Blog #10 Tasting the Languedoc

(The historical information contained in this post was derived from Andre Domine's excellent book entitled 'Wine'. Here is the publishing information: Domine, A. (2007). Wine (5th ed.) Konigswinter: Tandem Verlag GmbH.)

There is no doubt in my mind that the area between the Southern Rhone Valley and the Spanish border known as the Languedoc-Roussillon or Midi represents some of the best value wines around. It is a region steeped in wine making history with historical records showing that grapes were grown here over 2ooo years ago. This makes a lot of sense given the region is dry with a ton of sunshine and poor soils, perfect for making great wines. There is some evidence that shows the region was famous for producing excellent wines during the height of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately for the past several centuries the region has been known for producing massive amounts of poor quality wines.

The factors that lead to this are multifaceted and has much to do with the regions history and economics. Andre Domine and co-writers in their excellent book simply entitled 'Wine' point to several factors. First, after the collapse of the Roman Empire demand for wine diminished and much of what was produced in the Languedoc remained within its borders. Then in the 17th Century when the famous Canal du Midi was constructed the region was reopened to trade. However, at this time wine was not nearly as fashionable as distilled liqueurs like Brandy. So many producers in the region opted to grow high yielding grapes and distill them. In the 19th Century with the Industrial Revolution in full swing demand for cheap, consumable wine came from the working class in the cities as a way to nourish themselves and escape from the horrific conditions. It thus became highly lucrative to make as much wine as possible, quality was not at all an issue. Producers in the Languedoc responded by planting even more high yielding grape varieties and by the end of the 19th Century the region was the largest wine growing area in the world at roughly 1.14 Million acres planted.

It seems the mentality of mass producing wine with no thought of quality remained ingrained in producers minds as the 20th Century rolled on. Between the Phylloxera outbreak, economics issues and two world wars not much changed in the region until the 1970s. This was when irrigation was introduced to the region and soon growing vegetables and fruits became much more profitable than making wine, producers were forced to respond. They did so by looking for the best growing sites and producing smaller amounts of better quality wine. In the late 1970s the now famous Aime Guibert released his first vintage of Mas de Dumas Gassac which in only a few years had critics agreeing that the wine rivaled some of Bordeaux's finest. This proved that the region could indeed produce top quality wine if proper vineyard sites were selected, yields were kept low and the focus was on quality not quantity.

Hence, a revolution began in the region with forward thinking producers focusing on quality. This was also aided by the creation of several Appellations in the region which were considered distinct, interesting and could produce good quality wine. The Appellation system also set rules for grape types, yield limits, and types of fermentation allowed. The early 1980s saw a boom in these new Appellations as Faugeres, Saint Chinian, Minervois, and Corbieres all came into existence. Now 20 years later the region is still a work in progress and has a way to go, but it is really starting to become a reliable place for interesting, characterful, and quality wines at bargain prices.

Now certainly the top producers like Mas de Dumas Gassac and Mas Jullien are commanding higher prices, but the region is filled with small quality minded producers making great stuff. It does take a little bit of homework to find which producers are the best, but lately I have found that if it says Saint Chinian, Faugeres, Corbieres, or Fitou on the label your chances that it will be good are quite high. At the least the quality and character will be there if not the easy drinkability many have come to expect from wine, but that is whole point. These wines make you work a bit, but it almost always pays off. And at an average of $12-$15 for most bottles it is a much better choice over much of the junk on the shelves at the same price. So I definitely encourage to give some Languedoc wines a try I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

It was in this spirit that I decided to have a fun comparative tasting last week of two Langeudoc reds one from Saint Chinian and one from Corbieres. I have posted my producer and tasting notes below.

Domaine Combebelle - Saint Chinian - 2007 - Les Vignobles de Foncalieu - Saint Chinian- Languedoc -France

From what I understand this wine is produced by Les Vignobles de Foncalieu which is a massive wine co-operative with member vine growers throughout the Languedoc. It is not to be confused with another Saint Chinian producer known as Chateau de Combebelle which is piquing the interest of several wine critics (perhaps I will get a chance to try a bottle soon.) There is not much information available about this wine, which is unfortunate as the Foncalieu website is under construction. From the back label this is what we do know. The Domaine is situated on 20 hectares near the village of Cazedarnes. The grapes are grown in chalk, clay, and stony soil on slopes and terraces with Southern exposure. The wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan.

The wine is an inky purple colour with notes of subtle strawberry, mint and an interesting tomato vine green note on the nose. In the mouth it is light to medium bodied and smooth and round in the mouth with a note of slate and subtle fruit which sweetens slightly on the finish. With air the nose displays some notes of dried herbs and stones with the same simple earthy fruit in the mouth. Overall the wine is simple and well made, but I found it to be rather boring especially compared to the Corbieres that was tasted with it. The slate note in the mouth was the only interesting thing. Good.

Chateau de Vaugelas - La Prieure - Corbieres - 2007 - Corbieres - Languedoc- France

The Chateau de Vaugelas has been in the hands of the Bonfils family for five generations. The family owns 110 hectares in Corbieres situated on argilio-limestone soils mixed with galets the large round rocks made famous by the Chateauneuf du Pape region. The property saw major investment in the mid 1990s by the Bonfils family including the hiring of oenologist Robert Dejean and Georges Pauli, who is the technical director of Chateau Gruaud-Larose in St. Julien, Bordeaux ( a second growth in the original Bordeaux classification). This wine, vinified by Pauli, is a blend of 35% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 30 % Carignan, and 5% Mourvedre. It was fermented in stainless steel and then aged in oak barrels for one year.

The wine is inky purple with complex notes of cedar, flowers, sweet hay, alfalfa, clover, black licorice, eucalyptus, and wood. It conjures up the smell of a barn in the middle of summer filled with fresh hay and a warm breeze flowing through. In the mouth the wine is very smooth, medium bodied and well rounded with the fruit perfectly framed by the wood. It finishes with a spicy earth note that is just delicious. With air the nose becomes even more complex with subtle notes of smoked meat and dried herbs becoming perceptible. The bouquet actually reminds me of a good perfume in its ability to balance the sweet floral notes with spicy, woodsy earth. All the while the wine stays perfectly balanced and delicious. Overall the wine is complex, interesting, very tasty and nose is undeniably fantastic. At $12.95 a bottle this is a steal. Excellent.

Blog #9 Michel Gassier

Michel Gassier 'Les Piliers' Viognier 2008 Vin de Pays D'Oc

I really, really like Michel Gassier's wines. Not only because they are very good (which they are), but also his approach and philosophy to grape growing and wine making. Gassier comes from a long line of winemakers from the south of France near the city of Nimes. He obtained degree in Agricultural Engineering and moved to the United States to live and work for 10 years. Thankfully for all of us wine fans out there he returned to Nimes in the mid 1990s to make wine or as he puts it; "my return to the vineyard was inevitable. My wife Cristina, and I longingly prepared for it. Not to go back to the cocoon of family comfort, but rather to create our own path making truly unique wines."

Gassier's philosophy on wine making is actually quite interesting and you can read about it on his website. His essential mission is "...to make honest wines, wines with strong personalities that fully express their terriors and the dreams of their winegrower". What makes his approach quite interesting is that he has taken the ideas of terroir expression, organic viticulture, and biodynamics and personalized them to his own philosophy. For example when it comes to producing terrior driven wines he argues that for a wine to really express where it was grown it requires a winemaker that has "an intimate familiarity with each parcel of land, of it idiosyncrasies and its microclimate". In essence the terroir will not express itself, the winemaker must coax it out. Furthermore, when it comes to organic farming he argues that in many ways it is not stringent enough and although the movement is good for wine in general more must be done. Gassier takes an equilibrium approach in the vines, the soil, and the surrounding environment.

To achieve this approach he has reduced yields significantly, uses horse manure as fertilizer, and grows natural prairie grass between the vines. He also uses a well integrated pest management system to reduce the need for unnecessary spraying and keep his vineyard ecosystems in balance. Finally, most of his wines are manually pruned and harvested to ensure top grape quality and reduce damage.

Gassier is the proprietor of two different estates Chateau de Nages and Domaine de Molines. Both estates are located in the Costieres de Nimes, which is located on the border of the Southern Rhone valley and the Languedoc, known for its unique round pebble soils. He also makes single varietal wines sourced from his Les Piliers vineyard and creates a two red and two white blends exploring his experimental winemaker side known as Lou Coucardie and Nostre Pais.

The Chateau de Nages is a 70 hectare estate that creates AOC Costieres de Nimes wines. The reds from this estate are blends of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre and the whites are made from Grencahe Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier. He also crafts a Rose from Grenache and Syrah here. The Domaine de Molines is a 30 hectare estate where he grows single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc wines as well as dessert style Viognier and sparkling rose. For his Lou Coucardie bottlings he blends Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre for the red and Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier for the white. His Nostre Pais wines are meant to fully express terroir and are blends of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Carignan, and Syrah for the red, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Viognier for the white. Finally, he grows 5 single varietal wines in his Les Piliers vineyard, including a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc.

So far I have tried several wines from his Chateau de Nages estate. His Reserve Rouge is always a best buy year in year out for good quality characterful wine. But the bottlings I have been so far impressed about are from his Les Piliers vineyard. I have had both his 2004 Syrah and 2008 Viognier and they blew me away. His approach with Les Piliers is to be an expression more of him as a winemaker than to be about terrior. He claims that in these wines "my personality and my unique path is expressed." Where his ideal is to create universal and hedonistic wines which demonstrate each varietals "strengths and originality." So far I have been very impressed by Gassier and would love to try his entire line of wines. As I taste more I will post my notes here and all I can do is just highly recommend trying any of his wines as from what I have had they are all very impressive. I have posted my tasting notes for his Les Piliers 2004 Syrah and 2008 Viognier below.

Michel Gassier- Les Piliers- Viognier -2008- Vin de Pays D'Oc- Costieres de Nimes-France (Pictured At Top)

This is Gassier's 100% Viognier grown in clay and lime soils. Yields were limited using spring pruning and grapes were hand pruned and picked. The wine was left in skin contact for 12 hours after complete destemming. Then 50% of the juice was transferred to new French oak to be fermented and the other 50% was fermented in stainless steel vats at 14 degrees C and aged on its lees with batonnage to late December. The wines were then blended back together with fining, filtration and bottling taking place in March 2009.

The wine is pale yellow with hints of gold. Its nose its absolutely lovely and aromatic with notes of apricot, spice, vanilla, and fresh flowers. In the mouth the wine has a nice creamy feel with flavours of apricot and peach. This is all underscored by a great mineral note and refreshing acidity that I would not normally associate with Viognier. The wine finishes dry and refreshing with a lovely herbaceousness. With air the wine evolves which is typical of Gassier's style. After a couple of hours the nose turned into what could only be described as a fresh spring garden with perceptible notes of mint, thyme and other herbs along with a fresh floral component. It actually became more Provencial as time went on and really displayed its origins in the South of France. The only criticism I could make is that the wine still retained quite a bit of alcoholic heat, but this dissipated with air. High quality, honest and tasty stuff with a great nose. Very Good+

Michel Gassier - Les Piliers - Syrah - 2004 - Vin de Pays du Gard - Costieres de Nimes - France

Gassier's Les Piliers Syrah is grown in rolled pebbles and red clay. Yields were kept low through spring pruning and in the this vintage came to 2 tons per acre. The wine was late harvested and completely destemmed. It was macerated for five days before fermentation and was then fermented at 26 degrees C. Finally it was post fermented macerated for two weeks. The wine was then transferred into French oak barrels for 12 months and bottled afterward.

The wine is dark purple nearly black in colour and clings to the glass showing a lot of extraction and alcohol. At first the bouquet is quite restrained and very subtle hinting at dark fruit, licorice, and garrigue. In the mouth, dark fruit and garrigue with a lovely minerality (typical of the Les Piliers vineyard) flavours play out in a full bodied absolutely silky mouth feel. For the first hour this wine is altogether restrained and very French. However, this is not a simple wine and after an hour or more of air this beauty really begins to strut its stuff. High toned cherry, red fruit and floral notes come to the fore in an unrestrained, in your face, style. In the mouth it is still pure silk with delicious ripe tannins and a long black fruit, spicy floral finish. The complexity and utter surprise of this wines personality change when given air make it an amazing value and exceptional wine in general. One word, excellent!

Blog #8 Happy New Year - Wine Lists & Information

I apologize that I have not posted in the past few weeks. I was extremely busy with work leading up to Christmas and with family visits and more work between Christmas and New Years I have had very little time. Anyway enough excuses, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Years. I had a good, but very hectic and short one.

Surprisingly enough I actually did not do that much wine drinking except for a few family gatherings and on New Years. I did have a chance to try two very high end and interesting wines that are out of my reach financially, but were on tasting during the holidays at the Vintages department of the LCBO. They were Guigal's Chateau D'Ampuis Cote Rotie 2004 and the Chateau Kirwan Margaux 2005 both of which were really cool to say the least. I will post more about these in a couple of days. I also had a couple of interesting much more affordable wines which included the fascinating 1996 Balthasar Ress Oestricher Rhinegau Riesling and the exceptionally value priced Finca Flichman Misterio Malbec 2008 (which showed very well against a wine over twice it's price). More on all that later. I have some great blog ideas for the upcoming year and I am hoping to start posting more frequently so please keep visiting.

Today I thought I would post about an issue that Becky brought up to me a few weeks ago and I started to ponder on the subject. She asked me why more restaurants did not publish tasting notes with their wine list. In fact many restaurants have very little if any information on the wines they carry, unless of course it is a wine bar or has its own sommelier. Even then, however, the lack information of what the wine actually tastes like that you are going to buy is a little embarrassing. I could not really come up with a good answer to her question. I mean when I began to think about it would it not make sense to publish tasting notes of the wines you offer? Personally I think that if a customer had an idea of what a wine tasted like then they would be much more likely to buy it.

Now I understand that some establishments have extensive wine lists and a sommelier that can offer guidance or advice, but even then a certain level of wine knowledge is expected from their clientèle. For example most restaurants or wine bars just print the producers name, region and vintage date. So if I am ordering a dish I have to really know the regional characteristics, how the vintage was in that region and hopefully a bit about the producer. However, this is only going to give me a rough idea as to what the wine will taste like. Furthermore, there is so much variation in wine that even knowing regional characteristics and what the vintage was like there will may not help in making a proper wine selection.

This issue becomes much worse for those who do not posses a basic knowledge in wine. Now certainly, many wine novices likely know what Bordeaux or Californian Cabernet Sauvignon may taste like. But, it is highly unlikely that they would know what a Corbieres or a Ribera del Duero are like or perhaps even where they are located. My point here is that even if the consumer did not know what a certain wines characteristics were then tasting notes could be used to make a informed decision instead or they may be enticed by the notes to try something new. Even for customers who do have a good knowledge of wine, tasting notes never hurt to get an idea as to what style the wine is made in.

Here is a quick illustrative example. Now you judge what you would prefer on a wine list.

Chateau du Trignon - Gigondas - 2004 - France

or

Chateau du Trignon - Gigondas -2004 - France

A wine from the southern Rhone valley village of Gigondas . Made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. Notes of cherry, currants, violets, lavender and earth on the nose and flavours of juicy red and black fruits with a touch of caramel. Would pair perfectly with our striploin steak etc.

Even if a customer had never heard of Gigondas they may be enticed to try it based on the few short sentence description of the wine and dishes the restaurant offers that it would pair with. I may be misguided about the lack of tasting note information in restaurants and wine bars so if you work in the industry and can shed light on this issue please comment.

The other issue that this topic got me thinking about is the lack of information wineries provide about the wines they make. Now a select few producers are excellent and have posted in-depth information and technical sheets on their websites or at the least have made it easily accessible. Unfortunately, the vast majority give consumers absolutely no information.

As a wine lover I like to know as much as possible about what I am drinking. Information such as vineyard sites, soil conditions, fermentation techniques, and aging methods are things I want to know. In essence I want to know what makes the wine interesting other than how it tastes. Sadly, if the winery does not have a decent website or accessible information (i.e. on the back label of the wine) we are all left guessing as to how it was made.

I find this lack of information a little troubling because it feels that in some cases the winery does not want the consumer to know exactly what is in the bottle. Now I understand if the winery is a very small operation and the purveyors are not tech savvy then it is not always possible to communicate effectively the information about your wine. But, the back label in this case could be a great opportunity to get this information out. As for the larger estates that have the financial and technical ability to get this information out there is really little excuse. In these cases it sometimes feels as if they are hiding something. I mean if you are heavily manipulating your wine or not following proper regulations then why would you want anyone to know about this, its just bad for business.

My plea here is that I want producers to me more up front and informative about their wines. I think that the more information you give your consumers the better your relationship will be. Furthermore, the wines nerds of the world will be more fascinated and intrigued by your wine and therefore more likely to buy from you. It is not that difficult the internet is an easy, accessible and affordable way to get this information out if not why not utilize the back label to inform your consumers. I really think that more information will only help the entire industry.

On a final side note tonight I am drinking another bottle of the Domaine de Vaugondy-Vouvray-Brut NV which I blogged about in December and it is again every bit as impressive as it was then.

Blog # 7 A Prince Edward County Favourite from a Great Vintage

I blogged last month about my trip to Prince Edward County and one of the wineries I visited was The Grange of Prince Edward. I have had many wines from a few different vintages from this estate and I must say they always impress me. Jeff Innes, the winemaker, is really doing some fabulous work at this estate and if you get a chance to try some of his wines I would highly recommend doing so. Finally, the LCBO has begun carrying their wines so they are becoming more and more available which is great news for anyone who likes authentic and original wines that have a true taste of Prince Edward County.

One of the wines I am most familiar with from The Grange is their Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir. As I had explained in my past blog about Prince Edward County it was the 2005 vintage of this wine that was my first PEC wine experience. That wine was very impressive as I wrote earlier with a ton of personality and uniqueness. I had a couple bottles of the 2006 vintage which were good, but nothing extraordinary. Most recently I have tried their 2007 bottling, which I am glad to say is very, very good.

It does help that 2007 was a fantastic year for Ontario red wines. It was a hot dry summer that brought about drought like conditions. The red's, especially, have shown a lot of ripeness and extraction which is great as Ontario wines can lack that quality given the very cool climate. The whites I have tried have been less impressive as many were left too long and show a lot of over ripeness and lack of precision. Certainly this is winery dependent as well. The good news is that the 2007 Grange red wines that I have tried have been very good especially their Cab Franc (that I will post about soon) and their Gamay Noir.

The Grange of Prince Edward - Trumpour's Mill - Gamay Noir - 2007 - VQA Prince Edward County - Canada

The Grange of Prince Edward's Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir is sourced from their Victoria Block vineyard which was first planted with 3,750 vines clone, 509 on SO4 in 2001. In 2004 an additional 2,500 Gamay vines were planted using clone 565. They crop the fruit out at about 4 tonnes per acre. The 2007 was harvested in October and fermented in stainless steel it then spent 12 months in French oak and was bottled in February of this year. In total the winery produced 1405 cases of this wine.

The wine is dark ruby in colour showing quite a bit of extraction from the hot and dry 2007 vintage. The nose is fascinating with notes of cherry, spicy red fruit, old leather, red licorice, and a gamey funk note reminiscent of the 2005. In the mouth the wine is purely delicious with a ripe, round and smooth medium body full of black current and cherry cola flavours with and subtle undertone of game . The finish is nice and long with mouthwatering notes of sour cherry coming to the fore. I love the wines uniqueness and its ablility to showcase its Prince Edward County personality. This has never been your average Gamay and the 2007 is no exception. This is definitely a must try for any wine lover especially if you want to see what the County is all about. At $15 the quality, value and terroir driven character of the wine make it a real bargain.

Very Good/Excellent.

I

Blog # 6 A Great Sparkler

Domaine de Vaugondy - Vouvray - Brut - NV

I had to write about a great sparkling wine I had last week as it was really impressive. Now that we are into the holiday season I am sure many people are looking to find good sparkling wine, but so many are expensive and just as many are cheap and quite awful. Personally, I love sparkling wine when it is well made it can be so interesting, delicious and downright refreshing. Unfortunately finding a really good sparkler that is also a good price can be rather difficult, so when I do find one I get quite excited about it.

This wine produced by Philippe Perdriaux proprietor of Domaine de Vaugondy in Vouvray, which is an appellation in the Loire Valley of France. In Vouvray pretty much the only grape that is grown is Chenin Blanc, which, although rather unfashionable right now, is easily one of the greatest white wine grapes in the world. It is really only rivaled by Riesling or very well made Chardonnay in its aging ability (100 year old Chenin's are still around), versatility (dry, sweet, sparkling) and pure reverence (Coulee de Serrant).

According to the North American importer for this wine, Sevier, Perdriaux is a small individual producer who grows his own grapes and makes his own wine. He grows only Chenin Blanc on steep hillside vineyards composed of siliceous clay and limestone. His vines are roughly 20 to 55 years old which he uses to craft a dry Vouvray, a semi dry Vouvray and this dry sparkling wine. His sparkling wine is made in the traditional method (methode traditionelle or methode classique) which is the same method used in Champagne. It is non vintage so it is made from reserve wines as well new ones, the perecentage of which I do not know. I also do not know the dosage level or date. It was just released at the LCBO last weekend and retails for $18.

The wine is pale golden almost ivory in colour. The nose begins with subtle notes of spiced pear, stone fruits and fresh hay with wafts of fresh dirt/tilled earth here and there. The wine begins explosively on the palate with a panoply of flavours including sweet lemon, spiced honey, almonds and red cherries. It then settles to a lovely long sweet mineral fruit finish complicated by more subtle soil/tilled earth notes. The wine is absolutely fascinating and complex but at the same time so delicious and refreshing. It is impeccably made, so well balanced and at this price is an amazing value. Excellent.

What I loved most about this wine is that it really is so delicious and so refreshing that you could actually drink it all night long. It is a great sparkling wine for this time of year because even the most casual wine drinking would find it really tasty. But for those wine nerds around there is so much complexity and nuance that you really could talk about it all night as well. So, so good is all I can say. If you don't believe me Peter Liem probably one of the greatest wine writers and experts on sparkling wine around, gave this wine a great review as well. If you haven't read his blog or articles in Wine and Spirits Magazine then I would highly recommend doing so.

Blog # 5 Wine and Air

The other night after arriving home from a dinner I decided that I wanted a glass of wine. I had a $8 bottle of Candidato Temperanillo Garnacha 2006 from Spain sitting around so I opened it. Now I have had this wine several times and love it as just a simple, delicious bottle that is so inexpensive you could have it every day if you wanted. It always has some nice strawberry and melted licorice notes with some oak on the nose. In the mouth it is simple, tasty and highly drinkable. So I had a glass which satisfied me so I put a stopper on it and left in on my kitchen counter to have some the next night.

I arrived home after work last night and thought well I will have a other glass of the wine. What a transformation! The nose had dropped all hints of oakiness and had become a floral/berry beauty and mouth to had become much rounder and smoother with replays of that same floral berriness, it was absolutely delicious. To say the least I was stunned mainly because at that price point I would never have thought it would improve so much. This experience got me thinking about wine's fascinating relationship with air.

To wine air is both it's best friend and it's worst enemy. After first being opened, wine especially younger ones, need air to truly express themselves. Certain wines, especially if they are well made, can take up to 48 hours if not more of air contact before they have reached their optimum drinking level. However, in the end air will ultimately kill the wine and render it undrinkable. Of course to complicate matters every wine is different. Some wines only need 15-20 minutes of aeration to open up, but some aged and more delicate wines might suffer greatly if exposed to too much air. In fact some wine writer's claim that it isn't necessary to decant wine at all and that just pouring it in your glass and swirling it is sufficient enough.

Personally, I think that wine needs some exposure to air to "open up" and express its full range of aroma's and tastes. I tend to always decant red wines unless I am only having a glass, but I do not really decant whites even though some argue that should be done as well. Obviously I don't decant sparkling wine, but I do prefer them once they have been opened for 20 minutes or so. So perhaps it is really a matter of personal taste as to how much air exposure one likes.

Now as I stated earlier this is all wine dependent. Some wines are very one dimensional and will taste relatively the same from the moment it is opened to hours afterwards. Where other wines will develop over several hours and take on a range of notes. I recall having a 1999 Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Brut Champagne a couple of years ago that seemed to change every couple of minutes darting from flowers, to stone fruits to minerals and in various continually changing combinations. That bottle was opened for a couple of hours and it seemed to morph every few minutes.

All in all its actually a pretty complicated subject and I haven't even talked about aging wine and the minute exposure to air a bottle closed with a cork receives over time that helps it age. If you would like to read a fascinating article on the subject I would encourage you to read Jamie Goode's piece http://www.wineanorak.com/alternativeclosures.htm . Jamie Goode's website www.wineanorak.com is in my opinion one of the most informative, well written and interesting wine sites around.

I guess the best thing to draw from all this that wine and air is a complex and nuanced subject. I would encourage all of you, however, to try a little experiment. Buy a bottle it doesn't need to be expensive and pour yourself a glass and write down your tasting notes. Put a stopper on it and leave it to the next day and pour yourself another glass and take those notes, continue the trend until the bottle is done and draw your own conclusions. I think you may find the results very interesting and will only better inform all of us of the interesting relationship between wine and air.

Blog # 4 Prince Edward County

Pinot Noir Vines at The Grange of Prince Edward County

A couple of weeks ago my partner (Becky) and I attended her cousins wedding in South Western Ontario. On our way back to Ottawa we decided it would be a great idea to spend an afternoon in one of the worlds up and coming wine regions, Prince Edward County. The county as it is known by people who live in the area is technically a large headland in the east end of Lake Ontario near the mouth of the St Lawrence River. It lies just south west of Kingston, Ontario and directly south of Belleville, Ontario. It has a rich loyalist and agricultural history dating back into the 1700s and more recently has become a hub for great local cuisine and now wine.

Vines have not been planted in the county for very long from what I have heard the oldest vines are roughly 15 years old. Before that I suppose no one had really thought of planting vines, it being Canada with such harsh winters. Most agricultural was devoted to livestock and fruit orchards, mainly apples. However, the county benefits from a moderating influence that being Lake Ontario, which actually allows for some great cool climate grape growing conditions. The biggest factor that makes the county very exciting is the wonderful limestone rich soils of the region which really expresses itself in the wines being made here. Moreover, many of the producers here are committed to producing high quality, terroir driven, and interesting wines.

I have tried several wines from the county and I am becoming more and more convinced that this place is really special and could become one of the greatest wine regions in the New World. In fact of all the New World wines I have tasted, PEC wines tend to always stick out in my mind as being so unique and wonderful. The first county wine I tried was The Grange of Prince Edward County's (whose Pinot Noir vines are pictured above) Trumpour's Mill Gamay Noir 2005. It was brought by my good friend Drew who had worked in the county for several summers and knew of the great wine makers in the region. He had cellared this Gamay for a couple of years and we tried it in the summer of 2008. We did not take written notes, but I remember we discussed the wine thoroughly on that gorgeous summer evening. Both of us picked up on a fascinating animalistic/gamey/meaty note that was so interesting and honestly awesome. We came away both feeling it was one of the best Gamay experiences we had ever had and from that point on I have been exploring what the County has to offer.

Unfortunately, we only had an afternoon to visit the County on our way back so our time was limited, but it turned out to be an absolutely perfect fall day and we had some truly memorable and amazing experiences. The first winery we visited was The Grange of Prince Edward County which as I explained above was the first County winery whose wine I had tried. They are owned by a father/daughter team of Bob and Caroline Granger and the wine is made by Jeff Innes who holds a certificate in vineyard and winery management from the Business Education Council of Ontario. The Grange currently holds 60 acres of vineyards with 72,000 vinifera vines which makes it far and away the largest winery in the County. The vines are planted in shallow clay gravel soils (about 12- 24 inches with the exception of one vineyard which is deeper) with calciferous limestone making up the bedrock. They grow quite a large range of wines from Gamay Noir, Pinot, Noir and Cabernet Franc to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Overall they adhere to a philosophy of creating authentic, honest and terroir driven wine made all from County fruit.

Pinot Noir at The Grange

Vineyards at the Grange of Prince Edward County

The Grange of Prince Edward County

The winery's property is picturesque with a lovely loyalist barn built in the late 1820s turned into a tasting/event room and winery. We arrived early and had hoped to get a tour of the property, but unfortunately they were short staffed so we just tasted some of their wines. We started with their recently bottled 2007 Trumpour's Mill Pinot Gris which was a lovely perfumed wine with a lot of nice richness in the mouth. We then had the 2007 Trumpour's Mill Pinot Noir which I found to be quite light and rather neutral on the nose. It had an interesting sour cherry/cranberry note in the mouth with lengthy finish, I think it needs some time in the bottle but should be quite great in a couple of years. We finished with the definite highlight of the tasting the 2007 Trumpour's Mill Cabernet Franc which was so fascinating and unique we had to buy a bottle on the spot. We have now tried the bottle and I will publish the full tasting notes for it right after this blog, needless to say after spending a few hours tasting the wine it truly is excellent and if you get a chance I would highly recommend trying it.

After visiting The Grange we headed into Picton (which is in the centre of Prince Edward County) for lunch. Picton is a lovely town and I would highly recommend visiting it if you get a chance. I has a ton of great restaurants offering great dishes from local producers and of course local wine. Furthermore, it has some great little shops and coffee houses full of character and interesting products. One of the highlights was stopping at Buddha Dog which is a gourmet hot dog joint in the centre of downtown Picton. The hot dogs are hand made from seasoned beef sourced from local farms, the buns are also fresh and hand made. They offer a massive assortment of interesting toppings from fresh tomato-basil ketchup to smoky mesquite ketchups and everything in between. They also use locally sourced cheese as a topping, the Black River aged cheddar is definitely a must. I have to say these hot dogs were out of this world and for the quality really quite reasonable. If you are in Picton go to Buddha Dog it is worth the visit.

After lunch we headed down to the Black River cheese company who has a whole range of cheeses that are all so delicious. I would recommend trying their awesome salsa mozzarella and their lovely aged cheddars. From the Black River cheese company we headed south the the highly recommended (by my good friend Drew) Long Dog Winery. Very much off the beaten path Long Dog is in one of the southern-most parts of the County. Down several small winding country roads we arrived to a small house and barn on one side of the road and a small "tasting" building on the other side. We parked the car walked up to the little tasting building only to find it locked. On the door was a little printed sign claiming that they have the tasting bar open on weekends, but there was usually someone around to help if you knocked on the door of the house across the road.

Outside Long Dog's Tasting Room

Feeling disappointed as we did not want to go an knock on the door of a house we decided to take a few pictures around the property as it was very quaint. Just as we were about to start taking pictures a bearded man in a grey hoody and grape stained jeans came walking down the path across the road waving and saying "hello". We met up at the road and he asked if we were interested in tasting some wine, obviously the answer was yes. As we began talking we soon discovered that this man was actually Owner and Winemaker of Long Dog Winery, James Lahti.

James and his wife Victoria both worked in film business for years and decided in 1997 to look for a country vacation home in the County. They bought a 300 acre farm property founded in the 1840s from an acquaintance thinking it would be a nice place to get away. Pretty soon James, an already avid wine lover, noticed some small vineyards growing in the County and began to wonder if perhaps grapes could be grown on their property. After several soil samples and many consultations it was concluded that their soil and climate was remarkably similar to that of Burgundy. In 1999 James decided to import Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir and Pinot Blanc from France and planted 1200 vines altogether with the help of Victoria and their close friend Steven. To the surprise of everyone the vines began to thrive in the limestone rich soils and summers in the southern tip of PEC. In 2000 they decided to plant a further 3700 vines and in 2001 7000 more including some Pinot Gris.

In 2002 their oldest planted vines produced a good size crop and so they decided it was time to make wine and converted the farmstead's pig barn into a winery. James who had never gone to school for viticulture read as much as he could on wine making and applied some of his own ideas on how wine should be made and set to work. Encouraged by their initial results and realizing that this really could be a great winery they planted 8000 more vines in 2003 and in 2004 began selling their wines. Long Dog Winery is now in its 7th vintage and from what I have tasted they are creating absolutely amazing stuff.

As James invited us into his little tasting room we began talking about how common interests, the fact that we both have Finnish heritage, about how he remember my good friend Drew who had recommended visiting the winery, and of course wine. As we talked he poured us a sample of his 2007 Bella Riserva Chardonnay. This was one big Chard with notes of butterscotch and tropical fruits on the nose a creamy mouth feel with a mineral driven finish. As we tasted the wine his wife Victoria came in and we started talking to her as well. James said he had to step out as he had some work to do, but if we wanted to see what he was doing after we finished tasting to come over to the barn. He left and Victoria poured us a sample of their 2007 Otto Riserva Pinot Noir. The nose on this wine was out of this world, just pure brilliance. So complex, so floral, pinot fruit, spice, and that 'je ne sais quoi' that Pinot Noir exhibits when it is at the top of its game. In the mouth it was just as beautiful with tons of ultra smooth pinot fruit and pure County minerality, it culminated with a finish that just went on and on. We bought a bottle and are putting it away for a bit so when I do open it up I will publish the full tasting notes as I think it is going to end up absolutely amazing.

James Lahti of Long Dog Destemming Chardonnay

After we finished tasting the wines we went to see what James was up to. He was in the midst of destemming his 2009 crop of Chardonnay. He gave us a bunch of the grapes to taste which were beautifully ripe and just delicious. As we ate his grapes we began talking more about his wines. He said that great wine is not made in the cellar but in the vineyard and that the key to making great wine is by growing great fruit. All his wines are made from grapes 100% from his own vineyards that he has grown and if they are not the quality he wants he will sell them to other wineries in the County. He uses indigenous yeasts and strives to make his wines as pure expressions of his land in South Marysburgh, Prince Edward County. Furthermore everything is done by hand from the vines they originally planted, to pruning and picking. He does bring in workers to help him pick, but all are from the area as James believes in supporting the local economy.

Long Dog's 2009 Pinot Noir Fermenting

As James finished destemming his Chardonnay he asked if we wanted to see the rest of the winery. He lead us into the barn which they converted into the winery. On one side are all his oak barrels in which he was barrel fermenting his 2008 crop and on the other side of the barn was his recently picked (14 days prior) 2009 Pinot Noir grapes undergoing fermentation. As he stirred the must to keep it from burning as fermentation was kicking into high gear at this point he spoke more about wine. He said he wasn't interested in making McWine and that wine makers should be striving to create something that is an expression of its place not something that is made to suit mass tastes. Personally I am glad he has this philosophy on wine it is very refreshing in a time when a lot of wine is just manipulated to make it uniform and drinkable. James also gave us an opportunity to taste the fermenting must, which was delicious and gave an idea as to how his 2009's will be. It was a wet summer in most of Ontario, but James said he was very happy with his harvest. He said that most of the rain in their South Marysburgh microclimate came in the evenings and that they had sun in the days. Also September and October were quite dry and really helped to ripen the grapes. Overall he said the 2009s should turn out to be excellent. After that we shook hands and headed out as James had to get back to work. I would highly recommend visiting Long Dog Winery if you get a chance. Their wines are really only available at the winery or a few select restaurants and more people need to try these wines because they are awesome. On top of that James and Victoria are so personable, passionate, and committed to wine that it is a pleasure just meeting them.

After we spent so much time at Long Dog Winery, we had to get back to Ottawa. It was an absolutely fantastic time it was too bad that we could not visit more wineries, but we did not have that much time. Next summer we are planning a weekend trip and will try to get to as many wineries as possible so stay tuned for that blog next year. All I can say is that Prince Edward County is producing to absolutely stunning wines and I can only see bright things in its future. If you get a chance please visit the region as you will not regret it. It is a place where the wine, food and people really speak for themselves.