Bus Tour Preliminaries

It's the Friday before the BC Wine Appreciation's Annual Bus Tour kicks into gear and the Wine Grrrlz and I have the day to do a little training - and, much to Boo's dismay, maybe even a little pre-buying. The Grrrlz spent all of yesterday purchasing wine for the BCWAS cellars and they still had a few wineries that they needed to hit today on the Golden Mile and Black Sage Road. They asked me if I wanted to tag along - an offer I readily accepted since the wineries scheduled for the morning were already on my list of "I'd like to get to" destinations.

Today's tour isn't going to result in my being able to add many wines to The List right away, but there are definitely a few that were picked up today that will make it on The List soon.

Boo's last words as I left for the Okanagan were "Remember you're on a leash." Regular readers will know that I have a penchant for buying wines a little faster than we drink them and Boo has devised the "No Buy Leash" that is regularly tugged on to remind me of this unfortunate fact of life. I responded that "I'm driving a sports car; how much wine could I possible fit?" He'd already considered this and tersely exclaimed that "I see two cases in the trunk and one on the passenger seat. We don't need anywhere near that!"

I reminded the Grrrlz that Boo gave them full permission to tug on the leash if need be.

First stop on our tour was Fairview Cellars. Open since 2000, I've wanted to visit the winery but was never able to find it. Owner/winemaker, Bill Eggert, has never posted a directional sign on the local highway and I just never had the skill or time to fully search it out. Without a doubt, Bill is one of the Valley's most colourful personalities. He can pull out a story to fit any occasion and his wry sense of humour and self-effacement is enough to captivate anyone.

Thing is, he makes wines that earn accolades from virtually everyone that tastes them. I recall the first time that I'd heard of his new ventures. It was another Okanagan winemaker at a group tasting and he advised that "Bill Eggert was a winemaker's winemaker" and highly recommended that we try his wines.

I've no intention to go into tasting notes on all the wines that we tried but I will say that I can't wait to open a bottle of The Wrath. The story behind this one-off wine is definitely worth telling and the Amarone-like red just adds to Bill's reputation as a maker of big wines.

I will, however, always have to chuckle to myself about "strong coconut notes on the nose" of all his wines. For further clarification, you'll have to ask Cockney Queen about her evocative sunscreen.

Our next stops were the sister wineries of La Stella and Le Vieux Pin. On the scene now for five years, I haven't really run across their wines much except to see them in local stores. That is, until a tasting earlier this Spring when the La Stella wines knocked my socks off. I definitely wanted to make this first visit before heading back to Vancouver.

If you haven't run across either winery yourself, the owners, Saeedeh and Sean Salem, decided to set up separate wineries so that one could concentrate on an Italian style while the other strived to make wines with a French flair. Take a guess which winery matches up to each style.

There are two physical wineries and tasting rooms as well despite the fact that neither winery produces more than 3000 to 3500 cases. The two operations "share" the grapes from seven different plots; however, they try to produce single vineyard wines as much as possible. They also virtually dry farm the vineyards and this minimal irrigation leads to very low levels of cropping and to intense flavour profiles. We were advised that La Stella's iconic Maestoso is harvested at only 0.7 tons of grapes per acre. I generally look at 2-3 tons as being low yielding. Such limited production comes at a cost though - and Maestoso clocks in at $90 a bottle, making it one of the most expensive BC wines on the market. Good thing for Boo that the winery sold out of the current vintage the week before I arrived.

Considering the Grrrlz and I just walked into the tasting room like any other tourist, I was impressed by the time and knowledge that our hostess had to spare for us.

Our visit to Le Vieux Pin was equally intriguing. We were invited to take a look out back since their crush pad was about to start work on this year's Muscat harvest. After such a late start to the 2011 growing season, it was both surprising and welcoming to hear that the late summer heat had put most of this year's harvest back on schedule. This was the first picking of Okanagan grapes that I'd seen any sign of. I'll also admit that the grapes I tried were very tasty.

I'll be interested to watch Le Vieux Pin's future vintages. We were advised that their intent is to produce more Rhone-based wines as their vines mature. As it was, I bought one of the last bottles of Pinot Noir they intend to produce and one of their initial vintage bottles of Syrah.

One of my favourite stories from the day was the explanation of the chicken coop out back. These were some fancy looking chicks and we asked about their purpose. Turns out, the chickens play a rather novel role at the winery (at least as far as I've run across) where they are allowed to wander the vineyard rows as the grapes reach a certain degree of ripeness. The chickens attract local hawks and other raptors that, in turn, scare off the smaller birds that come by to eat the grapes. With such low yields, the winery doesn't want to lose an inordinate amount of fruit to the snacking birds.

And speaking of "snacking," our morning tastings (and spittings) had now extended until well past noon. We decided to visit near-by Burrowing Owl, grab some lunch at their acclaimed restaurant, The Sonoran Room, and have a sit down to finish a full glass of wine or two.

924. 2008 Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir (VQA Okanagan Valley)

If the early years of quality wine production in BC saw the development of a cult status for Burrowing Owl wines, I was a willing devotée. Not so much anymore. There's no doubt that, for years, I was a fervent member of the Church of Burrowing Owl. In fact, there are over a dozen of their wines that have been added to The List - with still more to come. My rapture for the winery, however, has diminished as much of the local industry has caught up to their early standards. The days of my buying a couple of cases a year are pretty much behind me now - and it's not just because of the No Buy Leash.

This isn't to say that I no longer find or enjoy any Burrowing Owl wines. That's definitely not the case. In fact, we enjoyed the Pinot Noir enough at lunch to order a second bottle and the restaurant meal was delicious. The wine drank true for the varietal and had a nice complexity to the fruit, body and acidity. I found it to be a nice way of capturing some of the Okanagan's signature fruit without pushing any boundary into over the top extraction.

Our little group wasn't nearly as enamoured with the remaining wines that we tried in the tasting room though. Or maybe it was just the tasting room experience itself. Don't get me wrong, Burrowing Owl's tasting room is one of the nicest in the Okanagan; however, I'm thinking that the persona might have become one that's more of a tasting room and less of a winery. The young lady that assisted on our tasting didn't seem to know much about the wines or the production - what little she recited came directly from the tasting notes that were in front of us. I suppose I can forgive that, but she didn't exhibit any desire or interest in finding out anything further either. The other wineries we visited showed a much deeper interest and knowledge in their wines.

And, as trivial as this might seem, I also found it cheeky of the woman at the cash register when she told me that she would have to charge me for one of the 6-pack boxes featuring their logo because I was only buying four bottles. Rather than say that I had donated more than their suggested tasting fee because I like their efforts to assist the burrowing owl's recovery or that I was just about to go to lunch and buy more wine, I simply left with a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth.

Maybe Burrowing Owl has become more of a brand than a winery for me. I'll still give them the benefit of the doubt, but I have to say that they've lost a little of their past lustre.

Love 'em or leave 'em at Burrowing Owl, it was time for the Grrrlz and I to part company. They had a few more BCWAS errands to run and I thought I'd take in a few additional wineries that I didn't think I'd get a chance to visit otherwise. Taking a little loop of Black Sage Road up to Oliver and back down the Golden Mile to Osoyoos, I fit in visits to Stoneboat, Quinta Ferreira, Gehringer Brothers, Hester Creek and a new winery, Rustico. I won't go into any detail about the wineries because they were pretty quick tastings, but I did get at least one bottle from each so that I can post a bit more about them later.

Today's tour didn't exactly result in my being able to add many wines to The List right away, but there are definitely bottles that were picked up and will make it on The List soon.

A Start to Being An Honourary Lesbian

For five years now, the BC Wine Appreciation Society has been holding an annual bus tour - and, for five years, I haven't been able to join the gang as they taste and carouse their way through two days of winery visits. It just seems like the timing for the tour never agreed with my own schedule. This year was a bit different in that I was free; however, Boo, yet again, had to work through the weekend in question.

When asked, a couple of months ago, if I was finally going to join up with the tour, I mentioned that I was toying with the idea but explained my dilemma in having to leave Boo behind. The Wine Grrrlz forcefully conveyed the message that "separate vacations strengthen relationships" and they proceeded to insist that I shack up with them in the palatial suite that they'd reserved.

I'm not convinced about the separate vacation bit, but this year's tour agenda did have some intriguing stops - and the sound of a "palatial suite" is always appealing. So, I agreed to their offer of becoming an honourary lesbian for the weekend.

The bus was scheduled to start the tour on Saturday morning, but the Wine Grrrlz made their way to Osoyoos on the Wednesday. A Thursday afternoon departure was the best I could manage though. The five hour drive to Wine Country was mostly uneventful but by the time I arrived, the sun was setting. The Grrrlz were still on the road and their way back from a day of buying and tasting though. So, I took a bit of a tour of the resort and kicked back my feet to await Cockney Queen, Chewbacca (or Chewie for those in the inner circle) and Shelback.

Surprisingly, I held back on the wine until the Grrrlz appeared. Fortunately, they weren't that far behind me and they were as hungry as I was. The food scene in the Okanagan seems to be improving by leaps and bounds every year and I'd seen a lot of glowing mention for Passa Tempo, the restaurant at Nk'Mip resort. Luckily, it was only a couple of miles down the road and we were able to snag a late reservation.

Our meal orders went all over the map; so, choosing the wines was a bit of a task. Sited smack dab in a winery complex, there was a healthy wine list - appropriately studded with some of the big name BC wines. We were a little surprised in that the restaurant didn't carry Nk'Mip's new premium wine, Mer'r'iym, but we were told that the restaurant is completely different from the winery and that they carry a good assortment of Nk'Mip wines but not all of them.

We adapted.

919. 2008 Noble Ridge Pinot Grigio (VQA Okanagan Valley)

We'd had high hopes for the Noble Ridge, but it seems no one was blown away by the P.G. That was a bit of a surprise since this vintage won its share of medals in various competitions. The wine just seemed lacking to us - whether it was fruit, acidity or just plain tastiness, there just wasn't enough of it. Didn't stop us from finishing the bottle though.

920. 2008 Painted Rock Cabernet Sauvignon (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Since the Mer'r'iym Bordeaux blend wasn't available for tasting, we opted for the Painted Rock. Back in the Spring, BCWAS featured Painted Rock wines at our annual association dinner. If memory serves, this Cab was my favourite wine that evening. This is only the second vintage of Painted Rock reds and the bottle could have used a little more aging and/or decanting but it was concentrated and bold in every way that the Noble Ridge wasn't (not that the two wines should be comparable in any other consideration).

The wine matched particularly well with Cockney Queen's strip loin. This year, the bus tour isn't heading as far North as Painted Rock, but I'm hoping to be able to fit in a quick visit on my own before the weekend is over. I'm quite looking forward to checking out BC's newest "cult" winery.

The Grrrlz thought I could use a little sweetening - particularly if I was hoping to embrace my inner lipstick lesbian-ness as much as my butch persona. Hence the dessert wine. Surprisingly, there wasn't much in the way of BC late harvest or dessert wines on the wine list despite the fact that we were surrounded by icewine country.

923. 2007 Chateau de Rayne Vigneau 1er Grand Cru Classe Sauternes (AOC Sauternes)

The Queen craved Sauternes and, as her mindful subjects, who were we to argue. Unfortunately, the wine didn't exactly deliver as much as the Queen - or we - might have hoped. Chateau de Rayne Vigneau was ranked as a Premier Cru back in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 of wineries in Sauternes and Barsac; however, I did read that the estate has seen rough times and that the most recent change of hands in 2004 is leading to revitalization of the brand.

It was interesting to try a 1er Grand Cru Classe none-the-less - because it's a rare event for me - but I think I'll gravitate to one of BC's dessert wines next time around - if the choice is there.

All in all, we thought the evening was one of hits and misses. By Vancouver standards, the restaurant didn't really live up to expectations. Some of the plates were delicious, others not so much. The success of the wines was similar - with only the Painted Rock really catching our attention. It was great, however, to get an early start to the weekend.

Bring it on.

An AIDS Walk of Our Own

The Vancouver AIDS Walk has been an annual event on my calendar since the first one was held 26 years ago. I think I've participated in the Walk every year that I've been in town - and that's been for most of them. This year, unfortunately, I'm going to be away for the weekend; however, I still registered for the Walk to try and play my part in raising a few dollars for the deserving agencies and charities that benefit.

I'm not entirely sure how many dollars I've helped raised over the years, but I know that it's been over $10,000 in the last five years alone. Knowing that family, friends and colleagues were sponsoring me yet again, I wanted to honour their commitment and pay my respect for the cause as well. The actual Walk was taking place on the upcoming Sunday, but Boo and I completed our own private walk of the course on the Wednesday night before. We also took the opportunity to take our time and enjoy a couple of stops along the route - the first being at the AIDS Memorial at Sunset Beach.

We took the time to place a red ribbon where my brother, Ron's name had been carved into the memorial. We also opened a bottle of wine to toast his memory and the memory of other friends of mine who were lost to this terrible illness.

918. 2004 Langmeil Three Gardens (Barossa Valley - Australia)

Truth be known, Ronnie would have likely preferred to knock back a shot of premium vodka - whether neat or in a martini - over sipping a glass of wine. But, if wine was all that was available, he'd no doubt roll his eyes, give a big "harumph" and ask for the biggest glass there was.

I think even Ronnie would have approved of the wine I brought along tonight though. Langmeil has long been a favourite of mine and you'll find a number of their wines and vintages on The List. This SGM blend (Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre - 48/42/10) hasn't always been my first choice for a Langmeil wine but there was a bit of Fall in the air and a nice juicy red helped to warm us through the occasion. With 7 or so kilometres to walk, we didn't plan a whole picnic and the absence of food might have made the wine a bit much for simple drinking, but the big fruit and spice coming through on the wine seemed appropriate for toasting Ron.

This year's course for the AIDS Walk followed the Seawall past English Bay and around Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park. It just so happens that our family and Ron's friends sponsored a park bench in his memory and the Walk route wandered right past the bench. It was a second natural rest point and perfect location to raise our wine glass yet again. The lighting was starting to fade though and we still had to make our way back to the start; so, with wine glass (and the remnants of our bottle) in hand, we finished our tour of Lost Lagoon and started on our way home.

As beautiful as the route and the sentiments behind the event, I would much rather that there not be a need for the AIDS Walk. I fear, however, we're still a far cry from reaching that point. I'll just try and keep playing my small part in supporting the cause. On that note, I'll send a public shout out to everyone that sponsored me, yet again, this year. As of the time of our little jaunt, I'm happy to say that my total pledges were just over $2600.

That's worth a toast in itself.

Salt Spring Rosé

We're getting the signs that Summer's coming to an end. It's not that I'm opposed to Fall, but, with this year in particular, it's like "Oh Summer, we hardly knew ye!"

If nothing else, rather than lamenting the seasonal shift, I might use the transition to Fall as an excuse to drink up some of the Rosés that still happen to be hanging around our place.

917. 2010 Salt Spring Vineyards Rosé (Gulf Islands - BC)

We picked this bottle up at the winery back on the July 1 Canada Day weekend, when Boo and I visited Tyrant and he hosted the Dinner Club at his new place on Salt Spring.

When we weren't lounging around Tyrant's gorgeous property, shopping for cheese or wining and dining, we managed to make a nice visit to Salt Spring Vineyards - one of the three wineries in operation on the island. Unfortunately, I didn't take any notes on the wine or the production when we visited the winery and I don't see a whole lot of information online. So, I can't go on and on about the bottle. However, I did see that it's a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes and that the fruit is all estate grown.

Whether you'd want to call this "terroir" or not, I'll leave up to you, but the lightness and freshness of the wine just leaves me hankering to return to the island and sit back in the sun - or at the winery's picnic area - and finish off another bottle. I'll look forward to our next chance to do so.

Nichol Cab/Syrah

Another quick grab from the cellar. As Boo "gently nudges" me towards drinking more of the wines that we have stored away, I find myself reaching for some of the "older" vintages that we've been holding off on.

An '04 hardly counts as a fully aged wine, but I think we'll likely see more and more BC wines from the early to mid- years of the 00's as he tightens the "No Buy Leash."

916. 2004 Nichol Vineyard Cabernet-Syrah (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

John Schreiner writes that it was Labour Day 2004 that current Nichol owner and winemaker, Ross Hackworth, started negotiations to buy the winery from Alex and Kathleen Nichol. The grapes for this wine wouldn't have been picked much after the start of that fateful deal.

After a quick look, I couldn't find a breakdown of the blend on this wine, but the label states that it is "estate grown." As such, I think the "Cabernet" must refer to Cab Franc because I'm not aware of Nichol ever having planted Cab Sauv on its Naramata Bench vineyards. They have, however, produced a Cab Franc for years and, as reported elsewhere in this blog, the Nichols were the first to plant Syrah vines in the Okanagan (much to the derision of many). I see that the winery currently has a Cabernet Franc/Syrah blend; so, I think this must have been an early pre-cursor to the wine.

A guess might be that most BC consumers wouldn't have known what a Cab Franc was back in 2006 when the wine was released. So, they just left off the "Franc" part for marketing purposes. How times change.

I do know that the 2004 Nichol Syrah won an '07 Lieutenant Governor's Wine Award. So, at least a good portion of this Cab-Syrah has a pretty healthy pedigree.

If this bottle is any example of what's to come, I may get to like this "arm-twisting" of Boo's to drink more of the wines we already have.

R Zins

The mornings and days after big wine tastings aren't always the best for remembering the comments and statements made and heard the night before. Sometimes, all the wine just gets in the way. At least for me.

One bon mots that has always stuck in my head though is "When thinking California Zin, you can't go wrong if the winery starts with 'R'." I don't remember who said those magic words but I do recall that it was at a touring California wine tasting.

Since we had some Ravenswood Zin just the other night, I figured we could follow it up with a bottle that's been hidden away and was unearthed during our latest re-jigging of our so called cellar.

915. 2001 Renwood Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel (Amador Country - California)

I don't recall a whole lot about where or when I picked up this bottle; so, I thought I'd best hit the net to find out a little bit more. It would seem that there's a fair bit to read about nowadays. Renwood was established in 1993 in the Amador County region and, over the years that followed, it became one of the largest producers - with numbers increasing from a starting 2500 cases to around the 100,000 cases mentioned on the current website.

I needed to look up Amador County as much as I did Renwood, but it's found in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains of central California and is more-or-less a couple of hours East of San Francisco. There's a vintners' association that currently has 35 members and the region has a reputation for Zinfandel.

Renwood has been in the wine news over the last couple of years; however, the reason wasn't as joyous as winning big awards and medals for their wines. Rather, the financial melt-down of a couple years back did the winery no favours and the owners needed to file for bankruptcy protection in 2009. That in itself probably isn't all that earth-shattering. The more interesting bit of news for me, however, was that the winery was purchased last month (August 2011) by an Argentine investment group that includes oil billionaire, Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni, and winemaking veteran, Carlos Pulenta.

Boo and I visited Pulenta's winery, Bodega Vistalba, when we were in Mendoza last year. Vistalba certainly appeared to be a class organization. We quite enjoyed the setting, the restaurant and, most importantly, the wines - by both Vistalba and Tomero. Bypassing Napa and Sonoma, this is the syndicate's first expansion into North America and I'll be intrigued to see how the venture works.

As for the Jack Rabbit Flat, it's a single block wine with the fruit coming from a vineyard that was planted over 80 years ago - under the dictates of an old Act that allowed growers to ship grapes to home "juice" makers during Prohibition years. We might be guilty of having held on to the bottle for a tad longer than was advisable, but the wine didn't seem any the worse for the years. I'd hope for a big jammy sip for the price and I think the wine still delivered. A bit of the fruit might have diminished but it was still a nicely balanced glass. We don't generally open $50 bottles on a regular basis. It's rare enough on a special weekend, but pretty much unheard of on a regular, old mid-week dinner.

No special occasion tonight, I suppose that after all the pulled pork from the BBQ, I was just feeling particularly Zin-ful.

"You Better Work" That BBQ

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there'd been a plan to re-enact last year's Labour Day Tea Dance. Guess I've just been labouring a bit too much lately. No energy to pull off a big party. So, instead, we decided to have a little neighbourhood BBQ. Problem is, even as a potluck, it was almost as much work.

Boo was in charge of using his smoker to make pulled pork for the first time - and it was a full day affair. Add in marinated flank steak and apple slaw and the tasks just seemed to multiply. End results were awfully tasty though.

It appears that we didn't take many pictures however - and I don't even have a shot of one of the wines that drank that night. What's with that?

913. 2009 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel (California)

I'm not even sure who brought the Zin but I thought it was a great choice for the pulled pork.

With its initial vintage having been made in 1976, Ravenswood has been at the forefront of California Zinfandel for many a year now. It's also the home of well known marketing efforts like "No Wimpy Wines" and "To Err is Human, But To Zin is Divine."

The Vintners Blend is part of the winery's series of entry level wines and, at $17 in BC government liquor stores, this Zin has been a popular party pick for years. I was a little surprised to see on the website that the Zin constitutes only 84% of the wine. It's fleshed out with Carignan, Petite Sirah and a bit of "Mixed Blacks" (whatever they might be - I wouldn't mind knowing though because they might well be new additions for the Wine Century Club list).

As well known as the Ravenswood was, the opposite was true for the second wine being added to The List.

914. 2009 The People's Pinot Noir Alexandra (Central Otago - New Zealand)

I'd never actually seen this bottle before and, as mentioned just a few wines back, I like to keep my eye out for Central Otago wines. It wasn't a surprise to me that Marquis and Red were the ones to discover it. They're always good for a bit of a wine adventure.

I couldn't find out much about the people behind The People's Wine. Their website doesn't really provide a wealth of information. They seem to spend as much time discussing the concept of the bottle and the blending of the wine with the art of Martin Poppelwell as they do about the wine and its production. Coming in at $19 though, it's at least half the price of any Central Otago Pinot that I've ever seen in our market. I'm thinking that, at this price, this is a bit of a "buy up all the excess grapes that we can and market a wine for the masses" kind of enterprise. The fact that the other People's Wines are sourced from all over the map - there's even a Barossa Shiraz.

Central Otago or not, this one's not going to jump to the top of my list of favourite Pinots. It seemed a bit bland and thin for that. But it was nice to see that there are more options than just the big game Pinots coming out of the region. I think I'll stick with the Zin though.

It might seem a bit strange that I'm only adding two wines to The List after this size of a dinner and party. There were plenty of wines (and beers) but I was playing the "good boy" and watching myself since it was a school night and work beckoned in the morning. We also started the evening off by introducing everyone to my newest booze of choice - Aperol cocktails. Not being a wine, I can't exactly add Aperol to The List, but I'll have to do a little posting on it since I'd been hoping to find some in town ever since we got back from Italy three years ago. All that time and I've only just located some recently.

That being said, the BBQ was a great little way to spend the holiday Monday. Three days and three dinners/BBQ's. Now that's a workout. With Labour Day behind us though, it just reminds me how much work I've got to do to get caught up again with the blog.

BBQ - Vixen Style

The sis, Vixen, tossed us an invite to drop in for a long weekend BBQ. Little soirées like this used to be regular events in her past, pre-kiddie life. They're not so consistent anymore - or maybe, Boo and I just never seem to make it (or aren't being invited). In any event, we made it this time and I think it's the first dinner at her place in years (for this blog anyhow) that hasn't involved Easter bonnets, Thanksgiving turkeys or Christmas gifts.

She'd planned to use an stalwart from my old Dacquiri Bash days - speed croquet - to get folks in the mood. Turned out, however, that either we're too old or it was just too hot to go running around the backyard and chugging the drink o' the day after hitting the end posts. Particularly when you could choose to just sit back in the shade and have a glass of wine or a beer.

It was a good opportunity to add some neat bottles to The List though, especially when The Guru and his Bride of Frank'n'Wine showed up, after the recent European trip, with a couple of treats from Guru's well-endowed cellar.

910. 2010 Young & Wyse - Amber (VQA Okanagan Valley)

This is the second time a bottle of Young & Wyse bottle is being added to The List. The first was a Merlot that we quaffed during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The relatively new winery was much anticipated seeing as how the Wyse part of the team is a member of the family that pioneered the growth of Burrowing Owl - one of the few wineries in the province that actually achieved something of a cult following.

As each year goes by, more BC wineries seem to be introducing a blended white. This second Young & Wyse addition to The List is a rather unconventional blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer (47%, 38% and 15% respectively) and it's named after Stephen Wyse and Michelle Young's daughter. In general, I'm partial to these blends as they seem to confirm that the strengths of each of the varietals can help bring out the best in the resulting wine. This wine is no exception. The winery doesn't produce varietal white wines yet, but my guess is that they wouldn't match the complexity of Amber. It was bigger than a lot of summer sippers, but I didn't notice any complaints in the back yard.

As mentioned, Guru and Bride recently returned from a bit of a field trip in Burgundy and Italy and they definitely had some fun wine stories to tell, but they also brought along a couple of bottles that I likely wouldn't have seen otherwise.

911. 2005 Domaine Philippe Girard - Premier Cru - Les Peuillets Vielles Vignes (AOC Savigney-Les-Beaune - Burgundy - France)

The (still) happy couple - maybe that's why Bride-y hasn't changed her blog name yet - are self-proclaimed Burg-hounds. They love their Burgundy wines and they brought along a bottle not only from the notable Côte de Beaune district, but also from the heralded 2005 vintage. I was rather glad when the Guru said that he wasn't overly enthralled with this bottle, because it didn't do a lot for me and I didn't want to offend him by saying so. Not that he would have cared - but he might have decided to rescind my invite to tour his cellar.

For those not totally fluent in winespeak, a red wine from Burgundy is invariably going to be a Pinot Noir. There are exceptions, but we won't concern ourselves with that because this was definitely a Pinot. The label indicates that the grapes are from old vines ("vielles vignes") and the website states that those vines are 60 years old. And, then, the winery, itself, has seen the winemaking tradition passed down from father to son for over five centuries.

At $50 a bottle in our market, I don't think it's a wine that I'd run out to buy for a future occasion.

Pretty nice offering for a backyard BBQ though.

912. 2008 Ricasoli Brolio (DOCG Chianti Classico - Tuscany - Italy)

The Chianti was more successful on the palate than the Burgundy - and I'm not always the biggest fan of Chianti. Maybe, in this case, the Italians had just had a little more practice than the French. Dme. Philippe Girard may have been around for five centuries, but Barone Ricasoli claims to be the "fourth longest-lived company in the world and the second in the wine sector." It is the oldest winery in Italy and "the name, Ricasoli, has been linked to wine since 1141, when Brolio Castle passed into the hands of the Ricasoli family."

Now, thatsa pedigree. Our BBQ offerings weren't exactly classic Tuscan cuisine, but the Sangiovese matched up well enough to "beat" the French. And what true blooded Italian wouldn't revel in that feat.

I'll freely admit that Boo and I were among the early departees from the BBQ. In my defence though, most of her other guests live closer and I WAS DRIVING. So, it's not as if I'd be able to drink and blog another bottle.

To top that off, if my time and efforts aren't related to this blog, there's not a whole lot of reason to stick around. Is there? (Just kidding Vixen)

Dinner at Elzee's

The Labour Day long weekend is upon us and I decided that it was just going to be a bit too much work to pull off a repeat of last year's Tea Dance - and too many of the gang had decided to vacate the city this year. Luckily, Elzee decided to work away in the kitchen and have us over for dinner.

Dancing would be optional.

2008 JoieFarm Riesling (Okanagan Valley)

Elzee had just returned from a bit of trip to the Okanagan and she'd come back with a bit of collection of new bottles. Accordingly, she needed to make a bit of room for the incoming bottles and brought out an oldie but goodie. Problem - if you want to call it a problem - is that I've already added this vintage of JoieFarm's Riesling to The List at #211.

No complaints from this boy though. I liked it then and still like it now.

We never need to worry about going home hungry or not enjoying the dinner when an opportunity to dine at Elzee's is presented. I don't know if it's the Italian heritage or not, but the food is never ending and it's always tasty. She's often stated how she likes to use Boo and I as "guinea pigs" for a new recipe she's run across - and we generally leave asking for a copy of it.

In addition to the Okanagan trip, she'd also recently been to Vancouver Island and she, magically, managed to come home with a salmon fresh from this year's fishery. We'd had a bit of tip off on the main course; so, we opted to bring along a Pinot Noir to match up. Having just enjoyed the rather stellar Elephant Hill Viognier, I opted to grab another Kiwi wine that I'd been holding on to for awhile. If Elephant Hill became a new addition to a New Zealand "wish list," a visit to Central Otago is right at the top of that list.

908. 2004 Carrick Pinot Noir (Central Otago - New Zealand)

The Central Otago region claims to be the Southernmost wine producing region in the world but it's pretty new as far as winemaking goes. The first commercial release from the district was only in 1987. It is already, however, gaining a reputation as one of the very best regions for producing Pinot Noir. Even eminent British wine writer, Jancis Robinson, has been quoted as saying that, "Many believe this is where the Pinot grail is to be found."

Three-quarters of the grapes grown in Central Otago are Pinot Noir and the region is best known for intense and vibrant wines. Like most Kiwi wines, however, Central Otago wines are almost invariably found in the premium sections - at premium prices. The region's wines can be hard to find in the first place, but, when you do find them, you have to be ready to bite the bullet. This bottle clocked in at $45 - which, believe it or not, is rather reasonable for a Central Otago Pinot in our market; maybe even on the low side of the spectrum.

Carrick recently announced that, following the minimum three years of organic farming, the winery's vineyards and winemaking practices have been certified as fully organic. They are even taking some aspects of their processes to full bio-dynamic levels. I don't really have the opportunity to discuss the concept further at this time (the blog does feature some discussion in other posts) but a quick mention might be to say that the winery follows the earth's natural rhythms and uses only natural composts and yeasts.

I particularly liked one quote on Carrick's website where they stated that they'd "noticed that the wines sometimes stand out when we are tasting them and often it is a 'flower or fruit' day on the biodynamic calendar. We are aware that one large UK supermarket chain doesn't taste wines on a root day!" If you're like me, you may not have even known that there are such things are "flower or fruit" days. My calendar must be full of "fruit days," I think. I also have to wonder if the word "root" has the same slang meaning in New Zealand as it does in "Oz." That might make wine tasting a bit tougher.

My questionable wit aside, I'm not sure the degree of organic practices were being followed back in the days of the 2004 vintage; however, I often find that wines purporting to have been made pursuant to biodynamic practices are often bigger than their counterparts - and this wine was certainly big for a Pinot, even by Otago standards. Perhaps even a bit much for our salmon. We had no trouble finishing off the bottle however.

909. 2007 Naked Grape Ice - Unoaked Vidal Icewine (VQA Niagra Peninsula - Ontario)

Elzee had a final treat for us as well. First, it was a new frozen lemon dessert (her trademark lemon tart being an all-time favourite of mine). And that was topped off with an icewine from the Niagra Peninsula.

I'm a bit surprised that Naked Grape even produces an icewine. The label is one of the mass market wines that forms part of the Canadian wine juggernaut that is Vincor (itself part of the worldwide Constellation brand). Icewine isn't a wine that I'd commonly associate with a mass market. It is a VQA product; however, so the winemakers must have followed the prescribed requirements in making it. I might have suspected that the grapes were simply frozen and pressed but that wouldn't be allowed under VQA guidelines.

Mass market or not, it was a lovely way to finish a delicious evening.

I'll also just put out the note that Boo and I are certainly open to offering our services to others needing guinea pigs as well.

Will bring wine.

Elephant Hill Viognier

I now have yet another reason that I'd love to visit New Zealand. I picked up this bottle at the 2010 Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival when New Zealand was one of the year's theme regions, but it just sort of got tucked away. Luckily, it's resurfaced and I took a look at my notes from the festival and saw that the Viognier certainly piqued my interest back then.

I didn't know anything about Elephant Hill beforehand and I wasn't all that familiar with Viognier as an emerging varietal from New Zealand. Like most people, I think Sauv Blanc and Pinot Noir when I think Kiwi wine. But, after this bottle and a bit of research on the winery, I think a visit has vaulted up near the top of the Kiwi Wish List.

907. 2009 Elephant Hill Viognier (Hawkes Bay - New Zealand)

The Elephant Hill winery only opened in 2008, having been started by a couple of Germans who fell in love with the winemaking possibilities of the country during a visit in 2001. By 2003, they had returned to find and plant their Hawke's Bay vineyard. Located on the East coast, half way up the North Island, and right off the beach, the afternoon sea breezes temper the warm temperatures of the day.

This 2009 is part of the winery's third vintage and there were only 740 cases produced. With such limited quantities, we were privileged that Elephant Hill came all the way to the Playhouse Festival. The owners are clearly going for a premium, boutique feel to the wines and winery. This Viognier involved seven separate hand picks of the vineyards in order to capture all the best qualities of the ripeness of the grapes - hardly a cost-cutting means of producing a wine.

The winery also features a celebrated restaurant and has an accommodation wing as well. Sounds enticing to me.

As for the wine, after pressing, the juice was fermented in a combination of stainless steel and oak puncheons, remaining on "light lees for four months" prior to be bottled. Interesting that this is the second reference to "puncheons" I've seen in the last couple weeks - the other being with the Laughing Stock Chardonnay. I doubt I could have pointed you to the use of oak puncheons (or larger barrels) a month ago and here we run into them twice in a couple of weeks.

The use of oak and lees likely contributed to the fuller body of the wine but the fruit still shone through with an intense nose. While profound, those aromatics weren't overwhelmingly fruity or floral as some Viogniers can be though. Everything about the wine was integrated and delicious at the same time.

Both Boo and I loved it! I don't think you can label a winery as a "favourite" after only one bottle, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more wines from these new kids on the Kiwi block.