Report from ... Drinking with Dave - December 22, 2014

My buddy Dave in Michigan knows I have a soft spot for Cabernet Franc ... These days, each time we get together, we bring a bottle each to the table, today Dave brought a Darioush 2011 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley; this is a big gun, sporting a whopping 14.8% alcohol.  Not exactly what I was expecting in Cab Franc, being an Ontario Franc drinker gets you used to certain elements in the wine not found in warmer versions of the grape; the Dariosh had a number of those great Ontario-esque features like tobacco, blackberry and cassis but there was also a subtle smokiness, white pepper and a floral aspect to the wine - and it was very tasty. 

Then Dave makes a remark that he has some rare and unusal Zinfandel, but he'll save them for next time ... The hell you will, we'll at least open one right now ... And we did: Teldeschi 1996 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley - Lot #1.  Another wine with big booze, but not as high as the Franc, at only 14.2%.  There's an earthy note with dried /fresh plum, raspberry and sour cherry, there's also an earthy finish with hints of vanilla. Wine proves to be, for the most part, tart and sour and needs lots of aeration to become something you want to drink ... This was my interesting wine of the day - but the Darioush was better, even with age taken in.

Post Scrpt ... The Thirty Bench 2007 Red I brought from Ontario was a big hit.

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Report from ... Drinking With Dave - June 7, 2014

So I find myself in Michigan again and this time I was able to sneak away and spend some time with my wine-buddy Dave at Champagne Wine Cellars in Warren.  I also brought a bottle for Dave to try, an Ontario-pride 2005 Trius Red, one of this province's more recognizable and consistent red blends ... It proved to be earthy, cassis dominated, and while some fruit was still present there was also a predominant white smoke character that I'm not sure Dave was that big a fan of ... Next time I'll pull a 2007 Thirty Bench Red ... 

As for Dave, he had his wine picked out (I'm sure days ago): Alvara Palacios 2012 Camons Del Priorat from Spain.  The nose was rich with cherry, red licorice, spearmint, cassis and plum; there was even a hint of raspberry that developed as the wine sat in glass.  Palate shows robust red and black fruit with plenty of plum, black cherry, anise and chocolate, but what really impressed was the spicy or piquante-ness of this wine on the full, silky finish.  I think Dave out-did me this time but then again his wine was 7 years younger ... I'll getcha next time Dave ... Maybe over Christmas.

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Report from ... Dave and I Open a '96 - December 23, 2013

Whenever possible, when I am in Michigan, I stop by my favourite wine store, Champane Wine Cellars, and in doing so I like to meet up with my good friend Dave, if for nothing else then to get to his recent best buy wines selections of choice ... The best visits are those when we both have some time and we retire to the back room to sip on something interesting - this evening Dave gave me a choice of half a dozen wines, and while all sounded like they would be good I went for the most unlikely choice:  a bottle of 1996 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon.

Of course, as seems to be the way these days when I open (or I witness an opening) a bottle of older wine, the cork breaks in half.  That didn't deter Dave, though it did get us into a big discussion about an 'ah-so' style two-pronged wine opener - I know I have one somewhere but have misplaced it, Dave says he has never owned one at all - both of us realize we'd better get one if we're to open our older bottles and drink them without bits of cork floating in the glass.

Once opened things started to mature very quickly.  The nose started with an earthy, forest floor sensation which it never gave up.  I'm positive I could smell alcohol in the mix too, though the wine was listed at 13.5% on the label.  Thankfully the alcohol aroma blew off and was replaced  by dried currants (short-lived), cedar-wood and those foresty floor notes.

Palate was a downward spiral of flavours:  it started off relatively okay with a touch of chocolate in amongst some spice and foresty notes along with the grit of tannins; the chocolate was also short-lived and within 10 minutes was gone, but the rest remained.  Thru the next hour anise, woody, white pepper and cedar also appeared on the tongue - there also seemed to be a hint of baker's cocoa complete with all its grit and chalkiness.  But the real drawback to this wine was the hollow middle that seemed to get deeper and deeper the longer it sat open.

Dave and I parted company, wished each other the best of the season and Dave promised to try the wine again the next day - the result was the a dead wine.  We had been drinking one that had been on the decline for awhile, Dave just got to drink it upon its death.  But it's all interesting, every last drop.

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Report from ... Dave and I Share a Great Zin - August 18, 2013

By all rights this little piece should go into my What I'm Drinking Tonight blog, but it is not tonight and this bottle did not make an evening appearance.  I am once again in Michigan and for the first time in a long time I am hoisting a glass with my buddy Dave at Champane`s Wine Cellars (I've missed these get togethers) ... we go through the store, as we always do, talking wine with Dave offering up recommendations, I end up with 7 bottles, 12 beer and 6 cider ... the beer is a gluten free beer out of Oregon called Omission - tried this Monday night and it tasted like real beer, these guys have got it right.  The cider was from Ireland called Magners ... the bottles of wine ranged from Pinot (2) to Cab (1) and even a Chardonnay (1), plus a really nice recommend of a Zinfandel (I never leave Dave without at least one bottle of Zin).  Reviews of these wines will appear in the What I'm Drinking blog over time (like this Lyeth wine I tried on Sunday night) ... but the wine we shared this afternoon was a T-Vine 2010 Napa Valley Zinfandel.

The T-Vine has long been one of Dave's favourites and he has a few good stories to tell around the wine and original maker ... of course those are the moments you share when enjoying a good bottle of wine, me I'm just gonna let you in on how good this wine is.  The wine is made using natural yeast (I always find a wine using this method to have some really unique character), 14.9% alcohol (we did polish off a good three-quarters of it) and is produced using an average of 60+ year old vines ... then aged in 50% new American oak, and 10 months in a mix of French and American oak ... following so far?   It's a limited production wine of only 675 cases.

The wine itself has got the stuff that has made Zinfandel famous: plum, chocolate, and spiced cherry, all in droves, it's a big wine with lots going for it - plus there is a nice smokiness that begins to emerge at about the 30-minute mark.  The finish is lovely and silky, but wait, there is also a touch of heat coming from the almost 15% alcohol ... Dave and I continue to drink it over the course of an hour in the hopes it will open and blow off that alcohol heat (it never does), but it does open up very nicely in spite of the heat; that smokiness would make it a perfect pairing with grilled lamb or BBQ.  For this wine you just gotta love Zin and know that on occasion with those big flavours and big alcohols you might find them to be a little hot under the collar - when it comes to this T-Vine, you gotta like 'em big.

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Report from ... The wines of Scott Harvey at Champane Wines Cellars – August 7, 2009

This evening I had the opportunity to meet winemaker Scott Harvey at Champane Wine Cellars in Warren, Michigan – my buddy Dave (of Drinking with Dave fame) invited me to the tasting. Scott now has his own label(s): Scott Harvey and Jana – but before that he was the brains behind the wines of Renwood and started the Menage a Trois brand for Folie a Deux (now part of Sutter Homes/Trinchero) amongst other projects he has done and had success with … so now it’s his turn to shine.

Tonight we tried 14 wines from his portfolio, including: a white and red blend called One Last Kiss, wine from his Jana label – a tribute to his wife, and his eponymous label – of which there is the Mountain Select (entry level) and Amador County (reserve). As usual I had my favourites … below I give you my top 3 selections.

Jana 2007 Leelanau Riesling … there were two Rieslings on the table, one from Napa the other made from local (if you live in Michigan) fruit sourced from the Leelanau Peninsula (I visited there this summer). Scott told me he made the wine by proxy, visiting a few times (to pick the block and check on the fruit) and then with the help of the folks at 45 North (winery) and UPS. Scott did some apprenticeship training in Germany (at K. Fitz-Ritter winery) so he has a soft spot in his heart for Riesling and it’s a grape he loves to work with it. There really was no comparison between the two wines, the Michigan fruit just burst in the mouth with fresh acidity, the balance between fruit sweetness and acid was excellent. It began sweet and fruity in the mouth with apple, peach and pear, then continued through to a great, mouthwatering finish. Scott told me that both Rieslings were made in a ‘half-dry’ style, using the German terminology (“Haltrocken Kabinett”). In my notes I called this one “refreshing with bite”. Alcohol was only 10.5%. An excellent Riesling. (****½)

Scott Harvey 2006 Barbera Amador County – J&S Reserve … this is from Scott’s reserve line of wines, which means the fruit is taken from a specific vineyard in Amador County, one that Scott believes grows the best representation of that varietal. Barbera is a grape with Italian roots but can also be found (amongst other places) in California (mainly due to the Italian immigrants who settled the area years ago and brought their favourite grape along with them from home). Scott makes two Barberas, one in each of his lines (Mountain Select and Amador), after trying both I can say the Amador version is worth the $10 price jump. There’s an excellent balance here between the high alcohol (14.5%), the fruit and the acids. A great sweet fruit entry with blackberry, black currant and spiced plums rolling around in the mouth … the delicious finish lingers with chocolate-cassis liqueur aftertaste. Delicious. (****½)

Scott Harvey 2005 Syrah – Mountain Select … amongst all 14 wines poured, this was the All-Star of the tasting. It’s part of the Mountain Select (entry level) tier of wines – meaning: fruit is sourced from Amador County but from different vineyards (more on that below). This evening the wine was specially priced at $14.99 … an absolute steal. Scott told me this is “my under $20 label”, and even at $19.99 this would have been a hell of a bargain, but even more so at $15. The grapes are sourced/selected from 3 vineyards in Amador County and spent 21 months in French oak. This wine also benefited from a “too much wine” situation from Scott’s top vineyard, 54% of the wine comes from the designated ”reserve” vineyard. The nose was fairly simple, with white pepper and black fruit, but in the mouth it really popped: red and black fruit, white pepper, smooth and luscious with those sweet fruits intermingling with the pepper and oak notes, mmm mmm. This could be a dangerous wine, at 14.5%, it goes down so easy and smooth, watch out. I’m giving this 4.5-star wine and extra half star for value. (*****)

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Drinking with Dave - Part 2 ... March 20, 2009

Ever since I published my first article about Drinking with Dave back in December, and labeled it "Part 1", many people have been asking me: "Where is Part 2?" ... I tell them all the same thing - I meet up with Dave on the occasions when I find myself in Michigan and both he and I have some time on our hands - usually he on his lunch hour and me waiting to pick up my sweetie from work. The hour goes by too quickly and we end up shooting the proverbial shit for too long ... we gab about wines we tried, wines we want to try and places we'd like to go or have been. Last week Dave mentioned me in an article he wrote for Canoe, about a new wrestling themed wine out of South Australia.

This time we had decided to extend our visit outside the boundaries of Champane's Wine Cellar (the place Dave works) and have dinner at his place, along with some special wines. I was looking forward to meeting Dave's wife and sipping wine in a more relaxed atmosphere ... but the fates worked against me and the proposed Wednesday night dinner had to be cancelled due to a wicked cold I was nursing. So I rescheduled with Dave to meet him at Champane's on Friday - fates willing.

Turns out the fates were on my side by Friday because it was the first day I was able to breathe without the use of drugs and a third of a box of Kleenex ... and it was also the first day in three that I had been out of the house. I met with Dave in the small pub attached to Champane's were he was nursing a bowl of soup. He took a few slurps from his spoon, packed up and we slid into the back room where he has his tasting bar and openable wines in racks. I apologized again about dinner. He told me that I missed a good spread and nice wines - though he did have to change a few of his choices. Turns out a buddy of his does not dig on the Italian wines so he had to switch up a Gaja 1990 Sori Tildin for something else ... with any luck his buddy's loss will be my gain as we are eyeing up May as a possible make-up wine play date.

Today, Dave opened up a bottle of Falcor 2002 Le Bijou, a Californian blend of 44% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Falcor is a winery owned by a Washington lawyer who has a vineyard in California, and who's son runs the joint. The initial nose on this one was grapy and spicy with a hint of chocolate. Dave then poured the wine through a hand held aerator into our glasses and we also coaxed the wine with some swirling. A few minutes later there were plums, chcocolate, cherry and spice. The wine was a lot lighter than I expected, especially from that grape combination ... over the course of the next few minutes it also developed wood (cedar) characteristics and a touch of cinnamon; but still did not show much weight ... but I had no complaints, it was a easy, coiffable, totally enjoyable wine. [an email I received Monday morning from Dave updated me on the wine: "Just a quick tasting note, the Le Bijou we tried tasted a lot bigger the next day, lot more came through and showed very well, even slightly bigger in body"].

Lunch was over and it was back to work for Dave, but before I left he thought of one other wine to pour - sure it had been opened for a few days (since Monday) but he thought it still had a little life left in it to show. A to Z 2006 Pinot Gris from Oregon ... it had faint signs of oxidation but still had great minerality, melon and peach notes; and instead of being one of those sweet Gris' you are apt to get, this one was quite dry and lovely. I would say that fresh this would be a fabulous summer sipper for the patio.

Now, don't get all over anxious, part 3 will be along soon - I promise ... you're just gonna have to wait for it ... as I have to wait (and hope) to try that 90 Tildin.

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Drinking with Dave - Part 1 ... December 26, 2008

Dave is a wine merchant in Michigan (at Champane‘s Wine Cellars in Warren), for the record I do not owe him money, he is not my bookie, he does not own a piece of anything I am involved with nor do I own a piece of his life. We do not owe each other a favour, our daughter’s don’t go to the same school, our wives are not in a bridge club together. His mom does not know my mom, his dad was not in the French Foreign Legion with my pop - nor in any other legion, gang, group or club. We are not related in any way and have no other reason to get together other than the fact that we each have a love for wine; Dave reads my newsletter (and I his email blasts from Champane’s). Over the past year he has invited me down a few times to taste wines with him; this year I was finally down long enough to take advantage of his hospitality.

December 26, 2008 … While most off my fellow countrymen are off taking advantage of Boxing Day deals, I find myself visiting Dave Burzynski at Champane’s Wine Cellars in Michigan (they don’t have Boxing Day down here … odd). I like visiting Dave cause he shows me wines that we can’t get over the border (or don’t get), at prices I know would be half of what we would pay. He greets me warmly and comments, “thanks for forwarding me your newsletters, I like reading your stuff,” he finishes his greeting with a slight lament, “but it’s all Canadian, and we don’t get that much stuff from you guys down here.” I respond with, “if it’s international you’re after check out my Vintages release report or the On the Road with the Grape Guy section - but what I should really do is bring down some Ontario stuff so you know what you’re missing.”

The niceties out of the way Dave leads me around the store like an obedient puppy dog, pointing out his favourite bottles of this and that, a 1999 Merlot ($12.99), 2006 Zinfandels, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Rock & Vine, a Miser-ly red for a mere $7.99 that’s been deemed “fantastic” by many of his regulars and various other treats all for under $15 ... my cart fills fast. After a dozen or so recommendations I pick six or seven to make up the case I will purchase.

It’s time to taste. Dave takes me back to his “office”. “When I got it it was just four walls,” he tells me, “I added a little of this and a little of that along the way and …” he trails off. A tasting bar covers the back half of the room along with proper bottle storage racks. The bar is glass covered and underneath are a plethora of labels. The room is cold, but a good temperature for wine. Today Dave pours us each a glass of Slaley Hunting Family 2003 Pinotage from South Africa that was opened on Wednesday (it is Friday). Dave confirms that when it was opened it did have that typical South Africa smell, but some 2 days later this wine is delicious and spicy with gobs of white pepper on the nose. There is some residual “South Africa stink”, but it is in the background on both the nose and palate; what shows most right now is the blackberries and cassis - and of course the white pepper. Dave confides in me that this bottle isn’t even in the marketplace right now, but he is hopeful of having it on his shelf sometime in the early part of the New Year, and for a very reasonable $12.99.

We’ll be checking back with Dave next week to see what other interesting bottles he has open, if not then we‘ll surely be back later in the year to see what other kinds of finds he can show me.

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