We have been extremely busy over the past several weeks, entertaining guests from out of town, and travelling to the Mountains. Consequently I have gotten behind in posting tasting notes along the way.
I will try to be brief, but readers may find this somewhat too long. Anyway, here are a few notes covering the wines we enjoyed over the past week or so :
2006 Drouhin Estate Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir
With a crab cake salad –
Deep penetrating aromas, followed by a lively and intensively flavoured wine on the palate – clean acidity and washed stone like flavours – very long finish.
2007 Two Hands Zippy’s Block Barossa Shiraz
With BBQ’d ribs.
Massive blackberry fruit dominates the aromas – extremely dark, black purple; hugely concentrated – mouthfilling fruit across the palate – finishes with the blackberry flavours in a long aftertaste. Outstanding Shiraz!
2011 Rochioli Estate Russian River Chardonnay
Drank several bottles of this over the past couple of weeks, primarily with a variety of appetizers.
Clear pale yellow – consistent aromas of tree fruits and a bit of orange peel; terrific acidity feel in the mouth with attractive flavours of peach and pear; nice finish.
2009 Rochioli Little Hill Vineyard Russian River Pinot Noir
With veal tenderloin.
Dark ruby colour; spice and dark cherry aromas; nicely balanced; structure firm; velvety texture on the palate; currant and cherry flavours; attractive finish.
1997 Roche dei Manzoni Barolo Big d’Big
Enjoyed with lasagna.
Very dark – out to a thin rim; aromas of spice, liqorice and blackberry;
Beautiful texture rolls over the palate, spreading dark berry fruit, and
Extends our to an extremely long finish. Plenty of life ahead but so enjoyable
now.
Dinner with good friends at the Fondue Bistro at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise:
With appetizers of smoked meats and veggies
2007 Gruner Veltliner Brandlmayer Kamptal
Highly aromatic – floral and some tropical fruit, similar to a Viogner;
round and quite full on the palate; clean fruit – orange, a bit of pineapple;
finishes well; attractive wine.
Followed with cheese fondueand two styles of beef fondue
2005 Volnay En Cailleret La Pousse d’Or
Aromas usher well from the glass, penetrating cherry fruit; smooth entry
with pleasing dark cherry fruit flavours and noticed some oak in the
background; long pleasing finish.
2006 Faiveley Grand Cru Corton
Dark ruby…didn’t seem to be as bright as the Volnay;
a bit reticent at first but the aromas began to show with some
swirling in the glass; easy texture runs over the palate, with some black
plum and cherry flavours; expected a longer finish but was attractive.
One of our friends was celebrating his birthday, and was born in 1942, so we opened the following wine in his honour:
1942 Castillo d’Ygay Reserva Especial
What a treat! Fragrant and fruit driven aromas; beautiful aromas of dark fruits; lovely texture; round and mellow; exceptional dark berry fruit flavours,
Leading to a seemingly inexhaustible finish.
Next up was an 8 course dinner at The Post Dining Room, where we enjoyed a variety of wines to accompany the dishes.
Taittinger Brut Reserve N.V. with a variety of Hors D’oeuvres
2012 Aigle Les Murailles Vaud Henri Badoux with Seared Ahi Tuna in Asian Crust
Clean, with good acidity; flavours easy; partnered well with the Tuna.
2006 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Beerenauslese – Dr. H. Thanisch
with Sauteed Escalope of Quebec Foie Gras
Wow! Can’t get any better than this.
Deep golden colour; exotic aromas of rich apricot and honey;
round and full on the palate; rich apricot fruit with outstanding acidity
to refresh the palate; lingered for a very long time on the finish.
2012 Napa Valley Chardonnay Buoncristiani
Paired with fillet of fresh wild B.C. halibut
Light in colour; persistent aromas of freshly cut apple and pear;
flavours a mix of tree fruits and a bit of oak; nice acidity; holds well into the
finish. Not my style favorite but paired attractively with the halibut.
2007 Barolo Ginestra Paulo Conterno
With pilled confit of Rougie duck leg and pappardelle
Dark ruby colour; aromas a mix of candied fruit, tar and spices;
smooth entry and velvety texture, coating the palate with blackberry and
dark currant fruits; mellow on the finish which is lasting. Might be
better with another 6 years in bottle, but attractive partner with the duck.
2008 Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac
Partnered with whole roasted Alberta Heritage Beef Tenderloin.
Extremely dark – black/purple, with hardly any rim; aromas literally jump
from the glass – black currants, blackberries, with the typical cedar like
shavings – penetrating and full; on the palate there is a mass of fruit –
black currant primarily but there are other fruits darting in and out;
excellent structure, seemingly balanced even at this young age; very long
on the finish where the fruit lingers. Long future ahead for this wine.
2008 Napa Valley Syrah – Lewis Cellars
Paired with Delice Argental and Vigneron and Sbrinz Cheeses
Big, full blown style of Syrah, with some heat showing above the fruit;
this is a style that appeals to many, but is a bit over the top for my palate.
Very dark colour; aromas full featuring blackberry and ripe plum; hugely
concentrated with mouthcoating blackberry fruit; long finish.
The cheese course was followed with a Sorbet of Okanagan Pears with Poire William Sabayon, and followed again with a dish of orange chocolate in two styles.
1994 Taylor, Fladgate Vintage Port
Completed the meal. Extremely dark in colour; aromas of blackberry and black currants, with some floral notes; very full bodied, with firm structure; the
richness is evident on the palate, although I didn’t think the wine and spirit had
completely melded; nice finish – long, long…but a little bit went a long way for me.
We returned from Lake Louise and enjoyed a dinner at our daughter’s and son-in-law’s home, with beef tenderloin as the main course.
2005 Volnay Les Carelles - Jean-Marc Bouley
Excellent dark ruby colour – bright and seemingly full of vigor; deep, penetrating aromas of black cherry and even a bit of blueberry; ripe cherry flavours over a spice backdrop, giving some character to the wine; smooth and inviting; very long on the finish.
This showed better than the ’05 Volnay En Cailleret from La Pousse d’Or that we
drank a few nights earlier in Lake Louise. Enjoyed La Pousse d"or but this one was a notch above.
Hank ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
