We were excited to be in a new venue, the Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle Downtown. Mark Davidson was kind enough to join us and guide us through nine interesting wines, accompanied by a delicious 5 course meal especially selected and prepared for us by Executive Chef James Burnett.
This event showed us the tremendous diversity of wines that are beginning to come out of McLaren Vale. This region has a wealth of wine types and styles.
Many thanks to Mark and the extremely professional staff at the Marriott Pinnacle.
Standout Dishes:
- Roast Duck Breast, Sour Cherry Reduction, Celeriac Puree
- Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, Port Soaked Figs
Standout Wines:
- Red Heads Studio Nebbiolo 2005
- Pertaringa "The Full Fronti" 20 year old Liqueur Frontignac NV
October 25th, 2010 - "Two Hands with Michael Twelftree"
Two Hands Wines is based in the Barossa Valley. It was started in 1999 and has gone from strength to strength with it's wines. We were privileged to have proprietor Michael Twelftree join us and tell us about these wines and his philosophy of winemaking.
Michael is a truly interesting fellow with a viewpoint that is often unique yet spot on. He has championed regional expression and single-vineyard uniqueness with his wines, which are consistently done in a bold, forward and delicious style. Two Hands sources grapes from every major region in South Australia and it was very interesting to taste the differences between the different areas, showing that Australian wines can truly have a sense of place, or "terroir".
We were fortunate to taste nine fantastic wines while Michael described the associated sites, vintages and winemaking techniques used.
All of the appetizers were delicious, particularly the Red-Wine Braised Pemberton Meadows Shortrib Tartlet with Poplar Grove Tiger Blue Cheese.
Standout Wines:
- "The Lucky Country" Shiraz/Grenache 2009: "Highly perfumed nose showing bright cherry leads to a palate of wonderful dark fruits, blueberries and spices. Has excellent length and is great value at only $20."
- Two Hands "Bad Impersonator" Shiraz Barossa Valley 2006 - "Very aromatic, high-toned nose. Medium bodied, showing good acidity. Plummy yet distinguished - long, long finish. This single vineyard wine is distinctly Un-Barossa in style. Could body-double for a fine Northern Rhone wine. Really interesting to drink."
- Two Hands "Samantha's Garden" Shiraz Clare Valley 2006 - "Nose of White Pepper and Blackberry. Fruit continues into the palate, complimented by Cocoa. Finishes with fine tannins and great length. Fantastic."
January 20th, 2011 - The Gala Dinner: (another) Vintage Evening
We were fortunate to have the wonderful Tramonto Restaurant at the River Rock Casino all to ourselves on this perfect evening. Executive Chef Sylvain Cuerrier and his expert staff went all out for us. His specially chosen menu was not only expertly prepared but also superbly matched to our 2001 Cellar choices. Everything was utterly delicious at our annual Gala Dinner.
The wines were in phenomenal shape, showing that Australian wines will age extremely well. One of them, the d'Arenberg Bonzai Vines McLaren Vale GSM, was very youthful, drinking like a 2 year old wine! It still has many good years ahead of it.
The staff of the restaurant were very professional and we were provided with excellent service. Thank you to all!
Standout Pairings/Standout Wines
Pine Mushroom Ragout, Sable Fish, Ashed Quebec Artisan Goat Cheese, Motoyaki Glaze, with Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling 2001 - The still-bright acidity of this beautiful mature Riesling pierced through the luscious texture of this dish to provide textbook flavors, and paired especially well with the Motoyaki. Fabulous.
Truffled Cauliflower Veloute, Parmigiano Reggiano, with Cockfighter's Ghost Tasmania Pinot Noir 2005 - Layers of harmony here, with the earthy nature of this superb Tasmania Pinot working well with the mild truffle, while suiting the Parmigiano component perfectly.
A duo of Braised Pork Cheek, Venison Style, and Pork Fore Shoulder Roast, Parsnip Puree, Australian Shiraz Confit, Vichy style Carrots, Dauphin Potato, with Warrenmang Pyrenees Victoria Shiraz 2001 - The intentionally rustic, old fashioned style of this dish was well suited to a moderate, traditional shiraz like the Warrenmang. A real feast of flavors!
March 8th, 2011 - "A Spring Walkabout"
This event just gets better and better every year! We enjoy putting on a walk around tasting each Spring to showcase affordable wines that our members and friends are likely to enjoy for everyday drinking.
Through the generosity of the Agencies in BC, we were able to amass 38 wines from 18 agents for the enjoyment of everyone involved. We appreciate the help of the agents, without whom this event would not have been possible. Many, many thanks to all who contributed wines for the tasting.
Talk about value - 38 wines for $40, including an excellent cheese plate for each participant! We were proud to be able to do this, and the full tasting room was proof positive that this level of value was appreciated by all.
The tasting was focused on value-priced wines, with a nod to quality. The one thing clearly evident was just how good a job Australia and New Zealand still do providing amazing value, even at lower price points. Most of the wines had retail prices under $25 yet still showed tremendous quality. Better yet, a large number were single region wines and they did a great job of showing the typical regional characteristics we would expect.
Overall quality was excellent, but here are a few to remember:
Standout Wines:
- Chapel Hill "The Parson's Nose" Shiraz McLaren Vale 2009
- Evans and Tate Chardonnay Margaret River 2009
- Peter Lehmann "The Futures" Shiraz 2006
- Tyrrell's "Rufus Stone" Shiraz Heathcote 2006
- Cooralook Pinot Noir 2008
- Xanadu "Next of Kin" Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River 2008
- Taltarni Brut Tache 2008
- Some Young Punks "Battle Island" Shiraz/Cab Clare Valley 2009
- Digger's Bluff "Stray Dog" GSM Barossa 2006
- Kim Crawford Pinot Gris Marlborough 2009
- Greg Norman Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Noir NV
Langmeil Dinner at Gotham Steakhouse, March 27th, 2011
This was our first ever visit as a group to Gotham Steakhouse. In attendance as our guest speaker was James Lindner, Manager of Sales and Marketing for Langmeil of the Barossa. James' brother Paul is Head Winemaker and produces their iconic wine, the "Freedom" Shiraz.
We were fortunate to enjoy his 5th Wave Grenache 2008, which paired well with the Spicy Crab Cakes. This was followed by two vintages of the Valley Floor Shiraz, 2004 and 2008, with the Salad. With Gotham's signature dish, the Petit Filet, we enjoyed the 2007 Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon - a beautiful wine! For the dessert of Belgian Chocolate Cake we had the 1843 Freedom Shiraz 2008, and James surprised us by pouring the 1998 Freedom, which won Best Barossa Shiraz at the Barossa Wine Show. An amazing treat!
Many thanks to Trialto Wine Group Ltd. for their support in putting on this outstanding wine dinner.
Winegrowers of New Zealand Dinner, May 1, 2011
Held at the Listel Hotel, this dinner featured four Wine Principals from New Zealand: Paula Ramage of Waitiri Creek, Ruud Maasdam of Staete Landt, Mike Paterson of Jackson Estate, and Martin Tutty of Babich. What a stellar group this turned out to be! Each Principal brought two of his or her wines; one to taste at a Reception prior to the dinner, and one paired with each food course. Chef Chris Whittaker paired each course superbly with the wines, which moved one Principal to remark that this was one of the best wine dinners she has ever attended!
Waitiri Creek brought a Central Otago Pinot Noir and the Seared Baja Scallop was paired with their Central Otago Pinot Gris. Jackson Estate poured their Marlborough "Vintage Widow" Pinot Noir, and paired the Albacore Tuna with their "Stich" Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Staete Landt showed their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and then paired their Marlborough Pinot Noir with a beautiful Pork Tenderloin. Babich started with their Winemakers Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and ended with their Winemakers Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah, paired cleverly with the Oxtail Tortellini.
Sincere thanks to Robert Ketchin, Marketing Manager Canada for the New Zealand Winegrowers Association, for helping make this a truly spectacular event!