While the term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard or group of vineyards recognized for their superior quality. It was first mentioned in Champagne in 1911 and then spread across France, and now the rest of the world.
This seminar, The Global Cru, took participants on a global journey to some of the wine world’s greatest vineyards to discover what makes their terroir and wines so special.
Our Moderators were James Nevison, wine columnist for The Province newspaper, and Paul Wagner, wine educator and writer. Our panellists: Pierre-Antoine Boillon, Petar Delic, Andrea Fabiano, Kailee Frasch, David Gates, Dennis Koelewijn, Emil Mehdin, Kurtis Ogasawara, Pierangelo Tommasi, and Marco Toti.
Featured Wines:
Champagne Duval-Leroy Brut Réserve NV, Champagne, France
Korta Katarina Winery Pošip 2023, Peljesac, Croatia
Tommasi Family Estates Le Fornaci Lugana Riserva DOC 2019, Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy
Quails’ Gate Winery Rosemary’s Block Chardonnay 2021, West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, BC
Bodegas Salentein Single Vineyard “Las Sequoillas” Chardonnay 2019, San Pablo, Uco Valley, Argentina
Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi DOCG 2018, Taurasi, Campania, Italy
Rocca delle Macìe Sergio Zingarelli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2018, Castellina, Chianti, Italy
Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Zinfandel 2022, Sonoma County, California
Coronica Winery Gran Teran 2018, Istria, Croatia
Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Oakville, Napa Valley, California
James and Paul began by outlining how the seminar would proceed. They would ask the winery principals “why” they made these wines, rather than “how” did they make these wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Champagne Duval-Leroy Brut Réserve NV, Champagne, France – Pierre-Antoine noted that Champagne’s magic comes from what we cannot see; underground. He showed us a picture of a cross-section of soil in their vineyard. He noted that more than half of the 10m hole consisted of chalk, porous that gives excellent drainage and growing conditions. The roots grow deep and will stay dry and healthy in any weather condition. He noted that even using the same grape varieties, planted in other regions of the world, will not produce the same wine as comes from Champagne. He said that the distinctive minerality in their sparkling wines comes from the limestone that enriches the wine with essential nutrients.
This sparkling wine has a deeper bright lemon colour. Dried apples and lees on the nose. Dry with medium-plus body. Medium-sized mouth-filling bubbles. High acidity. Toasty apples with some spiciness on the palate. 
Korta Katarina Winery Pošip 2023, Peljesac, Croatia – Petar said their winery is located in Peljesac which is a peninsula which is well-known for red grapes. Pošip is a native variety and not grown anywhere else in the world. Chara is the middle of the Korcula Island where Pošip is grown. The grape always produces a medium to full-bodied wine as the region is always warm.
A deep, bright lemon colour. Medium intensity, quite toasty/flinty along with citrus aromas. Dry with a thicker mouthfeel. Medium-minus acidity. Tropical fruit plus a touch of pine needle or mint, and oak flavours. Medium-plus length. 
Tommasi Family Estates Le Fornaci Lugana Riserva DOC 2019, Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy – Pierangelo noted that Lugana is west of where their family has traditionally produced wines. Lugana is along the largest lake in Italy, which is Lake Garda. This region is known for producing white wines. This is one of the fastest white wine growing appellations, according to Pierangelo. The white grape grown is Turbiana (the local name for Trebbiano). The wine we tasted is from a single-vineyard and is named “Le Fornaci” after a Roman kiln in the area nearby.
This wine has a medium intensity bright lemon colour. Aromatic with scents of pine needles and lesser stone fruits. Dry, fuller body with a thicker, round mouthfeel. Firmer acidity. Pine needles on the palate, along with touches of stone fruit and pineapple with air. Very tasty.
Quails’ Gate Winery Rosemary’s Block Chardonnay 2021, West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, BC – Kailee mentioned that Rosemary Stewart is the matriarch of the family and their family planted vines in the 1950s. The Okanagan is a region that is at the edge of what is possible for grape growing, so the Stewart family and other families in the area have to adapt, adjust and learn how to grow grapes successfully. The Rosemary’s block was planted in the 1990s, and the family noted where different clones were planted so they could learn what each block was capable of producing. They determined a particular portion of a block and clones produced a very high-quality Chardonnay. They took the best barrels from this block and named the wine Rosemary’s Block Chardonnay. The 2021 was a challenging vintage, a very hot growing season, however the grapes kept their acidity.
A deeper, bright lemon colour. Quite toasty nose, with lesser amounts of pineapple, apple, and butterscotch. A round, thicker mouthfeel. Butterscotch, toast, pepperiness, pineapple, apples, and sweet spices on the palate. Medium-plus length with some bitterness on the finish. A bit too much oak for my taste, but a quality wine.
Bodegas Salentein Single Vineyard “Las Sequoillas” Chardonnay 2019, San Pablo, Uco Valley, Argentina – This is a half-Dutch, half-Canadian owned winery. Uco Valley in Mendoza started planting late in 1993-95 compared to other regions in Mendoza as this valley was viewed as too cold to successfully grow grapes. 1100 – 1700m elevation. This was the first winery in the area and was very inaccessible, requiring a 4 hr drive on a gravel road. Uco Valley now is viewed as the top wine-growing region in Argentina. In the last 10 years more wineries have moved into the valley. At the time they started the winery, they had to bring in workers along with their families, and built a school for the workers’ children
The wine is 100% oak aged. As the winery is close to the Andes mountains, it is drier, so they can dry-farm the vineyard.
This wine has a deep, clear lemon colour. Lighter aromas of ripe apples and some butterscotch. Medium body that gets lighter on the mid-palate. It is dry and smooth with a lean mouthfeel. Ripe, spiced apples and butterscotch flavours. Some pepperiness.
Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi DOCG 2018, Taurasi, Campania, Italy – The winery is family-owned. Andrea said that the winery is inland, with Naples being the closest major city. The climate is mediterranean-mountain. It is not as hot as other regions due to the mountains and the large forest land in the area. Taurasi is the name of the appellation, but the grape grown is called Aglianico. This grape variety may have come from Greece as this area was once part of the Greek empire. The winery owners had no experience when they started this winery 40 years ago in an area where there were few wineries. In 1993 the appellation was upgraded to DOCG when many producers began to focus on wine quality rather than quantity.
This wine is made using 100% Aglianico grapes. A deep, dull garnet colour in the glass. Medium intensity aromas of elderflower, red fruit and oak. Medium body with a lean edge. Medium-plus acidity and medium tannins. Red fruits with touches of bitterness, pepperiness and pine needles. A dry, tannic finish. –
Rocca delle Macìe Sergio Zingarelli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2018, Castellina, Chianti, Italy – Marco mentioned the story of the black rooster that defined the area of Chianti Classico. Everybody he says wants to respect their land and produce a product that represents their territory. This wine is the result of the Cru of the appellation. When you taste this wine you get the freshness and style of the Sangiovese grape. 2018 was a hot vintage but it helped bring the Sangiovese to ripen more quickly for harvest in mid-September. Sangiovese is normally a late-harvested grape. This wine is fresh, with great acidity, and not agressive tannins.
Medium intensity, clear garnet with a brick-red tone. Pretty aromas of red fruit and Old World oak. Dry, medium body with a lean mouthfeel. Red fruit along with some pepperiness and bitterness on the finish. Light mouthfeel. Medium-plus length. A strong tannic finish.
Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Zinfandel 2022, Sonoma County, California – This is their introductory red wine. It does have small amounts of other grape varieties blended with the Zinfandel. It is their most important wine as it makes their other wines better. As they blend through a vintage, the wines that don’t make the grade, go into Three Valleys Zinfandel. It has a consistent style, but the percentage of different varieties will change each year. Their winery has a long history of hispanic workers in the vineyards and in the winery. They recognize that these people are the ones who make their wines.
This wine has a deeper, dull mix of ruby ad garnet colours. Juicy, jammy black fruit aromas. Medium-plus body. Jammy black fruits, raspberries and cherries, along with some pepperiness on the palate. Medium acidity and tannins. Medium-plus length, finishing with tart and sweet fruit flavours.
Coronica Winery Gran Teran 2018, Istria, Croatia – What makes Teran grand cru, is the soil. The winery and vineyard is in the northeast of the Istria peninsula, close to the border with Slovenia. Emil noted that this is a very mineral-rich soil, full of iron making the soil red. The minerality is evident in their wines. They are close to both sea and mountains, giving them sea breezes and mountain air.
A deep, dull garnet colour. Old World oak, leather and dark fruit aromas in the glass. Medium-plus body with a smooth, lightly round mouthfeel. Ripe black and red fruit flavours plus some leather. Medium tannins that get stronger on the finish. A light mouthfeel. Medium acidity. Some bitterness on the finish. –
Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Oakville, Napa Valley, California – To Kalon is noted as the grand cru vineyard in Napa Valley. The To Kalon vineyard has been around since the 1800s (over 150 years). Kurtis mentioned about making wines with passion. The winery started in 1966. Robert Mondavi wanted to make a wine that stood shoulder to shoulder with the finest wines in the world. They want to improve every year. Each harvest they have a new opportunity to learn. Kurtis wants to express the character of the To Kalon vineyard in this wine. This wine is primarily Cabernet Sauvingon, but has smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the blend. The soil is very well-drained so they can grow varietals showing different personalities according to Kurtis.
Opaque black garnet from core to rim. Nice, medium intensity aromas of cedar and black fruit. Dry with a medium-minus body, and lean, light mouthfeel. Tarry, black fruit and a touch of capsicum on the mid-palate. Also, some pepperiness. Medium-plus length, finishing with firm tannins plus black fruit and nutmeg spice flavours.
Thank you to the Vancouver International Wine Festival for providing me a seat to attend this seminar.
