Fine Vintage Wine Blog

Meritage – Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Chateau Brane Cantenac, AC Margaux, 2^nd growth, 2004

Bordeaux, France

Chateau Brane Cantenac was classified as one of the best wines of Bordeaux in 1855, ranked as a 2^nd growth. In recent years the owner, Henri Lurton, has catapulted the quality to a new level, garnering significant attention from wine critics.

The beautiful chateau is tucked away in the Margaux appellation, a region known for wines of great elegance and finesse. The gravelly soils are well-drained and reflect heat back onto the vines, which is ideal for the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are harvested by hand and then sorted using a state-of-the-art optical selection machine which only allows the finest grapes to be fermented.

A gorgeous ruby and garnet color, the nose shows black cherry, cedar and earthy aromas. The palate is dry, medium to full bodied, and the tannins are softening nicely with almost 10 years of age. There are layers of cassis, coffee, leather and chocolate flavors that linger on the beautiful finish.

Food and wine pairing: Perfect with lamb, beef, and a variety of red meats. It will also pair well with a selection of cheese.

Gruner Veltliner

Mantlerhof, Mosburgerin, Reserve 1er Cru 2011

Niederosterreich, Austria

For over 200 years the family has farmed a small parcel of vineyards, making tiny quantities of exquisite Gruner Veltliner. This is a grape that performs best in Austria, creating long lived complex wines.

Although this producer has a certain fame, they prefer to remain low-key and focus their efforts more on production than marketing. This wine comes from the 1er Cru classified site Mosburgerin, a vineyard noted for the complexity of the wines it produces.

Pale and bright in color, the nose has a youthful freshness yet depth of aromatics. Apple, pear, citrus, minerals, pepper, and other nuances combine to create vibrancy and complexity. The palate is dry, light to medium bodied, crisp, and extremely long,

This is a small producer of fine wines in a little known region of Austria, using a grape that will become world famous in the years to come.

Food and wine pairing: The perfect match with spicy Asian dishes, fresh seafood, and soft cheeses.

Gewurztraminer – Vendange Tardive

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, 2010

Alsace, France

Olivier Zind-Humbrecht, one of the few French Masters of Wine, farms his vineyard on biodynamic principles. All vineyard work is done in accordance with the lunar calendar, with special focus on the positioning of the planets. Special natural preparations are infused into the soil to increase the microbial life, and create a healthy balance and environment for the vine to produce top quality fruit.

The berries are late harvested, allowing them to develop intense levels of sweetness and tropical fruit flavours. The berries are picked by hand on the slopes of the finest vineyards in Alsace, which bask in autumnal sunshine in this area, one of the driest regions of France.

A long slow natural fermentation ensues. When the alcohol degree balances the sweetness, acidity and flavours Olivier stops the ferment, leaving the perfect amount of residual sugar in this sweet wine.

Fragrant aromas of honeycomb, white flowers, brown sugar and sweet spices envelop the nose. The palate is sweet but with a delicacy, lightness, and elegance. There is a lift from the acidity that creates immense energy in the wine. The length lingers, the complex flavours unravel, and the palate is left with the memory of a truly great wine.

Food and wine pairing: Fruit based desserts or soft cheese is the perfect pairing.

Gewurztraminer – Selection de Grains Nobles

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Herrenweg de Turkheim, Vieilles Vignes 2008

Alsace, France

This is unquestionably one of the greatest sweet wines in the world, and we’re delighted to be able to offer you this rarity.

Olivier Zind-Humbrecht, one of the few French Masters of Wine, farms his vineyard on biodynamic principles. All vineyard work is done in accordance with the lunar calendar, with special focus on the positioning of the planets. Special natural preparations are infused into the soil to increase the microbial life, and create a healthy balance and environment for the vine to produce top quality fruit.

The berries that are harvested are affected by the special and elusive noble rot that results in the classification SGN, or Selection de Grains Nobles, the pinnacle of sweet wine quality in Alsace.  The old vines in the village of Herrenweg de Turkheim produce a miniscule amount of wine, which is then fermented in small neutral wooden vats.

This sweet wine shows a classic golden sheen. The nose is perfumed, heady, sweet, and bursts with tropical fruits. There is tremendous depth and character. The palate is complex, with a myriad of flavors colliding to produce a fabulous expression of sweet Gewurztraminer at its best.

Food and wine pairing: Fruit based desserts or soft cheese is the perfect pairing.

Gruner Veltliner

Buchegger, Gebling, 2011

Austria

Austria is quickly marking a mark on the international wine scene for her unique Gruner Veltliners. At a tasting of this varietal alongside top white Burgundies Jancis Robinson MW commented that the Gruner’s were superior.

The finest regions are in Lower Austria, in the Kamptal and Kremstal districts. Here, Walter Buchegger crafts his small production wines. He practices sustainable viticulture, ensuring that the qualities of the land are preserved for future generations.

Fermentation is primarily in stainless steel at cool temperatures. This creates a pale bright straw color, and heightens the aromatics of celery, nettle, citrus and white pepper. The palate is dry, medium bodied, with clean acidity racing through the vibrant fresh green fruit flavors, all complemented by a streak of minerality.

Gruner Veltliner can age well and the single vineyard wines, like this one from the Gebling site, express their origin beautifully.

Food and wine pairing: Fresh seafood like salmon or tuna pair well, as does sushi and spicy Asian dishes.

Sweet Chenin Blanc

Chateau de Fesles, AC Bonnezeaux, 2010

Loire valley, France

Chateau de Fesles is considered to be the leading estate in the tiny Loire valley appellation of Bonnezeaux. The property can trace its history back to 1070, owned by a succession of families who fell in love with the great sweet wines of the Loire.

Whilst not as famous as Sauternes or Hungary’s Tokaji, the tiny appellation of Bonnezeaux produces wines that are on a par with the world’s best. Chenin Blanc thrives in this region south west of Paris.

The moderately warm summers can lead into long sunny autumns. The rivers that run nearby create a humid environment that results in foggy mornings, the ideal conditions for botrytis. The berries slowly shrivel, increasing the ratio of sugar to juice, and developing succulent honeyed flavours.

Picked by hand, sometimes berry by berry, the miniscule yield equates to approximately one glass of wine from each vine.  Making great sweet wine is a labour of love.

Brilliant golden shades and rich viscosity frame the appearance. Honeycomb, brown sugar, pineapple and light fresh tropical fruits draw the nose in. The sheer depth commands attention.  The sweetness washes over the palate, saturating the senses, and yet the acidity dances across the palate, keeping a certain lightness, elegance, and delicacy to the wine.

This is one of the world’s great sweet wines. We hope you enjoy it.

Food and Wine pairing: ideally with light pastry desserts, cheesecake, fresh fruit plates, and soft cheeses.

Malbec

Luigi Bosca, Lujan de Cuyo, Reserva, 2010

Mendoza, Argentina

Argentina has a long winemaking history, dating back hundreds of years ago. The early European settlers brought vine cuttings with them and planted vineyards. Today, drinking red wine with meals is very much a part of daily Argentine culture.

Luigi Bosca was established in 1901. The company has been a pioneer in Argentina, spearheading the country’s focus on exports, changing the style of wines to suit modern tastes, and creating denominations of origin in the Mendoza region. This wine comes from a single vineyard in the ultra-prestige Lujan de Cuyo district.

The average age of the vines in this Malbec is 50 years old. With age the vine roots delve deep into the subsoil, in search of nutrients and water. The character of the soil and the climate manifests itself in the berries, resulting in a classic Argentine style.

Always deep in color, with a shade of blue and purple at the rim, the appearance looks rich and powerful. The nose shows abundant ripeness, with black cherries, blackcurrant and milk chocolate. The palate is full, concentrated, and shows vanilla and toasty notes married with black fruits.

Food and wine pairing: Steak or lamb pair beautifully.

Culmina Family Estate Winery – Okanagan Valley

I recently went to visit Don Triggs’ new winery in the Okanagan Valley, called Culmina. I’ve never been so impressed by a new winery in Canada. And it’s not even open yet.

First, some background. Don Triggs is, along with Donald Ziraldo and a small handful of others, a pioneer of the wine business in Canada. In fact, he quietly became the most powerful man in the Canadian wine business, something he never mentions.

From humble beginnings as a farmer in Manitoba, he founded Jackson-Triggs. Over the years the company acquired several other prominent wineries in Canada. Vincor, the name of the corporate juggernaut that Triggs steered to continued success, was then purchased by Constellation Brands, which is the largest and most powerful drinks company in the world. And Don was officially done. Retired. He’d built the largest wine company in Canada. Mission complete.

Frankly, you have to pause for a second and appreciate just what an accomplishment this was. A small town Manitoba farmer, the most down-to-earth guy you could ever hope to meet, built an empire pretty much from scratch. Thousands of employees, hundreds of millions of dollars in turnover, wineries and wine brands left right and centre, publicly traded, and on and on. That doesn’t happen by chance.

Anyway, Triggs thought about putting his cheque in the bank, maybe build himself a humble palace, and retire happily ever after. But no, that would just be too boring. The man clearly has a deep love of wine, and although he’d never say it himself, it’s pretty clear he wanted to show the world what he can do at his own estate when he is fully in command.

So in 2006 he started looking for the right terroir. He hired a top viti consultant to help him. He tested soils on 5 different sites, by digging just over 100  soil pits and doing extensive lab analysis. He discarded each of those sites as not being good enough. Do you know how much it costs to do that? It’s not cheap.

Then, high up on the western side of the southern Okanagan, not far from Road 13 if you need a landmark, Triggs found what had eluded him. 56 acres spread over 3 different terroirs, each at a different altitude and each with a different soil composition. The testing panned out. The property was purchased, and work began.

What ensued was a scientific research study that most people would call extreme at best, and total madness at worst. In fact, I am not familiar with anyone else that has gone to the same lengths as Triggs to understand his terroir. Moisture probes everywhere, temperature gauges at every step, climatic data spewing out of computers for every micro plot of the vineyard. This is what you’d call precision viticulture, at its most precise.

And then there were studies on rootstocks, clones, and the perfect combination with each variety for each soil type, in each block. What is basically happening at Culmina is that each vine is being treated as an individual, rather than the whole block being farmed the same way. Organic? Do you really need to ask? Of course, that is their long term goal.

The winery has all the usual state-or-the-art equipment you could hope to find. Walk around the 1st growths of the world and you see much the same stuff. And Pascal Madevon of Osoyoos Larose fame has recently taken up the post of Vineyard Manager and Winemaker. There’s nothing like someone who knows the Okanagan and knows winemaking to guide the wines along.

Sara Triggs, Don’s daughter, is at the helm for Sales and Marketing. She’s a seasoned pro having studied wine marketing at Adelaide University, worked for Vincor, and done vintages at various wineries. And then Elaine, Don’s wife, is quietly in the background, but no doubt a huge driving force behind the whole enterprise. My guess is that she’s got the final say on all major decisions.

And so although the wines have not been released yet, and I have not tasted them, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that they will be very impressive. Keep an eye-out for the release date. Online subscribers will have first access to purchase limited quantities as of August 1; the tasting room at the winery will open on August 23. One thing is for sure – you’ll need to grab these wines fast because I bet they won’t last. Culmina will become one of the leading wineries in Canada – I’d bet on it. Stay informed by signing up for the newsletter at www.culmina.ca

Malbec

Cuvelier, Los Andes 2009

Mendoza, Argentina

Cuvelier is one of the most prominent families in Bordeaux, owning several chateaux, including 2^nd growth Ch. Leoville Poyferre, a fabulous estate in St Julien. The company was started as a merchant house in 1804, shipping wines to the wealthy towns of northern France.

As early as 1914 Paul Cuvelier traveled to Mendoza, in the foothills of the Andes. He discovered a thriving wine region, and upon his return informed his family to consider expansion plans to this remote, and unknown, part of the New World.

Many decades later, with the assistance of the world’s most prominent flying winemaker, Michel Rolland, the Cuvelier’s Argentine wine was unveiled to international acclaim. The wine consistently scores in the 90+ point range.

Malbec has proven to be well suited to the warm, sunny and arid vineyards that are flanked by the majestic Andes to the west. Many of the finest sites are at altitudes in excess of 3,000 feet, where the nights are cooler, and the acidity crisper.

Ripe, round, dense and plush, showing smooth textures, the power of the wine saturates the senses.  The fresh blueberries mingled with espresso and vanilla entices the nose. The palate has a beautiful level of dryness, and a subtle backbone of tannin enabling it to age further. This is one of the finest Malbecs from Argentina.

Food and wine pairing: Grilled meats, such as beef or lamb, are the perfect match, and the wine drinks well by itself too.

Gewurztraminer

Gustav Lorentz, Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim, 2010

Alsace, France

Gewurztraminer reaches its pinnacle of quality in Alsace. And since 1836 Gustav Lorentz has been producing some of the finest examples.

When harvested from a top site, such as this Grand Cru vineyard, and the yields are kept low, you can produce one of the world’s most heady and exotic wines. The perfume is so intense, the fruits so tropical and spicy, and the palate so dense and layered.  The trademark aromatics of Gewurz are amongst the most beautiful in wine.

What is especially interesting is that the wines drink perfectly when just a few years old, but the best can age for a decade of more. The density of the stone fruit, pineapple, and lychee flavors are counterbalanced by a subtle yet bright acidity, creating the perfect balance.

We invite you to discover this fine white wine from Alsace, one of the world’s underrated treasures.

Food and wine pairing: Ideally suited to spicy Asian dishes, and other powerfully flavored food.