2006 Two Hands Harry & Edward’s Garden Shiraz, Langhorne Creek, South Australia

I purchased this wine after tasting it at the Vancouver International Wine Festival in March of 2009. This Shiraz is part of the Two Hands Garden Series, Premium Shiraz from 6 different growing regions of Australia. They are:

1-Bella’s Garden from Barossa Valley

2-Harry and Edward’s Garden from Langhorne Creek

3-Lily’s Garden from McLaren Vale

4-Max’s Garden from Heathcote

5- Samantha’s Garden from Claire Valley and

6-Sophie’s Garden from Padthaway

Generally I prefer cooler climate Shiraz like Claire Valley, Heathcote and Langhorne Creek; a cooler climate makes for less jammy wines with better acidity, lower alcohol and a more elegant wines.

This wine opened up with ripe dark fruits (blueberry, blackberry and plums), violet, eucalyptus and cedar. The palate is medium to full body with rich fruits flavours, pepper and savoury notes, balance acidity and grainy tannins. The finish is long and peppery. This Shiraz has loads of fruit but it’s never goes into the jammy territory as acidity and tannins hold this wine together, bringing complexity and structure to this delicious Shiraz.

This wine was purchased in BC (Vancouver Wine Show) 2009, $75.00

Paul Picks from the LCBO New Release of April 30, 2011 - Aussie Dynasties and Osoyoos Larose Le Gran Vin

Hello to all my wine friends,

A look at this New Release (NR) reveals the first feature section is of Australia.  This NR also includes a few Bordeaux Blends from Canada. It is a far cry from the New Releases from last October, November and December when there was so many great wines to choose from. I am told that the NR of June 11 (Father's day big Reds?) will have a much better selection.

Aussie Dynasties;  This feature section of this NR showcases 11 renowned Australian wine families who produce wine from some of the most well known vineyards; D'Arenberg, Henschke, Jim Barry and Yalumba. 22 wines in total, represent a small portion of the 73 wines which will be available to taste and buy at the "Australia's First Families of Wine", Taste & Buy, held in Ottawa May 4 and Toronto May 5, held for the first time in Canada. I will be attending this tasting in Ottawa next week and will share my tasting notes and comments from this show with you next week. The 22 wines from this feature section of the NR, represent entry level wines from these wineries compared to top wines like Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz and The Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon, Tahbilk 1860 Vines Shiraz to name a few, which will be feature at Ottawa and Toronto show next week. Now for this week NR here are my three picks from Australia; 1-Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2008 (720433) at $49.95 Best after 3-5 years in your cellar. 2-Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz 2008 (098392) at $21.95 great BBQ wine and 3-Yalumba Viognier 2009 (954644) at $24.95 a tree fruit and spicy white wine from South Australia.

Osoyoos Larose Le Gran Vin;  This winery is a joint venture between Groupe Taillan of Bordeaux and Vincor International based in Ontario. The wineries name, Osoyoos refers to the location of the vineyard in the Okanagan Valley and Larose refers to one of Taillan's most prestigious estate in Bordeaux, second growth Chateaux Gruaud-Larose of Saint-Julien. They grow all five Bordeaux grapes; Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. These are the only grape varietal they grow, no white grapes are grown here. The vineyard is located above the Lake Osoyoos were the climate is ideal for grape growing, intense sunlight with low rainfall and cooler night temperature moderated by Mountains and Lake Osoyoos. Le Gran Vin is is definitely as close to Bordeaux as you will find in Canada (with exceptions of Mission Hill Oculus). While at the Vancouver Wine Show last month I tasted the 2006, 2007 and barrel tasting of the 2008. With a bottle of the 2006 vintage lurking in my cellar. The Osoyoos Larose Le Gran Vin 2006 (626325) at $45.00 is a big wine with black cherry, blackberries, chocolate, smoke, cigar box and cedar on the nose. The wine is full body with concentrated flavour, grainy tannins and balance acidity. Its drinking well right now serve with a nice steak but could easily be cellared for another 2-4 years. This wine was released in BC in the fall of 2009, and first released in Ontario in October 30, 2010 NR. The 2007 vintage was release in BC last fall.

My top three wines from this release;

1-Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2008 from Australia at $49.95

2-Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2006 from BC, Canada at $45.00

3-Stratus Red 2007 from Ontario, Canada at $44.20

My top three wines for there value;

1-Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz 2008 from Australia at $21.95

2-Leone De Castries Salice Salentino 2006 from Italy at $16.95

3-Domaine Tinel-Blondelet La Croix Canat Sancerre 2009 from France at $21.95

These wines did not make my shopping list but are worth considering;

Red Wines;

1-Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2008 from Australia at $49.95

2-Henschke Johann's Garden 2007 from Australia at $54.95

3-Howard Park Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Australia at $29.95

4-Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from California at $29.95

White Wines;

1-Malivoire Mottiar Chardonnay 2009 from Ontario at $29.95

2-Domaine Tinel-Blondelet La Croix Canat Sancerre 2009 from France at $21.95

Cheers

Paul YWG  

        

Le Vieux Pin Époque Merlot 2006, VQA Okanagan Valley, BC

Le Vieux Pin is a small boutique winery in Oliver, ( South Okanagan) BC. This single vineyard full body Merlot has great aromatics with crushed berries, dried herbs, smoky and cedar. The palate has muscular texture, balance acidity and grainy tannins. The finish is long with dark fruit, black pepper and tannins. This wine still has a lot of life left, 2-4 years in your cellar would make this wine even better. I  especially enjoyed all the great details on the label like; Vineyard site –Kalalla, soil – Silt, Gravel and Loam, Brix level – 24 7/8,day of harvest October 14 and aged in Oak 100% French of that 25% new. This is definitely the style of Merlot I like, a true comfort wine.

This wine was purchased on November 27, 2010 LCBO New Release at $37.95 

Ridge Lytton Springs 2007, Dry Creek Valley - Sonoma County, California

This wine is a blend of 71% Zinfandel, 22% Petit Sirah and 7%Carignan, fermented with natural yeast and aged for fifteen months in American oak. Ridge sure know how to do blends and this wine has great aromatics; dark plums, blueberries, cassis and cedar. The palate is well structured with rich flavours, lively acidity and firm tannins. Long espresso finish wrapped in fine tannins. I really enjoy Ridge Zinfandel, they are never over the top jammy or alcohol. This wine has great flavours and class. This Zinfandel could age 2 to 4 years easy. Yummy

This wine was purchased on October 30, 2010, LCBO New Release at $44.95 

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, March 28 - April 3, 2011

  

This was the third time I have attended the festival that is considered to be one, if not the best wine show in North America. The organization and volunteers really did a fantastic job bringing together 176 wineries from 15 different countries. The focus here is all about wine; no beer, no shooters, no cocktails, just wine (around 1,700 this year) with two feature spirits, Port and Sherry. What makes this show consumer friendly is the one entry fee, no additional tickets required; this includes all the tastings and complimentary nibblies, including my favourite Alexis de Portneuf cheese from Québec. The easy access to food and water while tasting many wines was extremely important.

It was impossible to visit every booth in 5 hours spread over two days. In the interest of full disclosure, I did not make it to the booths representing; Austria, Chile, Greece, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa and United States (with exception of Rodney Strong Vineyards). My goal was to focus on three regions in particular; BC wines, Germany and Spain, then share my thoughts with you.

British Columbia; Some of the buzz at this show, was the 95 points received by Mission Hill Oculus 2007 from James Suckling (formally of Wine Spectator). This review was part of a blind testing session held at the SAQ labs in Montréal, February of this year. In total 16 BC wines score 90 points and more. I did have the opportunity to taste The Oculus 2007 (Bordeaux blend) a wine of such power with dark fruit, leather, tobacco leaf, cedar and cassis on the nose, palate is firm with grainy tannins, balance acidity and richness of fruit. This wine has such potential and is not cheep at $80.00 / bottle, but I would not be surprised to see this wine on Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2011. I tasted many good wines from BC and here a list;

White wines: Tantalus 2009 Riesling, Mission Hill Reserve Viognier 2009, Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc 2010, Wild Goose Mystic River Pinot Gris; and

Red wines; Mission Hill Quatrain 2007, Painted Rock Merlot 2008, Poplar Grove The Legacy 2006 and Cabernet Franc 2007, NK’MIP Cellars QWAM QWMT Merlot 2008 and Mer’r’iym 2008 (First Bordeaux blend from this winery) it was superb, this was my second favourite BC Bordeaux style wine from BC after Oculus 2007. Also available to Trade only was Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin Barrel Sample 2008 (Great potential and monster tannins right now).

Germany; One of the most satisfying segment of this festival for me, was tasting the Riesling from some of the seven wineries representing Germany. The Riesling grape is truly the most complex and interesting white grape and nowhere is it produced with such diverse style, than in Germany. It was very interesting talking to Winemaker Hans Hamann of Deinhard in Rheingau and his frustration with some who did not take the time to truly enjoy the complexity of his wines, drinking them as if they were shooters or spit them and move on to something else (I say you should really taste the great stuff). He realized that this was an occasion to showcase his wines to a large market (approx. 25,0000 people attend this show every year). My favourite wine of his was 2009 Schloss Johannisberger Riesling Grünlack Spätlese at $56.99.

Discussing wine with the passionate
Wine Maker Telmo Rodriguez

Spain; Every year, one country is chosen as “The Regional Theme”, and this year that country was Spain. With 32 wineries and an impressive list of Spanish winemaking stars and winery principal, the likes of Alvaro Palacios, Miguel Torres, Telmo Rodrigues and Vega Sicilia to name a few (a principal from each winery is mandatory to be an exhibitor). Some of the main attractions about the new style of Spanish wines are small producers, naturally low-yielding vines, more restrained use of oak, elegance of the Reserva and Grand Reserva level of wines from Rioja and bold wines of Priorat and Ribera Del Duero. With 32 booths and 167 wines, many of those I had never seen or tasted before. Here are my highlights; having the opportunity 

Spanish Star
Winemaker Alvaro Palacios

to speak to both Alvaro Palacios and Telmo Rodrigues, the four wines at Telmo Rodrigues booth blew me away (I did purchase two of these wines). My favourite wine from the entire show was Marqués De Riscal Gran Reserva 2003 from Rioja at $60.00 a bottle. To my disappointment, this wine was all gone at the festival BC Liquor store by the time I got there. It summary the quality of wine was very high from this country. Spain was definitely the star of this show and set a high standard for next years “Regional Theme Country” Chile.

http://playhousewinefest.com/

Here are my top 12 wines tasted at the show:(In no particular order and these are BC prices)

1- Marqués De Riscal Gran Reserva 2003, Rioja, Spain at $60.00

2-Telmo Rodriguez M2 De Matallana Cosecha 2006 , Ribera Del Duero, Spain at $44.00

3-Telmo Rodriguez Lazanga 2007, Rioja, Spain at $35.00

4-Mission Hill Oculus 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia at $80.00

5-Mission Hill Quatrain 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia at$45.00

6- Schloss Johannisberger Riesling Grünlack Spätlese, Rheingau, Germany at $56.99.

7-Schloss Schonborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Auslese 2009, Rheingau Germany at

 $76.00 for a half bottle

8-Alvaro Palacio Les Terrasses 2008, Priorat, Spain $47.00

9-Rodney Strong Reserve Pinot Noir 2008, Russian River Valley, California at $50.00

10- NK’MIP Cellars Mer’r’iym 2008, Okanaghan Valley, British Columbia at $50.00

11-Cave de Tain Saint-Joseph Red Esprit de Granit 2007, Rhone, France at $34.99

12-Clos de L’Oratoire Chateauneuf-Du-Pape 2007, Rhone, France at 49.99

Here are the wines I have brought back from Vancouver;

Some International gems
purchased at the show.

Telmo Rodriguez M2 De Matallana Cosecha 2006 , Ribera Del Duero, Spain

Telmo Rodriguez Lazanga 2007, Rioja, Spain

Ramon Bilbao Edicion Limitada 2007, Rioja, Spain

Mission Hill Oculus 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

NK’MIP Cellars QWAM QWMT Merlot 2008, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Painted Rock Merlot 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Poplar Grove Syrah 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Ode To Lorraine 2006, Barossa Valley, Ausralia

BC wines purchased at the show.

Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz 2008, Claire Valley, Australia

Orin Swift The Prisoner 2009, Napa Valley, California

I have learned a great deal about packing wine for airlane travel post 9/11, if I could have purchased more that would have been great. There were so many wines I could never find here in Ontario, specialty, small boutique wineries from BC for example. For now, these wines are a great addition to my cellar, and when I open one of these bottles, the memories of this fantastic Wine Show in Vancouver will bring a smile. I would like to say thank you to my partner Christopher DeMerchant for spending the Thursday event with me and taking photos and my former manager of the wine shop I use to work at in Victoria, Sebastian Lucero-Groisman for spending the day Friday with me, it was great to connect with a great friend and taste wine together.

Cheers,

Paul, YWG

Tasting Charles Cimicky 2005

The Autograph Shiraz from Australia

Paul Picks from the LCBO New Release of April 16, 2011 - New Zealand Wines, Petit Sirah and Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz

Hello to all my wine friends,

A look at this release reveals wines of good value at mid-price range, which is good for your wallet, including a great deal of interesting Pinot Noir and a good selection of wines from $15.00 to $30.00. Let’s get started.

New Zealand Wines: The wines of New Zealand are one of two featured themes of this release. Now before we start, I need to vent. This year the New Zealand Wine Fair is skipping Ottawa as one of their destinations. They will be in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto but not Ottawa. I am not sure why they missed Ottawa after having presented their wines here for the last 5 years, this is disappointing and unfortunate. Now, NZ is well known for there Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Noir from NZ are usually of a medium body, with light berries and floral with good acidity. So here are my top wines starting with Pinot Noir. All three of these Pinots are from the cooler region of Central Otago, 1-Amisfield Pinot Noir 2008 (179754) at $44.95; (This wine needs a year or two in your cellar) 2-Carrick Pinot Noir 2007 (919837) at $34.95; this is a reliable producer who produces complex wines, ready now or hold for a few years, 3-Ant Moore Pinot Noir 2009 (220657) at $24.95; very good reviews at a great price. If I was buying only one wine from this release, it would be Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 2009 (163584) at $27.95. This is a Bordeaux blend of 80% Merlot (you know me, I like Merlot), 12% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. I love the style of this winery, I have never had a bad bottle from them. Admittedly,  I have no Sauvignon Blanc in my cellar. From the five Sauvignon Blanc available, my pick is Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (224428) at $18.95.

Petit Sirah: Now Petit Sirah is not the same or related to Syrah or Shiraz. It is very popular in California, the Petit Sirah grape usually produces a wine which is almost purple, black fruit flavour, savoury character, and peppery. This wine is great for the BBQ season, paired with hamburger, sausage, steaks and lamb chops.  On my shopping list this week is Napa Ridge Petite Sirah 2007 (213686) at $19.95. I say go for it, try something new.

Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz: Last week at the Vancouver Wine show I tasted Kilikanoon R Reserve Shiraz from Barossa Valley 2008 and Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz 2008 from Claire Valley both $30.02 (BC price). I definitely enjoyed the Covenant much better. The Claire Valley region is cooler and produces wines with better acidity and less jammy character, this produces a more balanced wine. I managed to purchase one bottle of the Covenant 2008. Now, there seemed to have been a problem with the pricing of this wine as the agent of the winery stated that the price should have been $46.99, but the BC Liquor Store located at the show posted the price at $30.02. For once the BC price was lower than the LCBO, no a complaints from me. The LCBO is now releasing  the 2007 vintage of this wine, I have enjoyed this  vintage before (in BC) and I believe that this wine would be much better now, as it is a year older and most likely smoother. I will buy a bottle of Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz 2007 (674747) at $39.95.

My top three wines from this release:
1- Amisfield Pinot Noir 2008 from New Zealand (179754) at $44.95
2-Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravell Vineyard 2009 from New Zealand (163584) at $27.95
3-Carrick Pinot Noir 2007 from New Zealand (919837) at $34.95

My top three wines for there value:
1-Grove Street Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from California (161190) at $15.00
2-Ant Moore Pinot Noir 2009 from New Zealand (220657) at $24.95
3-Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from New Zealand (224428) at $18.95

These wines did not make my shopping list but are worth considering:

Red Wines;
1-Amisfield Pinot Noir 2008 from New Zealand (179754) at $44.95
2-Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina (128629) at $17.95
3-Urraca Malbec 2008 from Argentina (214379) at $19.95
4-Josef Chromy Pinot Noir 2009 from Australia (163022) at $27.95
5-Wolf Blass Gold Label Shiraz from Australia (590273) at $27.95
6-Château Gigognan Vigne du Régent Châteauneuf-Du-Pape 2007 from France (219899) at $39.95
7-Villa Matilde Rocca Du Leoni Aglianico 2007 from Italy (165035) at $19.95

White Wines;
1-Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2009 from Ontario (080234) at $16.95
2-Beringer Chardonnay 2009 from California (084988) at $24.95

 Fortified Wine;
1-Gonzalez Byass Elegante Palomino/Pedro Ximenez Sweet Cream Sherry from Spain (196824) at $14.95

My team and I will be back for the next New Release of April 30, 2011.

Cheers,

Paul, YWG.

Paul Picks from the LCBO New Release of April 2, 2011 - Pinot Noir, Cline Ancient Vines Zin and In-Store Discoverie​​s

Hello to all my Wine Friends,

I am sending you this newsletter from Vancouver while I am here taking in the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival 2011, where the featured wine country is Spain. I will be updating my blog with a feature article, complete with photos, list of favourite wines tasted and a list of wines purchased at the show. Luckily most wines featured here are available for purchase with some limited availability elsewhere in  the country.

Pinot Noir; the feature section of this New Release is the Burgundy region of France. The two main grapes grown in this region are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This comes at a good time as I have no Pinot Noir remaining in my cellar that is ready to enjoy. Pinot Noir (PN) are usually light or light to medium body, have lively acidity, they are usually far less tannins in PN as the skin of this grape is quit thin, and flavour profile are sweet, sour, floral , earthy, sweet spices and mineral texture. Now, the most expensive Pinot Noir (Grand Cru and 1er Cru) often needs time in your cellar as they can be austere, hard with tannins and acidic. This grape is  very versatile at the dining room table as it can be paired with so many dishes; from grilled salmon, chicken and pork to beef bourguignon, coq au vin, roasted duck, risotto, pasta with tomato based sauce and dishes cooked with mushrooms. Here are two PN that can be enjoyed now or short term cellaring of 2-4 years; Roux Père & Fils Côte de Beaune-Villages 2009 (208520) at $17.95 and Domaine Gille Côte de Nuits-Villages 2008 (210864) at $24.95.

Cline Ancient Vines Zin; here is my favourite BBQ wine, California Zinfandel at its best, also simply know as Zin.. This grape has really found its niche in California, where it produces medium to full body wines, fruity almost jammy, spicy with high alcohol. The high alcohol part is not what I like about Zin, I will usually stay away from Zin’s over 15% alcohol. One producer, Rosenblum Vineyards, often have Zinfandel clocking at over 16.5%, those are too jammy and hot for me. What I like about Zin, is its fruitiness and its velvet mouth feel. One such wine is being released this week, and one of my favourite, is Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2009 (719211) at $17.95. I have been enjoying this wine for the last 5 or 6 vintages and found it to be consistent from year to year and now the bonus is the price. This wine used to sell for $22 a few years back, it is now listed at $4 less a bottle. Ancient vines means that some of these vines are 80 to 100 years old, planted by Italian and Portuguese immigrants. These vines produce very little fruit, but the fruit produced by these vines are complex with rich and concentrated flavours. One thing I must tell you, I visited this winery in Sonoma, beautiful location in Sonoma, they have nice wines but were serving them way to hot as they had no method of serving their wine at an appropriate temperature. On a hot summer day, Zin served at 23-24 degree Celsius is way too hot. Don't be afraid to chill your wine for 15-20 minutes, they are better served at 16-17 degree Celsius especially during the summer. A cooler Zin brings more focus to the fruit and can tame the monster (Alcohol).

In-Store Discoveries; there are products (usually one or two dozen) released on New Release (NR) day that are not featured in the NR catalogue. To see a list of wines released as part of in-store discoveries, visit the LCBO web site, click on Vintages than look at the bottom of the page for “Additional Information”, click on “In-Store Discoveries”. These products are available in limited quantities and not available in all stores. To check for availability, simply use the product search engine. I had the opportunity to enjoy one of these discoveries, this past summer at an Italian Restaurant in Berlin, the wine, Castello Di Ana Chianti Classico 2006 (039768) at $32.95. This Chianti is from a reliable producer, a deeper color than most with rich flavours and velvet smooth on the finish.

My top three wines from this release:
1. Domaine Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin Bel Air 1er Cru from France (209502) at $79.95.
2. Vilafonte Series M, 2006 from South Africa (007757) at $39.95.
3. Domain Gille Cote de Nuits-Villages 2008 from France (210864) at $24.95.

My top three wines for their value:
1. Roux Pere & Fils Cote de Beaune-Villages 2009 (208520) at $17.95.
2. The Oak Valley Blend 2005 from South Africa (214361) at $16.95.
3. Barba Vignafranca Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 from Italy (203894) at $17.95.

These wines did not make my shopping list but are worth considering:

Red Wines;
1. Domaine Marchant Grillot Morey-Saint-Denis 2008 from France (210906) at $39.95
2. Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from California (718452) at $54.95.3. Decero Remolinos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Argentina at $22.95.4. Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2008 from Australia (5009919) at $34.95.
5. Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Australia (048579) at $24.95.
6. Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Reserva 2006 from Italy (111641) at $15.95.

White Wine
1.Domaine Roux Pere & Fils Les Chaumes Chassagne Montrachet 2009 from France (208512) at $38.95.
2. Inniskillin Winemaker's Series Two Vineyards Riesling 2009 from Ontario (105387) at $17.95.
3. Arboleda Chardonnay 2008 from Chile (606772) at $15.95.
4. Dr. Herman Riesling Spatlese 2006 from Germany (197178) at $22.95.

My team and I will be back for the New Release of April 16, 2011.

Cheers,

Paul, YWG.

http://paulnjoywine.blogspot.com/