Gamay: The Most Underappreciated Red Grape

Ask yourself this... When was the last time you had a wine made from the Gamay grape? If you cannot remember the last time or if you do not even know what regions produce Gamay, your not alone. I tend to think that in the grand scheme of red wine hierarchy, Gamay would be at the bottom. Looking up, Gamay would be seeing the likes of King Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, and its close neighbour and distant relative Pinot Noir, among others. My goal is to open a few eyes and maybe your heart to the Gamay grape. It will surprise you, as it has surprised myself with it's depth, flavours, and it's great ability to be paired with an assortment of food!

Gamay is grown in many locations around the world. It can be found in Ontario, Oregon, Switzerland, but the most well know region for Gamay is the Beaujolais region in France (Just south of Burgundy). Beaujolais is considered the "Mecca" of Gamay. You can find some stellar wines from this region at your local wine shop or liquor store. These wines will not say Gamay on the bottle, but will be labeled either as Beaujolais (Meaning the grapes can be blended from many different sites), Beaujolais Village (Coming from one of the 39 villages), or with the region that it comes from (The Cru). When shopping for Beaujolais look for a Cru Beaujolais, as these will offer the best complexity, flavour and overall bang for your buck ($15-$25)!

                                              The 10 Cru Beaujolais Sites (Listed from lightest body to fullest)

1. Brouilly

2. Regnie                        ** Can be aged up to 3 years

3. Chiroubles

4. Cote de Brouilly

5. Fleurie                       ** Can be aged up to 4 years and could use a year of bottle age

6. Saint Amour

7. Chenas

8. Julienas                     ** Can be aged up to 10 years. Serious Cru Beaujolais!

9. Morgon

10. Moulin-a-Vent

Sadly, not a lot of people know of Cru Beaujolais. When they think of Beaujolais they only know of Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine that is picked, crush, bottled and ready to be sold in stores on the 3rd week of November of that year. This form of Beaujolais is a great business plan, as it gets the product from the farm to the store quickly and creates cash flow. These wines are normally full of fruit and lack complexity. Overall, Beaujolais Nouveau has given Gamay a bad reputation in the wine world. 

More often then not, I am overwhelmingly surprised when I open a bottle of Cru Beaujolais or a Gamay Noir. These wines have great fruit, acidity & tannin structure, and a lasting finish. They can be paired with light and heavy dishes and are a staple for Thanksgiving dinners. So next time your in a wine store, pick up a Cru Beaujolais and experience Gamay at it's finest.

Like I said earlier, Gamay is grown in many different regions around the world. The Niagara region is one that is starting to produce quality Gamay Noir. This past weekend I visited two wineries who produce Gamay Noir, Tawse and 13th Street Winery. They were both extremely refreshing and gave me great enjoyment. Here are my notes on 13th Street's Gamay Noir Sandstone Old Vines 2009 that I had with roasted chicken.

13th Street Gamy Noir Sandstone Old Vines 2009

Great light ruby colour. If you have pinot glasses (big bowl wine glasses) do yourself a favour and use them with Gamay!

Aromas: Very complex nose of rose petals, strawberries, sour cherries, and minerality (sand no less). An evolving nose, changing over time.

Palate: A mix of red fruit, strawberries, raspberries. This wine had bright/strong acidity that was very enjoyable and went really well with the chicken. Later on I began to pick up a milk chocholate on the back end of this Gamay. A very enjoyable wine! 91 Points

Ruffino Modus 2006 & 2008

This past Family Day was spent at my parents house. My sister, wife, and I came down to visit and to have dinner with them. For this dinner I felt that it would be interesting to compare some wines and educate my family.The two wines that we had were the 2006 & 2008 Ruffino Modus (I had the 2006 while my dad had the newer released 2008). In this tasting I was looking to show my family the difference between the two wines (vintage to vintage) and how much a wine can change from being older.

Ruffino is mostly know for their Chianti production (Ducale line). Modus is their Super Tuscan blend (IGT), which is very similar to the blends made in Bordeaux, except in Italy they tend to use Sangiovese in the blend. Modus consist of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot. Sadly this mini vertical (if two wines can be called that?) tasting did not include the highly regarded 2007 Modus (Wine Spectator 96 points). Both wines were decanted before dinner for 2 hours and enjoyed over a dinner of Beef Tenderlion, Yorkshire Pudding, Corn, and Mash Potatoes. It is always a good meal at my parents house!

Wine Tasting Notes

* A very unique difference between the two wines was that the 2008 was lighter in colour than the 2006.

Modus 2006

Aromas of sour cherries and tobacco leaf and a sense of earthiness. On that palate, cherries and other red fruit, minimal spice. Good length and great balance of acidity and tannins. This wine is in a good place right now for drinking. 89 points

Modus 2008

Aromas of sour cherries, cedar box, and it had a bit of a barney funk that blew off during dinner. On the palate, strong bright fruit, cherries, and vanilla. This wine was a lot more powerful and still in an adolescence phase. This wine could use a few more years to mellow out. 87 points

I was very glad at how well this experiment went. It was clear to everyone at the table that the 2006 was more enjoyable due to its softer tannins. Both of these wines went well with the beef and could also do well with any red sauce Italian dishes.

Sadly, the star of the night was neither the 2006 or the 2008 Modus. My dad opened a 2007 Fattoria Le Puppille Morellino Scansano Riserva Poggio Valente the night before and still had some left (no notes taken). This wine was awesome! I was loving the aromas coming off of this wine, as I think I had my nose stuck in the glass for well over a minute. Great wine, and even better knowing that I have one in my cellar! Thanks dad! 

Do I enjoy Aged wine

This past weekend I was able to answer a question that has been on my mind for a few months. Do I like wine with age? I felt it would be a good idea to source a bottle so I could find out if I would enjoy wine with age. My main reason for doing this was to educate myself and also I did not want to go through the trouble of aging my wine if I did not like the taste of it aged.

It was very hard to find a bottle of wine at the LCBO that was of an older vintage, as they mostly sell new vintages in their stores. Luckily they had an offering of older Lynch Bages and their sister chateau, Les Ormes de Pez. Not wanting to break the bank I was able to pick up a bottle of Chateau Les Ormes de Pez 1996 (St. Estephe) for $58. A bottle of Lynch Bages of the same vintage would have cost $349. A tad bit expensive for this experiment.

The bottle was bought back in May and was stored in my cellar until I could find a time to enjoy it. Just recently my wife and I completed our kitchen renovation, so I felt this was a good time to use it to celebrate!

In preparation of this experiment, I stood the bottle upright (Instead of its usually resting place, which is on its side). I stood the bottle up 48 hours in advance so that the sediment could make its way down to the bottom of the bottle. This makes decanting a lot easier as you do not want to drink the bitter sediment that develops in wine over time.

Before I decanted the wine, I tried a small amount first to insure that the wine was good and not flawed. Thankfully, we were blessed with a good bottle, as it gave out a beautiful aroma of cedar box, dark fruit, minerality and earth. The rest of the wine was slowly decanted and left to breath for an hour, while I prepared dinner.

***** Just a little side note on what happens to wine as it ages. As wine gets older it goes through many changes.

- Colour: Older wines will take on more of a garnet colour (orange rim) and almost look brown.

- Aroma: Earthy notes develop (mushroom, tea, floral, etc)

- Palate: Tannins soften

The wine was consumed during dinner and afterwards. It was interesting to see the wine change as time past (aroma and taste). Both my wife and I enjoyed the experience and I scored the wine an 89. It didn’t wow me but it was still very good!

Overall this experiment was a success. I am looking forward to seeing how the wines in my cellar will develop into.

Bordeaux blend battle

One thing that I enjoy more than drinking wine is sharing it and educating others about wine. This weekend my family (Mom, Dad, City Sis, and my wife) went into Toronto to see the play War Horse. Great play! My wife and I then hosted my family at our house. We had flank steak with potatoes and roasted vegetables, but enough of the menu, lets get on with the set up for this battle.

Being from Ontario, Canada, I am always looking to see how Niagara wines will match up with other wines out there. To an extent, I believe that Canada can produce some great wine that can rival the world. While there is a lot of terrible Canadian wine being produced out there, there is also some fantastic wines if you know where to look. By living only an hour away from a majority of Niagara wineries, I am beginning to know where to look.

One winery that I really enjoy is Alvento Winery in Vineland, Ontario. This winery produces exceptional Bordeaux blends (Both right and left bank), a Nebbiolo, and a Vionier. This night we compared their Right bank Bordeaux blend (Sondra 2006) against Chateau Petris 2008 St.Emilion. (Not to get mistake with right bank super star winery Petrus!!) Both wines were very similar in their blend, here is the run down.
- Alvento Sondra 2006 (90% Merlot & 10% Cab Franc)
- Chateau Petris 2008 (80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cab Franc)

Colour
They were very similar in colour. The Bordeaux was a bit deeper (purple), while the Sondra was a darker brick red. I would imagine that the two years of difference could affect the colour as well as then use of Cabernet Sauignon in the Petris.

Aroma
They both had that vanilla and dark fruit smell that Merlot is known for. The Alvento also had a cedar/tobacco aroma. The aromas in both wines were dominated by Merlot.

Taste
Both wines came out of the gate with black fruits (plum, black berries etc). The Alvento came out to be more acidic (Either due to the cooler climate or a poor vintage). The Patris had more of a backbone due to the cabernet. It was strong, powerful, yet lasting on the finish. Both of these wines had the smooth merlot taste to them. In the end it came down to what your wine preference is.

And the winner is......

Chateau Petris 2008
- Not by much though, the Sondra put up a good fight. My mother preferred the Sondra because she is not a fan of tannic wines. Overall everyone else gave the nod to the St. Emilion wine, but all were very impressed with how the Sondra showed.

Overall this was a great learning experience which was enjoyed by all. Looking forward to trying comparisons!

Matt

 

Do I Enjoy Aged Wine?

It just dawned upon me. Do I enjoy aged wine? This thought came to me recently while in my wine cellar, admiring my collection that I have garnered over the past year.

I want to know if I should be purchasing wine to age. As well as if the wine would be worth the wait, as some of the wines that are in my cellar have not yet reached their drinkability window. So to test this out I searched for 2 things.

- A wine that can be aged. In this case the Bordeaux fits the bill.

- A wine with at least 10 years of age. Hard to find in Ontario without paying a large amount.

What did I get? 2002 Chateau les Ormes de Pez ($59) Just waiting for a good night to pop it open. Tasting notes to come! *** Just saw that LCBO will be having the 1996 in their ISD stores at the end of May! Might have to make an exchange!

Searching for Wine in Ontario LCBO's

Time and time again I see the same scenario happen at an LCBO store: A person is looking for a specific wine that they had a month ago at a friend’s house etc. The LCBO staff look it up and tell them 3 possible things 1) We have it! Follow me! 2) We are currently out of stock at all LCBO’s 3) We do not have any but you can find what your looking for at our _________ location.  

I thought about this issue while looking around an LCBO and seeing this scenario happen in front of me. The lady was looking for a Bogle Merlot. She was disappointed to know that the LCBO did not carry that producer nor the variety. I really should have helped her and given here these three options when hunting down wine in Ontario. Here are some tips when tracking down a specific bottle!

1) LCBO website search engine

 http://lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/jsp/ProductSearchNonVintages.jsp?language=EN

- Enter in the name of the wine, or search by what you know about the wine (region, red/white, etc) This is a great start since it allows you to see right away if your wine is in stock, as well as where it is located. LCBO’s for the most part will be happy to get wine for you that is located elsewhere.

2) LCBO App

- This app works the same as the website search engine, just more convenient and has a bar code scanner as well to help you out.

3) Look up what Wine Agents has your wine in Ontario

- This is the last resort as it is more costly (may have to buy at least 6 to 12 bottles) and less convenient since it will have to be shipped to you. There are many great agencies in Ontario that can solve this problem for you.  Just search the wine producers name and type in Ontario.

In the case of the lady looking for Bogle Merlot, I would have sent her to check out Abcon International Wine Merchants.

 http://www.abconwine.com/

For anything outside of Ontario you will have to travel there yourself. Either traveling to Quebec with the SAQ http://www.saq.com/, or check out wine stores in Ontario’s neighbouring states (New York and Michigan).

Happy Hunting

Matt

Lailey Pinot Tasting 2009 vs 2010's

This past March 31st I found that I had some free time on my hands so I made my way down to NOTL area to do a Pinot Noir tasting at Lailey Vineyard. Their first two tastings were sold out, but luckily they open an earlier one.

As I arrived I was greeted and given their 2010 Chardonnay to start of the day. Light, crisp, with mild acidity. Very attractive wine for when the weather warms up! After we finished our chardonnay we went upstairs to where the tasting would take place. This tasting consist of five different pinots that they produce form the 2009 and 2010 season. Accompanying the wines were cheeses, sausages, and pate from local shops! Yum!

Leading the group was Lailey winemaker Derek Barnett, a great host who was very friendly and informative during the tasting. On to the tasting!

Before even touching any of the glasses it was evident the difference a vintage makes on a wine, both on the colour, aromas, tannins, and acidity! With my eyes I could see a distinct difference in the colour, the 2009 was a dark ruby (darker) while the 2010's was a light brick red. We were told that due to the cooler climate of 2009 that the pinots were more acidic and tannic, while the hotter 2010's had more fruit on the nose and palate. These characteristics were evident in all of the Pinots

2009 vs 2010 Lailey Pinot Noir ($25)
- Throughout the tasting I was generally favouring the 2010, as I felt the 2009 were a little tight (high acidity and tannins (great for opening in a few years). Overall the 2010 are more approachable. Lailey uses fruit from all of their properties to make this cuvee.

2009 vs 2010 Lailey Canadian Oak Pinot Noir ($35)
- A very interesting Pinot! Lailey is starting to use Canadian oak in their wines, testing out to see the benifits and creating a real sense of place! When tasting both Pinots it was evident of the oak. Very strong taste. In the outcome I sided with the 2010.

2009 vs 2010 Lailey Brickyard Pinot Noir ($35) Available in magnum $80
- These vines are 9 years old and are 667 & 777 Dijon clones on a 2 1/2 acre plot. Both wines possessed floral and spice on the nose. Both wines were lovely and at this point I still sided with the 2010's, as they were more approachable now. While the 2009's are going to have a better cellaring capability.

2009 vs 2010 Lailey Old Vines Pinot Noir ($45) Available in magnum $100
- These vines are about 30 year old Pommard colones, which is old for the region. Yet I explained to a women next to me that their are wineries that have vines that are well over 100 years old (Rhone Valley for example). I was very excited to try this wine when I heard they were from Pommard because I really enjoyed the wines from that sub region when my wife and I visited Burgundy last summer. These wines started to show good balance. The 2009's was more spicy while the 2010's were fruity. As we got into the high end wines, I started to enjoy both for their own qualities.

2009 vs 2010 Lailey Lot 48 ($60) Available in magnum $130
- Wow! Both of these Pinots were fabulous! The aroma on the 2010 was put best by Derek "Smells like strawberry pie!" This lot has very low yields (1.7 acres), thus the high price and quality! I felt like I could stay there and just stiff my glass of Lot 48 all day!

After the tasting they also show us that they had magnums for sale in their Brickyard, Old Vines, and Lot 48! Very tempting, considering I am starting to build a collection of big bottles, but I had to pass. Maybe another day. A magnum of Lailey Old Vines would be very intriguing to try in 10 + years though!

What a great experience! All for $20! I would for sure do this again and would bring friends! Great work Lailey!