The Wine Summit
The Post Hotel in Lake Louise
Tasted Friday, June 2, 2006 - Saturday, June 3, 2006 by Hank Gillespie with 1,503 views
Introduction
These are my notes for the wines tasted at The Wine Summit held at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise - June 1st - 4th, 2006.
The event began on Thursday evening with an opening Western Night dinner, and two major tastings on Friday – Two Hands and La Spinetta – split with a lunch in between. There was also a vertical of Joseph Phelps Insignia.
Lorraine arrived at Lake Louise on Thursday afternoon, but I couldn’t get there until late Friday afternoon. She raved about the Thursday event, and had special mention for the 2001 Kracher # 5 Weisriesling Trockenbeerenauslese that Michael Twelftree ordered for their table at the Friday lunch.
Upon arrival I spotted Michael sitting under an umbrella on the deck sipping tea. Perhaps that’s the secret to his prodigious tasting abilities.
An excellent dinner on Friday evening. Chef Hans Sauter and his staff offered up some superb menu items.
Flight 1 (6 Notes)
Flight 2 - Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Tasting
Saturday morning commenced with the Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame tasting . This was well presented and comprised vintages 1996, 1995, 1989, 1988, 1985, 1979 together with 1999 and 1999 Rich. The differences between the ‘99’s is the residual sugar – 9g/L for the ’99 and 28g/L for the ’99 Rich.
This was an exceptional opportunity for those who enjoy fine Champagnes. I have particular trouble with all of the acidity that early in the day. I could tell which one was Michael Twelftree’s favorite. It was the 1988, evident from his draining both his own and my glass.
Lorraine benefitted from the tasting, even though she took a timeout for the session. There were a couple of technical questions from the moderator, who had two beautiful Veuve Clicquot silk scarves as prizes for the correct answers. My answer was the only correct one for the first question, and Lorraine is now the proud owner of the scarf.
Flight 3 - Chateau Margaux Vertical Tasting (9 Notes)
Next up that morning was the Chateau Margaux tasting, conducted by winemaker Paul Pontallier. This tasting comprised one white and 8 reds.
Paul is a charming fellow and his command of English is exceptional. He added a great dimension to the tasting. I particularly enjoyed his comment that:
"The making of great wine is a serrious endeavor, but great wine should not be taken too seriously. It is meant to be drunk, shared and enjoyed. It's made for those who do so."
He also gave credit to those who had come before, noting that it’s a privilege to work this great natural site – the climate and solids – which is the product of a long history of hard work by those who toiled here over the past 400 years. During the past 25 years Bordeaux has been blessed with an unprecedented string of very fine vintages.
The red wines were opened and double decanted 4 hours prior to the tasting under Paul's supervision.
Flight 4 - Lunch (1 Note)
The de Capo was ordered with lunch following the Margaux tasting. Michael was insistent that I try the wine, so we ordered up a bottle. The wine may have benefited from additional airing - it was just opened and decanted.
Flight 5
Following lunch Michael invited me to join him in the Post’s cellars where he would be opening the 2004 Two Hands Ares Shiraz that would be included in the dinner wines that evening. Great stuff and looking forward to partnering this wine at dinner with some Alberta lamb.
Flight 6 - Tasting of Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir (2 Notes)
This tasting was conducted by winemaker Tony Rynders, who has a strong communications bent. He did a fine job of captivating the attention of those in attendance, and kept the dialogue from becoming too technical.
The vines on Serene’s several vineyard sites are not irrigated. The approach to winemaking is to employ less extraction from the grapes. They employ a large sorting table to maintain a high standard of selection – grapes are destemmed – some early cold soaking – no fining – no filtering.
This vertical featured the Evenstad Reserve from vintages 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1996, 1994, 1993 and 1992.
Tony felt that the 2000 vintage had more potential to become one of their better wines. He may be right, but hard for me to tell, since this was my first experience with a Domaine Serene vertical and one that included a couple of older wines.
I felt that the 1993 and the 1992 offered the best expression of fruit among these wines.
Flight 7 - Mischief and Mayhem (extracurricular) (2 Notes)
As if we weren’t getting into enough wines already, I was asked to join a small group in the Post Hotel’s Library to taste some of Michael’s Burgundy adventure wines – the lineup from Mischief and Mayhem.
Flight 8 (3 Notes)
Both the village wines used 25% new oak barrels. The following 1er Cru’s each used 50% new oak barrels.
Flight 9 (1 Note)
Mischief and Mayhem has one red in the group.
Flight 10 (1 Note)
Since I missed out on the Two Hands tasting the day previously, Michael wanted me to taste the Aphrodite. It’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from extremely low yielding vines – just ½ T/acre. Alcohol is 15.5%, but there’s absolutely no sense of that in the wine.
Flight 11
And still a couple of hours left to relax before dinner.
And finally the grand finale: Saturday’s Black Tie Windup Dinner, Dance and Silent Auction
Chef Hans Sauter and his staff outdid themselves for this truly marvelous dinner! Hors d’Oeuvres were served in the kitchen – an exotic sampling of a variety of appetizers.
Flight 12 - First Course (1 Note)
Carpaccio of Deep Sea Scallops and Tartar of Atlantic Balik Salmon with Paprika Oil
Flight 13 - Second Course (1 Note)
Ragout of Fresh Lobster with fresh Spring morels and asparagus on Port wine sauce.
I know Michael felt this wine didn’t measure up as a partnership with the course, but I feel otherwise. I liked the choice, especially with the flavours of the morels and asparagus in the wine sauce. The rich lobster needed something to balance against and this was handled very well.
Flight 14 - Third Course (1 Note)
Breast of Squab and Fois Gras in Brick Leaves on a bed of Wild Spring Leek with Squab Sherry Jus. Mmmmm! What a dish ! Imagination and presentation combined in a delicious blend.
Flight 15 - Fourth Course (1 Note)
Alberta Lamb Loin in Rice Crepe with lamb jus and a hint of mint. Another unique presentation and extremely flavourful dish.
Flight 16 - Fifth Course (1 Note)
Grilled Filet of Alberta Bison with Cabernet Sauvignon sauce; pommes anna and fresh market vegetables.
Flight 17 - Sixth Course (1 Note)
Cheese presentation – Asiago, Beaufort, Comte and Parrano, with dried Apricot and Pecan Baguette
Flight 18 (1 Note)
We weren't done. However, as Michael ordered up two half bottles of 2001 Chateau Rieussec for our table.
Closing
This probably should have been in place of dessert, but a dessert course was offered in the form off bitter sweet Callebaut Chocolate and raspberry opera.
I just stayed with the Rieussec.
1995 Domaine Rémi Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Le Poruzot-Dessus
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
(6/1/2006)
Deep yellow in color, suggesting it may border on the edge of some maderization; aromas soft – some honey and peach (MT felt there was some botrytis here); creamy – some canned peach sweet fruit – also displayed the usual chalk/mineral flavors; some oxidation noted, but the wine was lacking in acidity; finished with moderate length, and quite agreeable at the end, with no notes of oxidation. Overall, somewhat disappointing. The wine is but 10 years old and the lack of acidity relegates it to a so-so wine.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
(6/1/2006)
Bright, clean – deep ruby color; swirling suggested good weight; penetrating cherry fruit on the nose, along with spices and a good blend of oak; lovely texture; fine balance of fruit and oak, together with refreshing acidity; very pure to the core; the cherry fruit flavors seem to recharge in layers, leading to a long, lingering finish. Remarkable ! I was taken with how easy and attractive this wine is – much more accessible that I had imagined. This wine will keep well and should continue to evolve over the next 5 years.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1993 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
(6/1/2006)
Very deep color – almost a brooding presence; this wine needed some time to come forth – left it for an hour in the glass; aromas showed lots of blackberry fruit, with hints of anise; ample fruit on the palate – initially reflecting some ripe tannins, but they settled back as the wine sat in the glass; powerful thrust of fruit, with a licorice edge – some hazelnut – blackberries; excellent structure with the frame holding the fruit; superb acidity in the background; finished beautifully. This is quite an outstanding wine with a long future. Another 4 or 5 years will add further complexity.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
(6/1/2006)
Appearance a bit fuzzy and showing some garnet on the rim; a bit funky on first smelling, and this wine needed considerable swirling in the glass to bring forth more pleasing aromas of spice and hints of cedar; velvety texture – quite full on the palate; warm and beefy along with some baked fruit – suggested boiled cherries; pretty good balance, but there was too much oak coming through; finished with good length. Couldn’t spot any defects here, but the wine was no match for the Musigny. It seemed to lack some purity on the nose and on the palate. The acidity, which was evident, wasn’t the kind of refreshing and vigorous character exhibited in the Musigny. For me, this bottle was somewhat disappointing, as I had expected much more.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1977 Fonseca Porto Vintage
Portugal, Douro, Porto
(6/1/2006)
Amber ruby color; penetrating aromas; good split between the spirit and the fruit; good balance – weighty – integrated sweetness. An OK Port, but I’m not particularly enamoured with finishing a meal that way.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2000 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
(6/1/2006)
Attractive light straw in color – clear and clean in the glass; typical honeyed Riesling aromas with floral overtones; fresh – good thrust of acidity; sweet fruit but offset with this refreshing acidity; finishes with the desire to have another sip. Excellent !
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue