Tribaut Schloesser Cuvée René Extra Brut

Two minutes to midnight. Lined up like sentries, the champagne flutes wait solemnly for someone to sabre the neck of “Tribaut Schloesser Cuvée René”, the champagne selected to wind up 2023 with a flourish.

The chosen wine is dominated by chardonnay completed by a pinot noir of exceptional quality. This vintage, aged on lees for seven years (more than is usual for a non-vintage champagne), is the pride of the house.

A rich nose as well as flavour, with very fine bubbles carrying scents of pistachios, fresh butter and gingerbread.

Something chic for the aspics.

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Domaine Pfister Engelberg Riesling Grand Cru 2019

“The vitivinicultural world is feminizing. More and more women are taking back the family lands, something that would have been unthinkable barely a generation ago,” states Mélanie Pfister, an Alsatian winemaker who, after seven generations, took the helm in 2009 of 40 parcels of vines, including several acres in the Engelberg grand cru.

Rooted in argillo-calcareous (clay and lime) soil, the Pfister riesling is a paean to this terroir. It’s so crystal clear that one expects minerality. A fine nose, with scents of flowering apple trees, pear, lemon, a slight petrol point and surprisingly musky. Typical and textured, the mouth is a echo of the aromas perceived and, as expected, the chalky minerality is present.

I imagine Oysters Rockefeller on the arm of a Grand Cru Classé … a distinguished pair.

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Claude Quénard & Fils Les Granges Claires Mondeuse Savoie 2020

La mondeuse, an obscure grape typical of the alpine vineyards of the Savoie region, is not very visible on the SAQ shelves.

At just the right moment, the Quénard family offers a finely honed single-grape wine. We discover, along with its lovely cherry colour, aromas of raspberry, morello (cherry) and blackcurrant. The mouth provides a freshness which validates a spicy finish accompanied by fine tannins.

A nice find which pairs perfectly with the often-high-calorie menus of the Holiday season.

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Rascana Baldovar 923 Valencia 2020

For twenty years, Quebecers’ palates have been in the front rows of the white wine adventure of on-skin maceration called “Orange”.

I say “adventure” because, at the time, very few winemakers were interested enough to master this unusual vinification method. Today, with the help of the fans, many have tamed this beast. Rascana provides proof.

This Spanish wine, sporting a sober, modern label, succeeds in the quest for extra aromas, colour and richness as well as tannic structure. The charming, brassy, orange colour harbours generous aromas of peach syrup and citrus marmalade. In the mouth, the richness works with the acidity, giving a lengthening of the fruit flavours accompanied by a bitterness reminiscent of an apricot stone.

Play matchmaker and offer Rascana with turkey and cranberry sauce.

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