Cono Sur Pinot Noir ReservaEspecialValle de San Antonio 2015
Medium darkrubycolor. Nose of branches, earth, ground cherries, berries and smoke. Fresh on the palatewithflavorsof redberries, a wholebunch of spices, it’sbalanced, long lasting withjust a touch of heat on the finish, but itdoesn’t stop the wine to show its amplitude. Good+ (88)
Made of Pinot Noir. Aged 11 months in oak barrels. Alcohol level of 14%
Available in SAQ stores for 16,50$ (Code SAQ : 00874891)
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This winecomesfrom the negoceactivity of Pascal Marchand (Domaine Comte Armand et Domaine de la Vougeraie) and the Ontario native Moray Tawse. Medium darkrubycolorwith a pinkrim. Nose of redberries, spices, earth, oak and some green notes. Powerful and slightlyrustic on the palate, not verydeep, itseems more approchable on the nosethan on the palate at first. It have though fruit, spices, but the oak shows quite a lot. Long and a touch warm finish. I feltthatthiswineisprettyyoung as the glass I had on the second daywasbetter and the last one, four daysafterhavingopened the bottlewasgreat! Very good (89)
Made of Pinot Noir. Aged in oak barrels, 20% being new. Alcohol level of 13%
Available in SAQ stores for 38,25$ (Code SAQ : 12857159)
Birichino Besson Vineyard Central Coast California 2014
Bright rubycolor. Fine nosewherehomemadesmallberry jam pairs with garrigue style herbs. This have suchbeautifularomas. Bright, greatredberryflavors, someherbs, spices notes, it’sfresh, just round enough, good acidity. If Californiacouldoffer more of that type of wine! Very good+ (90)
Made of own-rooted 100 years old grenache vines. Aged in neutral French oak barrels. Alcohol level of 13,0%
Available at the SAQ for 26,10$ (Code SAQ : 12486386)
https://dansmonverre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Birichino-Besson-Vineyard-Central-Coast-California-2014.jpg500500dansmonverrehttps://dansmonverre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/trans-bordeaux_340.jpgdansmonverre2016-10-12 07:05:482016-10-12 07:05:48Birichino Besson Vineyard Central Coast California 2014
Dark and shinyrubycolor. Nose of strawberries, cranberries, aromaticherbs, spices and earth. Flavorful, does have somedepth, have notes of spices and the finish shows a good aciditylevel. Medium structured, itdoesn’t stop one to drink itquiterapidly! Very good (89)
Made of Gamay. Certified organic. Aged in tanks for a period of 4 to 5 months. Alcohol level of 12,5%
Available in SAQ stores for 27,55$ (Code SAQ : 11964788)
Foillard is represented in Québec by réZin Sélection: rezin.com
Darkcoloredwithpurple hue. The wine shows aromaswhere the warm Portugueseclimatecanbefeel,withoutanyjammycooked notes, ratherbeing on nice black berries and spices notes. Chewy on the palatewith medium softness, thiswould pair wellwithredmeatdishes! Thenflavors of black berries, spices and just a touch of flowers, thisistasty and is a steal at thatprice. Good+ (88)
Blend of Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, TourigaNacional and Tinta Barroca. Fermented and aged in tanks. Alcohol level of 13%
Available at the SAQ for 14,80$ (Code SAQ : 11076764)
I had the opportunity to taste over the last two years few wines made by François Chartier, a well-known sommelier, an author of many wine guides (still have many copies at home and these did influenced the buying of my first cellared worthy bottles many years ago…), for his wine and pairing, for his recipe books made after years of research with renown chefs and wine producers from all over the world.
But what about the wines? I must admit that at first I doubt about them, being quite overwhelmed by the labels on the bottles and the marketing machine behind the wines. But every time I’ve tasted his wines, I was always gladly surprised by them.
From his Tuscan blend tasted blind with some friends, to the Spanish white I had during last Grande Dégustation de Montréal and not forgetting the rosé wine tasted along more than 20 other wines, I did enjoyed them every single time.
Now having his latest release in my hands, here is my first “official” tasting note on one of the Créateur d’Harmonies wine:
Chartier Créateur d’Harmonies Fronsac 2012
Dark ruby color. Nose of smoke, dark berries, bay leaves, earth and pepper. Smooth on the palate but still stands up in a great showing with a spicy finish. Good flavors of berries, earth, mushrooms and just a touch of grilled Bell peppers. Good+ (88)
Made in collaboration with Bordeaux’s native winemaker Pascal Chatonnet, this wine is a blend of 86% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 4% de cabernet-sauvignon. Aged 12 months in 1 and 2 years old oak barrels. Alcohol level of 13,5%
Available in SAQ stores for 19,45$ (Code SAQ : 12068070)
Darkcolorwithpurple hue. Nose of black berries, sweetspices, vanilla, earth and light green notes. Medium structure on the palatewithflavors of vanillaicecream,smallberry cake and a light bitterness on the finish. This ispretty good for the price. Good+ (88)
Made of 100% tempranillo. Alcohol level 14%
Available in SAQ stores for 10,85$ (Code SAQ : 10357994)
De Martino Cinsault Viejas Tinajas DO Secano Interior 2014
Light purplecolor. Shynosethatopenedwith air to giveredberries, earth, spices and incensearomas. Flavors of clay, earth, spicesthen fruit and flowers notes. Reserved for now, thiswinehaven’tbloomedyet. Very light heat on the finish. Champion in originality, itdoesn’tsink on the “funky” side of somenaturally made wines. Very good (89)
From ungrafted Cinsault vines planted in the 1980’s and located 22km from the ocean. Aged in old clay amphorae. Alcohol level of 13%
This wine can be purchase through private import with Vins Balthazard: vinsbalthazard.com
Ruby color. Freshnosewith fiels straberries, herbs and strawberrytips. Bright and mouthwateringacidity on the palatewithflavors of red fruits, earth and spices. Becameevenbetter at the table and wouldbe an excellent choice to pair withheavierdishes as itsaciditywouldbringfreshness to the plate, making the wineshineeven more. Stillprettyyoung, willbebetterafter2-3 years of cellaring. Good+ (88)
Made from 50 years old vines planted in Meursault. Aged in oak barrels with 10% new oak and less than 5 years old barrels. Alcohol level of 12,5%
Almost gone from the shelves, was sold for 32,00$ in SAQ stores (Code SAQ : 12440231)
In the “world” of wine, everyone would like to taste everything, others are aiming at cellaring great bottles for special occasion as anniversaries and birth years. But the question these person should ask themsaelves is; do they like mature wines? Why invest money in these bottles for longer cellaring time if the result doesn’t fulfil them? One should know that older wines have almost nothing in common with youger one available on our monopoly’s shelves!
Along the years, I had the oppotunity to open botlles of mature wines and confirm the fact that I like that style, the taste and the history behind them. That is one of the reasons why when I travel in the United States a part of my “wine buying” is done with older wines.
And as I do almost every year at the end of summer / beginning of fall season, I open with my family a bottle of wine from the vintage of my birth year, 1979. That’s exactly what I did only few days ago. Here are my comments about the wine:
Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Grand Cru Classé Graves 1979
The bottle is in great shape and looks like it was well preserved, its appearance not betraying its age and the label isn’t damaged. The bottle fill level is perfect. After a really short time and no particular effort, the cork came out in one piece.
The wine is orange-brownish brick color. Really shy at first, the wine took at least 30 minutes before showing aromas of old wood, tobacco, fall leaves and dry fruits notes. Being on the same flavor profile, the wine shows its elegance and finesse on the palate, with a long finish and a medium adicity level which I liked since that type of wine often have high and sometimes even an anoying acidity level. Paired with our smiles, we did enjoyed a lot this bottle, fulfilling our expectations that were, let’s say, pretty low, which helped the moment being even more appreciated. Can’t wait for the next bottle of mature wine to be opened! Excellent (91)
The wine becomes orange-brown as it age
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