Taste B.C. Review - some great B.C. finds!

Hello and Happy Wine Wednesday!

I hope you have had a wonderful week full of great wine, great friends and great conversation!

This week, I am changing it up a bit...I am going to do a quick review of some of the fantastic wines I tasted at Taste B.C.  This fabulous event is held once a year and all the proceeds benefit B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation.  Tasting wine and helping a worthwhile charity?  Hello - sign me up every year, please!

On January15th, I met some amazing people - wine makers, winery owners, reps...you name it...this is a great evening out in Vancouver.  I attended Taste B.C. with one of my BFF's Natalie Reynolds.  We did a circuit of the room and focused on whites first then did some reds on the second go around.

In no specific order, here are some of the wines I really enjoyed and will be seeking out in the local wine store shortly:

• Wild Goose Winery - both their Stoney Slope Riesling VQA 2011 and the Mystic River Pinot Gris VQA 2011 were outstanding!  The GM Roland Kruger was most enjoyable to meet. 
• Calliope Wine's Figure Eight White 2011 was a very nice blend and their Viognier 2011 was very tasty.
• Misconduct Wine Co's Richard da Silva was passionate about his wines and they delivered some wonderful tastes.  Namely, their Suspect Series Pinot Noir 2009.
• Stoneboat Vineyards 2011 Pinot Gris and their 2010 Pinot Noir were fantastic.
• Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series 2Bench Red 2009 was very good.
• Poplar Grove Winery's 2011 Pinot Gris was terrific as usual and one of my favourites.
• Painted Rock Estate Winery's 2011 Chardonnay was wonderful.
• Liquidity Wine's 2010 Pinot Noir was lovely and fruit forward and their 2009 Pinot Noir was truly outstanding!
• Blue Mountain Winery 2011 Chardonnay was fruit forward with a nice citrus taste and medium body - lovely!  Also, their Gold Label Brut N/V is always a winner in my book!

Roland Kruger of Wild Goose Vineyards

Richard da Silva of Misconduct

Peter Hunt Victoria Spirits

Thank you to all of the wineries that participated in this event!  It is a success because of the amazing B.C. product we have so much to be thankful for!

One other company I would like to mention is Victoria Spirits.  They make an absolutely glorious Gin and the Master Distiller, Peter Hunt, was at the event.  The process of distilling spirits is quite fascinating, as is making wine, and I was pleased that they were on site to sample their fantastic product.  If you are a Gin drinker, give this local company a try - you will NOT be disappointed.

As you can tell, I had a wonderful time and truly enjoyed meeting all of these passionate people.

Next time you are in the B.C. liquor store or a VQA store - be sure to pick up one of theses selections.

Coming up for the next two weeks, I will be reviewing Rosé wines as we count down to Valentine's Day...

As always, thank you for reading!
Enjoy!
XO
C

B.C.'s Tantalus Pinot Noir 2010

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

Here in Vancouver our regular rain has returned and it actually feels good!  Vancouver is gorgeous in the sunshine and I trust everyone got outside as often as my family did...

In my wine education news - I have successfully earned my certificate in WSET Level 2.  My results were mailed to me yesterday and I am VERY pleased with my mark.  Whoo hoo!  I celebrated with a bottle of Burrowing Owl 2011 Pinot Gris at Cactus Club Park Royal Village last night.  Lovely...

Now - for the good stuff...

This week I tried Tantalus Vineyards' Pinot Noir 2010.  I picked it up at the Village VQA Wine Store in Edgemont Village.  Mary, the owner, is an amazing wealth of knowledge and assisted me with my selection.  It was $29.99 which fit perfectly with the other price points of the Pinot Noir's I have selected for this month.

It was a medium ruby colour and looked quite pretty in the glass.  It had a medium intensity on the nose with aromas of red cherry, red berries, sweet spice and violets.  It was refreshingly dry with a medium plus and medium fine grained tannins that balanced each other nicely.  It was medium bodied and had a quite pronounced flavour intensity.

This wine was nicely complex with just enough going on.  There was a nice long finish to this Pinot Noir that I really enjoyed.  I think this lovely B.C. Pinot Noir from Tantalus Vineyard falls into my "Hell Yes" category.  It is a nice expression of the grape variety enjoying a cooler climate and this comes out in the wine.  I would call this Pinot Noir 'Very Good'.

Tantalus's Pinot Noir 2010 can be enjoyed now but has potential for ageing.  This Pinot Noir comes from both German and French plantings:

This wine was produced from 2005 and 2006 Dijon plantings and 1985 Spatburgunder plantings. It was aged in a combination of new and old French barrique for 12 months.

At $29.99 - I consider this wine to be a great addition to your cellar.  It would be beautifully enjoyed with a fresh B.C. salmon dish.  

Here's to another fantastic wine from another fantastic B.C. winery!
Enjoy!
XO
C

Red Burgundy - Louis Latour's Pinot Noir

Hello and Happy Wine Wednesday!

I hope your week is going exceptionally well...

Last night I attended Taste B.C. at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver with my dear friend Natalie Reynolds.  All proceeds of the event go to the B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation.  I was thrilled to be a part of this well run event - it was an amazing success that showcased all of the talented winemakers, wineries, craft breweries and local distilleries B.C. has to offer.  I will be writing a blog post on this event at the end of the month...stay tuned!

Continuing with my Pinot Noir reviews this month, I travel to Beaune, France in the Côte D'Or.  This appellation in Burgundy is Pinot Noir's classic home.  The soil type, climate and location of Beaune is where Pinot Noir reaches it apex.  This grape variety is NOT for the faint of heart.  Pinot Noir has been compared to 'sex in a glass' as well as being the work of the devil...hmmm.  Not sure that I am on board with either of these descriptions but it is obviously a grape variety of interest and intrigue to be sure!

I selected Louis Latour's 2011 Pinot Noir as my wine for the week.  I wanted a very 'classic' representation of the grape in its' classic home.  I picked it up at the B.C. Liquor store for $22.99 and I was very pleased with what was inside.

This Pinot Noir was a clear pale ruby colour.  It had a medium intensity on the nose and smelled of red currant, strawberry, red cherry, earth, white pepper and blackcurrant leaf - YUM!  I could not wait to take a sip.  This wine was dry with medium acidity and fine grained tannins.  There was a medium - alcohol and it was medium - in body as well.  The flavours matched those on the nose yet I tasted less pepper on the palate.  It was a nice, balanced wine.

This was a good bottle of wine for the price. It really tastes like the region...it is a great example of what a mid-priced Pinot Noir from Côte D'Or taste like.  Louis Latour's Pinot Noir tastes like a $30 bottle of wine to me which makes it a great value.  It is a VERY food friendly wine because it is not heavy.  This lovely red compliments food as opposed to being a stand alone.   This Pinot Noir would pair beautifully with smoked cheese, tuna, salmon or even pizza.


Louis Latour's 2011 Pinot Noir is a "Hell Yes!" wine...it is delicate but complex.  It is very easy to drink and because it is so food friendly and a great value - it will become one of my 'house' wines.

I wish you a wonderful day.
Thanks again and always for reading!

XO
C

Spy Valley Pinot Noir - New Zealand

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Today is a good day.  My Level 3 WSET class starts up again tonight - very much looking forward to continuing my education in my favourite subject - wine!  I can talk about wine for hours and I am thankful for all of the people in my life who share this passion with me.  A HUGE thank you to all of you reading my blog...I may not know you but I am writing to you.  I hope that I can turn you onto a new wine or grape varietal that you haven't uncovered yet.  Thank you for reading.  Thank you for passing along my blog site to your friends, and so on... You really have made the start of 2013 fantastic!

Continuing along my Pinot Noir tastings for the month of January, Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2011 from New Zealand was my choice this week.  I was at Granville Island and went into the Liberty Wine Merchant shop across from the market.  I like their selections of wine and most often, I can find something unique to try.

New Zealand and specifically the Marlborough area of NZ is known for its' Pinot Noir grapes.  New Zealand is actually becoming the second 'classic' region for Pinot Noir behind Burgundy in France.  The soils are quite similar as are the climates so the wines have a similar style to them and this is described best as an 'elegant' style.

Spy Valley's Pinot Noir was a bit pricier at $31.99 at the Liberty Wine store.  It had a clear garnet colour and looked quite light in the glass as a Pinot Noir should.  On the nose there were aromas of raspberry, plum, dirt, chocolate and a bit of coffee.  On the palate, I tasted more herbaceous flavours of grass and violet as well as the raspberry and plum.  I found it had a bitter almond taste to it as well as some black pepper and liquorice notes.  It was a dry wine with medium high acidity.  The tannins were low and it was light in body.  Spy Valley's Pinot Noir 2011 is a complex tasting wine.  It had a medium plus finish and I would rate it as a very good quality wine.

That being said, I, personally, did not really enjoy it.  I could not put my finger on what it was but I felt like there was something missing.  And, for $31.99 a bottle, I was disappointed.  I did have a glass the next day and I felt that the wine evolved and opened up nicely overnight.  You can cellar this wine for 3 - 5 years and maybe that is what it needed.  I would put this into the "If you are in the mood" category.  Maybe you want to taste what an 'elegant' Pinot Noir tastes like - this is not a bad choice but I am sure I can find another elegant style to review that is in the $20 range...

With that being said, I am off to search for my next selection of Pinot Noir!

Enjoy and thanks again for reading!
If you have a wine you would like me to review - just leave a comment for me.

XO
C

Happy New Year - A Month of Pinot Noir

Happy New Year to you!  I hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends.  New Year's Eve is one of my favourite nights of the year.  I love what it means and what a new year can bring.  2012 was a big year for me full of personal changes and dedication and enrolment at the Wine College for my WSET education.  I made the choice to stay at home with our daughter and that has been a true gift and a big shift for me personally.  This blog brings me an incredible amount of joy and it brings me closer to who I am and want to be.  Thank you for being a part of my journey.

Now, for the good stuff...
I really enjoyed focusing on the sparkling wine category for the weeks leading up to NYE.  So, I have decided that, going forward, I am going to choose a grape varietal and focus on it for a month and move around the world reviewing how the grape is expressed in different countries and climates.  My grape of choice to start off the New Year is none other than the temperamental and moody Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir's classic home is the Burgundy region of France.  It is here that the cool climate really delivers complex and noteworthy Pinot Noir wines.  The Côte d'Or is 'the' celebrated area within Burgundy that produces what many call the best wines in the world.

My review this week is on La Crema's Sonoma Coast 2009 Pinot Noir.  Typically, you don't consider California to be an ideal location for this cool weather loving grape.  However, the Russian River that runs throughout Sonoma Valley along with the cool Pacific coastal breezes makes for an ideal environment for this delightful Pinot Noir.  La Crema winery has been in business for over 30 years and has a brilliant Canadian female Winemaker, Elizabeth Grant-Douglas, at the helm.

La Crema's Pinot Noir was a gorgeous ruby colour - I was surprised at how 'pretty' the wine looked in the glass.  This wine had medium + intensity on the nose. I smelled red cherry, red plum, raspberry, vanilla, a hint of chocolate along with rose petals. This wine tasted like velvet in a glass - the fruit, sweet spices and chocolate were all tasted on the palate.  This Pinot Noir is aged for 6.5 months in French Oak barrels which gives this lovely wine is smooth and rich texture. What was the wonderful surprise to this beauty was how beautifully balanced this Pinot Noir was.  It was high in acidity but was balanced perfectly with strong tannins which made for a complex, plush, yummy glass of wine!

I purchased this bottle at the B.C. Liquor Stores for $29.99.  I found it at Everything Wine for $28.99.  This is a bottle to keep aside for a beautiful dinner with your loved one.  It is a very good 'Hell Yes' full bodied Pinot Noir that is PERFECT for a cold, rainy evening.

Here's to 2013!
Enjoy!
XO
C