2005 Loosen Dr L Riesling
Having changed significantly since our last encounter in 2006, this wine continues to impress with subtle Mosel elegance. Showing more pronounced paraffin and fusel characters than remembered, aromas of passionfruit, pine and ripe apples evolve with time in the glass. The charactersitic low alcohol level (8.5%) ensures the mouthfeel remains silky soft, accompanied by a delectable level of residual sweetness. Initial grapey hints give way to more subtle flavours of lime and delicate peach, finished off with a refreshing burst of balanced acidity. Very drinkable; a pity it was the last one in the cellar.
The perks of a new job alongside Max. Here is my take on the wines from the weekend.
2006 Gibbston Valley Pinot Gris
Brilliant light straw in colour, this wine is elegant in the glass. Initial hints of biscuity malt give way to a more lingering nuttiness, combined with intense floral and stone fruit aromas. Aldehydic characters develop as a result of the high (14.9%) alcohol content, although not significantly reducing the overall wine quality. Pleasant acidity and minerality results in a balanced mouthfeel, that is refreshing with reduced lingering oiliness. Unfortunately the high alcohol leads to an uncomfortably warm finish, which lingers for some time. An aromatically elegant wine betrayed by brutish alcohol levels. Better serve this one with food!
2006 Rockburn Pinot Noir
An attractive rich red colour, with hints of crimson and purple. Lifted aromas of cherries and vanilla overlay subtle notes of red current and toasty oak. Light and fresh on the palate, a lingering dryness develops from good tannin structure. Red berry flavours dominate, integrating well with alluded vanilla characters. Refreshing acidity results in a somewhat tart finish, ensuring a single taste is never quite enough. A well handled carefully made wine, well worth a second look.
2004 Viking Wines Grand Shiraz Cabernet
Deep inky red in colour, the aromas of this buxom wine burst forth from the glass at the fist sign of a swirl. The nose is dominated with intensely concentrated berry fruit aromas of boysenberry and wild blackberry. Old vine cut mushroom notes combine well with spicy oak, to add complexity and depth. The initially reserved palate develops with time, providing flavours of raspberry and subtle liquorice. Smooth velvety tannins help develop a good savoury finish, although there is some potential for slight bitterness. Put this one to sleep for at least few more years to be truly rewarded, if you can wait that long mind you.
Every month the wine store I work at here in Vancouver takes inventory; a long and laborious process. Nonetheless, the rewards are apparent upon completion of said task. The whole team finishes up and then goes to one of the staff members’ houses for a meal and copious amounts of liquid libations. This Monday did not dissapoint.
My Taiwanese colleague Yiha and her long-time partner Tom, who is a travel writer amongst many artistic talents, had put together a fine spread. We had pig’s feet, which were gelatinous and superb, ox tail soup with a kick to it, a Taiwanese beef stew with tofu (which rocked), among other things. If nothing else this meal completely wiped the slate clean between me and tofu; it is delicious if done correctly by an expert. The real curio factor of the meal came in the form of the century eggs; opaque, red albumin, with the yoke showing hues of green-to-grey-to-black. They looked decidedly unappetizing. My stomach turned as I tried to build up the courage to try one. Alas, the texture was like boiled egg and the flavour was like fine blue cheese; I enjoyed it but I won’t be rushing to Chinatown for cartons of the stuff.
The wines we drank with the meal were as enticing and mouthwatering as the food we shared:
2001 Zilliken Kabinett Riesling From the Mosel, this was a lovely combination of fresh lemon acidity and a touch of residual to balance. The nose consisted of wet moss and stones with a touch of floral apple blossom and kaffa lime. The finish was delicate and lipsmacking at the same time.
2006 Felton Road Block 1 Riesling Again this wine had minerality, with a slight petro-diesel kick. Fresh tropics filled the bouquet. The wine was fleshier than the previous and a touch sweeter; slightly spritzig too. It was slighty candied - almost like a toffee apple made with a granny smith - the finish lingering and fresh, leaving us salivating, wanting more.
2005 Neudorf Moutere Reisling This was slightly more petrol and a little musty/reductive straight out of the bottle. This mustiness cleared and what took place was a wonderful transformation into a wine that expressed what riesling can do on clay in New Zealand. Not as sweet as the Felton, it exuded delicate class and fresh acidity with impeccable balance. I loved it, but the room was split, half prefering the Felton and half the Neudorf.
1993 Zilliken Spatlese This wine was a step up entirely. On the nose, it was like opening a fresh can of tennis balls that were soaked in kaffa lime pie and fresh currents. The wine drank like it was only in bottle a few years. Zilliken have by far the deepest wine caves in the Mosel. Because of this their wines are kept very cool and at an extremely even temperature all year round. The result are wines like this one, with great minerality, balance and playfulness which makes them delightful throughout their considerable lifespans. This one will go 20+ years under the right conditions.
We then moved on to some reds starting with:
2004 Woodward Canyon Syrah Woodward are known for highly priced and excellent Cabernet from some of the oldest vines in the Napa Valley. They also make a great syrah with fruit from the Columbia Valley. Lush and full on the palate with dark fruits and fine black pepper on the nose, this wine exuded class and was simply delicious. Gives great Aussie shiraz a run for its money though in a more restrained style, with excellent oak integration and balancing acidity to cut any jamminess. Yummo.
There were other wines, including a corked Seven Hills Merlot from Washington State and a 1997 Aliagnico from Tuasai which was stunningly grippy and playful but I stopped taking notes and just enjoyed the world of wine alongside the company.
Cheers!
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!!
I’d stopped in at work tonight for a brief couple of minutes on my way out to dinner. I was in the back room, jotting down some notes, when I hear a familiar voice in North American twang from the shop floor. I poke my head out and, sure enough, it’s Claudia Weersing. The ever-radiant, beautiful, modest and kind Claudia Weersing. The same Claudia Weersing who is married to Mike Weersing. The same Mike Weersing of Pyramid Valley.
“Ahhhhhh”, I hear you all mutter. That place. But it’s not like Pyramid Valley is well-known. Those fortunate enough to have been privy to the charismatic charm of Mike Weersing and his sextastic range of Growers Series wines will nod knowingly, with corners of mouths shaping grins at such expressions of overt reverie for the man by yours truly. Others are no doubt bewildered, but intrigued nonetheless.
I’ll try to sum it up in 50 words or less. Mike is a Californian who cut his teeth with vintages in Burgundy and has worked at Coldstream in Australia with Halliday. He searched everywhere (worldwide) for his prized clay/limestone soils. He found them in the Pyramid Valley, a tiny region inland of Waipara. High density planting (10,000+vines/ha), low fruiting wire, select clonal selection, pinot noir and chardonnay. Oh, it’s fully biodynamic too.
The vines were planted in 2000 but the region is so marginal (not without its share of establishment hiccups too) that the vines off the Pyramid Valley vineyard haven’t really thrown a proper crop yet. However, there were some miniscule parcels of fruit procured from the ‘06 and ‘07 vintages, set to be released as super cult, rare wines in the future. Do not watch this space for release details - no chance I’m telling you.
All is not lost though. In the meantime, Mike has been growing fruit on select vineyards from around Marlborough and making some very special wines. Claudia just happened to have some tasting bottles open in the car tonight (call it serendipity) so I was treated to a quick sample of the new releases. The verdict? Buy them and find out.
Check out their website at www.pyramidvalley.co.nz and be quick to join their mailing list, before it’s closed and you’re relegated to a waiting list.