Birthday Tasting 2016

BC takes on the World!

This year for my 2nd annual Birthday Tasting I decided to pair BC wines with some classic Old World wines. We were going to be 10 people so that called for 10 bottles tasted blind as we always do. Half of the group were first time tasters, so I tried to get a good range to lure them over to the wine side. There was no clear winner on the night as everyone had different favorites, but everyone learned a little something about wine.

All wines were either purchased at BC Liquor stores or the VQA Swirl Wine Store in Yaletown.

Riesling:

Wine #1 - Schloss Reinhartshausen, Riesling 2013, Rheingau Germany
$17.99

When you think old world Riesling you think German. They are known to make some of the best Rieslings in every range of sweetness from dry to dessert wines. This one I would call off-dry with just enough sweetness to add balance to it's high acidity. Some Rieslings get a distinct aroma of petrol (Germany) or rubber garden hose (Australia).

This wine had nice notes of lemon zest, fresh green apple, pear, a hint of the classic petrol and nice minerality to it that gives you the sense of place.

Wine #2 - Decora, Culmina Estate Winery, 2014 Okanagan BC
$20-22.00

This is a 100% Riesling from the Culmina Estate near the town of Oliver. BC Rieslings are either dry or off-dry and never reach the sweetness levels of their German counterparts.

 This wine was dry with stone fruits like nectarine, with some gentle grapefruity citrus and spring floral notes with underlying minerality. It took awhile to open up and show properly. More subtle and refined/muted flavours then wine #1

Gamay Noir:

Wine #3 - Jean-Ernest Decombes - Morgon 2011, Beaujolais France.

$19.49

Morgon is one of the 10 villages with Beaujolais Cru status. Beaujolais is always made from the Gamay grape and it is the grapes traditional home; which lies just south of Burgundy in France. Regular Beaujolais is made for early drinking and is light and fresh. the Cru's are the most complex, some see a little oak with the best being able to age.

On the nose it had fresh strawberries with cream, with a hint of cherry pie, and drying flowers. On the palate some fruit, a bit of earth, seems to be starting to fade a little dull on the finish.

Wine #4 - Gamay - Joie Farms 2013, Naramata BC

$21-24.00

Joie Farms on the Naramata bench makes a nice range of white and red wines. Their 100% Gamay is made in a Cru Beaujolais style making it richer and giving it a fuller body. It saw 10 months in large oak casks on their lees adding to it's complexities. Gamay tends do well in our cool climate and this example really shows what a BC Gamay can do.

This wine had dark cherry, some white pepper and earthiness, fuller bodied and meatier than your usual Gamay. On the palate it was riper bramble fruits with a hint of earthy spice with a nice finish.

Sangiovese:

Wine #5 - Okanagan Valley BC
$26-30.00

Sangiovese grapes are rarely found outside Italy and it can make a large range of styles. Sandhill made the first Sangiovese VQA wine in Canada to prove you could make nice wines outside Italy. Sandhill has some great wines in their Small Lot's series, and if you are in Kelowna I would check out their beautiful tasting room.

This little gem saw french oak and was made in a very classic style. It has lovely notes of smoked salami, toasty cedar, cherries, with some dried herbs, and a hint of licorice. Very well balanced and delicious. I would also recommend their other Italian beauty the Barbera.

Wine #6 - Chianti Classico - Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2012, Chianti Italy 

$27.00

Chianti is one of the most popular Italian wine and if it says Classico you know it comes from the central traditional region. They are dominated by Sangiovese with up to 20% other grapes allowed. Riserva on Italian wines means it will have higher alcohol and a longer ageing period.

Ruffino is one of the larger produces in the Chianti region making various price ponts. This wine is always a reliable go to for a nice Italian dinner party. It has notes of dusty cherry, some spice, a bit of leather and toasted cedar with ripe plum on the palate.

Syrah:

Wine #7 - Syrah - C.C. Jentsch Cellars 2013, Okanagan Valley BC

$30.00

Syrah's traditional home is the Rhone Valley in France, but has also become a star in Australia where they call it Shiraz.  C.C Jentsch is located on the Golden Mile in Oliver, BC and they make some great award winning wines including this Syrah which received the Platinum Award at the National Wine Awards of Canada.

A great BC Syrah that's drinking well right now and will for a few years. It spent 6 months in mostly American oak and gives great notes of blackberries, blueberries, smokey toasted wood, with some sweet spice and maybe a hint of fresh berry pie in there to.

Wine #8 - Crozes-Hermitage - Heritages, Ogier 2012, Northern Rhone France

$22.00

Crozes-Hermitage is the largest appellation in the northern Rhone, and probably the only one available to my pocketbook. Syrah is the only red grape permitted by law, but winemakers can add up to 15% white grapes (Marsanne & Roussanne).

This entry level bottle for Crozes-Hermitage but showed really well as distinct old world. It had nice notes of raspberries and blackcurrant, some leather and a bit of spice with a subtle earthiness to it.

Bordeaux Blends:

Wine #9 - Reserve Serenata - Serendipity Winery 2010, Okanagan Valley BC

$40.00

Bordeaux blends are wines made in the style of the famous and expensive Chateaus in Bordeaux, France. The grapes allowed in Bordeaux are Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Only wines from Bordeaux can use that term by law. That's why most wineries give their Bordeaux blends proprietary names.**

Serendipity is a wonderful small winery on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan. This blend is Merlot, Cab Sauv, and Cab Franc and has aromas of  ripe dark fruits, hint of raisin, tobacco with some smokiness. On the palate you get blueberry and a hint of mocha with soft tannins long finish. 

Wine #10 - Château Segue Longue Monnier Médoc Cru Bourgeois 2010, Bordeaux France
$28.00

This come from the Left Bank Medoc region of Bordeaux. Left Bank refers to what side of the Gironde Estuary the vineyards fall on. Left Bank tend to be Cabernet Sauvignon based, while Right Bank tends to be Merlot based; this is mainly because of the different soil types on either side.

This organic 2010 Bordeaux gives you an entry level Left Bank dominated by Cab Sauv from a great vinatge. It had notes of black currants, cherry, raspberry, some caramel and oak notes like cedar and tobacco with a medium length. Many Bordeaux's can age for decades, but this one won't last and should probably be drank soon. 

** - Or you can pay to use the term Meritage which has similar but not as strict standards to Bordeaux. This is mostly a North American thing with only about 350-400 participating wineries.





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