#trialto

[andrewsava1972-blog]

#Repost @cantina_argiano (@get_repost) ・・・ Benvenuto Brunello Canada. When a territory shows all its beauty #argiano #brunellodimontalcino #brunelloriserva #toronto #montreal #trialto #nobleestates #canada #redwine #luxurywine #montalcino

[yycwine]

Wines from Conceito with Rita Ferriera

From hard to pronounce varietals to a common association with port, Mateus or vinho verde, the dry wines of Portugal can easily be lost in the matrix of choice that is our world of wine. Winemaker Rita Ferriera decided that she had enough of status quo of label complexity and tricky grapes and flipped the paradigm with her project dubbed Conceito.  With its eye popping modern labels and a cadre of wine critics lauding what is in the bottle, Ms. Ferriera concept may just be the catalyst the market needs to bring awareness of how good dry Portuguese wine can be.

We sat down with Laurie McKay from Trialto and Ms.Ferriera at a recent market visit to taste 6 wines so new, they hadn’t even been listed at any retailers yet. Two were from the entry-level Contraste brand, a red and a white from the Douro Superior DOC, a Bastardo and a 10 year old Tawny Port.  

The 2013 Bastardo Red showed beautifully bringing a light bodied, lively expression of bastardo with medicinal and herbal notes accentuated by strawberries.  Due to the relative rarity of the variety in our market, comparisons were made to gamay noir, grenache and even nero mascalase. The price tag for this unique wine is about $45 retail and it will have appeal to those wine adventurers looking to cross the hard to find varietal off their list.

The 2014 Contraste White showed very well as a wine to drink now with its bright acid and mineral rich, lemony citrus flavours making it ready for the patio. While a field blend of white varieties, I would liken the experience to be similar to a steely Chablis and would pair it to seafood and white fish dishes.  Expect to pay about $32 for this 1600 or so case production.

The star of the tasting for me was the 2014 Douro DOC White. Coming from 90 year old vines with 10 constituent varieties and barrel fermentation, this floral, honeyed and slightly nutty white would have had me guessing grand cru white burgundy blind. It shows extraordinary power and depth on the palate in its youth and with an extended sleep in the cellar. This is a strong 8 to 10 year wine that will reward patience.  Expect a retail for around $79 with for this 580 case production.

The wines of Conceito are available at boutiques Vine Arts and Bin 905 in Calgary.  Special thanks to Laurie and Cam from Trialto Alberta and Delphine and the team from Blink for hosting us.  

[yycwine]

Quinta Do Vale Meao Tasting with Francisco Olazabal

When: October 22nd, 2014

Where: Blink Restaurant in Calgary, Alberta

Attended By: Adrian Bryksa

It's always an interesting tasting when a premium Portuguese producer comes to town especially when said producer is the great winemaker Francisco Olazabal from Quinta do Vale Meao from the Douro Valley. The family owned estate has been in place since 1877 and is now directed on the winemaking side by Francisco, the 4 times great grandson of the matriarch Donna Antonia Adelaide Ferreira and his sister Luisa who helms the sales and marketing ship. Their operation combines tried and true methods and tools with modern winemaking equipment to help craft the most elegant and beautiful expressions of the red and white grape varieties grown there. The session was hosted by Cam Nicholson and Laurie MacKay from Trialto with Leslie Echino and her team at Blink providing culinary creativity with their newly minted fall menu. 

2013 Meandro do Vale Meao Blanco - $25.00

I was impressed by the laser precision of the acid on this special order wine coming from this blend of 50% Arinto and Rabigato. Showing notes of peach, and mineral tinged lemon, the 1st vintage of this wine showed good intensity with long length on the palate. A nice, summery way to kick off this fall tasting.

2012 Meandro do Vale Meao - $30.00

This medium plus bodied blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and other varieties showed candied black berry fruit, black tea and violets. Its acidity was medium + and had a youthful freshness to its finish and tannin. While accessible now, cellaring this wine will lead to future rewards.

2006 Meandro do Vale Meao - Tasting Only

A blast from the past, this 2006 was tasted out of magnum. While the 2006 vintage in the Douro was known for soaring levels of heat, this wine showed restrain with notes of cola, plum and blackberry framed by soft almost chalky tannin. It triggered memories of vintage Rhone Syrah from this blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Amarela.

This wine was enjoyed with the superbly executed dish of wild forged BC mushrooms on toast with soft poached egg and shaved truffle. 

2012 Quinta Do Vale Meao - $110

Working to the flagship dry red from the Quinta, we assessed the new iteration from 2012 vintage. With a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz this wine showed restrained elegance and class with aromatics of violets with mineral laced blue and black berry fruit. The palate showcased precise acidity with a long finish and spice laced tannin. With 3 to 5 years of cellar time, this is a wine that will surely reward patience.

It accentuated an artistic presentation of crispy skinned duck confit with cabbage, vegetables and saskatoon berries. Trust me when I say that it tasted as good as it looked.

2004 Quinta Do Vale Meao - Tasting Only

Having earned a near perfect score of 97 points from James Molesworth at Wine Spectator, the 2004 Quinta Do Vale Meao lived up to its reputation as being one of Portugals top dry red blends. It expressed layer upon layer of complexity that included smoke, vanilla, shale, plum and garrigue. This dense blend demonstrated both beauty and power with a long finish. This is easily the finest dry wines I have ever had the privilege of tasting from the Douro. 

To conclude this amazing tasting, I would like to thank our gracious hosts from Trialto, Blink and most especially Francisco Olazabal from Quinta Do Vale Meao. It is clear that his family has helped with the upward trajectory of dry Portugese wines and that with continued exposure and consumer education, these are becoming as coveted as the great wines of France and Italy. These wines are available at Crowfoot Wine and Spirts NW location, Vine Arts and Bin 905 and selectively at J Webb and Willow Park Wine and Spirits in Calgary.

If you liked this, check out this coverage of the Iconic Wines of the World Tasting with Calgary Co-op

[blackgrouse-in-my]

Wednesday night metal show, Thursday afternoon wine tasting.

Oh yes, I am a sexy double agent.

Swedish power metal band Sabaton was playing at a lousy Granville St. venue, ironically named The Venue. I mostly went to see Unleash the Archers which is an awesome local band whom I had the honor of working on a music video for. When they're on stage I generally mosh and scream myself into into an achy mess that can take a week or more to recover from. Particularly when I'm as out of shape as I am. 

The following afternoon I primped myself up to go to a fancy yet casual French wine tasting put on by Trialto wines in celebration of their new partner, Maison Nicolas Perrin. It was hosted by Jules Bistro, which certainly seemed like a fine establishment in a nice old building with wonderful atmosphere, but I would likely never go there of my own accord as they are a part of the gentrification of the DTES. It takes more than attracting outside money and inflated property values to fix the problems that plague that neighbourhood.

Unfortunately I wasn't in top form and so, didn't do as much in the way of networking or really analyzing the wines as I should have. I'll list them all, but only a few really stood out to me.

There were five of them.

Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2011 I didn't find it particularly memorable, overall light drinking, intense mineral flavour. At $36, not something I'd pursue. It's just not to my tastes.

Hermitage Blanc 2010 I generally like fruity, high-acid white wines. But I also like the opposite, smooth, warm, toasty flavours brought on by oak and lees. This wine had that. Also by the description they're giving, I would say it's undergone MLF which is all very technical. MLF adds that buttery flavour sometimes associated with Chardonnay but otherwise seldom seen in whites. I was told that this a very rare wine. No price listed, it's only available for special order. If I found it for under $40 I'd probably buy it, but It is likely more than that. 

Syrah-Viognier, Vin de France 2011 I recall liking it, but I'd need to give it another more thorough tasting.  At $20 I'd be glad to do so.

Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2010 I don't have much to say about it, again, I wasn't really able to analyze it in an impartial manner. It just didn't stand out to me. But that's my experience with most French wines I've had. At $36 I won't likely explore it again.

Saint-Joseph 2010 I am noticing a pattern. I don't like the average French wine but I do have a taste for the rare and expensive. This one I quite liked. This is a date wine for when you're wining and dining a wine-drinker, but also fruity and youthful enough that just about anyone who likes red wine will be able to appreciate it. It's not offensive in any way, there's no acquired tastes needed to enjoy it. It is a good red wine. At $40 are there wines I enjoy more for less money? Yes, many. But few have this level of complexity. Please, do look up some better reviews for all of these. I'll try to keep my metal shows and wine tastings a few days apart from now on.