A local (Irish) Christmas Dinner

Chaberton Winery

Hopcott's Meats

Who doesn't love Christmas? Even people from outside of the traditional Christmas areas (Europe and North America) embrace the season of gluttony giving! And what says giving better than being giving of your time, your space and your self.

Because, really, isn't that the whole idea?

And in my family Christmas has evolved as a tradition of making time to invite friends and family to the house:  fresh cedar boughs by the fireplace, the tree-trimming a celebrated afternoon to itself, the outside lights warm, inviting - without the post-modern garishness of a Chevy Chase Père Noël debacle. It's the only month of the year that sees Roger Whitaker, Bing Crosby and Alvin and the Chipmunks music played on a daily basis. My step-mom makes the most insanely decadent, melt-in-your-mouth, fattening-beyond-belief-but-who-cares? shortbread cookies. My Dad and I make menus requiring days of slavish labor in the kitchen with more than a few trips down to the basement to grab a bottle of this or that... it's the time of year when we celebrate the simple pleasure of being together with a decent meal and some good wine.

Now I've reached that point of my life where my parents and I are separated by long distance (a thousand kilometers or 700 miles) and a mountain range. Driving to their house just isn't the option it once was; what with a precocious 3 year old and her rapscallion 9-month old brother and so this Dad needs to do what my Dad did for me: I have to learn to create Christmas for myself.

Not an easy task. Or is it?

My friend Jenn Hopcott-Foxley invited me down to Hopcott's Meats the other day; something I never pass up on. I packed Clare (Thing #1) in the car and off we whisked along country roads and meandering dusty trails; the foothills to the north already cloaked in cotton-capes of fluffy wonder and the blustery clouds above promising more to come. And as we parked I could hear the query from the backseat "Daddy where are the donkeys?!". Hopcott's, you see, keeps a cute pen beside the store where little ones can pet the little ones and my daughter has been brave more than once - screwing up her courage enough to hand a carrot to the furry fellows.

Inside the store Jenn responded to Clare's question with due gravity and announced that the donkeys needed to visit their friends, the cows, in the barn and would be staying  until it warmed up enough for them to come back to the store. Clare stated imperially that "that's a very smart idea". I'm sure Jenn was much relieved.

And as Jenn and I discussed the upcoming "feast-ivites" of Christmas I spoke about how many Irish families (ours at least) were much more likely to serve roast beef than turkey - and thus this article was conceived. The entirety of this meal comes from Hopcott's and I'm proud that it showcases the brilliant quality fruit, vegetables and meat that are available not from within 100 miles - but much closer! And then I thought of my friends at Domaine de Chaberton winery in Langley (now Chaberton Estate) and realized that they were the perfect fit for a #Local Christmas Dinner (Irish-style).

This is a simple meal that I would be proud to share with any chef-colleague or picky relative; the ingredients speak for themselves. 

Baron of Beef (medium-rare) and natural beef jus

creamed leeks with Boursin cheese

steamed carrot "jewels", baby red potato and organic Swiss Chard

oven roast parsnip and baby turban squash

"petite salade" of roast beet, hothouse cherry tomato and organic peashoots

To me the key to this, and indeed any, meal is utilizing different cooking techniques to create differing flavors, colors, textures and aromas. Never forget that we eat with our eyes before we ever taste~! If the plate doesn't look amazing then we're bound to pre-determine that it "just-isn't-up-to-snuff".  Here are my tricks to making these stunning local components shine:

try searing the beef first, then adding veggies to the roasting pan

   1. Baron of beef is packed with tons of flavor but is a very lean cut! This means that over-cooking, even just a bit, will give you a dry roast. Go back to the basics: let your roast come up to room temperature before cooking, sear it well and then roast it "low-and-slow" which, for me, means about 290F until the internal temperature reaches 140F. Remember: when in doubt, cook your roast for less than you think it needs and rest it for longer! This roast was about 3-4 pounds and was 90 minutes cooking time, 30 minutes resting.

   2. When I make my creamed leeks I wilt them at least 30 minutes in chicken stock - they continue to soak up that rich, buttery flavor and only then do I add the cream and turn the burner down to it's lowest setting. Boursin is added just moments before serving to prevent scorching.

  3. When steaming veggies, remember that you can always put them back in for a few more minutes - but you can't "un-steam them". Check, check and re-check if you need to! And when I'm cooking for a large group I always cook in batches and put the cooked ones in a large ceramic bowl close to the stove wrapped in cling-film. Never overload your steamer or you'll end up with uneven cooking.

the baby-turban squash

4. Ever have woody parsnips in the winter? Try cutting the core out of them! The outsides can be lovely creamy goodness even if the center isn't. And baby turban squash is a great conversation piece... my wife couldn't believe it was more than decoration ;)

  5. Even in the middle of winter the local hothouses are growing delicious vegetables and fruit. This salad looks far more beautiful than I would have imagined considering it took less than 5 minutes to prep! And the diversity of flavors makes this a winner with the kids as much as the adults.

And, to me, no celebration is complete without a glass or three of wine. The dedicated team at Chaberton Estates has been putting their hearts and souls into crafting elegance from BC fruit and the results are nothing less than spectacular. Remember it was just this spring that Chaberton won first place in the #WTCRightBank (Wine Tasting Circle: Right Banks of the World tasting) with 92+points for their AC50 beating some absolute premier wineries. 

And so I was proud to serve this Siegerrebe which I knew would be brilliant with the creamed leeks and steamed veggies and the CabSauv (Cabernet Sauvignon) which is the natural pairing for beef. If you aren't familiar with Siegerrebe then you're in good company because I didn't know very much about the varietal either. It turns out to be fairly obscure and only has about 100 HA planted in all of Germany which is where it's from. Certainly the New World producers have crafted surprising greatness from a grape that most seasoned journalists are dismissive of. I'll let my notes speak for themselves on what I consider to be one of the best value aromatic white wines I had in 2014.

As for the CabSauv, there's not much I can say that hasn't been said before except for this: BC does not grow CabSauv well, with a few exceptions. In an area larger than France we grow less of this bold grape than some of the smallest regions in the world. But! But in those tiny pockets of the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, when the conditions are right and winemakers are using the utmost skill: something special can happen. This is a beautiful example of CabSauv and a great representation of that "something special".

2013 Reserve Siegerrebe 

Fraser Valley VQA

$17.95 CAD, 89 points Stunning Value

... the best part of this wine is the worst part of this wine: it's highly addictive nature! I am not a lover of sugary, ripe-fruit wines; I prefer the austere or the masculine: Big, Bold Bordeaux is my "thang" as it were. So, when I opened this bottle, I had thought that I was opening it for my wife. Well she's in bed and I'm pouring the last of it into my empty glass as I write  because it's just that darned good. Ripe exotic aromas of jasmine and apple-pears, grilled pineapple and lychee, mango and guava... a veritable Fijian fruit salad of exuberance. Pair that with exquisitely crafted full lemon-drop-candy acid and a concentration of flavors that far outweigh the negligible price and you have #StunningValue and then some. This was gorgeous with the creamed leeks (expected) but the real treat was how well it paired with roast beets: a new favorite for me!

Chaberton Estates Reserve CabSauv: great value

2011 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Okanagan Valley DVA

$23.75 CAD, 89 points Great Value

... I actually don't have to look that far to find a $20-something Cab-Sauv (blend) that's been aged for 3 years before release; examples abound from Spain, Portugal, Chile... anywhere one might find viticulture en-masse for the past few centuries. But from British Columbia?! Ok - a beast of a different nature, I grant you. I had no idea the price when I made my notes: observing the rich aromas of bramble-berries (blackberries/blueberry/Saskatoon/black currant), musk and cedar... the perky medium+acid which showcases a professional medium+chewy tannin structure and very good concentration. No, I just made my notes and made the mental note that it reminded me quite a bit of a Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux. That's a compliment by-the-way :). Well if you want Bordeaux, buy Bordeaux, but if you want #GreatValue - look no further... one would be hard-pressed to find this quality from that (or any) region for a similar price.

*****

dinner for the 9-month old

And so the lesson for me this December is that creating my own Christmas isn't nearly as daunting as I had thought it would be; I put the appropriate music on, we decorated the house with lights and tinsel and I took fresh, local, seasonal ingredients and treated them with the respect they deserve. We sat 'round the table, just the four  of us, and gave thanks for the richness in our lives and savored not only the meal, but the precious time we have together.

And so from my family - to yours - we wish the very best of the Holiday Season!

Many thanks to Jenn at Hopcott's for the fine fixings I used to create this lavish feast and to the exemplary team at Chaberton Estates for the sample bottles. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews, and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

dinner for the adults

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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

great wines of Langley

Spring? Summer? Spring? Winter? What chaotic weather. Last night the wife and I were shivering in front of a fire, drinking a Late Harvest wine... today it's cool breezes but lots of water falling from the sky and everything looking green (except the sky which is grey). Tomorrow is supposed to be over 20C with bright sunny skies.

Well what wine is a chef supposed to pair with his food? I decided to go as local as local could ever go, and with our chipotle and roasted corn chowder I served this:

WINE A

clear visual;

• pale lemony - straw centre
• light watery rim
• moderate - legs indicating alcohol about 11.5-12% (actually 12.5%)

clean nose; moderate++/full- intense aromas of

• exotic florals start the nose (from the small amount of Muscat)
• exotic fruits of pineapple & candied banana
• vanilla & butterscotch

clean palate; 0 dryness, moderate++ acids, 0 tannin, full flavors of

• soft and full-mouthed lemony acids open the palate
• balanced by some residual exotic fruit sugar (from the Gewurztraminer I think)
• long lingering touches of vanilla & more citrus including some lime zest

moderate+ body, moderate alcohol (but very soft & deceptive), very good structure

A wine to be enjoyed at the beginning of a meal, this will open the palate and ease it into whatever meal you may be settling into. Try this with a grilled scallop & fine herb salad frisee!

2008 7-Blanc blend (Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Muscat)

by Township 7, Langley (& Naramata), BC *good value @ $18

Later on tonight I think I'll make caramelized pineapple & bananas on vanilla frozen yogurt, so what to pair? Local wine of course!

WINE B

clear visual;

• very pale straw centre
• watery rim
• moderate legs indicating alcohol about 12% (12.5% actual)

clean nose; fully intense notes of

• rich Gewurztraminer-like roses & stonefruit
• ripe peaches, apricots
• orchard fruit especially over-ripe pears (Bosc especially)
• more floral on top of the rose... wild prarie flowers

clean palate; 0 dryness, moderate++/full- acids, 0 tannin, fully intense flavors of

• stonefruit especially green peaches
• some flavors of red cherry mid-palate
• long soft lemony citrus with a touch of grapefruit

moderate body, moderate alcohol, good structure

This is a well balanced wine, but. But make sure you pair it with northern French cusine... coquilles-st-jacques with this wine would be a dream, where as anything tomato based may in fact be a bit off kilter (unless thats a tomato and goat cheese ravioli). Bon Appetit!

2008 Siegerrebe (born from Gewurztraminer and Madeline D'Angevine)

by Domaine de Chaberton, Langley, BC **Good buy @ $20

what a beautiful province!

British Columbia, and more specifically the Lower Mainland, is home to some beautiful - and unknown - wineries.

Case in point: Domaine de Chaberton & Township 7. Both wonderful examples of BC product, excellent value for the money, and just great places to go for a visit. Doubt me? Try Township 7's yearly Easter Egg hunt or the bistro @ Domaine de C. You will have the time of your life, while enjoying world-class wine, and yet only 90 minutes (or less depending on traffic) from downtown Vancouver. The wife and I took a day-trip out here & almost a year later, we're still reminicing!

WINE A

clear visual

• pale straw centre
• watery rim
• moderate legs indicating moderate alcohol of 11.5%+ (actual was 12.5%)

clean nose; moderately intense nose of

• grassy notes, almost New Zealand like
• clean barnyard
• soft orchard fruit
• slight stone fruit on the end with peach & nectarine

clean palate; 0 dryness, moderate++acid, 0 tannin, moderate+ intense favlors of

• rich stonefruit starts the palate
• some orchard fruit coming through mid-palate again... mostly pear (Bosc)
• floral. hard to identify, but seeming like small prarie wildflowers
• crisp acids

moderate+ body, moderate alcohol (although I must say it is quite hot for 12.5%), good structure

This wine has pretty good structure, with (IMHO) alot of things working for it; crispy and clean acids, lots of fruit flavors but not overpowering, interesting layers. But. But for some reason it just doesn't feel complete to me yet... perhaps that's because I just served this wine @ the end of spring on a day that didn't see over 20C. Serve this again on a hot summer day, 33C, on a patio, and I'm sure there would be a different review!

2008 7-Blanc blend by Township 7

grown in the Okanagan, blended & casked in Langley (BC)

WINE B

clean visual

• ultra pale centre
• so pale you can't tell where the centre ends and the rim begins
• moderate+ legs indicating alcohol 13% (possible a touch more) (actual was 13.4%)

clean nose; moderate notes

• clean grassy notes
• rich stonefruit (late summer peaches when they burst with flavor)
• strong lychee with a touch of pink grapefruit

clean palate; 0 dryness, moderate+ acids, 0 tannin, moderate+ flavors of

• crisp exotic fruit acids predominate
• then lychee & stonefruit come in mid-palate to soften
• floral notes are felt throughout
• end palate is still exotic fruit with pineapple, lychee and some lime zest

moderate+ body, moderate+ alcohol (still hot), good structure

With all of these exotic flavors, I'm honestly not sure where I would place it in a meal - or - what I would serve with it. The acid structure makes it a kicka$$ granite and serve it as a palate cleanser to bridge. Serve it with something dairy based & this could even be a wonderful desert wine because it isn't too sweet.

2008 Bacchus by Domaine de Chaberton, Langley, BC

Local Wineries in the Fraser Valley

Howdy all...

it was a rough week for yours truly and, as I have the most loving wife in the world, we ended up taking a day-trip through the Langley area & doing some tastings.

Wow were we impressed. A beautiful day filled with sunshine, good wines & unexpected joy. Thank you, my love.

TOWNSHIP 7

RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2007

• a bit bite-y, with fresh bright acids & light citrus

SEMILLON 2007

• a very Riesling nose of young stonefruit, brisk palate, lean

BLANC BLEND 2007 **BUY THIS AT $20

• beautiful nose of wild flowers & exotic fruit (papaya, kumquat, pineapple)
• incredibly well balanced acids and flavors of pineapple, lush apricots
• this was the only wine we bought here - a steal @ $20 !

SYRAH 2006

• nose is of the terroir; smoke, leather, a bit of "merde-de-poulet"
• the acids were a touch sharp but it had a beautiful body with long length in the palate

MERLOT 2006

• nose had alot of blackberry with light smokey-cherries
• big tannins, well balanced acids but a bit hot in the alcohol (it was 13.5% but I felt every %)
• it had a neat palate of bruised plums, black roses & a touch of pepper
• this is the only other wine I think I would really like to go back and buy - ($20ish) - but I would buy it to put it down for 12-24 months

MERITAGE 2006

• soft nose of rich, red berries
• long rich soft palate, but a bit flabby.... notes coming through of soft raspberries, black cherries. To me, it just lacked distinction.

DOMAINE DE CHABERTON

SYLVANER 2007

• nose of ripe pear & honeysuckle
• well balanced soft acids & palate of pear, apricot & grass - incredible value for $13

SIEGGERIEBE 2008 **BUY THIS AT $20

• nose of pink roses, grapefruit & clover honey
• 1 sweetness with very well balanced acids and a lovely palate of rich-lush stonefruit a papaya at the end

BAACHUS 2008 **BUY THIS AT $20

• an incredibly soft yet intense nose of apricots, gala apples & dandelions
• fully intense palate of pineapples, crabapples and a whole bouquet of flowers

BLUFF 2007 (merlot, zweigelt, one other I can't remember)

• interesting nose of cherry cola
• dry crisp acids & moderate tannins with a soft palate of spartan apples, early summer cherries & slightly green plums

SYRAH 2006

• a nose of red & black peppercorns, but also bell peppers
• soft acids & long tannins; palate of blackberries, leather and a hint of bergamot

ORETEGA 1998

• nose of rich Anjou pear and rich summer "mid-west" flowers
• complex mouth with developed/balanced acids. long luxurious mouth of melons, gala apples & a touch of tangerine zest

VISTA D'ORO

PINOT NOIR 2008

• moderate nose of peppery blackberries & mild leathers
• crisp acidic palate, moderate body of crabapples & cherries
• I found this very Gamay Noir style - I wanted to serve it cool (15C)

PINOT NOIR 2007 **BUY THIS IF YOU CAN FIND IT @ $22

• now this was my kind of Pinot! a completely different nose... currants were predominant
• palate also had strawberries & some really good funky barnyard (oh DJ - is this "merde-de-poulet" I taste? lol)

PINOT NOIR 2009

• we got to taste this from the barrel and oooohhh my but it tastes frikin phenomenal
• big bright cherry nose
• soft acids & rich tannins with a palate of blueberries & saskatoons
• this will be one to buy!

SYRAH 2008

• crisp nose with white pepper
• a huge long palate that included licorice of all things!

Of course, anyone who has visited these places will be able to tell you what was the star of the day... Vista D'Oro.

Patrick & Lee were stellar as they guided Thyra & I not only through their wines, but their winery as well. They were even considerate enough to sample my LimonBaci and say a few kind words... we finished a tour and tasting that lasted over 90 minutes with the D'Oro: a lushly rich port styled wine (and walnuts).... honestly one of the finest examples of port-style I have ever had. Those who know my father know that's saying alot!

D'Oro is $50/bottle, and is an incredible buy at that price. I cannot think of buying such quality anywhere else for twice the money.... difficult to find for three times the money. Yes, I'm serious. If you are serious about port - try this. If you can find similar quality under $150/bottle I want to know because I can't remember such a wine. We have bought one bottle, and I imagine that we will replace that bottle each and every time we finish it, which will be often.

Visit Vista D'Oro, and the other wineries of the Fraser Valley... there is a richness right outside our doors!

Cin-cin! Slainte!