#yycwine

When: February 5, 2019

Where: Alt Hotel East Village Calgary

At the invite of our new friend, Tara Zenon from Delf Wines, we braved the frigid cold to taste through 15 wines from Domaines Albert Bichot with export director Delphine de la Fouchardière.  The house of Bichot have been in the wine business since 1831 and as a negotiant and grower, have gone through a quality revolution starting in the early 1990′s.  The company’s vineyards now total 6 estates that cover Burgundy from north to south and we had a chance to taste through a selection of these wines from the 2015 to 2017 vintages.  

To preface, it is important to note the friendly and informative approach of Ms. de la Fourchardière. Managing pouring and providing information to an audience of wine professionals is a challenge but she was up to the task. With a smile and quick wit, she’d showcase vineyard locations and provide harvest details and perspectives helping make sense of this complex array of wines. 

Starting in Chablis, we assessed the 2017 Chablis Village and the 2015 Grand Cru Les Vaudésirs from Domaine Long~Depaquit. Both wines showcased beautiful purity of fruit and terroir where notes of lemon, slate with the grand cru granted added complexity with secondary notes of straw, white tea and flowers.  The warmth and ripeness of the 2015 vintage is on display here, no doubt. Expect pricing to be in the $41 retail range for the regular Chablis and about $110 for the Grand Cru.  

Moving to the southeast in Burgundy about 100km, we arrived at vineyards  for some expressions of Chardonnay.  With all wines from the 2016 vintage, we started with the Bourgogne Hautes - Côtes de Nuits ($36), that showed a nice level of drink-ability with a round ripeness carried by lemony citrus and a clean, acid kissed finish. The Clos De Mouches Beaune 1er Cru ($160) was wound up tight still but the foundation for this wine from the Vineyard of the Bees is sound.  Lemon, grapefruit with solid core of mineral tinged acid make this hard to resist now. Cellaring to 2025 is highly recommended.  We rounded out the whites with Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru ($255) and this is everything you’d expect and more from fruit sourced from these pedigreed vines. Beautiful aromatics of white flowers, butterscotch and lemon carried the same elegant characters on the palate that included notes of hazelnut. The finish is long, evolving with time in the cellar only enhancing the total experience. 

From the Grand and Premier Cru vineyards where Chardonnay shines, we moved to the Còte de Nuits with a comparison of vintage and vineyard leading with the 2015 Gevrey - Chambertin Les Evocelles ($110). This village wine showcased a beautiful perfume and palate with notes of red currant, earth framed by sandalwood and a roundness in the mouth accentuated by the vintages hot, dry summer.  We moved to the 1er cru naughty neighbor vineyard of Romanee-Conti in the 2016 Vosne - Romanee Les Malconsorts ($255).  2016 had a tall order in following the almost perfect conditions of 2015 but this vintage of Les Malconsort has fine floral notes alongside layers of dark cherry. The pedigree of the terroir shines here and likely this is the closest that most will get to the storied wines of Romanee Conti. Certainly not inexpensive but not out of the realm of splurge / cellar worthy should the occasion call. The tasting finished with a duo of Grand Cru expressions from the great 2015 vintage and while these were wound up tight, it is easy to see what investing in these will bring: massive enjoyment. In terms of early accessibility, the Echezeaux Grand Cru ($327) led as a monolith of red and black berry with notes of licorice, spice, cola and a finish that soared for minutes. The Clos de La Roche Grand Cru ($375) was more stately and quiet than its Echezeaux kin with red berry fruit, oak notes and light spice carrying the experience. This one is built for the long haul and should be revisited in 2025 and beyond. Last but not least was the 2016 Charmes - Chambertin Grand Cru ($312) whose palate and aroma were eclipsed by the Echezeaux only by virtue of the Charmes being slightly more closed down. The structure, fruit and terroir were all present and if the opportunity presents to reassess this alongside the other great Grand Cru wines from 2015 say in 10 years, I would imagine a different outcome.  

Overall, this was an outstanding introduction to the wines of Albert Bichot and I am excited to see these wines in restaurants and fine wine markets across Alberta.  Thanks to Tara, Delphine from Albert Bichot and the staff from the venue Alt Hotel for the amazing tasting.  

When: November 17, 2018

Where: Willow Park Wines and Spirits - Main Store

Price:  VIP Access $200, General Admission $100

“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom...You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough.” ― William Blake

By my mental math, the VIP tasting gave guests access to a taste of over $10000 worth of wines; with most earning 100 point scores from the most recognized critics on the planet. If you’d like the opportunity to taste perfectly scored first growths from Bordeaux, the finest Syrah from the Rhone, perhaps top tier Napa Cabs or flawless Sauternes, this is your chance. Like kids in a candy store, the hardest decision was where to start and I chose bubbles to awaken the palate. 

Starting with a wine that has only been made in 8 vintages since 1976, the 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Brut Vintage Rare is a blend 17 crus aged 7 years that consists of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. While not technically perfect; Spectator scored it at 97 points, it was a delightful way to start the evening with a supple honeyed body, white tea notes and integrated acid. This is up there with Krug Grand Cuvée as a top Champagne in my book.    

From the Piper Rare, the table to visit was manned by Peter Smolarz who was educating / storytelling while pouring top tier Bordeaux. The 2005 Bellevue Mondotte St. Emilion was singing and is entering a fantastic drinking window, as was the 2005 Chateau Margaux which still has many many years of life ahead of it. The 2009 Pontet-Canet showcased textbook Pauillac notes of No.5 pencil and has such purity of fruit and great approachability that resisting its charm is almost impossible. The 2010 Mouton was wound up tight and would do well by another 5 years sleep in the cellar. Over $5000 in wine at this one table and all 100 pointers. In a word; magic.  

From Bordeaux, it was time to visit Kathy Rawlyk from Pacific Wine and Spirits to give some Syrah from Hermitage along with Michael Bigattini who was pouring Côte-Rôtie. I was fortunate enough to assess the 2013 Domaine Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle at the Charity Wine Auction and while amazing, the 2015 vintage has that extra gear providing power and depth making it the real deal for long term cellaring. The 2011 Guigal La Landonne Côte-Rôtie was one of the more approachable wine of the tasting showcasing gorgeous plum and iron characteristics.  This wine is entering a fantastic drinking window now over the next 15+ years.   

From Rhone, it was off to test some back vintage (2003) Grange out of magnum from Penfolds along with the yet to be released 2015 Insignia from Joseph Phelps and the finest from Washington State; the 2014 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley. Both the Insignia and Quilceda Creek are irresistible today but for those with patience and budget to have a couple in cellar reserve, the rewards will be even better.  The Grange maturity was a fine foil to the freshness of wines 10+ years younger than it and its richness of black fruit and oak profile align it well to North American palates.  

Finally, the dessert from Chateau d’Yquem and their 2001 Sauternes. A beautiful balance of sugar and acidity; notes of honey, apricot and botrytis spice with layers of pineapple and almond.  I likened the experience to liquefied baklava.  It is hard to imagine a more perfect way to end the night.  Coupled with some lobes of foie gras...heaven!