Tag Archive for: Pearl Morissette

2017 en vin - Revue de l'année par Dans mon verre

My 2017 in wine

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My 2017 in wine

Another year review? Of course! But don’t worry, it won’t be my Top 10 favorite wines, bubbles or beers, even if I like to write some from time to time.

What if we were just talking about wine? From great to less good moments in wine that happened in 2017?

Visite chez Hinterland

Tasting sparkling wines while visiting Hinterland in Prince Edward County

First observation on 2017 wine-wise

In 2017 the wine took another path or route for me. I kept writing here as I do for more than 3 years now and that allowed me to taste hundreds of wine at home, during events or at different wineries I’ve visited through the year.

And then came the desire to do something else while still keeping a feet into the wine’s world.

Of course I like meeting all kind of people, to hear what they have to say, to have a better understanding of their vision in regards of producing, distributing or serving wines. To get the “why” behind all of that. That’s actually my favorite part of being a blogger!

Writing on wine is still something I want and will do, don’t worry, I have to share this passion for this amazing drink, right?

What 2017 brought to my vision of wine

2017 saw coming up those moments where all I wanted to do was drinking wine as it was what I needed at that time. What does it means? Not getting wasted while drinking like I have no control of myself! That’s not me and it’ll never, I am way too reasonable for that 😉

Dégustation avec Nathan Kendall

Tasting Nathan Kendall wine + one bottle I brought for the occasion!

That being said, it also have results on my relationship with wine. Almost stop buying expensive wines and drinking a lot less of them, even if the cellar is full of wine. What I wanted was pure highly drinkable fruit juice, and that’s exactly what I had as much as possible in my glass.

This is not where I’ll go with my Natural Wine propaganda or against all wines that are or looks like they’ve been made industrially. I must say though that I do try to drink as clean as possible and that I might be partially falling for more naturally made wines. Drinking wines that feels alive, vibrant, that have their own personality.

Still, my truth is found in the glass; either the wine is good or bad and that’s the way I’ll keep using to judge wines as I’ve always did!

Will keep drinking the wines made by friends, wines from here in Québec or from Ontario or regions I’ve visited like the Finger Lakes or Long Island in New York State. The type of wine I’ve been drinking have changed over the years and especially since I’ve started this blog. I’m drinking more local (that’s where wines from Québec and Ontario are useful) and the wines from the producers and winemakers I’m meeting are taking a great share of those bottles I’m opening day after day.

Domaine du Nival, vue des vignes d'Albariño

View from the Albariño vines on the top of a hill at Domaine du Nival

My Top 10 moments where wine played a role

There is no way though that I’ll be forgetting all these moments where wine was poured and enjoyed. Last year was rich of these moments.

Here are some of wines and moments that happened in 2017:

  • Meeting François, the winemaker behind Pearl-Morissette and tasting all type of wines for more than two hours while listening him talking about his passion, his vision of what a wine should and should not be. From his “vin primeur” to orange, blends, Gamays (of course!) and his Solera type of wine that was simply stunning!
Visite chez Pearl Morissette - Francois et moi

François and moi during a visit at Pearl Morissette

  • Opening and drinking a magnum of the 2014 County Chardonnay Cuvée Les Amis from Norman Hardie Winery when a good friend came back around. A pairing that can only be dreamed of!
Norman Hardie Cuvée des Amis Unfiltered VQA Prince Edward County 2014

2014Norman Hardie County Chardonnay Cuvée des Amis

  • These “Beaujolais” times at the VV Taverna with Rézin Sélection where I got the opportunity to meet Agnès Foillard from Domaine Jean Foillard and Mathieu Lapierre from Domaine Marcel Lapierre, and taste their wines of course! Really great moments of learning and talking Gamay, especially as a fan of that grape variety!
Foillard avec RéZin à la VV Taverna

Foillard tasting with RéZin at la VV Taverna

  • The 2008 Pinot Noir face-off during a wedding anniversary dinner (ours and the one of our good friends) between a County wine from Norman Hardie and a Morey-St-Denis from Domaine Dujac… with a surprising and crushing win from the Norman Hardie Pinot!
Norman Hardie County Pinot Noir 2008 VS Domaine Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis 2008

2008 Pinot Noir battle:  Norman Hardie from PEC VS  Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis

  • All the tastings of sparkling wines at Hinterland. Always good time while popping a few bottles with Jonas! And what about the food from Neil at County Road Beer, the adjacent beer joint from the same owners. I miss those right now! Have to say that our three visits there were quite delightful and enjoyable!
  • Tasting with Nathan Kendall while visiting the Finger Lakes area. Amazing region and tasty wines. Will have to go back! Would love to taste the new Chepika Wine sparkling wine made of hybrid varietals Nathan is making with the help of Pascaline Lepeltier MS.
  • The camping trip we did on Labor Day weekend under pouring rain where wines from Domaine du Nival and Pinard & Filles made it way more enjoyable!
Pinard et Filles Frangin 2016

Pinard et Filles Frangin 2016 – Parfait en camping!

  • My visits in local wineries. Quality is there, the amount of work huge, same as their passion and intentions of making world-class wines. Gotta drink these wines to help them achieve their goals! Special tumbs up to Domaine du Nival, Pinard & Filles and the Vignoble Les Pervenches. They are rocking Québec’s wine scene and I want to go back to each of them in 2018!
  • The harvest period in October in the beautiful Prince Edward County with Grange of Prince Edward and Trail Estate Winery. Their wines, the food, the place. Everything is simply magical!
Vendanges chez Trail Estate

Harvest at Trail Estate – Credits: Tania Fitzpatrick

  • Drinking some Saignée de Sorbée Champagne from Vouette & Sorbée during my first visit ever at Vin Papillon owned by Joe Beef (after having a glass of “vin primeur” from Pinard & Filles) with Dave, Vanya, Alex and Jared.

What about 2018 now?

I’m pretty sure 2018 will bring in many other great wine moments, but more visits and talks with wine people and less of the wine shows. I’ll be focusing on the people that makes us drink, sell or make wine!

Stay tuned also for my alternate project as I’ll be putting online a new blog, called gamay.ca that will be focusing on wines from all around made of that grape (as I don’t want to overflow this one with too many Gamay wines…), but also my Facebook page  Vignerons & Amateurs des vins du Québec that will be all about drinking local wines!

Gamay.ca

Gamay grapes at Grange of Prince Edward

Keep having fun, drink less but better!

 

 

Pearl Morissette

Pearl Morissette and their living wines

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Pearl Morissette and their living wines

Rain, in January, this is so crazy! But it could be worse, cause I see something good coming. I had the privilege, on that grey day, to meet at the vineyard François Morissette. François is the man behing the wines of Pearl Morissette, pioneer in living wines making in Niagara.

Pearl Morissette - fûts alsacien

François uses many types of containers as these old cask from Alsace

I had many times Pearl Morissette wines in my glass. Following my passion, I want to meet the person behind the wine I’m having and I want to meet them. I know that after these meetings the wines taste sometimes even better as I understand them differently cause I can get the vision that led to them and why they were made that way.

I first saw François at the Raspipav event, a wine show on private import products in Montréal. I promised him that I would come by the winery and visit him. I was there, on his field of work and he’s making all these wine come true. I wanted Pearl Morissette living wines!

Visit of the winery, with the Winemaker

While drinking François words, his vision came to me; his desire to make good wine while not interfering with this ‘natural’ evolution. He uses many types of container to age his wines, but all in a way to let the soil, the vines and finally the wines to express themselves.

Understanding the climate, the soil, the vines then the resulting wines are not an easy task. Many experiences were made and makers were identified from vintage to vintage, then creativity could be expressed properly without endangering the results. Science does have its role here and that’s what creates those useful markers or requiered data to monitor the wines as they evolve to become the wines that we’ll drink. That’s why he can make wines that are clean while vibrant and alive while not shadowing the their true originality.

Pearl Morissette - Cuve de béton en forme d'oeuf

Pearl Morissette – Custom made egg shape concrete tank

One thing is clear for François is that any kind of intervention, even when you don’t, have effects on the final product. He don’t beleive then in the “let everything go natural wine” principle. The primary matter is transformed and shaped by these decisions and manipulations. That’s why understanding the results of any actions made on the wine, as minimalist they are, is critical as it can overcome his vision on how he want his wines to be… That’s exactly why he doesn’t like the “natural” wine thing as it doesn’t mean anything and doesn’t offer the warranty that the fruit itself will be good prior to the winemaking process.

His experience acquiered while working at the best wineries of Burgundy is then useful. This allows him to master the classical grape varieties with which he’s working while still being creative.

Under the charm of the place, the man and the wines!

To face the rising demand for his wines, the risk coming from the weather and the various conditions of each vintage, he buys grapes from other producers of the area. He makes sure to get fruits that are farmed with the same vision as his, on how they’re growned and how the vines are taken care of.

While touring the place and talking, we did taste many wines, all from the 2015 and 2016 vintages that are still under ageing process. We had both wines from his vineyards and from bought fruits. Sample were took of stainless tanks, egg shaped and regular concrete tanks, then from barrels of different ages and even from old Alsacian casks of 50 years+ !

Pearl Morissette - vin orange

Their orange wine!

We had Rieslings made dry so vibrant, refreshing and so deep (especially the Cuvée Black Ball – see the story between him and the VQA system behind this wine). Then very fine Pinot Noir and even a “en primeur” fruit foward one made to drink young and on its primary fruit profile. Impressive Chardonnays with amazing texture, having the core to support oak ageing, Cabernet Franc so tasty and Gamay wines that have everythin to please the writer of these lines. Not to forget or let behind is their orange wine made of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling that spent 3 months on the skin. To end that tasting, a “Solera” type of wine from a cask that see it filled with remaining juice François have or from what’s left in barrels after bottleing. This wine, made from all type of grapes is blended with juice going back to the 2008 vintage, is so complex and stunning. This one is François’s study coming from his appreciation of Xeres wine. We can only hope that it’ll be bottled one day…

I was so pleased with this visit and tasting.

Can’t wait to be back there to meet again that epressive, creative and such a nice man. It would also be a great opportunity to visit all the installation as they have all kind of animal on their farm and this place is just so beautiful that just looking at it will make the next visit worthy.

I also can’t wait to talk about his other project, a vineyard he’s working on in Calfornia in the Sonoma valley! But this is another story / blog post. If you’re interested of learning more on these new wines, you can still order them through the Courrier Vinicole from the SAQ…

Pearl Morissette’s website : pearlmorissette.com

They are represented in Québec by La QV : laqv.ca

Now, what are we drinking?

Pearl Morissette

Pearl Morissette Chardonnay Cuvée Dix-Neuvième 2012

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Pearl Morissette Chardonnay Cuvée Dix-Neuvième Twenty Mile Bench VQA 2012

Bright gold color. Nose of fresh fruits with pineapple, citrus fruit and earthy clay mineral notes. Round on the palate with a good acidity level that goes pretty well with its candied lemon and fresh pineapple flavors. Long spicy finish. Got really better with air, more complex, so I suggest some cellaring time. Excellent (91)

Made of Chardonnay. Have seen oak, but didn’t find much information on how much. Alcohol level of 13,8%

Was sold at the LCBO (Ontario equivalent of the SAQ) for 35,00$. Some of this winery products are available through privte import in Québec

Website : pearlmorissette.com

Pearl Morissette agency in Québec : vinealis.qc.ca