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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Both the village wines used 25% new oak barrels. The following 1er Cru’s each used 50% new oak barrels.

Mischief and Mayhem has one red in the group.

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.

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.

Carpaccio of Deep Sea Scallops and Tartar of Atlantic Balik Salmon with Paprika Oil

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.

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.

Alberta Lamb Loin in Rice Crepe with lamb jus and a hint of mint. Another unique presentation and extremely flavourful dish.

Grilled Filet of Alberta Bison with Cabernet Sauvignon sauce; pommes anna and fresh market vegetables.

Cheese presentation – Asiago, Beaufort, Comte and Parrano, with dried Apricot and Pecan Baguette

We weren't done. However, as Michael ordered up two half bottles of 2001 Chateau Rieussec for our table.