Tony Aspler, the Wine Guy

Monday, February 17: Wrote my 680News wine reviews and then worked on my Lexpert column for April on Rudolph Steiner and biodynamic winemaking. In the evening, tasted the following wines:

• Atlantis Niagara Cabernet Sauvignon 2012: tawny salmon pink colour; candied raspberry nose; sweet and unctuous with a thickness on the palate; nicely balanced with acidity. (86)
• Atlantis Niagara Razzamatazz Cabernet Franc 2012: pale ruby colour; honeyed redcurrant nose; sweet and unctuous red berry flavour with a note of rose petals. Good length. (87)
• Atlantis Niagara Cabernet Franc 2011: pale amber colour; botrytis note, honey and cherry nose; full-bodied, hefty, semi-sweet cherry flavour; short finish. A bit disjointed. (84)
• Atlantis Niagara Sassafrazz Vidal 2012: straw colour; honeyed peach nose; sweet and full on the palate with a honeyed peach flavour and a nutty finish. Sweet with a tangerine acidity. (86)
• Atlantis Niagara Gewurztraminer 2012: golden colour; aromatic, lychee, pine needle nose; full-bodied, thick on the palate, off-dry, honey, lychee herbal flavour. (85)
• Atlantis Niagara Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine 2012: light ruby colour; raspberry, burnt sugar nose; cloyingly sweet candied raspberry flavour, fills the mouth. Could do with more acidity for balance. (86)

Tuesday, February 18: Recorded my 680News wine reviews. Opened two wines from Blue Mountain in BC. Blue Mountain Chardonnay 2012 (straw coloured with a green tint; a minerally nose with aromas of pear and lemon; medium-bodied, dry, well balanced with a tangerine note on the finish. (90)). Blue Mountain Pinot Noir 2012 (ruby colour; a bouquet of raspberries overlaid with vanilla oak; medium-bodied, firmly structured with a silky mouth feel, (90)). In the evening, dropped into Sip Wine Bar with my son Guy to chat with their sommelier Andrew. Had a pizza and a bottle of Lungarotti Rubesco 2010.

Wednesday, February 19: A Treasury Wines tasting of four of the company’s winemakers: Margo Van Staaveren of Chateau St. Jean, John Priest of Etude, Laurie Hook of Beringer and Christophe Paubert of Stag’s Leap Winery.

Christophe Paubert, Margo Van Staaveren, John Priest and Laurie Hook

• Chateau St. Jean Robert Young Chardonnay 2010: straw colour; spicy, barnyard and tropical fruit on then nose with a floral top note; rich and full on the palate – spicy, caramel flavour with a nutty finish. Well structured. Bold and brassy. (91)
• Etude Carneros Estate Chardonnay 2011: light straw colour; apple and vanilla oak nose; more Burgundian in style; lovely texture, white peach flavour with lively acidity. Great mouth feel; a fennel tone on the finish. (92)
• Stag’s Leap Napa Valle Chardonnay 2012: straw colour; minerally, apple and pear bouquet; elegantm pear and white peach flavours carried on racy acidity; good length. (90)
• Beringer Vineyard Luminus Chardonnay 2012 (the first bottling of this wine): straw colour; a nose of spicy oak and pineapple with a reductive note; broad on the palate, rich and ripe and mouth-filing with lively acidity. (90)
• Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: dense purple colour; a nose of cedar, licorice, vanilla oak and ripe black fruits; rich and full on the palate with sweet blackcurrant and blackberry flavours; well-structured with chalky tannins on the finish. (92)
• Stag’s Leap Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: dense purple colour; savour nose of blackcurrants with a floral grace note; dry, claret style, well-structured with evident tannins. Needs time. (91)
• Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages 2009: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-ruby colour; cedar, plum and vanilla oak on the nose with hints of licorice, lilac and leather; lovely mouth feel, blackcurrant and mocha flavours. Firm structure. (92)
• Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: dense purple colour; inky, vanilla and black fruits on the nose; well extracted flavours of blackberry and dark chocolate, chunky mouth-feel; full-bodied and earthy. (90)
• Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages 2002: deep ruby colour; vanilla, licorice nose; elegant, lovely mouth-feel, great balance and great length. A super wine. (93)
• Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1992: dense ruby with a mature rim; cedar, blackcurrant nose with a floral note; richly extracted and full on the palate. Claret style with lively acidity and great length. A joy to drink. (94)
• Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2011: straw coloured; spicy, buttery, pineapple bouquet; full-bodied, sweet pineapple flavour. (89)
• Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2011: deep ruby colour; minerally, black cherry and vanilla oak on the nose; fruit forward, some sweetness in mid palate with a whisper of oak. (89)
• Etude Carneros Estate Pinot Noir 2011: ruby colour; high toned, cherry and vanilla oak nose; earthy, strawberry flavour with a firm tannic finish. (90)
• Etude Carneros Estate Pinot Noir 2008: ruby colour with a tawny rim; mature nose of cherries and forest floor; elegant yet powerful with herbal, cherry flavours. (91)
• Beringer Napa Valley Quantum 2010 (the first release of this wine): 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petite Sirah, 3% Petit Verdot. Dense purple colour; cedar and blackcurrant nose with a lilac note; rich and full in the mouth, spicy and dense. (91)
• Stag’s Leap Winery Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2010: dense purple colour; floral, spicy, plum nose; ripe blueberry flavour, dry and a little austere, firmly structured and still tight. Needs time. (89–91)
• Stag’s Leap Winery Ne Cede Malis Petite Sirah 2009: dense purple colour; a bouquet of coconut, vanilla, blackberry with a herbal note; medium-bodied, dry, earthy, savoury flavour with a firmly structured, tannic, smoky finish. (90)
• Beringer Napa Valley Nightingale 2007: Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Amber colour; a nose of marmalade and barley sugar; semi-sweet, elegant with great length. (92)

Wine of the tasting

A meeting with Andrew Smith at The Wine Conservatory on Lombard Street to discuss this venue for wine tastings. For dinner with roast chicken, Atalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: dense ruby colour; a nose of cedar, blackcurrant and vanilla oak; full-bodied, lush and fruity; chunky mouth-feel and a firm, tannic finish. (89)

Thursday, February 20: Did some tasting after lunch.

• Kittling Ridge Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2012 (Niagara Peninsula – $16.95): straw-coloured; toasty, spicy, apple nose; orange, peach and apple flavours nicely melded with oak. A touch bitter on the finish. (87)
• Quinta das Marias Encruzado 2011 (Dao, Portugal – $16.95): pale lemon colour; minerally, Meyer lemon with a floral note on the nose; full-bodied, dry, soft on the palate with a dry honey note, reminiscent of Viognier and a struck flint nuance on the finish. (90)
• G. Marquis The Silver Line Pinot Noir 2012 (Ontario – $19.95): ruby colour; cherry, beetroot with a light floral note on the nose; dry, medium-bodied, cherry and cranberry flavour with supple tannins and an energetic spine of acidity. (88)
• Château Pey La Tour 2009 (Bordeaux Superieur – $19.95): deep purple-ruby colour; cedar, red and blackcurrant bouquet; dry, medium-bodied, red berry and dark chocolate flavours, good texture in the mouth with a firm finish. (87+)
• Delaforce Douro Tinto 2011 (Portugal – $13.15): dense purple colour; spicy blackberry nose with a whiff of vanilla oak; dry, full on the palate with well extracted black fruit flavours heightened by a floral note; rustic mid palate with chalky tannins on the finish. Good value. (87+)
• Pierres Dorées Châteauneuf du Pape ($49.95): deep ruby colour; blackberry, savoury herbal notes with a lavender top note; full-bodied, elegant with a lovely mouth-feel, firmly structured blackberry and black cherry flavours. (91)
• Pirramimma McLaren Vale Petit Verdot 2010 (Australia – $24.95): dense purple-ruby colour; cedar, blackberry with a toasted herb note on the nose; minty-eucalyptus and blackberry with fresh acidity and a tannic lift on the finish. (89)

Sheila Swerling Puritt came to dinner. We were asked by Leo Chan to select nominees for the Cambridge Wine and Food Society’s annual awards. Opened a bottle of Balestri Valdo Soave Classico 2012 (straw colour; stony nose of sweet lemons with a floral grace note; soft mouth feel, peachy flavour with a hint of fennel on the finish (87)).

Friday, February 21: A Vintages release tasting this morning.

Sunday, February 9: After breakfast went shopping at the Coconut Point shopping mall, large enough you have to drive around it. There was an open air art fair which we walked around because the stores didn’t open until noon. In the evening we were invited to a soiree at Gordon’s former neighbours in Fort Myers. They had hired a very talented piano player, Brian Gurl, and his vocalist, Katherine Alexandra, a beautiful Russian girl. They entertained us with two sets of Gershwin show tunes and some virtuoso piano pieces.

Katherine Alexandra

Monday, February 10: We all went to find a Valentine’s Day gift for Gordon’s lady at Miromar shopping mall and lunch at a French bistro. Put my feet in the pool at Gordon’s condo and then we all drove to Pelican Marsh in Naples to see Aris Kaplanis in his magnificent house. Dropped into Costco in Estero and purchased a bottle of each of the following wines: Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Riserva 2009, Meerlust Rubicon 2007, Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2012, Flowers Chardonnay 2011, Etude Pinot Noir 2010 – and a bottle of Costco’s own brand champagne, Kirkland Brut. (Subsequently learned from my question on Twitter that Costco gets its champagne from the vineyards of Roland de Brayne and Manuel Janisson, in Sezanne.)

Wines at Costco, Estero, Florida

In the afternoon visited Aris Kaplanis in Naples. Drank some Chateau Montalena Chardonnay 2012 with shrimp and some of Aris’s homemade, spicy tomato relish. Then on to dinner at The Capital Grille. Aris ordered a bottle of Beaulieu Valley Georges de la Tour Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2007 and Fisher Vineyards Coach Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. I ordered lobster bisque and a sirloin steak Pittsburgh style. Great dinner.

Tuesday, February 11: Back to Toronto and snow today. Dropped the Budget rental car off at Fort Myers airport (nearly forgot my jacket in it) and sailed through security, although they did confiscate a sealed tub of cottage cheese. Bought bagels at the airport shop to avoid having to eat Air Canada food. Deborah made grilled salmon and I opened a bottle of Ara Single Estate Pinot Noir 2011 from Marlborough. Deep ruby colour with a nose of raspberries, sun-dried tomato, lavender and a mineral note; medium-bodied, dry with a sweet, almost candied raspberry flavour held in check by lively acidity (90).

Wednesday, February 12: Marzio Gallo from the Sicilian winery Possente came to see me to discuss the possibility of sponsoring a dinner for Grapes for Humanity in October. Deborah and I took Guy and his girlfriend Carlee to dinner at The Carbon Bar on Queen Street East (it’s his birthday tomorrow). Brought my own wine. I ordered hamachi tartar salad with clementine, pear, coriander and kombucha vinegar to start with, paired with Remoissenet Puligy-Montrachet Les Referts 2007 and beef brisket with Wolf Blass Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. Guy ordered a banana toffee cream pie, which came with a single candle. A terrific meal.

Wolf Blass Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Carlee and Guy

Thursday, February 13: Wrote an article on wine in China for The County Grapevine. Then settled down to taste wines that have been mounting up in our second shower during our absence in Florida.

• Rockway Vineyards Fergie Jenkins Riesling 2012 (Twenty Mile Bench – $14.95): very pale colour; minerally, grapefruit and lime bouquet with a floral top note; dry initially with some sweetness in mid-palate – sweet grapefruit flavour, lemony finish with moderate length. (87)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Riesling Block 12 – 150 2012 ($18.95): very pale with a lime tint; minerally, lime, grapefruit with a floral note and already developing petrol tones; off-dry, honeyed grapefruit flavour with a lime finish. Nicely balanced but a touch hard at the end. (88)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot White Assemblage 2012 (75% Chardonnay, 15% Gewurztraminer, 10% Riesling – $16.95): light straw colour; spicy apple nose; mouth-filling, richly flavoured, melon, lychee and tropical fruit flavours, lovely mouth-feel. Somewhere between dry and off-dry. Very satisfying. (89)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Gewurztraminer 2012 ($19.95): pale straw colour; green tobacco leaf, lychee and grapefruit zest on the nose; off-dry, rich and unctuous cardamom, rose petal and honey flavours. Not your usual Gewurz but delicious. (89)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Chardonnay Wild Ferment Block 12 – 110 2012 ($19.95): straw coloured; apple nose with a woodsy, white blossom note; richly extracted fruit with green pineapple and sweet lemon notes. Rich and full on the palate. Lovely mouth feel. (91)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Red Assemblage 2011 ($16.95: 45% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot): deep ruby colour; warm cedary nose of red berry fruit; medium-bodied, dry, very much in petit château claret style, silky mouth feel with ripe tannins. (88)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot The Outcast Syrah 2011 (with 5% Riesling – $19.95): deep ruby colour; tobacco and licorice nose with a spicy note; dry, medium-bodied with flavours of blackberries and bitter chocolate and a mouth-freshening acidic spine. (88+)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Meritage 2011 (38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot – $19.95): deep ruby colour; cedary, sweet tobacco and red berry nose; dry, medium-bodied, well balanced and firm, well-structured with good length and supple tannins. (88+)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Cabernet Sauvignon Block 12 – 120 2011 ($22.95): dark ruby-purple colour; vanilla oak, cedar, plum on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, earthy, plum and blackcurrant flavours; sturdy and solid on the palate with a mocha note. (88)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Cabernet Franc Block 11 – 140 2011 ($24.95): deep ruby colour; a bouquet of cedar, redcurrant with a leafy-herbal note; dry, light on the palate with red berry flavours and chalky tannins that dry the finish. (86+)
• Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Syrah Block 12 – 140 2011 ($25.95): deep ruby colour; peppery, blackberry with a toasted herb note on the nose; Northern Rhône style, medium-bodied, dry, with black raspberry and cherry flavours. Nicely balanced and lots of grip. A lot going on here. (90)

For dinner (stuffed peppers) opened a bottle of EastDell Malbec 2011: ruby colour; lifted savoury nose of herbs and blackberries; medium-bodied, dry with a spicy, floral note and fresh acidity. (87)

Friday, February 14: A general list tasting of some 35 wines down at the LCBO. For dinner, pasta bolognaise with Heitlinger Mellow Silk Pinot Noir 2011 from Baden. Ruby colour with a nose of raspberries, sun-dried tomatoes, rust with a mineral note; dry, elegant with a silky mouth feel and beautifully balanced. A steal at $16.95 (91).

Monday, February 3: Recorded my 680News wine reviews and cleared up my desk for our trip to Florida tomorrow. Dropped Pinot off at Zoltan and Joanna Szabo’s apartment, where she will be staying in our absence. Tasted a couple of wines before dinner:

• Epitome Malbec 2012 (Argentina – case of six $217): dense purple colour; a nose of cedar, blackcurrant, leather and vanilla oak; full in the mouth with well extracted sweet fruit; well balanced, well-structured with ripe tannins. (90)
• Lakeview Cellars Syrah Reserve 2010 (Ontario – $24.95): deep ruby colour; a bouquet of black cherry, ground pepper and oak spice; medium-bodied, black cherry and dark chocolate flavours with enough oak to give it roundness on the palate. Well made. (89+)

Tuesday, February 4: Up a 6 am to take a car at 6:45 am to the airport. We’re flying to Fort Lauderdale and renting a car to drive to my sister Shirley’s house in Boca West. Rented a Budget Infiniti with GPS. Shirley has a beautiful home on a golf course. We drove to the Publix to pick up lemons. With the roast chicken dinner we had a bottle of Blue Mountain Gamay 2010. Heard that Toronto had a bad snow storm; we escaped just in time.

Wednesday, February 5: Awoke to sunshine and a temperature of 84°F. After breakfast Shirley and I drove Deborah to the gym for a Zumba class. Then to Total, an amazing wine store where I bought six bottles. Lunch at the Boca West Club and then played Scrabble with Shirley while Deborah went shopping the local shopping centre. The clouds rolled in and we got lashings of rain. Before dinner we opened a bottle of Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2011 that I had picked up at Total. Dined at the Boca West Club with Dr. Richard Margolese, Canada’s leading breast cancer specialist, and his wife Jackie. With horseradish-encrusted salmon I ordered a bottle of MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir 2010.

Thursday, February 6: A nice lazy day. Deborah and I took a 40-minute walk around the golf course, had lunch, visited the local library and then drove to Boynton Beach to have dinner with Esther Farlinger. Esther prepared a magnificent dinner party with four other guests who were staying at her house. One of whom was Aris Kaplanis, who has purchased 20 hectares of vineyard land in the Upper Douro with Tony and Mario Amaro (who own Opus restaurant in Toronto). He had brought along a bottle of the wine, Quadrus 2010 (a blend of 55% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz and 15% Souzao). The wine is made by Carm. Deep ruby colour with a spicy, blackberry nose etched with vanilla oak and a floral top note; dry, medium-bodied, well balanced with ripe tannins. Not as beefy and more delicate than most Douro reds I’ve tasted (89+).

I opened a bottle of Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris 2011 I had bought at Total. With the roast chicken, Esther served a magnum of Haut Bages Liberal 2009.

Friday, February 7: Aris had recommended that we eat at a New York-style delicatessen called Ben’s (which has no connection with the late lamented Ben’s in Montreal). Great pastrami and coleslaw. It’s in Boca at Clint Moore and 441. Picked up Shirley’s friend Alta at Fort Lauderdale airport; she flew in from Montreal. Sat around the pool eating shrimp and drinking Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2011. Pizza from Dominico’s for dinner with a bottle of Qupe Syrah 2010 prior to watching the opening ceremonies of the Sochi games. Does Putin ever smile?

Saturday, February 8: After breakfast Deborah and I packed and left Shirley’s house in Boca West to drive to Bonita Springs on the other coast to stay with our friend Gordon Pape. We put his address into the GPS, which sent us the wrong way – north instead of south to get onto Sawgrass Expressway and connect to the 1-75 that would take us across Alligator Alley. We should have followed Gordon’s impeccable directions. We went to Publix to pick up food for breakfast and to buy wine for friends of Gordon’s who have invited us to dinner and a recital in their home in in Fort Myers. They had asked Gordon to purchase white wines for them for the evening. I chose Gloria Ferrer Brut, Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2012, St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Ferrari Carano Chardonnay 2012, Pighin Pinot Grigio 2012, Joel Gott Chardonnay 2012. I also bought a bottle of Cousiño Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 as a house gift. We dined at Angelina’s Ristorante, which has a magnificent wine cellar – a three-storey enclosed tower with 800 wines as you enter the restaurant. To access the bottles there’s a spiral staircase that revolves. I ordered calamari fritto and tagliatelle with lobster and a bottle of Antinori Vermentino 2012.

Friday, January 24: Arrived in Paris at 9:30 am. Slept for a couple of hours on the flight after a tiny bottle of wine of dubious provenance, having had dinner in the lounge at Pearson Airport. The entertainment system was down for a couple of hours so started reading a wine murder mystery – Crush by Vancouver novelist Jennifer Fraser. The book is set in the Okanagan Valley about a woman war correspondent who is commissioned to write a book about the wine year in the valley. Sounds promising.

Landed on time at Charles de Gaulle with a three-and-a-half hour lay-over before my flight to Montpellier; but there is no Air Canada lounge at terminal 2F where I am to leave from. So I took the 20-minute navette ride to Terminal 2A (having taken a 15-minute ride to reach 2F from my arrival terminal). Am installed in the lounge now having had a croissant (not bad) and an espresso. I’ll have about two hours here before I take the navette back to terminal 2F. This airport is crazy. I think I’ve already done by 10,000 steps.

In Montpellier: Our group of ten wine writers and sommeliers were met by a taxi company who deposited us at the Mercure Antigone Hotel. At 7 pm we foregathered in the lobby and were taken by the local tram to dinner at Les Vignes restaurant in the city centre (2 rue Bonnier d’Alco). We started with rillette de loup de mer with chutney as an amuse bouche, accompanied by La Château de Liguière Cistus Faugères 2012 (a blend of Roussanne, Grenache, Vermentino and Bourboulenc). I ordered steak with foie gras and chocolate sauce (which tasted better than it sounds; it looked very brown and there were only fingerling potatoes with it, no greens). It was served with Château Bousquette Prestige 2009 (St. Chinian, a Syrah/Mourvèdre blend). Dessert: chestnut cream in a wafer cup. Taxied home and in bed, exhausted, by 11 pm.

Saturday, January 25: Awoke at 5 am. Today we leave the hotel at 8:30 am and bus to Domaine Cazes in Rivesaltes. A two-hour drive.

Welcomed by Emanuel Cazes who takes us upstairs, where 71 wines have been set out for us to taste – after a brief slide show lecture on biodynamic wines. Best wines: Domaine Cazes Canon du Maréchal Blanc Muscat Viognier 2013, La Prade Mari L’Or des Gerrigues Blanc 2013, Le Conte des Floris Lune Blanche Blanc 2011, Château de Nages Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2012, Domaine des Carabiniers Rouge 2012, Vila Volaire Peuch Auriol Tourment Rouge 2010, Domaine de Cigalus Rouge 2012, Château Costes-Cirgues Rouge 2011, Château Bousquette Tradition Rouge 2011, Domaine Cazes Ego Rouge 2012, Château de l’Ou Inifiniment l’Ou Rouge 2011.

Following the tasting we went down to the winery’s restaurant (named for Emanuel’s grandfather who founded the winery), La Table d’Aimé. Here we started with a carrot and beetroot salad with fish mousseline and Domaine Cazes Le Canon du Maréchal Rosé 2013 and Domaine Cazes Canon du Maréchal Blanc Muscat Viognier 2013. The main course, pork cheek on mashed potatoes with a lemon grass sauce, with Domaine Cazes Alter 2011 (40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre; very elegant, floral blackberry flavour (89)). With dessert of pear roasted in honey with gingerbread ice cream, Domaine Cazes Muscat de Rivesaltes (spicy, orange blossom, off-dry, honeyed flavour – 88) and Domaine Cazes Rivesaltes Ambré 2000 (tawny-amber colour; nutty, honey and dried fruits on the nose; medium-sweet, nutty flavour; beautifully balanced (89)).

After lunch we got back on the bus to drive to the domain’s vineyard. Emanuel told us that the region gets 200 days of wind (and today is one of them) and 300 days of sunshine (which makes up for it). He showed us the constituents of a “tea” he spreads over the vineyard – nettles, horsetail and willow leaves which are steeped in boiling water and mixed with cow dung that has been buried in a cow’s horn for several months (the recipe of the Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner, who first promoted the idea of biodynamic farming in 1924). He says that after fifteen years of practicing biodynamic growing the pH of his wines is lower and the roots of his vines are deeper. Then back to the winery for a tour of the cellars and another tasting.

• Domaine Cazes Le Canon du Maréchal Rouge 2013 (tank sample): deep ruby colour; fruity and fresh with banana and cherry flavours and a firm finish. (87)
• Domaine Cazes Marie Gabrielle Côtes de Roussillon 2012 (Syrah/Grenache): ruby colour; full-bodied, fruity, plum and black cherry flavours, earthy and spicy with a dark chocolate note. (88)
• Domaine Cazes Le Credo 2010 (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvèdre/Carignan): deep ruby colour; spicy, floral nose with herbal notes; rich and full in the mouth with concentrated black cherry and earthy flavours. (91)
• Domaine Cazes Rivesaltes Grenat 2011: sweet cherry flavour, full-bodied and firm with an earthy finish. (89)
• Domaine Cazes Tuité 2005: tawny ruby colour; oxidized, raisiny, nutty flavour of dried figs; rich and full on the palate. (92)
• Domaine Cazes Rivesaltes Cuvée Aimé 1978: deep amber colour; rancio nose, dried apricot leather with notes of graphite; smooth on the palate with lively acidity and a dried fruits finish. Delightful. (93)

On the drive back to the Novotel Hotel in Perpignan, where we are staying tonight, we were told that Salvador Dali lived for a while in Perpignan and he declared that the railway station here was the centre of the universe.

Wine cellar at Via del Vi, Perpignan

Our group, which has now been augmented by another writer from Montreal, had dinner at a tiny wine bar called Via del Vi – mercifully across the road from the Novotel. I ordered pâté of winter vegetables and stuffed squid on rice – both delicious. Three winemakers had been invited to join us and show their wines.

• Domaine L’Horizon 2009 (Grenache Blanc/Grenache Gris): deep straw colour; high toned, spicy, apricot and leather nose; rich and spicy on the palate with a peachy flavour; mature with lively acidity. Would have liked to taste it two years ago. (88)
• Trigone La Soula Terroir d’Altitude Vin de Fenouillèdes 2012: dense purple; fruity, spicy, floral nose of cherries and white pepper; fresh acidity; carbonic maceration. (87)
• Domaine Les Conques Bohème 2012 (Grenache Gris/Macabeo): straw colour; minerally, pear; dry with a bitter finish. (86)
• Infiniment de L’Ou Chardonnay 2011: deep golden-amber; rich and full-bodied caramel and pineapple flavours; spicy, fleshy and full in the mouth, with evident oak. (89+)
• Les Conques Anatole 2011 (Carignan/Grenache/Syrah): deep purple-ruby; high toned cherry flavour with lively acidity (87)
• Domaine Carle-Coutry Mon Vin Blanc Camps Bernats 2011 (Grenache Blanc/Roussanne/Macabeo): straw colour; minerally, pear skin nose; dry, pear flavour; a little short. (86)
• Infiniment Syrah 2011: dense purple; a nose of wild herbs, blackberry; dry, savoury, blackberry and black olive flavours; full-bodied, elegant and well balanced. (90)

Severine Bourrier, winemaker at Chateau de l’Ou

Got to bed around 11 pm and awoke at 3:30 am. Took a while to fall asleep but eventually did and awoke at 6:30 am.

Sunday, January 26: After breakfast we toured the Roussillion region, stopping first at L’Hermitage Força Real, a former royal fort at 507 meters. It was part of a string of fortifications along the border between France and Spain, subsequently a hermitage. Great view of Mount Calligou and the surrounding countryside.

L’Hermitage Força Real

Door knocker at Domaine Olivier Pithon

Our next stop, Domaine Olivier Pithon in the village of Calce. Olivier, originally from the Loire Valley, studied in Bordeaux and purchased vineyards here. By next year he’ll own 20 hectares. He took us to see a block of 100-year-old Carignan vines, where we tasted two of his wines.

• Domaine Olivier Pithon La D18 2007 (named after the local road – a blend of Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc, with a Vin de Pays Côtes Catalannes appellation; in magnum): pale straw colour; crisply dry pear and lemon flavours with a light floral note and a refreshing finishing flavour of crab apple and grapefruit. (90)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon Le Pilou 2009 (100% Carignan from 100-year-old vines; in magnum): deep ruby colour; herbal, black raspberry nose; full-bodied, savoury and fresh, richly extracted cherry flavour with lively acidity. (91)

Olivier Pithon in his 100-year-old vineyard

Pithon’s magnums

After a quick tour of the cellar we went to lunch at a restaurant across the street from the winery in Calce, called Le Presbytère Bistro. With a Rolling Stones’ vinyl disc playing in the background Olivier conducted a tasting of his wines:

• Domaine Olivier Pithon Mon P’tit Pithon Blanc 2013 (a play on Monty Python): (Macabeo and Grenache) pale straw colour; minerally grapefruit flavour, fresh in the mouth. (87)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon Mon P’tit Pithon Rosé 2013 (Grenache Noir. Olivier says he doesn’t like rosé and made two vintages which he poured out, unsatisfied with the results, before this one): pale pink-amber colour; dry, very flavourful, cherry and peach with minerality. (88)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon Mon P’tit Pithon Rouge 2013 (Grenache/Syrah): purple-ruby colour; earthy, cherry nose; fresh, easy drinking, fruity cherry pit and apple flavours. (87)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon Cuvée Laïs Blanc 2012 (Grenache Blanc/Grenache Gris/Macabeo): pale straw colour; minerally, pear and grapefruit flavours with fresh acidity. (88)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon D18 2011 (Grenache Blanc/Grenache Gris): golden straw colour; minerally, floral, peachy nose; full-bodied, spicy, pear and apple flavours with fresh acidity; full-bodied. An ageable wine, will improve. (88–90)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon Cuvée Laïs Rouge 2012 (Carignan/Grenache/Mourvèdre): dense purple colour; wild herbs and blackberries on the nose with a floral note and vanilla oak; full-bodied, sweet fruit – black cherry with a herbal note; elegant, and ripe tannins. (90)
• Domaine Olivier Pithon Le Pilou 2011 (100% Carignan from 100-year-old vines): dense purple colour; spicy black cherry nose with a herbal note; full-bodied, sweet fruit, beautifully balanced with a lovely mouth feel. (91)

Then we had what turned out to be the best meal we’ve had so far: tarte tatin au foie gras (with poached pear and leeks) followed by roasted lamb hock. Which turned out to be the best meal we had in France!

Our next visit it to Domaine Gardiés. Jean Gardiés is the seventh generation of wine growers in the family. He has been biodynamic since 2004 (certified in 2007). He owns 20 hectares on the winery site and 18 in the neighbourhood. Jean has a 110-kilo mountain dog called Corto who watched us from the shade of an olive tree.

Corto at Domaine Gardiés

Jean took us first into the cellar for a barrel tasting and then upstairs to the tasting room.

• Domaine Gardiés Clos des Vignes 2012 (Grenache Blanc/Grenache Gris): straw colour; grapefruit and peach flavours; firm structure and minerally with crisp acidity. (89)
• Domaine Gardiés Le Millères 2012 Côtes du Roussillion Villages (Grenache/Syrah/Carignan/Mourvèdre): deep ruby colour; vanilla oak, tobacco, red berry nose; full-bodied with red berry flavour augmented with bitter chocolate; full in the mouth with firm tannins. (89)
• Domaine Gardiés Je Cherche Le Ciel 2012 (Mourvèdre) deep ruby colour; spicy plum and cherry nose with a wild, rustic note; still tight. (88–90)
• Domaine Gardiés Clos des Vignes 2012 (Grenache/Carignan with 20% Mourvèdre and Syrah): deep ruby-purple colour; minerally, black raspberry nose; firmly structured with lively acidity and a floral top note. (90)
• Domaine Gardiés La Torre 2011 (80% Mourvèdre with Carignan and Grenache): deep purple-ruby colour; spicy, floral nose; rich, sweet black cherry flavour, elegant, creamy mouth feel; full on the palate. (92)

My top wine of the trip

Back in Montpellier we dined at Chez Boris, a steak house whose napkins depict a cow with the meats cuts portioned off. The ceiling at the back where we were is 6 ft. 3in high with black chalkboards covered with graffiti. Three producers joined us (Borie La Vitarèle, Domaine des Carabiniers and Terroirs Vivants), all of whose wines we tasted with dinner for a meal of pot-au-feu and French fries, followed by tarte tatin aux pommes.

Low-hanging chalkboard ceiling at Chez Boris

Monday, January 27: The first day of Millésime Bio. We take the tram to Park Expo. There are three halls as large as hangars, filled with 800 producers of biodynamic wines from around the world (though no Canadian representation). No fancy booths and gigantic signage – just endless rows of tables with white table clothes and Balthazar bottles with funnels as spittoons. Very democratic. Faced with the endless lines of tables, it’s a daunting prospect as to where to begin tasting. Happily, Emanuel Cazes had marked my dance card with producers I shouldn’t miss.

A hall of wine producers at Millesime Bio

A Balthazar spittoon at each table

I started in the Loire with Château de Fosse-Sèche Saumur Blanc 2012 (fresh, green pineapple flavour – 90 points), which was an auspicious beginning. This was followed by Domaine des Huards Romo 2010 (my first taste of the Romorantin grape). Over the course of the day I tasted 63 wines, ending with an organic beer – Brasserie des Garrigues La Saison des Amours Bière Ambré. Particularly enjoyed the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines of Domaine Grand Veneur, Domaine Montitius des Dames Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Trenel Saint-Véran 2011, Château Tour des Gendres Cuvée des Conti 2012, Château Bouissel Negrette 2012, and Clos Puys Arnaud Cuvée Pervenche 2011 from Castillon. Really like the Alsace wines of Zinnkoepflé and Léon Boesch and Domaine Philippe Gilbert Menetou Salon 2012 and Les Renardières 2011 from the Loire.

Taxied to La Coquille Restaurant in Montpellier, where we were joined by winemakers from Domaine Bassac and Virgile Joly, whose wines we tasted with dinner. I ordered roast duck stuffed with goat cheese (!) that was served on a slate, followed by lemon tart.

Tuesday, January 28: Back to the fair, where I decided to taste all the gold medal-winning wines from the Millésime Bio competition. Tasted 46 wines. Ended up at the Château Le Puy (Côtes de Francs) table and tasted their 2010, 2009 and 2008. Françoise Amoreau, the proprietor, told me that they put 1% of Carmenère in the blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Guide Michelin 1921 edition

Dined at Prouhèze Saveurs (728 Avenue Pompignane, Montpellier). On the mantelpiece above the fireplace in the back room they have a collection of Guide Michelin dating back to 1921. The host for the evening was Patrick Guiraud, Chairman of Sudvinbio and the Millésime Bio Fair and owner of Domaine Valescure in Saint-Raphaël (a town in the Camargue twinned with Tiberias in Israel). Unfortunately, he forgot to bring his wines with him. But there were two other winemakers at the table – Marie Farbre-Teisserenc of Domaine Coulon in the Gironde (which has been in the family for 13 generations) and Jean François Deu of Domaine du Traginer (Banyuls and Collioure). M. Giraud, since he had no wines to show, chose from the list, Domaine Mortiès 2012 (Pic St. Loup), a Viognier, Vermentino, Roussanne blend: ripe, full, tropical fruit flaovurs with a strong thread of minerality (90). I ordered duck two ways that was served hot from a glass jar (absolutely delicious).

• Domaine Coulon Viognier 2013: pale straw colour; floral peach blossom nose; minerally with fresh acidity, beautifully balanced. (90)
• Domaine du Traginer 2008 (Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre): savoury, herbal, raspberry flavour, firmly structured, still very youthful. (90)
• Château Coulon Veredus Corbière Reserve 2011 (Grenache, Carignan, Syrah Mourvèdre): fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, great balance with a raspberry flavour and a floral grace note. (91)
• Domaine du Traginer Banyuls Rimage 2011 Vin Doux Naturel (Grenache, Grenache Gris, Carignan): 17.5%alcohol – earthy sweet, chocolate and raspberry flavours. (89)

Duck two ways at Prouhèze Saveurs

Domaine du Tragnier 2008

Chocolate dessert at Prouhèze Saveurs

Wednesday, January 29: Today we leave Montpellier. The taxi is called for 5 am. I have a 4:30 am wake-up call and turn on the alarm on my cellphone as back up. I fly to Paris and have a four-and-a-half-hour lay-over before boarding the Air Canada flight to Montreal and another leg to Toronto. I spend the time in Paris in the Air Canada lounge. They have freshly squeezed orange juice! On the Montreal flight the sound does not work on the entertainment system so instead of watching movies I finish the novel I started on the flight over. I have 55 minutes to clear immigration, get my suitcase and make it through security for my flight to Toronto. At 20 minutes before the flight takes off, I am in line for security. No time to check my bag – which contains a corkscrew and a Leatherman pocket tool kit. Of course, they are confiscated. As it turns out the flight is delayed 20 minutes but they have given away my seat.

Eventually I managed to get on the plane and Deborah was at the airport to pick me up. Good to be home in spite of the cold.

Thursday, January 30: Caught up on emails and wrote my Commentary for Quench magazine (formerly Tidings) on wine and pregnancy. The US have dropped the symbol of an obviously pregnant woman raising a glass of wine to her lips inside the universal sign for Desist – the circle with a diagonal line through it. The reason is some women took this to mean if you drink wine you will not get pregnant. And some read it as wine will get you pregnant.

For dinner, sautéed shrimp with rice and red cabbage with a bottle of Les Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sèvres et Maine Sur Lie 2012 – a perfect marriage.

Friday, January 31: Walked Pinot to the bank and then went downtown to have lunch at Ki with Mat Tedford, a director of Grapes for Humanity. Sally, a neighbour, is coming for dinner with her dog Bentley. Pinot enjoys his company and allows him to root around in her toy basket. Deborah prepared cod and I opened Panul Chardonnay 2012 from Chile and Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2013 from Australia’s Adelaide Hills. The ladies preferred the Panul but I liked the Jacob’s Creek better, though both went well with the cod.

Monday, January 20: Bad night’s sleep. I was sitting awkwardly in the theatre because of the space between the rows and must have strained some leg muscles, as I was in pain all night. Not much better this morning. Took a bath with Epsom Salts and knocked a fresh roll of toilet paper into the water. One of those days.

Wrote my 680News wine reviews and did more inputting of reviews to my website. This evening is the annual Wine Writer’s Circle dinner at Le Paradis. My contribution was Eszterbauer Tüke Szekszárdi Bikavér 2007 (which turned out to be suffering from a corkily-transmitted disease, i.e. TCA) and Neyen Espiritu de Apalta 2006 from Chile’s Colchagua Valley, which was terrific. The menu was perfect for then night. I had fricassé d’escargots, brined veal bone marrow, betteraves au chèvre frais, entrecôte du boeuf with béarnaise, followed by trio of sorbets. The wines I sampled: Soalheiro Alvarinho 2011, Art 2009 (Mencia from Bierzo), Comte Armand Pommard 2007, Zebras Brunello 2004, Comte Armand Pommard 2007, Château Pichon Longueville Lalande 1998, Rostaing Côte Rôtie La Landonne 1998, Kangaroo Springs Shiraz 2005, Urla Tempus 2010 (from Turkey – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc; a stunning wine), Graham 30 Year Old Tawny Port and Kopke Colheita 1974. Carolyn Evans-Hammond brought the weirdest wine of all: Yatta White Wine in a tetrapak – from Kenya.

Tuesday, January 21: Minus 33 with the wind chill factor. Pinot had me up at 6 am to go out for a walk. She soon wanted to come back. Did some tasting in the afternoon.

• La Haute Févrie Le Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine 2012 ($14.95): Very pale colour; minerally, acacia blossom; medium-bodied, crisply dry, lemony flavour; well-made and well-priced. (88)
• Gustav Adolf Schmitt Niersteiner Spätlese Rheinhessen 2012 ($10.95): very pale straw; minerally, honey, citrus rind on the nose; off-dry, grapefruit and lychee flavours. A little short with a blunt, hard finish. (85)
• Huff Estates Riesling Off-Dry 2012 ($17.95): pale straw colour; minerally, grapefruit and honey on the nose; off-dry, lime and grapefruit with lively acidity. Nice balance of citrus acidity and sweetness. (87)
• Flat Rock Twisted 2012 ($17.15): a blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay: almost water white; aromatic nose, grapefruit, apple with a floral note; off-dry, light-bodied, fruity, pink grapefruit flavour; touch of bitterness on the finish (over-pressing?). (87)
• Bodegas Valsacro Dioro Rioja 2005 ($32.95): deep ruby; spicy, black cherry with evident oak; dry, full-bodied, richly expressive fruit (cherry, plum flavours with chocolate notes) carried on lively acidity. Lovely mouth feel. (40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 20% Carignan) (90)
• Kacaba Syrah Terrace Vineyard 2011 ($24.95): ruby with a purple note; peppery-herbal, black fruit nose; medium-bodied, dry, savoury with fresh acidity; soft tannins. (88)
• Les Vignerons de Castelas Signargues Côtes du Rhône Villages 2014 ($16.95): ruby-purple colour; herby, blackberry nose with vanilla oak; dry, savoury, toasted herbs, blackberry flavour with a firm tannic finish. (87).

Wednesday, January 22: Another brutally cold day, minus 34 with the wind chill factor. Had a conference call with the Wine Council of Ontario to discuss the consolidation point for entries to the Ontario Wine Awards by Niagara wineries. And then arranged for consolidation points in Prince Edward County and Lake Erie North Shore. This year is the 20th anniversary of the awards.

My web master James Harbeck sent me an article he wrote for The Week magazine, entitled “17 disgusting descriptions for delicious wines” – well worth reading at http://theweek.com/article/index/255320/17-disgusting-descriptions-for-delicious-wines. Wrote my wine reviews for Quench magazine (formerly Tidings).

Thursday, January 23: Yet another freezing day. Glad I’ll soon be out of it. This evening I fly to Montpellier for the Millèsime Bio fair and conference on biodynamic and sustainable winegrowing. I fly overnight to Paris at 8:20 pm and then to Montpellier. Spent the rest of the day clearing my desk and packing (I’m advised to bring an umbrella).