2006 Barolos - a Very Great Vintage!

The Nebbiolo grape is to Barolo what the Pinot Noir grape is to Burgundy.  Both grapes have made their wine-producing regions famous, for good reason since they both produce high quality, long-lasting wines.  While the Pinot Noir grape has made a successful transition to other wine-producing regions throughout the world – as TVC demonstrated in its New World PN tasting last month - the same cannot be said of Nebbiolo.  It’s extremely difficult to grow outside of north-west Italy and it’s rare to find it elsewhere because cuttings and clones are jealously guarded.  Hence, when we talk about Nebbiolo, it’s synonymous with Italy and as Italy’s greatest wine – Barolo - considered the King of Wines!  It’s a great wine variety, producing bigger, darker and more tannic wines than most other grape varieties, and consequently long-lived and very prized by collectors.

Barolo is a very robust red wine, full-bodied, tannic and very dry. It’s a “chewy” wine. The aroma is similar to ripe strawberries, tar, roses, violets and truffles. Barolos are not cheap, although not nearly as expensive as other benchmark wines like Bordeaux and Burgundy.

What about 2006 as a vintage? The wines can be described as of good depth, sturdy structure and fine elegance, already more open than the ’05s (which were rough-edged at this stage of their life) and which display appealing, snappy tannins and a nervy acidity. Robert Parker gives the 2006 Barolo vintage a 97/100!

More information on the wines

Date: Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016

Time: 6 PM

Price:  TVC Members: $84; Guests/Non-Members: $104 (includes appetizers & a reception wine)

Venue: Faculty Club, Univ. of Toronto, 41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1C7  - Map

Deadlines:

Mailed Reservations

         - Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016

Online Payments

         - Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016

Register / Buy Tickets 

(NOTE: all ticket sales are FINAL; no refunds issued unless we are oversold)

40 Years of Bordeaux Tastings!

Toronto Vintners Club turned 40 years in June of 2015 and we’ve celebrated throughout the year.  TVC’s inaugural event was a tasting of Bordeaux wines in 1975 and we’ve hosted a Bordeaux event every year since then.  The initial occasion cost $6.50 per person ($7 at the door). The average cost of the wines consumed that evening was $5.82.  Mind you, they weren’t top Bordeaux by any means.  The club served a Colona Sommet Rouge for $2.15 (it was once the world’s biggest selling wine) and the priciest was the 1966 Chateau Rauzan Segla at $17.70. A 1966 Rauzan Segla would set you back about $325 if purchased today and if you still want a Sommet Rouge, you’ll have to travel to BC to buy it where it sells for $6.50/litre.  Oh we’ve come a long way baby!!!

On Monday, September 28, we'll be tasting a line-up of 2006 red Bordeaux. We have 2 Grand Cru Classé (GCC) wines and second (2e) to fifth (5e) growth wines mainly from the Left Bank.  The average cost of the wines for this tasting is $79 (based on futures’ prices) compared to $6 in 1975!

Theme:  2006 Bordeaux
Cost:  Members $90; Guests / Non-Members:  $120  - includes light appetizers
Date:   Monday, September 28/15
Time: 6:00 PM for reception wine; formal tasting usually starts at 6:20
Location:   Faculty Club, Univ. of Toronto, 41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1C7  - Map 
Register / Buy Tickets  Please note that all ticket sales are FINAL; we cannot provide refunds unless we are oversold and have a wait list.

2006 Burgundy - Guest Speaker

Our Guest speaker for the evening will be Julia Tingarov.

Coming from a Chemical Engineering background, Julia was naturally drawn to the Food and Beverage aspect of the Hospitality Industry. Years of working in fine dining establishments followed, including 11 years at the prestigious King Edward Hotel in Toronto. To satisfy her many varied interests Julia has had a catering business, a radio show and traveled extensively. Her passion for wine and her quest for knowledge finally won over and in 1996 she was accepted and graduated with honors from the coveted Jacques Marie Sommelier Program at George Brown College. Since her appointment to Sommelier Julia has worked in and consulted for a number of the top restaurants in the city. She has taught a wine appreciation course at George Brown College and has done numerous lectures and presentations for both corporate and private clients. For the past eight years Julia has sat on the advisory board and been an integral part of organizing the Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival, which has raised more than 12 million dollars for the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation. Julia is currently employed as a consulting Sommelier and sales associate with Halpern WineEnterprises.

The reception wine that will be served tonight will be a 2011 Remoissenet Pere et Fils, Macon Villages Chardonnay.

The Macon is a small region of Saone-et-Loire sitting on part of the eastern edge of the Massif Central. The limestone subsoil of the Maconnais region is ideal for growing Chardonnay grapes. Remoissenet's  foray into the Macon has been led by former Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Burgundy critic (and Washington, DC native) Pierre Antoine Rovani, who put down his pen in 2006 to take up his dream of making great Burgundy. The results so far have been impressive, starting with Remoissenet's entry-level 2010 Macon-Villages. This 100% Chardonnay is clear and bright, light yellow with greenish tinges. It has a delicate bouquet with floral fruity nuances, suggesting acacia, peach and apricot, woven together nicely in a fabric of minerality, verve, and brisk acidity, the latter being a hallmark of the fine 2010 Burgundy vintage. Well balanced with good length on the finish. Serve as an aperitif or to accompany hors d'oeuvres, mussels, fish or goat's cheese. Best drunk young and fresh within 3 - 4 years of the vintage.

January 2013 is red Burgundies!

On January 13, 2013 we celebrate the new year with a tasting of 2006 Burgundies!

Our selection of wines from our cellar includes all Grand Cru and Premier Cru Burgundies: two Cortons, two Gevrey Chambertins, and one each of Morey-St-Denis, Clos de la Merechale, Volnay and Vosne-Romanée, all from well-known producers – a fantastic selection indeed! 




According to wine critic and Mast of Wine, Clive Oates, “These 2006s are medium bodied, plump, fresh, fruity and pleasant. The very best are in addition ripe and stylish. Acidities are not aggressive; indeed some of the less-successful bottles already show signs of astringency because there is a lack of grip. They will evolve in the medium term. There are plenty of attractive bottles for the mid-2010s.”   “The best 2006s will be found in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin. There are also some good Cortons.”   Clive indicates that much of the Cote de Beaune will be ready by 2013 and 2014, with some of them drinking at their best already.


Theme:  2006 Red Burgundy
Date:      Tuesday, January 15/13
Time:      6 PM
Where:   41 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON (U of T Faculty Club)
Cost:      TVC Members:  $85;  Non-Members/Guests:  $100  (includes reception wine plus light appetizers with the wines)
Buy tickets  Note:  All ticket sales are final. No refunds will be offered unless we sell out and have a wait list.