario / California)
A beautiful Saturday afternoon - the last in April, and some friends came over for a little get together and BBQ. We started our time outdoors by opening a series of Ontario whites, with differing results. The Reif 2009 Pinot Gris, should have been drunk last summer, as it tasted tired and not very lively. Then we turned our attention to the Hillebrand 2009 Trius Sauvignon Blanc, still amazing, in my opinion one of, if not the, best Sauvignon Blanc made in Ontario in '09, and for less than fourteen bucks it was a steal. Next the crowd called for more and another Savvy B hit the bottom of the glass and just as quickly the top of the grass, Strewn's 2009 Sauvignon Blanc just did not stand the test of time, it would have been drinkable (as someone said) if not for the amazing wine that came before it. The last white was a Pondview 2009 Riesling, now this has not only held up well but is worth holding onto for a few more summers to come. Final wine was a big juicy red from California to match up with the steaks we threw on the Bar-B ... Pedroncelli 2007 Bushnell Vineyard Zinfandel, plum, vanilla and spice has never matched up so well. Great afternoon and evening.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A Twist, A Treat and a BBQ Treasure (B.C. / California / Argentina)
Three wines once we arrived for the first day of our island getaway …
The Twist: an Oliver Twist Winery 2007 Pinot Gris from British Columbia. The high alcohol (14.5%) shone through, and then there was the pear-peach mix of fruit with more than a hint of sweetness. A tasty wine for the mid-afternoon … the high alcohol got peoples tongues’ a wagging.
The Treat: a wine that I have had a few times before, McManus 2008 Syrah. Talk about high alcohol, another 14.5% doozy – but this is a real slut of a wine with all its black fruit and sprinkling of white pepper … but it’s the high-octane fruit that really makes this one a palate pleaser that’s so easy going down.
The Treasure: another wine that I have had before, this one was to pair with the inch-and-a-half thick steaks that were being grilled on the bar-be, Trapiche 2007 Fincas Las Palmas Cabernet Sauvignon: what a stunner with grilled meat. Potent black fruit, pepper, and spice along with plum on the back palate and a long lingering finish; this one is really steak worthy so the pairing was excellent.
Tomorrow’s another day and I look forward to seeing what I have in my bag of tricks to pair with Pistachio Encrusted Salmon.
The Twist: an Oliver Twist Winery 2007 Pinot Gris from British Columbia. The high alcohol (14.5%) shone through, and then there was the pear-peach mix of fruit with more than a hint of sweetness. A tasty wine for the mid-afternoon … the high alcohol got peoples tongues’ a wagging.
The Treat: a wine that I have had a few times before, McManus 2008 Syrah. Talk about high alcohol, another 14.5% doozy – but this is a real slut of a wine with all its black fruit and sprinkling of white pepper … but it’s the high-octane fruit that really makes this one a palate pleaser that’s so easy going down.
The Treasure: another wine that I have had before, this one was to pair with the inch-and-a-half thick steaks that were being grilled on the bar-be, Trapiche 2007 Fincas Las Palmas Cabernet Sauvignon: what a stunner with grilled meat. Potent black fruit, pepper, and spice along with plum on the back palate and a long lingering finish; this one is really steak worthy so the pairing was excellent.
Tomorrow’s another day and I look forward to seeing what I have in my bag of tricks to pair with Pistachio Encrusted Salmon.
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
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.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Estancia 2008 Pinot Grigio (California)
I have to tell you, it is nice to be in a country that takes its wine culture and wineries seriously. I am in Michigan for the holidays visiting my fiancee and her family (more the former than the latter of course). Each time I wonder into a wine store, supermarket, or froo-froo market (upscale fancy fruit market) I am confronted by a wine section, and inevitably I have to walk through it to check it out. Rows upon rows of US-based wines, mostly California, but I've seen New York, Michigan, Oregon and Washington wines as well - foreign wines are relegated to back shelves and hidden corners - domestic wines are pominantly displayed ... since I have been here (for about a week now) I have bought about 10 bottles of wine, only one has been from outside the US borders (Chile). Being from Canada (Ontario) this is unheard of because the LCBO puts the foreign wines in dominant locales while shunting the Ontario/Canadian wine into some out of the way corner. Of course this is all just pre-amble to what I had tonight, a Pinot Grigio from California. Now I am going to start by saying this wine is misidentified as a Grigio. To me, Grigio is a style, not just a name, wineries use it becuase it has become popular and easy to identify. Grigio is crisp and citrus in nature, while Gris is white fruit juicy ... This wine was very white fruit juicy giving up smells of apples and pears; the palate was also full of white fruit juiciness: mac apples, bosc pears all with a slightly tart-sweet finish, think a lemonade sweetness with a hint of tartness. Very nice wine, but to me not a Grigio.
Monday, December 14, 2009
L. Mawby - M. Lawrence "Wet" (Michigan)
I suspect that all wines could be described as 'wet', so the label of thisreally gives nothing away. While touring around Michigan this summer I discovered a great little winery called L. Mawby that just makes sparkling wine ... this is the place for all you bubbly fans who live in Michigan and the surrounding area. There they make wines in both the Cuvee Close method (big tank) and the traditional style (second fermentation happens in the bottle), and all done with a great deal of fun (Bob Marley plays in the background). Tonight we toasted a safe trip back to my fiancee's home state (Michigan) by opening this bottle of fizz. Made from Pinot Gris grapes this wine is fruity and a real pleasure to drink. Smells include toasted/baked apple and baked lemon curd; the taste delivers much the same with toasted bread, baked apple and, if you let it sit in the glass long enough, some poached pear; I can't fail to mention the toasty long finish. Delicious.
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