The spotlight on the short seasonal Spot Prawn harvest continues to be a most popular focus here on the Pacific West Coast. Our thriving Chefs’ Table Society started this Festival 18 years ago and it continues to attract a lot of public attention with culinary presentations and demos plus sales directly from the boats. The latest was on Sunday May 25th with a great turnout at Fishermen’s Wharf on False Creek on a sunny Spring Day in Vancouver. Your scribe reported here on May 27, 2024 about last year with more details and referenced with a link to two earlier ones in 2023 and 2022. Some good coverage with insightful videos on our chefstablebc Instagram account to check out. It has turned into quite the culinary phenomenon!

This year again saw beautiful presentations by the contributing chefs for 6 dishes on the $79 grazing menu Brunch plus the 8 ounce delicious Spot Prawn Bisque + Bun for $10 orchestrated lighter this year using only 25% whipping cream by the inimitable Chef Robert Clark. The cooking demos well moderated by Chef Alex Tung were so educational and full of valuable tips. Talented Chef Ned Bell prepared his tasty Tacos dish and recommended getting those heads off the Spot Prawns asap and only cooking them with boiling water poured over them for the count of 10 and then immediately put into ice water. He advised you also could steam them but to be very careful not to overcook them using the BBQ. We are already gearing up for a special 20th Festival celebration in 2027.

The Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia is active and contributes so much to our local community. Upcoming is their Dungeness Crab Festival at the Wharf on Sunday July 6 and the extraordinary CooksCamp 2025 at North Arm Farm in Pemberton B.C. September 10-12 for two days of hands-on learning and sharing to better both our industry and ourselves. Recommended. Breaking most exciting news is that CTS has signed a 5 year lease with options for space to develop a Culinary Hospitality Centre and Library in Vancouver. More details on the location and the date for the celebratory opening to follow. Stay tuned.

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Question: What is Procanico?

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Your scribe bought and has been enjoying the top quality M3 Chardonnay 2021 sourced from cool sites in the Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills, Australia vinified and bottled by Shaw + Smith – established in 1989 by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith MW.

Impressed by the wonderful reductive style of elegant crisp structured well balanced 2021 Chardonnay stony pure intense fruit both subtle and understated at only 13 abv. Under the radar but refined, matching beautifully with all sorts of seafood dishes including recently some tasty Icelandic Cod.

Last month David Lemire co-CEO made his North America tour from Florida, to Chicago, to Cork Fine Wines in Calgary and finished up with a tasting at Marquis Wine Cellars in Vancouver on May 21, 2025. It was good to connect again with knowledgeable David and obtain further insights from him about their interesting portfolio of excellent wines. Excited to try the new Chardonnay releases. They also showed three other recommended varieties of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir (both 2021 Adelaide Hills and impressive 2021 south facing single vineyard Lenswood planted in 1999 with Clone 114) and Adelaide Hills Shiraz (2021 at 13.5 plus an aged release 2013 at 14). The 2023 M3 Chardonnay Adelaide Hills at 12.5 was the third cool La Nina year (before the hotter 2024 and the warm dry different more adjusted 2025 compressed vintage using increased vine density plantings) but even less full ripeness in this 2023 vintage. Even though picked later it seems not quite as rich, balanced and structured as 2021 with a bit more restraint and minerality than 2022 but more currently charming delicate with lovely softer smoky flavours. Not hard, high acidity but leaner so 2023 will drink well early on but should still age a while as well. Lovely Adelaide Hills styling and as stated on their website another “modern classic”. Particularly noticeable to try the younger 2023 Adelaide Hills next to the 2021 east facing Block 3 & 4 of Lenswood Vineyard Chardonnay planted with Clones Bernard 95 & 76 in 2001 at 500 metres on loam over clay and shale at 4760 vines/ha. that definitely shows more fresh vibrancy, intensity, and structure from that single vineyard but also from the exceptional 2021 vintage. They have 3 Adelaide Hills sites that includes the main Balhannah Vineyard at about 360 metres but watch out for more special Piccadilly Vineyard designations in the future as the vines mature from the highest coolest part of the hills with iron & shiny quartz at very high density planting of over 10,000 vines per hectare. Also, check out their classy more expensive Tolpuddle Chardonnay from the Coal River Valley in cooler Tasmania.

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There are lots of old vineyards around the city of Bordeaux that historically go back many centuries. However the wide sweeping Graves name that was used for the wines was just too broad a focus. A smaller new Pessac-Leognan appellation was created in 1987 led by Andre Lurton and others that has been most successful in spotlighting more wine stars in this prized select region. Now quite a few top Pessac-Leognan properties are producing excellent wines of both white and red. One is Chateau Pape Clement. A long impressive history there going back to the Pope but a property slumbering during the mid 1900s that was hurt by a massive hail storm in 1937 that wiped out the vineyards necessitating extensive replanting. It was not a Chateau your scribe collected from the sixties and seventies as they missed the mark so often in some outstanding vintages including the 1982. It was only from the mid-eighties onward when Bernard Magrez and his team made continual improvements in the property that resulted in the outstanding wines of more recent decades. There was an early good buzz on the amazing quality of the 1990 Pape Clement so I purchased that vintage on release at just under $20/bottle and have been monitoring that exciting one for some 35 years. The Vancouver Group of Eight met on May 20, 2025 for dinner event #131 at Blue Water Cafe to enjoy and assess eight vintages ranging from 1989 to 2009.

We started with an interesting 1990 CHAMPAGNE DOM PERIGNON OENOTHEQUE disgorged in 2003 after 13 years on the lees as an early second plenitude P2 release. The provided brochure contained accurate notes we experienced of Aromas: “reveal the intensity of classic maturity: toast, hazelnuts, chocolate and spices – complex aromas of roasted coffee and woody spice quickly merge with notes of barley sugar and dried citrus peel.” and Palate: “invigorating freshness presents a slight, delicious divergence of superb intensity and vivacity which are surprising in a Champagne of this age – a penetrating, harmonious, precise richness without opulence. Persistent notes of candied citrus peels affirm themselves, becoming a vigorous and silky blend.” Excellent treat indeed matched with the classy starter of white asparagus with the fresh seasonal local Spot Prawn napped with the lightest hollandaise sauce. We finished up with the lighter mellow classic 1963 CROFT VINTAGE PORT bottled in England by Charles Kinloch and through the most astute purchase by the late consultant Peter Adams landed in December 1975 at BCLDB for only $6.35/bottle. The good old days!

2009 PAPE CLEMENT: Deepest darkest youngest look. Ripe spiced fruit of this vintage shows in the round smooth full opulent textures. Nice touch of Pessac-Leognan signature tobacco/earth comes through. An impressive rich silky wine that was a popular group favourite. Lovely plateau of enjoyment.

2005 PAPE CLÉMENT: Dark with more elegance and balance from this vintage. Lots of depth of flavours with vibrancy and structure, Not as big & rich as 2009 but more classic with aging potential. Alvin liked it and called it “complete”.

2004 PAPE CLÉMENT: Slightly darker at the rim than 2005. Very Bordeaux styled late picked high % Merlot in the blend of this variable vintage. A drier slightly rustic and harder edged less ripe fruit with acidity. Good effort. Better paired with our food course of mushrooms & ris de veau.

2000 PAPE CLÉMENT: Stylish open bouquet expressing the earthy terroir. Lovely freshness of pure smoky cherries. Smart selection of 50/50 CS/M using only 55% in the Grand Vin. Lighter bodied but a delightful surprise.

1998 HAUT-BRION: Ringer with a different attractive nose of more plums and juicy berries but not totally clean. Excellent dense textures of a First Growth with stylish elegance and length. Slightly disappointing bottle compared to what it can be.

1996 PAPE CLÉMENT: Leafy herbal nose in a good way. Almost as backward as a barrel sample. Promising but requires patience.

1995 PAPE CLÉMENT: MIchel Rolland on board from 1993 starting this newer style of lower yield riper fruit well selected from the vineyard. Even more leafy old style Merlot. More evolved and together but less fruit.

1990 PAPE CLÉMENT: Credit to Bernard Pujol for making a wonderful terroir beauty. Deep with lots of depth of fruit. Like the impressive intensity and keynote tobacco.. Full rich, more complete classic. Rich and complex drinking on the best plateau. This vintage is one of their outstanding ones – like many of their current releases.

1989 PAPE CLEMENT: More typical Graves garnet coloured edge. Tertiary mature notes. Riper style but less intense. Not showing the amazing outstanding quality of both 1989 Haut-Brion and 1989 La Mission Haut-Brion . Drink now. Culinary treasure trio with the special braised lamb neck matches well.

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