Picky Winers Club

I walked into Marquis Wine Cellar on Davie with a mission. It was my duck night!  Although I always considered Hon’s served such terrible Chinese dishes, I loved their fresh roast duck.  The crispy roasted duck skin glazed with ruby-red Cantonese BBQ sauce with a hint of honey, contrasting the rich, juicy and tender duck meat, is quite the sensation for watering mouth. I wasted no time at the wine store.   I trusted the store clerk and took his first recommendation. A few minutes later, I found joys of  lovely raspberry flavor and a little spice dancing on my little taste buds. Not just that the wine paired perfectly with  the duck, surprisingly, the soft fruity flavors sticked around, and continued to build richness and secondary flavors. Roast duck had been such a tricky dish, tasting savory but with a good amount of sweetness.  But tonight it had found its perfect wine partner waltzing beautifully on my satisfied palate.

Gavin had showed me the benefit of shopping at a private wine store.  There were always helpful wine specialists around to help you pick what you desired.

This time he bought a bottle of red wine from Villié Morgon, Beaujolais region.  According to the wine specialist,  Tête de Cuvée was one of the richest and most complex wines produced in the whole region that benefitted from cellar ageing. Grapes were pressed in an old-fashioned vertical press and then matured in a combination of small and large wooden casks.

It was indeed a very delicious wine, filled with berry aroma, very smooth, soft, and fruity.  It becomes even more impressive as the flavors stayed on the palate for a very long time. This long lasting climax of tasting sensation reminded me of having the best supreme grade green tea.

Wow…

I bought a bottle of the Domaine Calot myself a few days later, saving it for the special occasion.

I had never seen this bottle at any wine store, or maybe it just never caught my attention.

I was picking up my friend Louis at Lickerish, a trendy eatery in downtown Vancouver, and we were a little late for our little get-together wine party.  He picked up this bottle at the restaurant since all the wine stores were closing in 5 minutes.  

Hmm… Overpriced house wine at a restaurant.  I gave it a rather suspicious look. 

Two minutes later, I was loving this wine!

Going through a Italian wine tasting phase, another beautiful unique Italian wine had been found. There is a lot of fruitiness in the wine… cherries, and maybe black plums? Definitely a lot of other little spices that would tingle the palate. This medium to full-bodied red had enough drying tannins to make it a keeper. 

I had, for many times, found Italian red wine with strong smoky flavors, which were not exactly pleasant tasting experiences.  Although as a matter of fact, I probably had not drank enough Italian red to make such statement.  This bottle had definitely proved that I really should try more Italian wine before making that statement.  

With a reasonable price,  this full-bodied wine was loaded with pleasant berry flavors, easy going tannins, and lots of liveliness.  I could not help trying to think of the better dishes to pair with it. Maybe some good old home made meat lasagna?  The wine would go perfectly with the richness of the meat sauce and cheese.

I had seen this wine in my friend Christina’s dine-out pics.  Apparently they served it at C restaurant. I had tasted a similar wine before, 2004 Chateau Pesquie Terrasses, which was from the same region and with a very similar blend of grapes (grenache and syrah).  Although I did not enjoy the Chateau Pesquie entirely at the time, but wanted to try it again.  

Once I had the first sip, my palate was screaming,
“I want a steak!!!”

Haha… Yes, the smokiness and spiciness was expected.  The good full body of the wine presents such a strong essence of masculinity. It was a perfect red for enjoying a generously sized piece of New York cut. 

I had not explored much on Spanish wines.  Thanks to Renauld, who definitely had good taste in wines, he introduced me to a couple good bottles.  

No complaints on this $11-bottle.  The Campo Castillo is juicy, earthy, and  fruity. Soft and pleasant on the palate. I would call it a long-night conversation wine. 

I had not explored much on Spanish wines.  Thanks to Renauld, who definitely had good taste in wines, he introduced me to a couple good bottles.  

My first impression of  the bottle of Sangre de Toro was the interesting mixture of crisp acidity and slight bitterness,  a pleasant reminder of flavors of black cherry and chocolate, very refreshing. I could imagine it would pair well with game birds like duck or quail.

I had been so stoked  on my discovery of 2005 Domaine Calot Morgon, and I was ready to explore more of French wines.

I found myself at Marquis Wine Cellar on Davie, describing my tasting experience on the Domaine Calot with such enthusiasm.  A guy who worked there informed me that nothing at the store could be a close match to that wine from the same region. But he pointed out this bottle from Rhône Valley, another well-known French wine country. 

I did not enjoy it nearly as much as the Domaine Calot.  It had a oaky mineral flavor, probably more suitable for drinking in a funky mood but definitely not while having such high expectation to please the palate.

I had been truly spoiled by the Domaine Calot it seemed.

Blehh…  A little bit of a disappointment.  But I would not mind trying it again sometime.