26
Aug
2016
- Details
-
Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
(January 25, 2016) ... The annual Wine Writers Circle dinner was held at Mistura this year and the food was delicious, but as usual I took little to no notes on the food and all on the wines.
There were plenty of interesting bottles on the table I took note of the two I brought because the constituted a Gamay battle of epic proportions between two of the biggest and best names in Ontario Gamay: 13th Street and Malivoire - many in attendance tasted these wines throughout the night and a winner was crowned ... The bell rings (or the cap cracks) and the battle begins:
In this corner, wearing the burgundy-ish label with white lettering is the 13th Street 2007 Gamay Noir (what many believed, in 2007, the reigning Gamay champion in Ontario): smoky-licorice, touch earthy, black cherry, dried cranberry - it was initially the favourite as it showed quite well right off the hop, it came out swinging and connected with many taste buds along the way - but as time wore on it got a little sluggish and showed some tiredness.
In the other corner, the challenger, wearing the mainly white label with black lettering, Malivoire 2007 Gamay: vibrant fruit of red cherry, red licorice with a touch of mushroom on the finish - but it was not done there; with time this one just kept opening and showed multiple layers throughout the evening; when the 13th Street was starting to feel logy the Malivoire was just getting stronger ...
Hands down the winner by the end of the evening, not only by knockout, but also on the judges cards: the Malivoire 2007 Gamay.
___________________
This is the year (2007) Malivoire took the reigns from 13th Street as the best Gamay producer in Ontario and has never looked back; the was the last year of the great Gamays of 13th Street as the original reviews below will show.
Original Reviews:
Malivoire 2007 Gamay
13th Street 2007 Gamay Noir
24
Aug
2016
- Details
-
Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
(January 24, 2016) ... This is the second year I've been invited to what is dubbed by my friend Larry as "The Best Day of Football", usually due to the stinkers and lopsided affairs the Super Bowl turns into - these are the divisional finals that put the 'best' teams into the BIG game. As usual when Larry and I get together, a mixed case gets opened and all hell breaks loose as far as the commentary goes - these are the notes and comments that were fit to print:
Kacaba 2006 Pinot Noir, Wismer Vineyard ... light in colour, dried and tight, "going nowhere" was a one off comment, but it was also true; wine was tried again a little later and it had gone nowhere good.
Original review
Reif 2007 Pinot Noir ... underwhelming red wine, dried out, which is surprising for a hot vintage 2007 wine, it was also riddled with oxidative notes.
Original review: NONE
Jackson-Triggs 2001 Merlot, Proprietors' Reserve - Okanagan ... one of the better wines of the day, it had nice cassis and blackberry, although dried, with chalky, smoky, and raisiny notes mid-palate; it turned out to be fairly smooth with time and even managed to maintains a fruit core that was an eye-brow raiser to many (in a good way).
Original review: NONE
Willow Heights 2002 Merlot ... this wine started off a little worrisome with a little bit of a stanky aroma that had many recoiling from their glass, but if you stuck with it and gave it a chance you'd notice that smell blew off and left behind some dried blueberry funk. Better than it first let on, but not that great in retrospect.
Original review: NONE
Mountain Road Wine Company 2002 Cabernet Franc ... this would be how many old timers remember their Cab Franc: it starts off smoky and earthy with hints of dishrag notes which kicked things off, and things never improved as there's a heavily oaked finish with some charred green and red peppers - and it's those peppers that scream Franc to many old school Ontario Franc fans.
Original review
Thomas & Vaughan 2002 Cabernet Franc ... port-like nose and flavours, drinkable for about 20 minutes with dark berries - but let it sit in the glass any longer and it's like the oxidization fairy swept in and dosed this one full of it. (Also noted, wine was sealed with plastic cork)
Original review: NONE
Willow Heights 2003 Cabernet Merlot (cellared in Canada from a Short Crop vintage) ... if memory serves these were Washington grapes that were used to augment what little they had from Ontario - smooth, dark berry, black cherry with a touch of vanilla, silky with nicely balanced acidity. Washington/Ontario seem to have been a good marriage.
Original review: NONE
Strewn 2003 Cabernet Merlot, Two Vines ... another short crop cellared wine but this one was just a plain old bland boring red wine with little to write home about.
Original review: NONE
Sanson 2001 Barn Cat Red (Cabernet Merlot) ... the nose kicks off pretty stinky (similar to the earlier Willow Heights Merlot) but here there is still a little fruit on the finish with some chalky / acidity notes and the oak starts to show through after about 40 minutes - there were some around the table that really liked this; though at this point we're eight bottles in and some are fading fast from sensory overload.
Original review
Willow Heights 2002 Cabernet ... for its age this Cabernet is showing very well: sweet fruit, vanilla, silky smooth palate with licorice and a port-like finish - I'd drink this 14 year old wine happily.
Original review: NONE
Vineland 2009 Elevation Cabernet ... this one was quite the acidic monster, and considering the year I was not surprising; but there was also much to get excited about here with its mocha, sour cherry, and white pepper, simple but quite tasty - another room favourite, this time for good reason.
Original review
Calamus 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ... Larry has a soft spot (maybe even a blindspot) for these wines and this one split the room as a wine to love or hate. Starts with some nice mocha, smoky, cassis, and herbal notes, but then swung wildly between things like tomato leaf, black cherry, and vanilla; always with a touch of green on the finish (how in '07 you get green I'm not sure); through all that it's quite tasty but a wine you'll need to drink sooner rather than later - got some in the cellar? Open it.
Original review
Peller 2007 Cabernet Franc, Private Reserve ... the most controversial wine of the afternoon:. corked or not? At first we were mostly positive, then less so, then more so, then ... maybe not ... smoky, oaky - not like the previous bottles I have had, maybe it is finally on the down swing of its life span, but it never resolved as a wine nor did we figure out its "corked" status.
Original review
Stratus 2007 Wildass Rose ... what a revelation: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot are all in the bottle - the colour has gone rather dark (almost seemed like a light red - and tasted that way too) - it has maintained fruit character and seemingly has tannins ... it was the surprise of the afternoon - as someone said "best 8 year old rose I have ever had" ... granted I don't think 8 year old rose is a common drink, but it really was a wonderful experience.
Original review: NONE
