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Anthony Gismondi on Wine

A mix of New and Old World producers were in town this week hawking their wines to the trade and the public in what was a busy week of tasting in Vancouver.

Some brought new wines, others old brands with new labels, but each had a story to tell.

Perhaps the most intriguing is the change afoot at the normally staid French wine house of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, producers of one of the first global wine brands, Mouton Cadet.

Apparently the Medoc-based producer has had enough of watching its once considerable market share, worldwide, give way under a stampede of New World labels and a decision has been made to fight back.

After conducting a global survey of wine consumers, the French have discovered (surprise, surprise) that modern-day wine drinkers prefer fruitier white wines and less tannic, suppler red wines.

In some ways it's shocking to think BPR needed the survey in the first place, but they listened and the wines are changing for the better.

The new Mouton Cadet Blanc 2003 mixes a little less semillon with a little more sauvignon blanc and a dash of muscadelle and frankly it is fresher and fruiter. There are more mineral notes mixed with lanolin, grassy, grapefruit, lemon and kiwi fruit. It's typically dry but with a slightly oily texture and plenty of grapefruit, mineral, fig and melon flavours underneath. Very smart for the price and as modern as it gets for basic white Bordeaux. It's a shame they missed the opportunity to go screw cap and send a serious message about change.

The company's other goal was to soften up its red wine and that they have done by upping the percentage of merlot they mix with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. There is a definite peppery, spicy, dill edge to the Mouton Cadet Rouge 2002 all laced with savoury, spicy, cherry, cedar, olive, and dill flavours. Again, like the white, the red is constructed well. A bit more ripeness to accompany its new soft demeanour will really help this wine in future years.

Chilean wine guy Eduardo Chadwick made a long overdue stop in Vancouver and announced his "long thin country" will focus more firmly on the Canadian market in the coming years.

Chadwick, who recently climbed Mount Aconcagua (the highest peak in the southern hemisphere and the backdrop to his vineyards) is the owner and president of Vina Errazuriz and Vinedos Chadwick and makes a joint venture of super-Chilean wine tabbed Sena with California legend Robert Mondavi.

Two standout wines at his tasting would make a fine pairing for the dinner table. First up was a delicious Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc 2003. A cross between the Loire Valley and the northern New Zealand sauvignon blanc, this is an attractive seafood wine with ample acidity and bright flavours of green apple, green kiwi mineral with just a hint of bell pepper. Mussels and or clams would be a great match.

Even more charming is the Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon Max Reserva 2001. Yes, there is a bit of the unique eucalyptus and mint "Maximiano Vineyard" nose but it was more than compensated by the rich black cherry, leather, tobacco and pepper fruit flavours and aromas. It's as rich and as round as any Errazuriz red I can remember, with more cherry jam, mocha, vanilla and peppery coffee flavours in the finish. Well made and serious value.

Meanwhile, Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago entertained a sold-out dinner crowd, at West Restaurant, that gathered to taste some of the winery's very best labels paired with chef David Hawksworth's menu. They weren't disappointed but it was a pre-dinner tasting that revealed two up-and-coming stars that are affordable that should appeal to an even broader audience.

The Thomas Hyland Chardonnay 2003 may be the best $20 chardonnay on the planet. Sourced primarily from the Adelaide Hills, with components from other premium, cool-climate, viticultural regions such as the Eden Valley and Robe, it is simply delicious. The flavours are elegant and fresh with mineral, citrus, green apple, buttery spice throughout and killer textures found only in much more expensive white wine.

The bookend red is the Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2002 that mixes select parcels of shiraz, predominately out of the Barossa Valley (32 per cent), McLaren Vale (29 per cent), Upper Adelaide and the Adelaide Plains. Gago mixes French and American oak to shape this rich red and give it a coffee, vanilla, spicy, blackberry jam nose with gamey, licorice aromas and flavours. The result is juicy smooth well balanced shiraz that kicks butt.


Weekend Wine Tasting - New World Versus Old

Wine   Mouton Cadet Blanc 2003, Bordeaux, France
Price    $12.95
UPC    0839601444045
Score   88/100
Remarks         The new Mouton Cadet release sports fresh mineral, grapefruit, lemon, kiwi fruit.

Wine   Mouton Cadet Rouge 2002, Bordeaux, France
Price    $14.95
UPC    0839601444014
Score   86/100
Remarks         Savoury, spicy, cherry, olive dill flavours.

Wine   Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc 2003, Valle del Curicó, Chile
Price    $13.40
UPC    089046777329
Score   87/100
Remarks         Lemon, green apple, green kiwi flavours - very Sancerre/Loire Valley.

Wine   Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon Max Reserva 2001, Valle de Aconcagua, Chile
Price    $19.90
UPC    089046777336
Score   88/100
Remarks         Cassis, black cherry jam, mocha, vanilla and warm peppery flavours.

Wine   Thomas Hyland Chardonnay 2003, South Australia
Price    $19.99
UPC    012354071940
Score   89/100
Remarks         Atypical fresh appealing Oz chardonnay with fruit and texture.

Wine   Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2002, South Australia
Price    $21.99
UPC    012354071988
Score   88/100
Remarks         Rich, fairly unctuous structure with blackberry jam and licorice.

Written By: ag
Anthony Gismondi
Anthony Gismondi

Anthony Gismondi is a Canadian wine journalist and one of North America's most influential voices in wine. For over 30 years, he has been the wine columnist for The Vancouver Sun. The twice-weekly column is distributed across Canada through the Postmedia Network to millions of readers. In addition, Anthony hosts the BC Food & Wine Radio Show, broadcast in 25 markets across B.C. and available as a podcast on major platforms. He launched Gismondionwine.com in 1997, attracting one million monthly users from 114 countries. It continues to be a valuable resource full of tasting notes, intelligent wine stories and videos for the trade and consumers. Conversations with wine personalities are available on his  YouTube Channel.