Wine Review: 2010 Kung Fu Girl Riesling

5 04 2011

Don't judge a book by its annoying gimmicky cover.

Since I went higher-end last time and reviewed a wine that was likely too expensive, too uncommon and too mediocre for anyone reading this to ever try it, I thought tonight I would go with a wine that you can find EVERYWHERE and that comes in at under $20 CDN:  the Kung Fu Girl Riesling by Charles Smith Wines in Washington State.  You’ve probably seen the black and white labels of Charles Smith’s line of value wines, which also include the Velvet Devil Merlot and Boom Boom Syrah, in almost every liquor store you’ve been in over the past few years; I got this one at Superstore Liquorstore for $17.  Smith is an icon on the Washington wine scene, partly due to his bizarre background (he was a rock band manager before becoming a winery owner, and still has the hair to prove it), partly because he’s a natural born marketer, and partly because he’s becoming increasingly adept at combining solid quality with value price in a bottle of wine.  He has a few Serious Wine labels like his K Vintners production line, which focuses on pricy and top-quality Syrah from some of the best vineyards in the State, but his main focus seems to be on his more budget-conscious lines.  This Riesling is actually a single-vineyard bottling (quite surprising at this price — usually cheap wines are blends from multiple vineyards), from the Evergreen Vineyard due west of Spokane in eastern Washington. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: Habla No. 4 (2006)

3 04 2011

The future in a bottle.

I promised to open something worthwhile tonight, so here goes.  I got this bottle of Habla No. 4 for Christmas in 2009 (thanks Josh!) and have been patiently waiting to open it on a special occasion — well, 72 hours without a PnP wine review sounds like occasion enough to me!  Habla’s wines are exclusively carried in Calgary by Kensington Wine Market, and this one retails for around $75 CDN…WAY out of my usual price range, but that’s what Christmas is for, right?  All of Habla’s wines, including the No. 4, come from vineyards located near the town of Trujillo in the Extremadura province of Spain, which is located west and slightly south of Madrid.  If you’re wondering what formal Spanish wine region this falls into, well, it doesn’t:  this area is basically off the grid as far as winemaking goes. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2007 Mercer Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

30 03 2011

Beige label, non-beige wine.

Another day, another journey to what is rapidly becoming my favourite New World wine region, Washington State.  Today was one of those days where work was busy, I hit a traffic jam on the way home, the baby wouldn’t sleep, and I didn’t get to sit down to have dinner until almost 8:00; by that time, all I wanted with my meal was a welcoming, easygoing, easy-drinking (no more beer commercial adjectives, I swear) wine, a leather armchair by a fireplace in a glass.  That’s exactly what I got with this Mercer Cabernet. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2007 Ramon Bilbao Edicion Limitada Crianza

29 03 2011

Give some love to Rioja. Ramon begs you.

Back in the saddle tonight with a wine from one of my favourite red regions in the world:  Rioja, Spain.  Rioja is located in north-central Spain and is unquestionably the most historically significant wine region in the country.  It is an open question whether it is still the most relevant Spanish wine area today, with other regions like Ribera del Duero (just southwest of Rioja) and Priorat (in the far east near Barcelona) getting more press and attention these days, but I’m always still drawn to Rioja, where both traditional and modern-styled wines are made.  The traditional reds of Rioja are a rarity in the 21st century wine world because they are held and aged by their producers in barrel and bottle until they are deemed ready to drink, which in some cases is decades after harvest; there aren’t too many other industries where a manufacturer of goods would hold onto their inventory (thereby depriving themselves of sales revenue and increasing storage and maintenance costs) until they thought it was just so, but that’s what Old World style Rioja is all about.  More modern examples from this region are aged for less time and are far fruitier and more suited to mass appeal, but they can be less interesting as a result.  This Ramon Bilbao Edicion Limitada is made from 100% Tempranillo (the primary red grape of Rioja) and exhibits both the positive and negative effects of the region’s modern school of winemaking:  it is more approachable and easy to enjoy with many different kinds of food (in my case, pulled pork, a match made in gastronomic heaven), but it is also less distinctive and loses some of its Spanish-ness because of its production style, which creates a flavour profile that could almost be from anywhere. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2008 Schild Estate Barossa Shiraz

26 03 2011

My wine-loving history in a bottle.

I’m psyched about this review tonight for a few reasons.  First, I have been buying Schild Shiraz basically since I started collecting wine.  This 2008 will be the 4th vintage that I’ve purchased (making Schild my first legit vertical), and while four years isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, it takes me back to my earliest serious interest in wine, a time when ALL I drank was Australia Shiraz. (Incidentally, who DOESN’T start drinking wine via Aussie Shiraz?  It’s like the vinicultural gateway drug.)  Second, this particular bottle of Schild was the recipient of an honour this year that many $100+ bottles would kill for:  it was named the #7 wine of the year in Wine Spectator magazine’s Top 100 Wines of 2010 list.  This doesn’t mean that Wine Spectator thought that this $28 bottle of Shiraz was the 7th best wine on Earth last year, but it does mean that, when taking quality, availability, value and other factors into account, this Schild rose almost to the top of the heap.  Spectator scored it 94 points (very rare for a wine at this price point) and generally showered it with praise.  Third, unlike some of the bottles I’ve discussed in recent weeks, this one is widely available almost everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2009 Muller-Catoir Mussbach Riesling Kabinett

24 03 2011

German wine aristocracy.

After last night’s CNDP debacle, I wanted to make sure I bounced back strong tonight.  So I turned to my go-to varietal (Riesling) in my go-to wine country (Germany) to bring you the first ever non-dessert white wine featured in PnP, the 2009 Mussbach Kabinett Riesling from Muller-Catoir.  I bought this wine a few months ago from Bin 905 on 4th St and 23rd Ave SW, on which visit I discovered that they have the most ludicrously large German Riesling selection in Calgary, probably in Canada…it’s like Anglo-Saxon Mecca in there.  I don’t go to Bin a lot, but I foresee a few periodic Riesling pilgrimages in my future. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: Pere Anselme “La Fiole du Pape” Chateauneuf-de-Pape (NV)

23 03 2011

I basically paid $35 for this lovely glass bottle.

I admit the obvious: I bought this because it looked like a bottle of buried-treasure pirate wine.  I knew I was being taken in by pretty packaging, but I figured that this was from Chateauneuf-de-Pape, one of France’s most heralded wine regions, so it couldn’t be THAT bad…right?  I forgot that top wine regions are like luxury cars:  they don’t sell with gimmicks.  If you walk into a Lexus dealership, the salesman probably isn’t going to bother offering you purchase rebates or free gas for a year; his sales pitch is going to be “It’s a Lexus.”  Chateauneuf-de-Pape, located in the Rhone Valley in the southeast of France, is a Lexus wine region: it doesn’t need anything other than its name on the bottle to draw people in.  So when a Chateauneuf producer starts messing with the bottle itself to draw in sales, it’s probably not a good sign. Read the rest of this entry »


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Roving Wine Review: 2007 Gaja Promis @ Alloy

22 03 2011

If you haven't been to Alloy, go. Now.

I had an Important Business Dinner last night that took me to Alloy restaurant just off Macleod Trail on 42nd Ave. S.E…. my favourite restaurant in the city, and as it turns out, even better on somebody else’s tab.  There was remarkable food (I had a short rib appetizer with a roasted pepper and fenugreek chutney that should be illegal) and witty conversation, but most importantly, there was wine.  I was lazy and didn’t take contemporaneous notes, but this is the second time I’ve had the bottle we ordered, and it left enough of an impression that this review should still be fairly accurate.

The wine in question was the 2007 “Promis” from Gaja, made from grapes grown in the Ca’Marcanda vineyard in Tuscany.  Both the producer and the style of wine are rife with history. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Calgary Wine Life, Wine Reviews

Wine Review: 2008 Juan Gil Monastrell…and Is Kraft Dinner the Perfect Wine Food?

20 03 2011

Old-vines Monastrell...or Mourvedre...or Mataro...or whatever.

Super interesting Sunday night wine tonight:  the 2008 Juan Gil Monastrell from the lesser-known Jumilla wine region in eastern Spain.  This wine comes from grapes grown on 40+ year old vines; the older the vines, the less fruit they produce, but the more concentrated and complex that fruit is (the wonders of Mother Nature), which is why producers trumpet Old Vines if they have them.  Monastrell is a grape of many names, all of which strangely start with M:  apart from its Spanish name, it is known as Mourvedre (and sometimes Morastel) in France and Mataro in Australia.  I don’t know if there’s any kind of movement afoot to create an Esperanto-like universal world wine language, but if there is, I would sign the petition.  What makes the Juan Gil interesting is that Monastrell/Mourvedre/Mataro is usually a blending grape that gets added to wines made predominantly of other varietals in lesser quantities to boost the blend’s colour and structure; very rarely does it get to be the star of the show in a bottle of wine, but this Juan Gil is 100% pure Monastrell, front and centre. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 1989 Schloss Reinhartshausen Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Riesling Beerenauslese

19 03 2011

Today was as good as it gets in terms of wine-drinking occasions:  we had two great friends over to our place to celebrate their recent engagement.  They are both amazing people and are perfect together, so this was definitely cause for opening something special.  Most people might think to toast news like this over Champagne — me, not so much.  We went with German Beerenauslese dessert wine instead, and once we tried it, there was no doubt that we came out ahead. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2005 Amavi Cellars Syrah

17 03 2011

You had me at "Syrah".

This.  Wine.  Is.  AWESOME.

I promised a winner from Washington in my next review, and I have delivered and then some.  There are lots of good wines out there, but to me a great wine is one that keeps you coming back to the glass for each new sip or sniff wondering what you’re going to find next.  Great wines have depth, complexity and an interest factor, something compelling that latches onto you and won’t let go.  This wine is great. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2006 Edward Sellers “Le Thief”

13 03 2011

If I wanted this much booze, I'd spend less and buy vodka.

Yet another well-made, well-intentioned California wine done in by an overabundance of alcohol.  I think I’m putting a personal embargo in place effective right now on any wine over 15%, because it seems like once a wine crosses that threshold, everything but the booze level just doesn’t keep up.  It’s a shame too, because some of the elements of this wine were quite impressive.

The “Le Thief” (don’t blame me for the butchered French…Le Voleur?) is a Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre blend from Paso Robles, California produced in very low quantities:  less than 800 cases total (or less than 10,000 bottles) made.  I got it from The Ferocious Grape on 8th St & 10th Ave SW, one of my favourite wine shops in the city due mainly to its friendly, helpful, knowledgeable yet laid-back staff (and also due to the fact that its vault-worthy wines are in an actual [sort of] vault).  FG just started bringing in Edward Sellers’ wines, which are not widely found in Alberta. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2004 Leonetti Cellar Merlot

11 03 2011

A Washington Classic

A year ago, I had never tried a wine from Washington State.  Now I actively try to seek them out whenever I can, and with every new bottle I become increasingly impressed with their quality, consistency and complexity.  Washington wines aren’t bombastic or over the top like so many examples from California or Australia, but they aren’t as austere and unyielding as many European wines; they are a perfect middle ground between New and Old World sensibilities, and they deserve more attention than they get.  As a result, I was quite excited to get a chance to try this back vintage wine from one of the pioneers of the Washington wine scene:  Leonetti Cellar. Read the rest of this entry »


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Wine Review: 2009 Orin Swift Abstract

9 03 2011

Best label ever?

Holy crap.

First, to get this out of the way, this is one of my favourite wine labels of all time.  Orin Swift Cellars, probably best known for its signature red blend The Prisoner, are no strangers to killer marketing.  Unfortunately, they are also no strangers to huge, boozy, monster reds that pound your palate into submission.

Abstract is a brand new blend (Grenache, Syrah, Petite Sirah) celebrating its first ever vintage, and it is a sledgehammer:  15.7% alcohol and every bit of it shows.  The mouthfeel is impressively not as viscous as I would have expected for such a hot wine, and there are nice sweet fruit flavours here, but this is all about overt power and concentration and leaves me wishing for just a bit of subtlety and restraint (something I never would have said two years ago). A well-made wine, but too much of a blunt instrument for my liking.

85 points

[Editor's JARGON Note:  hot = unbalanced due to too much alcohol]

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