By Marlise Ponzo
Marlise with one of her favourites
Best In Show: Burgundy Meets Bordeaux
On March 18th Vintages pulled off another great tasting event featuring wines from France’s two most iconic wine regions, Burgundy and Bordeaux. The ballroom at the King Edward Hotel served as the perfect venue to compliment the elegance of the wines being poured. Crystal chandeliers gleamed overhead while wines as exclusive and legendary as Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2005 vintage glistened in our glasses, available for purchase sporting a bold price tag of $995.00 per bottle. The beauty of an evening such as this is that for the ticket price of $75.00 one can taste through 45 of France’s top wines without having to commit oneself to the exorbitant price of all 45 bottles.
The following wines that I’ve included tasting notes for were, in my opinion, Best In Show!
2006 Domaine Colin-Deleger Chassagne-Montrachet en Remilly 1er Cru Burgundy France $99
Elegantly balanced wine flaunting rich wooded character abounding with toasty hazelnuts and buttery caramel apple. Sautéed pineapple surprises with unexpected tropicality. Clean and zesty on the palate. Flavours of grapefruit rind and granny-smith apple.
2006 Domaine Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Burgundy France $165
A nose of dried apple and syrup poached mandarin orange segments. Notes of baked brioche and nutty oak. Fresh apple cider and sour citrus jolly rancher dance on the palate.
2006 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Burgundy France $139
Oven warm wild strawberry and rhubarb pie sprinkled with toasted granola and hot wood shavings fresh from the skill saw…. And this is only the nose we’re talking about. Palate of tart fruit and dampened earth. Beet extract and wildly perfumed tea leaves make for an intoxicating aromatic blend.
2006 Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils Corton Le Corton Grand Cru Burgundy France $105
Complex and delicate play of sweet and savory. At first sniff one is taken aback with a strange aroma of spun sugar akin to strawberry candy floss but this gives way to a much earthier bouquet as dried herbs and gaminess take over. Crisp rhubarb…tart and fresh from the garden. Steeped black tea.
2006 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc AC Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France $109
Nose of tropical fruit salad adorned with passion fruit, star fruit and pineapple. Distinct Sauvignon character with its telltale muskiness and gooseberries. Rolled marzipan, bruised apple and lemon sing of Semillon. Gorgeous!
2005 Château Montrose AC Saint-Estèphe 2e Cru Bordeaux France $199
Cedar, saddle leather and tanned hide. Earthy and robust. Deep black fruit aromas of macerating black cherry skins. Dusty humidor, toasted barrel and raspberry. Yum.
2005 Château Mouton-Rothschild AC Pauillac 1er Cru Bordeaux France $995
Imagine sitting out front of a hundred year old log cabin nestled deep in a spring forest after a rainfall. Flowers shoot up from the earth and you are sitting on an old log in the sun eating mixed berries. You tire of the fruit and begin to chew on a potent piece of licorice root all the while sporting a pair of riding-worn leather chaps. Now… picture what that would smell like. Voila!
2005 Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande AC Pauillac, 2e Cru Bordeaux France $229
Mixed batch cherry and black licorice nibs. Haunting powdery cocoa aroma. Ultra-feminine rose petal perfume. Liquor soaked cherry and chocolate ganache in the mouth. Finish of leather and dried flowers. Sexy little number.
2006 Château Margaux AC Margaux 1er Cru Bordeaux France $799
Earthy bastard. Bouquet of mushrooms, damp fall leaves and cedar chest is mesmerizing. Hints of rose water pistachio and cassis candies add complexity. Fennel and black fruit on the palate. Mouth drying tannins. Brute in it’s youth.
2005 Château Le Gay AC Pomerol Bordeaux France $198
Velvety, dusty tannins. Oh My God!!!! Pencil shavings, prune and suede. Turkish delight. On the palate Swiss chocolate and tart raspberry galore. Great structure here. Good minerality.
Marlise Ponzo, has been working in the Hospitality industry for many years and possesses experience in many different roles from fine dining server, restaurant manager, sommelier to wine/food writer most recently. She is absolutely passionate about the culinary arts and the artistry of food and wine pairing. Being married to a chef, vacations become true culinary adventures and often land her at one michelin star restaurant or another. She has been working at Crush Wine Bar for the past eight years and has used this extraordinarily successful restaurant as a springboard for learning everything she could about the wonderful world of wine. In 2008 she graduated the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers certification program with honours and accepted two awards of excellence for blind tasting from CAPS. Currently she continues to explore her passion for sensory development and wine appreciation through reading, tasting, traveling and writing.
