Best Tastings
Spring 2011

Louis Latour

In late March, Louis Fabrice Latour (the 7th Louis in the Latour wine lineage) stopped in Vancouver to visit, one of his favorite places. He said, "I love coming to Vancouver for the food, wine and culture of the city."
Plus, Canada is an important market for the Louis Latour brands, although Ontario does sell  one-half of the wines that arrive in Canada, British Columbia is still an important market.
Since the 1700s in Aloxe~Corton (which happens to be one of my favorite appellations in Burgundy) has been home to the Latour family. It's a rich history of winegrowing, barrel making and negotiants.
Louis Latour is a family owned company that is the largest Grand Cru estates within Burgundy.
Latour also owns the brands Henry Fessy of Beaujolais and Simonnet~Febvre of Chablis - both of which are available in British Columbia.

The British Columbia Liquor Distribution Board (BCLDB) stats show France as a whole is starting to trend upward with the Rhone Valley leading the
charge, Bordeaux is following suit and Burgundy is just starting to show some growth.
For the Louis Latour brand and their agent, the Mark Anthony Group, premium wines are strong in Canada, with British Columbia showing the strongest growth in Canada.
Louis Fabrice feels that although the Louis Latour label has not changed much over the years the consumer is getting younger. The Latour reds he feels, "are more fruit driven" than others in Burgundy and he attributes that to the younger consumer.
Certainly, for new wine drinkers who want to expand their palates and delve into old-world wines Latour is a recognizable name that offers wines in all price categories, from the tasty Louis Latour Ardeche Chardonnay for $12.99 to the elegant and highly
desired Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru at $200.


Masi

Sandro Boscaini
I have interviewed some of the most famous names in the wine world in the past few months - Louis Fabrice Latour (above), Miguel A. Torres (look for this profile in an upcoming Vines Magazine issue), Nigel Greening of Felton Road in Central Otago here as well as dozens of others. But when I posted a comment about having lunch with Sandro on social media, a friend of mine who is based in Paris, France and works for a very large and famous Champagne house, responded to my comment with, "Sandro is one of the greatest men in the wine world. As well as one of the kindest."
After meeting him I would agree with that statement.

Actually, I had met Sandro Boscaini, very briefly, in 2008 during Vinitaly. I happened while I  was tasting the Masi wines with his son Rafaele, whom I have met on a number of occasions in Vancouver and Italy.

Sandro was very happy to be returning to Vancouver after several years, a place he considers, " A fusion of cultures, leaders in wine and food."

Masi Agricola is a family owned and run company. The name is derived from a small valley  in Veneto
called Masi, that the Boscaini family purchased in
the late 1700s.
Along with a property in Tupungato in Mendoza,
Argentina (which I visited in late 2009) the Boscaini
family also manages the historic Serego Alighieri
estate in Valpolicella and is working with Alighieri 
in Tuscany.

Sandro's passion and his storytelling make him an easy man to talk to. He is committed to the ancient art of making Amarone and making sure the tradition survives. Sandro explained the appassimento method of drying indigenous Venetian grape varieties on bamboo racks for 120+ days after harvest to make true Amarone.
Sandro's father was the first to produce a Supervenetian, the Masi Campofiorin in 1964. This was a new category of wine using partial appassimento they called Ripasso. Boscaini wanted a wine with the additional richness  found in Amarone, but he knew to make it at a price point that
was affordable for every day he could not justify a
full appassimento the length of time an Amarone
required.
About 70% of the harvested grapes for
Campofiorin are pressed and then fermented in stainless steel.  The other 30% of grapes are dried (for roughly half the amount of time used for Amarone grapes) then placed in wooden vats where the already fermented juice from the stainless steel tanks is added. At this point, the highly concentrated, higher sugar partially dried grapes start a secondary fermentation - not the same as a malolactic fermentation.
This ripasso method was initially trademarked by the Masi family after they developed it (initially using the leftover lees of Amarone) in 1964. Since then the method has been modified to using the dried grapes for Campofiorin, in Campofiorin.
As Sandro explained, using the lees of Amarone was comparable to, "Using a teabag. The first cup of tea is great, the second less so, but still more than just water".

Campofiorin may be the most popular Masi wine selling in BC stores today but I think the Masianico, a generous and aromatic blend of Pinot Grigio with 25-30% partially dried Verduzzo grapes is a fantastic value at $18.
The 2007 Brolo di Campofiorin at $30 is a richer and earthier version than the more feminine $20 Campofiorin offering chocolate, espresso and black cherries. Perhaps the one that stood out the most for me is the 2005 Riserva di Costasera (big brother to the Costasera Amarone Classico at $70) which for $77 is is an elegant compilation of plush cherries, vanilla, pepper and floral notes with a rich, ripe mouth and slightly bitter mocha finish.


Fraser Gallop

From the old world to the new, Fraser Gallop is a young Margaret River, Western Australia based winery that is turning heads and impressing critics palates.
Nigel Gallop spent a decade working the software business in California, which as you know is close enough to Napa and Sonoma to create an impression.
After returning to his hometown of Perth, in Western Australia he purchased 165 acres of land amid Margaret Rivers most  prestigious wineries in Wilyabrup.
The area is known for its moderate climate, proximity to the ocean on three sides and its rich free-draining gravelly soils with underlying clay to hold moisture.
Gallop started by planting Cabernet Sauvignon in 1999 and currently has Chardonnay, Semillon and small amounts of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc for a total of 50 acres under vine.

Nigel's estate managed to gain the interest of award-winning winemaker Clive Otto, who left nearby Vasse Felix after 16 years to take on the role at Fraser Gallop in 2005.
The first Fraser Gallop wines were released in 2003
but it wasn't until 2007 Nigel says, that the wines
really improved.
Certainly with a great winemaker, a few years of vine age as well as Nigel's commitment and hands-on approach with his namesake wines have made that difference.

Look for:
Fraser Gallop Semillon~Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 $28 Expect snappy, fresh aromas - nettle and gooseberry, grapefruit and honey. Tangy and mouth-watering in the mouth with an oily texture and long finish.

Fraser Gallop Chardonnay, 2010 (not yet available - approx $35) Shows cooler-climate Chardonnay characteristics - citrus, toast, young pineapple and sweet spice. A stylish Chardonnay with impressive concentration and a long finish.

Fraser Gallop Cabernet Sauvignon (some 2007 may be available at Everything Wine) 2009 will arrive soon $45.
Expect sweet cassis and juicy aromas - licorice and floral notes with a bright, elegant palate.

Fraser Gallop Cabernet Merlot, 2009 $28 a rich, mouth-filling wine with spicy plums and chocolate and lovely balance.


Okanagan Crush Pad


Steve Lornie, Alberto Antonini, Christine Coletta, David Scholefield and Michael Bartier

Much closer to home, change it is a-comin'.
While many wine regions in the world benefit from custom crush facilities, here in British Columbia we are just seeing the launch of such beneficial establishments.
Wineries built to support not just one but many different winemakers or labels or producers.
The start-up cost to build a winery from the ground up is astronomical (that's without factoring in the cost of land or grapes or vines) so why not share the expense of a start-up winery with others by offering custom crush facilities and a place to make, store and bottle small lot wines?

Marketing maven Christine Coletta and her husband, contractor Steve Lornie are set to launch the Summerland based Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) once the 7750 square foot modern, concrete winery is complete in late August, just in time for the 2011 harvest.
Of course the OCP is more than just a winery and custom crush it offers a variety of services that Coletta refers to as "From the Field to Market"  and makes its own wine under the label Haywire by head winemaker Michael Bartier.
Bartier also makes a couple of wines under the Bartier~Scholefield label with wine industry personality David Scholefield.
In addition to the multi-faceted talent that OCP team brings, world renowned viticulturist and winemaker Alberto Antonini, is on board for quarterly visits as a consultant, a first for Canada.

Haywire Pinot Grigio 2010 review


WineScores.ca is the sister site to WineDiva.ca