Spain's White Gems - RESULTS

Thanks to all the members and guests that came out last Tuesday to taste some fantastic white wines.  We had a great turnout and everyone in attendance had the chance to taste some of the more unique wines that Spain has to offer.  The wines showed quite well, many full of bright citrus fruit, while others were more rustic and full.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Paul Giroux of Family Wine Merchants.  Two of the wines that we were tasting this evening are from his portfolio (the 2009 Celler Cal Pla, SL - Mas d'en Compte and the 2012 Torres - Vina Esmeralda Catalunya,).  Paul was also kind enough to provide the reception wine for the evening, a 2011 Henry of Pelham Chardonnay, which went over quite well with everyone at the tasting.

All the wines that were in the tasting were quite well received, but the unanimous winner of the evening was the 2012 Torres - Vina Esmeralda Catalunya, scoring 1's across the board. This was one of Paul's wines and he was also able to correctly identify it during the blind tasting.  It was describes as having bright citrus fruit, with a medium long finish, and that it was a perfect wine for this time of year.

And here are the final rankings:

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2012 Jean Leon Chardonnay $18.95	6	6
B - 2010 Bodega Del Abad - Abad dom Bueno Godello $15.75	5	5
C - 2011 Martin Codax - Burgans Albarino $17.95	4	4
D - 2012 Torres - Vina Esmeralda Catalunya, Spain $14.95	1	1
E - 2011 Bodegas La Emperatriz Sl - Finca La Emperatriz Viura $15.95	7	7
F - 2012 Beronia - Viura, Rioja $14.95	8	8
G - 2011 Fuente Elvira Verdijo Rueda Spain Verdijo $15.75	3	3
H - 2009 Celler Cal Pla, SL - Mas d'en Compte $27	2	2

California Chardonnay - Results, Apr. 2012

On Tuesday April 17, 2012, California Chardonnays took center stage at the latest tasting hosted by the Toronto Vintners Club.  All in attendance that night were treated with the opportunity to taste some truly remarkable wines made by expert Californian winemakers.  All the wines tasted were deliberately crafted to distance themselves from the typical oaky and tropical fruit filled California Chardonnays of old and tried to return to their Burgundian roots with a more crisp style with lots of mineral and steely overtones.

Our speaker for the evening was Steve Elphick.  Steve has been a professional photographer for the past 36 years with a focus on wine and beer.  He is the sole photographer for the Wine Atlas of Canada and has had his work published and exhibited in museums and art galleries all over the world.  He has also professionally judged wine since 1988 including judging Chardonnay at the California State fair for the past 12 years.  He is also the past VP of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada.

According to Steve, there is one main reason why these wines don't taste like the typical California Chardonnay.  Like Burgundy Chardonnays, all of the wines that we tasted  follow the french model and do not add any yeast during fermentation, only wild yeast from the air is used to start the process.  This results in the wines having a "plushness" and a big rich mouth-feel.  It is also interesting to note that all but one of these wines have undergone malolactic fermentation and this one wine is considered by many to be the best non-malo wine in America. (keep reading to find out which one it is). 

After the tasting was finished and all the rankings were compiled, the groups favourite wine on the night turned out to be the only non-malo wine being tasted tonight, the  2009 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay.  Steve ranked this tied for fourth and praised it for it's open acidity.  Steve's favourite wine of the night was the 2008 Signorello Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay, the group had this ranked as their 5th favourite. 

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2008 Evening Land La Source Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills $79	8	7
B - 2009 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Chardonnay $49	3	4.5
C - 2009 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay $59.95	1	4.5
D - 2009 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay $79.95	2	3
E - 2008 Signorello Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay $51.95	5	1
F - 2009 Kistler Les Noisetiers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $64.95	6	2
G - 2009 Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay $72.95	4	6
H - 2008 Arrowood Vineyards Réserve Spéciale Chardonnay $49.95	7	8

Chardonnays

French wine-making techniques and the end results are still held as the gold standards for most winemakers in other countries. For New World winemakers, there is often no better compliment than for their wine to be judged as good (or better) than a French wine.  And if it's a New World Chardonnay, to be assessed as "Burgundian in style" is the biggest accolade. Burgundy- and California-style Chardonnays have characteristically been very different.  A typical California-style wine usually has a lot of oak, butter and tropical fruit flavors to it while a Burgundian Chardonnay will be more crisp, fresh, with mineral and steely overtones. These days, however, the best producers in the US are pulling back and focusing on a more restrained style for their Chardonnays, producing what many refer to as a more Burgundian-style wine.

Next month, TVC presents a line-up of top-rated Chardonnays from California winemakers (Kistler, Arrowood, Shafer, Pahlmeyer, Ridge, Signorello Estates and one from Oregon (Eola Hills) made to taste more like wines from Burgundy than from the US. Close your eyes while you imbibe and you just may think you’ve been transported to France. 

Theme:  Chardonnay – To Be or Not To Be Burgundy 

Date:     Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Time:     6 PM

Where:  Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks St., Toronto

Cost:      Members $65; Non-Members: $80 (Includes light appetizers. Please note that all ticket sales are final.)

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