{"id":7751,"date":"2013-07-22T22:32:58","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T22:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/?p=7751"},"modified":"2013-07-23T05:39:05","modified_gmt":"2013-07-23T05:39:05","slug":"friday-night-at-the-i4c-canada-hit-by-storms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/canada\/friday-night-at-the-i4c-canada-hit-by-storms","title":{"rendered":"Friday night at the i4c, Canada, hit by storms"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Friday night saw the official start of the i4c (international cool climate chardonnay conference<\/a>). This was titled ‘8 chefs, 8 grills’ and was held at Hillebrand winery in Niagara.<\/p>\n

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The walk around tasting began well, in the early evening sunshine. But soon some epic thunderclouds rolled in, and before long we had to evacuate indoors. There was a Dunkirk spirit, tough, with winemakers setting up impromptu tasting stations, and some walking round actively pimping their wines to anyone interested.<\/p>\n

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I felt for the chefs, as the rain began to fall in earnest. Proper rain. Like standing in a power shower in your clothes. They improvised, and before too long food started to appear. And it was really good.<\/p>\n

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The tasting continued. We even went outside again, before a further bout of biblical deluge had us sprinting for safety. Then came the electrical storm, of a sort I have never experienced before.<\/p>\n

We managed to get back to the hotel, only to find it was out of power. We still managed to get some drinks, and the evening continued in the semi-darkness. The blackout was to continue overnight and into Saturday.<\/p>\n

THE WINES I TASTED<\/p>\n

Lailey Chardonnay 2011 Niagara Peninsula, Canada<\/strong>
\nVery nice fruit: textured ripe apple, melon and pear notes. Rounded and smooth with lovely texture. Fruit driven style. 91\/100<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
J-L Groux, winemaker at Stratus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stratus Chardonnay 2010 Niagara on the Lake, Canada<\/strong>
\nRichly textured melon and peach fruit. Very rich style: broad and soft with nice depth and some toastiness. It’s a big wine, and not my favourite style, but it’s done well. 90\/100<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Norm Hardie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Norman Hardie Niagara Chardonnay 2011 Niagara, Canada<\/strong>
\nFresh with just a hint of matchstick. Lovely precision, showing focused apple and pear fruit. A really well balanced, complex wine. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Tawse Chardonnay 2011 Niagara, Canada<\/strong>
\nFresh yet ripe apple and pear fruit. Lively and foucsed with some white peach richness. Good weight. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Peller Estates Sur Lie Chardonnay 2011 Niagara Peninsula, Canada<\/strong>
\nVery lively, exotic fruit. Grapes, citrus and unusual minty notes. Quite direct. 87\/100<\/p>\n

Cave Spring CSV Chardonnay 2008 Beamsville Bench, Canada<\/strong>
\nRich and nutty with some toast, fig, pear and quince. Mealy, bold and with nice depth, in a rich style. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Hillebrand Oliveira Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 Lincoln Lakeshore, Canada<\/strong>
\nNice depth here, showing pear, peach and spice. Nice depth: rich and figgy with nice weight and some spice. 88\/100<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Thomas and Mary Delaney-Bachelder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thomas Bachelder Wismer Vineyard Chardonnay 2011 Niagara Peninsula, Canada<\/strong>
\nLovely texture here: fresh but rich with pear, peach and some minerality. Rich but showing some richness here. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Le Clos Jordanne Chardonnay 2010 Niagara, Canada<\/strong>
\nRich textured with appealing ripe pear fruit kept interesting by some spiciness. Bold, fine and showing good concentration. 92\/100<\/p>\n

13th Street Winery Sandstone Reserve Chardonnay 2011 Four Mile Creek, Canada<\/strong>
\nFrom 29 year old vines, with a little bit of musque in the vineyard. Jean Pierre Colas, winemaker here, arrived in 2000 from the head winemaker position in Laroche, Chablis. Fresh and subtly nutty with white peach and a hint of spice. Textured, rich and ripe, but showing good balance. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Flowers Chardonnay 2011 Sonoma Coast, California<\/strong>
\nLovely fine, fresh Chardonnay with some rich fruitiness (pear and peach), but also lovely freshness, including some spice and grapefruit notes. Lovely balance. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Adelsheim Chardonnay 2011 Willamette Valley, Oregon<\/strong>
\n30% barrel fermented. Very fresh with apple, herb and citrus notes. Lovely freshness and a hint of pith and fennel. Good freshness and acidity. 92\/100<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Matt Chiddick, winemaker at Roche de la Bellane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maison Roche de Bellane Rully Les Cloux 1er Cru 2011 Burgundy, France<\/strong>
\n20% new oak. Fresh with nice definition. Taut but with some richness, and citrus and pear fruit. Lovely balance and focus to this wine. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Malatinszky Sikl\u00f3si Chardonnay 2009 Villany, Hungary<\/strong>
\nLovely weight of pear, spice and peach. Nice weight with some citrus freshness. Ripe, dense and lively. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Staete Landt Josephine Chardonnay 2010 Marlborough, New Zealand<\/strong>
\nFresh, lively and pure with pear and citrus notes, as well as some white peach, Very pure with good precision and potential for development. 92\/100<\/p>\n

La Grande Chatelaine C\u00f4tes de Beaune 2011 Burgundy, France<\/strong>
\nAttractive wine with rich fruity characters balanced by good acidity and some mineral qualities. Fine, expressive, fresh and mineral. 92\/100<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Steve Green of Carrick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carrick Bannockburn Chardonnay 2011 Central Otago, New Zealand<\/strong>
\nRich textured, fine and fresh with apple and pear fruit. Pure, ripe yet fresh. Textured with subtle nuttiness. 91\/100<\/p>\n

Here’s a film of the event, including the storm:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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