Penfolds’ Matt Lange had heard about this guy throwing monumental Grange tastings in Texas, “ says DLynn Proctor. That guy was DLynn Proctor, now the winemaking ambassador for Penfolds and one of the four master sommelier candidates followed in the documentary SOMM. DLynn relates fascinating Penfolds history as we taste impeccable wines with an outrageous line up of tasty dishes that just keep coming from the Tavern 1903 kitchen. For example: we learn there’s no sure thing with Grange— the lots that could be Grange (the absolute top-notch fruit) are always tasted blind to make the final blend; and that St Henri has been made in the same large (1400-2200 litre) barrels since 1953. The Bin 389 is always pretty much half and half Cab. “ This is the wine Max Schubert wanted to make, “ says DLynn. “This is what he would have been tasting in the 50’s when Bordeaux was blended with Hermitage.”
Stewart Buchanan, brand ambassador for The BenRiach, and its sister distillery GlenDronach, led a tasting with a back-to-school lunch of tomato soup, grilled cheese and buttermilk fried chicken at Kitchen. It will be hard to taste tomato soup ever again without the company of the Glendronach Revival. Stewart explained how sherry casks affect the taste; “The character should be 60 per cent identified to the cask, and 40 per cent to the distillery,” he says. We enjoyed 15-year-old Revival (100 per cent Oloroso cask-finished); the elegant Cask Strength Batch 2 (Oloroso and sweet Pedro Ximénez casks); the Ben Riach 1977 Cask 1892 (Jamaican rum-finished), and BenRiach Birnie Moss, a rare Speyside peated whisky. The entertaining Buchanan brings several decades of production experience to his role, and has been at BenRaich since master distiller Billy Walker bought the distillery in 2005.
Roberto d’Onofrio of Piedmont’s Tenuta Carretta Estate came to Massimo’s to introduce Villa Ile wines. The two whites and two reds are food- and wallet-friendly, with all but the Barbaresco priced close to or under $20. That, dear reader, means you can drink a deliciously juicy, fragrant Nebbiolo whenever you like — not just for special occasions. Another highlight was the Arneis, its aromatic qualities, full body and rich texture due to the “ unique microclimate of the vineyard,” says Roberto. Fans of characterful whites will love it. Enjoy with cheesy pastas.
Antonio Álvarez, export director of premium cava house Agustí Torelló Mata, paired several cava with a sublime menu by Edmonton Petroleum Club’s director of culinary development, chef Doreen Prei. The house is known for exceptional fruit quality and technical innovation, having opened the first analytical lab in the cava region (95 per cent of cava is produced in Penedes, near Barcelona). “Before, no-one really knew what happened when they made wine. He established a system, a method. Now we control all processes, we cultivate our own yeast, and produce the high quality base wine. The Agusti Torelló Mati vineyards are between 30-60 yrs old. “The Parellada provides acidity to the blend, Macabeu elegance and xarel·lo for strength. We use more Macabeu generally.
All our cava are aged for a minimum 15 months, the reserve 24 months, gran reserva 40 months. Cava is not just bubbles for parties, you can enjoy at any moment. It complements all kinds of foods very well.”
Willie Tait, Jura single malt Scotch whisky There are 5000 deer, 200 people, one road and one distillery (reimagined in 1963, after several decades of disuse) on the isle of Jura. One of those people, Master distiller Willie Tait, ambassador for the Jura distillery, charmed a sold-out tasting at Chateau Louis recently. We tasted several exceptional whiskys while Willie spun tales and dispensed whisky advice.
Jura is powerful whisky without the salty, iodine characters in typical island drams. He credits the designer of the distillery, William Delmé-Evans, who created the almost 10-metre tall stills. “The second distillation, the mother, from those tall stills, is the heart of Jura.” And the water, flowing through quartz stone. It’s a soft and gentle water,” he says, “creating a light, delicate spirit.” Tasted: Origin 10 year old, lightly-peated, (bourbon-finished casks); Diurachs’ Own, 16 years old (Oloroso sherry-finished casks) the heavily-peated Prophecy mellows in Limousine (French) oak and is bottled without chill filtration, and Superstition, a blend of lightly-peated malts up to 21 years old. Willie left us with this: “Keep drinking good Scotch whisky. I hope it’s Jura.”