The Chef and the Grape

By Chef Kristof Gillese

It’s a little intimidating interviewing Jak Meyer of MFV: Meyer Family Vineyards.

Jak’s a wonderful guy; very charming, easy to talk with, always engaged and more than generous with a smile. And that’s intimidating?? No, what’s intimidating is when Jak talks about his last trip to London and being invited by Stephen Spurrier to his apartment to talk wine.

Excuse me? That’s like being invited by Larry Bird to talk basketball. And then Jak makes the time to talk with me.

Well, perhaps intimidating isn’t quite the right word. Maybe it’s more like humbling.

And yet for all that Jak’s wines are on some of the best wine lists in London, in Montreal, in New York… for all that wine luminaries ask Jak to share his thoughts, for all the respect his wines have garnered from some of the toughest critics I know: Jak is a regular guy. And that just may be the most disarming characteristic he has.

Jak and I carved out a few minutes in the middle of the biggest tasting of BC wines for 2014: COLOR and talked about his inspirations for creating some of the most, to my mind, elegant Burgundian style expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay I’ve ever had. To wit: in an upcoming article from the #WTC (Wine Tasting Circle) the MFV McLean Creek (single vineyard) Pinot Noir scored an impressive 92 points and came second out of 30 Pinot Noir losing only to a 1999 Vosne-Romanée 1er cru “Malconsorts.”  But hear for yourself what Jak has to say on inspiration, style and the future of sub-appellations in British Columbia.

For a man just starting to understand what his land, his vines, are trying to express – Jak Meyer together with winemaker Chris Carson are crafting wines to a level of professionalism that some competitors may never reach. The following are current releases: (add photo of Meyer 2012 pinot noir)

2012 Pinot Noir

89+ points, Very Good Value

The Pinot Noir for people who think they don’t like Pinot Noir! An almost Gamay Noir-like jubilant expression of ripe raspberries/cherries and Saskatoons, balanced by rich tones of the Okanagan hillsides: wild thyme and aromatic scrub-brush. A delightfully inviting wine, it was difficult to stop at one glass… the fully intense and youthful aromas are moderated by an equally vigorous palate that dances with bright young acid. I paired the focused red currant/young raspberry flavors against simple charcuterie (French word for cold-cuts); salami, hard cheese, a dab of grainy mustard and some fresh bread. This is a wine with tons of life in it, but will not develop further in bottle due to the Stelvin enclosure. A celebration of spring flavors!

2012 “Reimer Family Vineyard” Pinot Noir

91+ points, EXCELLENT Value

If the first Pinot Noir is the epitome of a soft, plush, approachable wine that’s just fun to drink, then this is the diametric opposite: dark, burnished berry aromas collide with intense savoury herbs, burning sweetgrass and tightly wound minerality. Whilst this is a wine with immense propensity for dimension and expression, the palate is as seductive as the bouquet is dramatic… the medium+/full red currant acids are integrated superbly, the full tannin are fine yet chewy, and the concentration of flavours shows great balance, structure and concentration. A contemplative wine, I would hesitate to serve it with anything as (potentially) heavy as the classic Boeuf Bourguignon but would instead go with West Coast tradition and use grilled/seared tuna as the foil. Would also be brilliant with oysters considering the precise minerality!

2012 “McLean Creek Road Vineyard” Pinot Noir

92+ points, EXCELLENT Value

The bouquet opens with not only the ripeness of red berries; a bowl heaped full of cherries/raspberries/strawberries/red currants, but also wild herbs growing on the hillside and a hint of star anise or Chinese cinnamon. The acids are brisk, lean, focused, and carry with them a concentration that easily matches the bountiful aromas. Fine/chewy tannin crave the richness of pâté and toasted pumpernickel but are a delight of balance and superb structure on their own. I am especially impressed with the fine edge of sea salt minerality that runs throughout the palate, holding everything in unison. Delightful now the wine will cellar, and develop, for many years to come: enjoy 2014-2020 with ease.

2012 “McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée” Pinot Noir

93 points, STUNNING

Reminding me of Maison Jadot Domaine Duc de Magenta, 1er Cru, Puligny-Montrachet; this is one of the most articulate expressions of Pinot Noir in British Columbia that I remember: a heady bouquet that is at the same time: fiercely concentrated yet finessed, inviting with the fresh aromas of ripe red berries and yet full of warm earth tones and salty mineral precision. The full acid starts so innocently then warms on the palate and races with the exuberance of youth. Fine, chewy tannin are structured well enough for any celebrity-chef meal and yet restrained enough that it is far too easily consumed before the meal… or after the meal with beautiful company and dark chocolate. A craftsman’s balance, immense structure and concentration, this wine drinks far above its price currently and will continue to develop for several years. Enjoy 2014-2020. (insert Meyer famiy vineyards logo)

2012 Okanagan Valley Chardonnay

90 points, Very Good Value

Lean and mean! The northern Burgundy style will appeal to purists with its mineral-driven aromas accentuated by hints of green apple, hay and under-ripe pineapple. Strikingly clear palate, the acids are brisk, fully intense, and deliver Chablis-esque crushed rock and seashell flavors that will work wonders with any manner of seafood. Great balance and structure with very good concentration, this wine to me is a natural for Vietnamese/Cambodian hotpots and the like… food made with ginger, lemon-grass and galangal will play off the mild floral and exotic fruit tones hiding behind the sturdy minerality.

2012 Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay

“Old Main Road Vineyard”; single vineyard wine

92+ points, Excellent Value

The refinement in the Meyer vineyards wines as one moves from general region to single vineyard simply cannot be overstated: once again, if the Okanagan Valley Chardonnay were to be compared to northern Burgundy then this fine example is top-tier Beaune! A stunning array of exotic fruit aromas compliment a bouquet rich in minerality, small summer flowers, ripe golden apples and Anjou pears… and the complexity of the nose is balanced by a harmonious palate. Utterly refreshing medium+ apple and lemon balm acids drive a palate that evolves continually on the taste-buds leaving behind a signature of precise minerality and ripe orchard-fruit. Excellent balance, structure and concentration, this wine will sing when paired with rich poultry dishes like crispy-skin-duck~! Tonight my wife made a slow-cooked Algerian chicken stew (tagine) and the North African spices warmed (pardon the pun) to the fruit and floral tones in the wine.

2012 Meyer Family Chardonnay

“McLean Creek Road Vineyard”; single vineyard wine

91+ points, Excellent Value

A happy median between crisp/almost stark Chablis and young-pineapple Napa Valley, this Chardonnay exhibits aromas of Golden apples, ripe Anjou pear, warm hay drying in the sun, crushed flinty-minerality and hints of young exotic fruit. On the palate medium+acid conveys more apple, pear and mineral flavors that linger on the taste-buds with a sense of balance, cohesion, unity. The structure is good and the concentration also is quite professional. Food pairings? I served it with a Vietnamese pork and tofu hotpot to much success, but would love to bring this on a fishing trip and serve it lightly chilled with fresh trout pan-seared with only a dab of butter, salt and pepper. Bon Appetit~!  (insert chardonnayimage)

2012 “McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée” Chardonnay

93+ points, STUNNING

*DO NOT SERVE TOO COLD~! JUST UNDER AMBIENT TEMP: 15C / 60F

This wine has the steely-minerality of Chablis and the lightly perfumed orchard fruit *(apples, pears) of Beaune: truly marvellous; I was impressed not only with the concentration, but with the sophistication. This is a special wine. This is a celebratory wine! It’s not just a wine to celebrate an occasion with but it also celebrates the Okanagan Valley, the Naramata Bench, and more specifically the Old Main Road vineyard. This is a site-specific wine that shouts out “I am from this place.” and, my friends, very few wines are as articulate as this. I smell the wine and I can smell the light scrub-brush on the hillside warming under a July sun… I can sense the little white and yellow flowers that dot the slope and the old apple trees gnarled with their years. When I taste this wine, I can taste the purity of the water flowing through rock, deep beneath the surface. And we should speak of food, n’est-pas? Freshly shucked oysters are a natural, as are most anything from the sea with a bit of fat… West Coast salmon would be divine, but not with Asian sauces as, in my experience, those seem to prefer Pinot Noir to Chardonnay. This should be on the “bucket-list” of anyone who truly loves the varietal and a must for those who profess that only Burgundy can produce Burgundian quality.

Inser photo of Jak Meyer with Canadian media icon Terry David Mulligan and John Skinner, proprietor of Painted Rock Winery

Small wonder that Stephen Spurrier wants to talk wine with Jak; it seems like all the savvy people do – myself included. For I can now count myself in that nebulous echelon of “folks-in-the-know” when it comes to what level of quality of wine is being produced in North America.

Every year it shocks me to learn that we’ve jumped another level: winning awards around the world for just about every class of wine we consume. And it just keeps going… are we going to see Washington Cab-Sauv challenge Bordeaux? Or Lodi county Sangiovese give Chianti Classico a run for its money? Jak’s words come back to me:

“We’re only just starting to know our land…”

He’s right of course. Most winemakers here count their vineyards in years still – possibly breaching the decade mark. How can we produce Riesling on par with the Mosel where once the Benedictines toiled on the steep slopes 1500 years ago? Yet I’ve tasted Efeste Riesling from Washington… compete? No. On par? Yes. Most assuredly so.

Working with Pierre Henry-Gagey of Maison Jadot taught me: it’s not the intensity of flavor that indicates professional quality wine, it is the purity; the focus and absolute precision. The wines of Jak Meyer and Meyer Family Vineyards showcase their terroir with a generous portion of both. And they’re just beginning…

Many thanks to Jak for the generous sample bottles: it was an education and privilege. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

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– Kristof Gillese: Trained chef, certified wine steward and proud journalist. To chef Kristof it is the story that takes priority: to tell the tale of common people accomplishing uncommon goals. In the world of wine these tales are prolific. It is chef Kristof’s privilege to have worked with, and/or told the story of, luminaries such as Pierre-Henry Gagey of Maison Jadot, Nik Weis of St Urbans-Hof, Ray Signorello of Signorello Estates and Ezra Cipes of Summerhill Pyramid Winery; leaders in the industry. With almost three decades of experience working with the magical synergy between food and wine, chef Kristof is proud to share the stories of these amazing stewards of the land. These articles showcase a respect for the balance between our current mercantile economy and the-now-in-vogue ancestral farming methods/biodynamics/organic farming principles. All articles are written with a profound reverence for the family aspect to winery culture as, to this writers understanding, nothing has ever had a more far-reaching effect than the love and devotion for a parent to a child. All great wineries are built by parents for their children and grandchildren and it is because of this that chef Kristof writes.

You can read more of his rants-on-wine including full portfolio reviews, interviews with winemakers and notes from the illustrious #WineTastingCircle on his website www.TheChefandTheGrape.com and his blog www.AStudentofWine.blogspot.com.

Twitter: AStudentofWine and on Facebook: TheChefandTheGrape

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