Wednesday, February 23, 7 PM — Our February Winetasters@Home event is a tasting of Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007. This is the most famous appellation for red wine in the Southern Rhône, known for muscular, even beefy, wines.  2007 was an excellent, hot, year with the best wines still maintaining balance.  We have a terrific selection of eight producers, and there will also be a mystery wine.  You can skip directly to sign up by clicking here or reading on for more information (and then sign up!).

The Tasting — Traditional methods still dominate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and limits on yields and strict grape selection lead to a dependable preponderance of good to excellent wines – it is rare to find a bad example. Grenache usually dominates with supporting roles taken by Mourvèdre, Syrah, and, decreasingly, Cinsault as well as up to nine other varieties that are permitted but now play a minor role.

2007 was marked by a hot dry summer, leading to very ripe wines built on a large scale.  Perfect for a chilly February evening! Now fifteen years on, the best wines are well-aged and showing their best.  Josh Reynolds’s note on the 2007 Vieux Donjon gives an idea of the vintage style:

“Inky ruby. Strikingly elegant, hypnotic, bouquet of black raspberry, redcurrant, potpourri, garrigue and minerals.  Stains the palate with deep red and dark berry flavours and suggestions of smoky minerals, candied flowers and Asian spices. Impeccably balanced wine with a seductive finishing interplay of sweetness, power and precision. This will be a must buy for Rhone freaks.  93-96 pts “.

The complete flight of wines (all Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2007) —

• Le Vieux Donjon
• Cuvée du Baron – Château Fortia
• Domaine de la Solitude
• Domaine La Roquète
• Cuvée Bargeton – Patrick Lesec
• Privilège – Domaine des 3 Cellier
• Renaissance – Domaine de Cristia
• Domaine La Millière
• PLUS a mystery wine to hone your detective skills!

This will be another Winetasters@Home event (maybe the last?), following our Google Meet semi-blind tasting format. We will follow the usual logistics with two pick-up locations, downtown… and Avenue Rd and 401.  You will get a box with 2 oz bottles of the nine wines, which will allow two people to taste if they pour carefully, or one person to make a ‘more thorough evaluation’.

The cost of this outstanding tasting package is $138 (HST Included) for members (remember this can be shared between two people, so that’s equivalent to $69 each) and $190 for non-members (HST Included). The non-member price includes membership for the balance of this year and for our next year ending June 30, 2023.

3 Course Meal Add-on —

While this is a tasting, not a dinner event, for those who do not wish to cook that night, we have arranged a dinner option from Vintage Conservatory that can be picked up with the wine.  The menu comprises three dishes designed to pair with these wines:

1st
‘Cassoulet’, 36 hour braised Woodward duck, cannellini purée, grilled garlic sausage,
duck crackling, natural jus
2nd
Casarece bolognese, veal, beef, lamb and pork ragu, san marzano tomato sauce, garlic butter, Parmigiano Reggiano
3rd
Osso bucco, braised veal shank, porcini pomme puree, grilled asparagus, veal glacé

The cost of the meal is $50 including gratuity, plus HST. So $56.50 all in.

Date:   Wed Feb 23
Time:   7 pm
Cost (including HST):    $138 members;   $190 non-members (Meal $56.50)
Pick-up:  After 2 pm at either Avenue Road & 401, or Lombard St (Queen & Church)
Where: Your home.

So, mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 23rd, at 7 pm.  Oh, and sign up, click here!