If you’re interested in the cool wines you find in restaurants, but can’t find at the SAQ or your local liquor store, then it’s time to look into private import wine agencies. No, you don’t have to be a big spender or a wine snob to buy these wines. And no, you don’t need to always be buying wine from the companies either (it’s not a subscription).
(My Top 3 picks of the salon are at the bottom)
You do often need to buy by the case or half case, though, which can be a big investment if you don’t already know or love the wine. All those funky natural Loire Valley whites and Sicilian reds you’ve been hearing so much about? You can probably only get them in private import, but you definitely want to taste them before shipping out $300 on a case of 12 (even if you’re splitting it with your best friend and your uncle and his friend and his boss).
And that’s where wine tasting salons like RASPIPAV’s spring DézIPpé salon come in. There was a public day last Saturday where you could buy coupons to taste a ton of wines from agents. And there was a restaurant and media day on Sunday, where I could taste them for you and give you my suggestions.
And those suggestions are:
Chardonnay, Pierre Morey, Bourgogne 2015
I started with this elegant Chardonnay from importer Le Maître de Chai. Think of it as haute couture of Burgundy (words of the Maitre de Chai website, not mine, but it works). Morey has been farming organically since 1993 and biodynamically since 1998. This Chardonnay was mineral and very crisp without excess oakiness or heaviness, but it’s not bone dry, so it was a comforting way to start the salon with a smile. It’s not cheap, but it’s a steal; the 2012 was at the SAQ for $40. I forget the exact price of this, but somewhere around $35 or $40, I think, which would make it a great deal on white Burgundy.
Pierrette, Marc et Sophie Guillemot-Michel, Viré-Clessé, Quintaine 2015
For smaller production white Burgundy, this is a bottle not to miss. This import from La QV is certified biodynamic. It’s from Montpellier, France in the Mâconnais subregion of Burgundy. Indigenous yeasts and a low-temp fermentation give a delicate, graceful white. Here’s more about the winemakers.
Also from Maitre de Chai, this 100% Chenin from Eric and Clément Nicolas (bottled by Les Arches de Bellivière, an hour north of Tours) is biodynamic and organic. It’s from an area that’s prone to botrytis, but this was nicely ripe, yet dry and botrytis-free. It’s pristine Chenin for around $40. Much more linear and crisp than the Chardonnay above of course. Again, not the cheapest, but good value if you want something exceptional in white. It’d be great with seafood, like most Chenin. Snow crab, oysters, clams, mussels and even my favourite Nordic shrimp.
If you’re a fan of orange wine, L’Agence Sans Nom has you covered. I’ll admit I haven’t developed the love of them on their own, but I think they work well with foods that pair well with red wine tannins but a wine wine body. This Slovenian 2015 Malvasija, Kakovostno vino ZGP is high alcohol at 14.5%, but it doesn’t taste it because of the light skin maceration that gives it its orange colour. It’s super low-sulfite.
Pinot Grigio “Ramato” from Damijan Podversic
Here’s another 14.5% alcohol orange wine. Looks pretty rosy, doesn’t it? From Northeastern Italy, it’s an unfiltered Pinot Grigio made with wild yeasts and zero added sulfites, in a natural winemaking style. The name Ramato means copper or auburn and the wine is fermented on the skins for 30 in oak barrels. The sediment helps preserve and protect the wine.
Want dry Riesling? Here you go. The Brand 2015 Haardt Riesling from Pfalz, Germany. Super dry. In the low-$20’s, I think? So very reasonable. It’s not what you expect from German Riesling, which is good. It has some bite to it.
Tenuta Civranette, Pinot Grigio 2016, Fidora
Now that you need a little rest from drinking (what some might call) more difficult wines, here’s a lovely Pinot Grigio from Venezia, Italy. It’s organic (since 1974), vegan and less than $20 a bottle. Do you ever feel as though Pinot Grigio gets a bad wrap? That it’s too accessible, too simple? Your mom loves it, so you can’t? Don’t worry. Your mom wouldn’t buy it if she knew it was vegan, would she? So you’re allowed. Besides, it’s so pretty. The winery makes a lot of valpolicella, amarone and sparkling wines (Moscato spumante and Prosecco), which makes me think the Pinot Grigio isn’t the pride of the litter. It certainly doesn’t bring in the big bucks. But if want a pretty well made PG for cheap (me, please…and my mom), here you go.
Vinemount Ridge Riesling, Charles Baker Picone 2013, Stratus Vineyards
Here was a surprise from wine import agency Rézin. I toured Stratus about 10 years ago maybe, when it first built its super-luxe winery in Niagara, and I wasn’t impressed with the wines. But now the winery has moved towards sustainable production, bringing fresher flavours to their wines, as per the trend. This Riesling doesn’t have the cloying sweetness of a lot of Niagara Riesling, but it’s sure not as surgically dry as the Brand Pfalz Riesling above. And yes, it’s a bit expensive at $40 a bottle. But it’s local. And we don’t see enough Ontario on our Quebec wine menus. A case of this would go down easy, for example in classic Alsatian Bouchées à la Reine or Bacheoffe meat and vegetable stew.
Pearl Morissette, Cuvée Métis 2015
Speaking of Canada, here’s another Niagara winery making waves in the wine world. This 2015 Cabernet Franc is wonderfully dry and full of red fruit and peppery spice (from the whole cluster fermentation, that adds some wood to it without coming from the barrel material). It has balanced tannins and exceptional length. A case of this from importer La QV is a brilliant idea, as it will age well for the next three or four or more years. With age comes…wisdom? Beauty? Structure? Here are the notes on the 2014 vintage. The 2015 will no doubt be very expensive, but if you want something Canadian to show off to your friends in a few years (you’ll probably brag that you bought it before the price went over $100), this is it.
Il Peraccio, IGT Toscana Trebbiano Amphore 2016
I missed a white! This Tuscan Trebbiano from Il Peraccio is imported by Vinealis and goes for just under $30 a bottle. It’s organic and rich and full of tannins – surprising for a white, and very delicious.
Loïc Mahé, Gourmandise du Gue d’Orger
My favourite red wine of the salon, this is an amazing mix of Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Grolleau. It’s all cherries and strawberries and warm summer nights, and just a little spicy. Like Piment d’Espelette, not Thai chili peppers. At $27 a bottle from Vinealis, I would buy a case of this no question.
Pipeño, CarriZal 2017, Louis-Antoine Luyt
“I’ve never tasted anything quite like this.” Those are my tasting notes. Yes, they’re awful notes. Yes, I’d had a fair bit of wine by then. Even if you “crache” (spit out) everything, you end up tipsy when you’re my size. My new friend from the SAQ was actually drinking everything, though, and while he’s a foot taller than me, I’m surprised he managed to stay on two feet… The most surprising part was that he still had excellent taste in wine, even after four hours of tasting. This one from importer Rézin is from the Maule Valley in Chile, from the organic winery of a former student of Marcel Lapierre (read this if you don’t know who that is). The vines are supposedly on average 250-300 years old. The production method is traditional Chilean (and awesome), as described here. It’s very young, but it’s juicy.
Julien Sunier, Fleurie 2016
The Morgon from this winemaker is available at the SAQ, but the Fleurie is only available through private import from Ward et Associés. “Wine is the memory of the grape, so let’s take care of our soil,” says the website for this “artisan winemaker.” This 100% Gamay Noir Beaujolais was all grown up finesse, minerality (I’m not used to this in red, but I haven’t tasted a lot of great Beaujolais) and strong body to me, even after tasting some bigger reds at the DézIPpé tasting salon. Here’s more info the high-physical labour and fruit flavours of this natural wine.
Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre, Corps de Garde 2015, Pinot Noir, Guilhem and Jean-Hugues, Goisot
This red imported to Montreal by Maitre de Chai is biodynamic and the Goisot winery in Burgundy has also been certified organic since the end of the 1990s. There’s a bit of sweetness in this 100% Pinot Noir, but it’s 13% alcohol (much lower than all those 14.5% orange wines I tasted) and it stays fresh because of its tannins. It’s a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir, said the Maitre de Chai rep – and I agreed – thanks to the 30-year-old vines and late picking in September, giving it a natural ripeness and fuller body than the watery Pinots that everyone but my former roommate from Bretagne expects and hates. (“Dislikes” is a nicer word, non?) I think it’d be great with rabbit or duck breast and butter. Lots of butter.
Oh, and cheese. You know, French, quoi.
Anselmo, Red Vermouth di Torino
And to finish, a red vermouth from the importer Alternative Wines and Spirits. There weren’t a lot of fortified alcohol at the salon, which is what vermouth is, but as I’ve been searching for less-sweet red vermouths recently, I had to try this at the end of my day. It’s not the lowest sugar red vermouth I’ve had (they can range from 6 grams sugar/bottle to 60 grams or more at the SAQ), but what I loved about this one was that it actually tastes of grapes. It’s fresh, unlike Martini Rossi and other commercial vermouths often used for cocktails. This isn’t listed on the Alternative Wines and Spirits website yet, so you’ll have to contact them. Yes, you’ll need to get a case, but all your cocktail friends are going to want this one too, so you can split it with them. Or with anyone who loves an Americano as much as I do – though I’d prefer it with a single ice cube…and a sunset.
MY TOP PICKS
If you’re looking for just one case to buy, here are my top three suggestions:
- Loïc Mahé, Gourmandise du Gue d’Orger
It’s a great price on a gorgeous red. $27 from Vinealis. - Chardonnay, Pierre Morey, Bourgogne 2015
I started with this elegant Chardonnay from importer Le Maître de Chai. I imagine my wine connoisseur acquaintances will make fun of me for this one, because it’s such an established winery. It’s not young and cool like the Guillemot-Michel. It’s not flashy or trendy like the orange Klabjan. But it was my favourite white. It made me smile. And I’d never be sad or disappointed to open another bottle of this. - Pearl Morissette, Cuvée Métis 2015
I’d get a case of this relatively expensive Canadian Cabernet Franc from La QV because it will open up and age beautifully. Not that it’s tight or lean right now; it’s something you want to drink a bottle of each year for the next few years and then treasure the rest once it’s fully mature. The Pearl Morissette Pinot Noir isn’t as good as the Cab Franc (said someone at the tasting table: “Am I going to be sitting with this in five years and figuring out the meaning of life? No.”), but it’s very drinkable. The Cab Franc, on the other hand, you could be sitting down in five years with to figure out the meaning of life. You might not find it, but you’d at least be drinking great wine.
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