Vinoculation

Over the last few weeks, summer has really kicked off here in Vancouver. The sun is out, the wild blackberries are beginning to ripen on the vines around my home and the sea is just warm enough to swim in. Considering that the last summer I had was more than two years ago, I’m loving it.

Now, with great weather comes great responsibility….. to drink great wine that is. A recent evening comes to mind. Last Friday a group of friends converged for an evening of serious wine quaffing and blind tasting bliss. The evening started with:

2002 Martinborough Vineyard Chardonnay
Oaky and a little flabby but it was a good lead; just paled in comparison to what followed.

1999 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay
Nice but nose slightly muted; palate balanced and superb.

2002 Sea Smoke Ten Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
Very intense wine from ten clones. Extremely enjoyable but showed the art of skilled blending more than being about place and regional expression. (I am being picky about some truly fabulous wines)

2002 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir
I picked it as a Rudy Baeur wine so got region down and vintage.

1994 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle
Oh yes, the wine of the night for me. Just unreal - this is why I drink wine. All secondary/developed flavours with old, musty, dried yet delicious residual fruit. Wonderfully balanced.

2003 The Foundry Syrah
From Cape of Good Hope. It is the side project of the winemaker from Myrlast. The wine was good but too young with fruit covered by fine yet generous and apparent oak. (again very picky - any one of these wines could be the star of many other evenings)

1993 Allan Michelot Nuits St George Les Vaucrains 1er Cru
An interesting wine that I thought was syrah for sure. Big tannins with light colour - almost Nebbiolo-like in aroma and structure but not quite. Interesting but not amazing.

2004 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
A young negotiant wife and husband team ( lucien le Moxine) making everything from 1er Cru to Cote de Charlonnise and Village Beaune. A stunning wine and my close second for the night. Lush fruit; forward yet subtle, long, balanced and complex. Just great pinot expressed flawlessly.

1999 Neudorf Vineyards Moutere Pinot Noir
I was dissapointed and admittedly it’s hard to follow the previous wine; no faults but it was going through a muted non-expressive stage. It didn’t show what great Neudorf is supposed to be like. Oh well.

2002 Porter Creek Hillside Vineyard Pinot Noir
Good concentration and lovely oak with fruit interplay. I was a little inebriated to pay close attention.

1997 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon
Lovely and a touch of class to an already fantastic evening.

I would recommend any of these wines if you can get your wine-loving paws on them.

Enjoy!!