Wine for Drinking, Wine for Food - A Bordeaux from Paulliac

One thing that has really been made apparent to me since I have taken my WSET and since I have been sampling wines a bit more critically. Some wines are meant to be drunk all on their own, and some wines cry out for food.

A simplistic view of this - but one that is not completely out of line - is that Old World wines - say, from France, Italy, etc. - are meant to be drunk with food and so they have a taste that's fine on its own but they really need, for example, shellfish or coq au vin, or a big, juicy steak. A Chablis from France (which is a Chardonnay) has a certain flavour - an almost steely taste - that perfectly compliments a plate of scallops or some grilled shrimp. It just tastes a whole lot better with food and doesn't really sing on its own.

A lot of New World wines, on the other hand, are made for sipping before dinner or, maybe, with an appetizer. A bold Napa Valley Cab Sauv or a tasty Cab Franc from the Okanagan is great on its own at a party. Yes, these wines pair well with different foods but you don't really need the food to taste their character.  It's a different drinking experience.

I really noticed this when I first tried a Chablis just before taking my WSET course (link is here). The taste of that wine was definitely good but soared when I had it with the garlic shrimp I had prepared.

Last night, both kids were home (a rather unusual experience) so I threw on some tasty top sirloin steaks on the BBQ and decanted some wine.

During the summer, I spent a few days in Birch Bay in the US and was fortunate enough to stop at the American Costco where wine is bountiful (as opposed to Canada where wine is tightly controlled). I picked up a few bottles including a Nebbiolo that I drank last month and a Bordeaux,  last night's beverage.

The wine was a 2014 Chateau d"Armailhac Grand Cru Classé from Paulliac. Incidentally, Paulliac, the village which the area takes its name from, is actually a small port with about 5000 people on the left bank of the Gironde. This is the first Grand Cru that I have ever bought but it will definitely not be my last! It cost me around $40 - $45 US at Costco but is listed at $72 CDN in Canada according to Vivino.

I decanted this wine for an hour before, knowing that I should have probably waited a few more years, rather than a few months, before drinking this wine. However, I wanted to try it and the occasion seemed right.

The colour was deep and clear and was ruby. The nose was complex  and, because we were eating dinner, I didn't take the time to pick out all of the different characteristics although I did smell some wonderful black fruits. I poured wine for the table and then tasted. This wine has some solid structure. It had black fruits on the palate as well as a richness that was lovely. However, it had fairly strong tannins and I worried that they would overwhelm the rest of the wine.

Then I had some rare steak. And drank another sip.

It was an amazing transformation. The tannins disappeared due to the salt and fat in the steak and the wine took on a taste that was almost ethereal. This is a wine made for food. Steak definitely fit the bill but I think that other rich dishes like roast beef, duck and game would also be magnificent with this wine. This wine also had a wonderful, long finish.

The wine was a mix of Cab Sauv (50%), Merlot (36%), Cab Franc (12%) and Petit Verdot (2%).

I probably seemed a little strange, taking a piece of steak, eating it, then sipping the wine, and repeat. But this was truly fantastic! The experience alone would have me rate this wine as Exceptional. Now, where can I find another bottle?

Picky Pinot - the Heartbreak Grape - WSET Class number 3 - Part 2

I started off talking about my Pinot Noir experiences during my last blog as a way to introduce the Pinot Noir tasting at my WSET course this week - but I got a bit carried away....

Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow. If you've had some less than stellar Pinot Noir - and I have had my share - it can turn you off wines made with the grape. That exact thing had happened to me for a few years but, a couple of years ago, I tried some Pinot Noir from the Okanagan that was so good that it restored my faith in, what winegrowers call, the heartbreak grape.

Pinot Noir originates from Burgundy. It is an elegant and delicate grape, full of red fruit flavours, which can age well and become more complex. It usually has light body and light to medium tannins, and you have got to be really careful taking with new oak because it can overpower this delicate wine.

The Cote d'Or in Burgundy is divided into two parts, the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune. Basically, the Cote de Beaune produces the highest amount of Pinot Noir while the Cote de Nuits produces the best wine with more intensity, complexity and length.

This is where you find such world famous (and expensive) wines like Le Chambertin Grand Cru and Domaine Romanée Conti. Let's all go to the Cote de Nuits!

What is all this stuff with crus and grand crus? Well, in France, there is a system that tells you how good the wine is and it is similar, but not identical, in each region.

In Burgundy, the basic wines are the Bourgogne wines. These are produced on flat fields and make up most of the production.

Next are the Villages wines, on still fairly flat land, named after a commune or village - say, like Gevery-Chambertin - and go for $50 - $70.

Next are the Premiere Cru wines which are on steeper land with different soil and produce higher quality wines - maybe around $100. They say Premiere Cru on the label.

Finally are the Grand Cru wines which are on the steepest parts of the valley and are so exceptional that they have their own AOC - basically their vineyard is the name. For example, Chambertin Clos de Bezé.

There are good Pinot Noir wines in California (Sonoma - Russian River, Carneros, Santa Barbera - near LA!) and in Oregon, which is said to have Pinot Noir like Burgundy. Chile has the grape in Casablanca and San Antonio and supposedly has a strawberry jam flavour.

There are good Pinot Noir wines in both South African (Walker Bay) and Australia (Yarra Valley, Worthington Peninsula). And there are some pretty awesome New Zealand Pinot Noir from Marlborough and, especially, Otago, where it is fuller body, lower acidity and intense.

Our first two Pinot Noir wines were from Burgundy.

The first was clear, pale and ruby with medium intensity on the nose and red fruit like red currant, cranberry, plum, and especially raspberry. On the palate it had high acidity - really high it seemed - medium body, light tannins, the same red fruit and a bit of oak. Due to its light body and almost short finish, our group gave it an Acceptable rating! It was a 2014 Bourgogne Les Ursulines made by Jean-Claude Boisset ($25).

The second one - ahh - the second was a different Pinot Noir!

It was clear, ruby with medium intensity. On the nose was medium intensity but many aromas including red fruit, plum, jam, fig, red cherry, rhubarb and red liquorice! There were also spices including cinnamon and nutmeg.

On the palate, there were low tannins, medium body and an almost earthy taste. The aromas I smelled were all reflected in the taste as well as some oak, black pepper, and smoke. It had a medium plus finish and our group rated it Very Good. It was a Louis Jadot, Premiere Cru, Beaune Greves from 2012 and well worth the $90 the WSET people had to pay!

Our last two Pinot Noir wines were from the New World.

First up was a California 2011 from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma made by Pedroncelli ($31). It was clear, pale,  and garnet in colour. On the nose there were some red fruit, plum and spice, all at medium intensity. More red fruit was apparent on the palate with medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, medium body and a medium finish. It was OK but just didn't seem all that complex.

 

The last wine was a New Zealand wine from Otago from Felton Road and was a 2015 priced at $70. It was clear, pale and ruby in colour. It had a medium plus intensity on the nose and there were red fruits like strawberry and raspberry as well as cedar and oak. On the palate it had medium length and medium body with tastes of red fruit like red cherry and red currant, plum, oak, toast, vanilla, cinnamon and white pepper.

Our group really liked this and rated it very good but Dave, our instructor, said it was more of a Good Plus.

Both the New Zealand Pinot Noir and the Premiere Cru from Burgundy would make a very nice wine to drink on a special occasion. I'm not sure if I would even want to purchase the other two as they were less money but suffered from not being a flavourful enough Pinot Noir.

I leave for the Okanagan this weekend and will be undoubtedly be tasting a variety of wines. Not sure if I will be blogging on all of them but I will try to sip and slurp a couple at least.