Tomorrow’s Vintages release features “Wines for Summer Fetes”, presumably in anticipation of the Canada Day week-end. The idea seems to be to showcase wines which can be consumed outdoors.
I must confess (spoiler warning - minor sarcasm to come) that the taste of most wines seem not to be affected by the presence of a roof. Accordingly, I plan to get on with talking about the reviews straight away.
In this case, there are quite a few good possibilities at relative modest prices.
ROSÉS
I’m slowly warming to the concept of rosés, as long as they’re dry and refreshing and, hopefully, not too alcohol laden, because they are such nice sippers to accompany a chaise lounge and a good book on a hot summer’s day. Southern France is, of course, the spiritual home of rosés, and the La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rosé 2009 is about as good as they get. This is a very refreshing, mouth pleasing combination of lean strawberry, rhubarb and red current flavours, with a long, lusty finish. Don’t let the pale colour fool you. There is good fruit and good flavour here. My only complaints - $21.95 is a lot to pay for a rosé (even a really good one), and 13.5% alcohol is pretty hefty if you’re planning on an entire afternoon of quaffing (of course you don’t have to drink all afternoon). Good on its own; with a salad (including a tuna or chicken salad), or with whitefish. Vintages suggests grilled sardines as a complement, but I’m a little skeptical about something with that strong a fish taste.
WHITE WINES
I’m a big fan of muscadets because they’re usually cheap, crisp and a little bit flinty, and the Domaine de la Grange Veilles Vignes Muscadet Sevre & Maine 2008 ($13.95) from the Loire is no exception. This is a tangy, well made wine with lots of chalk, red apple and pear, with a touch of honey and lots of acid on the long finish. I think muscadets go really well with shellfish, and I agree entirely with the Vintages recommendation of steamed clams or mussels, although I wouldn’t dismiss the thought of brie on a fresh baguette.
I’m also a big fan of chablis, for many of the same reasons that I like muscadets, except that chablis’ are usually not cheap and are usually more complex than muscadets. Once again, the Jean-Pierre & Alexandre Ellevin Chablis 2008 ($19.95) is not an exception. I really liked this offering, and the price is about as low as you’ll find for a chablis, while it yields nothing in the way of quality. This is a really well balanced wine, with notes of honey, sweet grapefruit, mineral, and apple, and a zesty finish. Drink on its own, with any of the same foods as the muscadet, or with oysters. I’ll be looking to buy more of this.
Sticking with Burgundy for the moment, the Domaine Raphael Sallet Macon Uchizy 2008 ($15.95) will appeal to those who like their chardonnays a little bit richer. There’s no big oak or California butterscotch, but there is some vanilla, smoke, grapefruit and sweet pear to accompany the crisp minerality and green apple. This is also a very good wine, and will complement essentially the same foods as the last two.
For a true new world chardonnay, go for the Te Kairanga Chardonnay 2007 ($16.95) from New Zealand. My wife, who is the true chardonnay connoisseur amongst the two of us, loves this wine and plans to get more. She compares it to a wine costing twice as much. There’s a bit of custard and (oddly) perhaps a touch of diesel, on the nose, together with vanilla and pear, but the palate is pure rich fruit (white peach and pear) with vanilla, orange marmalade and well integrated oak. You can buy more expensive chardonnays, but why would you?
The Willy Gisselbrecht Tradition Riesling 2007 ($15.95) is a very well integrated aromatic, with a tiny touch of diesel, lemon and minerality. If you are planning a spicy meal (Thai or Northern Chinese), or even pulled pork, this wine will work well as a complement.
For a hot weather chardonnay, go for the Alta Vista Premium Chardonnay 2008 ($14.95) from Argentina. This is also a good buttery wine, with vanilla, tropical fruit (pineapple, and peach), orange peel and herbs de provence, with a lemony finish. This wine is a perennial winner.
In the event that chardonnay isn’t your preference, the Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($17.95) is slightly grassy with lots of lime, herbs de provence, and asparagus. It’s a sauvignon, so you should expect acid on the finish, but it’s very well integrated. A very refreshing wine that will work well with a soft cheese, a salad, chicken or even pork.
RED WINE
The M. Chapoutier les Vignes de Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2008 ($15.00) from the Rhone is a really good buy. Expect flavours of raspberry, chocolate, gorse, smoke and cherry on a wine that will impress with its quality and complexity, but will go well with almost any food. This may not be a chateauneuf-du-pape, but, at this price, you’re getting something close.
If you’re prepared to spend a bit more for a Rhone, the Le Gravillas Gigondas 2007 ($22.95) is too good to miss. This is just exactly what a good Rhone should taste like with notes of earth, blackberry, plum and spice, with a long finish. It has great structure and, especially with red meat or hard cheese, and a long finish. Highly Recommended.
The Heartland Shiraz 2007 ($19.95) from South Australia is a really good shiraz, well structured, with masses of zesty blackberry, and a long finish. This wine will work well on its own, or with virtually any red meat as long as it isn’t too lean.
Bordeaux lovers should strongly consider the Chateau Lanbersac 2005 ($19.95). This is a typical right bank wine from an exceptional year, with strong notes of earth, plum, cherry, mocha, vanilla, oak and soft tannins. It is very well structured, with some elements of smoke and tar, and will reward, with an hour’s aeration, virtually any beef match.
The Spadina Una Viola Signature Syrah 2008 ($15.95) from Sicily has a great, fresh fruit flavour with sweet oak,and bright cherry, plum and blackberry flavours. This wine works better with food - hard cheese or barbecued beef.
The Rodney Strong Merlot 2006 ($19.95) from California comes from one of the state’s best value producers. Expect a big wine with sour cherry, sweet oak, blackberry, mineral, plum and herbal notes, which is well integrated and with a long finish. Another great match for barbecued beef.
Finally, the Fattoi Brunello di Montalcino 2004 ($34.95) is a good investment for a couple of years from now. Expect cassis, violets and great structure with plum, earth and tar. This is a good price for a wine that will shine in 2012 or 2013. It may sound like a long time, but brunellos tend to richly reward a little patience.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Vintages Release - June 12, 2010
The theme of tomorrow’s Vintages release is the wines of South Africa.
I should say right up front that I think South Africa produces many good wines, but very few great ones. None of the really good wines are featured in this release, whereas there are some very good values from elsewhere available.
My advice therefore, is to ignore South African wines for the moment in favour of the following:
DESSERT WINES
The Royal Tokaji Tokaji Aszu Blue Label 5 Puttonyos 2005 ($19.95 for a 250 ml. bottle) is spectacular. This is one of Hungary’s best producers making Hungary’s best known wine in a extraordinary year. Expect amazing balance and complexity with marmalade, mineral, apricot, honey, smoke and key lime flavours. Unless you never liked a dessert wine in your life, buy this wine. It will be the best $20 investment you’ll ever make. Serve slightly chilled, but not cold, with dried fruit and nuts. For the price, this is great value.
WHITE WINES
New Zealand’s Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($19.95) is a lovely wine, with notes of kiwi, gooseberry, grapefruity citrus, a little lemon grass and a touch of chalky minerality. The Dog Point owners are former winemakers for the famed Cloudy Bay Winery, and, while this may not have been their most stellar vintage ever, it will still knock the socks off most white wines. Serve chilled with fried white fish, with shellfish, or drink on its own. The acid is so well integrated that it will take you until the end of the long finish to notice it at all.
For a leaner white that also works very well with shellfish, go for the Domaine de la Tourlaudiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine 2008 ($13.95) from the Loire. This isn’t a terribly complex wine, but it is refreshing, with enough acid to counterbalance the sauce, even a cream sauce, and a with a long lasting chalky minerality If you like your white wines lean, this will please you and the price should do more than that.
If, on the other hand, you like a rich white, try the Caruso & Minini Isula Catarratto 2008 ($15.95) from Sicily. This grape varietal, catarratto, is not much used outside of Southern Italy, but it produces a concentrated wine with a nose of pitted fruit, and notes of red grapefruit, peach and nectarine on the palate. Vintages recommends it with shellfish, but I disagree, and would suggest that pork chop or chicken breast would be a better match. It will drink well on its own, but I think it’s better with food.
Finally, the Inniskillin Winemaker’s Series Two Vineyards Riesling 2008 ($17.95) from Niagara would be a good match for spicy dishes. It has some of the traditional Riesling diesel, with peach, white flower, grapefruit and green apple notes. Once again, although you can drink this wine on its own, it is better with food – a spicy oriental dish or pork would be best.
RED WINE
When I started to write this column, I expected to be seriously recommending the Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($34.95) from the Rhone. After all, what’s not to like – a chateauneuf from a good year at a very good price. I do recommend it, but a bit more cautiously than I thought I would. This is a good wine, with loads of complexity with dark cherry, raspberry, licorice, cedar, leather, raspberry and lavender, and it verges on being a great wine, certainly for the price. I wasn’t sure, however, that the flavours had come together quite yet, and I couldn’t tell when (or if) they would. It’s still a good buy, and I recommend it, but I think it still lacks something – which time may well impart. If it doesn’t improve, it’s still worth the price, and very enjoyable, especially with red meat. I intend to put a few bottles in the cellar and check it in a year or so.
I had no such quibbles about two other wines, both from Italy, and both in the under $20 price range:
- the Cantina Terre del Barolo Dogliani 2007 $13.95) from Piedmont is very soft and ready to drink with concentrated ripe cherry, and slightly earthy flavours. This is a rich, medium bodied, satisfying wine, with lots of soft tannins, a medium long finish and enough integrated acids to stand up to tomato based dishes, and enough fruit to complement beef, as long as it isn’t too lean. A very good wine for the price. You can drink it on it’s own, but I like the idea of it with Portobello mushroom burgers.
- the Tocchi Sagrantino di Montefalco 2004 ($18.95) from Umbria has a little age behind it, but the fruit (mostly black cherry) is vibrant and lively with great mouth feel. There is some cocoa on the long finish that just sets the wine off nicely. The wine is very approachable, and works well with hard cheese or lean beef.
If you’re still after a Rhone, go for the Les Piliers Syrah 2007 ($14.95). This is a big, chewy wine, dominated by kirsch, tar, plum and blackberry with an almost overwhelming nose and palate. Serve with a cut or roast beef or a rib eye, or with a hard cheese, and sit back and enjoy.
New Zealand is working hard at getting away from its reputation as being only a premium sauvignon blanc producer, and the Hunter’s Jane Hunter Pinot Noir 2008 ($19.95) is proof of their burgeoning success in pinot noirs (even if their naming skills - being somewhat repetitive -need a little work). This is a very nice, medium bodied, new world style pinot, with great balance, and dark cherry, chocolate and spice on the palate. I’d recommend serving with planked salmon or veal.
ROSĖS
Looking for a hot weather quaffer? Go for the Tawse Sketches of Niagara Rosé 2009 ($14.95) from (where else?) Niagara. Expect strawberry, raspberry and a little pencil box on this light, but refreshing, wine. It has a nice crisp, dry finish that works well on its own, but would nicely complement tuna or salmon salad, or just sun and a chaise lounge on a hot, lazy day.
I should say right up front that I think South Africa produces many good wines, but very few great ones. None of the really good wines are featured in this release, whereas there are some very good values from elsewhere available.
My advice therefore, is to ignore South African wines for the moment in favour of the following:
DESSERT WINES
The Royal Tokaji Tokaji Aszu Blue Label 5 Puttonyos 2005 ($19.95 for a 250 ml. bottle) is spectacular. This is one of Hungary’s best producers making Hungary’s best known wine in a extraordinary year. Expect amazing balance and complexity with marmalade, mineral, apricot, honey, smoke and key lime flavours. Unless you never liked a dessert wine in your life, buy this wine. It will be the best $20 investment you’ll ever make. Serve slightly chilled, but not cold, with dried fruit and nuts. For the price, this is great value.
WHITE WINES
New Zealand’s Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($19.95) is a lovely wine, with notes of kiwi, gooseberry, grapefruity citrus, a little lemon grass and a touch of chalky minerality. The Dog Point owners are former winemakers for the famed Cloudy Bay Winery, and, while this may not have been their most stellar vintage ever, it will still knock the socks off most white wines. Serve chilled with fried white fish, with shellfish, or drink on its own. The acid is so well integrated that it will take you until the end of the long finish to notice it at all.
For a leaner white that also works very well with shellfish, go for the Domaine de la Tourlaudiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine 2008 ($13.95) from the Loire. This isn’t a terribly complex wine, but it is refreshing, with enough acid to counterbalance the sauce, even a cream sauce, and a with a long lasting chalky minerality If you like your white wines lean, this will please you and the price should do more than that.
If, on the other hand, you like a rich white, try the Caruso & Minini Isula Catarratto 2008 ($15.95) from Sicily. This grape varietal, catarratto, is not much used outside of Southern Italy, but it produces a concentrated wine with a nose of pitted fruit, and notes of red grapefruit, peach and nectarine on the palate. Vintages recommends it with shellfish, but I disagree, and would suggest that pork chop or chicken breast would be a better match. It will drink well on its own, but I think it’s better with food.
Finally, the Inniskillin Winemaker’s Series Two Vineyards Riesling 2008 ($17.95) from Niagara would be a good match for spicy dishes. It has some of the traditional Riesling diesel, with peach, white flower, grapefruit and green apple notes. Once again, although you can drink this wine on its own, it is better with food – a spicy oriental dish or pork would be best.
RED WINE
When I started to write this column, I expected to be seriously recommending the Domaine de Saint Siffrein Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($34.95) from the Rhone. After all, what’s not to like – a chateauneuf from a good year at a very good price. I do recommend it, but a bit more cautiously than I thought I would. This is a good wine, with loads of complexity with dark cherry, raspberry, licorice, cedar, leather, raspberry and lavender, and it verges on being a great wine, certainly for the price. I wasn’t sure, however, that the flavours had come together quite yet, and I couldn’t tell when (or if) they would. It’s still a good buy, and I recommend it, but I think it still lacks something – which time may well impart. If it doesn’t improve, it’s still worth the price, and very enjoyable, especially with red meat. I intend to put a few bottles in the cellar and check it in a year or so.
I had no such quibbles about two other wines, both from Italy, and both in the under $20 price range:
- the Cantina Terre del Barolo Dogliani 2007 $13.95) from Piedmont is very soft and ready to drink with concentrated ripe cherry, and slightly earthy flavours. This is a rich, medium bodied, satisfying wine, with lots of soft tannins, a medium long finish and enough integrated acids to stand up to tomato based dishes, and enough fruit to complement beef, as long as it isn’t too lean. A very good wine for the price. You can drink it on it’s own, but I like the idea of it with Portobello mushroom burgers.
- the Tocchi Sagrantino di Montefalco 2004 ($18.95) from Umbria has a little age behind it, but the fruit (mostly black cherry) is vibrant and lively with great mouth feel. There is some cocoa on the long finish that just sets the wine off nicely. The wine is very approachable, and works well with hard cheese or lean beef.
If you’re still after a Rhone, go for the Les Piliers Syrah 2007 ($14.95). This is a big, chewy wine, dominated by kirsch, tar, plum and blackberry with an almost overwhelming nose and palate. Serve with a cut or roast beef or a rib eye, or with a hard cheese, and sit back and enjoy.
New Zealand is working hard at getting away from its reputation as being only a premium sauvignon blanc producer, and the Hunter’s Jane Hunter Pinot Noir 2008 ($19.95) is proof of their burgeoning success in pinot noirs (even if their naming skills - being somewhat repetitive -need a little work). This is a very nice, medium bodied, new world style pinot, with great balance, and dark cherry, chocolate and spice on the palate. I’d recommend serving with planked salmon or veal.
ROSĖS
Looking for a hot weather quaffer? Go for the Tawse Sketches of Niagara Rosé 2009 ($14.95) from (where else?) Niagara. Expect strawberry, raspberry and a little pencil box on this light, but refreshing, wine. It has a nice crisp, dry finish that works well on its own, but would nicely complement tuna or salmon salad, or just sun and a chaise lounge on a hot, lazy day.
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