TN: Red Wines From All Over

Pretty broad theme, and any wine made from a red wine grape qualified.

Barbier-Louvet Champagne Brut - 100% pinot noir, it had a light colour, a nice yeasty appley nose combined with some almost black fruit notes. Nice clean finish.

2018 Domaine Franck Millet Sancerre - my wine - figured that if they got to pinot noir and France they would take awhile to go to the Loire. Fairly dark colour and some nicered fruit, good nose soft in the mouth and as I type I am finishing up the remainder of the bottle which is in good shape 2 days later.

2017 Alois Lageder Pinot Noir Krafuss - another difficult one to get - an Italian Pinot Nero from the Sudtirol. Medium colour and some nice up front floral and herbal notes in the nose, berry fruit and hints of wood at the end. It had up front acidity but mellowd on palate and and presented as reasonably soft.

2021 Zorah Areni - great stumper as wines made from this armenian varietal are not common (my first taste of it). Fairly dark with dark, purple fruit and spice in the nose, smooth with mild tannins and medium length.

2012 Littorai Pinot Noir Roman Vineyard - a dark and tannice pinot that took time to open up much.Excellent nose with spice and dark fruit, clearly a pinot but at the monster level of intensity. It continues to change and develop the longer we tasted it.

2015 Domaine du Tunnel Cornas - this was a troubling wine as it showed little except some violet in the nose. I doubt it would have opened up if we’d put it on a paint shaker - it certainly didn’t while I had it in my glass for maybe an hour.

2013 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vd. - this, on the other hand was showing plenty of good Northern Rhone character once it opened up - grilled smoky meat, some spice and red fruit and a lengthy finish. Classy wine.

Quinta Vale D. Maria Porto Vintage Lot 1 - this Port, bottled in 2001 was recommended to me by Cristiano van Zeller when he was here in Vancouver the year after they bottled it. Dark, spirity and sweet, warm in the nose and smooth on palate with a nice long finish. Ready now but no rush.

[David M. Bueker]

I need to dip into my Littorai stash this fall. I keep waiting.

[Jenise]

I typed a long response to this yesterday or the day before, but it somehow didn't 'stick'. Grrrr. Will post again, but tomorrow.

Back when the site was gobbling up content I got in the habit of composing notes in Word and pasting into the site so that if it ate it I wouldn't have to start over (it hasn't been doing that and has been very well behaved lately!)

Another fun and educational lunch at Chateau Spohn.
Not much that I can add to the previous posts, other than to say it was a real treat to have participated.
A Sancerre Pinot Noir (Bill's) to compare to John's Pinot Noir from the Sudtirol is not something one gets to do every day.
I was surprised at how my Littorai showed, as I would have thought it would a little more elegant.
I have another 2012 (Pivot Vineyard) and a 2017 (Les Larmes) in the cellar and I think I'll keep them there for a good while longer.
My fav was the Cayuse Armada. I wish you could buy them here, but no.
Very nice Champagne to start, Dave's Cornas likely needed more time, and the Zorah Areni showed Jenise's uncanny ability to stump the panel.
Finishing off with a nice port to enjoy as sat and watched the river flow.

It was interesting how many people brought pinots; no doubt it was the nice weather which pushed people that way (including me). The starter grower champagne is a great QPR for BC; it showed its 'pinotness' by a fairly rich palate and lots of red fruits, but there was enough acidity to keep things in balance. Bill's Sancerre showed well. There are very few Sancere rouge wines in our province, so it was nice to try one - it's been a while. I was hoping to stump the band with the Alto Adige pinot , but it didn't take too long for someone to mention Italy. I thought it showed very well and continued to get better/integrate. Healthy acidity, but the fruit slowly joined the ride. I think this would be a great food wine. The food showed up after this wine I think, and Jenise's beet and fennel salad was outstanding. Jenise truly stumped us with the Croatian wine. The varietal was a first for me. It was an interesting and tasty wine, like a blend of pinot and syrah maybe? Bob's Littorai wasn't as pinot-like as I was expecting: it was a bit of a head scratcher for me. The Cornas was also in a grumpy mood I think. The port was very nice with the cheese plate. Great to be on the outside table overlooking the river in great weather conditions - not too hot, not too cold.

[Jenise]

John, that areni was Armenian, not Croatian. For those not familiar with the grape:

The Areni grape variety, or Areni Noir to some, is a true testament to the endurance of time. The dark-skinned variety has not only survived for centuries in Armenia but has flourished in recent years, etching its legacy in the modern world of wine.

Believed to hail from the village of Areni in southwest Armenia, this grape variety derived its name from its ancestral home. However, its historical significance came to light in 2011 when archaeologists unearthed a remarkable discovery in the Areni-1 cave complex, perched above the village. Within this cavernous time capsule, the world witnessed the revelation of the oldest known winery, dating back at least 6,100 years.

The cave, a site of immense archaeological importance, vividly depicts ancient winemaking practices. Analysis of grape seeds and stems found within the cave attested not only to the age of the winery but also to the well-developed nature of winemaking in the area. This discovery solidified the grape’s claim as one of the oldest varieties utilized for winemaking.

I also know that areni doesn't share DNA with any other known grape variety. It truly is an ancient, stand-alone variety. And I love it! I do kind of disagree with Bill's description of it as purple vs. a dark red that signals you to expect red fruit flavors. (I think the narrow base of his glasses concentrate color more than those like mine which widen and let more light in.)

There weren't any dogs at this tasting, though yes Dave's Cornas was holding back.

And I want to add a comment about the Littorai, which I loved. Had excellent development--I guessed it to be between 10 and 15 years old and it was. But man were we wrong about the grape. Even as the third pinot of the day we didn't guess pinot. Rather, it had just enough animale characteristic that made us suspect a Southern Rhone. It took a lot of poking to end up in Califorrnia with pinot noir.

I loved your Sudtirol pinot too. I'm the one who guessed Italy but specifically Val d'osta--it had characteristics that reminded me of some of the reds at an Alpine-themed tasting our Bellingham group did last year.

Armenian is even more obscure than Croatian! It was a very nice wine, and it's interesting to read it has such a long history.