Two years ago, while touring the Pride Mountain winery in Napa Valley, California, wine enthusiast Arnie del Rosario serendipitously met two kababayan working there. He learned that the two, Lawrence Cortez and Romel Rivera, were not mere employees of the winery, but in fact were the cellar master and assistant winemaker, respectively. And to top it off, the two made wines under their own label — Corté Riva, coined after their last names. After having tried their wines, he was so impressed that he thought his co-members at the L’Ordre Mondiale Manille should taste them as well. Once back in Manila , he reported his adventures to his confreres, and Jay Labrador, a wine merchant and one of its officers, lost no time in contacting the winemakers and offering to become their representative in the Philippines. And so Corte Riva’s debut in the country happened at Café Ysabel with a food pairing dinner created by chef patron Gene Gonzalez sometime last year.
Just last week, Mary Ann and I were fortunate enough to have a taste of the highly rated Corte Riva wines. We were guests of Bailli (chair) de Manille Federico Borromeo and his lovely wife Josephine. L’Ordre Mondiale Manille hosted the dinner for Nieves Cortez, wife of Lawrence Cortez and Corté Riva’s sales manager, who was here in town to promote the wines. Chef Gonzalez, in his usual best form, prepared a five-course dinner perfectly matching the seven wines presented. For my Darleng and I, it was a night of illumination on the intricacies of fine wines, enjoying great company paired with wonderful food.
L’Ordre Mondiale des Gourmets Dégustateurs, or simply L’Ordre Mondiale, is a special section of La Confrérie de la Chaînes de Rôtisseurs, which exists to promote good wines and other spirits. It focuses on the enjoyment, study and appreciation of the skill in developing and crafting fine beverages. While its events are generally less formal than those of the Chaîne, its primary focus is the wine, with food playing a supporting but nonetheless important role.
The Wine Steward:
Corte Riva Viognier 2007. Beautiful nose of peach, apricot, and honeysuckle. Stunningly rich, sexy, pure and full-bodied. P1,995.
Corte Riva Zinfandel 2006. Aromas of rose petals, strawberry, cherry jam and roasted herbs are found in this impeccably well-made Zin. Medium to full-body, rich, soft acid as well as tannins and a long, layered finish. P1,950.
Corte Riva Cabernet Franc 2006. Exhibits a dark ruby/purple color accompanied by aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, coffee and a bitter sweet chocolate. P3,400.
Corte Riva Petite Sirah 2005. Rated 92 points by Robert Parker, Wine Advocate. This massive red reveals an inky blue/purple color with notes of blackberry blueberry, licorice and acacia flowers. This wine is full bodied, powerful, rich and concentrated. Less than 400 cases produced. P2,960.
Corte Riva Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. Rated 89+ points by Robert Parker, Wine Advocate. A dark ruby color, this Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 75 percent new. This well-balanced wine has great structure. It is full bodied, yet elegant and refined. It has an intense nose of blackberry and black cherry, dark chocolate and sweet integrated oak. The flavors continue through the mid palate with the addition of spice and fine soft tannin. Available in large format. P3,750.
Corte Riva Mabuhay 2005. This deep, ruby/purple color wine is full-bodied, beautifully rich and possesses sensational fruit, silky texture and voluptuous finished. Flavors of black cherries, coffee and chocolate accompanied by a sweet-smelling aroma of licorice, cedar and currant. Less than 200 cases produced. P5,200.
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The wines are available at The Wine Steward, Inc., by phone order only. Call 942-1642, 0918-924-1642. Email: jaylabrador.winesteward@gmail.com. Some of the wines are also available at Premium Wine Exchange G/F Smith Bell Building, 2294 Pasong Tamo Extension Brgy. Magallanes, Makati City. Call 812-3823. They are also available at Cafe Ysabel and Lemuria.