By Michaela Morris, Westender
I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made the trek up to Cornucopia, Whistler’s annual food and drink celebration. What keeps one year from running into the next are the different seminars I present. This year, I held forth on Amarone, Southern Italy, Grenache and Syrah. I also joined esteemed wine colleagues DJ Kearney, Daenna Van Mulligen and Sid Cross for WOW Wines. Our task was to choose three wines each with, well, wow factor.
I, for one, was curious how it would all shake out. Surely we have different palates.
The tasting kicked off with two sparkling; Champagne of course, along with Blue Mountain’s fantastic 2007 Reserve Brut. These were followed by a couple of Chardonnays. So four wines in and ALL of them were made with either 100% Chard or a healthy portion thereof. Evidently we are all in agreement that this grape possesses the power to impress.
The reds were a more eclectic mix. They ran the gamut from light and lovely Pinot Noir to a full-throttle Amarone (no guesses who chose that) with Malbec, Syrah and plenty of others in between.
Certainly there were some spendy bottles in the lineup topping out at $200 for the Signarello Padrone Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Yet a number of more modestly priced ones snuck their way in. The lesson? It’s not simply the most expensive wines that astound. Value for money also carries considerable clout.
Following were my top five knockouts.
n/v Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs, Brut • Champagne AOC, France • $110, private liquor stores
Ruinart is renowned for Chardonnay-based Champagnes and their Blanc de Blancs demonstrates why. It’s toasty, with jasmine, lemon and peach notes. Sid called this ‘an aperitif-style Champagne’. It’s certainly very appetite stimulating, but I found it rich enough to stand up to an elegant meal of delicate white fish.
2013 Hardy's, ‘Eileen Hardy’ Chardonnay • Tasmania & Yarra Valley, Australia • $56, private liquor stores
From the cool climate regions of Tasmania & Yarra Valley, the Eileen Hardy Chardonnay is emblematic of Australia’s deft touch Chardonnay. The oak is integrated giving a subtle nuttiness and a minerally backbone shows through all the juicy stone fruit. Crab is always my go-to with this style of wine and the two together never cease to wow me.
2013 Mud House, Claim 431 Vineyard, Pinot Noir • Central Otago, New Zealand • $26, private liquor stores
The least expensive in the lineup, Mud House’s single vineyard Pinot offers spice, flowers and dark yet vibrant fruit. Daenna challenged the room to “put this up against any similarly priced Burgundy,” to which DJ added; “if you can even find one at this price.”
2011 Undurraga, Vigno Carignan • Sauzal, Maule, Chile • $30, private liquor stores
The ‘Vigno’ label was created by a group of likeminded producers bent on reviving and championing old vine Carignan in the region of Maule. Undurraga’s example is intense with black cherry and currants, licorice, fragrant dried herbs and just tons of pure delicious fruit. DJ pronounces this is “the future of Chile”.
2012 Quinta do Vale Meão, ‘Meandro’ • Duoro DOC, Portugal • $27.99, BC Liquor Stores
Portuguese wines excite me in general. The character they deliver for the money is outstanding. The Meandro demonstrates complexity and elegance along with violet, black raspberry, plums and coffee. On a side note, grapes from this property used to go into Barca Velha, one of Portugal’s most iconic wines.
