Condo for sale – not Pinot the Wonderdog
Monday, July 10th: Wrote my 680 NEWS wine reviews and then got down to some tasting:
- Curvos Loureiro Vinho Verde 2015 ($12.95): pale straw colour; almond and citrus peel bouquet with a mineral note; light-bodied with a faint spritz; crisply dry with lemon and green melon flavours and a long fresh finish. (89)
- Concilio Pinot Grigio 2016 ($13.95): pale straw in colour; minerally, peach pit nose; medium-bodied, dry, white peach flavour with a lemony finish. (88)
- Montablano Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso 2015 ($16.95): deep purple-ruby colour; spicy black cherry nose with a floral note; medium to full-bodied, dry, fruity plum flavour with oak spice and firm tannins, finishing on a rose petal note. (88.5)
- Simi Landslide Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013: deep purple colour; cedary, savoury nose of blackcurrant and blackberry; full-bodied, dry, savoury, herbal black fruit flavours. (89)
- Torres Salamos Priorat 2014: dense purple colour; cedary, blackberry nose with a note of cinnamon; medium to full-bodied, dry, savoury, plum flavour; well-balanced with lively acidity. (89)
Tuesday, July 11th: Down to the lab for a tasting of the next Vintages release. Wrote up the wine notes for a charity tasting I’m doing later this month. Spent time decluttering my office. For tomorrow’s open house at the condo.
Wednesday, July 12th: Recorded my 680 NEWS reviews and then Deborah and I took Pinot to Sherwood Park for a picnic, as it was open house day for agents and we had to absent ourselves.
Picnic in the park with Torres Vardon Kennett sparkling wine and my pasta salad
At 4:30 down to Queens Park for the presentation ceremony of the winners of the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Ontario Wines. Here are the winners:
Magnotta NV Blanc de Blancs
A fine Chardonnay sparkler made in the traditional method. A complex wine with persistent tiny bubbles with a toasty, leesy nose; medium-bodied, dry, green apple and hazelnut flavours with a long, minerally, nutty finish.
Creekside 2015 Iconoclast Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc
Pale straw colour with a spicy nose of grapefruit, green pear and lanolin; medium-bodied with a creamy texture, crisply dry, fresh and clean with an engaging tartness and good intensity of flavour.
Trius 2015 Showcase Clean Slate Sauvignon Blanc Wild Ferment
A beautifully balanced wine with a bouquet of cut grass, orange blossom with a thread of minerality. Medium-bodied, dry, round on the palate with flavours of gooseberries and passionfruit.
Flat Rock 2014 Rusty Shed Chardonnay
Golden straw colour with a green tint, this Chardonnay offers an expressive nose of red apple and melon with a floral note and toasty oak; full and rich on the palate, it sustains well thanks to its vibrant acidity.
Henry of Pelham 2016 Riesling Estate
A fine example of an off-dry Riesling. Pale straw colour with a nose of honeyed grapefruit and lime; light to medium-bodied, with guava and citrus fruit flavours that linger long on the palate.
Trius Showcase Riesling Ghost Creek Vineyard 2015
Pale lemon colour with orchard fruit aromas of peach and apple with a floral grace note; good tension between sweet fruit and citrus acidity with a long, mouth-freshening finish.
Château des Charmes 2015 Gamay Noir “Droit” St. David’s Bench Vineyard
Medium ruby colour with a herbal, earthy, cherry nose and just a hint of oak; medium-bodied with meatiness in mid-palate and a dry and savoury plum flavour. Classic Ontario Gamay.
Nomad at Hinterbrook 2013 Cabernet Franc
Deep ruby in colour with a flattering nose of bell pepper, coffee beans and currants; medium-bodied, dry, plum and cherry flavours with balancing acidity and a long finish.
Kew Vineyards 2012 Heritage
Bordeaux varieties subjected to appassimento treatment before fermentation. Ruby colour with a bouquet of dried berries with notes of leather, rose petals and moist earth. Medium to full-bodied with blackcurrant and coffee flavours that finish with a tannic lift on the finish.
Trius 2014 Showcase Vidal Icewine
Deep golden-amber colour; botrytis and floral notes on the nose redolent with mango, honey and peach aromas; full-bodied, sweet and unctuous on the palate with dried fig, tropical fruit and honey flavours kept in check by balancing acidity.
Inniskillin Niagara Estate 2014 Sparkling Vidal Icewine
Deep golden colour with a nose of caramel and apricot jam; medium weight, honeyed peach flavour with an active mousse whose bubbles ameliorate the wine’s sweetness and give length to the finish.
All the winning wines were available for tasting after the presentation of certificates.
Award-winning winemakers with the Lieutenant Governor
Thursday, July 13th: Wrote my Lexpert column on Anthony von Mandl’s Checkmate winery in the Okanagan. For dinner with beef ribs, La Condamine Paulignan Minervois 2013 ($17.95): deep purple-ruby; black raspberry, mint and oak spice on the nose; medium to full-bodied, dry, blackberry and licorice flavours with a note of dark chocolate. Fruity but firm. (89)
Street art on Yonge Street – a bus shelter notice board
Friday, July 14th: Having to keep the condo spotless for viewing is very trying. A Vintages tasting this morning with some New York fries on the way home. Had to vacate for a viewing around dinnertime so Deborah and I took Pinot to the parkette on Yonge Street and ordered sandwiches from the Banh Mi Boys restaurant. Pinot had a soft ice cream, which she devoured.
