Moon Curser vineyards, Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada

http://www.mooncurser.com/

A few weeks ago I had the sincere pleasure of being invited to the first annual Renaissance Wine Merchants portfolio tasting in Gastown; a neighborhood of distinction and heritage in Vancouver, BC. (http://www.renaissancewine.ca/) 

Now I've always been a fan of the Renaissance line-up; cutting edge Cab-Sauv blends from California, clean Pinot Noir from New Zealand and excellent expressions from the BC wines they carry... but my friend and colleague who invited me asked me to try something "A little different"

Oh! I'm intrigued... what would be different at one of these affairs?

He pours me an ounce or two of a deep, dark, seductive wine and waits for me to wander off in my own thoughts (which invariably happens when I judge wines). "Holy Shit!" says I - "that's f***in amazing."

"What is that?" I stammer.

"A Tannat-Syrah blend" says he.

Ok - I have to admit. That is different!

"From BC" he continues.

Thud.

My friend helps me lift my jaw off the floor.

"You're shitting me." I demand.

He pours me another ounce of the Ambrosia and I lean in to listen to the story; the story of a guy in the I.T. field and his wife from accounting who decide to make wine.... sorry? Where's the punchline?

Oh no - this is the honest story says he! They loved wine, were looking at what to do with the rest of their lives, and decided to make wine. But! But they didn't want to make wine like everyone else. 

Well... if this is any example then they are most certainly not like everyone else. Actually, come to think of it - I did try one of their other wines a year or two ago and was so impressed that I simply had to write about it. (http://astudentofwine.blogspot.ca/2011/08/moon-curser-border-vines-bordeaux-blend.html). Riiight@! I remember now. But this wine is really something else! So I, as any self-respecting wine journalist, Twitter the winery that night and told them that I would love to write an article on their current work.

They sent me the following wines and I was, truly, impressed. Not everything in the line-up was to my particular taste and it may not be to yours, but these wines are crafted with precision and speak articulately of their terroir.

2012 Afraid of the Dark

91+ points
$21.90

Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne

• visual:    clear; pale straw core with watery rim
• nose:    clean; medium+ to fully intense and youthful aromas; fresh papaya, Mandarin orange and ripe melon, small white and yellow meadow flowers
• palate:    clean; dry, medium+ crisp Meyer lemon acid, medium body, medium+ alcohol (14.1% ABV), fully intense and youthful flavors in-line with the nose; bright citrus tones are quickly washed away by ripe exotic fruit layers, nuances of soft flowers abound but all is held together by a brilliantly precise minerality. Excellent balance and structure, medium+ length
• conclusion:   a stunning example of Okanagan Crozes-Hermitage, for lack of a better explanation. This blend was made famous by the French, but now a BC winery is re-defining it for a fraction of the price. Imminently approachable, enjoy 2013-2017++
• FOOD PAIRING:   though seafood is a natural pairing, Hermitage is far from the ocean, much like Osoyoos. Think regional! Clay oven baked chicken, mustard and savory herb rub, ratatouille, fried olives and fresh crusty peasant-loaf

BC is the home of Riesling and Gewurztraminer... sure we craft a few world-class Chardonnay, but they're few and far between. But Roussanne? Marsanne? We are one of the most extreme wine-growing regions in the world - a far cry from the chiseled valleys of the Northern Rhone where wine-making has a heritage measured in millennia (yes - thousands of years) and these varietals are best known. I later called Chris Tolley, winemaker and half of the equation that is Moon Curser vineyards. 

I asked Chris "Man - what made you think of this blend for BC?"

Chris told me that , truthfully, when they first started they didn't really know what they were doing. Oh sure - Chris and his wife Beata had gone to school in New Zealand, earned their stripes in vineyards in Australia and here in North America... but they didn't really know. Chris figures that if he had known beforehand how much work this white blend was going to be - perhaps he would have tried something else. After only speaking to him for an hour, I realized that he probably still would have done it. Just to prove that it could be done - and done well.

2010 Petit Verdot

90+ points
$29

• visual:   clear; deep plum core with bright violet rim
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense youthful aromas of spicy stewed blackberries and blueberries, bright violets/dark floral tones, mineral undertones
• palate:   clean; dry, medium+to full red currant acids, full tight/grippy tannin, medium body, medium+ alcohol (14.4% ABV), medium+ intense youthful flavors much in-line with the aromas; the berry tones really sing with the precision of the minerality, good focus with an ultra-fresh finish. Good balance and structure with medium length
• conclusion:   a unique expression of the Okanagan Valley, this wine expresses varietal with great clarity if not depth or layering. The vines are still young though, and each subsequent vintage should bring more and more to the wine. Too young to enjoy now without double-decanting, drink 2015-2020
• FOOD PAIRING:   these ultra-bright acids want fat and the huge tannin crave beef. Consider beef Stroganoff with caramelized pearl onions and fresh farfalle pasta... 

Chris explained to me that 2010 wasn't a particularly great year for the vines of BC; this made the winemakers' work a little harder (and he wasn't the first to tell me this nor, I imagine, the last). Because of the lack of sunshine, and thus ripening of the grapes, there was less intense fruit notes in the wines. For me, personally, I prefer a wine like this; it allows minerality to strut it's stuff a bit more. I like tasting the earth as much as the fruit and love it when a wine can find that sense of harmony. 

Truth be told though, many consumers enjoy overactive fruitbombs. There's nothing wrong with that - indeed, what a sad place the world would be if we all had the same palate (or sense of fashion!)

2010 Syrah

92+ points
$25++ (only available at the cellar door)

• visual:   clear; deep plum core with cherry/violet rim
• nose:   clean; fully intense and developing bouquet of spicy dark fruit; layer upon layer of peppercorns (red, black, white, green), a hint of Thai chili, warm oak, light caramel, cherries and cherry blossoms
• palate:   clean; dry, medium (well integrated) black currant acid, medium+ chewy/fleshy tannin, medium+ body, medium+ alcohol (14.4% ABV), fully intense and developing flavors in true unison with the nose; bright berry notes hit the palate full force, moderately by cohesive oak, earth tones, and that south Okanagan pure minerality. Very good to excellent balance, great structure and full length on the palate
• conclusion: a world-class wine! Easily the equal of any Syrah/Shiraz of this price-point from anywhere in the world... better value then most regions can provide. Enjoy this now, but will reward slight cellaring... drink 2013-2020 and possibly beyond
• FOOD PAIRING:   classy wine deserves classy food, and what could be classier then pizza! But not the $5.99 pizza of our teenage years, consider grass-fed grilled steak pizza with fresh local arugula, shaved Asiago and caperberries... the grass-fed beef has a bit of "funk" to it that will be muscle to this wines finesse, the arugula has a bit of sharpness that is in-line with the Syrah pepper, the Asiago provides the saltiness and the caperberries are your new olives for grown-up evenings!

This was one of the absolute stars of the show for me! I am not the biggest Syrah fan (Bordeaux is my big passion) - but I've been fortunate enough to taste some true gems from around the world. This could become one of them one day, and is already competitive, dollar-for-dollar, with just about any other Syrah/Shiraz. Anywhere.

2011 Contraband Syrah

89+ points
$28.90

• visual:    clear; deep plum core with slight cherry/violet rim
• nose:    clean; light+ to medium youthful aromas of bright red cherries and raspberries with a strong red and black peppercorn undercurrent/mingled with dark floral tones
• palate:   clean; dry, medium red raspberry acid, medium grippy tannin, medium- body, medium- alcohol (13.9% ABV), medium- intense and youthful flavors starting with bright red berries and moving quickly to dark tea/wood tones then back to a tart cranberry/red raspberry finish. Good balance and good structure with medium+ length
• FOOD PAIRING:   never underestimate the lowly pot-roast my friends!!! In France, where Syrah originates, they might call it pot-au-feu but no matter what you call it, it's packed with meaty flavors and tons of richness that will foil this wines active acid with ease and grace. Consider slow-cooked Hopcott Farms** pot-roast with garlic fried parsnips  creamed leeks and mashed turnips (tatties to my Scottish friends)

(I specifically mention Hopcott Farms in Pitt Meadows, BC as they are one of the bastions of great, locally raised and butchered beef in Western Canada. http://www.hopcottmeats.ca/   )

So you may be raising an eyebrow at why I scored the more expensive wine less? Truth be told - I don't like jumped-up fruitiness. Others may love it - and will - and will score higher. The construction of the wine is completely professional, but I missed the great expression of earth and minerality that I got in the 2010. I imagine that a year or two in bottle will tame the fruit enough to allow these secondary notes to emerge more fully.

Chris explained to me that with the "Contraband" the winery really kicks the drive for quality into high gear: more pruning in the vineyard, more careful sorting at the trays, more French oak (as opposed to mild Hungarian/Eastern European), lees stirring, longer aging potential... it's a world of difference in wine-making for an extra $4/bottle. Try getting that kind of value from Old World producers!

2011 Cab-Sauv
89-90 points
$28.90

• visual:   clear; medium+ garnet core with ultra bright cherry-plum rim
• nose:   clean; medium intense youthful aromas of bright red berries (raspberries, currants, strawberries), savory underbrush (aka sous-bois in France), some warm leather and oak tones with a eucalyptus finish
• palate:   clean; dry, fully intense red raspberry acid, medium+ to full chalky tannin, fully intense and youthful flavors much in line with the nose; bright red berries burst on the palate with freshness and immediate appeal, the savory tones follow lead by a south Okanagan herbaceousness and a textbook CabSauv menthol/eucalyptus finish. Good balance and very good structure with medium length
• conclusion: full of life, this is a rare example of Cabernet Sauvignon that I would not cellar. I would enjoy this as it is now - bursting with life. Best (in my opinion) 2013-2015, drink 2013-2018
• FOOD PAIRING:   A classic pairing with your Tuesday night bbq slow-braised and thickly glazed molasses bbq ribs, roasted corn-melon and cilantro salad, hot buttered cornbread and steamed green beans/okra

2007 Twisted Tree Tannat
89+ points
(Twisted Tree is the former label for Moon Curser vineyards)
$ ? *(not for sale - from the Moon Curser wine library)

• visual:   clear; medium+ ruby core with light cherry rim/slight bricking
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense and maturing notes of warm caramel mocha, old leather, ripe plum compote, dark rose hips
• palate:    clean; dry, full+ red currant acid, medium- silty tannin, medium- body, medium+ alcohol (14.9% ABV), medium intense and developed flavors much like the nose; the palate opens with a bang! pow - layers of ripe red and black berries; Saskatoons, cherries in every shade... did you know the vineyard used to be home to 5 acres of cherry trees?... followed by that warm Osoyoos earth, leathery cigar tones and finishing with slightly bitter espresso.
• conclusion:   I would drink this now if I had a few bottles in the cellar; the acid is still quite high but I don't envision the concentration lasting much longer. It most certainly will not develop further. Enjoy 2013-2014/5
• FOOD PAIRING:   with the bracing acidity, I would pair this first course with pate and let the two become the best of friends! Jacques Peppin's country-styled pate with spicy sauteed grapes, toasted currant and millet loaf

Chris and Beata certainly sent me a full selection of wines to develop my knowledge of both their portfolio and their terroir. The first people in BC, and probably the only people in Canada, to grow Tannat - this couple knows the meaning of "adventure". It has most certainly been an adventure for them as they developed their lives from desk-job to wine-guru; from air-conditioned cubicle to the roaring furnace of the Sonoran desert...

 A business coach of mine says "It is the job of the entrepreneur to be scared everyday. A day without fear is a day without chasing after the big clients, the big break-through, the big-value for our clients."

 I respect this winery, and it's owners. Not just for bucking tradition and being willing to try something new, but also for making it work. I can't imagine the ridicule that must have taken place when they planted a varietal known best for it's offerings from Uruguay! But - they made it work. Young vines still, I must admit to being intrigued by what will be coming in the near future. As I started this article, I spoke of tasting  the 2011 Cab-Sauv - Tannat blend which is, in a word, world-class.

Much like the winery itself. http://www.mooncurser.com/

my thanks to http://www.Leavetown.com for the photo!

I'm looking forward to your thoughts as you taste these wines for yourself...

 let me know @AStudentofWine (Twitter).

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

Dominio de Punctum, Temperanillo blend from Spain

www.DominioDePunctum.com

There's always something heart-warming to me when I hear the tale of a person chasing their dream. Wine being my passion, what could possibly be more inspiring then, but a dream fueled by thoughts of a winery?

Enter the hero(s) of today's story: Jesus, Ruth and Maria-Cristina Fernandez of Dominio de Punctum organic/bio-dynamic estate and winery. Located only miles down the road from their traditional family estate on the plains of La Mancha, Spain, Jesus didn't always believe that he was destined to follow ancient family traditions. No, Jesus earned an MBA degree and worked for years in the finance sector. But, I'm told that we are all destined, more or less, to change career paths at least twice in our lifetimes.

Jesus chose his site with care, and the careful consideration that he and his family lavish upon their vineyards earned them the respectable Demeter Association certificate for bio-dynamic practices in 2005. If you are unfamiliar with bio-dynamic agriculture, please read about my local heros in British Columbia; the Cipes family at Summerhill winery in Kelowna (http://astudentofwine.blogspot.ca/2011/08/summerhill-pyramid-winery-cabernet.html ). In essence; this is a form of agriculture that celebrates a return to ancestral farming practices... it was only a few generations ago that farmers would rotate crops between fields to ensure that mineral-depletion in the soil was mitigated. These days? Farmers are taught to "impregnate" their earth with chemicals to enhance what was once natural. 

But I digress.

To me as a wine-writer, one of the greatest accomplishments that bio-dynamic farming facilitates is the ability to create true transparency in the glass (or bottle). And what do I mean by this? I mean that when the more educated palate tastes the bio-dynamic wine, they instantly get a sense of place. And when I say "educated" that doesn't necessarily mean book-educated... a man who has be drinking the wines of La Mancha for 50  years will certainly know the flavors of the region far better then I will, whether he has attended a wine class or not. He would taste the wine and it would taste of a certain region... a specific herbaceousness, or smokey characteristics, or coffee... you get the idea.

And these were the thoughts that pulsed as I tasted this little gem at under $15 CAD in the local BCLDB.com! Fresh and friendly, with some true depth to it - I had no idea of the price until I did some research and was more then impressed.

2011 Dominio de Punctum, Tempranillo-Petit Verdot

$13.99, 90 Points

Renaissance Wine Merchants

varietals:  70% Tempranillo, 30% Petit Verdot 
vineyard:   single vineyard, 110 HA
altitude: 750 m
soil:   sandy-loam, rich in limestone'

• visual:   clear; deep violet core with slightest cherry rim
• nose:   clean; moderate+ youthful aromas of blackberry, black cherry, dusty earth, cherry blossoms
• palate:   clean; dry; moderate+ red currant acids, moderate+ grippy tannins, moderate(-) body, moderate ABV (13.5%), moderately intense youthful palate mimicking the nose with emphasis on crisp red berry notes and a savory earthy background. Well balance, good structure, medium+ length
• conclusion: does well with 30 minute to 60 minute decant, this wine is drinking well now and will for several years. Enjoy 2013-2015
• FOOD PAIRINGS:  this really is a food wine. The tart acids may be daunting for the average North American consumer, but cosied up to a summer plate of cheese, bread and sausage - this will sing as wines under $15 rarely do. I personally enjoyed some as dessert with dark chocolate~! As a note, I had thought this was a very solid $20 wine my friend and colleague had sent me.

About 2 hours south of Madrid, half-way on the road to Valencia, you will find the vineyards of Dominio de Punctum. Here you can sneak a peak at a viticulture which, in many ways, is practiced as only the finest vineyards did 100 years ago. I say the finest because only great vineyards gift their wines with such love and attention, and until very, very recently - virtually no one practiced the old ways of farming. Not in the vineyard they didn't.

But we as wine-drinkers get to bear witness to this revolution. And, we get to fuel that revolution with our consumer dollars. We all are beginning to understand, in the most implicit ways, that the New Age style of farming, of living, simply does more harm then good. How brilliant then, that we have champions like the Fernandez family who will take on the work necessary to return us to something more sustainable. And when these business-people adopt modern techniques like installing a water-recycling plant (one of La Mancha's most pressing environmental issues) then we as a society are the better for it.

In a time when it seems that more and more choices are being taken away from us, this one is painfully simple and ridiculously easy. Vote with your dollars, and be the change you would see in the world.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

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

Chateau D'Arche, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux Superieur

Alot of names for a little bottle of wine, and I can easily remember the days when this would have been daunting. Let me try and help you understand the label of this lovely (and relatively inexpensive) little way to enter the fiscally intimidating region of Bordeaux.

Chateau D'Arche in Ludon, Medoc

   Firstly, Chateau D'Arche is a very well established chateau; it was classified as a "Cru Bourgeois" in 1932 (explanation to follow) and for almost 20 years has been owned and managed by the owners of the prestigious Chateau Palmer (http://www.mahler-besse.com/). Chateau Palmer, a Grand Cru Classe, is exorbitantly expensive. To wit: a 1945 Chateau Palmer will auction for over $15,000 USD and it's only a 91-point wine.

 I cannot afford Chateau Palmer. But that being said, I am more then willing to enjoy the work of Mähler-Besse (the owners) and their winemaker at a fraction of the cost.

 Now as to the Cru Bourgeois: back in 1855 Emperor Napoleon mandated a classification of the chateau of Bordeaux for the Paris Exposition. The chateau were classified mostly according to the price of the wines and were not intended (we are taught) to be a judgement on quality. This list was divided into Premier Cru (First Class), Deuxiemes Cru (Second Class) and so on through Fifth Class.

   Well very little has changed since that time with the exception that the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture created a "Cru Bourgeois" in 1932. This list included 444 wineries that were thought to be of "high quality" and was divided into several tiers as well. This multi-tier system has since been annulled (as of 2008) and there is only one tier: Cru Bourgeois. This is supposed to indicate a high quality wine that was not on the official classification of 1855. Enough history?

   Time for some geography~! What is the Haut-Medoc?? Please refer to my article http://astudentofwine.blogspot.com/2011/01/chateau-la-gorce-medoc-bordeaux-france.html . Suffice it to say that the Medoc region is Left Bank Bordeaux (which in general means the wine will have a significant proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon) and the Haut-Medoc has the highest ratio of Grand Cru chateau.

1999 Chateau D'Arche, Haut-Medoc

Cru Bourgeois Superieur 

$45 BCLDB   **** EXCELLENT VALUE ****

commune:   Ludon-Medoc

blend:         45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenere

age of vines: minimum 35 years

soil type:    rich gravel

cultivation: completely manual without the use of any chemicals

vinification: traditional saignee method with 21 day maceration

aging:         12 months in 35% new French barriques

awards:      15.5/20 Vinum Wine Magazine

                   2 stars Le Guide Hachette des Vins

• visual:   clear; medium garnet core with light cherry-brick rim and slight sediment
• nose:   clean; fully intense and developed bouquet of red and black berries; cherries, black raspberries, blackberries, crisp red currant and cassis, intoxicating summer floral notes of roses, green peppers from the Carmenere and rich savory woodsy and earthy background
• palate: clean; dry, moderate+ (still crisp red currant) acids, moderate (well integrated and chalky) tannins, medium body, moderate+ alcohol (12.5%), moderate intensity and developed flavors similar to the nose with emphasis on the red berry flavors with a strong woodsy/oaky/earthy presence mid-palate. Good balance, very good structure, good length
• conclusion:   drinking well now, I have heard people say that this vintage will cellar to 2020... perhaps, but there will be no further development of flavors and one is in danger of losing the last of these zippy acids
• FOOD PAIRINGS:   as with any great Cab-Sauv blend, my natural inclination is to steak. As this is French, why not a classic Steak Frites with peppercorn demi-cream or even with Steak Tartare and roast elephant garlic jam as an appetizer?

   Chateau D'Arche is not a Grand Cru wine, but it most certainly is Grand Cru skill utilized to it's fullest. The reward is in the glass!

As always, I look forward to your comments and questions.

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

Chateau La Gorce, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

Once upon a time, the Medoc in France was divided into the Bas-Medoc and the Haut-Medoc, meaning the Lower Medoc and the Upper Medoc. Well, one can easily see why wine-makers in the Bas-Medoc might perceive it as a mild insult to say that their wines come from a Lower place. And so, now we don't say Bas-Medoc, we just say the region is Medoc.

     Amazing that people who make wines with such deliberate structure and integrity could be off-set by such a simple thing.

     Regardless, the Medoc region is still considered as the "little-brother" to the Haut-Medoc region. This can easily be explained by the difference in soils betwixt regions: Haut-Medoc has a higher proportion of gravel, which as we all know drains better. Medoc has a higher proportion of clay. Clay is better for growing Merlot and gravel is better for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, and hence we find wines made in the Haut-Medoc which are capable of greater aging potential.

     Now this doesn't mean in and of itself that the wines from the Medoc are inferior. Not in and of itself. That being said, the Haut-Medoc has the highest number of Premier Cru wineries in all of Bordeaux. Medoc is known as the place to buy wines that are, by their very nature, a bit more supple in the body and definitely more approachable in their youth.

     Chateau La Gorce is situated in the Medoc, in the Blaignan commune which is almost dead centre in the region. The winery was first established in 1821 and has gone through much in its relatively short life (relatively short for Europe). It had money poured into in during its early life by the Gorce family, who built a beautiful monastery. By the 1930's however, the Medoc red had fallen out of favor and was a hard-sell. This after the ravages of the mildew outbreak of 1915 and just before the devastation that was World War II.

     In 1980 Rauol Fabre and his family came to the winery to revive it, and revive it they did... injecting it with their enthusiasm, vigor, and dedication to quality. Chateau La Gorce earned the title of Cru Bourgeois in 1932, and with the hard work of the Fabre family, are earning that title with each successive years release.

2004 Cru Bourgeois, Chateau La Gorce

Blaignan, Medoc, Bordeaux, France

http://www.chateaulagorce.com/

13.5% ABV, $15 (375ml) CAD  **EXCELLENT VALUE**

• visual:     clean, trace amounts of stem, deep garnet core with slight cherry rim
• nose:     clean, fully intense showing some age and development with baie rouges such as cherry, raspberry, some deeper notes of blackberry, some rich blueberry, vanilla, oak, old leather, purple flowers like irises
• palate:   clean, 0 dryness, moderate tart raspberry acids, moderate slightly grippy tannins, moderate+ body, moderate+ ABV, moderate+ intense flavors still showing a hint of youth, but mostly developed; cherry, cherry blossoms, raspberry, blackberry, slight oak and leather, slight vanilla, end palate rich in wild blackberries and dark floral notes. Very good balance, very good structure and excellent length
• conclusion:    Drink this wine now and drink it often. An inexpensive way to learn about the Medoc, this wine reflects terroir and skilled winemaking. Drink 2011-2013, after that I would worry about the fresh red berry flavors dulling
• PAIRS WITH:   I read someone in France say they drank this with a carpaccio of duck... beautiful. Finish that with some roasted shallot crostini and a salsa of balsamic marinated strawberries. Prepare to be amazed!

     One last note: the winemakers do not fine or filter their wine. In a nod to great winemakers everywhere, the Fabre family choose to decant their wines; first in stainless steel tanks, and then in used oak barriques for 12 to 18 months. I remember a winemaker who said "Filter the wine and one filters the flavor". Bravo.

CIN-CIN ~!!!    SLAINTE~!!!   CHEERS~!!!