Wine Tour de France trade tasting

 

 

wines tasted themephoto-4

Last Thursday morning, I went on a journey to France which I didn’t want to come to an end. To be more specific, I attended the Wine Tour de France, a trade only event part of the 36th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival.

Over a period of two hours, panel representatives from 12 iconic wineries from each wine region of France walked participants thought the diverse regions, each with their own special story, charm, history and unique characteristics. From the breathtaking regions of Rhône and Bourgogne to the stunning estates of the Loire and Alsace, we were all captivated by the wines sampled and storytellers representing each of the wines. Barbara Philip, who was the first Western Canadian and the first Canadian woman to achieve the Master of Wine designation in 2007, led this tasting with passion and expertise as a moderator.

The first wine sampled was, of course, corresponding with the festival’s theme this year: Bubbly! Taittinger Champagne, Prélude Grand Cru, NV, was made from 50% Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs and 50% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. This champagne expressed lovely notes of pear, honey, hazelnut and tropical fruit and an incredibly crisp finish. Export manager, Clovis Taittinger, explained that of the 320 villages that make up Champagne, only 17 are classified as Grand Cru. It is precisely on this land of exceptional quality that stands the 300 hectares of Taittinger vines. The winery is one of the few remaining independent and reputable family-owned champagne houses.

Next we tasted a delightful Zinck,Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Eichberg 2010. Pale yellow in colour, this wine was very aromatic with hints of lychee, honey, pink grapefruit, and cane sugar. On the palate, it was creamy and had quite a strong mineral element. It was a personal favorite of the entire selection and it also received a 92/100 score by Wine Spectator Magazine in April 2013. Philippe Zinck, who is the owner and winemaker explained that it was his father who started the vineyard and with only 20ha of estate, it is the smallest estate in Eguisheim, one of the most charming villages in Alsace. Sheltered by the Vosges mountains the vines get quite a bit of sun with cold winters and hot summers. “You need maturity in the bottle to have minerality”, expressed Zinck to support the fact that when it comes to Grand Cru wines, they are ready to drink when they are minimum 5 years old.

We then swirled, sniffed and sipped the Domaine Joseph Mellot, Sancerre, La Chatellenie, Loire, 2012. Pale yellow at the eye, on the nose it had aromas of anise and green apple. Olivier Rivain, Sales Director for the winery proudly announced that it is in the regions of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé that the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world is produced. I must confess I was pleasantly surprised by this wine as it had a tremendous amount of fruit and complexity to it for Sauvignon Blanc. It was this wine and the words of Olivier that make me feel compelled to visit this winery the next time I am in France.

Moving along to the reds, we sampled a 2011 Beaujolais of Georges Duboeuf, Juliénas, Château des Capitans, Beaujolais. George Duboeuf has been the champion of Beaujolais for most of his life. Made from the Gamay varietal, the aromas of this wine were floral as well as fruity with hints of red cherries and blackberry. It was smooth and softly tannic on the palate.  “While the Beaujolais is a growing category it is under appreciated”, confessed Barbara before we sampled the wine. When Brand Ambassador of Georges Duboeuf, Laurent Gamonet, was asked “What would you pair this Beaujolais with?”, he exuded an enormous amount of passion in his first response “Andouillette, delicious smoked sausage, and a speciality in France! ”. Realizing that his recommendation is not so easily accessible to British Columbians he added with a smile “Well grilled chicken will be nice too.”

Next on the French wine map, we sampled a wine from Bourgogne, which is one of the fastest growing categories in  BC. With its deep red colour and solid legs, Jean-Claude Boisset, Chambolle-Musigny, Bourgogne, 2011 had aromas of plum and cherries while with quite round tannins on the palate. Hugues Witz, Export Director of the winery provided a detailed overview of the winery’s operations indicating that as a negociant and not an estate, production is less than 15,000 cases per year. Grégory Patriat, the winery’s official viticulturist, focuses on low yields in order to ensure the  healthiest grapes.

 

wines tasted

 

Halfway through the tasting, we travelled to Bordeaux and sampled a 2005 Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Pauillac, Château Clerc Milon Bordeaux. Currently priced at $88 at the BCLDB, this wine spent 16 months in French oak and offered beautiful notes of cassis and leather on the nose. It was quite bold and with lots of fruits on the palate. Michel Couttolenc, Export Area Director for North America talked about how the the most recent vintages were also universally good.

Moving down South we next sampled a 2012 Château Gassier, Côtes de Provence, L’Amphore de Provence Rosé. This wine was crisp as well as fruit-forward and Marc St-Amour, Sales Director conveyed that while this wine is perfect as a aperitif, it can also be served throughout dinner and for dessert as well.

Rhône, which is experiencing tremendous growth and is the second popular French category after Burgundy was our next destination. With its stunning bright yellow colour M. Chapoutier, Hermitage, Chanté Alouette, Rhône, 2011 offered aromas of spring flowers and some truffle on the nose and a vivacious texture. Michel Chapoutier, owner and winemaker expressed with a smile and confidence that “Hermitage is the best wine in the world, at the exception of champagnes of course”.

Moving along to a more fuller bodied wine, we sampled the Delàs Frères, Crozes-Hermitage, Les Launes, Rhône, 2010. Hervé Robert, Export Director, jumped right into the description of the wine admitting that the expression on the nose is very typical of a Syrah. “We can identify black olives, white pepper, and even, to be more specific, a small dose of aspirin.”, he conveyed. A classic of the Rhone region, this wine was savoury and bold marked by very rich legs.

Another wine with bold legs which made up the selection of the dozen (at that point almost empty) glasses was the Gérard Bertrand, La Clape, Château l’Hospitalet, Languedoc, 2011. As I inhaled the rich aromas of cassis and black cherries, Stephane Queralt, the winery’s Global Brand Ambassador offered an interesting overview of the owner. His storytelling skills, passion for wines and the Gérard Bertrand brand were apparent within the first few minutes. Gérard Bertrand was originally a rugby player in Southern France and he stopped his career in 1998 to take over his father’s winery. Fast forward almost 15 years later, in 2012 Gérard Bertrand was named Red Winemaker of the Year after winning 46 accolades and 2 trophies for his wines.

Almost coming to the end of our tour, we transitioned to a sweet Château de Jau, Muscat de Rivesaltes, Roussillon, 2011. According to Tom Warner, Export Manager of the winery “Sweet wine is liquid gold” and Muscat de Rivesaltes wines are made from a blend of two types of grapes: Muscat Blanc and Muscat of Alexandria. I had little reason to disagree once I swirled the wine in my mouth taking in all the lovely flavours: honey, apple pie, creme brûlée would have been the perfect pairings for it.

Our last  stop of the wine tour was to the Southwest of France where we sampled a very elegant and concentrated red wine. Made from 80% Tannat grapes and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2007 Vignobles Brumont, Madiran, Montus was spicy with a good combination of acidity and balance. The winery’s philosophy is to express grape, terroir, and vintage” said Vincent Thebaud, Export Manager of Vignobles Brumont. He concluded his overview of the wine and region by stating that in France people live longer because of the tannins so “Drink Tannat you will live longer”.

The highlights of the tasting were not only the incredible wines we sampled but also the unique perspectives each one of the panelists offered: All of them, including the wonderful moderator Barbara, exuded so much passion for the various styles of wine from France, story behind each winery/winemaker, and the regions. Although we couldn’t all be physically exploring the wine regions of France that morning, the experience in tasting exceptional wines and listening to the stories told by each panelist made it a wine tour to remember.

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Photos and Text by Lana Bukvic
T: @VanCityWineGirl

 

 

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