Tiger Blue

Sandra Chalmers is the most recent addition to the list of fine cheese makers to be found in British Columbia.  Although new to the business, Sandra has decided to create a short list of excellent cheeses.  Sandra also makes the soft ripened Naramata Bench Blue, and a Double Cream Camembert.

ORIGIN: Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

PRODUCER: Poplar Grove Cheese

INGREDIENTS: Cow's Milk

TEXTURE: Firm but not hard

PRICE: $5.05 per 100 grams (Available exclusively at les amis du FROMAGE)

WEIGHT: Two Kilos

PAIRING WITH WINE: Tiger Blue is well matched to Okanagan Valley merlot and to the delicate sweetness of the region's late harvest riesling and ehrenfelser

86/100 Casillero del Diablo Merlot 2001
Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Vina Concha y Toro S.A.
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Sappy dill cassis character on the nose with hints of spicy herb and resin in the background. Smooth spicy chocolate mint with plum fruit flavours. Well made and tasting better in 2001 than it smells. Good value.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $12.25; BC $12.95 Specialty; MB $10.45; NB $12.49; NF $11.57; NS $12.95; ON $10.35; SK $12.95
CSPC: 427088;   UPC: 7804320985633

85/100 Los Cardos Merlot 2002
Produced By: Doña Paula Estate
Distributed By: Winspeer International Group Ltd.
Smoky leather gamy Argentine nose. Rich entry with fairly prominent acidity. Raw smoky resiny cherry jam and black raspberry fruit flavours. Solid barbecue red.
Last Tasted: 2003-04-19 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $12.50; BC $13.95 Speculative - Winspeer

85/100 Domaine de Molines Merlot 2000
Produced By: Vignobles Michel Gassier
Distributed By: Winspeer International Group Ltd.
Enticing spicy, savoury, peppery orange peel nose. Similar flavours with a touch of smoky compost. The dry Euro entry and aftertaste calls for roast pork or meat tortellini. Real character and regional terroir at an affordable price.
Last Tasted: 2003-04-19 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $13.50; BC $14.95 Speculative - Winspeer
CSPC: 449710;   UPC: 690604000058
 
86/100 Errazuriz Merlot 2001
Valle del Curico, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Vina Errazuriz
Distributed By: Maxxium Canada
Good colour. Open mocha cherry cola nose with streaks of compost, menthol and tobacco with plum jam in the finish. Round supple and rich with an earth, iron and black cherry finish. Warm, attractive easy-to-drink.
Last Tasted: 2003-04-19 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $13.95 Specialty
UPC: 089046900994

87/100 Trio Merlot 2001
Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Vina Concha y Toro S.A.
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Big smoky aromatic oaky nose with a peppery, spicy, sausage character. Similar flavours in a smooth warm round style with more smoky, spicy plum flavours in the aftertaste. Just a touch of acidity lifts the fruit and seems to reveal a touch of orange. Excellent value.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 433920;   UPC: 780432560007
 
86/100 Tinhorn Creek Merlot 2000
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Produced By: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Distributed By: Renaissance Wine Merchants
Expect a pale colour that is definitely lighter than in previous years. Cherry jam and spicy vanilla with a touch of minty coconut (or warm day on the beach) on the nose. Round and supple on entry with good intensity of flavours but the finish is dry and slightly astringent. More Italian the Okanagan. Barbecued flank steak would be a good idea here.
Last Tasted: 2003-04-19 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $15.95 Specialty
CSPC: 530725;   UPC: 624802971056

87/100 Tommasi Merlot Le Prunée 2000
Garda, Verona, Veneto, Italy
Produced By: Tommasi Wines
Distributed By: Liquid Art Fine Wines
Deep colour. Fairly intense earthy resiny barnyard peppery fruit nose. Soft merlot textures on entry followed by dry smoked cherry flavours with more pepper and spice in the finish. Classic Italian styling and a wine that demands food. Grilled sausages or osso buco style meat would be perfect here.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-12 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $17.95 Specialty
CSPC: 627943;   UPC: 8004645366103

88/100 Ballast Stone Merlot 2001
Currency Creek, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, Australia
Produced By: Ballast Stone Estate Winery
Distributed By: Winspeer International Group Ltd.
Spicy blackberry jam nose with coffee vanilla and spicy mint undertones. It's big and sweet on entry with more jammy fruit, cedar bark and some tannin in the background. The finish is warm with chewy black cherry fruit and a spicy peppery aftertaste. The fruit is grown at Poplar Vineyard at Currency Creek and matured in 75 per cent French oak and 25 per cent American for 15 months.
Last Tasted: 2003-05-06 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $22.95 Fine Wine Boutiques; BC $24.95
UPC: 9330527001220
 
88/100 Palandri Merlot 2001
Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
Produced By: Palandri
Distributed By: David Herman & Son Ltd.
Ripe red, round, sweet vanilla nose with cherries leather and barnyard undercurrents. Smooth fine-grained tannins and a gritty full-bodied flavour of cherry and mint. Quite dry in the finish and will need some time to come around. Solid effort.
Last Tasted: 2003-05-06 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.95 Speculative - David Herman; MB $21.95
UPC: 836023000020

88/100 Stag's Hollow Merlot Renaissance 2000
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Produced By: Stag's Hollow Winery and Vineyard
Distributed By: Free House Wine & Spirits Ltd.
Jammy minty cassis and cool strawberry fruit jam nose. Delicious flavours, supple textures and very consumer friendly. Solid effort with only a touch of dryness in the finish but that will fade with food and time. Only 120 cases made which may explain the steep price.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-05 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $27.90 Winery
CSPC: 703181

89/100 Kim Crawford Merlot Te Awanga Vineyard 2000
Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand
Produced By: Kim Crawford Wines
Distributed By: That's Life Gourmet Ltd.
Smoky compost pit with bags of cassis /cherry fruit nose. Sweet fruit and cassis entry with soft supple textures and more tobacco fruit flavours in the finish. Lots of flavour here and warm in the finish. Fair value for the price and certainly among the best merlot in the market at this price range.
Last Tasted: 2003-05-04 by AG
Prices: BC $28.99 Speculative - That's Life Gourmet
CSPC: 638411;   UPC: 689352009673 
 

All cheese information courtesy of Alice & Allison Spurrell, the mother and daughter owners of les amis du FROMAGE. The store regularly stocks more than 300 types of cheese for sale to both trade and consumers alike. Les Amis du FROMAGE is a recipient of a Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Award as Top Food Supplier to Vancouver Restaurants.