Offline Dinner in Vancouver
Bill Spohn
as he would be in the relatively close neighbourhood (lecturing in Seattle),
that he could 'pop up' to Vancouver, should I be interested in drinking some
wine. As I am always interested in drinking wine, the outcome was a dinner
arranged here, and poor Mark spending 2 hours at the border on his way up here.
We started with a local wine - 2001 La Frenz Chardonnay, made in BC by an
Australian winemaker. It began quite well, showing some oak (but not too much)
in the nose, and good fruit, smooth in the mouth, but finished a little flat
and bland.
2001 La Frenz Viognier - far better - brighter fruit, a more complete wine.
Wanted to show our guest that BC does make decent wine.
1989 Mount Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape - this one came up with Mark, and it
isn't a producer we see here. A mature, yeasty, smoky, meaty nose with some
Rhone funk, still considerable tannins on palate but good length. The old style
of Chanteauneuf, finishing with a nice little hit of licorice right at the end.
1995 Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape - you couldn't ask for more contrast
between two wines. This one showed a briary rich sweet fruit nose, soft
tannins, good concentration and length, and made you wonder what it would be
like in another 6 years. I think it will last well, but it will probably never
show the character that was evident in the older wine. This one is for those
that like to luxuriate in rich sweet fruit - and nothing wrong with that!
1975 Ch. Branaire Ducru - we thought that tasting the next two wines might be
fun for Mark, as not many people have much experience with the vintage these
days. This wine has always been my favourite between the two, but the
Beychevelle has also shown very well from time to time, and it is fun to make
the comparisons. In this case it was a drawn out affair, with first one and
then the other seemingly on top. The Branaire started with an excellent nose of
dark fruit, and cedar, and it showed a bit hollow with the tannins too
prominent in the middle of the wine, but this changed as it opened up, and it
mellowed into the winner.
1975 Ch. Beychevelle - a slightly softer wine, with a bit heavier nose, but
sweet and smooth in the mouth at the start and therefor more attractive. It
hardened up as it sat in the glass, and was definitely the best right out of
the bottle. After a half hour, there was no contest and the Branaire was
declared the winner.
1997 St. Cosme Gigondas - we ordered the wines on the spot when we saw what
Mark had brought, and putting this one at the end with cheese (or dessert, for
the weak-willed) worked very well. Fairly heavy vanilla and a hint of mint in
the nose, bright and clean in the mouth, finishing well with some spice at the
end. Very nice and no hurry to drink.
Then back at my place, we had more cheese and some Port:
1991 Cockburns - fairly dark, with a nose fairly sweet with some cocoa, and
perhaps a bit hot in the mouth. Medium long finish. Good port for drinking from
now on - it should last fairly well.
1985 Offley Boa Vista - this is one that the reviewers dumped on for being
vegetal, but I have never found it so. In fact it showed a mellow mature nose
of fruit and sweet tobacco, more sweetness on palate than the Cockburns, and
more development. Good length, pleasant tipple!
Mark Lipton
Bill Spohn wrote:
> 2001 La Frenz Viognier - far better - brighter fruit, a more complete wine.
> Wanted to show our guest that BC does make decent wine.
And an interesting introduction to the wines of the Okanagan Valley it proved to
be. The most striking aspect of the wine (to me) was that it was made in an
off-dry style, with just a hint of the characteristic floral notes in the nose and
good body.
>
>
> 1989 Mount Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape - this one came up with Mark, and it
> isn't a producer we see here. A mature, yeasty, smoky, meaty nose with some
> Rhone funk, still considerable tannins on palate but good length. The old style
> of Chanteauneuf, finishing with a nice little hit of licorice right at the end.
For the record, I was (and remain) concerned that the transport up to Bill's
domain had disturbed the sediment enough to throw the wine off balance a bit
(despite the wine's having been allowed to settle for three hours waiting to cross
the border). My notes show coffee, smoke and meaty notes in the nose, a smooth
entry with smoke and cherry and a slightly tannic finish. I found the bitterness
of the finish somewhat worrisome, but the sediment in my glass offered several
possible explanations.
>
>
> 1995 Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape - you couldn't ask for more contrast
> between two wines. This one showed a briary rich sweet fruit nose, soft
> tannins, good concentration and length, and made you wonder what it would be
> like in another 6 years. I think it will last well, but it will probably never
> show the character that was evident in the older wine. This one is for those
> that like to luxuriate in rich sweet fruit - and nothing wrong with that!
Indeed, paired with the older wine this one came across as fruit-driven and a bit
simple, but lovely nonetheless. A nose of pure cherry fruit and a slight mineral
note, it had a pure core of fruit on the palate with moderate acidity and a clean
finish. It's got years ahead of it, but what will it become?
>
>
> 1975 Ch. Branaire Ducru - we thought that tasting the next two wines might be
> fun for Mark, as not many people have much experience with the vintage these
> days. This wine has always been my favourite between the two, but the
> Beychevelle has also shown very well from time to time, and it is fun to make
> the comparisons. In this case it was a drawn out affair, with first one and
> then the other seemingly on top. The Branaire started with an excellent nose of
> dark fruit, and cedar, and it showed a bit hollow with the tannins too
> prominent in the middle of the wine, but this changed as it opened up, and it
> mellowed into the winner.
Initially, I had wondered whether this wine might be slightly corked as it had a
strong cedar element that to me can border on cork taint. As it sat, the question
of corkiness resolved itself as "no." This was my first ever exposure to this
vintage and it didn't diasppoint: spices and cedar in the nose, youthful color,
tannic entry with spices and noticeable acidity on the palate, and an herbal
finish. As it sat, it rounded out nicely, especially when paired with the lamb
entree.
>
>
> 1975 Ch. Beychevelle - a slightly softer wine, with a bit heavier nose, but
> sweet and smooth in the mouth at the start and therefor more attractive. It
> hardened up as it sat in the glass, and was definitely the best right out of
> the bottle. After a half hour, there was no contest and the Branaire was
> declared the winner.
To me, this wine was initially the more appealing. It showed a nose of herbs,
meatiness and smoke. On the palate, it was acidic on entry, but rich in the
mid-palate with herbal notes and a slight underlying fruitiness that ended in an
acid finish. As this wine sat, it became leaner and meaner than the Branaire so
that by the end it was definitely done.
Both wines were very instructive for a vintage that I knew only by reputation.
Although they both have the structure for further aging, I doubt that they will
improve any with additional time in the bottle.
>
>
> 1997 St. Cosme Gigondas - we ordered the wines on the spot when we saw what
> Mark had brought, and putting this one at the end with cheese (or dessert, for
> the weak-willed) worked very well. Fairly heavy vanilla and a hint of mint in
> the nose, bright and clean in the mouth, finishing well with some spice at the
> end. Very nice and no hurry to drink.
After the older Bordeaux, this was a shock to the system: young, young, young,
with some alcohol in the nose and pencil lead. Flavors of kirsch, medium body and
a slightly crisp finish. Years ahead for this one.
>
>
> Then back at my place, we had more cheese and some Port:
I can highly recommend the cheese plate chez Bill's. Nothing wrong with the
Ports, neither. I also got a look round the cellar -- itemized inventory on the
request *wink wink*
>
>
> 1991 Cockburns - fairly dark, with a nose fairly sweet with some cocoa, and
> perhaps a bit hot in the mouth. Medium long finish. Good port for drinking from
> now on - it should last fairly well.
>
> 1985 Offley Boa Vista - this is one that the reviewers dumped on for being
> vegetal, but I have never found it so. In fact it showed a mellow mature nose
> of fruit and sweet tobacco, more sweetness on palate than the Cockburns, and
> more development. Good length, pleasant tipple!
No notes from this part of the event, sad to say. Both Ports were quite nice,
however.
Many thanks to Bill for a great meal and much fun, not to mention the excellent
wines!
Mark Lipton