Events – Recent & Future

The last month has been very active on the local wine tasting scene with many private and public events, and it looks like the next month or so will be just as busy!

Opimian Society

Dave Conway, local Area Representative of the Society, hosted a tasting of Spanish wines at the NLC’s Howley Estates premises on November 23^rd. The event was focused on the wines, with the support of a presentation by Dave, and some cold cuts, cheeses, and similar tidbits.

Two white wines were served for reception: Thoro Loko, Blanco Seco Sauvignon Blanc, DO La Mancha – a straight-forward wine with good acidity, but a nose that was somewhat atypical for the variety. ♥   On the other hand, the Albada Macabeo Vina Viejas, DO Calatayud had an attractive fruity nose and zesty acidity. ♥♥

The main tasting consisted of seven red wines representing several regions, many of which are not commonly covered by the NLC. The first three were based on the Garnacha (Grenache) variety, the rest were regional expressions of Tempranillo.

• Albada Garnacha Vina Viejas, DO Calatayud – 35 year old vines; rich, deep red and black bramble fruit, juicy tannins and acids. ♥♥+ GV
• Bodegas La Casa de Luculo, Catulo Tinto, DO Navarra – red berry fruit aroma, perhaps red currant with a “fresh” aroma; with good tannin support. ♥♥
• Marques de Montanana, Garnacha, DO Calatayud – An even deeper and richer version of the Albada based on 50 year old vines. ♥♥♥
• Javier San Pedro Randez Crianza, DOCa Rioja – round, good flavours of red berries, integrated oak, juicy acidity, smooth tannins. ♥♥+
• Loess Inspiration, Tempranillo, DO Ribera del Duero – supple, deep red berry aromas, young tannins, needs some aging. ♥♥+
• Botas de Barro, Tempranilla, DO Ribera del Duero – fresh, red berry, red currant aroma; young, sharp tannins. ♥♥
• Botas de Barra, Tinta de Toro, DO Toro – similar fruit to the other Botas, but deeper, weightier, and rounder fruit with cranberry notes. ♥♥+

Upcoming: Dave will be hosting two more Opimian events this December: An Evening at Piatto Pizzeria & Enoteca featuring, naturally, Italian wines, on the 14^th, and another Howley tasting, this time of wines from Chile and Argentina, on the 21^st. Contact Dave about Opimian and these events at nfld@ar.opim.ca or 709-754-5583.

Georgian Feast

Devonian Coast Wines were featured, Roary MacPherson was the chef, and Commissariat House was the setting for the annual Georgian Feast event held by Provincial Historic Sites in partnership with the Restaurant Association of NL. The house was lit and we dined by candelight while Fergus Brown O’Byrne provided a background of tunes from a variety of instruments. The evening was billed as a chance to gather around a table to share food, wine, and conversation with people, no matter if you had met them before or not. I would have to say the evening scored well on all counts!

Our reception wine was the Selkie Rosé which has not always been a favourite of mine, but worked very well as an aperitif with a few finger foods, such as bacon-wrapped scallops. L’Acadie Pinot Grigio, a blend of l’Acadie Blanc and Pinot Grigio was the accompaniment for the next two courses, a delicious curry-based chicken soup, and a romaine salad. Good acidity, a touch of sweetness, and light fruity aromas made this a pleasant sipper.

The main course was pork shank with pulled pork which was well matched with Great Big Red, a mellow, fruity, and fruit sweet blend. The dessert of fruit and cake was paired with a Maple Wine, made from maple syrup, which was evident in the aromatic profile – I was favourably surprised! We finished with some cheese and a Nova Scotian Tawny – a fortified wine similar to port – appropriately sweet and rich.

NLC

I promised to post my notes on the Special Selections table from the recent Wine Show, so here they are!

White wines consisted of a small selection of Bordeaux Blanc, and one Chablis:

Château Brown Blanc 2011 ($49.87) – delicious, zesty acidity ♥♥ GV

Château Larrivet-Haut Brion Blanc 2008 ($81.24) – brilliant and expressive, my expectations for this style ♥♥♥

Château Bouscaut Blanc 2008 ($67.67) – delicious, zesty acidity, an echo of the Brown ♥♥

Château Carbonnieux Blanc 2008 ($68.44) – showing some age, which might appeal to some ♥+

Château Cos d’Estournel Blanc 2006 ($261.92) – oaky, weighty, big; but hard to get around the price ♥♥

S de Suduiraut Bordeaux Blanc 2010 ($61.06) – a quite attractive lemon creme cracker aromatic profile ♥♥+

Louis Jadot Chablis ($29.78) – matchstick nose, touch of creaminess, nice body ♥♥

There were only two Pinot Noir presented:

Olivier Leflaive Côte de Beaune Village ($51.98) – light, earthy, and tart, very typically Burgundy ♥+

Meyer Family Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2011 ($35.03) – new world style with abundant fruit and aroma ♥♥

Red Bordeaux came next, with the perfume and finesse of the 2010s standing out for me. Although big name labels were mostly absent, the wines on display were excellent examples:

Château La Lagune 2010 ($120.09) – beautiful perfume aroma of the 2010s, young tannins, will improve with more age ♥♥♥

Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2010 ($137.38) – another wonderful 2010 ♥♥♥

Château d’Issan 2012 ($126.13) – tannic (needs more time) but wonderful aromatics ♥♥

Château Rauzan-Segla 2013 ($93.99) – still young, complex nose showing some chocolate on the finish ♥♥+

Château Lagrange 2010 ($85.00) – will need years, but already fabulous ♥♥♥

Château d’Armailhac 2011 ($85.48) – drinking well now, very smooth with beautiful aroma ♥♥♥

Château Grand Mayne 2010 ($54.71) – still tight, but with a huge perfume aroma ♥♥♥ GV

Château Clinet 2011 ($131.28) – young tannins, closed but promising aroma ♥♥♥

Le Dome 2009 ($300.59) – beautiful sweet and expressive nose – superb, but at this price, perhaps my only taste! ♥♥♥

The balance of the reds I tasted were from Spain, Chile, Argentina, and California:

Faustino I Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain ($39.98) – complex and expressive nose ♥♥♥ GV

Concha y Toro Don Melchor 2014, Chile ($136.89) – wonderful expression of pure cab fruit on the nose, smooth for its age ♥♥♥

Sena 2013, Chile ($210.03) – heady sweet nose, smooth rich fruit ♥♥♥

Almaviva Puente Alta 2007, Chile ($70.20 for 375 ml) – hugely attractive nose, soft big fruit in the mouth, weighty, lengthy finish ♥♥+

Las Moras Finca Pedernal Malbec ($49.95) – delicious bramble fruit and flavours ♥♥♥ GV

Stonestreet Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, California ($72.87) – brilliant sweet cab fruit nose, soft ♥♥

And I finished up the special selections, and the evening, with a sweet Sauternes:

Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud 2010 ($48.34) – A perfect expression of what you should expect from Sauternes ♥♥♥ GV

Upcoming: The NLC is holding Wines of Bordeaux on January 19^th at the Sheraton, featuring over 100 wines of the 2013 and 2014 vintages from more than 40 chateaux.