15
Feb
2013
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Just finished reading an article by Rick Van Sickle about his take on the BC promotion of their wines in Ontario … I was part of the walk around tasting and lunch on January 15, where 21 BC wines were tasted and would have to say they did not have to stoop to these levels and hire questionable wine-personalities to get their message out. Ontarians are already very much interested in wines of the west (just ask California) and British Columbia is of special interest because they are so rare in our part of the world (you’d think they’d be plentiful because we’re in the same country – but that is not the case). BC wines speak for themselves, the high prices might be a bit of a turn off, but the wine in the bottle is very enticing and exciting. The good news, I did find some really good bargains while wondering about, but below is my list of my favourites from this afternoon of wine and food:
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
05
Feb
2013
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Today it’s a tasting of one of California’s newest premier wineries, Jonata, with estate manager, Armand de Maigret.
Interesting notes on the winery …
Vineyard is all sand and was thought not to be conducive to growing good grapes, French flying winemaker and consultant Michel Rolland thought property would make a great golf course - (though he did decide to work with them). Others thoughts it great for growing asparagus.
NB: Other sandy vineyards around the word include Lafite (50%) and Vega Sicilia
They thought they would start with 10 varieties and then ripe out then graft back what is growing well ... turns out that all the varieties are doing well (here’s what they grow by acreage): Cabernet Sauvignon (19), Cabernet Franc (12), Merlot (6), Petit Verdot (~5), Sauvignon Blanc (6), Syrah (22), Viognier (2), Grenache (1), Sangiovese (5), Semillon (2), Petite Sirah (2) … there are 82 acres planted out of 600 available. They crop at around 2 tons to the acre, max is 2.2
Wines have to be perfect before they go in the bottle - at times they will not make the wine if it is not up to their standards. Second label is called "The Pairing" – these are “barrels that don't behave properly” ... and those that don’t fit at all are sold as bulk.
Wines are all named - even if they could be labeled as a straight varietal ... thus Jonata can hedge their bets in case of a bad vintage with any one grape variety.
The name Jonata means "tall powerful live oak" and is pronounced Honata.
Their AVA is part of the bigger Santa Barbara ... smaller is Santa Ynez ... specifically, Ballard Canyon
(As for the wine, click here to see the reviews of 9 of the tens wines tried)
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
