Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc

One grape that doesn’t get a lot of attention (or respect) is Chenin Blanc. Outside of the Loire Valley (home of Vouvray) and South Africa (where it’s known as Steen), Chenin Blanc is rarely seen as a single varietal, but is more often used as a filler for blends.

Which is a shame, because it’s got a lot of potential. The Quail’s Gate Limited Release Chenin Blanc (VQA) is an excellent example of what this grape can do when given some attention by a good winemaker. Quail’s Gate is (in my humble opinion) one of British Columbia’s finer wineries, and their long list of awards would seem to back this up. They make excellent Pinot Noir, a neat old vines Marechal Foch and a wide range of very tasty white wines. Their prices are a little higher than some of their competitors, but the wines are generally worth it.

Clocking in at just over $16, the Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc is not a big seller, which is a shame in many ways. I’ve enjoyed it in the past, but I’ve heard that the flavour profile has gotten drier, and it’s moved away from being a good Vouvray clone into new, uncharted waters. So I decided to give it a shot last weekend.

In the glass, it showed off a lot of melon on the nose. I’m not the biggest fan of honeydew, but that’s what it reminded me of. In the mouth, it was a lot more complex than I expected. There was an unusual taste – not a bad one, but not one that I’ve come across before. Lots of ripe lime flavour and some mineral aftertaste, with more melon flavours rolling around in there. It was bone dry, but some of the fruit gave it the illusion of sweetness until the acidic finish. In short, it was very tasty.

Was it tasty enough to justify the price? Probably not. But I enjoyed it, and if it came in at a slightly lower price (say $13-14), I might buy it more often. The winery recommends serving their Chenin Blanc with mussels, oysters or leaner whitefish like halibut, which sounds just about perfect to me. Apparently it’s a consistent gold medal winner at the BC Wine and Oyster Festival. So if you like oysters (which I’m iffy on), and you’re looking for an interesting Canadian white – you can’t do much better than this.

(Sorry to disappoint my loyal readers, but no pictures today. There is exactly one picture of this wine available, and it’s a wee bit too distorted to post)

Break out the Berrio

I used to think that the Neil Ellis Groenkloof Sauvignon Blanc was the best I’ve ever tried. Flagstone’s ‘The Berrio’ Sauvignon Blanc might just claim that honour from now on. The vines are from one of the Cape’s coolest wine regions - Elim (see below for the story on this change). Astute WitP reader ‘Nicholas’ writes: “Elim is the southernmost wine ward in the Cape Agulhas district of Siuth Africa and is cooled by maritime breezes on three sides, giving the grapes more suntime on the vine before harvest”. Sounds like the perfect environment for Sauvignon Blanc.

As I’ve said before, South Africa provides the best combination of the zippy acidity of the Loire Valley and the sometimes overwhelming passion-fruit and asparagus wines of New Zealand. And the Berrio showed this off perfectly.

In the glass, it proved darker than I expected. Not in an oxidized way, but there was more gold than green in the glass – almost like a Chardonnay. The nose was nice and strong, with lots of herbal notes, and a surprising hint of earth instead of the typical mineral scent you’ll often find with Sauvignon Blanc. So far so good. I hadn’t even tasted it yet and I was already intrigued.

Taste? One word. Wow. This is a world-class wine. It’s one of the richest Sauvignon Blancs I’ve tried, with lots of complex flavours rolling around in there. I picked up some crisp herbs and tropical fruit right away. If I ate tropical fruit regularly, I could probably identify the exact fruit. But Winnipeg isn’t exactly the most balmy of climates, so forgive me for generalizing “tropical fruit”. I could be specific about canola flavours, or perhaps some nice winter wheat. But mangoes don’t grow around here, so my palate is a bit under-educated in that regard.

Anyways, the fruit and herbs were followed by an unexpected hit of smokiness and earth, which helped shift the flavour profile from the crisp to the creamy side of things. I kid you not. I’d expect smoke and earth from a South African red but not from a white like this. And it was very fine indeed. The finish was nice and long, and it rolled out in a wave of creamy citrus flavours.

It was hard not to just gulp the glass and look for more. I had to exercise a whole lot of restraint. After all, it was my wife’s birthday and I did buy her this bottle as a present. Guzzling her birthday present could lead to a long weekend of sleeping on the couch.

So forget New Zealand. I’m always impressed by what the Cape winemakers are doing with Sauvignon Blanc, and the folks at Flagstone have just raised the bar. You can drink your Cloudy Bay by the bucketful. No need to invite me, because I’m hitting the patio with a bottle of ‘The Berrio’ and a straw.

(Check this site out for some great Sauvignon Blanc talk)

Update: In case anyone in Winnipeg is interested, the ‘Berrio’ is available at the Kenaston Wine Market. No sticker shock! It’s worth the price!

 **Updated Update: Much embarrasment here in the ‘Peg. The Berrio is actually from Elim - not Elgin as I incorrectly stated. Thanks to an astute reader for the correction.

American Duet

I started my new job this week, so I haven’t had a lot of time for wine blogging (or wine drinking for that matter). But a couple of American wines have crossed my path lately, so here’s some quick notes.

Firesteed Pinot Noir ($14.34): I like Oregon Pinot Noir, despite my lack of experience with the stuff. I’ve had previous vintages of this, and I was prepared for it to be light. But I didn’t expect it to be so light. Some hints of the familiar Pinot Noir funk on the nose (a.k.a “forest floor”) and lots of cherries in the mouth make this a nice summertime red. But for a few bucks more, you can find the Mission Hill “Five Vineyards” Pinot Noir, which is way better than this one. Or you can go down to $12 and change for the Cono Sur Pinot Noir.

Cline “Red Truck” Red ($16.50). An unusual blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and (I believe) Merlot. Nice rich red colour, with a lot of rough fruit on the nose. In the mouth, it was tasty. Didn’t hold up the second day though, and I’d be a lot happier if it cost around $12. For this price, I can get a much better wine elsewhere. It’s a good pizza wine, but be sure to finish it the same day you open it.

In other news, today is my wife’s birthday, and I’ve picked up a bottle of “The Berrio” Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa’s Flagstone winery as a present. I’ve liked everything else I’ve tried from this company, so I’m looking forward to a glass of this when I get home tonight. At the price I paid (which I’ll keep to myself – since my wife has been known to read my blog), it had better be good. Somehow though, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. Expect my notes later this weekend.

Smoking hot news!

Hot news for Viognier-lovers and waterfowl fans alike. The Smoking Loon Viognier will soon be touching down at your local liquor mart (and private wine stores by request). At $13.74 per bottle (before taxes), this is a fine deal indeed. See this earlier post for more details on the wine. And expect to see me in line with the bottled waterfowl in my shopping basket.

A great big Winnipeg Wine Blog thank-you to an astute reader for pointing this out to me. I owe you a glass (or three) of Smoking Loon the next time I see you. Thanks also to said reader for pointing out that it is apparently illegal in Manitoba to post prices with the taxes included.