Tony Aspler, the Wine Guy

Judging at the Ontario Wine Awards

Monday, April 8: Today is the annual California Wine Fair at the Fairmont Royal York. It begins with a sparkling wine reception and lunch for the trade and some privileged members of the wine press. Chatted with Jim Dickmeyer, the US Consul General, about his time in Guatemala.

At lunch I was seated at the Churchill Cellars table. Various wines imported by this agency were available for tasting: Michael & David Incognito 2011, a sumptuous blend of Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Roussanne (91); Kunde Chardonnay 2011 (rich, full-bodied, sweet pineapple flavour with tangerine acidity – 90); Fog Head Pinot Noir 2011 (spicy, sweet cherry jam flavour with a firm finish – 88); Girard Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (dense ruby colour; cedar, blackcurrant nose; elegant, lovely mouth feel, soft tannins, full-bodied, sweet mulberry and blackcurrant flavour with a warm alcoholic finish – 89); and CigarZin Zinfandel 2009 (85% Zinfandel, 14% Sangiovese and 1% Petite Sirah – deep ruby colour; full-bodied, meaty, leather and plum nose; sweet and juicy raspberry and plum flavours finishing on a chocolate note – 89).

The guest speaker was Brent Shortridge of Anders-Lane Artisan Wines, who extolled the quality of the 2012 vintage in California (4 million tonnes, up 20% over last year and “the best fruit (the winemakers) have ever seen.”) The menu:

Then into the ballroom for the tasting where 106 wineries were pouring their products. The room was mobbed and I didn’t spend much time trying to battle my way to the tables. Mercifully, a room had been set aside for the wine press where I could avoid the crush. Of those wines I did get to sample in the ballroom, the following stood out: Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles 2010 (91), Stonestreet Monument Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (91), Jonata Fenix 2007 (91), Ehret Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (90), Landmark Grand Detour Pinot Noir 2010 (90), Michael Mondavi Family Estate Spellbound Petite Sirah 2010 (90), Miner Family The Oracle 2008 (90), Whitehall Lane Winery Merlot 2009 (90).

In the press room 68 wines had been set out. Here I tasted the best wine of the day – Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard 2007 (93+). Not too shabby either were Signorello Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (90) and Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir 2011 (90).

For dinner, sautéed shrimp with rice and a bottle of Pillitteri Pinot Grigio 2011 (pale straw colour; peach pit nose; nicely balance, fresh, dry, white peach flavour – 87).

Tuesday, April 9: Worked on the essay on the impact of Italian wine on Toronto before heading to Grano for lunch with Mark Nadeau. I pulled out of the cellar a bottle of Ceretto Barolo Vignetto Grignoré 1999, which was delicious. It was raining all day. I made my way down to a funeral parlour in Scarborough to pay my respects to my old friend and colleague in wine David Churchill, who died much too young. There was an open casket, which I always find difficult, but it was good to see he was holding a rose and there was a copy of his novel, The Empire of Death. He had told me he was busy on his second when he was taken ill with cancer of the esophagus. He will be sorely missed.

Wednesday, April 10: Wrote my column for On The Go Magazine and then up to Auberge du Pommier for a lunch hosted by Adam Mason, the winemaker at Mulderbosch Vineyard. Adam introduced his own wines and those of other South African producers. We began with Graham Beck Brut, a beautifully made sparkling wine, crisp and refreshing (89). The menu:

In the evening, down to Casa Loma for an Ontario Wine Society walk-around tasting. For dinner, baked trout with Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2010 (light straw colour; peach and citrus nose; well balanced, peach and pineapple flavours, satisfyingly dry. Good value at $15.95 (89)).

Thursday, April 11: Spent the day writing the essay on Italian wines in Toronto. Reminded of my early days in Toronto in the late 1970s: If you walked into an LCBO outlet you might think you’d wandered into the waiting room of a local railway station. Not a single bottle was visible. You filled in a piece of paper with the name of the wine and the product number, handed it across the counter and paid the price. The employee disappeared and returned with a brown paper bag. He – invariably it was a he – slipped the bottle out of the bag by its neck to give you a surreptitious glance at the label. And then he slid it back. The entire transaction was like purchasing pornography.

For dinner, lamb chops with Bouchard Père & Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2010 (ruby colour; violets and raspberries on the nose with a vanilla oak note; medium-bodied, dry, raspberry and sour cherry flavour (87+)).

Friday, April 12: Cold and rainy all day. Will spring ever arrive! I’m going to shoot the groundhog. Down to the LCBO for a tasting of newly released general list products. I don’t know how some of these make it through the LCBO tasting panel.

Down to Allen’s with Deborah to meet up with our old friend Leonard Glazema from Belgium, who’s in town. Leonard imports Henry of Pelham wines to Brussels and admits he drinks most of it himself. John Maxwell, gracious host as ever, said I could pick anything from the wine list for dinner. He has a magnificent list of Ontario wines. For the five at the table I chose Hidden Bench Nuit Blanche 2009 and Tawse David’s Block Merlot 2007. Great to see Leonard, all too rare.

Saturday, April 13: Today is the first round of tastings for the Ontario Wine Awards, held at Crush wine bar on King Street West. There are three panels of four wine writers and sommeliers:

• Panel A: Konrad Ejbich, Linda Bramble, Zoltan Szabo and Dean Tudor
• Panel B: Gord Stimmell, Michael Pinkus, John Szabo and Carolyn Hammond
• Panel C: Chris Waters, Edward Finstein, Evan Saviolidis and Rick VanSickle

Today they will each taste about 75 wines. To calibrate their palates I’m serving a wine blind. It’s Grange of Prince Edward Riesling Late Harvest 2010 (pale straw in colour with a lime tint; a nose of honeyed grapefruit with a floral, mineral and petrol notes; medium-bodied with well-balanced honey, lime an grapefruit flavours. (89+)). They all come back next Saturday for the second round. The following Sunday two different panels will taste the sweet wines.

For dinner, roast chicken with a bottle of Frei Bothers Reserve Chardonnay 2010 from the Russian River Valley (straw colour; buttery, vanilla, pear nose with spicy oak notes; full-bodied pineapple and pear flavours, lively citrus acidity with a nutty finish (88)).

Monday, April 1: I’ve been commissioned to write an introductory essay on the impact of Italian wine on Toronto. A fun assignment for a book to be published by the Italian Trade Commission on the Italian contribution to life in this city. Today I interviewed Franco Prevedello who, more than anyone else, introduced Toronto to Italy’s fine wines. He was the first to bring in wines by producers like Quintarelli, Avignonesi, Maculan, Primo Franco and Gaja for his string of restaurants – Biffi, Pronto, Centro, Aqua. For dinner, Panko Shrimp with a bottle of The Grange of Prince Edward Chardonnay 2011 (pale straw colour with a green tint; minerally, apple, herbal nose; dry and medium bodied with a floral, green pineapple flavour (87)).

Tuesday, April 2: Lunched with Angela Aiello at Richmond Station. Interviewed Lucy Waverman and Donald Ziraldo on their thoughts about Italian wine in Toronto.

Wednesday, April 3: Today I interviewed Charles Grieco, who used to own La Scala Restaurant, the first upscale Italian restaurant in Toronto, which he and his father started in 1962.

Recorded my 680News wine reviews and then drove over with Phil Pendry to see my old radio colleague Peter Reynolds at his house in Cabbage Town. Peter was my boss when I was freelancing for CBC radio in London. The three of us reminisced about those London days and the characters who passed through the office on Little Titchfield Street. In the evening I interviewed Bonnie Stern.

For dinner, salmon with The Grange of Prince Edward Trumpour’s Mill Pinot Noir 2009 (deep ruby-plum colour; high toned nose of cherries and vanilla oak; cherry compote flavour with lively acidity and a licorice note on the finish. (88)).

Thursday, April 3: Spoke at length with James Chatto about Italian restaurants in Toronto. James wrote the book The Man Who Ate Toronto, which he recently updated, so he was a mine of information about the history of Italian restos in the city. Spent some time inputting wine reviews for the April 13th Vintages release. Dinner: pasta with of The Grange of Prince Edward Gamay 2009 (ruby colour; high toned nose of cherry and pear; sour cherry flavour with lively acidity. (86+)).

Friday, April 4: A very sad day. Learned that Barb Ritchie, a fellow wine writer, died of a heart attack; and David Churchill, an LCBO consultant, died of cancer of the esophagus. Also Kildare Dobbs, whom I knew at CBC, died at the age of 86.

A Vintages release tasting today. Had a nap before helping Deborah to prepare dinner for Doris Miculan Bradley and her husband K.B. Started with a sparkling wine from Vancouver Island, Rock Creek Winery Jubilee. Black cod, baked squash with pecans and blue cheese and green mango salad, with Hidden Bench Chardonnay 2009. Then a selection of cheeses with Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2009.

Seder Night, Adrienne Rosen standing

Monday, March 25: I left the hotel in Rochester at 8 am. In Tonawanda I was driving on the throughway at 72 mph (apparently) when I was pulled over by a cop – flashing lights, the whole bit – who told me I was in a 55 mph zone. He gave me a ticket. I was so upset and preoccupied by this that when I came to the toll booth I went through the wrong entrance, the one for transponders. I was expecting more police activity but I wonder if they took a photo of the car plate and will track me down and have me extradited.

Given a rapturous welcome by Pinot the Wonderdog, which improved my mood. Caught up on emails and did a tasting of BC wines and two from Australia to start.

• Casella Wines Lucky Penny White 2011 (Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Grigio): light straw colour; peach and honeysuckle nose; fresh, easy drinking with a touch of bitterness on the finish. (86)
• Casella Wines Lucky Penny Red 2011 (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot): dense ruby colour; minty-eucalyptus, blackberry nose; vanilla oak and richly extracted red berry flavours with coffee notes. Full-bodied with a warm alcoholic finish. (87)
• Cassini Cellars Pinot Gris 2011: light straw colour; peach pit nose; sweet, peachy-pear flavour, mono-dimensional, commercial style. (86)
• Meyer Chardonnay 2011: light straw colour; minerally, apple nose; dry, apple and green pineapple flavours, fine balance of acidity and fruit enhanced by judicious use of oak. (89)
• St. Hubertus Gewurztraminer 2011: pale straw colour; gummy, spicy nose – not a lot of varietal character; lychee and bruised apple flavours, off-dry with oxidative notes. Lacks balance. (85)
• St. Hubertus Frizzante Rosé 2012: ruby-pink colour; raspberry and cranberry nose; light prickling on the tongue; cranberry, watermelon and pomegranate flavours. Easy drinking and refreshing. A good summer glass. (87)
• Aces Straight Flush Blush 2010 (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Syrah, Merlot): orange-pink colour; toasty, smoky, cherry nose; full on the palate with strawberry and cherry flavours and a spicy aromatic back note from the Gewurztraminer. A strapping rosé in Tavel style with a New World twist. (88)
• Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery Gamay Noir 2010: light ruby colour; peppery, rhubarb and cherry nose; light and soft on the palate with rhubarb and cranberry flavours and lively acidity. (86)
• Saint Hubertus Estate Winery Oak Bay Pinot Noir 2010: ruby colour; woody, cherry nose; tart, lean and sinewy, sour cherry flavour; acidity overwhelming the fruit. (85)
• Summerhill Pyramid Winery Cabernets 2009: ruby with a tawny hue; cedar, red berry nose; dry, medium-bodied, claret-style with a warm alcoholic finish and supple tannins. (88)
• Cassini Cellars Quattro 2010 (67% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 1% Syrah): deep ruby-plum colour; cedar, licorice, toasted herbs and red berry fruit; full-bodied, dry and savoury but fleshy and warm with an unctuous mouth-feel. (89)
• Desert Hills Estate Winery Mirage 2007 (40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot): dense ruby colour; spicy, cedar, blackcurrant nose with tobacco and oak notes; rich and full on the palate with dark chocolate and black fruit flavours; muscular and solid with ripe tannins. Drink soon. (91+)
• Moon Curser Syrah 2010: dense purple-ruby colour; savoury, peppery, blackberry nose; bright fruit flavours of black raspberry and dark chocolate with a floral note; full-bodied with ripe tannins and an enervating thread of acidity. (90)

Tuesday, March 26: Doing the final edits on the Canadian wine book. Lunch with Suresh Doss at Grano (frittata and a glass of Anselmi San Vincenzo 2011). Deborah and I were invited to the second seder at Joey Bersani’s Cantine. The service was led by Adrienne Rosen. Apparently Joey puts on two seders every year. The first night, families can have their own individual celebrations with tables curtained off from each other. The second night is communal. All the traditional foods, chicken soup, gefilte fish, brisket, chicken, flourless chocolate cake and coconut macaroons. A fun evening.

Wednesday, March 27: Lunch with Liz Curtain and Cathy Martin to discuss “Australia Uncorked” – Grapes for Humanity’s next fund-raiser event on May 9th at the Gardiner Museum. In the evening Deborah and I were invited to dine with Rick Schiralli and his partner J.J. at their house in the west end. Amazing food and wine. I should have made notes but was having too good a time.

Thursday, March 28: A tasting of Ontario wines at Doug Towers’s house for www.winerytohome.com. At these tastings Doug orders pizza. For dinner, roast chicken breast marinated in soya sauce, lemon and oil, sweet potato and broccoli with Rosemount Shiraz 2011 (dense purple colour with a spicy blackberry and vanilla oak nose; sweet raspberry jam flavour with soft tannins; easy drinking with enough acidity to give the wine structure (87)).

Friday, March 29: Good Friday. At 10 am my old friend from CBC London days came by and we sat and reminisced about that time. Phil is 86 and looks amazing, still working. He’s about to shoot a documentary with Ken Taylor, called Argo, about what really happened in Iran with the rescue of the American diplomats. For dinner, chicken and ricotta cheese ravioli in tomato sauce with Pillitteri Cabernet Merlot 2010 (deep purple-ruby with a nose of cedar, currants and plums; medium-bodied, creamy mouth feel, dry finish (88)).

Noise Number 1 by e.e. cummings, which hangs in the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery

Monday, March 18: I booked an Enterprise rental car this morning for a trip to Rochester, New York, on Friday. I’ll be judging in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. Then down to the Shangri-La Hotel for a tasting of Stratus wines, led by winemaker J.-L. Groulx, held in the daisō room of momofuko. J.-L. says that the vineyard was “very balanced” in 2010 though difficult for red with regard to acidity.

• Stratus Gamay 2010: ruby colour; cherry with an earthy note and a whisper of vanilla oak; dry, medium-bodied, good concentration of fruit with balancing acidity. Moderate length with a warm alcoholic finish. (88+) “You have to treat Gamay like Pinot Noir if you want to get it right. That is low yields.” ($29)
• Stratus Syrah 2010: dense purple-ruby colour; spicy, creamy, plum and blackberry nose with a dried herb note; dry, generous mouth feel, savoury black fruit flavours, mouth-filling; finishing with soft powdery tannins. (90) Paul Hobbs consulted. ($48)
• Stratus Merlot 2010: deep ruby colour; oak-forward, creamy, black plum nose; spicy, ripe plum flavours, full in the mouth. A little time in the bottle will meld the oak. New World style with a firm finish. (89–90) ($32)
• Stratus Malbec 2010: (picked November 3rd) dense purple-ruby colour; floral, Cabernet-Franc-like nose of redcurrants and red berries; well structured, full on the palate, dry, fresh and lively with a coffee bean note; firm, blocky tannins that give the impression of a short finish. Needs time. (89) ($48)
• Stratus Petit Verdot 2010: dense purple colour; dried sage, dark chocolate, licorice notes on the nose; full-bodied, perfumed, floral black cherry flavours on entry; tannins kick in mid palate masking fruit. Ends with cocoa powder tannins. Needs time. (88–90) ($38)

2010 was a challenging year for whites, according to J.-L.

• Stratus Chardonnay 2010: deep golden colour; spicy pineapple nose with a buttery note; sweet, spicy, caramel and toasty flavours; full on the palate with pineapple and melon flavours and a toasty, grilled nut finish. Rich and satisfying New World style. Fleshy, opulent with great length. (92) ($55)
• Stratus Sauvignon Blanc 2010: bright straw colour; ripe, sweet grass, gooseberry and mango notes with a hint of oak on the nose; rich and full with a minerally (pencil lead!) note in mid palate. A little hard on the finish but delicious. (89) ($29)
• Stratus Sémillon 2010 (1.4 tons per acre): straw colour; waxy, honey comb, citrus nose with deftly handled oak; fresh and lively on the palate with green plum, grapefruit and vanilla oak flavours (90) ($32)

Chef Matt Blondin’s lunch menu:

Came home and wrote the last chapter of Nightmare in Napa. Feeling good. That book has been marinating for almost a decade as other projects have taken me away from it. Have fulfilled my New Year’s resolution (actually last year’s) of finishing it. In the evening, down to Lo Zingaro Ristorante Pizzeria for City Bites’ annual party. Michael Pataran poured me a healthy glass of sake after a couple of glasses of Ravine Pinot Noir 2010. Good thing I took the TTC.

Tuesday, March 19: Now the business of rewrites begins. At 1 pm down to One Restaurant in Hazelton Lanes to taste the wines of Cantine Marchesi Fumanelli. He was in China but his wife Roberta was there to discuss the wines.

• Fumanelli Valpolicella 2011: ruby colour with an attractive nose of cherry skin and cherry blossom; dry, elegant, fresh. (88)
• Fumanelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2009: a macho Valpolicella, rich cherry flavour, firmly structured, dry and satisfying. (89)
• Fumanelli Squarano Appassimento 2006: rich, concentrated cherry flavour, firmly structured with ripe tannins and a long savoury finish. (90)
• Fumanelli Amarone 2006: ruby colour; earthy, high toned nose of plums and pepper; sweet and sour flavours of plum and prune; full-bodied. (89)
• Fumanelli Amarone 2007: a richer more concentrated wine – sweet cherry puree flavour. Full-bodied and supple. (90)
• Fumanelli Octavius Amarone Riserva 2007: This wine is the flagship of the cantine. The wine is tightly wound at the moment and need a few years of bottle age. More dense and earthy and tannic than the non-Riserva. (89++)
• Fumanelli Terso 2006: a 50/50 blend of Garganega and Trebbiano. Light straw colour; dry apple and citrus flavours, medium-bodied but full on the palate with lively acidity. (88)

Dinner: lamb chops with La Valentina Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2008: dense purple, green herbs, blackberry and cedar nose; medium-bodied, sour cherry flavour with a firm finish (87). $14.95.

Wednesday, March 20: Last-minute arrangements for tomorrow’s Grapes for Humanity event. Down to Crush at noon for a tasting lunch with Murray Barlow, winemaker at Rustenberg Wines in Stellenbosch.

• Rustenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2012 ($19.95): Pale straw colour; white Bordeaux style – minerally, green plum nose; elegant, dry, green plum and grapefruit flavours, crisp and lingering. (88)
• Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2011 ($22.95): Pale straw colour; spicy, minerally, apple nose with a barnyard note; round on the palate with apple and tangerine flavours. (90)
• Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2011 ($55): Pale straw colour with a Burgundian nose – minerally, barnyard, vanilla oak; elegant, sinewy with apple, pear and orange flavours; lovely mouth feel, great length with a buckwheat note on the finish. (91)
• Rustenberg Buzzard Kloof Syrah 2010 ($31): deep ruby colour; a gamey nose of black olives, medicinal, herbal, blackberry (Northern Rhône style); medium-bodied, dry and savoury with ripe tannins and a lively acidic spine. (88)
• Rustenberg Shiraz 2011 ($25): deep ruby colour; black raspberry and forest floor, iodine and sandalwood on the nose. Medium-bodied, dry, savoury, herbal flavour; firmly structured. (89)
• Rustenberg John X. Merriman 2010 ($31): All five Bordeaux varieties; dense ruby colour; inky, herbal, blackcurrant and cedar nose; dry, St. Estephe style, restrained, firmly structured, medium-bodied, blackcurrant and tobacco flavours. (89+)
• Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2008 ($55): 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; dense ruby colour; tobacco, tar, inky blackcurrant flavour. Elegant, very claret-like. (91)

Spent the rest of the day going over the novel draft.

La Sangre de Jonata Syrah 2008

Thursday, March 21: A mad dash to get everything ready for tonight’s Grapes for Humanity event at the Imperial Room – “Baah! The Great Lamby Cook-Off,” featuring eight Toronto chefs, plus Bill Redelmeier of Southbrook Vineyards. First, loading up the car with ten boxes of wine from my cellar. Then Deborah and I had to go down to Chinatown to bring back three boxes of Chinese spoons and get cheaper plastic versions (otherwise it would cost the charity $700). These cost $32 for 2,000. Then to Doris Maculan-Bradley’s house to pick up the desserts for tonight and finally dropping everything off at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which was probably the most stressful part of the morning since the entire area around the hotel is under construction. The usual way into Piper Street that leads to the delivery area is up York Street but it’s virtually impossible to get to.

La Sangre de Jonata Syrah 2008

Dashed home and changed in order to get down to the “California Legends” tasting at the ROM. This was a spectacular tasting with virtually all the top California wines available, apart from the cult wines. I concentrated on the reds. My top wines were Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (94), Jonata La Sangra de Jonata Syrah 2008 (94), Cade Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (93), Dominus Napanook Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (93), L’Aventure Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (93), Pahlmeyer Merlot 2010 (93), Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 2005 (93), Joseph Phelps Insigna 206 (92), Sonoma-Cuterer Pinot Noir 2008 (92) and Stonestreet Fifth Ridge Red Blend 2010 (92). Most impressive wines as a portfolio were L’Aventure and Jonata. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the Shafer Cab 2010 it had been totally consumed.

Judges Shinan Govani and Christine Cushing

Judges Farley Flex and Dick Snyder

Dashed down to the Fairmont Royal York to prepare for the opening of Baah! at 6 pm. Gathered the judges – Shinan Govani of the National Post, Christine Cushing, TV Chef, Farley Flex, Canadian Idol judge – and briefed them on the scoring system for the nine plates. When their scores were finally tallied, the winner was Michael Pataran for his Moroccan-style curried lamb. Delicious. A great evening altogether.

Michael Pataran, winning chef at Baah!

Friday, March 22: Cleared my desk in order to leave at noon in a rented Sonata for the Rochester Plaza Hotel. I’m one of the judges at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition that begins tomorrow. The judges all gathered in the breakfast room of the hotel for a meet and greet over wines that won medals at last year’s competition. We were asked to bring a couple of bottles to be put into a wine cabinet and auctioned off in aid of Camp Good Days and Special Times, the charity that benefits from this competition. I donated a Mission Hill Icewine 2010 and a 20 Bees Late Harvest Vidal 2009.

Saturday, March 23: After a wretched night’s sleep I got up at 7 am. David Male, the competition owner wanted us in our seats at 8:15 am. There are 3,502 wines entered from 20 countries, 50 US states and 4 Canadian provinces. 68 judges from 14 countries divided into 17 panels. My panel is comprised of Jan Klapetzky, the winemaker at Young Sommer Winery in Williamson, New York, Nathalie Juban Szalkowski, a wine competition judge from Paris, and Jeff Stabins, a wine judge from Webster, New York. Before lunch we taste the following flight of eight wines: Albarino, Barbera, Traminette, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and red hybrid blends, Merlot and two red blends. After lunch: two flights of Riesling, red blends (mainly Meritage), Tempranillo, Cranberry fruit wine, and a flight of various fruit wines.

We are bused to Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery. A splendidly eclectic collection, including a painting by e.e. cummings in cubist style, dated 1919. (I never knew he painted!) We eat a buffet dinner with hundreds of wines from the competition laid out on a long table for us to taste while the movie Bottle Shock is screened. Back at the hotel by 8:40 pm in time to write up the day’s events.

Sunday, March 24: After breakfast we began tasting at 9 am. Our panel began with a flight of 8 Gewurztraminer, followed by Marechal Foch and then Late Harvest whites (3) and Icewines (4). After a coffee break: Viognier and White blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre (4) and Malbec (4), then Sparkling fruit and dessert wines. After lunch: White blends – Non-Vinifera Semi-Dry, Other Red Varietals – Vinifera (the best flight of the two days), Catawba (including one green one that looked like Listerine!) and finally Mead.

The green Catawba

For dinner a large group of judges walked over to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a honky-tonk rib joint frequented by bikers. A group of 14 of us sat at a long table parallel to the bar and ordered a selection of beers and appetizers: chicken wings, catfish strips, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, fried green tomatoes, baked beans and collard greens simmered with a turkey neck. Then plates of pork ribs and chicken and corn bread. The whole meal came to $30 each including a handsome tip.

Bill Redelmeier, proprietor, Southbrook Vineyards

Monday, March 11: Wrote my Lexpert column on Ontario wines and how they’ve come of age in the 37 years I’ve been following and recording them. Lunch with Lindsay Groves at Grano to catch up on her Master of Wine studies. Worked on the novel, which I hope to finish in a week or two. For dinner, lamb chops with Rosewood Merlot Reserve 2010 (dense ruby purple-colour; oaky, sandalwood nose; dry, cherry flavour with a creamy mid-palate, finishing firm and savoury (87+)).

Tuesday, March 12: Deborah went down to Brown Brothers, the butchers in St. Lawrence Market, put put a deposit on out order of lamb for “Baah! The Great Lamby Cook-Off,” which happens on March 21st at The Imperial Room.

I went to the RCYC for Bouchard Père & Fils’ annual Burgundy tasting. One of my favourite tastings of the year. Luc Bouchard, was there, as always. The 2011, I found, is lighter than the 2010 and the highly extractive 2009. What Burgundians call a “classic” vintage. I particularly liked the Bouchard Père & Fils Volnay Caillerets 2011 and the Beaune Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus 2011. Of the whites my favourites were Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune Clos Saint-Landry and Bouchard Père & Fils Corton-Charlemagne 2011 – not that I’ll be able to afford these wines, but great to have the opportunity to taste them. The 9 William Fèvre Chablis 2011 range were taut and not showing much complexity yet, though Les Clos even in average vintages seems to shine.

Came home and worked on the wine book (final edits). For dinner, braised beef with Huff Estates South Bay vineyards Merlot 2010 (ruby colour; red berry nose; light cherry and cranberry flavours. (87)).

Wednesday, March 13: A wasted day. I had scheduled to record my 680 News wine reviews at 11 am and when I got to the studio my producer wasn’t there (he was called away). Nobody else was available for me to record with so I went to the Reference Library to drop off a copy of Travels With My Corkscrew for the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection. One of the chapters is about beverage alcohol in the Sherlock Holmes canon. I had a scheduled appointment with my doctor at 1 pm and it turns out the nurse had made a mistake and it should have been noon. So I got home at 3 pm and Pinot T. Wonderdog wanted to go out for a walk. She lets me know by barking furiously.

Worked on Grapes for Humanity’s “Baah! The Great Lamby Cook-Off” (March 21st at The Imperial Room, Fairmont Royal York) and then got down to some tasting.

• Faustino VII Tempranillo (Spain – $12.65): deep ruby colour; cherry pit nose with a candied raspberry note; dry, medium-bodied, lean on the palate with a raspberry flavour and lively acidity; warm alcoholic finish. (87)
• Portia Ebeia Roble Tempranillo 2010 (Ribera del Duero – $14.95): funky, earthy, leathery, oaky nose; gamey, red berry flavour with a floral note; full on the palate with soft tannins. (88)
• Pepperwood Grove Old Vine Zinfandel 2011 (California – $13.85): ruby colour; plum, tobacco and leather nose; spicy, smoky plum flavour with a clove finish; medium-bodied with fresh acidity. (88+)
• Anvers Brabo Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2010 (South Australia – $19.95): dense ruby-purple colour; a nose of cedar, blackcurrant with a note of charcoal; minty, fleshy and firm, flavours of blackcurrant and blackberry; dense on the palate with chalky tannins. (87)
• Rosewood Estates Long Rows White 2011 (Ontario – $13.20): Riesling, Semillon, Chardonnay. pale straw colour; restrained nose of green apple and citrus fruits; dry and crisp with mouth-watering acidity; crab apple flavour with a floral note. A touch hard on the finish. (87)
• Rosewood Estates Riesling 2011 (Ontario – $16.20): pale straw colour; petrol, grapefruit rind with a honeyed note on the nose; dry, white honey and lime flavours with a floral note; tart, citrus finish, good length. (88+)
• Rosewood Estates Semillon 2011 (Ontario – $18): pale straw colour with a nose of lanolin and pear; well extracted sweet pear flavour with balancing acidity; good length. (88+)
• Rosewood Estates Natalie’s Süssreserve Riesling 2010 (Ontario – $15.20): straw with a green tint; a nose of honey and citrus fruits; off-dry, light on the palate; fresh and lively with honey and grapefruit flavours that sustain well on the palate. Good balance of sweetness and acidity. (88)

For dinner, Chicken ravioli with Henschke Croft Chardonnay Lenswood 2010 (straw with a green tint; tropical fruit nose with a touch of undergrowth; rich pineapple and melon flavours; full and fleshy but well balanced with a lively strain of apple-like acidity. (90)).

Thursday, March 14: Spent the day working on the wine murder mystery. A pleasure to disappear into that world. For dinner, the remainder of the braised beef with a bottle of Clos des Batuts Cahors Rouge 2009 (dense purple colour; spicy, oak, licorice and vanilla nose; dry and firm with a cherry flavour. Good value at $14.95 (88)).

Friday, March 15: Went down to St. Lawrence Market to pay the rest of bill for the lamb. Then Deborah dropped me at the LCBO, where Bill Redelmeier was putting on a tasting of 17 vintages of Southbrook wines for the Wine Writers’ Circle. There were 32 wines in all.

We began with wines made by Derek Barnett:

• 1991 Southbrook Cabernet Merlot (100% Reif Vineyard fruit): ruby with a tawny rim; redcurrant with oak notes on he nose; dry, still lively and fresh acidity, showing maturity but still drinkable; elegant. (89)
• 1992 Southbrook Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Reif Vineyard fruit): mature ruby; dry, gamey, firmly structured, medicinal note on the nose and green notes in the flavour. (87)
• 1993 Southbrook Cabernet Sauvignon: ruby with a tawny rim; oaky, drying out and lean with redcurrant flavours and a fine acidic spine. (86)
• 1994 Southbrook Lailey Cabernet Sauvignon: browning ruby; malty, vanilla nose; Bovril note, leather, dried out. (85)
• 1995 Southbrook Trillium Cabernet Merlot: mature ruby; cedar, redcurrant with spicy oak notes; well balanced, elegant and feminine. (90)
• 1995 Southbrook Lailey Merlot: good depth of colour; cedar, black currant, vanilla oak, rhubarb nose; dry, nicely balanced, firm. (88)
• 1997 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot (First time Triomphe appeared on the label): mature ruby; green vegetal note; drying fruit, lean with dry tannic finish. (86)
• 1998 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: ruby colour; cedar, cherry; dry, lean, firmly structured, blunt finish with drying tannins. (86)
• 1999 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: ruby colour; cedar, red berry with a papery note; mature and elegant, well balanced. (88)
• 2000 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby colour; lifted nose of leather and dried berries; claret-like, firmly structured, with a red apple finish. (89)
• 2001 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby; peanut shell, redcurrant nose; dry, firm with chalky tannin. (85)
• 2002 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby; red berry nose; nicely balanced, well structured, dry and claret-like. (89)

Colin Campbell and Steve Byfield were winemakers for the following wines:

• 2002 Southbrook Triomphus Watson Vineyard Cabernet Franc: ruby colour; cedar, floral note, red berry; well balanced, medium-bodied, lively acidity, ripe fruit; firm finish. (90)
• 2002 Southbrook Poetica Cabernet Merlot: mature ruby; elegant, blackcurrant, still fruity, great balance and lively on the palate. (90)
• 2005 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: dense, tawny ruby; mature, meaty nose; well extracted plum and prune flavours, mellow tannins with a leather. (88)

Ann Sperling winemaker:

• 2006 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot (the winery moves to Niagara): deep ruby; cedar, blackcurrant nose; well extracted currant flavours, firm structure; sweet fruit. Elegant, nicely balanced. Petit chateau style. (89+)
• 2006 Southbrook Poetica Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby colour; cedar, mushroom note on the nose; dry, firm, red berry fruit with a tight finish. (88)
• 2007 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby colour; cedar, milk chocolate nose; dry, lean and firm with a tannic finish, lean red berry flavour. (87)
• 2007 Southbrook Poetica Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby colour; cedar, currants; dry, elegant, firm, red berry flavours with well-integrated oak. (88)
• 2008 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot (Certified Biodynamic): deep ruby; jammy blackcurrant nose with a cedar note; well extracted fruit with a touch of volatile acidity. (86+)
• 2009 Southbrook Whimsy! Married Young Cabernet Merlot: deep ruby; spicy, white pepper, vanilla oak, red berry nose; sweet fruit, nicely balanced, firm with evident but soft tannins. (90)
• 2009 Whimsy! Renewed Vows Cabernet Franc: deep ruby colour; cedar, oak spice, vanilla nose; focussed red berry fruits flavours, coffee bean; elegant but firm. (89+)
• 2009 Southbrook Whimsy! Cabernet Merlot: dense ruby; well integrated nose of red berries and oak; sweet fruit with a lively acidic spine. (89)
• 2010 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon: dense ruby colour; cedar, vanilla oak, chocolate nose; rich and full, beautifully balanced, firmly structured, ripe red berry fruit. (90)
• 2010 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Franc: deep ruby; vanilla, toasty oak; dry, firm with a tannic finish, needs time. (89+)
• 2010 Southbrook Poetic Red: dense ruby; seamless nose, elegant, beautifully structured, Bordeaux style. Very elegant. (91)
• 2011 Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Franc: deep ruby; vanilla plum nose; well extracted, full on the palate; sweet fruit, firmly structured. Needs time. (89–90)
• 2010 Southbrook Whimsy! Chardonnay Lot 20: pale straw colour; spicy oak, sweet peach, elegant, toasty, nutty, flavours , great balance. (91)
• 2010 Southbrook Poetica Chardonnay: bright straw colour; undergrowth nose; soft, sweet, tropical fruit flavour; touch of bitterness on the finish. (88+)
• 2011 Southbrook Whimsy! “Damy” Chardonnay: straw colour; rich and full, beautifully balanced; full on the palate; great length. (90)
• 2001 Southbrook Whimsy! “Sirugue” Chardonnay: straw colour; forest floor, apple, toast nose; dry, spicy, apple and toast flavours; nutty, long finish. (91)
• 2011 Southbrook Whimsy! Winemaker’s White (1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Gris, 1/3 Muscat): medium straw colour; aromatic, apple. Peach nose; off-dry, lively acidity, medium-bodied with a bitter finish. (87)