Bouchard & Fils @ Royal Canadian Yacht Club, April 17

Luc Bouchard of Bouchard & Fils.

In business - and run by the Bouchard family - since 1731, Bouchard & Fils is one of the finest and most reliable producers in Burgundy. They only do what they do best: chardonnay and pinot noir. To find out more about the company and its history, visit their website.

I wish I could say that they are not on the ball financially at Bouchard & Fils and that the best one is the cheapest, but I can't. There seems to me a pretty solid correlaton between price and quality...

All wines by Bouchard & Fils, and all are the 2006 vintage.

The White Burgundies

Bourgogne Les Coteaux de Moines. $29
Muted nose of white fruit. Smooth and fresh on the palace. Acidity is crisp and the fruit flavours are there, but muted on the palate. Elegant. 89 points.

Mersault Les Clos. $61
Lovely nose of floral and oaky notes. Super smooth and elegant on the palate. Very clean and with some minerality too. Acidity rises nicely towards the finish, which includes butterscotch. 93 points.

Mersault Les Gouttes D'Or. $114
Richer nose with light fruit and butterscotch. Very rich yet fresh on the palate. Smoky notes and butter and a super smooth fresh finish that just goes on. 94 points.

Mersault Genievrieres. $114
More muted nose with smoky oak dominating. Rich and smooth on the palate, which has more smoky notes over white fruit. Fuller body. Terrific lingering finish that stays fresh. 95 points

Mersault Perrieres. $117
Smooth and complex nose, mineral notes as well as oak inspired notes of butter and toast. Super smooth and elegant on the palate. Perfect acidity, incredible finish. 95 points.

Corton-Charlemagne
One of the most famous white Burgundies, Corton-Charlemagne is "the best of the best" grand cru areas for chardonnay. Divided between the communes of Ladoix-Serrigny and Aloxe-Corton in the Cote de Beaune, there are a number of producers, and all of their wines are pricey. Bouchard's delivers both the high price and superb quality expected.

Corton-Charlemagne. $200
Super clean and fresh nose with lots of light white fruit aromas and maybe some honey notes too. Super smooth and medium-full on the palate with a sleek and delicate mix of flavours, including lemon and toast. Excellent lingering finish. I wrote "as good as it gets". 96 points

Montrachet
Another famous sub-district of Burgundy, Montrachet is also in the Cote de Beaune and is split into two areas - Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Hint: don't pronounce either "t". Bouchard's is from Puligny-Montrachet.

Chevalier-Montrachet. $394
Very rich yet fresh nose with muted floral notes as well. Fresh and punchy on the palate, even though the white fruit notes are very rich. There's some toast and butter in there too and the expected great, lengthy finish. 96 points.

The Red Burgundies

Bourgogne Les Couteaus des Moines. $29
Somewhat closed nose, but the rich red fruit is there, including cherries and cassis. Smooth and easy on the palate, the red fruit carries through, though again muted. Nice finish. 88 points.

Beaune Clos de la Mousse. $65
Very ripe nose with good red fruit and a slight animal note. Super smooth on the palate, which is full of fresh cherry fruit. Should become more complex as it ages Good finish. 91 points

Beaune Teurons. $64
Muted nose with dark red fruit and nice oaky notes evident. Super smooth on the palate, which is light even though the tannins are still high. Very muted and elegant red berry fruit, this one will get better as the tannins calm down. 92 points.

Volnay Caillerets. $96
Lovely pale ruby colour. Very fruity and spicy nose followed by lots and lots of dark red fruit on the palate. Acidity and tannins are both very high - and evident - so this one really isn't ready yet. It will age beautifully - hang on to it for three or more years and then try it. 93 points.

Volnay Clos de Chenes. $78
Rich nose of dark red fruit with some nice earthiness developing. Fresh on the palate, which is lightly fruity with lots of toasty, woody notes. Seriously nice finish that lingers. 94 points.

Gevrey-Chambertin. $62
Fresher and more intense nose of bright red fruit - there's even a slight candy note, which is usually bad, but which is good here. Earthy secondary notes are emerging nicely and acidity and tannins are still high - this will develop into a classic Burgundy pinot. Buy some and cellar it for a few years. 93 points.

Chambole-Musigny. $68
Super pale ruby colour. Quite fruity nose with little secondary development as yet. Super smooth and elegant on the palate, which is very fruity and has some spicy notes. Tannins and acidity still high, this is a terriic Burg that will age well. Loved this one and, relatively speaking, a bargain. 94 points.

Nuits -Saint-Georges Les Cailles. $126
The wistful memory of the lovely dinner at a cool yet "neighbourhood" restaurant in the 11th Arrondisement when it was just getting trendy, at which I first tasted a Nuits-Saint-George, means I pretty much love every wine from the commune. I loved M. Bouchard's effort too. Rich bold nose of dark red fruit with some nice secondary notes under. Richer than expected on the palate, where there's plenty more fruit and the secondary notes are just getting started. Acidity and tannins both high still, this one will be better in a few years. 93 points.

Clos-Vougeot. $210
Very elegantly pale ruby, which foreshadows the muted nose of lighter red fruit. There are already some earthy secondary notes under, but also muted. Acidity and tannins are high but balanced and there's smooth dark red fruit on the palate. Little secondary development yet, but this should be very fine indeed in a couple of years or more. Great finish. 94 points.

The wines of Bouchard Pere & Fils are distributed by Woodman Wines & Spirits. Call 416-767-5114 or visit their website.

Austrian Wines @ Rosehill Venue Lounge, April 15

The annual Austrian Trade Wine Fair rolled into town and of course had more than gruner veltliner on offer, but this is a focused report. The event was big and well attended, and a decent cross section of Austrian wines were available.

Austria is a cool climate region, with most of the wines produced in the less mountainous east of the country - actually pretty much along the borders with Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. There are lighter bodied reds like Blaufränkisch (Lemberger in Germany) and Zwiegelt, which can be nice if, well, which can be nice... but Austria does best with whites. Look for decent rieslings and, most importantly as it's the country's signature varietal, gruner veltliner.

Gruner Veltliner
It doesn't trip off the English tongue and sounds a bit like a diagnosis for a foot condition, but gruner veltliner is a terrific, zesty white. Usually very well priced, it's Vienna's white wine of choice. Gruner characteristics include the higher acidity and lower alcohol you'd expect from a cool climate, and typical fruit expressions include apple, honeydew melon, yellow plum and lemon. There are also often spicy and floral notes, and the overall feel is light and fresh.

It's a great summer/patio/sipping wine and would make a logical change from sauvignon blanc if you're looking for something similarly fresh and sharp, but, you know, different. Most of these are not available on a retail basis, but I include the notes to give a flavour of the styles of gruner velt. Excepting the first selection, prices, where available, are either estimates or the consigment price for restaurants when purchased by the case.

Sal'Mon Groovy Gruner Veltliner 2007. $12.95 (Vintages Release, May 24)
Krems
Well it's a clumsy attempt to join the fading "critter wine" trend ("I love salmon fish! They're so cute!"), and don't know what's up with the "groovy" as "gruner velt" is the abbreviation of choice here... Anyway, this wine  would actually go well with salmon, among other fish. Great characteristic nose with aromatic/floral notes and fresh citrus. The acidity is there, but it stays smooth on the palate, which has some yellow plum fruit. Dry, crisp and an OK finish. A good intro to Gruner Veltliner at a great price. 87 points.

High End Gruners

Nicolaihof  Gruner Veltliner 2005. $28.95
Wachau
Here's the high end - a richer and darker nose, though the spice and aromatics are there. Light and fresh on the palate though, with great acidity, nice lemon fruit and a terrific lingering finish. 90 points.

Nicolaihof Gruner Veltliner 2006. $69.95
Wachau
Muted nose, but rich with white fruit. Smooth and fresh on the palate with great acidity, good structure and a lively finish with a bit of toast on the finish, which lingers. 90 points.

Weingut Angerer Kurt Gruner Veltliner 2007.
Kamptal
Beautiful fresh nose with spicy notes as well as floral. Rich on the palate with good white fruit and some nice complexity under, good acidity keeping things fresh. Nice finish. 88 points

Weingut Durnberg Gruner Veltliner 2007. $12-14 (no Ont. representation yet: advice to agents - sign them up!)
Weinviertel
Their entry level gruner is everything it should be: fresh, simple and fun. Lots of acidity, clean fresh taste, a muted but decent amount of fruit and a nice finish. A great bet for restaurants to buy on consigment: triple the price of this one no problem. 87 points.

Weingut Durnberg Gruner Veltliner 2007. $14-15
Weinviertel
Fresh and lively nose with lemon and white fruit. Rich and fruity on the palate with more lemon notes over a solid amount of white fruit. Nice finish. 88 points

Winzer Krems Sandgrube 13 Gruner Veltliner 2007. $11
Niederosterreich
Fresh light nose with white fruit and floral notes. Good acidity. This one's a little low key all round, but a good introduction to the grape. OK finish. 86 points

Winzer Krems Sandgrube 13 Edition Chremisa Gruner Veltliner 2007. $20
Niederosterreich
Lovely muted nose with spicy and mineral notes. Nice body with a richer, softer palate. It's still fresh though, with some lemon notes and yellow plum. Nice finish. 89 points.

Weingut Loimer Gruner Veltliner 2007. $28
Kamptal
The expected fresh and fruity nose with floral notes on this pricier example of the grape. Rich and fruity on the palate - definitely more full bodied than most, which perhaps explains the price. The heavier fruit is balance by creat acidity and there's a nice finish with a hint of spiciness. 88 points.

Weingut Polsterer Gruner Veltliner 2007. $16.50
Wagram
Fresh and spicy nose with white fruit and floral notes as well. Fresh and lively on the palate, though a bit round. A good match with mild cheese. OK finish. 87 points

Weingut Allram Range - $22 to 25.

Alte Reben Strasser Hasel Klassik Gruner Veltliner 2007. Nice nose of rich white fruit, fresh and zesty on the palate. Very light bodied and the alcohol is a bit evident. OK finish. 87 points.

Strasser Gaisberg Klassik Gruner Veltliner 2007. Very fresh nose with apple, plum and spice. Full on the palate, which has more floral and spice. A bit simple, but very nice. OK finish. 88 points.

Strasser Gaisberg Klassik Gruner Veltliner 2006. Lightly aromatic nose with muted floral notes. Fairly full on the palate with muted white fruit, lemon notes and good acidity. The alcohol again is a bit evident, but nice finish. 88 points. 

Strasser Gaisberg Klassik Gruner Veltliner 2005. Smoother, richer nose with more muted floral aromas. Acidity very fresh still and more floral notes and a bit of citrus on the palate. OK finish. 88 points.  

Weingut Zahel Gruner Veltliner 2006. $19.40
Wien
A capital example from the capital. Bolder nose with lots of white fruit and a bit of spice. Smooth and rich on the palate, but the fresh acidity is there. Apple fruit and nice lemon notes too. Good finish. 89 points.

Weingut Leth Gruner Veltliner Klassik 2007.
Wagram
Very muted nose of light white fruit. There's a bit of an undertone on the palate, but good acidity and some spiciness. OK finish. 87 points.

Weingut Leth Gruner Veltliner Brunnthal Reserve 2007
Wagram
Very muted nose on this one, made with grapes from 35-40 year old vines and harvested later than usual. It's richer on the palate, and though the alcohol is 13.5%, it's not obvious. There is some white fruit and lemon too. OK finish. 87 points.

Weingut Manfred Felsner Gruner Veltliner Moosburgerin 2007. $19
Neiderosterreich
Light, fruity nose with honeydew melon and apple. Fresh, smooth, light. Good acidity, OK finish. 87 points

Weingut Manfred Felsner Gruner Veltliner Alte Reben 2007. $25
Neiderosterreich
Manfred's step up is more muted on the nose and richer on the palate. There's nice fresh green apple fruit on the palate, good acidity and a nicer finish. 88 points.

Italian Wines @ InQuattro Fashion Group, Yorkville, April 14

The event was Italian, so the great fashion was no surprise. And the food was ... sushi.

The InQuattro fashion emporium is an odd cross between a high end fashion boutique and an office: the periphery of the big old converted church on Hazelton Avenue is a well laid out display of Europe's top names in fashion: Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Dirk Bikkembergs and others, while the centre is glass cubicle offices. Odd. No cash tills were evident, so it's probably not a retail outlet.

The fashionistas were there in force: tall and beautiful models, including a gaggle of chatty Russian girls, well-dressed older women, thirtysomething gays in elaborately "edgy" outfits better suited to their twentysomething counterparts (if only they could afford them...) and the inevitable accessory of any moneyed event: straight men in conservative suits. 

The wine selection was small and very inexpensive. But interesting. The idea was to show some Italian wines that work well with sushi. Here are my two favourites:

Fondo Antico 2005 Grillo Parlante $14.85 (at Vintages)
In the original Italian version of Pinnochio, the "grillo parlante" was just that: the talking cricket. Walt Disney called him Jiminy Cricket. Grillo (the double l's equal "y" in Italian) is also the name of the grape is used, along with catarratto bianco, to make marsala. However, that rich fortified Sicilian wine has fallen out of favour in the market and now grillo is being made into a dry wine.

This wine has a rich almost golden colour and an interesing aroma, including floral notes. On the palate, it's both full bodied and very dry. There's a good amount of ripe white fruit and decent acidity. OK finish. It worked well enough with the sushi, but it's just fine on its own. 88 points.

Zenato 2006 Bardolino Chiaretto (Rosé) $12.85 (at Vintages)
Fairly bright orange-pink colour on this nice full rosé. Lots of fruit, including cherries and red berries, but nicely dry. Acidity level is good and there's a nice lingering finish with more fruit and a nutty note. Although rosés are never expensive, this represents particularly good value. 88 points.

Jamie Drummond Gets Canadian @ JKWB April 9

Taittinger Dinner @ The Albany Club. March 31

Canadian agents Pacific Wines organized a terrific champagne dinner hosted by Taittinger's charming export director Ambroise Bobtcheff.

Originally from Alsace, which he pronouces with a "z", Ambroise travels the world promoting Taittinger's champagnes. He visited Montreal last week, Toronto on Monday and Tuesday, and has continued on to Calgary and Vancouver.

Ambroise provided background information on Taittinger, as well as a summary of each of the wines. He asked me about tasting notes devoted to champagne and why there weren't more of them. My theory, which I cemented after my Champagne visit in October, is that the trouble is it's pretty much all good: the Champagne AOC is so rigorous that very few poor or so-so quality champagnes make it to market. Thus buyers don't really need that much guidance. In France and England it's possible to find supermarket and retailer branded blends of champagnes at prices under $20, and some of these can be less than stellar. But here in Canada, with our relatively low consumption levels, we tend to get the higher quality product.

Taittinger is of course one of the Grandes Marques of Champagne, so it's no surprise that the wines were excellent. Read about my visit there. For these tasting notes, I include the food pairings too, all of which worked very well. All champagnes are by Taittinger. The Brut Reserve is currently available at Vintages, contact Jason at Pacific Wines in Toronto for information about availability of the others.

Blanc de Blancs, Comtes De Champagne 1998 ($160)
Served at the reception
Very pale, delicate on the nose. Beautifully smooth and youthful on the palate. Acidity is good, there's some honey and brioche as well as some vanilla. The only sign of "vintage" seemed to be a bit of nuttiness and a hint of wet leaves. Great lingering finish with more honey and brioche and other notes giving complexity. Smooth and elegant, this will last for years to come. 95 points

Brut Réserve ($59)
Camembert Cappuccino with Hazelnut and Grapes
My general rule is "serve your best first", but after only one glass of the amazing Comtes, this "house" blend seemed a bit of a shock. However my palate recalibrated quickly enough and the food pairing was superb. Bigger, more aggressive bubbles in this one and great acidity. The acidity and fairly bold fruit, including some citrus, matched well with the creamy and delicious soup (which contained no coffee that I could taste...). This is a lively champagne with a good finish. 89/90 points.

Prelude Brut ($82.95)
Warm Pan Seared Jumbo Digby Scallops with Ontario Speck Bacon & Chervil Butter Sauce
The grapes are all from the “100%” (Grand Cru) vineyards so even though it's non-vintage, the higher quality shines through. Very fresh and light nose with some interesting secondary notes. Very bubbly on the palate, which has a fresh and elegant feel and lots of fruit.  Flavours of butter and brioche are also present and the finish is great. 94 points. This is Ambroise's favourite.

Brut Millesime 2002 ($73)
Baked Choice Veal Tenderloin with Herb Crust, Pinot Noir & Porcini Cream 
Fairly delicate nose with a little bit of fruitiness. Smooth and elegant on the palate, it worked beautifully with the herb crust - though I wondered if it might seem fruitier on its own. Nice and full on the palate, good bubbles, nice finish with some nice citrus. 90 points.

Prestige Rosé ($72.95)
Flourless Bitter Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Stewed Morello Cherries
Ambroise told us they cannot supply enough of this to meet demand because of the rosé boom. This one has a fairly bold reddish-pink colour and a very good nose with red fruit. It's a real mouth-filler too, with good bubbles and lots of rich red fruit, including cherries and berries. It worked superbly with the chocolate, becoming even richer and fruitier against the dark chocolate, and with a great finish. I tend to prefer paler and more delicate rosés, but this is a knockout. Ambroise said that this rosé doesn't rely on "skin contact" for the colour, but includes a small amount of pinot noir wine. 92 points.

Two Buck Chuck @ Thunderbird Motel, Savannah. March 22

As I learned in Atlanta, this California marketing phenomenon is still around.

Launched by the California-based Trader Joe's supermarket chain in 2001, the Charles Shaw Blend wines went on sale for the unbelievable price of $1.99 as the Bronco wine company took advantage of the huge glut of wine grapes at the turn of the century.

Before setting out to beautiful Savannah, picking up some snacks at a supermarket seemed like a good idea and the nearest supermarket was Trader Joe's - a name I recognized from the wine press. In addition to "sweet lemons", which looked like orange coloured lemons and tasted like sour/bitter oranges, Trader Joe's had a large stack of "Charles Shaw Blend" wines at the end of the wine aisles. Seeing the price ($2.49), I realized it was Two Buck Chuck and had to get some. Although the store wasn't too busy, half a dozen people grabbed bottles as perhaps two people browsed the two aisles of other wines. Price for a case: $29.88.

Charles Shaw Blend Merlot 2005. $2.49
After opening the real cork and pouring, there's a nice medium ruby colour and a moderately fruity - and slightly candied - nose. Very smooth on the palate. No evident tannins and moderate to low acidity, indeterminate red fruit and again a candied quality. Extremely easy drinking. No complexity and a forgettable finish. Put a "1" in front of the price, though, and mix it in with product at the LCBO or The Wine Rack, and not many would think it a rip-off. Quite impressive for the price.

Gotta get some? Nearest location is Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and there are five other stores in metro Detroit. Wine prices vary from state to state, but you can be sure it will be the cheapest one on the shelves.

Don Melchor @ the Royal York. March 6

Backed by the financial muscle of Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest wine producer (21 million cases per year), the high-end Don Melchor marque benefits from state of the art winemaking facilities and enough staff to hand-sort the berries at harvest. The obsessive dedication of Tirado is the final touch: he is constantly experimenting with blends and analyzing the results. Tirado has worked out exactly which blocks in the 114 hectare property produce the best grapes, as well as the maximum amount of cabernet franc to put in the blend: “it rounds out the tannins, but if the percentage is above 6%, it thins the wine too much,” said Tirado.

Grappa @ LCBO Summerhill February 25

Order of Canada recipient Tony Aspler organized a tasting of grappa with an interesting twist: a series differentiated by the grapes used. In other words, "cabernet" grappa, "prosecco" grappa, etc.

Grappa is a double distilled brandy made from the pomace, or residue (mainly skins), left over after winemaking. In France, the same process is used to make marc. Alcohol levels are high - usually 38%, but they can go above 60% - and it is generally served as a digestif (digestivo) after a big dinner. It's usually clear, though a few grappas are barrel-aged and these can look like whiskies.

Aspler visited Bottega, the world's largest producer of grappa, located about 50km from Venice. The Bottega family had been in the wine and grappa business for generations, but in the 1980s, Sandro and Stefano Bottega implemented a new distillation system that made for lower-alcohol and finer tasting grappa. "Sandro Bottega is the original Energizer Bunny," Tony told us, noting that not only has he introduced new distilling methods and dozens of styles, he also designs a vast range of bottles.

Fascinating grappa facts: it takes around 10kg of grape skins to make 1L of grappa, though only 8kg if the skins are from amarone. The post-distillation product will be around 70% alcohol, so it must be watered down.

The Taste
We tried a number of different grappas but, apart from the "Moscato", made from the very flavourful and aromatic muscat grape, it was frankly impossible to discern any characteristics of the grapes. Tony also says you should NOT swirl a glass of grappa "because the alcohol is so strong it will anaesthetize your nose." It should be noted that the Bottega grappas were generally very smooth and  were all very much grappas: only by tasting them side-by-side can the flavour differences be teased out. The grappas cost around $50 a bottle and are available through Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.

Grappa di Moscato - pleasantly grapey nose, this is the only one I thought possibly characteristic of its grape. Slightly sweet on the palate, grapey notes.

Grappa di Cabernet - less sweet, less fragrant, darker notes.

Grappa di Brunello di Montalchino - faintly fruity nose, smooth on the palate, some vanilla.

Grappa di Greco di Tufo - very similar to the brunello, but a spicy note.

Grappa di Falanghina - very dry and smooth, again with some spice notes.

Grappa di Primitivo Principi Aldobrandini - very powerful, with darker notes.

Grappa di Nero d'Avola - lightly fruity, hint of spice, and "very pleasant". This one was my favourite.

Alexander Platinum Grappa - arrgghhh! Freaky mirrored bottle and freakish 60% alcohol. Pure firewater, no discernable flavours. This one costs more too: $69.95. "Who would drink this and when?" I asked the gathered company. Responses were varied, but I liked "Italian women on their wedding night".

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 Visit his website for more details on Tony Aspler's visit to Bottega.

Read about Bottaga's history here.

Get even more information about grappa on Wikipedia.