Saturday Night – It’s Chardonnay time! Part 4

Click here for Part 1

For dessert I stepped away from the Chardonnay theme and opened up a bottle of Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affected Riesling. This was paired with homemade chocolate chip cookies with Vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

"Simple, but very yummy!"

This wine has already been rated in an earlier review – http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/07/saturday-night-sins-of-zin-part-3.html
so I won’t go into much detail.

"Worth every cent!"

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

Henry of Pelham Botrytis Affected Riesling 2005

Vintages 534628
375 mL bottle
Price: $ 27.90
Wine, White Wine,
10.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : S
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada
By: Henry Of Pelham Family Est. Winery
Release Date: Sep 29, 2007

Description - Botrytis cinera is a fungus that is responsible for many of the world's great dessert wines including Sauternes and Hungarian Tokaji. It shrivels the grapes which concentrates the sugars and acids, as well as adding a distinctly 'wild' quality to the wines. Henry of Pelham reserves a small, low-lying block of Riesling in hopes that once every five years they get the warm days, cool nights and foggy mornings needed to create these unique wines. Enjoy this rich, complex wine with a selection of fine artisan cheeses.

It was a great pairing with the dessert as both the bottle and dessert quickly disappeared. Trying the wine again, it was easy to see why this wine made the Zippy Sauce Top Ten list on the blog – big, complex but not overly sweet dessert wine. Strangely enough there are still about 40 bottles left at the LCBO, do yourself a favour and pick up a bottle or two – you won’t regret this purchase!

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – It’s Chardonnay time! Part 3

The third bottle of the evening was a 2004 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve. This wine is the next level up from the base KJ Vintner’s Reserve in price point.

The nose was much more complex that the base Kendall Jackson with peach/apricot, vanilla, yeast and a caramel/maple aromas. Tasting the wine you get a big buttery, rich, hedonistic, oak monster with hints of vanilla. The wine is nicely balanced though Mick found that the wine a slightly sharp finish. I noticed this too but found the sharpness to the finish to be mild enough that is refreshing vs. being a drawback.

"Veal and Capers... Mmm!"

This wine was a good pairing with the Veal and was the group favourite over the Cloudy bay. Speaking of the Veal, this was the first time I had attempted this recipe and it went over very well. Mick put it in the coveted “Do Again” category.

"Grand Reserve"

I bought this wine a couple of years ago at the LCBO for about $37 per bottle. The LCBO currently is not listing it which means they probably didn’t carry this year. It also hasn’t been reviewed by the Wine Spectator so sorry for the lack of information on this wine.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 90, Kathy – 88, Amy – 89, Overall – 88.75.

I thought the group rating of 88.75 was interesting as we rated the base Kendall higher at 90. This is one of the few brands of wines where I believe the lower price wine is the better of the two. I enjoyed the KJ Grand Reserve but considering you can almost get two bottles of the Vintner’s Reserve for the same price, this one is a no brainer – take the two bottles!

Click here for Part 4

Saturday Night – It’s Chardonnay time! Part 2

The other wine we had with the Smoked Salmon was a 2003 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay. This was a wine that I picked up by mistake a couple of years ago thinking it was a Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc enjoys a very good reputation as a benchmark for New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and a couple of years ago was very hard to find. So when I saw the Cloudy Bay label I grabbed it and assumed it was a Sauvignon Blanc and not a Chardonnay. Upon returning home and realizing my mistake I wasn’t as excited about my purchase and tossed it on the rack where it has been sitting until now.

"Main Course"

The colour of the wine was very similar to the Kendall Jackson as it was a standard Chardonnay yellow-gold and this is where the similarities ended. The nose of the wine was a massive burnt buttered popcorn aroma that was hard to ignore. Tasting the wine was interesting as the acidity on it was very high which play havoc with the balance of the wine. There was a sour citrus taste and lots of oak to be found as well.

With the Smoked Salmon this wine was nasty, prompting Amy to refer to the wine as “Crappy Bay” for the rest of the night. As it was a poor match with the Salmon, it made to the main course. It was much better with the Veal Scallopini and the pasta; not stunning but definitely more drinkable.

"New Zealand Chardonnay"

Here is the LCBO information –

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2006

VINTAGES 359513
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 37.95

13.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: New Zealand, New Zealand

By: Cloudy Bay Vineyards

Release Date: Sep 27, 2008

Description - Ranked #6 on Cuisine Magazine's Top Ten New Zealand Chardonnays of 2006. (Issue 128, April 2008)Tasting Note - Out from the shadow cast by the other varietals from this iconic winery, this Chardonnay won its place at the top table with its distinctive Old World scents and generous, rich, nutty palate - a Cloudy Bay Chard trademark. (Cuisine Magazine (New Zealand), April 2008)

Here is what the Wine Spectator has to say about the wine -

CLOUDY BAY Chardonnay Marlborough 2003

Spicy, toasty aromas and flavors prevail in this crisp Chardonnay, hinting at pepper and lime as the creamy finish persists nicely. Drink now through 2008. 2,000 cases imported. –HS

Price $28

Score 88

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 85, Mark - 82, Kathy – 86, Amy – 79, Overall – 83.

As you can see by the group rating, Amy and myself weren’t enamored with this wine. I loved the LCBO write up “Description - Ranked #6 on Cuisine Magazine's Top Ten New Zealand Chardonnays of 2006. (Issue 128, April 2008)”. Wow 6th out New Zealand’s Top Ten Chardonnays, my gosh I’ll have to run out and buy a truck load of this shit… I hate this type of advertising/write-up. New Zealand is known for Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs not Chardonnays. The Niagara wineries in our area do this too – “Top Ten Niagara Cabernet Sauvignon”. That’s nice but Niagara region can’t make a half decent Cab to save their lives…

The only thing "better" than this is when bottles have a huge freaking sticker on them telling you how this is a “Gold Medal” winner and then you read the really fine print on the bottle and it’s a Gold Medal at the Grimsby Snail Festival and Fair or some other crappy venue where it was a low turn out event and the wine’s competition was lacking.

To be fair to Cloudy Bay, this wine was a 2003 and really should have consumed a couple of years ago.

Click here for Part 3

Saturday Night – It’s Chardonnay time! Part 1

Last week, the four of us had a good time comparing two different Cabernet Sauvignons head-to-head over three courses. This week I attempted to do the same thing with Chardonnay but it didn’t work out quite as planned as one of the bottles was finished before the end of the first course.

We has three different Chardonnays – 2005 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, a 2003 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay and a 2004 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay.

"Smoked Salmon"

The menu for the evening was Smoked Salmon with Bagel Crisps, Cucumber, Red Onion, Capers, Lemon and Cream Cheese to start. The main course was Veal Scallopini with Brown Butter and Capers - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Veal-Scallopini-with-Brown-Butter-and-Capers-350226 with a side of Fettuccine noodles with Sugar Snap Peas in a lemon butter sauce.

I’ll start with the 2005 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay. This wine a great example of a big buttery and fruit forward California Chardonnay. We had this with the Smoked Salmon and killed the bottle before finishing that course.

"Good Value for Money!"

The Vintner’s Reserve is the yellow-gold colour that you’d expect to see in a Chardonnay with a moderate nose of pineapple, apple and oak. Tasting the wine you get pineapple, nice acidity and balance with a smooth finish. This is a very approachable wine and its easy drinking nature will quickly win over people.

This wine when paired with Smoked Salmon is stunning and probably one of my favourite wine and food pairings on the planet.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay 2006

VINTAGES 369686
750 mL bottle

Price: $ 19.95

13.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: California/Californie, United States

By: Kendall-Jackson

Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Tasting Note - The 2006 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is certainly one of the best Chardonnays for the money. This wine, which all comes from coastal vineyards owned by Jackson, is 90% barrel-fermented and put through 100% malolactic, which is remarkable given the quantity of wine made ... Crisp orange marmalade and lemon oil notes as well as some tropical fruits always characterize this wine, which seems to show very little evidence of oak, with gorgeously lush fruit, and zesty acidity in a fresh, lively style. It's a remarkable value ... Drink 2007-2008. Score - 89. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2007)

Note – this is for the 2006 version and not the 2005 reviewed here, though I have been drinking this wine since the 1999 version and it has been extremely consistent year after year so this 2006 vs. 2005 really isn’t a big deal.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 90, Kathy – 92, Amy – 90, Overall – 90.

As I wrote earlier this wine is a great pairing with Smoked Salmon, so much so that we had drained the bottle before finishing the Salmon.

There are better Chardonnay’s out there but not many that are the same price point as the Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve. This is a wine that you’ll want a couple bottles of for you wine rack, it is one of the few that I actually buy by the case.

Click here for Part 2

Saturday – An All Cab Evening – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

The other Cab. blend for the evening was a 2003 Château Lynch-Moussas. In late 2008 we had the 2000 version of this wine and it was exceptional.

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/09/saturday-night-dont-believe-hype_21.html

It made the “Zippy Sauce Top Ten wine list” and Mick, Amy and Kathy were all cussing at me for only buying 1 bottle of it. So I was excited to see if the 2003 version could match its earlier sibling.

"Lobster Chowder"

The nose on this wine was a huge aroma of coffee beans to the point were that aroma almost overpowered all of the other aromas in the wine. You could just make out some graphite, earth and a touch of dark chocolate in the background. The coffee aroma was also the dominate taste on the wine as well with a complimentary vegetal taste to round out the wine. The structure on this wine was spot on, very nicely balance but my only issue with it was the finish which just seemed to disappear almost instantly.

"As good as the 2000 version?"

With the food this wine came more into its own. It was very good with the Lobster Chowdar, good with the Beef Tenderloin and perfect with the chocolate cake.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

Château Lynch-Moussas 2003

Vintages 963256

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 43.55
Wine, Red Wine,
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Borie-Manoux S.A.R.L.
Release Date: Oct 13, 2007

Tasting Note - Beautiful aromas of blackberry, currant and light licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big and velvety tannins and a long, flavourful finish. Rich and tight wine with wonderful texture. Very well done for this estate. Best after 2010. Score - 90. (James Suckling, www.winespectator.com, March 31, 2006)

"Cab Cake!"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 90, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.5

The wives were very harsh on this wine in my opinion as it was much better than a 86. I think first impressions on this wine were hard to overcome as this wine really lost something when it was on its own, especially vs. the Merryvale Profile. This wine really came to life when paired with the food. I will happily admit that the 2000 Château Lynch-Moussas was superior to the 2003 version but I’m not disappointed that I have two more bottles of the 2003 on the rack. If the LCBO/Wine Spectator article is correct with the line “Best after 2010” then maybe we hit this wine a touch early. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops in a year or two.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday – An All Cab Evening – Part 1

Mick and Amy were by for dinner this last Saturday. I was looking over the wine rack and noticed I had a plethora of Cabernet Sauvignons and decided to do a menu geared towards foods that pair well with Cab. The menu was as follows Lobster Chowder, Beef Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Zippy Sauce and then a Chocolate cake for dessert.

"Oh yeah, Zippy Sauce!"

The two Cabs I picked for the evening were a 2001 Merryvale Profile and a 2003 Château Lynch-Moussas. I’m going to cover the 2001 Merryvale Profile in the first part of this Blog.

The first wine I had ever tried from Merryvale was a 1997 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon. My wife and I had it with Lobster Chowder (the same recipe I’m doing on tonight’s menu). The wine was a wonderful match with the Chowder. I’d purchase the 1997 Merryvale at the LCBO but unfortunately by the time we had it they didn’t have any more. For the next few years I kept an eye out for Merryvale Cabs at the LCBO but no luck.

"Worth the price?"

In late 2007, I found the Merryvale Profile down at the Premier Group in NY and picked up a bottle. The Profile isn’t a pure Cab as it also has Merlot, Cab. Franc, and Petit Verdot (i.e. a classic Bordeaux blend that is just missing Malbec) but the Profile is more than 60% Cab. Sauvignon.

The Profile was around $95 US a bottle so with duty and exchange around $160 Cdn. So this wasn’t a cheap bottle and I high expectations of it.

Here is what the Wine Spectator had to say about it –

Merryvale Profile Napa Valley 2001

Serves up lots of complex flavors, from its creamy oak and ripe berry flavors to hints of mint, cedar, sage and dill. It comes together nicely on the finish, too, with bright, vivid flavors. Drink now through 2011. 6,500 cases made. –JL

Release Price - $85

Score – 88

"Action shot of the new grill!"

Pouring out the wine the first thing you will notice is the weight of the bottle. Profile, Insignia and a number of other higher end California Cabs all seem to come in bottles that the glass is twice the thickness of normal wine bottles.

The colour on the wine was a lovely deep ruby purple that you expect to see from a blend like this. The nose was an interesting array of dark chocolate, green pepper, black currant with an earthy mushroom smell and a woody/oaky aroma. Tasting the wine, the dark chocolate aroma continues through to the taste but the wine finishes with a nice cherry favour. The structure on the wine was flawed but interesting as the tannin on the wine was a tad rough but the finish was awesome as it lingered for a good couple of minutes.

With the food the Profile was all over the place. It was good with the Lobster Chowdar but the Château Lynch-Moussas was a touch better. The Profile was a great match with the Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Zippy Sauce as the tannin were neutralized and the wine became incredibly smooth. The wine got very funky with the Chocolate cake as could almost be described as nasty.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 90, Mark - 89, Kathy – 88, Amy – 87, Overall – 88.5

The wine was good but for the price point, I’m looking for magical and not just good. There were moments of brilliance with this wine such as the finish and how well it paired with the Tenderloin but not enough high points for me to recommend this wine. I’m glad I tried it but won’t be in a rush to find more of it.

Click here for Part 2

Wine Club – Chenin Blanc

In our ongoing quest to try as many regions and wines as possible, this month we took a look at two Chenin Blancs. The first was from South Africa and the other was from Vouvray in Loire France. I was excited about this meeting as I have had very limited exposure to Chenin Blanc and South Africa and France are two wine regions that I have a soft spot for.

"Nice but forgettable"

Here is the LCBO information on the wines -

Lammershoek Barrique Chenin Blanc 2007

VINTAGES 58206
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95
Wine, White Wine,
13% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: South Africa, South Africa
By: Lammershoek Winery
Release Date: May 24, 2008

Description - South Africa produces some of the best Chenin Blanc wines in the world and this is a great example. With grapes hand-picked from 40-year-old bush vines and hand-sorted to ensure only the very best fruit is used, Lammershoek's Chenin Blanc is the embodiment of a hand-crafted wine. Rich with honey, smoke and baked apple aromas, this dry, full-bodied wine is elegant and complex and will pair well with rich seafood, roast chicken and pastas in a cream sauce.

Château Moncontour Vouvray Demi-Sec 2006

VINTAGES# 16709
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, White Wine,
12% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MS
Made in: Loire, France
By: Chateau Moncontour
Release Date: Apr 26, 2008

Description - Grown in mostly clay soils, the Chenin Blanc grapes for this Vouvray are pressed slowly and gently before being cool fermented in stainless steel. Delicate yellow in colour with green tints, it has charming floral aromas (typical for the grape), and flavours of juicy apple and pear. The wine's sweetness and acidity are in perfect balance. With summer just around the corner, this wine would be wonderful for a picnic with fresh fruit salad and brie.

The first difference you’ll notice between the two wines is the colour, the French Chenin Blanc is more of a greenish-yellow, similar in colour to what you would expect a Sauvignon Blanc to be like. The South African Chenin Blanc was more a golden yellow colour and reminded me of the colour you would see with a Chardonnay.

The nose on the two wines were quite different as well. The French Chenin Blanc had a strong green apple aroma with honeysuckle lurking in the background. The South African Chenin Blanc had a deep floral aroma with lemon zest and a smoky vanilla aroma to it as well. Interesting enough, most Wine Club members thought the South African Chenin Blanc would be the sweeter of the two wines by the nose.

Tasting the wines, the French Chenin Blanc had a sugared grape fruit and lime flavour to it with fresh acidity but an awkward finish that I wasn’t keen on. The South African Chenin Blanc was extremely dry compared to the French one but had a nice citrus flavour, good acidity and was much larger in body compared to the French one.

A wine club member brought in some crackers, Brie and blackberries to go with the wines. The South African one was the better of the two wines with the Brie and crackers but the French was better with the berries.

The South African was the favourite by a vote of 10 to 1. For me personally, I liked the South African Chenin, wasn’t too keen on the French one but even the South African Chenin Blanc wasn’t a bottle I rush out and by 3 or 4 more of.

Cheers,

Mark

Wildcard Saturday – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

As the football game hit half-time, it was time for the main course – Wiener Chowder. Wiener Chowder was one of my dad’s favourite recipes, when I was a child, as my mother and sister weren’t big fans of clams so he substituted thinly sliced hot dogs instead. Other than wieners, the dish is identical to a New England style clam chowder. The recipe is great as a winter comfort food.

"Yup, those are wieners!"

I choose a 2006 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay to pair with the chowder. Mick shot me a look like I was crazy as this was a bit of an upscale wine to have with chowder but I liked the idea of having a top California Chardonnay with wiener chowder. Chateau Montelena Chardonnay has a bit of a history as the 1973 version won 1st place among the whites of the historic Paris tasting of ’76.

"A very French wine made in California"

Nosing the wine, stone fruits like peaches and pear were evident with vanilla, honeydew melon and a floral note completing the nose. Tasting the wine it was a very French styled Chardonnay – subtle fruit, nicely balanced and structured with a crisp finish. If this wine had some minerality to it I would swear without a doubt that it was a white Burgundy rather that a California Chardonnay.

It was a very good with the chowder and a very good wine on its own.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 92, Mark - 91, Kathy – 91, Amy – 87, Overall – 90.25

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2006

VINTAGES 701748

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 44.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Chateau Montelena
Release Date: Apr 26, 2008

Tasting Note - Montelena's non-malolactic Chardonnay hasn't changed in more than 30 years, and they certainly deserve credit for that. It rarely sees more than 20% new oak, and in certain vintages can age remarkably well. The 2006 Chardonnay has slightly more honeyed apple notes and hints of freshly squeezed orange juice and lemon zest. The wine is incredibly consistent from year to year, seemingly regardless of vintage conditions, and the 2006 seems to be just slightly more evolved and forward than the 2005. I'm sure it will still be humming along 10 or more years from now. Score - 91. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2007

This was a very nice wine and I’m more than happy to say that there is another bottle sitting in the wine rack that will be fun to try in a couple of years to see how it has progressed.

The football game was also good as the Chargers kicked a field goal late to force overtime and then managed to pull off the win.

Cheers!

Mark

Wildcard Saturday – Part 2

I found a 2002 Cline Zinfandel on the rack and thought as they were both 2002’s and both about the same price point that this would be a fun wine to compare.

The nose was different than the Rosenblum as cherry was the dominate aroma with smoky and black pepper aroma following close behind. The taste was completely different as well with as this had an almost medicinal taste to it and was much more peppery. There was a manufactured candy-like sweetness to the wine which made me wonder if there was chapitalization used in the wine making progress. The big pepper on the wine made this Zinfandel seem closer to a Shiraz than a Zinfandel at times.

"An OK Zinfandel for the price"

It wasn’t bad with the nachos but the consensus was that the Rosenblum Zinfandel was the better of the two

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 84, Mark - 85, Kathy – 86, Amy – 85, Overall – 85.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine (note this is probably a 2007 and not the 2002 reviewed here)

Cline Zinfandel

LCBO 489278
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 14.85
Wine, Red Wine,
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 1
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Cline Cellars

Tasting Note - Medium ruby colour; intense sweet briary, raspberry fruit aromas with hints of earthy, spice and clove; dry with generous blackberry fruit flavours and a rich mouthfeel; spicy finish.

Serving Suggestion - Cajun chicken, pork ribs or roasted duck breast in raspberry jus

Click here for Part 3

Wildcard Saturday – Part 1

Mick and Amy were coming for dinner Saturday night but I also wanted to catch the Chargers/Colts game on TV. So I decided to blend the two and serve football style menu items starting with Nachos and then Wiener Chowder for the main course.

"The ladies' nachos"

The nachos were a bit of an adventure as everyone wanted different toppings. So I prepared two trays of nachos and split each tray in half so each person got their own toppings on each half.

"The guys' Nachos!"

I was initially considering a Merlot as the wine pairing for the Nachos but Mick argued that a Zinfandel would be a better match and in the end I agreed with him. I had a bottle of 2002 Rosenblum Zinfandel that had been sitting on the rack for awhile and thought that would be fun to try.

"An oldie but a goodie!"

The predominant aroma off the 2002 Rosenblum was raspberry, with hints of spice, black licorice and black pepper lingering in the background. The Zinfandel was fruity but not overly so and was a well balanced medium body wine. It was very subtle for a California Zinfandel and reminded us more of a Merlot. It was very easy to drink and paired well with the nachos.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 88, Kathy – 88, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine (note this is probably a 2007 and not the 2002 reviewed here)

Rosenblum Zinfandel
VINTAGES 284653
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine,
14.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
Imported By: Diageo Canada Inc
Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description - Rosenblum is one of California's Zinfandel masters. This version serves up-front aromas of strawberry preserves, ripe berries and mocha. Full-bodied, this delicious Zin possesses rich and plush flavours that are well-balanced by acidity. It has a very nice spicy-berry finish. Excellent with prune-and-almond-stuffed pork tenderloin or grilled back ribs.

As I mentioned above, the Rosenblum was easy to drink. If anything, it was too easy as all of us had finished the bottle before we finished the nachos. Or as Mick put it: “We need more alcohol to soak up the food!”

So I went to the basement and grabbed another Zinfandel.

Click here for Part 2

New Year’s Eve 2009 – Part 3

Click here for Part 1

For dessert, I purchased a Chocolate Cheese Cake topped with brownies as I figured it would be a nice pairing with the 1999 Insignia. Unfortunately, but not completely unexpected, our wine glasses were quite empty before the dessert was even removed from the fridge. So, I decided to open another red -- a 1996 Château du Tertre from Margaux.

"This is what happens to picture quality after a couple of bottles of wine!"

I’d picked this up at a local LCBO earlier in the month as I was amazed to find an aged French Bordeaux in stock.

The nose on this wine was much fainter than the Insignia, but you did get truffle, loam, green pepper and lead pencil shavings off the nose. The wine was much thinner than the Insignia as well. This wine was a medium bodied wine. A very precise tasting wine with light fruit and eucalyptus with a nice finish.

"This was a hard act to follow after Insignia"

The ladies were not big fans of it on its own but really liked it with the dessert. I liked the wine off the bat but as it sat for awhile it really opened up and became a much nicer wine. It was really good with the dessert. Mick liked the wine as more time went by and suggested that this wine should be decanted for about 30 minutes before serving.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 91, Mark - 90, Kathy – 90, Amy – 88, Overall – 89.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

Château du Tertre 1996

VINTAGES 72132
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 95.95
Wine, Red Wine,
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Nath. Johnston & Fils
Release Date: Nov 8, 2008

Tasting Note - Delicious looking, glossy sheen to this wine. A serious, stylish nose, with notes of graphite. Slightly hard and austere tannins on the palate, but these underpin a luscious, creamily textured body of fruit. Good acidity completes the picture. Should age nicely. From a Bordeaux 1996 tasting. Score - 17+ (out of 20). (Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com, July 2001)

The evening was truly a great time. There was actually a 4th bottle of wine opened but by that time none of us were in any condition to makes notes on the wine so that one will remain a mystery to my three dedicated readers. Happy New Year to all and to all a good night!

Cheers!

Mark

New Year’s Eve 2009 – Part 2

For the main course, I purchased four nice sized beef tenderloins from our local butcher. I decided to garnish the beef with lobster and grilled shrimp in a Béarnaise sauce. Sides of green beans and baby red potatoes completed the course

"I get hungry just looking at this..."

The wine pairing was a 1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia. I have gushed about how truly amazing Joseph Phelps’ wines are many times in this blog and Insignia is Joseph Phelps’ flagship wine. We had the 1999 Insignia a couple of years back and were stunned by how wonderful this wine was.

I opened and poured out the wine to give it some time to breath before the main course was served. Just pouring out the wine, and not sniffing the glass directly, I was already being hit by the nose of the wine -- dark chocolate, dark berry, tobacco, wood shavings with loamy/mossy/earthy undertones.

"Heaven in a glass!"

After about 25 minutes, I was back serving up the meal and sat down to join everyone at the table. They were already purring about the wine as all of them had been sneaking sips while I slaved over the stove but I’m sure if I was sitting there I would have been doing the same thing.

I was practically drooling as I sat down and got to try my first sip. The wine didn’t disappoint -- big core of dark chocolate, clove, coffee and plum, perfect balance with finish that lingered on and on in an extremely good way.

The wine was incredible with the food and speaking of the food, it was really good – everything was cooked perfectly which really amazed me as it was the first time I tried grilling beef on the grill on the new range. With all new appliances, I figured I would have screwed at least one thing up! My old stove was electric and the new one is gas so this has been a real adjustment.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 93, Mark - 95, Kathy – 95, Amy – 94, Overall – 94.25.

That is the highest group rating for a wine to date and it is much deserved. This is the type of red wine that you could serve to someone who only likes white wine and they would drain their glass to the last drop. It is that good.

Here is the LCBO information on the 2004 Insignia and not the 1999 reviewed here –

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2004

VINTAGES 710400

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 255.00
Wine, Red Wine,
14.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Release Date: Nov 4, 2008

Tasting Note - The 2004 Insignia (the first to be 100% from the estate vineyards) is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec. I had this wine several times in Napa, and it is a beauty. A flashy, exuberant style for Phelps, with dense ruby/purple color, a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, incense, licorice, smoke, and spice, the wine has supple tannins, a flamboyant, full-bodied mouthfeel, and tremendous length. Despite its precociousness and up-front style, this wine should evolve easily for 20 or more years. There are 10,000 cases of the 2004. Score - 95. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Dec. 2007)

Here is the Wine Spectator review of the 1999 Insignia –

Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley 1999

Dark, rich and intensely concentrated, with a firm, tightly wound core of currant, black cherry, mineral, anise, sage and mocha-laced oak. Well-focused, with firm acidity and firm yet supple tannins. A young blockbuster in need of cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Best from 2004 through 2016. 15,000 cases made. –JL

Release Price - $125
Score – 94

Click here for Part 3

New Year’s Eve 2009 – Part 1

New Year’s Eve at the homestead and I finally had a functional kitchen again. This has been a long year as the renovations started in February with the basement and I have been without a kitchen since late May. The backsplash in the kitchen went in Monday/Tuesday and the table and chairs for the dining room just arrived on the morning of New Year’s Eve. As our annual New Year’s Eve dinner celebration with Mick and Amy is normally hosted at our home, the bonus was that it was also the first proper multi-course meal in our new kitchen.

To play it safe, I decided to keep the menu for the evening simple and straight forward as I didn’t want to get too complicated with the new gas range.

"Great photo, Amy!"

For the first course, we started with two appetizers: Homemade Hummus with White and Multigrain Pita and a Tomato and Feta Salad. The reason for this choice is hummus is a great pairing for Viognier and Mick and I while stocking the new fridge about a week found out I had a shit load of it.

"The savages attacked before a photo could be taken!"

The wine pairing was a 2006 D’Arenberg “The Hermit Crab” McLaren Vale Viognier-Marsanne. The last time we had this wine was in January 2008 so it was fun to retry it again after almost a year. It was a great pairing with the hummus and a good pairing with the tomato and feta salad.

"Great wine at a very reasonable price!"

The nose was a pleasant blend of lychee, citrus and a floral-like component that we couldn’t quite nail down. Tasting the wine, the first thing you notice is a white grapefruit flavour followed by a nice tingling of the tongue as the acidity grabs you. There was a slight oily mouth feel that lingers as it finishes very smoothly. Mick was getting a yeasty, hops-like flavour in the mid-palate; I noticed a similar flavour but not as pronounced as he seemed to.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark – 91, Kathy – 90, Amy 89, Overall – 89.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

d'Arenberg "The Hermit Crab" Viognier/Marsanne 2006

VINTAGES 662775

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 17.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Australia, Australia
By: D'Arenberg Wines
Release Date: Mar 15, 2008

Description - Not only did Wine Spectator designate this wine as a 'Smart Buy', it ranked it number 84 on its list of the Top 100 wines of 2007!

Tasting Note - Soft and charming. A beguiling mouthful of spicy pear and grapefruit flavors that linger with focus on the open-textured finish. Not as rich as pure Viognier, but better balanced. Drink now through 2010. Score - 90. (Harvey Steiman, www.winespectator.com, Nov. 30 2007)

This wine is a huge value at $18 a bottle and I would strongly recommend it as a must buy for anyone’s wine rack.


Click here for Part 2

2005 Wegeler Kabinett Riesling

This past Tuesday, my wife came home after a rough day at work and asked for a bottle of wine to go with dinner. We were having Country Captain soup for dinner, which a curried chicken based soup with all sorts of other goodies in it like apple, red peppers, raisins, and onions. For dessert we were having some banana bread and mix fruit. As the soup has a sweetness to it from the apples and raisins, I decided that a dry wine wouldn’t be the best match and looked to something off dry.

"Good wine, shitty label"

I decided a Riesling would be a good match but wasn’t in the mood for my usual stand-by Riesling by Robert Mondavi. I looked over the wines in the new wine fridge and came across a 2005 Wegeler Kabinett Riesling. I’ll be honest here and couldn’t remember much about picking this wine. Looking at the label I figured it couldn’t be more than a $20 Riesling and thought ‘what the heck let’s give this a try’.

I poured out a glass and gave the wine a quick nose and really wasn’t getting much off of it. I want back to the kitchen without trying the wine and putter around getting dinner ready.

A few minutes later, Kathy sat down at the table, took a sip and exclaimed ‘Oh wow, this isn’t bad at all!’

I served up the soup, sat down and joined her. I nosed the wine again and my eyes opened wide in shock – the wine had really opened up and I was getting a really nice citrus and petrol aroma off of the wine now. Tasting the wine was real treat as well - very nicely balanced, a zesty citrus flavour to it and a beautiful finish.

Now I was a little worried that I had grabbed a much higher priced bottle than I wanted for a middle of the week wine. This was quickly followed up by the thought ‘Oh well, too late to cry about it now!’

It went really well with the soup. It went surprisingly well with the banana bread, melon chunks and strawberries but got real funky with the pineapple - all in all a great little wine.

Here is the LCBO Infromation on this wine -

Wegeler Riesling Kabinett 2005

VINTAGES 650994
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 29.70
Wine, White Wine
8.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MD
Made in: Moselle/Saar/Ruwer, Germany
By: Geheimrat J. Wegeler Erben
Release Date: Jul 21, 2007

Tasting Note - Ripe and juicy, with tangerine, lime and mineral aromas and flavors. Shuts down a little, needing time to integrate, yet all the components are in the right place. Finishes long. Best from 2008 through 2018. Score - 92. (Bruce Sanderson, www.winespectator.com, Feb-07).

I was pleased that the wine was ‘only’ $29; by how it tasted I was expecting that figure to be closer to $50 a bottle. I was amazed to see that there were still some bottles left in the province and I will be picking up a few more bottles of this wine.

Cheers!

Mark