Report from: Primium Familiae Vini Lunch - April 23, 2015

Is there any possible way to put into words the amazing wines and breadth of history that packed the room on this day, as the Primium Familiae Vini (PFV) came to Toronto to wine, dine and ... for lack of a good rhyming word ... impress the hell out of all in attendance.

These are all names you'd recognize, no matter what level of wine drinker you happen to be.  Names like Pol Roger, Drouhin, Muller, Torres, Antinori, Perrin, Rothschild and more: 11 in total, and the experience and history was enough to put one in awe.  So instead of waxing poetic about the what and who let's take a simultaneous look at the lunch (held at the Four Seasons Hotel) and the wines (one from each family).

You know it's gonna be a good party
when this is the appetizer wine:
--------------------
Pol Roger 2002 Sir Winston Churchill
biscuity, sour apple, almondine along with
notes of toffee and butterscotch
**** 1/2

The Look of Lunch ...

Foie Gras
Brioche, Laroda Plum, Lamb's Lettuce

Scallops
Kumquat, Baby Leek, Caviar

Cavatelli Pasta
Rabbit Confit, Preserved Tomato, Olives

Braised Bison Short Rib
Spring Carrots, Pommes Dauphines

Stilton Cheese
Fig, Walnut Crostini, Red Watercress

Wine a Little - Cause there's a lot of them ...

Many of the wines we tried today are no longer in the market place for purchase so no score will be given.

Famille Hugel 2010 Riesling Jubilee
wine made from top Crus
quite lovely with hints of elegant petrol

Joseph Drouhin 2012 Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Clos'
made from a 1.3 hectare parcel in Chablis
creamy texture, apricot, peach, nice minerality
with a hint of oxidation

Egon Muller Scharzhof 1994 Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett
the house of Muller dates back to 1797
stunningly young in both colour and freshness

Torres 2010 Mas La Plana
represented here today by Miguel Torres - 5th Generation
100% Cabernet Sauvignon - started making this wine in the late 60's
lots of dark fruit and spice; great complexity with power and heft

Tenuta San Guido 2009 Sassicaia
young by comparison, the winery was established in 1941
earthy, sour cherry, cassis - has the acidity of Sangiovese
yet the fruit and force of Bordeaux

Famille Perrin 2005 Chateau Beaucastel
dark fruit and spice; a real delicious endeavour

Antinori 2007 Solaia
name meaning "looking at the sun" - label started in 1978
this wine has an incredible power in the glass with a long life ahead

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2005 Pauillac
Julien Beaumarchais de Rothschild had plenty of quoteable moments:
"wedding between great family and terroir"
"way beyond business puposes, it's about the soul"
As for the wine: menthol, dark fruit with oak and cassis

Vega-Sicilia 2004 Unico
"close to a perfect vintage" - 90% Tempranillo / 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
this wine is only produced in the 'great years'
a pure delight on the palate and perfect match with the short ribs -
but this one was also a wonderful wine on its own

Symington Family - Graham's 1977 Vintage Port
if there is a God and he drinks port regularly
he's got a few cases of this in his cellar

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Report from ... Nobilo Lunch and Icon Tasting - August 19, 2015

Just like they do in the best regions of France, Nobilo concentrates on few varieties of grapes to make their wines; instead of trying to be everything to everybody they focus on Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc and try to make the best expression of each variety.

Today we had a chance to taste something old (2010) something new (2015) and the stuff in-between from this (no pun intended) iconic winery.

Founded in 1943 by Nikola Nobilo an immigrant to New Zealand by way of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia (an island called Korcula); who came to his new land in the 30's.  Back in Croatia the Nobilo family had acquired some 300 years of wine making experience and tradition and with that knowledge they planted their first vines west of Auckland in the early 40's.

Today's line up of wines: 2015-2010 (3 whites / 3 reds)

And a look at the lunch menu ... more on that later

Our host, Dave Edmonds, Senior Winemaker Nobilo (second from left)
answered questions and talked about wines, vintages and regions

Chef Tom Riley, originally from New Zealand, took his inspiration
from the wines presented - fusing Canadian and New Zealand cuisine
(more like New Zealand food concepts with Local ingredients)

The whites are poured, so let's kick this thing off ...

The Wines ...

2014 Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc ($16.95 - #415745)
Nose: grapefruit, lemon, grassy and pineapple core
Taste: seemingly sweet fruity entry lovely pith notes,
long finish juicy pink grapefruit finish and dry linger
Rating: ****

2014 Icon Sauvignon Blanc
juicy of citrus and passionfruit, soft acidity with a long finish,
there's also a mineral compenent like "raindrops on hot concrete"
softer, weightier and more mouthfilling than Regional
Rating: *** 1/2+

2010 Icon Pinot Noir
licorice-spice, high acidity, cassis and violets,
cedary-oak notes prevail on the finish, even a little smoky
I found this wine to be overtly smoky and cedary
No rating - wine is no longer available

2013 Icon Pinot Noir
Nose: nice lean fruit that's a dark and red mix with floral/violet;
showy but not flamboyant - good acidity
Taste: follows the nose, delicate yet still masculine
with a spiced-raspberry finish
Rating: ****

2014 Icon Pinot Noir
Nose: more in-your-face with red fruits and plum, real sexy fruit
violets and floral notes with hints of anise
Taste: hints of white pepper and herbal notes on the finish;
a really bold solidly good wine
Rating: ****+

The Lunchtime Inspirations ...

Smoked Tomato Soup
with miso creme fraiche

Fogo Island Crab Kina
with butter, pappardelle & preserved lemon

Roasted Lamb Rump
with minted potatoes, peas & saffron labna

Passion Fruit & Vanilla Cheesecake
with stewed tamarillo

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Report from ... Finger Lakes Tasting and WBC15 - August 13-18

View from Ventosa Winery patio

I will talk with many people over the next 3-6 months (or so) about my trip to the Wine Bloggers Conference held in the Finger Lakes, New York – and inevitably I will be asked “How were the wines?”

As New York’s neighbor to the North and admittedly more serious wine producing region, Ontario, we have always looked down on New York wines as being too sweet – as someone said to me as explanation (while at the conference) “they’re burgeoning” – but when I was in the Finger Lakes 10-12 years ago and as recently as 7 years ago they held the ‘burgeoning’ moniker at that time too … how long can a region of this size be ‘burgeoning’?

As the second largest producer by volume of wine in the United States, New York has always been seen as inferior to California, Washington and Oregon (all serious wine producing regions) – New York is not to be taken seriously for wine; how can you take a place seriously that creates wines like Hot Tub Red, and uses grapes to make wine that most of us would use in the making of jam?

Well, I’m not about to tell you that New York has shed the “burgeoning” moniker – many of the wines I tried during the conference were on the way to being good – yes sweet still rules – though dry is starting to sink in and make in-roads more and more.  Among the sweet Rieslings are the dry versions. Atop the florally laced and sweet tasting Gewurztraminers there are the dry versions that really claw back on the rose-petal and sugar for a serious finish.  And the reds are showing potential as well (Cabernet Franc being the most promising), as both drink now and for wines that will require some serious ageing.  I also saw things like Lemberger and Gruner Veltliner being produced, with a moniker all their own “The Next Big Thing”.  Only time will tell if that is the case, but while the Lemberger was dry to sweet and at times more Pinot-esque in its make up; the Gruner tasted sweet and not at all like what the Austrian’s had in mind … there is only so long you can say “it is from New York so it is altogether different” – the tension, acidity and austerity in Gruner is what makes it so refreshing, so until they reduce the residual it’s just another white wine.

After the conference I selected half-a-dozen wineries to visit – with the help of some New York knowledgeable pals – specially selected for making “serious in-roads on the Lakes” and known for taking wine seriously – plus I visited a winery I was floored by at one of the dinners.  Below is a sampling of what I tried, was impressed with and the two-stars of my tasting days.

Best Wines at the Conference:

White ...

Keuka Springs 2014 Gewurztraminer
Dynamite Vineyard

Red ... 

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards
2012 Cabernet Franc

Sparkling ... 

Lamoreaux Landing
2009 Brut

The Best of the Winery Visits:

Inside Domaine LeSeurre and their line-up of wines

Best Wine:  2012 Barrel Select Cabernet Franc
Simple aromas of black cherry are followed on the palate
by smooth vanilla, cherry, hints of tobacco and all touched
by mocha-cherry on the finish.  Rating: *** ½+

Stop at Ravines where the wines were consistently good.

Anthony Road's best wine was this bottle of
2013 Cabernet Franc / Lemberger
14 months in a mix of French and American oak results in a wine
with a more than ample cherry nose followed by cherry, plum,
red currant, anise, cedar and hints of vanilla on the finish.
Rating: ****

Ventosa is a gorgeous and very big place - great pizza smells inside.

Best Wine: 2011 Lemberger
Winner of the 2015 Governor’s Cup at the New York Wine & Food Classic
3 years in second fill Hungarian oak delivers sour cherry and strawberry
to the palate with some weight and a cedary finish.  Rating: *** ½+

Looking up the path at Lamoreaux Landing

Plenty of great wines, including these two:
2010 Chardonnay and 2011 Cabernet Franc ...
but (aside from the Brut) there was one better

Best Wine: 2012 "76 West"
blend is 45% Cabernet Franc, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot
with the hallmark of an age-able red (5-7 years): blackberry, black cherry,
cedar, vanilla, smoke mid-palate and a black pepper, cedar-smoke and anise finish.
Rating: ****+

Heart & Hands Winery might be one of the most focused
wineries we visited, making wines from two varieties:
Riesling (white) and Pinot Noir (red)
More wineries in the Finger Lakes should be following this example.

Best Wine: 2012 Pinot Noir, Paul's Legacy
the most delicate of the 2012 Pinot from Heart and Hands is also the most juicy:
earthy, cherry and floral with a cranberry/strawberry cocktail on the mid-palate
leading to a fine tannin finish.  Rating: ****+

See the full line-up of wines tried over our 3 day visit click here.

For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.ontariowinereview.com, while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.

Report from ... Australia's First Families of Wine - May 26, 2015

First Families by the number

Every time I get the invite to the Australian First Families of Wine, I'm always reminded of the Godfather movies and the "Five Families".  But the Australian First Families are a group of 12 families that are making wine over 16 regions and between them they have some 5000 hectares of vineyards. They span 48 generations and 1200 years of winemaking experience - pretty impressive really.

They are "The custodians of some of Australia's finest vineyards, most famous wine names and some irreplaceable history" and surely names you recognize: Brown Brothers, Campbells, D'Arenberg, De Bortoli Wines, Henschke, Howard Park, Jim Barry Wines, McWilliam's, Tahblik, Tyrrell's Wines, Wakefield and Yalumba (only Campbells was not in attendance today).

Today's tasting was structured as a speed dating event, each group had 10 minutes with each winery representative (it may have been 5 minutes, felt like it anyway) and tasted two wines, gleaning as much information as could be imparted in that short period of time.  Of the 22 wines poured here were the best of the best ...

The room set-up for the "speed dating" afternoon

The Wines ...

Jim Barry 2006 'The Armagh' Shiraz ($270)
this wine makes up less than 1% of Barry's production
gentle with blackberry and black pepper with a
back-drop of smoke (*** 1/2+)

Jim Barry 2013 'The Florita' Riesling
Clare Valley grows more Riesling than any other region in Australia
dry and fairly refreshing with lemon and hints of lime (*** 1/2+)

McWilliam's 2013 Appellation Tumbarumba Chardonnay
this is a 138 year old company
a little lemon/lime note, and hints of peach;
more delicate than the usual Aussie-Chardonnay (*** 1/2+)

Tyrrell's 2011 Vat 47 Chardonnay
made since 1971 - started vineyard on stolen cuttings
surprisingly good acidity, peach, apple, vanilla
with a long tannin-pith-like finish (*** 1/2+)

Wakefield 2012 St. Andrew's Shiraz
Jim Barry was their first winemaker
creamy and lovely mouthfeel: chocolate, touches of white pepper,
raspberry, black cherry, silky smooth long finish - stunning (**** 1/2)

Wakefield 2009 The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon ($150)
also made from fruit taken from the St. Andrew's vineyard
fruit forward with big raspberry, cassis, and blueberry
with nicely integrated oak - another silky smooth offering (****)

Yalumba 2014 Eden Valley Viognier
tropical aromas with honeydew rind,
grapefruit and pith on the finish (*** 1/2)

Yalumba 2005 FDR1A Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz
shows the ageability of this quinessential Aussie blend
mocha, black cherry with an mineral/stoney finish (****)

d'Arenberg 2013 The Money Spider Rousanne
fresh and cheerful with apple puree, peach, mineral and
Bosc pear skin - lovely long finish (****+)

d'Arenberg 2006 The Ironstone Pressings
70% Grenache / 25% Shiraz / 5% Mourvedre - this wine is foot-trodden
peppery and spicy with black cherry, cassis, mineral
and good acidity on the finish (****+)

De Bortoli 2011 Noble One Botrytis Semillon ($32 / 375ml)
sweet apricot and peach, honeyed tangerine, hint of floral,
thick yet unctuous this is really delicious (****)

Henschke 2012 Mount Edelstone Shiraz - 60th Anniversary Vintage ($188)
first made in 1952, vines were planted in 1912
smoky, dark fruit, cassis, black raspberry, mineral and cocoa powder
(****+)

Henschke 2005 Hill of Grace
100% Shiraz - 500 cases made maximum in any vintage
an absolutely beautiful wine with black currant, strawberry
and blackberry - so much depth of flavour; stunning (**** 1/2+)

Howard Park 2014 Porongurup Riesling
dry with lime and lemon pith with hints of zest and good acidity
(*** 1/2)

Tahblik 2009 '1860 Vines' Shiraz ($164)
made from half an acre of ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines
make 100-150 dozen per year - red raspberry, white pepper,
cocoa and blueberry with a touch of floral (*** 1/2+)

Tyrrell's 2010 Vat 1 Semillon ($55)
this winery has "an obssession with Semillon"
and this wine is bottle-aged before release
honey with lime and lemon zest, hint of floral and a clean
mouthfeel and finish - only 11% alcohol (****)

The Personalities ...

Peter Barry shows off a bottle of 'The Armagh'

Scott McWilliam, Family Ambassador and Senior Winemaker,
talks Chardonnay from Tumbarumba

Alister Purbrick, from Tahbilk (left), talks old vines Shiraz,
while Zoltan Fekete, of Kylix Wines (agent) does his best
Vanna White impression

Bruce Tyrrell waxes poetic on the subject of Semillon

Justin Taylor, Company Director & Export Manager (Wakefield)
has the confidence to know he has one of the best wines in the room

Chester Osborn knows he's got a winner
on his hands with this Money Spider

Stephen Henschke preaches the gospel of family
and history that goes into every bottle

For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.michaelpinkuswinereview.com, while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.