Category Archives: Pinot Noir

On Kiwis, Kitties, Cocoa and Korea

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I usually forget to bring my camera when I go out and about, which I typically lament about later as that means I have no photos to accompany my posts. Someone must be slipping Gingko Biloba into my drinks lately, because my memory’s been much better than usual!

I’ll keep the commentary brief. You know what they say; a picture says a thousand words – I’ll spare you the essays!

Tiki Tour of New Zealand

April 25, 2010 – My friend Robert Ketchin of New Zealand Wines kindly allowed me to drop in to the second half of one of the final events during the week of Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, a walk-around tasting of some of the stars of this year’s Festival theme country.

Chef Chris Whitaker and the O’Doul’s team at Listel Hotel did a marvellous job of catering the tasting. My favourite dish of the night was a creamy, heavy wild mushroom risotto that paired perfectly with the New Zealand Pinot Noirs on offer.

Me and my risotto. Check out Chef Chris and his enormous cheese wheel / risotto serving dish in the background - ingenious!

Although I enjoyed all the wines, the ones that particularly stood out for me included:

  • Elephant Hill Reserve Syrah 2008 and Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008, both from Hawke’s Bay – super length, tight flavours and a lean elegance that seems to imply aging potential;
  • Man O’ War Flagship Dreadnought Syrah 2008 from Waiheke Island – definitely one for the cellar and one to watch for future vintages – I’m sure these young vines will evolve into greatness; and
  • Sileni Cellar Selection Cabernet Franc Rosé 2008 from Hawke’s Bay – a fresh and fragrant yet dry and subtle-tasting example of what a good New World rosé should exude.

Me and @seanminogue with Bronwyn Skuse of Man O' War Vineyards. I'm holding a bottle of their Flagship Ironclad 2008 (a very nice Bordeaux blend).

Humberto Canale Estate Malbec 2008

May 5, 2010 – Not much to say here: The bottle pictured was badly tainted! Alas, that’s the risk one should always consider with wine purchases – make sure you buy from a place with a good return policy!

I think Gucci could tell something was fishy about this wine.

Luckily, I had a second bottle on hand, which was quaffable: Deep black fruits, roots (licorice, burdock) and medium tannins were the primary flavours I picked up. It was quite different from my initial tasting of this at Playhouse, so I’m not fully convinced this second bottle was free of fault.

I’ve got one last shot available with my third and final bottle on hand, so this story is to be continued… (Here’s hoping for a happy ending!)

VCBW Presents: Women & Beer

May 13, 2010 – Although I blog mostly about wine, I’ll confess this: Sometimes there just isn’t anything more satisfying than an ice-cold beer. (You can take the girl out of Coquitlam, but you can’t take the Coquitlam out of the…)

Asking me to attend a tasting featuring quality BC microbrews and tasty local cuisine is a no-brainer. Do bees like honey? I had to buy tickets the moment I heard about Vancouver Craft Beer Week and its Women & Beer event.

What a fun night! I sampled delicious brews by Saltspring Island Ales, Howe Sound Brewing, Cannery Brewing, Red Devil Brewing and Crannóg Ales, matched with mouth-wateringly good appetizers by The Refinery. It was the perfect Mother’s Day gift for my mom and the fantastic gift bags we received at the end were a pleasant surprise.

The city’s (and country’s, for that matter) inaugural craft beer celebration was excellent and I am glad that I got to take part. See you at the next one!

Sabrina of Twenty-Something Theatre and me with Crannog's Back Hand of God Stout, a complex, malty, chocolaty brew with handmade sweets by CocoaNymph. We were in paradise.

DougieDog

I like a lot of ethnic foods – which in a city like Vancouver, is almost an oxymoron of a term – and so was very excited to try DougieDog, this new hot dog joint that I heard offered a selection of dogs with a multicultural twist.

Anyway, my mom and I stopped here following the Women & Beer tasting for a late-night snack. I just had to post this because the sausages were indeed of a snappy texture, exactly as advertised, and the Seoul Dog variation seemed quite simple, yet original. Why hadn’t I thought of this combination before?

These bad boys are big! Mom and I split one. Toppings included spicy kimchi, Korean BBQ beef, pickle and sesame. If I had to choose a wine pairing, I'd go with some cheap and cheerful cava or brut to tone down the heat.

Plus the server thought I was only 21. Vanity one, modesty zero.

Links

Black Cloud 2006 Pinot Noir

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There is something I love but can’t put my finger on about Okanagan Pinot Noir. Because, when you really think about it, the Okanagan can be subdivided into several fairly different and diverse micro-climates: The shortchanged-on-daylight slopes of Summerland, sunny Naramata on the other side of the valley, and dry-as-British-humour Osoyoos down South, but to name a few.

So how is it that all Okanagan Pinot Noirs appeal to me in the same general way?

After all, if terroir has anything to do with the lovely Okanagan wines I’m drinking, they must all somehow each exude their own unique properties. Yet, puzzlingly, I seem to consistently taste more complexity in Pinot Noir wines from the Okanagan than I do of most other red varietals grown in this area – namely, the Cabernets and Merlots that seem to be chiselled into the woody badasses and warm fruit bombs, respectively, that I keep coming across.

Vive la différence, I say!

Maybe I simply haven’t tried enough Pinots, or perhaps it’s just that I don’t know enough about the varietal or local viticulture practices to justify my yen for yumminess. Of course, it could just be sheer kismet that Pinot Noir grows quite well in my beautiful province; frankly, I don’t know.

What I do know, however, is that I can definitely chalk up another victory to Okanagan Pinot Noir, thanks to this bottle of Black Cloud 2006 Pinot Noir I’m enjoying tonight!

(The grapes in this bottle were grown in Okanagan Falls, another interesting part of the Okanagan Valley. Did you know there are no actual waterfalls in this eponymous region?)

Look at the beautiful legs on this puppy.

Check out the beautiful legs on this puppy.

Here’s a tasty experiment for you: Have you ever smelled or eaten Morbier cheese? It’s a semi-soft, ashy AOC (controlled origin) cheese from France that smells a bit like, well, ash, as well as salt and umami. Morbier is easily recognized by its middle stripe, like someone decided to draw across its length with pencil. Anyway, go visit your local cheesemonger, smell a hunk of Morbier and remember that scent. Now pour yourself a glass of Black Cloud Pinot Noir, sniff it, and tell me that does not at all smell similar to Morbier. Ah, I knew you were a liar.

Tasty Experiment #2: Get yourself some of the aforementioned Morbier, some fatty, moist prosciutto and dried Morello cherries. Now wrap a small wedge of Morbier and a dried cherry with a slice of prosciutto. Pair with Black Cloud Pinot, duck breast, a date or your significant other and a sexy DVD. You won’t be disappointed.

Tasting Notes

Mostly mahogany in colour with flecks of deep crimson. The mature colour makes me think that this should peak either now or quite soon. As I ended up waxing poetically above, the nose begins in a rather earthy, savoury, ashy fashion – think Morbier and Reishi mushrooms (ganoderma lucidum) – followed by aromas of ripe cherries and strawberries. A slightly spicy, tamari sauce character permeates the cherry / berry palate with silky tannins, medium body and kind of bloody (but in a good way!) finish. Try the above appetizer as a food pairing, or venture into more exotic territory by serving this with Chinese five-spice beef shank (ng heung ngau yuk). It’s a cold cut normally served at the beginning of a Chinese banquet, in the same platter as the jellyfish and roast suckling pig. $25

Note: The 2006 vintage is Black Cloud Winery’s first bottling, and I certainly hope there are many more to come. Check out the links below for more reviews!

Links

Black Cloud Winery

Bradley Cooper – winemaker for Black Cloud and Township 7

Other Reviews

Full Bodied: Vancouver Food, Wine and Cleavage

Vinifico! The Original Vancouver Wine Blog

Wine Bard: Confessions of an Oenophile

Between the Vines

Globe In Your Glass

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Last Wednesday, October 28, was Globe In Your Glass, a new world wine tasting in Pan Pacific’s tony Oceanview Suites, hosted by Vincor Canada, the Canadian offshoot of beverage conglomerate Constellation. Partial proceeds from the event benefitted Canuck Place hospice.

My enjoyable evening started by visiting the media suite, albeit a bit tardy, for the Global Values Blind Tasting Challenge, a random smattering of 15 mainstream bottles under $20, red and white. Unfortunately the answers were announced just as I was getting there – the blind tasting actually started ahead of time – so I missed the tasting portion, but reading the hints provided on the tasting sheet, I could tell anyone with wine brand knowledge or sales savvy could easily get most of the answers right without tasting anything. Karl at MyWinePal tasted and guessed an impressive 8 wines (I think; it was at least 7) correctly!

I moved on to the Sumac Ridge reception / tweetup with David Wicken, the winery’s fictional social media personality. The wines on hand were Sumac Ridge Black Sage Merlot, in my opinion always a winner, and an exemplary Black Sage-area red; Sumac Ridge Gewurztraminer, BC’s top-selling white VQA wine (and I think of the entire BC VQA category itself); and Sumac Ridge Tribute sparkling. The non-vintage, Olympic commemorative Tribute turned out to be a wonderful oysters-on-the-halfshell pairing, the tangy mignonette and briny bivalve matching the zesty, crisp flavours of the brut nicely.

In the main tasting room, I had the chance to try a bunch of wines whose labels I knew far better than its contents. The highlights?

Chef Roger Planiden’s Food Pairings

Dare I say it was the busiest booth of the evening? Vincor’s Great Estates of the Okanagan Executive Chef Roger Planiden prepared some wonderful food pairings to match with Vincor’s top BC VQA selections, my favourite two being:

  1. Pacific scallop and sunchoke velouté, with Nk’Mip Chardonnay ($16): Buttery, creamy goodness – the Chardonnay fruit and acidity still shined through.
  2. Goat cheese terrine wrapped in prosciutto on a crostini, with See Ya Later Ranch Pinot 3 ($20; a blend of Pinot Gris, Blanc and Noir): Melon and fresh fruit flavours provided beautiful contrast to the cool gameyness of the goat cheese and cured ham.

Lots of Varietal Character and Terroir

Tasting Globe In Your Glass’ offerings side by side, it soon became evident to me that the different geographies and climates behind these wines provided each with lots of unique flavour nuances that one might not perhaps glean from drinking something individually, or by exploring the wines of just one country. Some of the wines that stood out most for me are below.

I encourage you to check out a new world-themed wine tasting if you get the chance – it’s a great learning opportunity!

Inniskillin Discovery Series Chenin Blanc 2007 (BC VQA)

Clean, honeyed fruit with typical straw / hay Chenin flavours. $17

Jackson-Triggs Proprietor’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (BC VQA)

Tropical guava and passionfruit flavours shot out of my glass. This was an affordable treat that I’ll be remembering for the next sunny day. $15

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (New Zealand)

Grassy, mineral tones and yes, aromas of pee. $22

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (New Zealand)

Crisp citrus, blatant asparagus and green beans and bracing acidity. $16

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Pinot Noir (BC VQA)

I’ve never met an Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt wine I didn’t like. This one just screams classic new world Pinot with its silky texture and earthy, sensual bouquet. $30

Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2005 (BC VQA)

Worth laying down for several years or more, this gem is more of an old world-styled Bordeaux blend with lots of oak, fruit and tannin and plenty of terroir, and it never fails to please. I love it for its value ($45), and even more so because its second wine, Pétales d’Osoyoos ($25), is almost just as good and incredibly drinkable, yet half the price.

Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Napa Valley, California)

I tasted subtle but pervasive licorice flavours in this chewy red, and would love to know if anyone else who’s tasted this also detected the same thing, and can tell me where it comes from. $40