1982 Vignaveja: An Elegant Old Vintage

Old wines are always something of a mystery. Case in point, the bottle of 1982 Vignaveja we’re about to uncork. What is going to happen when I open this vintage? Will it be dead, oxidized, or will it be a wonderful old bottle full of life still?

This particular bottle is actually Susan’s – a semi bribe and pay back for some editing she did for me at very last minute. The “fee” was two older bottles of wine from my cellar preferable at least one of them a Gaja that she’s always wanted to try. However, she very graciously decided to share this bottle with me. Wonderful woman.

There where problems from the start. A very long cork that really didn’t want to allow itself to be removed from the bottle where it had rested for quite sometime – almost 27 years to be exact. With a lot of work, we finally managed to remove the cork although in many pieces – many, many very small pieces.

As we decanted the wine – surprisingly there was just a little sediment in the bottom of the bottle – a wonderful smell of fruit and leather filled the room. The color was a deep dark red, also very surprising. But would it hold up? Sometimes with older wines, I’ve had them die as soon as soon as they get hit with air.


The colour, too, was amazing for its age – a deep red with a brick red rim and no hints of orange or brown at all. How long would the color last?

Mentally, I was trying to do a WSET tasting note – impossible. Each sip, every glass changed by the minute. The first glass started out as dried roses, dark cherry, and vanilla. Half way through, a little bit of smoky notes made an appearance. The second glass became all about leather and tar, truffles and forest floor. There where still some tannins, but with the corners rounded off, then pure silk. The acidity was present all the way through. Very long finish, quite amazingly long, in fact. The third and final glass started out all truffles, mushrooms, saddle leather, and earth. Then suddenly, with an ounce or so left in the glass, it died and became all sherry notes and acid.

Still, there’s no question this was an amazing wine – Nebbiolo (seen left) again showing remarkably well for its age. Apparently it originally sold for less than $30 although I could find very little about this vintage on the web. Wine Spectator rated the 1983 at 94 points. If any one has any information on this wine, we’d love to hear about it.

Susan’s Note:

Okay, sure I’ll often do Frank’s editing for free but this one was a bit “extreme” – half an hour to take care of some promotional material that should have been at least a four hour job – so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to snag the Gaja I’ve had my eye on for over a year. Success at last.

But I have to confess that somehow this wine would have been much diminished if drunk solo. Just like the older Barolo that will likely be the cost of his next extreme edit. Frank Haddad CSW,CSS and Susan BoyceBlanc-de-Noir

A Night of Film,Music and WIne

The Vancouver Latin American Film Festival is holding its annual fundraiser, A Night of Film, Music, and Wine, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (November 17) at Granville 7 Cinemas (855 Granville Street). A screening of Mercedes Sosa Cantora, un Viaje Intimo ( Cantora, An Intimate Journey ), a documentary about the acclaimed recording artist, will be embellished with wine, hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, and live music by Latin guitarists Joaquin Ernesto and Pancho y Sal. Tickets are $20, available at www.vlaff.org/.

A Little Bit On Grenache

SyrahRhone ValleyYou gave to feel sorry for poor Grenache. It has an identity problem and very rarely gets any billing.This grape is a little wild and some times you don't even know when you are drinking it.
Grenache Noir, as it is known in France is called Granacha Tinta in Spain. It can also be called Cannonau in Sardinia, Alicante in some parts of France or Aragon, Aragones in Spain. Grenache can be called Lladoner, Uva di Spagna, Tentillo, Tinto and Bois Jaune. Garnacha Tintorera is not Grenache at all.  Garnacha Tintorera is really Alicante Bouschet, which is not the same grape as plain old Alicante. You see the identity problem.
Grenache is either first in acreage planted or comes in second in the world depending on the source consulted. However, Grenache however is not as widely planted around the world as Cabernet Sauvignon.  Grenache needs to have a long warm growing season. So, many wine regions around the world cannot grow Grenache successfully.
For those of you who do not care about the geek stuff,pass over this paragraph. Galet lists some 362 clones of Grenache, which can have implications on quality and yield.  Grenache will oxidize easily if not treated well in the winery and then will not age well. Treated properly, it will age well; some of the Chateauneuf de Pape will age for years.  Grenache works well with goblet style pruning and poor well-drained soils. Grenache buds early but needs a long growing cycle to ripen properly. The yields need to be kept low to attain quality. It also suffers from coulere and downy mildew. For those of you who do blind tasting, Grenache is light in color but high in alcohol which is unusual and add in the lower acidity, this helps identify Grenache. It shows more red fruit and white pepper than it common blending partner, Syrah with its black fruit and black pepper.
Grenache is all about strawberries, pepper, roasted nuts and spice. It is a low acid grape and has moderate tannins, but still a little on the wild rustic side. Then as it seduces you with its lovely fruit, it can whack you on the side of the head with its possible production of high alcohol, up to 16% and intoxicating delight. Something like a bad girl friend, I suppose. Defiantly not as refined and elegant as a Merlot, but oh ,so much more fun.
Grenache gets hidden away, with many different wine styles using it; again with the identity problem. It is used in those wonderful Tavel roses for a brunch sipper, the big dry reds from the Rhone, and also in the fortified wines of Banyuls. I have known people that have developed an addiction to Banyuls and chocolate. I have received phone calls late at night, asking if I have a bottle stashed away somewhere. Poor souls. Be careful of those seemingly carefree Tavel roses as well, a big alcohol punch hidden in the fruity strawberry flavors.
Grenache rarely gets the big label billing that a Cab or Merlot can get.  In the old world it hides away on the AOC regional label. The Cote de Rhones from France must have a least forty percent Grenache. The wines from Roussilon also have some in its blend and also shows up in Vin de Pays through out southern France.  The Spanish who have grown it for about eight hundred years, hide the name, under the regions of Priorat with their almost black wines with huge amounts of alcohol, blend it in Rioja and use it in Navarra with their roses. The great Spanish wine Vega Sicilia uses Granacha as part of it blends, a big wonderful wine. Too bad the bank account shudders when this one is brought home.  At the other end of the spectrum, in California’s Central Valley they can beat it up with over yielding vines and use it in jug wines. Bonny Doon and Alban can show it well with their do to low yields and care and attention. Australia again uses it as a blend with GSMs (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) look for Penfolds and D’Arenberg. Grenache is Australians big secret ingredient. That Shariz you have been drinking probably has a little Grenache in it.
Chateauneuf de Pape does it the best by far. Grenache is one of the main red grapes of the thirteen permitted in the AOC.  Vieux Telegraphe and Chateaux Beaucastel are at the top end but use different amounts of Grenache in their blends. At their price point they are so much better than cult Cabs. Look for Cote de Rhone and Gigondas and Vacqueyras at lower price points, but very good quality.
It is hard to make a generlization on food pairings and Grenache as it comes in many styles. Banuylus as mentioned before, think of chocolate desserts. The Roses are great afternoon or brunch wines. The Rhone Valley think of roasted or ' barby 'meats.
This weekend forget the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot. Get a bottle of some form of Grenache preferably a Southern Rhone. Call your significant other, turn down the lights put some music on and indulge a little in something different. If you have the Beaucastel, I will not be held responsible for what happens. If you liked this or the Beuacastel worked, scroll up to the top right hand corner and enter your e-mail and click on subscribe
There are some opportunities to taste Grenanche coming up in Vancouver.
The ladies from  House Wines have a tasting coming up November 9th which they are calling an  Ode to Grenache.  Check out our post last week on the House Wine Tastings .www.housewine.ca .
Marquis Wines is doing a dinner at La Gavroche,  November 10th,called Wines of the Rhone Valley. By the way you can pick up the Beaucastel and the Vieux Telegraphe at Marquis. www.marquis-wines.com.

Bordeaux at House Wines

The other night, I attended a tasting hosted by the ladies of House Wines – Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard. If you’re a Wine and Spirit Education Trust or an International Sommelier Guild student, this is an inexpensive way to practice your tasting notes. If your intention is to taste an array of wines and do a comparison of different styles, it’s a venue I’d recommend since you get to try new wines without having to spring for the whole bottle.

The evening was built around Bordeaux blends. The Bordeaux AOC allows for the following red grape varieties; Merlot (shown right), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec,

Petit Verdot, and Carmenere meaning a Bordeaux is a wine with any of these grapes blended together.

The price range of the wines varied widely, peaking with the 2004 San Leonardo Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT from Italy at $110. The opposite end of the spectrum was represented by the 2008 Trivento “Reserve” Cabernet Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina and cost a mere $13. The British Columbia entry was the 2006 Mission Hill Compendium VQA priced at $40, a wine that compared very well with all the foreign competition. The value wine of the evening was also the only white, a Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Blanc AOC coming in at $14. This wine is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

The event was a great value with 12 wines on offer for $40. The next tasting by House Wines is on November 9^th and is titled an Ode to Gernache. This should be a great evening as Grenache encompasses so many different styles. Hope to see you there.

Susan’s note: One thing you can be sure of with any of Michelle and Michaela’s tastings, they make learning fun and you just never know what surprises they’ll have in store for you when it comes to the wines you taste. I mean honestly, don’t these two ladies look like they’re having fun? I wasn't able to attend this one, but you can be sure I'll be on board at the Grenache tasting. Frank Haddad CSW CSS and Susan Boyce blanc-de-noir.blogspot.com
 

Frank Finds Scotch Whiskey and Chocolate

I must admit that as a regular Scotch drinker, pairing Scotch with chocolate isn’t something I’ve ever thought about. I love Scotch and chocolate. But matching the two together simply never occurred to me.

So when the West Coast Chocolate Festival put on such a pairing, I had to
check it out. Marcus Von Albrecht supplied the Scotches, Heather Rondeau from XOXOLAT took on the challenge of pairing them with chocolate.

The first Scotch was a Finlaggan Old Reserve (40% ABV). Very pungent, full bodied, and smoky with a nice long finish. It had a slight background taste of chocolate, but earthy. This was matched with an Amano 70% single origin chocolate. A Venezuelan criollo with some cherry, it had some smoky, burnt taste that went well with the Scotch.

Second was an Ileach Peaty (40%ABV). The word “peaty” was accurate — go out into the bog, grab some peat, shove it in a glass, and you pretty much have it. There was also a light, oaky finish with an oily bit late on the palate. The chocolate was XOXOLAT’s 75% with blueberry bits — very smooth as the supplied tasting notes implied. Forrastero beans supplied some earthy notes, and the blueberries worked surprisingly well with the Scotch.

Next on the agenda was a 10-year-old Tantalian (40%ABV). Light oak taste perhaps from bourbon barrels. Cloves and other spicy notes accentuated the long, textured semi-creamy finish. Paired with Cardamom Crème Brulee in a dark chocolate heart, this match was the best of the evening. Spice with spice — perfect.

Next was, for me, the dram of the evening. Caol Ilia 29-year-old (46%ABV). Smoke, sage, vanilla, sweet spice, citrus, and a very, very long finish. A truly remarkable Scotch, this one is coming up for sale in November — get a bottle or two if you can. The nose isn’t as good as what hits your palate, but hit your palate is what is does. Extremely well balanced. The chocolate match here didn’t have much of a chance, though it tried. Amano Madagascar 70% Single Origin by Amano: criollo beans with citrus and raspberry. It worked, sort of, but the Caol Ilia was just too much for the chocolate.

The final paring of the evening was quite remarkable. Ten-year-old Laphroaig. This was a private bottling of only 700 hundred bottles and a product we no longer get in our market — which makes me want to cry. So it was wonderful tasting this favourite again. All sea salt, iodine, and peat, this is an Islay through and through — a big, huge peat monster that kicks you. The most intense of all whiskeys and one I really miss. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask we have in this market just doesn’t do it. I was thinking there was no chocolate that could work with this one, but Heather proved me wrong. She matched it with a tripled-smoked maple-caramelized bacon with some espresso in a dark milk chocolate. It stood up well and matched the peat monster.

So yes, I discovered, you can match chocolate and Scotch — although some pairings work better than others. Congratulations to Marcus and Heather who both did a great job. The West Coast Chocolate Festival runs in Vancouver till November 10, 2010. Check it out.
 

Wine, Romantic Encounters, and WSET

I think Frank is having an affair. He mutters her name constantly – sometimes lovingly, sometimes not so much so. Her picture appears in books on the coffee table, on the dashboard in the truck, even pinned on the bathroom mirror with some unintelligible scribbles and notations below it. I know he sometimes even takes her to bed.

Like all relationships, there is a definite up and down cycle to his infatuation with this woman. As his WSET exam gets closer he finds her more frustrating. At other times, he finds her charming, witty, and distinctly sexy. But he relies on her totally and without reservation. “I just can’t be without her,” he’ll sometimes confess.

I suspect that if Frank ever actually met her face to face and in person, he would give her the traditional European greeting – three kisses on alternating cheeks – right, left, right. He might even hug her.

Tonight Frank writes the vinticulture portion of his WSET Diploma exam. Perhaps when he’s done and the marks are tallied, he will close the Oxford Companion to Wine and Jancis Robinson will be forgotten for a short while. Perhaps. At least until it’s time for the next exam.

The Chianti Challenge: Three Decades of Frescobaldi

Anyone who’s read Blanc de Noir for long knows we’re both huge fans of Italian wines. There’s just something about the diversity, quality, and sheer fun factor of Italian wines – whether it’s a casual summer patio sipper or a robust vintage to accompany a big, festive dinner or one of the meditative Amarones that are still way up there on our list of favourites.

So when BC Wine Appreciation Society decided to add a couple of Italian wines to an educational tasting scheduled just prior to the 2008 Playhouse International Wine Festival – the theme country for this year’s festival was, after all, Italy – Frank and our illustrious BCWAS leader, Tim Ellison, decided to add a twist to the event. How about putting up a couple of Italian wines with the usual BC vintages? Frank, however, took the concept one step farther.

Here’s the deal. From BC: three sparklers, four Pinot Grigios, two Pinot Noirs, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Merlot. From Italy: three Chiantis – just three and all from Frescobaldi, one of Italy’s most respected winemakers (multi-generations shown above).

Here’s the catch. The Chiantis were bottled in 2004, 1982, and 1975. No, it’s not a typo. The last two came from the collection of Italian wines Frank recently acquired – one of those fantastic opportunities that come about from being in the right place and the right time and having way more patience than most when it comes to negotiating.

Alas, on the night of the event, Frank was sick with flu, but you can bet eyes went wide as people realized what he’d sent.

The 2004 was, pretty much as expected, dark purple with lots of fruit and tannins that were more “in your face” than makes for a good sipping wine unless you’re eating. But truth is, few people spent much time with that particular wine since they were all eager to try the two older offerings.

Immediately apparent was the change in colour – now tawny with a much larger rim than the 2004. Controversy was plentiful and several people found neither one was “quite my thing” as one member put it in an attempt to be diplomatic. The level of oxidization, especially in the 1975, caused raised eyebrows among half the folks there. It was virtually unanimous that the ’82 needs to be drunk now and the ’75 is clearly a bit past its prime – although not a soul suggested it should be tossed.

However wide ranging the evening’s opinions were, one thing we all did agree on. These are wines made with love and benefit from patience.

Frank’s Tasting Notes:

Castello di Nipozzano Riserva 1982
This wine has aged well, probably because it is a Riserva. After more than a quarter of a century there’s still lots of fruit left – black cherry and dark fruits with a note of white truffles in the background. The tannins have smoothed right out so they are now a little silky, and the finish is fairly long. This wine shows just how well age can improve a Chianti. Alcohol 12.5%. All the bottles for both these wines are numbered – I have 10 left, all around 84,960 series out of 293,600 bottles produced in 1982.

Castello di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina 1975
Sadly just a little past its prime but still drinkable as the acidity has helped this one hold up. Wide orange rim, brick red colour. Truffles leave sherry undertones. This vintage has shown a lot of bottle variation – the fruit showed up a little more in this one than the first one we tried. Alcohol 12.7%. The last bottle I have left is number 74324 of 80,000 bottles produced.

Spanish Garnacha: A Steal of a Deal

I keep bumping into the guy. First in the Bordeaux section, a couple of minutes later we’re both cruising through the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand. I head for Piedmont, and there he is – again. We smile at each other over Cognac, one of those “okay, this is either too weird or too funny” sort of smiles. But it’s not till we simultaneously hit Spain that we actually strike up a conversation.

Clearly, this man has a fairly upscale taste in wines. Not that I was actually checking out his purchases… much. I guess I just “happened” to notice some of the bottles. Since he obviously likes all the same wine regions Frank and I do, I wanted to see if he chose anything we hadn’t tried. Not much under $40 will find its way to his table. So when I see him piling bottles of $9.95 Castillo de Monseran Garnacha from Spain into the now groaning basket, I can’t help myself – I have to ask.

“One of the best deals going,” he tells me. Then he actually winks at me – it’s a cute wink too. “Just don’t tell too many people about it – all the more for us.” A good natured laugh and he’s gone. What the heck, at the price, if it’s awful, I figure it will pour down the drain more easily than some of the pricier stuff that’s been know to suffer the same fate. I snag a bottle.

A couple of days later I’ve got a spicy chicken stir fry on the go, a quiet evening with just my book ahead, and uh-oh – no Riesling to go with dinner. In fact, there’s nothing that seems to go with the food. I manage to catch Frank just before he goes into his meeting. “Am I absolutely crazy or do you think the Garnacha might work?”

Initially Frank’s not impressed, but after some deliberation, we decide it will probably be a more or less acceptable though not stellar pairing. With 12.5% alcohol, it’s at least not going to totally burn out the taste buds when it hits the chili spices on the chicken. I cross my fingers, open the bottle, and hope for the best. The kitchen sink is within arms reach.

The initial nose is surprising. Exotic spices – cloves, allspice, cinnamon. There’s a whisper of anise and leather too, kind of like John Wayne strolling through the kitchen chewing on a licorice Twist. Later coffee and cocoa appear introducing a not unpleasant grittiness like riding through the desert.

And it worked with the chicken too – as expected, not stellar, but not half bad. There was a complementary nature to the spices and just enough of fruitiness in the meat’s marinade to work with the wine. Alas, Tenderland Meats on Granville Island where I buy it aren’t parting with the secrets of all the seasonings they use, but they did confirm there’s allspice, cilantro, and sweet green chili peppers. I’m betting there might be a hint of papaya in there somewhere too.

Hopefully, one day I’ll run into the gentleman with the cute wink. I’d like to tell him he was right, this wine is a steal of a deal. And I wonder if he knows it also goes fabulously well with the chocolate Hedgehog from Purdy’s Chocolates that I had after dinner – that pairing is almost stellar. Sorry, Frank, I guess it slipped my mind to tell you about the Hedgehog.

The Wine: Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2006 ($9.95) - if you find their website, please let us know because we couldn't
The Food: Chicken Chili Stir Fry from Tenderland Meats
The Chocolate: Hedgehogs from Purdy’s Chocolates
The Scoop: One of the best under $10 values going