The Gala Dinner: (another) Vintage Evening - January 20th, 2011

We were fortunate to have the wonderful Tramonto Restaurant at the River Rock Resort Casino all to ourselves on this perfect evening.  Executive Chef Sylvain Cuerrier and his expert staff went all out for us.  His specially chosen menu was not only expertly prepared but also superbly matched to our 2001 Cellar choices.  Everything was utterly delicious at our annual Gala Dinner.

Reds all lined up and ready to go

The wines were in phenomenal shape, showing that Australian wines will age extremely well.  One of them, the d'Arenberg Bonzai Vines McLaren Vale GSM, was very youthful, drinking like a 2 year old wine!  It still has many good years ahead of it.

The staff of the restaurant were very professional and we were provided with excellent service.  Thank you to all!

Dining Room at Tramonto

Standout Pairings/Standout Wines

• Pine Mushroom Ragout, Sable Fish, Ashed Quebec Artisan Goat Cheese, Motoyaki Glaze, with Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling 2001 - The still-bright acidity of this beautiful mature Riesling pierced through the luscious texture of this dish to provide textbook flavors, and paired especially well with the  Motoyaki.  Fabulous.

Pewsey Vale Riesling Eden Valley 2001

• Truffled Cauliflower Veloute, Parmigiano Reggiano, with Cockfighter's Ghost Tasmania Pinot Noir 2005 - Layers of harmony here, with the earthy nature of this superb Tasmania Pinot working well with the mild truffle, while suiting the Parmigiano component perfectly. 

Two delicious 2005 Pinot's - Cockfighters Ghost Tasmania 
and Mt. Difficulty Central Otago

• A duo of Braised Pork Cheek, Venison Style, and Pork Fore Shoulder Roast, Parsnip Puree, Australian Shiraz Confit, Vichy style Carrots, Dauphin Potato, with Warrenmang Pyrenees Victoria Shiraz 2001 - The intentionally rustic, old fashioned style of this dish was well suited to a moderate, traditional shiraz like the Warrenmang.  A real feast of flavors! 

-Randy Saunders

Tasting note: A tale of two Xanadu's

Xanadu is in the Margaret River area of Western Australia.  In 2005 this winery was purchased by the Rathbone Family (who also own Yering Station, Mount Langi Ghiran, and Parker Coonawarra Estate), and since then the wines have gone from strength to strength.

Margaret River is one of Australia's greatest areas for Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines.  Comparisons are often made with Bordeaux, but the region is a bit warmer and drier than Bordeaux and the wines generally show a riper, more immediate appeal.

Recently, Western Australia has had a string of superb vintages, starting with the 2007 wines, and we are fortunate to have a couple of good examples available in our local marketplace.

The first wine we are featuring today is Next of Kin Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River 2008.  This is Xanadu's entry-level wine, but it is made by the same team as their icon wines and it has estate grown fruit, including a bit of Merlot.  The wine even received 30% new oak treatment.  Don't be scared away by the price point; it provides excellent value and drinks well above it's $16 price tag.

"Medium Ruby color.  Clean nose offer cedar pencil and blackcurrant.  Medium bodied, showing good varietal definition, with ripe cassis flavors that flood the palate.  Bright acidity and fine tannins provide structure.  Nice finish too.  Very good and recommended."  14%, Stelvin.  Available at BC Liquor Stores and many private outlets too.

Our next wine is Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River 2008.  Same vintage, but this wine is a notch above the first one, with richer and fuller flavors.  A new release in BC Liquor Stores, it is mostly Cabernet, with 9% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot blended in.  This wine is superb.

"Garnet color.  Lovely high-toned nose shows pure cassis and a whiff of oak.  Bright acidity mates well with blackcurrant and a touch of mint, flowing onto a very lengthy finish with the finest of tannins.  This is a polished, sophisticated wine that is utterly delicious.  Excellent.  Could be cellared for a few years, but why bother?  It's mighty fine right now."  14%, Stelvin.  Priced at $25 in BC Liquor Stores.

It is interesting to note that these wines sell for less here than they do in Australia!  Enjoy them while they are priced right.....

- Randy Saunders

Two Hands with Michael Twelftree - October 25th, 2010

Two Hands Wines is based in the Barossa Valley.  It was started in 1999 and has gone from strength to strength with it's wines.  We were privileged to have proprietor Michael Twelftree join us and tell us about these wines and his philosophy of winemaking.

Michael Twelftree

Michael is a truly interesting fellow with a viewpoint that is often unique yet spot on.  He has championed regional expression and single-vineyard uniqueness with his wines, which are consistently done in a bold, forward and delicious style.  Two Hands sources grapes from every major region in South Australia.  It was very interesting to taste the differences between the different areas, showing that Australian wines can truly have a sense of place, or "terroir".

We were fortunate to taste nine fantastic wines while Michael described the associated sites, vintages and winemaking techniques used.

This tasting was held at the Listel Hotel.  Executive Chef Chris Whittaker prepared excellent plates to pair with the wines.  All of the appetizers were delicious, particularly the Red-Wine Braised Pemberton Meadows Shortrib Tartlet with Poplar Grove Tiger Blue Cheese.

Standout Wines: 

"The Lucky Country" Shiraz/Grenache 2009:  "Highly perfumed nose showing bright cherry leads to a palate of wonderful dark fruits, blueberries and spices.  Has excellent length and is great value at only $20."  Currently available in BC Liquor Stores.

Two Hands "Bad Impersonator" Shiraz Barossa Valley 2006 -  "Very aromatic, high-toned nose.  Medium bodied, showing good acidity.  Plummy yet distinguished - long, long finish.  This single vineyard wine is distinctly Un-Barossa in style.  Could body-double for a fine Northern Rhone wine.  Really interesting to drink."

Two Hands "Samantha's Garden" Shiraz Clare Valley 2006 -  "Nose of White Pepper and Blackberry.  Fruit continues into the palate, complimented by Cocoa.  Finishes with fine tannins and great length.  Fantastic."

For additional information about Two Hands, visit their website at  www.twohandswines.com .

-Randy Saunders

Tasting Note: Yalumba Organic Shiraz 2010

Now here is a little gem that I found hiding in the "Organic" section of my local Signature store.

Yalumba Organic Shiraz South Australia 2010 is a new release and I decided to try it.  I am glad that I did.

The price point was very attractive so I couldn't leave it in the store.  After finishing the bottle, I checked my receipt to make sure I wasn't mistaken about the price I remembered.  I wasn't.  And I actually went back to buy another one to be sure it was as good as I thought.  And it was.

So then I dug a little deeper.  My research revealed that the wine is made using organic winemaking techniques, is wild yeast fermented, with very little intervention in the process.  The grapes come from three family owned, organically certified vineyards in South Australia.

Sounds expensive, doesn't it?

"Ruby color. Smells like ripe plums, with a whiff of white pepper.  Blueberry and a hint of dark chocolate come forward on a nicely fruity palate.  Medium bodied with some fine tannins.  Bright acidity adds a zesty component.  This wine is really young and tight right now but it benefits from air, opening up nicely.  Flavors and finish both last.  Very Syrah and Very Good."  14.5%, Stelvin.

So how about only $17 at BC Liquor Stores?  It's a steal.  And I highly recommend it.

-Randy Saunders

Exploring McLaren Vale with Mark Davidson - Sept 30th, 2010

(This will be the first of a series of retrospective blog posts describing the events of our 2010/2011 season.)

We were excited to be in a new venue, the Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle Downtown.  Mark Davidson was kind enough to join us and guide us through nine interesting wines, accompanied by a delicious 5 course meal especially selected and prepared for us by Executive Chef James Burnett.

Mark Davidson

This event showed us the tremendous diversity of wines that are beginning to come out of McLaren Vale.  This region has a wealth of wine types and styles.

Many thanks to Mark and the extremely professional staff at the Marriott Pinnacle.

Standout Dishes:

- Roast Duck Breast, Sour Cherry Reduction, Celeriac Puree

- Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, Port Soaked Figs

Standout Wines:

Red Heads Studio Nebbiolo 2005

Pertaringa "The Full Fronti" 20 year old Liqueur Frontignac NV

- Randy Saunders