Like Christmas, November’s big wine events are over too fast. First, RASPIPAV—the private import wine salon at Marché Bonsecours—played host to every import company in the city. More and more companies are getting on the biodynamic, natural, organic, artisanal wine bandwagon. And thank goodness, because there’s incredible wine coming into the city, and it’s relatively available, and even affordable. We’re talking $15-$30 bottles that I’d (sometimes) take over a $100 Burgundy or Bordeaux.
Why? Because there’s less junk in the wine (added sugars, added sulfites, stabilizers, other chemicals with more numbers than letters in the name, and far too many z’s). But mostly because of how alive the wine is. They’re not necessarily huge wines, but they’re not necessarily young and weak either. My pick of the salon, a Greek 2012 Sclavus Vino di Sasso from Oenopole, was perfectly balanced. Not too sweet, not too puckeringly dry, just sharp enough to be refreshing without any extra effervescence. It’s a perfect wine for drinking, for pairing with seafood or foods that need a bright minerality. It’s like the first day at the beach on a Mediterranean vacation, except every day of the vacation will be that good.
I also tried the whole line from Tawse, brought in by importer, Le Pot de Vin. I don’t remember absolutely loving any of the wines, but I respect the company. Many of the wines made biodynamically (not all), and the owner is moving towards owning enough land to grow all his own grapes, instead of having to purchase grapes from wineries that he respects for their ecological and oenological practices. For local wine, it’s great. If only the price tags could compete with what we have coming in from Burgundy, Cotes-de-Rhone, Laguedoc and Roussillon, and maybe Quebec wine lovers would start buying it.
At La Grande Degustation, I went in search of vodkas made without wheat or barley or rye. That left corn and potato. And I was happy to find a new Quebec micro-distillery, Pur Vodka, with some big money behind it making a 100% corn vodka right here in La Belle Province. Drink it straight and it’s (as the name implies) pretty pure and clean. But have it with an oyster (which they were offering at the salon), and it becomes dessert. The sweetness of the corn pops out. This is going to be a very popular vodka for vodka initiates, and locavores.
Then Champagnes. Because Chardonnay was featured at this year’s salon, there were a lot of Champagnes on hand. Not as may as a couple of years ago when Champagnes were featured, but the selection wasn’t awful, and who turns down free Champagne? Well, it turns out I should have…
Most were blends, which is fine, but when they’re blends and “bruts” with relatively high levels of sugar, there’s so much added flavour that I find the Champagne often feels bloated and heavy. There were a couple of 100% Chardonnay Champagnes I tried, though, that nearly brought tears to my eyes (especially after the big bubbled, oaky, overpriced disappointments), including:
Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne 2004. You don’t want to know how much this bottle is, but for a very, very special occasion, it’s amazing. I met a Taittinger rep at the last Chapamgne salon and remember how helpful he was. So yes, I’m swayed by knowledgeable service and a well-established brand, but this Champagne speaks for itself. There’s nothing snobby about it or the winery. Crisp, clean, elegant, smooth, balanced. Every sip is a smile.
Also up there is the Amour de Deutz Champagne, the top of the blanc de blancs (in this case all Chardonnay) line from Deutz. Only big wineries are present at the Grande Degustation because they’re the only ones who can afford to come all this way for such an expensive event that may or may not help sell much their product (unlike the private import salon where many of the very small wine producers are present, and many restaurants and individuals order cases). This 2005 Millesime (all Chardonnay) is lovely. A little feminine in appearance (it’s not in a shaded bottle so that light can’t affect it), but all power and chivalry in the mouth. Too esoteric? Go drop ~$200 Canadian (or USD) to find out for yourself.
And then there were the Californians. Though it was supposed to be all about Chardonnay, I had more success in the reds. Again, because not many small producers were here, the selection of really high quality, artisanal wines wasn’t as impressive as RASPIPAV, but if there’s anything (besides Ontario wines) that’s underrepresented at RASPIPAV it’s Californians.
And that’s a shame, because Breggo Winery is making incredibly good Pinot Noirs. This is not a French pinot. It’s a Pinot that you hate to love, because you know you’re supposed to love the restrained wateriness of a French pinot. Easy drinking. Young. A nose high in the air. Then in walk in hotter, moister Californian pinots, with their raspberries and blackberries and body. Swinging their hips and laughing at a wine pairing with chicken. These are for your Italian grandma’s pastas, your French aunt’s coq au vin (for drinking, not cooking), and your sausage cassoulet, duck, seared steak with garlic and shallots, Basque chicken, and paella. But they’re also light enough for wild Pacific salmon, your braised mushrooms, squash with lime and honey, leeks vinaigrette, and a hearty vegetable soup.
The Anderson Valley 2010 ($45-ish a bottle) is all that I preached above, but the big brother Ferrington 2010 (available at the SAQ for $67 a bottle) was the hands down winner. Neither are stereotypical Napa fruit bombs, but there’s enough weight to fool your dinner guests, and a panel of judges who think French is best.
Then an incredible wine from Cliff Lede in the Stag’s Leap District in Napa Valley. A 2009 cabernet sauvignon. What it’s not: a bombastic merlot. What it is: delicious. Just tannic enough to give it richness and keep it dry, just fruity enough in the nose to make you feel as though you’re drinking an orchard. At $80 a bottle, it’s not cheap, but it’s new and hot and well-made. I’d take it over a stuffy $300 Morgon, unless the Morgon was a gift, of course.
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