Tag Archives: Naramata

Bottle Maturation

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Sipping on a bottle of properly matured, well cared-for wine is like running into the awkward guy from algebra ten years later at your high school reunion.

He’s turned out to be – hopefully – fleshier and more toned in physique than his younger, gangly self, with a smoother timbre replacing the squawky, pitched stutter of yore. And perhaps his then-clashing talents of number-crunching and collecting 70′s vinyl have evolved into a profitable online music entrepreneurship.

Everything about him is still there, just now in far better shape. It just took several years for that potential to develop into something more.

I’ve got both an Old World and a New World example that I’m excited to share with you:

Château Faizeau Sélection Vielles Vignes AOC Montagne St-Émilion 2006

This wine was released in BC in the fall of 2009. The Montagne Saint-Émilion area is just northeast of the principal Saint-Émilion appellation, and like its namesake, showcases Merlot-based wines, which in this case come from some older vines that have been green-harvested to concentrate flavour development in select bunches that have been left on the vine. From one French website, it appears that “flying winemaker” Michel Rolland seems to have consulted on the wine. The site also notes that the vineyard is made of 12 hectares of clay-limestone and sandy soil, and 50% of the wine was aged in barrel for 18 – 24 months.

Opened on April 16, 2011, thanks to my generous friend (and graphic designer extraordinaire) Lydia. Within an opaque core of blood red lies a soft and seductive nose of black cherry, plums, blackberries, baking spices, cocoa and licorice. The rich, velvety palate is gently concentrated with red and black berry flavours, a hint of herbaceousness, and secondary notes of cinnamon, chocolate, licorice and earth, finishing with refreshing acidity that suggests further aging up to another 5 to 6 years would be fine. Lydia, Natasha and I ate this with Mediterranean cheese and spinach pies, which tasted great – I would also recommend trying this with a piece of good dark chocolate or a meat dish with mole sauce to really play up the voluptuousness of this wine.

Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc Okanagan Valley VQA 2005

Sean and I had the fortune to visit with Poplar Grove’s winemaker, Ian Sutherland, two years ago on a holiday in Naramata. There, we got to barrel sample some varietal components of his Bordeaux blend, Legacy, including some Cabernet Franc, and I’m fairly certain it was at that moment that I became a believer in Cabernet Franc’s potential to claim the title of Best Okanagan Black Grape. The barrel samples were intense, concentrated and left us with black teeth for the day – Sean was especially hooked and bought a bottle of the 2005, and we’ve been interested in Cab Francs across BC since.

I visited the winery again this past weekend on the way home from a short road trip through Penticton, and Julie, the lovely lady managing the tasting room that day, mentioned that Poplar Grove uses the help of Bordelais consultant Alain Sutre. Apparently, Sutre’s advice vis à vis Poplar Grove’s Cab Franc is that extra hangtime is allowed for the fruit such that it’s picked within the precise and short timeframe wherein sugar ripening slows down but the rate of phenolic ripeness speeds up, letting the grapes build up extra flavour complexity without the excess of natural sugars.

This funny, adorable border collie belonging to a neighbour of the winery had me working hard for my wine! I must have thrown that grapevine stick 50 times.

Opened on May 7, 2011. Deep purple-black in the glass with some garnet hues along the rim, this wine displays a heady aroma of ripe plums, prunes, blackberry, currants, tobacco, cedar and spice. In the mouth, fine sweet oak tannins combine deliciously with a medium-plus body of ripe cherry, currant, plum, leather, spice, chocolate and licorice flavours and a medium-plus finish. A rewarding wine right now but could certainly hold up for another couple years if not longer.

This still had all the concentrated black fruit flavours and tannin of the original barrel sample, except worn and woven into a much smoother cloth. We sipped happily on this without food, however I would have loved to try this with some grilled rosemary lamb chops or rib eye seared perfectly medium rare. Finishing: 18 months in French oak barrels plus an additional 12 months of bottle maturation prior to release. $35 at the winery (fairly positive it’s now sold out)

Summertime and the Living is Easy, Part Two

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This summer, my cup, or rather my wine glass, runneth over with incredible wines!

Here’s a quick glance at some of the major “vinelights” from July, August and early September. Listed in order of appearance in my glass.

Burrowing Owl Meritage 2006, South Okanagan

Meritage (rhymes with heritage) is the semi-official term for North American red blends made with traditional Bordeaux varietals. I acquired this bottle with Sean on our BC winery road trip last summer. This deep ruby-purple gem from the Black Sage area of South Okanagan exudes aromas of black and blue fruits, oak, tobacco, mint and coffee. It was lean and powerful, with good depth of fruit, some mouth-cooling mint flavours, fine tannins and a long finish. I would have liked to hang on to it for another year or two, but it was Sean’s birthday wine of choice, and in any case it was still delicious. I made a really nice zucchini and goat’s cheese whole wheat pizza with roasted garlic that night, which was a terrific appetizer. $45 at the winery.

Green Truck Organic Zinfandel 2008, Mendocino County

This organic line extension of the Red Truck wine brand was pretty good for its type: Ripe and plummy with notes of raspberry jam, this was typical mainstream California zinfandel that will match a wide variety of foods. Perfect for hostess gifts and potlucks. I received this as a gift but estimate this to be around $15 – 18.

Palo Alto Reserva 2008 DO Maule Valley, Chile

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Syrah. Deep purple-black in colour, with aromas of black fruits, spice and oak on the nose. A full-bodied, mouthcoating wine with flavours of ripe plum, cassis, oak and baking spice. A bit bold, ripe and intense for me as a summer wine, but perhaps will fare better in winter with stews and roasts. $14

Howling Bluff Pinot Noir 2006, Naramata

This was my birthday wine! Also purchased Summer 2009 during my and Sean’s winery road trip – we actually stayed at Howling Bluff’s bed and breakfast for a couple of nights. I cooked a fantastic meal (see below) to pair specially with this wine, and am pleased to say everything tasted great together. The wine was showing well, although more intense and less earthy than I had remembered. Dark cherry aromas with notes of cocoa, white pepper dust, earth and cool oak on the nose, with similar flavours and oaky tannins on the palate that lingered right on through the finish. A medium-plus-bodied, classic New World Pinot that I think will improve in the bottle for up to 3 – 4 more years. Good thing I still have another bottle! $30 at the winery.

Heirloom tomato salad with escarole and mixed sprouted beans, basic lemon / balsamic / grapeseed oil vinaigrette

Belgian endive topped with Gorgonzola, walnut, Oculus cherry and caramelized shallot marmalade

Mushroom & herb risotto, caramelized shallot marmalade

Montes Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 DO Colchagua Valley, Chile

I see a white cork and I want it painted black...

Check out the blackness of the cork! This was a forgotten bottle that was stored in my parents’ house for a few years until I pulled it out late August for some experimental, adventurous sipping. I don’t have too much experience drinking aged wines from my personal cellar (any bottles of mine that need time are still hidden away for future drinking), so, apart from a Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurtzgarten Riesling Spätlese 2005 that I opened the Mother’s Day before last (heavenly), this is a first for me in terms of reds. The Montes Classic Series is by no means a premium wine (the winery has higher-tier lines including the iconic Purple Angel), so it was also an experiment in tasting cellar potential in a less expensive wine.

Happily, this did not disappoint. What would have been racy acid and strong tannins in the wine’s early days now translated to smooth drinking in the glass, five years later. Elegant flavours of black fruits, cassis, plum, pipe tobacco and chocolate combined with an almost milky texture for a pleasantly subtle example of Cabernet. $15

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages 2009

There has been so much hype on the 2009 vintage in Beaujolais that I simply had to get this bottle when I saw it on the shelf at my local store. I’m just gaining appreciation for the subtleties of Gamay now – Beaujolais’ trademark red varietal is typically light and fruity, which can often be misunderstood for “unseriousness”. Rather, in the best examples such as Cru Beaujolais, the wine is enhanced by undertones of mineral (of which there is a wide spectrum), earth and floral or herbaceous notes, all of which aren’t overshadowed by harsh tannins that can sometimes get in the way of good wine. Beaujolais are super easy-drinking wines that pair perfectly with light, healthy cooking like we enjoy here on the West Coast.

This Beaujolais-Villages was so fruity and delicious, I’m tempted to trade up and search for 2009s from smaller domaines. Bright purple in colour, the wine offered juicy berry and Kool-Aid aromas with notes of granite and flowers. On the palate, it was a medium-minus-bodied wine with low tannins, refreshing acidity, more of that juicy, almost sweet fruit character and some complex minerality beneath. Enjoy this while you can, because (a) it won’t last long on the shelves, and (b) it’s best served young. Open it as soon as you get it! I like my Beaujolais slightly chilled to maximize on the tasty juiciness. $17

Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2008

Dark, handsome and brooding, just like Ryo Saeba, City Hunter.

The other wine region (or country, really) that I’ve really begun sinking my teeth into is Italy. There are so many unique wines made from innumerable indigenous varieties, all of which just have this amazingly unmistakable Italian character and pair excellently with food. This was just as I had hoped for, rich and long on the palate with silky tannins, deep cherry and other red fruit flavours persisting in the mouth, with notes of pipe tobacco, oak, licorice, tea leaves, spice and this slightly bitter undertone that made you want to keep drinking. I enjoyed this massively with comfy sweats and a Japanese anime DVD, but you could also pair this with a hard cheese like Asiago or Parmigiano Reggiano and charcuterie. $17

Henry Fessy Saint-Amour AOC 2008

Here’s another yummy Beaujolais from one of the ten crus, Saint-Amour, which is up near the top of the cru “strip”. Slightly lighter in body and acidity than the Duboeuf version mentioned above, this showed more complexity with the minerals, flowers and fruit more intertwined, harder to pick out than the Beaujolais-Villages. This would be great with a simple herbed pork tenderloin or grilled chicken dish (skin on, bien sûr!) – my vegetarian pairing was macaroni with mushrooms, spinach and thyme in a tomato sauce, baked au gratin with a whole wheat Cheddar béchamel topping. $25

Macaroni in mushroom, spinach and tomato sauce, baked au gratin with whole wheat Cheddar bechamel.

That’s all I have to report for now – photos and stories from my Summer 2010 trips to the Okanagan coming soon!

Hitachino Nest Beer

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I’ve been meaning to post something on this tasty Japanese brand for months now, but I guess mid-summer is just about as good a time as any for a beer write-up.

The first Hitachino Nest beer I ever tried was during this past April, when some of my industry friends and I were wrapping up our hectic week at Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival by celebrating at Uva Wine Bar, and a new acquaintance, Anthony Burée of Perseus Winery in Naramata, kindly bought me a Hitachino Nest Celebration Ale.

Smooth, rich, spicy, full-bodied and full of flavour, the intriguing Belgian-styled brew was mouth-wateringly satisfying and left me wanting to discover more.

Made by Kiuchi Brewery in the Japanese town of Naka-shi in the Ibaraki prefecture, the Celebration Ale is one of 10 beers available in the Hitachino Nest line.

Don’t let the cute little red owl logo fool you – these are serious beers for serious sipping.

Kiuchi Brewery started way back in the 1820s as a sake brewery, and didn’t start making beer until 1996. It is now not only a manufacturer of sake and beer but also wine, with some vineyards growing on the Kiuchi property. I’ve never tried Japanese table wine before – now that’d be another interesting blog adventure!

I’m happy to report that my search for more Hitachino was brief – three beers from the Hitachino line are available at Brewery Creek Liquor Store. Sadly, none of them is the Celebration Ale, but they are just as delicious.

Below are two of the three available at Brewery Creek. I did also try the White Ale on another occasion, which is very fragrant and tasty, but I forgot to take photos before I guzzled it down.

I highly recommend getting your hands on a few bottles to quench your thirst during what’s left of summer in Vancouver!

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

I couldn't capture the colour very well here, but imagine this colour with a touch more raspberry in the hue.

Made from fermented red rice along with hops and barley, this cloudy beer is a vibrant rhubarb in colour and expresses warm strawberry rhubarb pie aromas on the nose. The red fruit is more subdued on the palate; while it’s still a fruity ale, there is plenty of malt and hop flavour, and it’s not at all sweet, although it does taste soft and round. I’m pretty sure the texture and body of the beer, thicker than most, are due to some of that starchy rice quality coming through in the final product. It’s not a very fizzy beer – this is very ale-like in its low foaminess. I recommend this with a steaming bowl of char siu (Chinese honey BBQ pork) on rice, char siu bao (BBQ pork buns) or perhaps a lap cheong (Chinese “waxed” sausage) dish. You can tell where I’m going, right? Anything slightly sweet and porky. $4 for a 330 ml bottle.

Hitachino Nest Classic Ale

This is made in an IPA (India Pale Ale) style, with rich, thick malty flavours and plenty of hoppy bitterness, and sure enough, there are British hops in this recipe. Clear copper in colour, lifted aromas of hops and grain meet the nose. On the refreshing palate, loads of bracing, bitter, fresh flavour are packed into one little robust, full-bodied package. Lots more foam here, with gentle persistent carbonation on the tongue that adds to the refreshing nature. I’d pair this with an assortment of Japanese kushi skewers – crunchy chicken gizzards and fatty pork, soft and rich livers, or savoury bacon-wrapped garlic shoots – the sky’s the limit! $4 for a 330 ml bottle.