Berserkers,
A number of board members here in Toronto attended the prestigious biennial Halpern Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival this past Friday. Halpern is one of the largest, if not THE flat out largest, wine agencies here in Toronto. This event is their prestigious charity portfolio wine tasting in support of both the Toronto General Hospital and the Toronto Western Hospital, both part of the University Health Network.
The event was held at the Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto from 1:30 to 6:30 pm and took up the entire display floor which was riddled with tables and tables full of high end unicorn wines. The entire space was packed with happy attendees and I struck up many conversations with excited wine aficionados as I went from table to table. Many of them were manned by representatives from the wineries and distilleries themselves, many of whom traveled either from the United States or direct from their home countries. I made sure to thank those that traveled far in order to attend the show when I stopped by their tables.
First some words about the event itself and then on the wines. Everything was extremely well organized and attendance was massive. The sheer number of both attending wineries/distillers – 82 in all – and attending imbibers meant that fancy displays were out of the question. Tables were laid out in rows with each house having a table in front to serve and a table behind to hold their wines. The portfolio booklet was a large 200 page full size 8” by 11” booklet which made it easy to find producers and specific products. Unlike the California Wine Festival, plenty of time was allotted for everyone to get to almost everything they wanted to try.
Note that I said almost. Given the sheer size of the event and number of tables, it was impossible to get to every single producer and it was definitely impossible to get to every wine even with the generous time allotment. Once I realized this at the midway point, I took a break and went through the massive booklet to knock off specific producers and specific wines I wanted to get to within the remaining time.
Food and refreshment was wisely kept to a pair of lavish cheese and antipasto tables and fresh water. With the sheer quantity of wines to try, any more food would have been both time consuming and distracting. The sheer joy and energy traveling throughout the crowd made for a great event. People were excited to drink and learn and I both imparted and received wine knowledge from pros and attendees alike, literally from the walk up to the event onwards. Despite the many high-end unicorn wines, there was no pretentiousness at all and a good time was had by all. A definite thank you to Halpern for putting on the fantastic event and to those who traveled from far and wide to pour their wines and spirits.
Due to the sheer quantity of notes to go through, I will do things a bit differently and list each individual producer and a brief note on each wine of theirs I tasted as well as interesting conversations and imparted knowledge from each as I gathered it.
BARON DE ROTHSCHILD CHAMPAGNE: Great talk between a small crowd and I was with and the reps as we differed between those who love the “heavy” rich yeasty baked apple flavors and those like me who love the “light” or “lean” style with a lighter body, high acidity and more citrus/green apple/pineapple flavors. I do worship Cristal, after all. I’ve always known about that divide in Champagne styles personally but this is the first time I actively engaged in a group conversation about it. Even split among that preference.
NV BRUT ROSE – Refreshing and well-balanced between the cranberry and watermelon fruit. A very slight lean towards citrusy. Was very popular.
2008 BLANC DE BLANCS – Crisp, refreshing and laser-like lemon-lime flavor. Did somebody mention citrusy?
ROBERT BIALE VINEYARDS: I met owner Dave Pramuk who assured me they were OK from the wildfires. Great conversation on the love of Zinfandel and I complemented their ability to give Cali Zinfandel the lighter body of a Pinot Noir but the full flavor of a Zin, specifically noting the Rocky Ridge which is my favorite of theirs.
2017 PARTY LINE ZINFANDEL – Did I mention light Pinot like body from a flavorful Zinfandel? Here’s one, which they intended to be an easy drinking every day Zinfandel. They definitely found the formula. Reminded me of the Rocky Ridge immediately which is how the conversation above came about.
2017 BLACK CHICKEN – This is more of the Cali style of Zin most people know with rich red fruit, smooth tannins, strong aromas and a dense structure. This said, it is also restrained and does not overwhelm.
2017 ROYAL PUNISHERS PETITE SYRAH – Dave went into their love of Petite Syrah and poured this for me. I’m not sure he’d like to read this but… boy did this make me fall out of love with the Black Chicken but fast, this was so good. Ridiciously smooth in texture, rich and full of blueberry and cassis flavor. I’m sure Dave could tell I was blown away because a big smile crossed his face as he saw me drink it. I’m not sure which one of was happier in that moment.
EGON MULLER: Extremely popular table. The reps told me they feel that their QBA Riesling is meant to be drunk on its own and their Prädikatswein line to be taken with food. I can see their point after this tasting.
2018 SCHARZHOF QBA RIESLING – Crisp, dry, laser like acidity, fresh lemon-lime flavor. Extremely refreshing. Fantastic wine.
2018 SCHARZHOFBERGER KABINETT – A touch of sweetness, high acidity, fresh lemon-lime, but everything is somewhat muted by a surprising touch of leesy brioche. I actually preferred the QBA above.
2018 SCHARZHOFBERGER SPATLESE – A stunning perfectly balanced Spatlese. Fruit sweetness, high acidity, fresh lemon-lime and pineapple flavor, waffles perfectly between sweet and dry on the palate. Surpasses even Donhoff and J.J. Prum.
2018 WILTINGER BRAUNE KUPP AUSLESE – Extremely elegant Auslese, the sweetness and lemon-lime evaporate in the palate and the finish goes on forever. Easily the single best Auslese I have ever had.
MARCHESI FUMANELLI
2015 AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO – This beautiful Amarone is full of rich red fruit, smoke, cocoa, a touch of green pepper, and a very light touch of sweetness on the finish. Still a bit tannic. Definitely needs food.
GERALD TREMBLAY
2018 CHABLIS 1ER CRU FOURCHAUME – Classic Chablis, crisp and steely with lots of fresh green apple and clean acidity.
FAMILLE HUGEL: I had a great conversation with their rep on a question that’s always bothered me and which I once posted to the board itself. Alsace makes the finest white wines in the world, so why aren’t they making the finest red wines in the world with the finest red grape a.k.a. Pinot Noir. In fact they do, but right now Pinot Noir comprises a mere 4% of Alsace plantings but he confidently predicted that it would rise up to 20% in the future. The two main issues Alsace faces with Pinot Noir is that Burgundy has a 2000 year head start on Alsace but, more importantly, planting more Pinot Noir requires ripping up current vines and no Alsacian producer will rip out any Pinot Gris to make room as it is their top seller. Now that last big was interesting info to me, particularly as a Pinot Gris lover. I’d always assumed Gewurztraminer is Alsace’s top seller but this is not the case per the Hugel rep.
2017 RIESLING CLASSIC – Crisp and dense for Riesling with decent acidity. Good but could not possibly to hope to follow in the Egon Muller’s QBA footsteps.
2013 RIESLING GROSSI LAUE – Single vineyard Riesling. High acidity, very lean and mineral. Places priority on structure over the fruit.
2016 GEWURTRAMINER CLASSIC – Full of rose petals and ginger spice, light bodied and extremely floral. I noted this out loud which started another conversation with Hugel’s rep, who informed me that Hugel strives to make their Gewurz restrained, as it is a grape that can turn into a heavy wine but quick. They want theirs to be light and floral.
2010 GEWURZTRAMINER VENDANGE TARDIVE – Boy am I glad I have a couple of bottles of their 2008 vintage of this. Intense fruit sweetness balanced out by a light body and great floral aromatics. Exceptional and delicious.
2012 PINOT NOIR GROSSI LAUE – And speaking of Alsacian Pinot Noir… redolent with bright red and sour cherry flavor just like a Burgundy but with one exceptional difference – the texture. Not a tannin in sight, light bodied and smooth on the palate. Very similar to a California Pinot Noir from a top maker like Adam Siduri or Jaime Kutch in that regard. Completely justifies my theory that Alsace should grown and make more Pinot Noir. If more of this were available, I honestly would never touch Burgundy and only drink Alsacian and California Pinot Noir. Damn near perfect but with one important caveat: I’m not sure this has the stuffings to age as well as a Burgundy and I’d be more inclined to drink sooner rather than later simply due to the lack of tannin which acts somewhat as a preservative in wine.
JERMANN
2017 WHERE DREAMS HAVE NO END – A very fragrant and tropical Chardonnay with lots of fruit on the palate and nose. Reminds me of a classic French fruit salad with vanilla syrup dressing. I rarely think of Chardonnay as a tropical wine but this pulls it off with gusto.
MACULAN
2016 PALAOTTO CABERNET SAUVIGNON – Rich smoke and tannin on this wine currently dominate the fruit. Needs some time in the cellar.
2016 FRATTA – Perfect emulation of the French Bordeaux style. Rich red fruit, substantial structure and tannin with a touch of tobacco.
2015 TORCOLATO – A Passito from native Vespaiola grapes. Delicious candied lemon with a touch of smoke and a touch of caramel.
MARCO FELLUGA
2018 COLLIO SAUVIGNON – This Italian Sauvignon Blanc has deep grassy flavors and warm tropical grapefruit flavors. Reminiscent of Cali SB, actually. Good though I personally prefer the New Zealand style.
2016 COLLIO COL DISORE – This complex and delicious white blend of Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, Fruilano and Ribolla Gialla is full of tropical white fruit and shifts back and forth between tropical and steely, dry and sweet. Grapefruit and dragon fruit flavor with a touch of cream and almond milk and salinity.
POL ROGER: One of my top favorite Champagne producers alongside Louis Roederer. I told the rep that I Had been advised previously by sommeliers to forgo NV Champagne for exclusive vintage Champagne in my own collection and that I actually got both the 08 Vintage Brut and 08 Vintage Brut from the LCBO. His feeling was that Vintage Champagne is best paired with food but that he personally drinks a lot more NV champagne overall, especially on its own.
2009 BRUT ROSE VINTAGE – Fresh and creamy, with lots of red berries and a touch of Bermagot. The rep told me they strive to make a memorable Rosé that immediately brings berries to mind for the drinker. They definitely succeeded.
2006 SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL – Hugely complex Champagne that starts off with the light crystalline body and fresh green apple of their Vintage Brut before suddenly veering off into a rich warm and nutty almost Sherry like complexity. The fruit and crystal body return on the finish and mix with the richness for an insanely complex Champagne. The only other Champagne I’ve ever had even close to this was the 1997 Sensation and that needed 21 years to come anywhere near this. Though I still personally prefer Cristal for its purity, I have to acknowledge that this is just incredible.
SILVER OAK
2014 NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON – The wine has a smoky finesse and a touch of phenolic bitterness that somewhat dominates the black cherry fruit flavor. Not what I was expecting but certainly a quality wine.
2015 TWOMEY MERLOT – I have a soft spot for Twomey as they make the first Cali Merlot and Cali Pinot I fell for when I finally started transitioning to dry table wine. And true to their style, they make a light bodied Merlot that defies expectations the way Biale defies with their Zins. The full red fruit flavor, herbaceousness and a touch of smoke lets you know it’s still Cali Merlot.
2015 TWOMEY RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIR – light bodied, sour cherries, a little green pepper in there. Decent and good job making it lighter than you would expect from Cali Pinot. I feel their Merlot is their true superstar when comparing the two together, though.
OVID: I asked Ovid’s rep if the stronger fruitiness I detected in the 2014 was due to the higher amount of Cab Franc in the blend. He informed that it was not a result of blend composition but rather of the vintage itself.
2014 PROPIETARY RED – 60% Cab Sauv, 35% Cab Franc, 5% Merlot. Deep smoke and potent red fruit flavor. Great Meritage blend that proved an interesting contrast to its younger sibling.
2016 PROPIETARY RED – 66% Cab Sauv, 23% Cab Franc, 8% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. This was less fruit forward than the 2014 but also had much more finesse, far more than you’d expect from such a young Meritage.
GRAPPA NONINO: Youngest daughter Elisabetta of the famous Nonino family flew all the way from Italy to attend the show and pour. She smiled as I recalled the importance her mother had in particular in bringing Italian grappa to prominence. They emphasize using high quality single varietal grape pomace sourced from all over Italy.
NONINO L’APERITIVO – Relatively new product that seeks to capitalize on Vermouth’s renaissance. The botanicals are macerated in a mix of pure grain spirit and their Monovitigno Fragolino grappa and then blended in with wine. A little higher ABV than most standard Vermouth at 21%. Great lemon verbeana and herbal botanical flavor. Served on ice at the event. They were also mixing with Prosecco but I would recommend using soda water instead.
GRAPPA MONOVITIGNO MOSCATO – This grappa is from Muscat pomace and has a soft texture that holds a rich sweet woodsy flavor with the expected high heat. Beautiful floral aroma. Elisabetta actually had some in a spray bottle for attendees to smell as she sprayed it in the air and I explained to some attendees that it is a custom in Italy to use grappa as a perfume, causing Elisabetta to smile at my knowledge of this.
GRAPPA NONINO RISERVA 5 YEARS – Although the show booklet stated she would be serving the Vendemmia 18 Months Riserva and she actually had a small bottle present, Elisabetta actually served the more prestigious Riserva 5 years out of a giant showpiece bottle. Blended and distilled from Cabernet, Merlot and Schiopettino pomace, this is rich and oaky with sherry influence. Complex flavor of baked berry compote, almonds, nuts and caramel.
PIRUS NONINO – This was the first of two major discoveries. This is their version of a French Poire Williams brandy and this absolutely kills any of those I’ve ever had. Warm and lush fully ripened pear flavor that mixes smoothly with the heat. I remarked to Elisabetta that it was in fact better than any Poire Williams I’ve ever had and she smiled and told me that Nonino only distills from fresh fruit and never uses frozen fruit like the French do. I had no idea that they did that and it certainly explains a lot. This was superb.
PRUNELLA MANDORLATA NONINO – This amber colored prune liqueur is soft and sweet and surprises with not the flavor of dried plums but rather chocolate covered cherries. I actually asked Elisabetta if I was correct in identifying that ans eh smiled and proclaimed I was correct. Really delicious and not at all what I was expecting.