Selections from the Liquid Art Tasting

Here's a selection of wines and bubblies I tasted at a tasting put on by Liquid Art sometime in 2010... I can't remember when so it must've been a great time!

FRANCE

Gimonnet et Fils Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV: Mineral, lemon, and a little bit of green apple. Crisp and clean Chardonnay based bubble . Good choice for shellfish. 87/100

Varnier Fannierre Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV: Briochey, with a nose of lemon tart and fresh squeezed lemons. Spicier in the mouth with candied ginger flavours. Almost gingerbready. A little too fruity for me. 86/100.

H. Billiot Fils Champagne Brut NV: A secret cuvee of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, this is without a doubt the best NV Champagne available in B.C. More muscular style here, with white chocolate and pear on the nose. Buttery, lemon mousse flavours take over on the palate and last a long, long time. Exquisite stuff. 91/100.

Cuvee de Vatican CDP Blanc 2008: Eggy, floral aromas on the nose, reminiscent of Burgundian Chardonnay. More elegant than I expected though. Nutty, wtih pear flavours in the mouth, nice spice too. Rich, and very good. 89/100.

Bret Brothers Grand Pere Macon Vinzelles 2004: Floral nse with white flowers and spice. Asian pear too. Bit disjointed in the mouth, with lots of crushed almond, pear, and lemon fruit. Nice buttery caramerlly finish. Decent length. Surprisingly good considering some of the other wines I've had from Bret Brothers. 87/100.

Foxglove Chardonnay 2008: Extremely nutty on the nose. Hazelnuts and almonds. Fresh bartlett pear on this nose as well. Plenty of red apple as well. Different than your average Californian Chardonnay. No malolactic fermentation and no oak. Viognier-esque. Don't love this. A little too weird for me. 85/100.

Domaine Gallety Vivrais 2007: Big, spicy nose full of rich red fruit. Cherry, spicebox, a little bit of subtle earthiness. Really nice, smooth excellent concentration without being overextracted. 2-3 in bottle should settle this one down. Pretty good! 89/100.

Domaine Giraud CDP 2007: Flat, shut down nose. Not much here. Strawberry and cherry fruit maybe? Light, boring and ethereal. In an awkward phase, will probably get better considering the pedigree and vintage. 78/100.

Cuvee de Vatican CDP 2007: Very spicy nose here. Subtle cherry and earth flavours. Lighter mouth feel here, and more elegance. Refined. Tannins a little aggressive, but that's to be expected with such a young wine. Thinkin man's Chateauneuf. 89/100.

Domaine de Pegau CDP Cuvee Reserve 2007: This is one of only 5 vintages where all the best fruit from Pegau's vineyards went into their reserve cuvee, Capo, which I didn't get to taste (which sucks). Their cuvee reserve has a dirty, earth and spicey nose, with rhubarb and black fruit too. Fresh and spicy on the palate with hints of tobacco. Great now, but built to last. Great stuff, but not as good as the 2006 and it's more expensive... 90/100.

ITALY

Pertimali Sassetti Rosso de Montalcino 2007: An amazing vintage for Montalcino. This wine smells like earth, forest floor, sour red cherry with a hint of grilled basil. Sour cherries in the mouth with that damp earth kind of feel. The acidity is magnificent. Great structure too, with very polished tannins even for such a young wine. Long finish too. Absolutely dynamite stuff. This best Rosso I've tasted in a long long time. 92/100.

Fanti Rosse de Montalcino 2007: Sweeter fruit here in this more modern style. Cherry and fruit compote on the nose and in the mouth. Light and not very interesting. Certainly underwhelming after that Pertimali. Solid, but not interesting. 87/100.

Pertimali Brunello 2004: Very neat vanilla-y cherrry and moss notes on the nose. Delicate, yet vigorous. Straberries in the mouth with high acidity. Creamy, delcious fruit on this wine balanced by such wonderful structure. I think I'm in love with the winemaker at Pertimali. Honestly, for the money I think I'd take the Rosso though. 90/100.

Fanti Brunello 2004: Herbaceous, spicy nose with cherry and other red fruits. Very smooth mouthfeel with bracing aciddity. Mouthwatering with a long long finish. This is textbook outstanding Brunello. 93/100.

La Rasina Brunello 2004: Less concentration on the nose here: I bet the grapes weren't left to hang as long. Lighter in body (almost watery) with flavours of raspberry and strawberry. Not too shabby here actually. A nice elegant style of Brunello. 89/100.

Clerico Ginestra Barolo 2004: Enourmous and tight nose with red fruit and high acidity. Floral too, with lots of rose petal and dried floral notes. Love the nose. Lots of fruit on the palate. Gripping with extremely high acidity that is going to need some time to calm down. Truly excellent upward potential in a wine that's a little offensive today. I think this will be incredible in 5-7 years. 94/100.

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

Quinta do Vale Meao Douro 2007: Very dark red in the glass. Kind of looks like prune juice! Sweet fruit on the nose with lots of kirsch, black plum, concord grape and blackberry. Lovely nose. Not so much fruit that I'd say it was from Australia, but certainly not restrained. Very smooth in the mouth with black plum and christmas cake flavours. Outstanding length and structure here too. Very, very good effort from the Douro valley (the heart of port country!). This has to be the star of the tasting. Incredible focus and depth in this excellent wine. 96/100.

Sardonia Castilla y Leon 2006: Minty, cool mentholy nose with blueberry fruit. Very interesting and geeky! Smooth mouthfeel with little tannin. Smooth, plummy and herbacious. Not bad at all! 90/100.

Artadi Pagos Viegos Rioja 2006: Spanish literally for "Old Vines" this Rioja is very stinky in the glass: lots of earth and old school type smells. Leather, farmyard and some red fruit too. Smooth, well balanced wine with nice tannin structure. Long finish. Really great Rioja. With I could afford this. Finish lingers nicely with notes of pomegranate. 92/100.

Artadi Vina El Pison Rioja 2006: Artadi's top bottling that scored 100 points in 2004. This wine is huge. Rich nose of cherry, strawberry and other mixed red fruits. Very ripe and big but with good elegance still. Lots of vanilla and wood coming through too: this wine was aged for 16-18 months in new oak. Rich mouthfeel with big fruit and nice structure. Smooth, silky, and truly excellent. Great length. Built to last as well. I'd give this one at least twenty years of life. 94/100.

Well there we have it! Thanks to Liquid Art for inviting me and allowing me taste some truly great stuff. For me, the stars of the show were the Pertimali Rosso, the Quinta do Vale, and the Artadi Pagos Viejos. Truly grand wines for their prices.