The pleasure was all mine when I met Bradley Cooper and his wife the other day to sample his latest creation.  You may know Brad by the famed wines that he has produced for Township 7 Winery; heralded for his ability to transform a BC Syrah into a nectar compared to those from Northern Rhone or for the sparkling wines compared to a Gloria Ferrer.  But this time, I was sampling something very different;  not in quality but in name.

You see, not long ago Brad joined up as a winemaker for a fellow to make wine for a new label.  Due to economic instability and other factors it ended abruptly with a large stock of wine and no winery to put on the label.  After considering keeping a small portion of the wine to cover the final bills, Brad and his wife decided to make lemonade out of this dark and disappointing situation.  They say the experience was like a “Black Cloud” over them, and once they decided to purchase back the remaining lot of the wine that he produced, they begun to see a “silver lining”.

Hence, the name Black Cloud was bestowed upon the wine.

Black Cloud - Pinot Noir 2006

It was a relatively quick turn around from the time the deal fell through to its recent release.  During those four months there were a lot of t’s to cross and i’s to dot and with the generosity of Mike Raffan of Township 7, Brad was able to complete the necessary requirements through them.

You aren’t going to find this wine in a big press release or in many stores… yet.  Brad is using this release as a bit of a social media experiment.  This approach has less overhead than major press releases, and it relies largely on reputation and recommendation.  Brad already has garnered the reputation of a trusted wine maker, and he is spreading the news of this new wine ‘virally’ (meaning through networks of people on various social media outlets)  such as: Twitter, Blogging, Linked in, etc.  After having experienced the wine for myself, I personally believe this wine is going to develop a bit of a cult following.

I opened my bottle with some friends last night to get a variety of opinions on this wine.  At first, we noticed a slight disconnect with the nose to the taste.  The nose was heavy like a sherry and the taste was mildly earthy.  After about half an hour, it opened up into beautiful black cherry, blackberry, and blueberry flavours.  I loved the smokiness of a cigar in the finish.  It maintained its familiar pinot-earthiness and we savoured every sip until the bottle was empty. A lovely example of a new world Pinot Noir.

This wine has influences of the Oregon and New Zealand style of Pinot Noir:

New Zealand Pinot noir is fruit-driven, forward and early maturing in the bottle. It tends to be quite full bodied (for the variety), very approachable and oak maturation tends to be restrained. High quality examples of New Zealand Pinot noir, particularly from the Martinborough region, are distinguished by savoury, earthy flavours with a greater complexity. (Wikipedia)

Where  can you find it?  It is currently on the shelves at Broadway International Wine Shop and Whatcom Wine and Spirits.  I doubt it will be there for long, and if they happen to sell out before you procure your own you can contact Brad through his Blog or through Twitter.

What can we expect in the future from Black Cloud?  This wine will have another vintage of Pinot Noir, and likely a white to compliment it.  Brad has quite a few ideas up his sleeve, and I trust that we will not be disappointed.  He has transformed a black cloud, to one with a silver lining, to one that I expect will garner a golden reputation.

“I wish I could drink like a lady: I would have one or two at the most. Three, and I am under the table;  Four, and I am under the host.”  – Dorothy Parker

A little sass with which to raise a glass.

I am nervous and excited to launch this blog that I have been mulling around in my head for a while now.  Eager to share my thoughts and experiences on all things wine, but suddenly gripped with an anxiety that I need to get your attention and keep it!  So I have been been composing, deleting, talking, recomposing, decomposing, deliberating, and finally rewriting my first post.  Maybe I should call upon a glass of vino veritas to conjure some inspiration…

Perhaps I should begin with my vision for this blog to evoke your thoughts and feedback on my direction.

Firstly, I am obsessed with sharing impressions on new and old imbibable discoveries and as we get lost in the enjoyment of the crimson and golden nectar of the gods, may we leave bread crumb trails of corks to retrace our steps and revisit our experiences together.  And then let’s reveal our favourite haunts to procure our treasures and to sample a glass or two.

A few things that I would like to share with you over the next while are:

• Big events like The Playhouse International Wine Festival coming up in March– can you believe it is that time already!?
• Wine tastings throughout the Greater Vancouver region and Okanagan.
• Wine education events for the low budget (like those who are saving up for a wedding) and for those with a deeper pocket to invest in a lifetime of rich appreciation of the most complex libation.
• Local and not-so-local wine shops and wineries that spark my interest and hopefully yours!
• The occasional review on some fantastic wines not to miss, and a miscellany of wine tidbits that interest me.
• …and on a more gratuitous personal note: Plans for my upcoming wedding in Sonoma’s wine country!

In preparation of more experiences and confessions to come, I would like to (with as little cliche as possible) raise a glass of something tasty.  Please comment with whatever you have on the go at the moment and share some topics of interest!