Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Question: I like drinking red wines from Burgenland in Austria made from the Blaufrankisch grape. Would you please recommend some other choices for me?

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La Commanderie de Bordeaux in Vancouver on February 11 at Boulevard restaurant held a tasting-dinner featuring nine older red Bordeaux. This was an interesting event with all red wines from better vintages of 1986, 1983, 1982, 1979 and 1975 showing different states of maturity from around 40-50 years of aging. A great experience to taste older Bordeaux plus reflect back, compare, and reminiscence about earlier days when you may have tasted these same wines. As with all old wines there was the expected bottle variation but with 3 bottles of each served you got a good feel for where they presently stand. Also an opportunity to consider whether you actually prefer drinking young or old wines – or often they are at their best in between.
The bookends of this tasting were excellent.

We started off with 2014 PHILIPPONAT BLANC DE BLANCS GRAND BLANC EXTRA-BRUT 100% Chardonnay (mainly from Vertus), 100% Premiers & Grands Cru vineyards, & 100% Premiere Press for just over 20000 bottles disgorged April 2022 with lower dosage of 4.5 g/l. The nearly 8 years on the lees added depth and elegance to the zesty citric apple-pear toasted almond notes. Good value.

We finished with 1988 CHATEAU CLIMENS BARSAC showing the superb balanced acidity of this first of an outstanding trio of top Sauternes vintages. This classy elegant year shows typical pineapple, peach, orange marmalade with higher complex botrytis prominent. Drinking well now but will ager a long time.

The nine top Bordeaux served in three flights with some brief comments:

1986 CHATEAU GRUAUD-LAROSE ST.JULIEN

This first flight all provided insight to the slower aging 1986 vintage from three different communes. This treasure from St. Julien showed dark deep open textbook cedar cigar box cassis bouquet with full rich structured palate still quite young. Great early 80s decade for legendary winemaker Georges Pauli and Cordier with delicious 1982, underrated stellar 1981 and pretty good drinking 1983 & 1985 as well. Reminds me of their early 60s success with that outstanding 1961, 1962, 1964, and long distance runner 1966. Clearly wine of the flight and your scribe’s best of the night. Very backward and tannic on release and subsequently but now starting to sing beautifully as a classic. A venerable bottle. More to give – no rush.

1986 CHATEAU CLERC MILON PAUILLAC (Baron Philippe de Rothschild)

Harvested October 2-15 with 75CS/15M/10CF early on touted as #2 of the Top 100 in 1989 by Wine Spectator. Second darkest rather closed in at first but showing more tertiary development on the nose with attractive mint as it evolved in the glass. Smooth seductive spicy softening full Cabernet fruit using only 19% new oak. Showing well on best plateau. Enjoy now.

1986 CHATEAU RAUSAN-SEGLA MARGAUX (now Rauzan-Segla)

This 77CS/23M is medium full with the lightest rim. Most delightful aromatics with stylish earthy herbal flowers. Silky elegant textures most developed but starting to dry out on the finish. Drink up with something as well paired as the picture perfect Pate en Croute shown here.

1982 CHATEAU LA LAGUNE HAUT-MEDOC

Margaux-like property first classified one you reach on the road driving up the Left Bank. Suffered in 1958 frosts with wide replanting. Followed every vintage buying 1970 at #10 Minna Street in San Francisco for only $57.50/case (less than $5/bottle). Also bought this for $95/case showing the riper pure fruit of celebrated 1982 vintage. Very perfumed and mellow integrated fruit drinking lovely now. A ready mature beauty in integrated harmony.

1983 CHATEAU LA LAGUNE HAUT-MEDOC

Browner look but some corky TCA fault in my bottle. Others are cleaner but with earthy rustic soft tannins. Enjoyed some better bottles in the late 1990s. 1982 is far superior now.

1982 CHATEAU DUHART-MILON-ROTHSCHILD PAUILLAC

Served blind as a mystery wine. Way the best dark red colour of the second flight. Open enticing bouquet with more cedar. Top year seems younger but probably an 1982 and seems like a St. Julien. Guessed 1982 Chateau Gloria. Wonderful with the handmade potato gnocchi course. Duhart-Milon is from the Lafite Rothschild family that are making much improved quality wines since their excellent 2003 D-H. Check out some current vintages.

1975 CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD PAUILLAC (Le Baron Philippe)

Only First Growth with the brilliant Andy Warhol label from the controversial 1975 vintage. Big production of 241,000 bottles (plus 9245 in larger format). Bought this wine on release in August 1978 in Alberta for $21.30 Canadian. The price was cheap but Second Growth Montrose from St. Estephe was then only one third of that at $7.60. What is value? Tasted this Mouton so many times over the last 6 decades and monitored the slow progress. Started out with big grippy tannins but solid fruit. Developed with bottle age to an interesting bouquet but still somewhat out of balance for those big hard tannins. Now shows an exquisite complex bouquet with a softening palate but would like more fruit to be left (like in the 86 G-L). Difficult vintage of this wine to catch at the apogee. Still enjoyable with food like the tasty Fraser Valley local duck breast matched up.

1979 CHATEAU PALMER MARGAUX

That wonderful distinctive Palmer bouquet always is a charmer. Reflecting back on tasting this several times in the eighties with mentor Peter Allan Sichel who liked the brighter deeper red colour of 1979 (over the miracle year 1978) which he advised was because of the higher acidity. Leaner year but surprisingly still quite fresh and delightful drinking. Doesn’t have the rich fruit and complexity depth of especially 1961 but also 1966 & 1970 that all are aging longer with remarkable results.

1983 CHATEAU FIGEAC ST. EMILION

Only Right Bank example but atypical with so much Cabernet – 35CS/35CF/30M. More fruit than expected in a greener good herbal way with undergrowth. Softer entry but seems nonetheless to be balanced. Less aristocratic and a bit austere for yours truly but a fav for many of the members. Refer to more details from the Figeac vertical reported here on February 19, 2024 where this 1983 recently surprised as well. Adore their 1982, 1964, and 1949 among many other vintages.

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Question: With global warming what is happening with grape growing in Scandinavia?

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The Vancouver Group of Eight held another tour de force event #128 at Blue Water Cafe on February 4 featuring a nine vintage study of Vosne-Romanee Aux Brûlées from Domaine Meo-Camuzet (DMC).

This followed an earlier one #122 in July 2024 of another Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru Les Chaumes also DMC linked here. Again all the wines were most generously donated by esteemed collector Ian Mottershead. Aux Brûlées has a total of 4.53 hectares of which DMC has .73 in second place behind Domaine d’Eugenie 1.14 and ahead of Michel Gros .63. Compare this with Les Chaumes of 6.46 hectares of which DMC has 2.01 of it – way more than the others. Their Aux Brûlées mid-slope parcel facing mainly East (and North) in Aux Brûlées (divided by the D109 road leading to Concoeur-et-Corboin) is in the middle of the better southern portion towards Grand Cru Richebourg (compared to the flatter lower northern portion facing South East below the 11.39 hectares of Premier Cru Les Beaux Monts). This is a choice Premier Cru property aspiring for Grand Cru quality using older vines on clay-marl with limestone soils scattered with larger rocks.

The evening started with a fantastic classy Champagne aperitif treat of 2012 BOLLINGER VIEILLES VIGNES FRANCAISES BLANC DE NOIRS bottle #797 of 2193 produced. This is 100% Pinot Noir grapes from two tiny Grand Cru parcels in d’Ay of Les Chaudes Terres & Clos St. Jacques planted “en foule” in unorganized profusion with the vines propagated by layering. A unique treasure from a top vintage harvested on September 13, 2012 that was disgorged in March 2023 with a moderate dosage of 6 grams/litre. Most impressive showing long lees aging (memories of their leadership role in RD recently disgorged bubbles) with toasty lemon zest prominent ginger complex bouquet and flavours a special delight with the Dungeness crab hors d’oeuvre.

Finished with another classic of 1970 FONSECA VINTAGE PORT perfectly decanted service developing in the glass into a smooth rich full (not spirity) balanced digestif with lots of depth and length. No rush.

Some impressions of the nine DMC Aux Brûlées:

2011 AUX BRULEES 12.5 ABV: Challenging variable vintage. Paling rim but good depth with lovely open red fruits aromas and a lighter forwardly finesse palate for current drinking.

2010 AUX BRULEES 12.5 ABV: Spring frosts and difficult flowering resulted in a smaller crop. Medium colour but a deep classy nose of many complex elements including cherries, subtle earthiness, and exotic spices. Admire the noble cool intensity with refined delicacy all in balanced harmony. Wonderful cloves in this wine that are also noted in the fabulous two-way duck dish. Enjoyable lovely silkiness starting to develop now but even more classic Vosne-Romanee terroir to deliver with some further patience.

2009 AUX BRULEES 13.5 ABV: Warmer vintage. Deep red colour showing sweeter riper bouquet. Rounder softer fuller opulence on the taste. Ian commented on the “bigger black fruits” it shows. Lots of dark cherries but not over the top jammy Cherry Heering Liqueur. Has the concentration of fruit to admire presently and will be on this exciting plateau for a long while.

2008 AUX BRULEES 13 ABV: Erratic weather required attentive grape selection and careful vinification as was done here. Smartly used a later harvest with drying Fall winds for clean ripe better fruit retaining low pH and bright fresh acidity. Leaner and elegant but again has an admirable delicacy of Aux Brûlées. Would give this more cellar time for the acidity and tannins to come together with the choice fruit.

2005 AUX BRULEES 13.5 ABV: Great weather conditions with a smaller harvest. Very dark and deep look. Pumped by the fantastic cherries, creaminess, and all in perfect harmony! Amazing best tannins with intriguing minerality notes. This 2005 is the way to combine power with elegance. Favourite “complexity” of David Kester. Unlimited future ahead. A great treasured bottle.

2003 AUX BRULEES 13.5 ABV: Hot intense heat of the Summer. Very pale rim with less red. Lots of spicy extracted ripe concentration but too soft and soupy. Acidity too low. Lacking in that special Aux Brûlées terroir. Recommend drinking this atypical one right now.

2002 AUX BRULEES 13.5 ABV: Stellar remarkable year that favoured Burgundy over most of the rest of Europe. Lighter open stylish statement with a lot of charm. Like the delicious succulent clarity of expression here. Goes well with the keenly sourced from Alberta Elk Rack course. Showing the terroir better with admirable textures and refinement. Pretty classic. Probably has less depth and longevity than the treasures of 2010 & 2005.

1999 AUX BRULEES 13 ABV: Second darkest behind 2005. Great vintage in Cotes de Nuits and especially also Cotes de Beaune. Always find this vintage delivers a lot of power. Impressively does so here for Aux Brûlées. Firmer tannins and generous more robust structure. Nick Wright nailed it nicely as “less elegant than 2005”. Still there is a lot of big sturdy forest floor truffle fruit and potential here that should improve.

1998 AUX BRULEES 13 ABV: Lightest and palest edge. Difficult year with narrow September picking window between the rains coming early and late. Tried this vintage a few years ago with slight Brett issues. Clean here though and open with most tertiary bouquet – that is encouraging for the 8 younger years tasted here still showing somewhat primary in development. Some cinnamon and surprising interest but overall this vintage is a bit too austere.

So differently styled from the current excellent releases like the 2022 that has such ripe attractive approachable fruit and lots of Francois Frere 80% new oak. Check them out.

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Question: Are the wine grapes Macabeo and Viura similar?

Answer: Indeed. Basically the same white grape going by different regional names with Macabeo (or Macabeu) most commonly used in Catalonia but called Viura in Rioja.

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