Wines from Gruber Röschitz, Similkameen, Apalta Valley, Mount Pisgah, and Rhône Valley, plus a few extras
by Mary Bailey
Juanita Roos (Color de Vino), Valter Fissore (Elvio Cogno) and Stacey-Jo Strombecky (2851 Selections) at Uccellino.
Valter Fissore, winemaker and viticulturalist at his family winery, Elvio Cogno, held a master class at RGE RD. Elvio Cogno is in Ravera, in the Novello commune, in Italy’s Piedmont region. Valter’s father-in-law “knew the potential of this cru, he had great knowledge of the territory,” said Valter.
“My family spent a lot of time to save Nascetta, 30 years ago no one had it,” says Valter. “I would taste old vintages and think wow, why are we doing Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc in the Langhe? We produced 800 bottles the first year. There are around 40 producers of Nascetta now, and Nascetta Day for the first time this year.”
We tasted three vintages of the Nascetta to get a better feel for this relatively unknown grape variety. Let’s just say many Nascetta aficionados came out of that tasting.
“We are winegrowers, I always say that because it’s important. We don’t buy any grapes,” says Valter. “We are traditional. We didn’t adopt the short fermentations, barrique, roto fermenters for Barolo. Our concept has remained the same—tradition, passion, terroir, identity.
“We are organic production, we have farmed sustainably for the last 12 years. We found that the wines became more juicy, more harmonic. We’re not talking about organic because it’s trendy, or to sell more wine. We do it to leave the natural and to preserve, first of all, our health.”
2021 Nascetta del Commune di Novello Anas-Cëtta has an attractive lemon-lime character, with a hint of sage, beautiful herbacousness and savouriness. Aromatic, weight without heaviness, salinity and a lovely linear acidity brings freshness. Exceptional wine, worth every penny. On the list at RGE RD, also at Color de Vino, deVine Wines, Prestige.
2021 Dolcetto d’Alba DOC Mandorlo is a pretty ruby colour, with red fruit and violet aromas, elegant soft tannins, a delight. A delicious Dolcetto, the perfect summer red. Drink slightly chilled with salad niçoise. Find at Color de Vino, deVine Wines, Prestige, and on the list at the Marc.
2021 Langhe Nebbiolo DOC Montegrilli fruity and floral (roses, tea) no time in wood contributes to the freshness. Beautiful texture, velvety, not heavy but with presence. Super drinkable, well-priced, darn delicious. Find on the list at Tryst, at Color de Vino, deVine Wines, Lacombe Park Sprits, Prestige and some Wine and Beyonds.
Christina Masciangelo (Salivate Wines) and Matthias Steinlechner (Gruber Röschitz) at deVine Wines
Matthias Steinlechner hosted a tasting at deVine Wines to help us explore Austria’s Gruber Röschitz. Ewald, Maria and Christian Gruber make wine on the Röschitz in the northern Weinviertel region of Austria. Here, Grüner Veltliner is king, over 50 per cent of their land is planted to that intriguing variety. Riesling, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir also thrive in the mostly granitic with sandy loess soil. One word to characterize Gruber Röschitz wines? Energetic. Not quantifiable perhaps, but that’s the impression. The farm has been organic since 2013. The 2019 Black Label Riesling is everything Riesling lovers look for—barely there residual sugar, textural, chewy, tasting of yellow fruit and some petrol. So delicious. The St. Laurent was a lovely surprize—medium bodied, blueberry and plum on the palate, mouth filling without heaviness and so juicy.
2021 Grüner Veltliner Reipersberg, a single vineyard Grüner, is delicious—lively citrus aromas, complex flavours, tasty minerality and spot-on acidity with a long finish. Drink with fish dishes, Caesar salad, white pizza.
The 2022 St. Laurent Rosé is bright and juicy, tasting of fresh berries with a nice taut seam of acidity keeping things fresh. Drink with hummus and crudité, bratwurst on a bun.
2020 Black Label Pinot Noir has deliciously dark fruit aromas with an undertone of herbs and violets. Juicy, a little sinewy in the best possible way. Roast chicken, grilled salmon, mushroom pasta.
Find at Color de Vino, deVine Wines and better wine shops.
Nicolas Mailly (centre) of Paul Jaboulet Aîné with RGE RD’s Blair Lebsack and Caitlin Fulton in the RGE RD kitchen
Nicolas Mielly, export director of the Rhône Valley’s Paul Jaboulet Aîné hosted a tasting at RGE RD recently. The storied house was bought by the Frey family in 2006 and is now under the direction of Caroline Frey, who is in the process of transforming the estate towards a sustainable future. Jaboulet achieved organic certification in 2016 and there is a concerted move to biodynamic practices in the vineyards, particularly Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage. Jaboulet is best known for the iconic La Chappelle, a blend of vertiginous plots on the Hermitage hill (including les Bessards, les Greffieux, le Méal, les Rocoules). The work they are doing in Crozes-Hermitage also deserves attention—on the steep granitic slopes, Domaine de Roure is becoming a biodiverse habitat that also happens to grow grapes.
Lucky us to be able taste two vintages of La Chapelle, 2019 and 2020. Those fortunate to put these wines in their cellars will be rewarded with some of the best Syrah the northern Rhône can produce—majestic yet elegant, effortless, powerful and complex with the characteristic smoky bacon fat, floral and white pepper aromas and flavours coupled with dense and generous black fruit and silky tannins. Wow.
Parallèle 45 Côtes Du Rhône Blanc is primarily Grenache Blanc, silky, not too fleshy, white flowers and stone fruit, with a lovely seam of acidity that keeps the wine refreshing. Super drinkable, one for the fridge door all summer long.
2020 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Roure Rouge possesses gorgeous aromas of white pepper, smoke, black fruit, subtle herbs. Well-balanced acidity, lots of tension, powerful yet elegant with a long finish, a delicious wine that will stay the course. Drink with grilled meats and vegetables.
2020 Hermitage La Masion Bleue is named after the building where Jaboulet kept grapes for straw wine (vin de paille, which, sadly, they don’t make any more). Often called the petite hermitage as it shares so many attributes with La Chapelle—the meaty smoky bacon aromas, the power, the complexity. Drink with roast meats, game or lamb, mushroom dishes.
What a treat to learn about the Similkameen and its wines from Clos de Soleil’s Michael Clark (general manager, co-owner and winemaker). This central B.C. wine region, west of the Okanagan, is beginning to get the attention it deserves. In brief: the dramatic temperature change from day (hot) to night (cool) and the 2,600 plus hours of sunshine. The reliable afternoon breezes lessen disease pressure. The sheer mountain cliffs and orientation of the valley’s nooks and crannies create unique microclimates for winegrowing and the rocky mineral-rich soils are ideal for the Bordeaux varieties that Clos de Soleil planted, beginning in 2006. “The minerality, especially graphite is a signifier of Similkameen wine, not just ours,” says Michael. “The idea is to be transparent as possible; not get in the way of nature. I want the terroir to show through.”
The estate is certified organic and managed biodynamically. “It’s a farming philosophy that views
the farm as an eco-system,” says Michael. “What we’re trying to achieve is lots of life on the farm.”
The 2021 Pinot Gris is lovely, with a wonderful mid-palate and texture, not heavy or too fruity, but elegant and oh so drinkable, with persistant, balanced acidity and minerality.
2020 Capella White Meritage is a Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon blend in the tradition of white Bordeaux. Exceptional, 100 per cent wild ferment in puncheons—bright aromas and flavours of yellow stone fruit, a little delicious salinity, with crisp acidity and a lovely texture, stony finish. Drink with shellfish, creamy pastas, roast chicken.
2020 Black Label Célestiale Red Blend is mostly Merlot with some Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Briary red fruit, red licorice, walnut, cocoa, spice, ripe and present, soft, appealingly chunky tannins, mid-weight, long finish. Beautiful juicy acidity keeps things fresh. Drink with grilled lamb chops, mushrooms.
2019 White Label Signature Red Meritage is a Merlot/Cab Sauv blend with Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Aromatic, good tension, silky tannins, super long finish. Elegant, possessing a lovely delicacy along with power. Wild ferment. Drink now or cellar for up to a decade. Drink with your best steak cut.
2020 Winemaker’s Series Syrah. Michael is planting Syrah at Clos de Soleil because he is very excited about its future in the Similkameen. Juicy and delicious, lovely white pepper, black olive, blueberry and sagebrush aromas, tasting of raspberries, plums, dark chocolate and spice. Very pretty nose, nicely structured, a welcoming wine. Co-fermented with the Viognier in concrete, aged in French oak, five per cent new, bottled unfined and infiltered. Drink with starlight.
Aurelio Montes with Julie Peglau (left) and Lisa Rogers of Icon Wines
Aurelio Montes came to Calgary to taste through several vintages of his family estate, Montes, in the Apalta Valley, the first boutique winery in Chile. “My father was working for a different company—at that time, Chilean wine was known as cheap and quite bad,” says Aurelio. “After travelling and tasting, he thought; ‘we can compete with that.’ He found three amazing partners, all experts in different areas and no one had any money. We started in a small place, I remember as a child using buckets to fill the bottles. Now, we have the beautiful buildings. We are the only winery in Chile where the owners are generational winemakers and we are one of the biggest producers of premium wine, not volume, in Chile.”
Montes is best known for their Folly Syrah and Cabernet-based wines, but they have a special love for (the usually unloved) Carménère. “It is one of the most challenging grapes I’ve ever worked with,” says Aurelio. “Hard to grow, hard to harvest, hard to ferment. It took us 10 years to make our first Carménère. We thought Carménère was like Merlot, but we discovered that it needed to be harvested much later, in May.”
Purple Angel was the first Carménère to get the world’s attention. They add eight per cent Petit Verdot—“it has huge affinity, full of muscle, so tough, so deep,” says Aurelio.
The new Carménère project is Wings. “The hillside faces south, it’s cooler, the wine is spicy, it has round, easy sophisticated tannins. The blend is with Cabernet Franc. The final style was a big discussion with my father and the two wings signify the two of us, you need two wings to fly,” says Aurelio.
The 2020 Wings Carmenère is lovely and round, with the pretty bell pepper characteristics of Carmenère, surrounded by juicy red and black fruit. Intense blackberry aromas, generous flavours, soft tannins. Aurelio says this wine is meant to be drunk with slow cooked rather than grilled foods.
2019 Montes Folly has complex aromas of white pepper, balsamic, red and black fruit flavours. Elegant, balanced acidity, love the finish of this 100 per cent Syrah. Drink with anything off the grill.
2020 Montes Alpha M is a blend of 80 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 per cent Cabernet Franc and five per cent each of Merlot and Petit Verdot. Elegant, balanced, complex, tobacco, cassis, some leather, spicy, silky tannins. Aurelio says to pair with music (the second glass with something to eat), “I love to drink this by itself, so many layers.”
Brad Ford’s parents Lowell and Pauline bought the land near Salem, Oregon in 2000 (now in the Mount Pisgah AVA). The first vintage of Illahe was 2004. “We are a family operation, a small boutique winery—we share the same aspirations,” said Brad during a visit to Edmonton this May. Brad and his wife Bethany utilize regenerative agriculture practices in the vineyards to make wines that reflect the terroir. The wines are a delight—particularly the wild ferment Pinot Noir and the Pinot Gris.
2022 Pinot Gris is delicious, floral, peachy fresh and aromatic with nice herbaceous notes. The partial ferment in big, neutral French oak contributes to the lovely texture.
2021 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has fresh strawberry notes, beautiful acidity. Drink slightly chilled, this wine can handle rich foods, pork chops, fatty fish, creamy pastas.
2020 Bon Sauvage Pinot Noir possesses wafting aromas of sweet strawberry with lovely notes of forest floor, dried leaf, fine tannins, well-structured red berry fruit, velvety texture, an ideal Oregon Pinot. Drink now with grilled salmon or put away for a few years to further develop.
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2022 Pinta Negra Rosé (Lisbon, Portugal) is an easy-going Portuguese rosé is made from the Aragonez grape variety in the Lisbon region. A bargain, fresh and floral, with red berry flavours and a hint of minerality. You’ll find it on many a list this summer—by the glass at May and Central Social Hall and by the bottle at Bin 104, Glenora Fine Wines and Liquor Select.
How easy is this? Gigglewater bubbles in a can is ready for picnicking, camping, or sipping at the lake. Keep a few four-packs in the fridge for impromptu Aperol Spritz making. In both white and rosé. Easy peasy. Find pretty much everywhere.
2022 Telmo Rodriguez Basa Blanco (Rueda, Spain) is a tasty white, a blend of mostly Verdejo with eight per cent Viura. We are big fans of the wines of Telmo Rodríguez and the Basa is no exception. Lemony citrus, fresh herbs, green apple, outstanding with vegetable dishes like a beet salad; its fresh acidity cuts through the richness of fried chicken or calamari.
Second-generation master distiller Tim Vos makes Van Gogh Espresso Vodka using Columbian coffee beans and a proprietary double-infusion method. The result? A vibrant and bold espresso vodka with clear coffee flavours and a subtle citrus hit. The drink of the summer is the espresso martini. Here’s how: pour 1 shot espresso, 2 shots Van Gogh Espresso Vodka, 1 shot (or a splash) Strathcona Spirits Velvet Cream. Shake over ice in a martini shaker until cold and frothy. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with three coffee beans if desired.