Three Late Model Tablas Creek Whites
July 15th, 2015 | 
Author: By now, regular readers might recognize that we are big fans of all things Tablas Creek Vineyards, and we’ve made no secret of the fact that Vineyard Brands sends us samples of their wines periodically for review. The first two whites in this report came to us in the same package as the two rosés we told you about in late April, but, as is sometimes the case, we took our sweet old time getting them. We finally opened both on successive evenings last week, and, not surprisingly, we quite enjoyed them both. Here are my impressions of each.
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Three From Tom Gore
I had a great opportunity to sample three wines from Tom Gore Vineyards. Tom Gore was and still is a Californian farmer who has recently added wine making to his curriculum vitae by making what he sees as farm to glass wines.
Gore comes from a family with a long history of growing grapes in Sonoma Valley, but is the first of the family to venture into taking his juice a few steps further by turning it into wine of his own. His twenty year career began at the age of seven. Slave labour no, just a kid showing interest in what his father and forefathers have done for decades to make a living.
Gore studied at Cal Poly, where he earned a degree in fruit science then teamed up with Gary Sitton of Clos du Bois notoriety to start producing his brand of wines. Here are my impressions of these three.
Four North American Rieslings
Following up on two recent Riesling reports (here and here), we decided to expand our focus on the variety beyond our home state and try some from other regions in North America. Yes, there is one Michigan wine reviewed here, but there are also selections from Riesling hotbeds Washington and Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula, and one from an area that is anything but, that being California’s Central Coast
The only rhyme or reason used in choosing these four was this; the first two selections are both regulars at our friendly neighborhood Costco, with the Chateau Grand Traverse Whole Cluster serving perennial duty as our house Riesling. We bought the Tawse during a late-November visit to partner-in-crime, Alan Kerr aka Canadian Zinfan, and the Doon was submitted to us for review, along with several others.
2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling Columbia Valley, 12% alc., $15.99: Clean, medium straw color, with a pure Riesling red and green apple and lemon-lime citrus nose that echoes nicely on the palate, where it gains some mineral; the minerality and lemon squirt acidity play significant roles in the wine’s appealing character. Medium bodied, rich, intense and satisfying, with decent length. I’d like to try this again in 2-5 years to see how it develops. Find this wine
The Ridge Report June 2015
Ridge Vineyards Regional Sales Manager, Christina Donley aka “Chainsaw,” returned to Day-twah in late May to do what she does so well, sell Mr. Ridge. It’s always tons o’ fun to hang with Christina, and during the course of her stay, we had the opportunity to try some things with her that she brought to share with us, attend a Ridge wine dinner at Royal Oak’s Café Muse that she presided over and taste through a batch of samples that she brought home to dinner after a very successful day of promoting them.
My report begins with the three wines “Chainsaw” opened for us on her first night in town. They were enjoyed with Bigalora wood fired cucina pizzas, meatballs and roasted beet salad.
2004 Ridge Geyserville® Sonoma, 75% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, 14.9% alc.: Clean, dark color, with explosive Draper perfume, offering copious amounts of sweet oak, creamy black raspberry aromas and just a hint of funk on the nose as it opens; plenty more of the same on the palate, with significant acid/tannin structure. This reminds me a little of how seriously structured the ’99 Geyserville and Lytton Springs still were at 10 years old. Still a baby, so give it several more years of cellaring; it’ll be well worth it. Find this wine
Go Trains, Streetcars and Automobiles
I love finding little restaurants off the beaten track that offer honest and well prepared dishes, use seasonal stuff and have enthusiastic and professional staff in both front and back of the house. Mr. Flamingo, located in Little Portugal, a neighbourhood and ethnic enclave in Toronto’s west end, is one such place. (Click images to enlarge.)
In this restaurant a decade or so ago, locals would frequent to tell stories, drink a Metaxa brandy or two, maybe sip heady espressos and chew the bones of a plate of Piri Piri chicken. Ten years later, it is a modest little eatery serving boldly flavoured foods in a trendy and voguish, but casual, atmosphere. The 30-something seat room has a stark look to it at first, but it is thoughtfully and nicely furbished.
Tables are lined against the view of Dundas St. West and tattooed hipsters sit opposite at the bar, sipping cocktails while facing a painted brick wall upon which hangs an illuminated sign claiming “We Serve The World’s Worst Barbecued Ribs.”
Three Fine Northern Rhônes
A little over a year ago, I happened upon a Crozes-Hermitage at a trade tasting given by our friends at A.H.D. Vintners that really grabbed my attention, so much so, that I bought a few bottles and brought them home to investigate further. After spending some time with them, I posted the following notes in April of 2014. (Click images to enlarge.)
2012 Domaine des Hauts Chassis Crozes-Hermitage Esquisse, 13% alc., $23.99: Deep, dark garnet color, and all garrigue, all the time, setting the tone over a solid core of rich, fairly ripe black plum and berry fruit. Full bodied, with good structure and length, this will age well for at least five years or more, but it’s drinking really well already. This pushes the envelope for ripeness, but falls short of going over the top, which is probably why it showed so well at the trade tasting where I discovered it for the first time. (Editor’s note: Based on the most recent taste of this wine, I’d have a hard time using the term “black fruit” again, but I’ll explain that shortly.)
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when we got to try not only this wine again, but a sister bottling as well, and we were just so impressed with them both. We tasted them side-by-side, starting with the Esquisse.
An Angel Whispering By The Chapel
Alan Kerr aka Canadian Zinfan’s new Vintages Release Notes were just posted yesterday, and there quite a few fine selections to choose from it, but there was a wine in his previous LCBO report that really caught my attention, and I’ll tell you why. For the past few months, I’d been eying two rosés from the Côtes de Provence resting snuggly in a bin at our friendly neighborhood Costco, and I knew that, sooner or later, temptation was bound to get the better of me. Then, a few weeks ago, I read Alan’s very favorable review of the 2014 Chateau d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé, and that’s all it took. (Click image to enlarge.)
I bought a bottle of each and we opened them both one night last week to compare, and our impressions were very favorable. I’m especially pleased to add our thumbs up to C.Z.’s regarding the Whispering Angel. It’s always good to know that our notes jibe once again, as they so often do.
Alan Kerr’s Vintage’s May 16th Release Notes
G’day mates, a few Aussie wines are to be rocked up on the shelves of your local bottle-O store this coming weekend. Stylistically, Australian wines have changed over the past few years, much to this cobber’s liking. Many of these wines are totally bonza and some even got the old fella excited! Perfect to sip on a sunny arvo with some tucker on the Barbie, and you’ll have a ripper of a time. (Click images to enlarge.)
943399 D’ARENBERG THE COPPERMINE ROAD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 McLaren Vale, South Australia mL $49.95
Power packed, aromas of eucalyptus, mint, Ribena, black sweet cherry, mineral and smoke. Rich and chewy palate, with gorgeous layers of red and dark fruit, some spiciness, ground black pepper and ripe dusty tannins that stick to your teeth like candy. A very good price too as it is considerably more expensive elsewhere. Find this wine
048785 D’ARENBERG THE LOVE GRASS SHIRAZ 2011 McLaren Vale, South Australia $25.95
Some funk, muddy wet soil and mineral, but a solid background of dark fruit and blackberry lurks beneath. A touch of coffee grounds, very tasty black raspberry and blackberry flavours, with good acidity and a sprinkle of dark chocolate on the finish. Find this wine
408328 DE BORTOLI GULF STATION SHIRAZ/VIOGNIER 2010 Yarra Valley, Victoria$19.95
Earthy, floral and mineral aromas give way to prune, tar, cigar box and forest floor; lots of juicy cherry and plum flavours, chewy tannins and good length. Find this wine
Back to Bacco
One of the perks of being in the wine biz is getting to go to really fine restaurants and wine bars for wine luncheons, dinners, tastings and the like. That’s how I was introduced to Bacco Ristorante a little more than ten years ago. I was fortunate enough to attend two events in quick succession back in the winter of ’05, and that’s when I learned to love Chef/Proprietor Luciano Delsignore’s cuisine. (Click images to enlarge.)
I took Kim for dinner there as soon after as I could, and she loved it every bit as much as I did, and it has remained on a very short list of our favorite dining establishments in the metro Day-twah area. Recently, she noticed that Bacco was celebrating its 13th anniversary in business for 11 days in May with a special $13 menu of favorite dishes from over the years, so we made arrangements to hook up with our friends Anne and Brian Klumpp to boogie on out and take advantage of the great prices for such delicious food. The plan was to meet at Chez Klumpp this Tuesday past and continue on from there.
Before departing for dinner, Anne delighted us with some wonderful Champagne from her cellar. Have I mentioned that I’m a bubble head?
Mostly Morgon
At least a few folks have told me that they’ve noticed a big uptick in my activities here lately on the Gang of Pour blog, and they would be quite correct. Since late last year and on into 2015, I’ve been exploring wine with gusto again, sharing my findings here and having a fine time with it all. My infrequent postings over the previous few years had a lot to do with refocusing on my music after a long hiatus, but I think I’ve figured out how to balance both of these passions, and I really like how things have played out. (Click on image to enlarge.)
Because of all this, I’ve been actively seeking out new wines to try, and have been delighted by a number of surprises. My favorite of those in the red spectrum is undoubtedly Mathieu Lapierre’s Raisins Gaulois, of which I might still be totally unaware, had my buddy Jarred Gild at Ferndale’s Western Market not put in in my face (and then in my hand) and told me the back story. (Yes, I’ve been mentioning Jarred a lot lately, and that’s because he’s really good at what he does, and he doesn’t try to saddle anyone with the same old shit from the usual subjects. Even wine guys like me need a good wine guy occasionally.)
This one is composed almost entirely of relatively young vine cru Morgon Gamay fruit (around 20 years of age, whereas Lapierre’s Morgon appellation vines are 60 years or older), augmented with some A.O.C. Beaujolais, all farmed organically. The Beaujolais’ governing body decided to do away with the Vin de Pays designation, leaving only the appellations or Vin de France, so there’s no in-between.
