Right-Banks of the world: comparing St Emilion

When I started the #WineTastingCircle of Vancouver, it was with the aim of furthering my wine-education. I wanted the opportunity to taste wines with my colleagues in a private setting of cooperation and discovery... it was my Dad, really, who set me on this path when he told me "Don't save your special bottles of wine for special occasions, use them to create special occasions"

And so in the Summer of 2013 I held my first #WineTastingCircle with a total of 4 attendees. We compared the superlative vintage of 2000 Bordeaux with six different regions represented, with the goal of understanding not only how the vintage affected the areas, but the blends as well, and how well those iconic wines were aging. But in the back of my mind I always knew I wanted to take that concept one step further.

Right-Banks of the World: comparing St Emilion vs other regions making similar styled-blends. A bold idea I was told by colleagues, especially as we would be tasting the wines blind, but an educated palate would be able to decipher California from Bordeaux, Washington from Chile... right?

Well, that what I set out to learn and to make it a proper comparative I needed to make a level playing field.

CRITERIA

Varietals: Merlot, Merlot with Cab Franc, perhaps a hint of Cab-Sauv

Price-point: (BC dollars) $40-$80

Vintage: variable... as its not all from the same area - vintage isn't really a factor

Attendees: 10 sommeliers, wine-judges, journalists, importers and merchants. Total experience about a century in the industry and another century as non-professional wine lovers (wine-geeks in training?)

And of course I had my venue, the inimitable Uva Winebar wine cellar/private room ( http://www.uvawinebar.ca/ ). I must make mention of their genuine hospitality and professionalism, and my personal gratitude for their continued patronage of our quarterly event. Small wonder that the hospitality industry in Vancouver drops in at Uva on a regular basis... industry folks always know the best spots :)

And so you may be forgiven for thinking that at this point I had it all figured out: all the technical minutia of time and place, the wines, the people. What more could there be? My friends, what we really had to overcome - when we got to the room and started pouring the wines wrapped in paper, no hint of what lay beneath... what we had to challenge in those 4 minutes we were given per wine to dissect: to analyze with our eyes, our noses, our taste, was: our own prejudice.

For who could be more prejudiced about wine then wine-lovers, professionals or neophytes? We read the trade-papers, we listen to the experts, the winemakers, the critics. We are the ones who scan for changes in weather patterns. Why? So we better know whether to invest in the vintage or not: is this going to be the big one ? The stellar year that lurks in grand cellars for decades to come and savvy people buy now for a pittance and open decades from now to rounds of applause? Who could have more preconceptions about wine then the very people who are supposed to be immune?

But it's the nature of life: we get a little education and then we get an opinion, and Heaven help us when we get one of those! It was my very first wine-guru, the gifted DJ Kearney who taught that, whilst she was studying for the Master of Wine program (of which we have 3 in Canada) she was, after all, still just learning. A pantheon in the wine-industry who this Spring is a judge at the Argentina Wine Awards told us that she was basically the same as we students of the ISG Level 1. She was learning, growing, developing and hungry for more.

always respected Chateau Pipeau, St Emilion

I knew that I needed to bring that energy to the #WineTastingCircle and, in fact, my colleagues all brought the same fire in their bellies. We had veterans of 25+ years experience and novices only 2 or 3 years into the hallowed halls of professional wine critiquing. It was as wide an array as could be imagined for one table but we were all pulled by the same force which was: To Learn. We fulfilled that role judiciously.

St Emilion is considered by some to be the "heart" of the Right Bank of Bordeaux and has been producing wine for centuries. Soft, plush, fruit-driven Merlot; some with dynamic structure and concentration to last decades and be worthy of their stratospheric price-tags, some juicy little gems intended for fast consumption on lazy afternoons and chic Saturday night parties. Would we be able to tell which two of the ten wines assembled were from reputable, Grande Cru Classe chateau?

THE LIST

2005 Chateau Pipeau, St Emilion Grand Cru Classe  http://www.chateau-pipeau.fr/html/pipeau.html

2005 Jean-Faure, St Emilion Grand Cru Controlee   http://www.jeanfaure.com/

2003 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, California      http://www.duckhorn.com/

2003 Stags Leap, Napa Valley, California    http://www.cask23.com/

2008 Domaine de Chaberton "AC 50", BC, Canada     http://www.domainedechaberton.com/

2007 Painted Rock, Skaha Lake, Okanagan Valley DVA, BC   http://www.paintedrock.ca/

2011 Painted Rock, Skaha Lake, Okanagan Valley DVA, BC

2010 Tinhorn Creek "Oldfield Series", BC, Canada      http://www.tinhorn.com/

2011 Ghost Pines, 62% Sonoma County / 38% Napa Valley    http://www.ghostpines.com/

there was a 10th wine, sadly corked...

LESSON #1   Could we tell the Bordeaux?

utterly brilliant Jean-Faure, St Emilion, 92 points

No. Out of all of the professionals, and all the skilled palates, differing experiences, etc etc not one person could tell which wine came from Bordeaux. But beyond that, some wines were so similar that they could have passed for "twins" or two bottles from the same vintage and same winery thrown into the mix as a test.

2005 Jean-Faure, Grand Cru Classe St Emilion VS 2011 Tinhorn Creek reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley DVA, BC

In the glass we could see that the Jean-Faure was older, but in all other respects these wines were identical. One member of the panel pointed out the similarities and so we all tried them side-by-side (myself I was inclined to disprove him) and damned it all but he was right! 10 people, 10 votes that the "little" winery from BC had produced a Merlot of such character, such concentration, such finesse that no one could tell it from the Bordeaux. But I knew the difference:

2005 Jean-Faure at auction in California approximately $40+ making it about $100+ in BC. 2010 Tinhorn "Oldfield Series" about $30 at the winery: one-third the price. That was the difference.

an elegant wine; complex, seductive

LESSON#2   Would the California wines be our top-scoring wines?

No. Easy to believe that New World palates would crave that "classic" (to some) California over-ripe fruit, but Parker-esque devotees we were not. Top-score went to a winery that is relatively unknown even in BC - but I need to qualify that. The highest scoring wine of the night was from Domaine de Chaberton which is in our farming belt in the Lower Mainland: Langley. Better known for their excellent value-for-money white wines, the reds from this winery have for the most part fallen off the radar of industry-insiders. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a bottle of this "AC50" which is made by the owner, about 125 cases per year. It is an Ode to everything that is brilliant in St Emilion style blending and reminded  me of Chateau La Gaffelierre, 1er Grand Cru Classe the very first time I tried it. Should you not be familiar with Gaffelierre, it is enough to understand that they have  incredible legacy in France and are owned by nobility.

Asides from the many differences such as vineyard age, pedigree, etc which are all just back-story, the big difference to me is that Chaberton AC50 runs about $50-$60 in BC whilst Gaffelierre runs over $150 if memory serves... once again, triple the price.

LESSON#3   Would the iconic wineries produce the highest scoring wines?

Once again, no. Whilst it's true that some of the more prestigious wineries crafted product that was impressive to all: deep, rich, concentrated wines with superb balance, structure and length on the palate it was in fact a bevvy of new producers who took or tied for first, second and third place.

I have long been a proponent of the notion that when one practices something for a considerable length of time, one gains skills. It's just a fact. The equation has always been explained to me as the "10,000 hour rule": anyone who practices a skill, any skill, for 10,000 hours will become a master at it... baseball, physics, agriculture. All skills follow the "10,000 hour" rule. And we as consumers believe that intrinsically! We cling to businesses with longevity because, instinctively, we believe that their quality of product or service must be superior. In the world of wine, that has long been a Belief.

But we must also be cognizant of the fact that we have entered a New Age of Wine. The entire industry has been turned upside-down in less then 20 years and virtually every rule that was etched in stone has been (successfully) broken. Wine is being produced in regions that no one thought possible, at altitudes considered unproductive, with varietals that had "no place being grown there". Really, when we consider the wine industry as a whole, who would have ever given credence before 1976 to the idea that the French would consider a Napa Valley Chardonnay more classical, more elegant, more "French" then France?

Clare gorging herself at Painted Rock

But that is the lay of the land today. Today it isn't just Bordeaux creating great Bordeaux, and we as educated consumers should be willing ( with due diligence) to open our eyes, our tastebuds and our wallets to the potential of these new ventures. St Emilion has a very special place in my heart and I will always cherish the producers there who have branded quality on their viticulture for centuries. But if there was one message that was hammered home to me time and time again in this tasting it was something my two-year old daughter taught me when last we visited Painted Rock vineyards on the bluffs above Lake Skaha.

It was a beautiful early Fall day; we got to the winery and Clare ran straight for the vineyard. She clambered over rocks and tramped through the rows until she found what she considered to be the perfect spot and then stopped to apply herself to the task of eating as many grapes as possible. It was brilliant! I see now, many months later, that she didn't stop to ask herself where the grapes were from: she tasted, she loved, she continued. We all of us have fallen prey to attractive packaging and weighty lineages, but just like my child (and a blind tasting) showed me:

It's what's inside that counts!

THE SCORES

*scores are my own and not representative of each individual member of the #WineTastingCircle, but do reflect the consensus 

unanimously voted the top wine of the evening

1st place

2008 Domaine de Chaberton "AC50"     93 points

...on the nose offers rich aromas of sous-bois or wild under-growth, tobacco leaf, fresh red currants/raspberries. The palate is awash in well-integrated fine tannin and lean/well-focused medium+ acid... still young in it's life, this wine has years for development and a decade plus in the cellar. Big concentration on the palate with the same musky/sandalwood edge and a kaleidoscope of fresh red berry/sour cherry flavors colored ever so slightly by a hint of young blackberry/huckleberry. Merits serious decanting or two runs through the aerator.

2nd place (TIE)

2007 Painted Rock Merlot                         92+ points

...Big, bold, beautiful! Fully intense aromas pouring from the glass: rich red and dark berries, a whole bouquet of flowers and gentle teasings of black peppercorn at the end... ultra-fresh palate with crisp, clean acid, silky-smooth tannin integrated thoroughly and an overall impression of seamlessness. Drinking brilliantly now, it will continue to evolve for years and will cellar for a decade with ease. Of note: most people at the table thought this to be top-tier California...

2003 Stags Leap Merlot                               92+ points

...beautifully intense and textured nose of warm winter spices, candied almonds, hints of pink peppercorn and dark flowers. Medium+ crisp acids with tons of life left and a generous fruit driven palate with complimentary tones of pencil shavings, sous-bois forest floor and wild herbs. Very well balanced, with good concentration, this Merlot will last for several years still but not develop further.

3rd place (TIE)

2005 Jean-Faure                                            92 points

...a classic: complex marriage between honeyed almond aromas and a bouquet of perfumed red and dark flowers mixing with fresh berries in the garden. Crisp, fresh, tastes like it's a new wine! I was so certain that this was only a few years old, I'm certain that there are years of development and a solid decade plus of cellaring for this exquisite wine. Fine, well-integrated tannin, medium+ concentration of bruised plum/red and black raspberry flavors but not quite as developed as the sublime aromas.

2010 Tinhorn Creek Merlot                      92 points

...so pretty! To my mind, this was what most people think of when they think "Merlot". Bright red berry aromas mixing with soft floral tones, a hint of warm earth and the lightest fresh herb tint. Ultra-crisp red berry acid, incredibly well-integrated tannin structure, the palate is a mirror of the nose (always an indication of quality to me). Great balance, structure and concentration. Beautiful for drinking now and can be held in the cellar for several years.

the slopes above Lake Skaha: brilliant Bordeaux from BC

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, comments and questions. Here, or:

on Twitter @AStudentofWine

on Facebook @www.facebook.com/TheChefandTheGrape

Schug vineyards; 1996 Heritage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

http://www.schugwinery.com/

In 1976 California was celebrating victory at "The Judgement of Paris".  Their wines took first place not only for white wine, but also for red in a blind tasting; paneled by some of the greatest palates in France. This brought an incredible influx of energy and enthusiasm for the potential of Californian wine-making as could scarcely be imagined only a few years previous.

Walter Schug had already been making wine there for 15 years.

walter schug

Before the "hooplah", before the bright-lights of possible stardom brought people of every walk to the sun-baked valleys, fog cooled coastline and craggy hills. Before all of this, Walter had seen the potential and had brought his bride across the ocean to a new land and a new life. And in the '70s he imagined a wine that no one else believed in: a true Bordeaux-styled blend, on the same level of quality, precision and finesse as could be found anywhere in the world. But Walter saw it being made on those rocky crags, warmed by pure California sunshine and cooled by the ever-present ocean breeze. He found someone else as adventurous as he was, a winery owner named Joseph Phelps and together they charted into the unknown. The year was 1974 and they made 670 cases, uncertain as to it's future. The wine was named Insignia and successive vintages went on to receive multiple 100-point scores and become one of America's most expensive wines, and most prestigious.

But we already know that Walter's passion for wine is bigger then passion; it is ardor, combined with zealotry in the most infectious manner possible. Having shared a glass or two with him, I can say that drinking Pinot Noir  with Walter Schug is like eating chocolate with my two-year old... the smiles get bigger and bigger, the laughter begins to spread and soon I've forgotten about taxes and mortgages and anything but how much fun I'm having. Because Walter loves Pinot Noir and he loves to share the special beauty it carries.

Perhaps I love Bordeaux styled blends in the same way. I admire, then, the man who created a Bordeaux blend that rivaled the quality of France, when no one thought it possible. And he continued that work even after leaving Phelps Winery and opening his own eponymous haven to all things from the grape...

Recently Walter's son Axel who runs the family business, now that Dad is "mostly-retired" after over 50 years of wine-making, sent me a bottle of their 1996 Heritage-Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. I won't preach about the merits of this wine; the score speaks for itself as does the tasting notes. But one should recognize that by 1996 Walter had been working with Cab-Sauv for over 15 years in his own winery and over 35 years in California.

They say that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. Any skill. By that token, Walter had transcended mastery and come to Artistry. And it was with a very select group of "uber-professionals" that I shared this piece of oenological history, and only the wine-Mecca of Vancouver would serve as a proper setting: www.uvawinebar.ca

The cork was firm, decanting barely necessary, and as we all began to swirl, swirl, swirl our glasses a heady perfume lifted from the crystal cages. This was an Experience that we would not soon forget. Steve Edwards, general manager of UVA/Cibo was as impressed as I was and couldn't stop repeating

"It's so fresh~! I just can't believe how fresh it still is but so developed~! And '96 was a cool vintage - remember??"

Steve. Dude. In 1996 I was a 25-year old from Northern Alberta... the closest I got to knowing a vintage was when they started dating the month my beer was made in. No Steve, I don't remember how cool it was in Carneros that year, but I am truly in awe of the people who do remember things like that almost 20 years later. Just as I know with certainty that I will be remembering this bottle 20 years from now.

Here are my own notes from that evening, which were very much in unison with other, more educated palates then mine:

1996 Sonoma Valley Heritage-Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc

94+/95 points

• visual:   clear with light sediment, dark ruby core with substantial cherry/brick rim. Wears its age gracefully
• nose:   clean; fully intense developing bouquet of a myriad of berries: dark cherries, blackberries, blueberries, dark raspberries and currants... a primal musky cologne mixed with warm evergreen trees, deep earth tones, leather, Asian peppercorn and black tea
• palate:   clean; dry, ultra-bright full red currant acid, medium- fine yet textured tannin, medium- body, medium- alcohol (surprising 13.5% ABV), fully intense developing flavors that are brilliantly in-sync with the bouquet: a treasure-trove of flavors that combine and compliment each other. Minerality sings from start to finish and is the conductor that guides a full orchestra of components into a seamless harmony. World-class balance and structure, long+ length with flavors continuing to develop up to 60 seconds and longer
• conclusion:   truly surprising, this wine has years of life left in it. Only to share with those you truly love, respect and admire: 2013-2018+
• FOOD PAIRING:   what a crime to pair food with this, for what culinary creation could hope to match the concentration, balance and elegance? You must splurge my friend, for only with World-Class food can there be balance with this World-Class wine. Consider what celebrity chef Raymond Blanc is serving at the decidedly decadent le manoir aux quat'saisons:
• “GROUSE” RÔTIE, CHOU, LARDONS ET SAUCE AUX MÛRES
  Roasted new season grouse, cabbage, bacon and blackberry jus
  (may contain shot)

Of course, if you don't have the opportunity to visit Le Manoir, then you could just make it yourself - substitute a cornish hen for the grouse!

Italian chickpea fritters @ UVA

We live in a time when a 95-point wine from Pomerol or Pauillac will cost you an easy $500 or more, without any degree of age on the bottle. Even that same scoring wine, coming from one of the more "prestigious" houses of California would cost $300 without breaking a sweat. It beggars belief then that there have been times in the recent past when Schug vineyards was selling its wine at cost, just to allow them to enter new markets.

I love a deal. I love great deals on wine. I adore great deals on great wine, but this borders on theft. It is a steal, I tell you, to purchase a wine of this calibre for this price. Be assured, your friends and your competitors are actively searching for the next, best deal on Bordeaux styled wine. Perhaps it is only from looking at those who first crafted these wines in the New World that you will find your competitive edge.

The proof? As I've been known to say: The proof is in the glass my friend.

many thanks to the following:
Le Manoir au Quat'Saisons  for being an un-ending source of inspiration, http://www.manoir.com
Crush Imports  for bringing Walter and Axel's wine to Western Canada, http://www.crushimports.com/

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, comments and questions. Here, or: 

on Twitter @AStudentofWine

on Facebook @www.facebook.com/TheChefandTheGrape

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Schug Pinot Noir, Carneros, Sonoma Coast, California

www.SchugWinery.com

www.CrushImports.com (merchants in Western Canada)

If you don't know who Walter Schug is, then you my friend need to learn one more name today. Herr Schug is, to me and many others, a veritable pantheon in the wine industry, in American wine, and in the nonsensical world of Pinot Noir.

Walter Schug was born with his feet stained red from the grapes... at least, that's what he told me at the 2013 Vancouver International Wine Festival (http://vanwinefest.ca). You see, Walter's Dad was also in the wine industry and used to take young Walter, when he was very, very young - to the vineyards and into the cellar. Walter told me, with his infectious grin, that they were some of his absolute fondest memories. And Walter has lead quite a life~!

How do I begin to tell the story of this man? Do I start with "Insignia"; the inaugural, iconic Bordeaux-styled blend that set the bar - - - and set it higher then most have been able to reach since? Do I start with Syrah?? Walter was the first winemaker to work with it in the USA. Do I start with late-harvest techniques? Once again - trailblazer. Perhaps you're expecting me to start to tell Walter's story by saying that this year marks his 60th vintage as a winemaker.

You would be wrong.

Of all of the things that there are to respect and admire about Walter Schug, perhaps the greatest- (asides from his steadfast devotion to his childhood grape varietal Pinot Noir which was quite out of fashion during the 80's)- yes the greatest characteristic I admire is his commitment to family. Walter has built everything that we see; built reputation, collaborated to create a community,  crafted a winery from a modest 2,000 cases/year to over 30,000 cases - for family.

Daughter, daughters' twin, son, daughter-in-law... all working in the family business. I come from a big family and I know that families don't always see eye-to-eye, and yet all three children work in the winery. How can this be?

Well just as I said in my last article, I believe in Reaganomics; I believe in trickle-down-theory. Someone at the top in this company (not saying who) must have laid down a foundation of respect, acceptance and even - love. Love? "You must be thinking ardor or passion" I hear you thinking. But, you would be wrong. For I mean love.

Walter crossed from Germany to California in 1961, and he came with his wife Gertrud. His blushing-bride also had a wine-maker as a father and so she knew the lifestyle she was getting herself into... crossing the ocean to the (then) unknown wilderness of central California. There were less then 50 wineries in the entire state at the time. Now there are over 450 in Sonoma County and 700 in Napa Valley. Gertrud came for love.

And it is an Old-Fashioned kind-of-love that lets a husband and wife work together as well as live together. Gertrud became Chief Financial Officer for Schug Wines in 1980 and remained in that onerous position until she passed away in 2007. She and her husband were willing slaves to the promise that they were building something for their children (and now grand-children).

I was reminded of my mentor/inspiration James Conaway (New York Times best-selling author @ http://cjonwine.blogspot.ca/) when I read about Walter and Gertrud packing their 3 kids into the car and moving to the rural community (at the time) of St Helena, Napa Valley in 1966... The Judgement of Paris was still a decade away, Chateau Montelena and Stag's Leap Wines? Kids just learning to walk... and this was where Walter wanted to bring his kids. This was where he wanted to build their future.

And why? Yes, for love. But also, in Walter's words

“It was the great potential I saw here, and the opportunity to be part of its development, that convinced me to come to California.”

Bravo my friend. Your wines speak for themselves;

2009 Carneros Pinot Noir

92+ Points
$30 USD, winery club price $24 USD

• visual:   clear; medium ruby core with slightly bricking wide and light ruby/cherry rim
• nose:   clean; medium+ to fully intense and youthful bouquet of red cherries and raspberries, cherry blossoms, wild herbs such as thyme/sage/savory, a little forest aroma (French call this sous-bois), dark tea notes and a hint of menthol/eucalyptus
• palate:   clean; dry, medium+ crisp red currant acid, medium+ chewy tannin, medium- body, medium+ alcohol (14% ABV), medium+ intense youthful flavors that are much in-line with the aromas; a bright red burst of young berry flavors is carried by waves of savory herbs, dense wood tones and a strong presence of dark tea minerality. Before today I have never paired tea with mineral, but in this instance the two flavors are nigh congruent and to me deserve to be spoken of as a pair. Excellent balance and structure, medium+ length
• conclusion: to be enjoyed now. This is a (in my opinion) an excellent expression of Carneros and is just hitting its prime; enjoy 2013-2018
• FOOD PAIRING:   the presence of wild herbs and sous-bois in the wine really make me want to pair this with Pork; slow roast bacon wrapped pork loin with maple-mustard glaze, sweet potato pave, fresh English peas... the pork is a natural for Pinot Noir, the sweet of the maple balances slightly hot alcohol, the mustard cuts through it, the sweet potato enhances natural fruit flavors and the bright green notes of the peas play counter-part to the savory/herbaceous qualities

2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

93+ Points 
$24 USD, winery-club price $19.20 USD

• visual:   clear; light ruby core fading quickly to lighter ruby/cherry rim, no bricking
• nose:   clean; fully intense youthful spicy savory herb bouquet; every herb under the sun~! Thyme, rosemary, Italian parsley, sage, savory... a kaleidoscope mixed with musky wood tones like sandalwood, the minerality is a delicate thread of spun steel that threads throughout
• palate:   clean; dry, full red currant acid, medium grippy tannin, medium- body, medium alcohol (13.5%), medium+ to fully intense youthful flavors perfectly in-line with the aromas; the quick burst of red berry tones quickly gives way to a rich abundance of savory herbs and musky wood tones... the minerality which seemed delicate in the nose shows it's full force here and is finessed as much as it is puissant. Excellent balance and Stunning structure, medium+ to long length
• conclusion:   still a babe; drink now once through the aerator or a 30-minute decant. Enjoy 2015-2020++
• FOOD PAIRING:   be big, be bold, because this wine most certainly is as well~! Consider an authentic lamb/venison Poblano mole over Manitoba wild rice pilaf, Chiliwack corn succotash, steamed collard greens (Swiss Chard)... you  might never have thought of Pinot Noir and chocolate (and neither did I for a long time), but in some instances.... Magic!!!

Schug Carneros vineyards

Wine is more then passion, it is more then devotion, it is even more then love. Wine is also business.

And Walter Schug knows that as well, if not better, then anyone. Walter took years - literally years - to discover the place that was going to be best for him to work with the grapes that his father had introduced  him to when he was a child in Germany. Pinot Noir; the heart-break grape. It is his passion, even if it was Chardonnay that paid the bills for many of those first years of the winery.

Walter knew he had found the place at last when he came to the Carneros appellation, just south of the town of Sonoma. It's a place where the fog is replaced at midday by summertime winds that come rushing through  the Petaluma Gap. It's this wind-stress that causes the skin of the grapes to thicken, particularly the higher Pinot Noir plantings, a characteristic that adds pepper and spice nuances to the wine. Perhaps it also toughens the skins of its inhabitants, allowing them to work side by side with family which must be a stress all of it's own... yes, the wind comes and does this all so that you and I get to taste this World-Class wine for pennies, and the Schug family gets to keep building a future. Together.

As always, I welcome your comments here or on Twitter @ AStudentofWine

CINCIN~!!!    SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!