Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
The Fifteenth Annual Stonefields Wine Tasting Dinner for Charity
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Tasted December 3, 2016 by Dave Canada with 788 views
Introduction
Micheal Barnstijn and Lousie MacCallum hosted dinner this based on the theme of Bordeaux varietals and created a magical evening. Chef Arpi Magyar returned to wow us with his innovative cuisine.
Flight 1 - Reception (1 note)
Suzuki Strings School of Guelph Teachers and students serenaded us all with a gorgeous meadly of classical music.
White - Sparkling
2004 J. de Telmont Champagne Cuvée O.R. 1735
93 points
100 % Chardonnay that spends over 10 years on the lees.
This wine was chosen from a group of four sparkling wines a few days earlier to serve as the reception wine and it showed very well.
The nose was very open with pronounced intensity...the time on the lees is obvious as there is an intensely autolytic note that is augmented by lemon, white flowers, fresh dough and white spice. The palate is quite lush with a textural density that is quite hedonistic. Lemongrass, mineral, acacia flowers, roasted nuts and candied lemon dominate the palate with nice balancing acid.
Finish is long and layered. This is obviously a richer style of champagne but quite impressive.
This wine was chosen from a group of four sparkling wines a few days earlier to serve as the reception wine and it showed very well.
The nose was very open with pronounced intensity...the time on the lees is obvious as there is an intensely autolytic note that is augmented by lemon, white flowers, fresh dough and white spice. The palate is quite lush with a textural density that is quite hedonistic. Lemongrass, mineral, acacia flowers, roasted nuts and candied lemon dominate the palate with nice balancing acid.
Finish is long and layered. This is obviously a richer style of champagne but quite impressive.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 2 - Hors D'oeuvres (1 note)
Smoked Potato, salmon, tout roe / Sea Urchin, rice, yozu / Bellota, tomato seed, bread / Hamachi crudo, taco / Barbecued unary, sesame / Hot dog, dijon
White - Sparkling
1998 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2
95 points
The nose shows crisp saline and citrus notes in addition to salted toffee, white spice and oyster.
The palate is quite complex...layers of green apple, white flowers, salted caramel, lime zest, caramel, white pepper and almond.
The finish is long, complex and layered. This is a baby though...give some time and and it will unfurl even more. Very pretty wine
The palate is quite complex...layers of green apple, white flowers, salted caramel, lime zest, caramel, white pepper and almond.
The finish is long, complex and layered. This is a baby though...give some time and and it will unfurl even more. Very pretty wine
Flight 3 - 1er Plat (1 note)
Paired with Foie Gras, parsnip, coconut, nasturtiums, pearl onion, mandarin confit, brioche
White - Sweet/Dessert
1937 Château d'Yquem
97 points
Deep Amber colour
Nose is explosive....orange marmalade, sticky toffee pudding, orange rind, creme brûlée, candied flowers, earth and and subtle note of cocoa.
Palate is so unctuous...orange marmalade, burnt brûlée, roasted buts, asian spice, honey, orange toffee, cocoa and a hundred other flavours.
Finish is long, lush, and expansive. Stunning wine.
Nose is explosive....orange marmalade, sticky toffee pudding, orange rind, creme brûlée, candied flowers, earth and and subtle note of cocoa.
Palate is so unctuous...orange marmalade, burnt brûlée, roasted buts, asian spice, honey, orange toffee, cocoa and a hundred other flavours.
Finish is long, lush, and expansive. Stunning wine.
Flight 4 - 2eme Plat (3 notes)
Paired with Caviar, poached oysters, pearls, sabayon, chive
White
2011 Y de Yquem
94 points
Wow...nose jumps out of the glass with tangerine, lime, lemon, fragrant white flowers, orange blossom and mineral notes.
Palate is dominated by juicy orange blossom, orange pith, tangerine lime and minerals.
Finish is long expressive and super delineated. Wow...great wine.
Palate is dominated by juicy orange blossom, orange pith, tangerine lime and minerals.
Finish is long expressive and super delineated. Wow...great wine.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
1998 Château Haut-Brion Blanc
93 points
Nose is a touch muted...really have to work to get at this wine.
Palate shows a noticeable amount of oak buttressed by flavours of lemon custard, spice, lemongrass white flowers and minerals. Acid is razor sharp.
Finish is long and complex but with a touch of noticeable alcohol.
Palate shows a noticeable amount of oak buttressed by flavours of lemon custard, spice, lemongrass white flowers and minerals. Acid is razor sharp.
Finish is long and complex but with a touch of noticeable alcohol.
Flight 5 - 3eme Plat (3 notes)
Paired with Lobster char grilled, creamed leek, crispy potato, squash ravioli, mug olio, hollandaise
White
2010 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc L'Apres-Midi
91 points
Pale Lemon
Nose shows light citrus flavours, subtle aromas of flowers and vanilla custard.
Palate shows rich, ripe fruit and is a viscous wine. Barrel spice, vanilla, lemon, lilies and hazelnuts dominate this wine that also shows a touch of residual sugar.
Finish is medium + with obvious oak and lemon flavours. This was a bit pushed for me.
Nose shows light citrus flavours, subtle aromas of flowers and vanilla custard.
Palate shows rich, ripe fruit and is a viscous wine. Barrel spice, vanilla, lemon, lilies and hazelnuts dominate this wine that also shows a touch of residual sugar.
Finish is medium + with obvious oak and lemon flavours. This was a bit pushed for me.
White
2011 Hidden Bench Nuit Blanche Rosomel Vineyard
91 points
Pretty layered nose with lots going on. The palate is equally intriguing with pear, quince, lemon and barrel notes.
Finish is medium.
Finish is medium.
White
2007 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux
94 points
Nose was a bit muted. The palate though was unreal...layer upon layer in this wine with a kaleidoscope of pure citrus flavours, honeysuckle, mineral, white peach, mint, vanilla, and spice.
Finish is long with some very pretty oak. What a wine.
Finish is long with some very pretty oak. What a wine.
Flight 6 - L'Intermede (1 note)
Sorbet: Niabell ice, fresh bay leaf, Malden salt
White - Sparkling
N.V. Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 154eme
94 points
This was a heady champagne....loads of spice, caramel, coffee, roasted nuts and citrus fruit.
Palate was equally complex...apple, caramel, coffee, bitter lemon, lime, salted caramel, white blossoms and minerals.
Finish is medium+
Palate was equally complex...apple, caramel, coffee, bitter lemon, lime, salted caramel, white blossoms and minerals.
Finish is medium+
Flight 7 - 4eme Plat (4 notes)
Paired with Pork Belly, umeboshi jus, smashed peas, micro greens, apple
Red
2013 Ao Yun
88 points
Really dominated by bell pepper, celery and pyrazene notes on the nose.
Palate shows more fruit but is still very vegetal and underripe. Acid is also a bit lower than I would have liked
Finish is medium and dominated by green flavours.
Palate shows more fruit but is still very vegetal and underripe. Acid is also a bit lower than I would have liked
Finish is medium and dominated by green flavours.
Red
2010 Aristos Duque d'A Grand Cabernet
94 points
This wine was a revelation...
Nose is very complex with dark pure fruit and just enough pyrazene to add complexity. This is a wine that has no edges and is pure and layered on the nose
Palate has such pure fruit with bell pepper, violets and spice. There is a real Burgundian sense about this wine...it has verve and authenticity. WOW!
Finish is long, stunning wine.
Nose is very complex with dark pure fruit and just enough pyrazene to add complexity. This is a wine that has no edges and is pure and layered on the nose
Palate has such pure fruit with bell pepper, violets and spice. There is a real Burgundian sense about this wine...it has verve and authenticity. WOW!
Finish is long, stunning wine.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2006 Clos Apalta
91 points
Nose is dominated by mint and black fruit but a bit one dimensional
Palate is very polished...dark fruit, mint, eucalyptus. Very modern winemaking.
Finish is medium+. Styistically not what I am looking for.
Palate is very polished...dark fruit, mint, eucalyptus. Very modern winemaking.
Finish is medium+. Styistically not what I am looking for.
Red
1985 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
97 points
A legend....wow.
Such a gorgeous nose....sweet cedar, cassis, flowers, and a powerful core of black fruit that is not fading in any way.
Palate is dominated by cedar, black fruit, leather, cigar box, earth forrest floor and cassis....so much going on here....so many layers.
Length is mind bending.....this is a pristine bottle of this wine, tonnes of life left. What a treat!
Such a gorgeous nose....sweet cedar, cassis, flowers, and a powerful core of black fruit that is not fading in any way.
Palate is dominated by cedar, black fruit, leather, cigar box, earth forrest floor and cassis....so much going on here....so many layers.
Length is mind bending.....this is a pristine bottle of this wine, tonnes of life left. What a treat!
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 8 - 5eme Plat (3 notes)
Paired with Duck Breast, roasted pears, baby turnip, currants, spinach pain perdu, cauliflower
Red
2001 Château Le Pin
92 points
This is a massive wine and probably only starting to enter its drinking window
Nose shows pure dark fruit with menthol and eucalyptus.
Palate is dominated by dark fruit, coffee bean and oak...a bit too much wood on this for my liking.
Finish is long and dominated by dark fruit, pyroxene, cedar and oak flavours.
Nose shows pure dark fruit with menthol and eucalyptus.
Palate is dominated by dark fruit, coffee bean and oak...a bit too much wood on this for my liking.
Finish is long and dominated by dark fruit, pyroxene, cedar and oak flavours.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1990 Pétrus
95 points
Tasted on first pour this was unreal and likely warranted a much higher score. I only had a small taste but was not able to write a note. Only thing I scratched in my book was "unbelievable"
6 hours later, after this wine had been double decanted and put in a wine fridge for the intervening period I thought it had lost a bit of its verve. When I got to writing a note later on this wine is was still utterly stupendous...just a little weaker than on initial pour.
Nose showed bitter chocolate, plum, flowers, cherry, earth, moss and pyrazene. Palate had such pure fruit....utter cashmere. Cherry, raspberry, spice, flowers earth, moss and a myriad of other flavours dance on the palate.
Finish is long and layered....a legend.
6 hours later, after this wine had been double decanted and put in a wine fridge for the intervening period I thought it had lost a bit of its verve. When I got to writing a note later on this wine is was still utterly stupendous...just a little weaker than on initial pour.
Nose showed bitter chocolate, plum, flowers, cherry, earth, moss and pyrazene. Palate had such pure fruit....utter cashmere. Cherry, raspberry, spice, flowers earth, moss and a myriad of other flavours dance on the palate.
Finish is long and layered....a legend.
3 people found this helpful
Comments (2)
Red
1966 Château Palmer
95 points
Awesome bottle.
Nose of flowers, moss, earth, plums, cedar, forrest floor, lavender, blackberry, black cherry and mineral. There is still a core of fruit in this wine..it has not gone all tertiary.
Palate is full of character...so floral....cedar, cherry, earth and moss dominate but this wine has such texture and layer.
Finish is long with spice, dark fruit, cedar, leather and liquified lavender. Awesome wine.
Nose of flowers, moss, earth, plums, cedar, forrest floor, lavender, blackberry, black cherry and mineral. There is still a core of fruit in this wine..it has not gone all tertiary.
Palate is full of character...so floral....cedar, cherry, earth and moss dominate but this wine has such texture and layer.
Finish is long with spice, dark fruit, cedar, leather and liquified lavender. Awesome wine.
Flight 9 - 6eme Plat (2 notes)
Paired with Pot au Feu, braised short rib, cipolline, glazed root vegetables, red wine truffle essence
Red
1899 Château Latour Grand Vin
92 points
Obtained direct from Chateau Latour
This faded quite fast in the glass...we had to hurry. Notes of cedar, moss, cassis and subtle cherry fruit on the nose.
Palate showed a bit more fruit with cherry, plum and earth. This was a touch astringent and likely not the best bottle of this wine.
Finish was medium...I would have loved to try this wine out of magnum format.
This faded quite fast in the glass...we had to hurry. Notes of cedar, moss, cassis and subtle cherry fruit on the nose.
Palate showed a bit more fruit with cherry, plum and earth. This was a touch astringent and likely not the best bottle of this wine.
Finish was medium...I would have loved to try this wine out of magnum format.
Red
1875 Château Lafite Rothschild
99 points
From Magnum sourced ex-chateau
This wine was utterly fantastic....the power of magnum format.
Nose was so red fruited....sweet red fruit that was so pure augmented by animal, spice, white pepper, strawberry, cherry and mineral. Is this Chateau Rayas?
Palate is so pure and delineated....red cherry, red spice, white pepper, underbrush, plum, herb de Provence and mineral. WOW!
Finish is long, red fruited, spicey and dominated by pepper, strawberry, cherry and underbrush. WOW...what a wine. Unreal.
This wine was utterly fantastic....the power of magnum format.
Nose was so red fruited....sweet red fruit that was so pure augmented by animal, spice, white pepper, strawberry, cherry and mineral. Is this Chateau Rayas?
Palate is so pure and delineated....red cherry, red spice, white pepper, underbrush, plum, herb de Provence and mineral. WOW!
Finish is long, red fruited, spicey and dominated by pepper, strawberry, cherry and underbrush. WOW...what a wine. Unreal.
Flight 10 - Fromage (2 notes)
Paired with Vacche 706 parmigiano, epoisse, sabot de blanchette, quince gelee, pomegranate, torched grape, seeded sourdough
White
2011 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1
92 points
This is an absolute knockout of a wine...so vibrant.
This jumps out of the glass with lemon zest, mineral and white flowers.
Palate has sharp acid, lime fruit and white flowers.
Long finish...pretty wine
This jumps out of the glass with lemon zest, mineral and white flowers.
Palate has sharp acid, lime fruit and white flowers.
Long finish...pretty wine
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
1978 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
95 points
Nose of powerful sweet cassis, leather, cedar and black fruit.
Palate is loaded with complexity....earth, moss, cedar, leather, black cherry, cassis, flowers and minerals. There is a great balance between to the primary fruit and tertiary complexity.
Finish is long and layered...such a great wine.
Palate is loaded with complexity....earth, moss, cedar, leather, black cherry, cassis, flowers and minerals. There is a great balance between to the primary fruit and tertiary complexity.
Finish is long and layered...such a great wine.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Closing
Another lovely Stonefields Dinner. The generosity of both Micheal and Louise was amazing.