An evening with Thomas Bachelder

An eager crowd of almost 50 wine lovers gathered to sample a rare vertical of Le Clos Jordanne pinot noir and to hear winemaker Thomas Bachelder speak about recent vintages and his adventures making these stunning wines.

Bachelder Sanders Vineyard Chardonnay

The evening started off with reception wine samples of two new Chardonnays for Bachelder wines, Thomas’ current wine project.  The 2011 Niagara chardonnay is a full-bodied and rich that the crowd really enjoyed.  But the single vineyard 2012 Saunders Vineyard chardonnay got people really really talking… there were murmurs of the wine tasting like a high end Meursault.  Expect to find these delicious wines in the LCBO soon.

Thomas Bachelder

Before we started tasting the wines, Thomas gave a short introduction to the wines and their respective vintages.  Thomas also offered some insights into his fascinating process of discovering the unique Niagara terroirs.  He explained that the approach with Le Clos Jordanne was to separate grapes into east West and Centre blocks in a year in year out process to find the best parcels and site characteristics.  He offered some fresh insight into the mysterious process of uncovering terroir.


As a vintage overview, Thomas suggested that the 2005 wines would be most concentrated and dark.  2006 was a good year with lighter color.  2008 was a tougher year, so lighter color and perhaps some leafiness.  2009 was expected to be ripe and dark with the most smoky characteristics.

The tasting revealed a great variety of wines as Thomas had suggested.  Some really ripe, dark wines, some a little green and a few with a pronounced smokiness.  All wines had really lively acidity.  It happens quite rarely, but our group scored all of these wines remarkably consistently with our guest speaker with Thomas and the group showing definite preference for the 2005 and 2006 wines.  In fact, the 2005 and 2006 wines were all in the top 4.  It was great to see 10 year old Niagara Pinot Noirs still presenting so well.

At the end of the tasting, Thomas surprised us with a few bottles of his soon to be released 2012 Lowrey Vineyards Pinot Noir.  This fruity, aromatic red will be released through Vintages in May and it was a special treat to get a sneak peak of this fantastic wine.

Raffle winnder David Turgeon (L)

And finally, as part of our 40th Anniversary/Birthday celebrations, we raffled off a bottle of 2006 Grand Clos Chardonnay. Fortunately, the winemaker was on hand to sign the bottle for the occasion. Congratulations to TVC club member David Turgeon for winning this very special bottle of Niagara chardonnay.

And here is how the wines were ranked.


2005 La Petite Vineyard $35: Group 1 / Speaker 5

2008 Talon Ridge Vineyard $40: Group 7 /  Speaker 7

2005 Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard $35:  Group 1 / Speaker 5

2006 Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard $ 40:  Group 3 /  Speaker 1

2009 Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard $ 45:  Group 6  / Speaker 6

2006 Le Grand Clos $70:  Group 3 /  Speaker 3

2008 Le Grand Clos $70: Group 5 / Speaker 4

2009 Le Grand Clos $ 75:  Group 8 / Speaker 8

Chilean Reds Tasting March 17th

On St. Patrick’s Day evening, 40 members of Toronto Vintners Club and guests gathered at the University of Toronto Faculty Club, not to drink pints of Guinness or glasses of whiskey but to taste 8 great Chilean reds. The wines promised to provide a real treat – new world wines, many influenced by old world Bordeaux techniques and blending styles. Today Chilean reds are considered some of the best in the world, even beating out top French wineries for top honours in 2004. Of the 8 Chilean’s in the tasting, 4 were from the 2007 vintage which according to our guest speaker Howard Kaman of Charton Hobbs, was considered a vintage of the century.

Guests were also treated to a bonus, as part of the Club’s 40^th anniversary, a 9^th mystery wine which turned out in the end to be a 1997 Chateau la Croix duCasse, Pomerol. It was a fitting end to the tasting and provided a real contrast to the younger Chilean wines in terms of nose, palette and colour. Such was the contrast, the group didn't have much difficulty identifying it as the mystery wine.

Following a brief introduction to Chile by Howard where he identified some of the regions and the grapes primarily used in the production of its wine, the group got down to the business of the tasting. 

The wines in pouring order were;

1.      2005 Altair Tinto. Cachapoal Valley. $ 42

“From a small, very classy winery focused on high end blends only, this combines 85% cab sauvignon with syrah and carmenere. It’s a super rich red with a saturated nose of cassis/rhubarb jam, mincemeat and chocolate fudge. It’s full bodied, very dense, soft and supple with great fruit. Chilean to its core. Excellent to outstanding length. It should age well for a decade but it’s not a requirement for enjoying it. (They need to lose the overweight bottle). Best 2012 to 2020. Tasted February 2011. 94 pts.” David Lawrasson, www.winealign.com

2.      2006 Perez Cruz, Quelen Special Selection. $49

“. . . blend of Petit Verdot, Cot (Malbec), and Carmenere. It offers up an inviting nose of licorice, tar, espresso, black cherry, and blackberry. Dense, rich, and muscular on the palate, this is a large-scaled effort with impeccable balance and exceptional length. It will require 4-6 years of additional cellaring to reveal its full potential but has the balance to become something special.” 94 pts”. Jay Miller, erobertparker.com, #192, Dec. 2010

3.      2010 Santa Rita, Casa Real. Maipo. $60

Cabernet Sauvignon “After a rooty, spicy opening that includes aromas of tree bark, leather, marzipan and ripe berry fruits, this perennial winner shows superb balance, mouthfeel and overall integration. Flavors of cassis, cherry, plum, dry spice and chocolate finish long, lightly herbal and with complexities. Drink through 2020. 93 pts.” Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 31, 2013

4.      2007 Montes Alpha, Alpha M. Santa Cruz. $79

“Blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, with the balance Merlot and Petit Verdot aged for 18 months in new French oak. It exhibits a striking perfume of pain grille, pencil lead, herbs, spices, a hint of balsamic, and assorted black fruits. Dense, structured, and incipiently complex, this velvety textured wine conceals enough structure to evolve for another 5-6 years. It offers a drinking window extending from 2017 to 2027.” 94 pts Jay Miller, Feb. 2012, erobertparker.com

5.      2007 Concha y Toro, Don Melchor, Puente Alto. $80

“Blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc aged in French oak (78% new) and one-year old oak. It has a rounded, smooth tobacco and cedar scented bouquet with plush red fruit. The palate is full-bodied with chalky tannins, smoky black tarry fruit and a reserved, slightly austere finish with dark chocolate lingering on the aftertaste. It has Old World sensibility and is well crafted. Drink now-2016. 90 pts.” Neal Martin. erobertparker.com #204, Dec. 2012

6.      2009 Viña Errázuriz, Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve, Aconcagua Valley. $80

“Blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenere, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc from the Maximiano vineyard, aged for 20 months in new French oak. It has a more elegant, fresher nose than the 2008 with a red rather than black fruit profile: wild strawberry, raspberry, kirsch and a touch of shortcake. The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannins than the 2008, with ripe graphite infused black fruit and a masculine, tannic finish that is still continuing to show too much oak in proportion to the fruit. Drink 2015-2022. 88 pts.” Neal Martin. erobertparker.com

7.      2007 Viña Seña, Aroncagua Valley. $85

“57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Carmenere, 12% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It puts forth an enthralling bouquet of sandalwood, underbrush, exotic spices, incense, floral notes, blueberry, and blackcurrant that borders on kinky. Already remarkably complex on the palate, with layered flavors, a plush palate feel, and precision balance, this beautifully rendered offering will evolve for another 6-8 years and provide a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2032. 96 pts.” Jay Miller, erobertparker.com, #192, Dec. 2010

8.      2007 Cousiño-Macul, Lota. Maipo. Blend $ 87

“Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. The “LOTA” project started in 2003, when the Cousiño family decided to create a world class wine to celebrate the 150th anniversary. “The 2007 Lota, again raised entirely in new French oak, has a ripe blueberry and cassis nose augmented by orange zest and shoe polish. There seems to be a little more volatility here. The palate is sweet and peppery on the entry. It has ripe, plump tannins, plenty of spicy fruit and aniseed. It is endowed with a dense, oaky finish that is balanced and clean, offering a sweet kirsch-tinged aftertaste. Drink 2015-2025. 88 pts.” Neal Martin. erobertparker.com #204, Dec. 2012

Pour Order	Name	Group Rank	Speaker Rank
1	Altair Tinto	8	7
2	Perez Cruz	3	8
3	Santa Rita Casa Real	5	4
4	Montes Alpha	6	5
5	Concha y Toro Don Melchor	7	3
6	Vina Errazuriz	1	6
7	Vina Sena	2	1
8	Cousino-Macul Lota	4	2
9	97 Ch La Croix du Casse (Pomerol) Mystery Wine	9	NR *

* No rank

The assembled group agreed that all of the Chilean wines were well balanced and structured with no faults. All were drinking well now but still had a number of years of good drinking left in them. The same however could not be said about the mystery wine which the group ranked last out of all the wines. May be it was a result of being overpowered by its far fresher Chilean predecessors, but the majority of the room felt this Pomerol was past its prime in terms of drinkability.

Chile beats Bordeaux once again!!!

About the guest speaker

Howard Kaman has worked in the wine industry for over 20 years, the past 10.5 years as the Specialty Brands Manager (or Vintages Specialist) at Charton Hobbs – agents for Perez Cruz winery whose Quelen we are tasting this evening. He has worked as a Cellar Hand in both the Languedoc (at Mas de Daumas Gassac) and in the Willamette Valley in Oregon (at Amity Vineyards), and also spent a year in Niagara as an Assistant Winemaker and two years in Harrods’ Wine Department, in London England. He is a graduate of the Diploma program of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Tasting of Chilean Bordeaux Blends

Chile’s wine history has been most profoundly influenced by the French, particularly Bordeaux. The result is that today Chilean reds are considered some of the best in the world. In January 2004 at what became known as the Berlin Tasting featuring 2000 and 2001 vintages (this tasting was fashioned along the lines of the Judgement of Paris pitting French Bordeaux against California), Chilean reds took 1st, 2nd place beating out Ch Lafite Rothschild and Ch Margaux. Second place went to Chile’s Viña Seña, one of the wines in our lineup. In 9th place was Don Maximiano, another wine in our tasting, which beat Ch Latour. In 2011, Chilean wineries earned a total of 206 gold metals from 10 prominent international competitions. Consistency is the hallmark of great wine making and the vintages from our Chilean tasting event demonstrate the world class quality of these wines. Our 5 different vintages are rated as “Excellent” to “Outstanding” by Robert Parker: 2005 – 90 pts; 2006 – 89 pts; 2007 – 88; 2009- 88 and 2010 – 90. 

Toronto Vintners has amassed some of the very best red wines from Chile. Light appetizers will accompany the main tasting portion of the event. The wines we are featuring are:

2005 Altair Tinto. Cachapoal Valley
2006 Perez Cruz, Quelen Special Selection
2007 Viña Seña, Aroncagua Valley
2007 Montes Alpha, Alpha M. Santa Cruz
2007 Concha y Toro, Don Melchor, Puente Alto
2007 Cousiño-Macul, Lota. Maipo
2009 Viña Errázuriz, Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve, Aconcagua Valley
2010 Santa Rita, Casa Real. Maipo

For tasting notes on these wines and more about our event, please visit: www.torontovintners.org/2015/ChileanReds.html 

Theme:  Chilean Bordeaux Blends
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM
Location:  University of Toronto Faculty Club, 43 Willcocks St., Toronto ON   Map
Cost:  TVC Members:  $77; Non-Members & Guests:  $97
Register / Buy Tickets - NOTE that all ticket sales are final. No refunds can be issued.

'07 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Nest month on February 17, Toronto Vintners Club will sample 8 red Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines from the outstanding 2007 vintage. Robert Parker Jr., a Châteauneuf lover, wrote: "This is the greatest vintage I've ever tasted in the southern Rhone." He called the 2007’s “a truly historic and profoundly great vintage.”  This vintage has received many, many accolades not just from the wine critics such as Parker and Jancis Robinson, but from the winemakers themselves from such esteemed producers as Rasteau, Perrin, and Guigal.  Similarities have been made to the outstanding 1999 and 2001 vintages in N. Rhône and 2000, 1998 and 1990 vintages in the South.

If you're into ratings, all 8 of our wines have received 90+ points.  Château de la Gardine was acquired in 1945 by the Brunel family, active in winegrowing since 1670.  Patrick Lesec ‘s operation is artisanal, small, focused, and consistently reliable.  Cuvee du Vatican’s vines are over 100 years old but the Diffonty family’s agricultural roots go back to the 17^th century.  Domaine Giraud started in 1974 after the owners changed from the distillery business to wine making.   Clos St. Jean began in the 20^th century and its fame took off following Robert Parker’s evaluation of their ’03 wine.  Domaine de la Cote de l’Ange is quite young but the wife’s family previously owned the esteemed Monpertuis domaine.  Domaine la Roquète was taken over in 1986 by the rising stars, Daniel and Frédéric Brunier,  whose family produces the celebrated Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe.  Lastly, we have Beaucastel, one of the great estates of the Rhone Valley, owned by the Perrin family.

We're very excited not only to have wines of this calibre but also to have what might be an historic vintage to sample.

Date:  Tuesday, Feburary 17, 2015
Time: 6 PM (our event starts with an informal gathering and a reception wine)

Location:  Faculty Club, Univ. of Toronto, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, Ontario

Fees:  TVC Members:  $74; Non-Members & Guests:  $94

Register/Buy Tickets  Please note that ALL ticket sales are final and we are unable to issue any refunds unless we are sold out and have a waiting list.

If you would like to JOIN or RENEW your membership in the Toronto Vintners Club, please click on the links on the side bar (right side).

N. Rhone Reds - Fresh Starts & Rising Stars

On November 18, Toronto Vintners Club features wine producers who are rising stars, new owners or innovate/fresh ventures that have all established enduring or recent reputations for producing quality wine in N. Rhone. From Côte-Rôtie, we feature Maison Michel Chapoutier and Patrick Jasmin. Chapoutier has produced wine for over 200 years but during the 1980s after son Michel took over, quality really improved and by the late 1980s, Chapoutier had started to receive considerable international attention for its wines. Their labels are distinctive because they include Braille. Jasmin Cote Rotie's first vintages date back to 1910 and current owner, Patrick who took over in 1999, is a fourth generation winemaker in his family. Jasmin deliberately produces very low yields to maintain high quality; as a result, the winery produces a mere 2,400 cases/yr. and only 1,200 cases of Côte-Rôtie of outstanding wines. The three AOC's of St. Joseph, Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage are represented by Ferraton Père et Fils, a small family-owned business with its roots in a tiny vineyard holding in Hermitage. A friendship between Michel Ferraton and Michel Chapoutier led to a joint venture in 1998. Ferraton operates independently but under the Chapoutier expertise and finance with resulting increases in wine quality. From Cornas, we have wines from 3 producers. Johann Michel is a rising star whose family includes renowned winemaker Robert Michel. Johann Michel is one of the smallest AOCs in France, comprised of only 288 hectares. Johann started his winery in 1997 and produces only about 20,000 bottles/year. Delas Frères was founded 160 years ago and in 1993, was acquired by the Champagne house of Louis Roederer where today, Delas wines are crafted by an expert panel managed by renowned winemaker Jacques Grange. Delas wines have been lauded for their intensity of flavour and excellent value. Courbis is the most southern domaine from the border of AOC Cornas. Brothers Laurent and Dominique Courbis now operate the family estate which dates back to the 16th century.

Toronto Vintners has acquired 8 wines from 5 appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in Northern

Rhône : Cote Rôtie, St. Joseph, Hermitage, Croze Hermitage and Cornas.

Date: November 18, 2014

Time:  6 PM

Location:  Faculty Club, Univ. of Toronto, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, Ontario

Fees:  TVC Members:  $67; Non-Members & Guests:  $87

Register/Buy Tickets  Please note that ALL ticket sales are final and we are unable to issue any refunds unless we are sold out and have a waiting list.

Our guest speaker will be Zoltan Fekete of Kylix Wines.

Review of S. Italian Red tasting on Oct. 21

As attendees arrived, they were treated to a wonderful reception wine, Tatone Montepulciano from Abruzzo, Italy, provided by Vinaio Wines of Toronto.  It’s a medal winning wine carried by Vintages and labelled a Vintages Essential which means it’s available all-year round from Ontario’s Vintages stores and for the modest price of $15.95.  Everyone who sampled it was very impressed with its full body, great depth of flavour and were stunned to learn the price. A few people even preferred this wine to those we tasted the rest of the evening! It’s from central Italy and so growing conditions are a bit different from the hot south from where our 8 wines originated. Thanks to Vinaio Wines for supplying such a fantastic wine to Toronto Vintners Club!

Over the course of the evening, TVC members and guests discovered how generally well-made all the wines were that we tasted from different grapes and a variety of areas throughout S. Italy. Summer heat is a big factor and so wine makers have now taken to making their wines in climate controlled conditions which has resulted in a vast improvement in quality. Our guest speaker, Vince Liberatore of Vinaio wines informed us that a lot of juice used in making the more famous and more expensive Northern Italian wines actually comes from S. Italy!

We started our pouring order with wines from the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, the latter which ranked #3 over all by the group! Our guest speaker, Vince Liberatore of Vinaio wines found wine A, the 2010 Argiolas Perdera, Monica di Sardegna DOC from Sardinia to be an easy drinking wine and ranked it 5th.  The group agreed also ranking it 5th; my table ranked it 8th but still found it to be a good wine with medium weight and finish, and smoky tarry flavours.

Wine B was the ’06 Ceuso for $35. I found there was a hint of oak and smokey tones on the nose; the wine itself was big, intense and had a long finish. Our table ranked it 4th, the group overall had it in 7th and our guest speaker ranked it 3rd.

Wine C, was distinctly different from all the rest in the lineup. The nose was a bit floral and it was on the lighter side both in colour and in style.  Vince thought it unbalanced and not well made. It was the 2009 Leone de Castris from Puglia and the 2009 vintage was awarded Silver from the International Wine & Spirit Competition.  Interestingly, Vince told us that this wine is rated [one of] the best price points for quality. Both Vince and I ranked it 8, our table ranked it 7th and the group had it in the middle at 4th.

The fourth wine poured, D, was another from Puglia - the ‘07 Appolonio Terragnolo, made from the Primitove grape which is related to the Zinfandel grape. The nose was very floral; there was lots of vanilla and it had gobs of fruit and a touch of sweetness on the palate; the legs were long. After a while, it got to be too much to drink because of its being somewhat unbalanced.  While I, our table and the guest speaker all had this wine ranked 5th or 6th, the rest of the crowd really liked it and ranked it their Number 1! Perhaps this wine was the closest in familiarity to what we’re used to drinking in N. America (being related to Zinfandel) and maybe that’s why people like it.  Anyway, if you loved it, it’s a bargain at $19!

Wine E’s nose was initially closed but I started to get a hint of dark plums which carried through on the palate.  The flavour was complex and intense; legs were very long and it was a very well made wine. Here’s where the group and I differed; I ranked it 3rd and the group had it 8th – last place. Vince put it in the middle at 4th.  It was the 2007 Azienda Vincola Rivera, Puer Apuliae, Apulia for $37.

The colour on the sixth wine, wine F, was almost black. It was very dry, intense and concentrated.  Vince found it very elegant, with great depth, oak and dark chocolate on the palate.  In fact, he loved this wine and ranked it his #1 as did my table. I really liked it too but found the dryness to be a little much to handle without food so I ranked it 4th. The group had it in 6th place. It was a wine that really cried out for food. It was the most expensive of the lot at $49 and was the 2008 Elena Fucci, Aglianico del Vulture Titolo, Basilicata.

Wine G had people all over the map. I loved this wine; it was complex with lots of flavours of dark fruits, inky dark colour. Vince on the other had found it unbalanced and he didn’t enjoy it that much.  My table and our attendees overall ranked this as their 3rd favourite wine. It was the 2008 Villa Raiano Taurasi,  DOCG from Campania for $24.

With Wine H, the last wine poured, we finally had some agreement on a wine!  I, my table, our guest speaker and the group ALL ranked this as their second favourite wine. It was the oldest wine in the line-up – the 2004 Odoardi Vigna Garrone from Calabria for $37. While the nose had a slight stinkiness to it, the palate had plums, figs, leather, some stewed fruit and meat. It was intense and gorgeous!

Overall, this was a great tasting as it exposed many of us to wines and grapes that we would probably not have experienced otherwise. Some of these wines could be called the poor man's Barolo or Amarone because of their more modest prices. So it was great to find a couple of real bargains in the line-up.  With thousands of grapes now being cultivated in Italy and an obscure labelling system, it can be very difficult to wade through Italian wines and decide which one to buy.  This tasting certainly gave us all a better understanding of what to look for.

Thanks to all who came out for the evening. It was 2 short of a sell-out!! And a big thanks to Vince Liberatore and Vinaio Wines for helping to make our evening very successful!

And below is a summary of the wine rankings.  If you want tasting notes from our notice, please visit http://www.torontovintners.org/2014/Southern_Italian_reds.html

Sylvia Dorosh
President

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2010 Argiolas Perdera, Monica di Sardegna DOC, Sardinia $18	5	5
B - 2006 Ceuso, Scurati Rosso, Sicily  $35	7	3
C - 2009 Leone de Castris, Salice Salentino DOC, Riserva, Puglia $19	4	8
D - 2007 Appolonio Terragnolo, Primitivo, Puglia, $19	1	6
E - 2007 Azienda Vincola Rivera, Puer Apuliae, Apulia  $37	8	4
F - 2008 Elena Fucci, Aglianico del Vulture Titolo, Basilicata $49	6	1
G - 2008 Villa Raiano Taurasi,  DOCG, Campania  $24	3	7
H - 2004 Odoardi Vigna Garrone, Calabria  $37	2	2

Exploring Southern Italy in October

Next month in October, we explore various wine regions and different grape varieties of Southern Italy. Toronto Vintners Club has 8 highly rated red wines from the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, Puglia, Calbria, Basilcata and Campania.

To view a map of the wine production areas, visit http://winefolly.com/review/italian-wine-regions-map/  and to learn more about wines of Southern Italy, visit www.lifeinitaly.com/wines/southern-italy-wine.asp#sthash.2zBwA8sJ.dpuf.

Italy uses an esoteric wine labeling system like France which can be baffling to understand, but more challenging is learning all the official grape varieties which number about 350!  Many of the grapes such as Nero d'Avola, Primitivo, Aglianico, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera  are unfamiliar to most N. American oenophiles.  Although the grapes and wines may not be household names like their Piedmont or Tuscan cousins, the wines of Italy's southern districts are bold, full-bodied, satisfying AND generally, good value for money.  This event is a great opportunity to learn about and taste good quality Italian wines made from various grape varieties.  Many of these wines can be cellared for many years, if desired.

Seating is limited at this event so please register early. Note - all ticket sales are final.

Theme:  Red Wines of Southern Italy
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Time: 6 PM - Reception Wine; 6:20 PM - Formal Tasting
Location:  U of Toronto Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks, St., Toronto ON
Price:  TVC Members:  $64; Guests / Non-members:  $84
Register / Buy Tickets
Note: All ticket sales are final!!!