Sorry that this column is a bit late, but I just got back from California. The timing is a more than a bit serendipitous in that yesterday’s release features the wines from that state.
If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to show off by going over a little history, before getting on to the wines. If you don’t care about the history, just skip the next couple of paragraphs. If you are interested, here goes –
California was developing a rather nice little wine industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when prohibition hit. The entire thing collapsed like a house of cards and virtually every winery (except one or two that got contracts to supply altar wine to the Catholic church) went out of business and were either abandoned or turned to growing fruit and vegetables. When prohibition ended in 1933, you might have thought that there would be a comeback, but it was very slow to emerge, and most of the wine that was produced, for quite a long time, was of the cheap and nasty variety.
It was only in the 1960’s and 1970’s that a quality industry started to develop again, but it was still not well regarded, especially as compared to the traditional wine growing regions of France and Italy. As chronicled in the movie Bottle Shock – which hopelessly romanticized the whole story - a competitive tasting was arranged in Paris in 1976 (as part of the American bicentennial celebrations) between several Napa valley wines and some of their French counterparts. Much to the surprise (shock) of some, two American wines won the competition – Chateau Montelena for the whites, and Stag’s Leap for the reds. The victory gave the entire California wine industry a huge shot in the arm, and today the Napa and Sonoma valleys (just north and east of San Francisco) are chock a block full of wineries. Quite expensive ones too, for the most part.
Napa and Sonoma are well suited, both in respect of terroir and climate, to produce good wines, and they do, from almost every grape variety imaginable although (amongst reds) cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, zinfandel and malbec tend to dominate in the warmer Napa valley, while those same varieties, plus pinot noir, are grown in Sonoma. Chardonnay tends to dominate amongst the whites, and California is justly famous for its creamy, rich versions of that varietal, although you can certainly find sparkling wines and sauvignon blanc in abundance. If you want, which in my mind you shouldn’t, you can also find white zinfandel.
The California climate is also well suited to viticulture, and the weather tends to be pretty consistent from year to year, although 1994 and 1997 were known as exceptional years for reds, while 1998 and 2000 were a bit sub-standard. Amongst whites, 1995 and 1997 were praised, while 1994 and 2001 were not quite up to par. All of the other years, for both kinds of wine, were rated as 8’s or 9’s (out of 10) by those in the know.
It appears, however, that this year will be fairly challenging for California winemakers. They had one of the coldest summers on record, and, come September, the berries were far less ripe, with lower sugar levels, than normal. In order to help compensate, many wineries cut away much of the foliage on the vines so that the grapes could get maximum benefit from the remaining sun. Unfortunately, no sooner had they done so, but the temperature shot up to 110F for three straight days. Without the protection of the foliage, many of the grapes “sunburned” and a number of the wineries that we visited estimated that they would lose up to half of their crop.
California wines are usually ready to drink upon release, and are not made to require food in the same way that many European wines do. Don’t get the impression, however, that they won’t last. I recently opened a bottle of 1997 Silver Oak (Napa) and it was delicious. Several years ago, I participated in a tasting of eight lesser ranked bordeauxs, and one mystery wine, all from the same, 25 year old, vintage. The bordeauxs were all clearly past their best, with fading fruit and a “tea” like taste. The mystery wine, which turned out to be a Californian, was still lively and fresh – much better than the others.
I don’t mean to suggest that California wines are better than European wines. I still think that the best of European wines, properly aged, are more interesting than many Californians, and I deplore California prices, which are, I think, about twice what they should be, but I cannot deny that the state does produce some wonderful wines.
I cannot, in this one issue, do justice to the many wineries we visited, so some will have to wait for another issue, but I can start to give you an idea of our experiences.
We visited both Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap (in deference to the movie) and were treated very well at both – especially at Chateau Montelena. Chateau Montelena specializes in whites, and its chardonnays, in particular, are simply spectacular – rich and buttery, with notes of tropical fruit, vanilla and sweet oak. I was also very impressed with its red zinfandel, which was lighter than usual, with an abundance of red fruit flavours. Unfortunately, there is no Chateau Montelena product in this release, although many of the stores do stock it, and it shows up from time to time in Vintage releases.
There is a Stag’s Leap product in this release, the Stag’s Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($49.95). This wine is very ready to drink, with a lovely nose of leather and blackberry, and a complex, well integrated palate of plum, leather, dark chocolate and cassis. It will drink well on its own, or complement any red meat.
We also visited, and thoroughly enjoyed, wines from Duckhorn Estates and Ravenwood, both of which are featured in this release:
- The Duckhorn Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($29.95) is a Bordeaux blend of grapes, and is decently priced for a California cab. This is a rich, subtle blend of dark fruit, with some mineral and olive notes, and a long, succulent finish. Vintages suggests keeping it for 2 or 3 years, and I don’t disagree, but if you aerate for a couple of hours and serve with big, red meat, you will not be disappointed.
- Ravenswood is a specialist in red zinfandels, and they do them very well. We got there about 30 minutes before they closed, but they obliged by giving us samples of a least ten of their top wines, all of which were just great. I must admit, however, that tasting that many wines in that short a time, made note taking a difficult task. The Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 ($23.95) in this release is one of their more basic (and less expensive wines) but it is well worth trying. I find zinfandels a little more fruit forward, and a bit less complex, that cabernets, but this is a rich, concentrated wine with notes of sweet plum, blackberry, cherry and chocolate. It is the ideal complement for spareribs because the rich fruit matches the sweetness of the rib sauce so well. Don’t be afraid to try it on its own, or with a sharp cheese though.
Since I want to cover some of the other release wines, I am going to leave most of our California experience for another day. I do, however, want to mention several wineries where we had terrific tasting and were much impressed with their products. If you see wines from any of these wineries, do not hesitate to buy in:
Far Niente (lovely cabernets)
Silver Oak (Napa, which is a bordeax blend, or Sonoma, which is a straight cabernet sauvignon and a bit cheaper)
Caymus (I recommended this wine in my last column, and think, despite the price, that it’s some of the best value in the state)
Merry Edwards (a pinot noir producer from the Sonoma coast)
Chateau St. Jean (good chardonnays, and some great, higher priced cabernets)
Robert Mondavi (very good reds, and some excellent chardonnays, the latter at quite reasonable prices)
We were also very favourably impressed by Kendall Jackson, which I have (obviously wrongly) regarded as a producer of mass produced, rather than quality wines. We had a food and wine pairing there (cost $25/person) which was simply spectacular, and included some of their higher end wines.
We also had a very generous tasting at Gloria Ferrer, and a good tasting at Mumms, two solid sparkling wine producers. I must confess that, in both cases, their blanc de blancs (pure chardonnay) offerings impressed me more than some of their other products, but if you like a slightly off dry sparkling (white or rosé), they are both tasty and reasonably affordable.
OTHER RELEASE WINES
The Roederer Estate Brut Sparkling Wine ($28.95) from California is a crisp wine with green apple, brioche and a slight (but not at all unpleasant) yeast character. There’s a hint of cinnamon, on this very refreshing wine, with great mouth feel and a long finish.
If you prefer rosé sparkling, I have two suggestions:
- The Mezzodondo Sparkling Rosé from Italy is only $11.95. This is not a sophisticated champagne, but it is great value and a good thirst quencher. Expect strawberry, with a hint of roses, on this very pleasant, dry wine, that sports a good finish. If you like rosés of any description (still or sparkling) you can’t afford not to try it. This is not a release wine.
- For a rosé with a good deal more complexity, try the Taltarni Brut Tache 2008 ($24.95) from Australia. This is the full rosé experience, with brioche, raspberry, rose petal, apricot, and a touch of lime and green apple to keep it very dry. Serve as an aperitif, or with appetizers, or just drink it on its own to keep cool on a hot day.
White Wines
The Napa Creek Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) is a good example of a California chardonnay (rich and creamy with tropical fruit, and citrus for balance). It’s lightly oaked, but the oak is so well integrated that it doesn’t dominate. Serve, and enjoy, with chicken or whitefish, or with a cream cheese.
I’m a big fan of Chablis, and there are two good examples in this release:
- The Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis 2008 is only $18.95 (a great price for a Chablis). It’s a lighter style wine, with lemon, green apple and honey, and a touch of mineral on the finish. It’s very refreshing, and has enough acid to go well with seafood in a cream sauce.
- The Alain Geoffroy Beauroy Chablis 1er Cru 2007 ($24.95) is a richer, more complex version of a chablis, with lemon drop, pink grapefruit, chalk and flinty finish. This wine will complement shellfish, whitefish, chicken, or goat cheese, or it can be enjoyed on its own.
Red Wines
My favourite red from this release is the Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia 2008 ($59.95) from Tuscany. This is the younger sibling of one of the world’s great wines, and I buy it every year, and have never regretted it. This wine delivers an entire gamut of flavours, everything from chocolate to cherries, plum and blackberry to leather and cloves. It is one of those wines where each mouthful tastes subtly different, but equally good. Decant for at least an hour and serve with virtually anything – pasta, red meat or hard cheese.
Rhone fans will like one (or more) of the following:
- The Alain Jaume Les Valats Rasteau 2007 ($18.95). This is a lighter style, with soft tannins and lots of sweet red fruit – raspberry, strawberry and cherry liqueur, and a touch of cocoa and eucalyptus. It’s a bit light for my taste, but many people will like the fact that it’s a smooth, easy drink, and doesn’t overpower the palate. Would go very well with pork chops.
- The Cave de Tain Crozes Hermitage 2007 ($17.95) is one of my staples. It’s dominated by black fruit (black cherry, cassis and plum) with notes of leather, earth, cedar and smoke. An ideal house wine, which will go with pizza, burgers or steak.
- The 2007 version of the Chateau de Beaucastel Coudelet de Beaucastel 2008 ($29.95) was released last July, and sold out in no time. This is another old favourite – a mini chateauneuf-du-pape from one of the best known houses in Chateauneuf-du-pape. You can’t not like this wine with its nose of sweet oak, herbs and smoked meat, and its chewy flavours of cassis, earth, leather, cherry, licorice and plum. If you missed it last time, don’t miss it again.
The surprise of the release for me, and the best value wine, was the Montgo Monastrell/Shiraz 2007 from Spain. At $13.95, this was a terrific buy, with Christmas cake, cedar, cocoa, blackberry, spice, marzipan and sweet oak flavours. It was really tasty on its own, but Vintages suggests (and I agree) that it would go very well with stew. Of course cheese is always an option too. Buy this wine.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Vintages Release - October 2, 2010
I didn’t intend to stick to the format of covering every release, but there some wines in tomorrow’s release that are too good to miss. The major theme is Australian wines – and Australia does produce some really good value wines – with a small feature on special Italian wines.
I think Australia does really well, especially with reds, and more especially with cabernet sauvignons. They make some great shiraz’s as well, although I’m finding that some of them have too little structure in favor of too much sweet fruit. Australia is also developing a good pinot noir niche (particularly in Tasmania, which has a cooler climate).
The country has always produced some very good whites, but they tend to be higher alcohol chardonnays due to the hot climate.
Italy, of course, produces some of the great wines of the world, and a least one of them in this release is, in my estimation, one of the best wines you’ll find anywhere.
WHITE WINES
The Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2006 ($18.95) from Alsace is back, and this always consistent producer has done it again. This is a lovely, rich pinot gris, that will work well with your Thanksgiving turkey. Expect pear, sweet grapefruit, with a touch of honey. There’s easily enough body on this wine to complement your Thanksgiving turkey.
The Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Gold Label Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) from California isn’t a typical California Chardonnay, since the oak is very muted. There’s lots of lime, pineapple, and a touch of vanilla. Don’t expect a really rich chardonnay, but it it’s a good one. This wine will also work with turkey.
The Roux Pere & Fils Macon Villages Blanc 2009 ($13.95) is a find. This is a lovely, easy drinking, refreshing wine at a great price, although I could easily have mistaken it for a sauvignon blanc instead of a chardonnay, despite the slightly honeyed finish. There’s lots of citrus (lemon) and green apple, and a considerable amount of acid which would work really well, as Vintages suggests, with lobster in drawn butter. If you like a lean chardonnay, buy this wine.
RED WINES
I’m going to start at the wrong end, and do a kind of wedding feast at Canaan thing, but there are three really good wines in this release if you don’t mind spending the money:
- The Ornellaia 2007 ($179.95) from Tuscany is consistently one of the world’s great wines, and one of my personal favourites. I hate spending this much money on a bottle of wine, but I did (and have done a number of times before), and I’ve never regretted it. This is just a great wine, and a treat. It’s so very complex, with notes of cocoa, spice, leather, herbs, mineral and chewy black fruit that it’s almost a shame to have anything else on your palate at the same time. If you want to treat yourself, this is your wine. And it doesn’t need aging. Aerate for an hour and enjoy.
- I’ve always thought that California makes some great wines, but they were usually too expensive, and lacked the individuality of some of the top European wines. California wines are generally meant to be consumed without a lot of aging, and are more heterogeneous than their French or Italian rivals. That being said, the next two wines are just delicious wines:
a) the Shafer Vineyards Merlot 2007 ($59.95) from Napa is a merlot, which may not be all that popular a varietal in California right now, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a lovely wine. I bought it too, despite the price. This is a big, ready wine with butterscotch and black plum. It sports soft tannins and a long finish. A really nice, delicious wine, that works really well with red meat.
b) the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($79.95), also from Napa, (which I also bought) is (believe it or not) good value. California cabs can cost a lot more than this, but there are new that are better than this. This wine could use a year or two more in the bottle but it is a smooth, complex, tasty offering. This winery hasn’t boosted its prices the way other California wineries have, but the quality is surely there.
Other reds
I’m not normally a huge new world pinot fan, and, when we visited Yering Station, I wasn’t impressed. But I do like that the Little Yering Pinot Noir 2008 ($14.95) from Australia. It is no burgundian offering, but it is a light, fruity wine dominated by sour cherry and apple. This is a pleasant wine at a good price, and if you’re having turkey for Thanksgiving, this would be my choice. This wine is a crowd pleaser.
The Grant Burge Barossa Shiraz 2008 ($16.95) also from Australia is another crowd pleaser. I’ve been a fan of this producer for a long time, and it produces a really good value shiraz. This isn’t a fruit bomb. It has good structure with sweet black fruit that will nicely complement spare ribs, beef (as long as it isn’t too lean) or hard cheese. Well worth trying.
It took a while for me to warm to the Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($19.95), but, once it opened, I was quite impressed.. It is a bigger, richer, more intense wine than the Burge, with masses of black fruit, marzipan, vanilla and a long finish. Aerate for an hour (at least) and serve with red meat.
I also very much liked the Balma Venitia Cuvee Ferdinand de Laye Visan 2007 ($13.95) from the Rhone. Finding a good Rhone at this price is like finding treasure, and this wine qualifies. There’s black fruit, white pepper and marzipan on this interesting and tasty wine, which has good acid and a long finish. Serve with stew, steak or hamburger, and buy this wine.
I’m a long time fan of amarone, and of Zenato as a producer. The only thing I don’t like about the Zenato Amarone Valpolicella Classico 2006 ($47.95) is the upward price creep, but the wine is still delicious. This is an old style raisiny intense amarone, that you can’t help but like, now or for the next five years. Serve with lamb or hard cheese, and just enjoy. Aerate for an hour or two before serving.
I think Australia does really well, especially with reds, and more especially with cabernet sauvignons. They make some great shiraz’s as well, although I’m finding that some of them have too little structure in favor of too much sweet fruit. Australia is also developing a good pinot noir niche (particularly in Tasmania, which has a cooler climate).
The country has always produced some very good whites, but they tend to be higher alcohol chardonnays due to the hot climate.
Italy, of course, produces some of the great wines of the world, and a least one of them in this release is, in my estimation, one of the best wines you’ll find anywhere.
WHITE WINES
The Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2006 ($18.95) from Alsace is back, and this always consistent producer has done it again. This is a lovely, rich pinot gris, that will work well with your Thanksgiving turkey. Expect pear, sweet grapefruit, with a touch of honey. There’s easily enough body on this wine to complement your Thanksgiving turkey.
The Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Gold Label Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) from California isn’t a typical California Chardonnay, since the oak is very muted. There’s lots of lime, pineapple, and a touch of vanilla. Don’t expect a really rich chardonnay, but it it’s a good one. This wine will also work with turkey.
The Roux Pere & Fils Macon Villages Blanc 2009 ($13.95) is a find. This is a lovely, easy drinking, refreshing wine at a great price, although I could easily have mistaken it for a sauvignon blanc instead of a chardonnay, despite the slightly honeyed finish. There’s lots of citrus (lemon) and green apple, and a considerable amount of acid which would work really well, as Vintages suggests, with lobster in drawn butter. If you like a lean chardonnay, buy this wine.
RED WINES
I’m going to start at the wrong end, and do a kind of wedding feast at Canaan thing, but there are three really good wines in this release if you don’t mind spending the money:
- The Ornellaia 2007 ($179.95) from Tuscany is consistently one of the world’s great wines, and one of my personal favourites. I hate spending this much money on a bottle of wine, but I did (and have done a number of times before), and I’ve never regretted it. This is just a great wine, and a treat. It’s so very complex, with notes of cocoa, spice, leather, herbs, mineral and chewy black fruit that it’s almost a shame to have anything else on your palate at the same time. If you want to treat yourself, this is your wine. And it doesn’t need aging. Aerate for an hour and enjoy.
- I’ve always thought that California makes some great wines, but they were usually too expensive, and lacked the individuality of some of the top European wines. California wines are generally meant to be consumed without a lot of aging, and are more heterogeneous than their French or Italian rivals. That being said, the next two wines are just delicious wines:
a) the Shafer Vineyards Merlot 2007 ($59.95) from Napa is a merlot, which may not be all that popular a varietal in California right now, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a lovely wine. I bought it too, despite the price. This is a big, ready wine with butterscotch and black plum. It sports soft tannins and a long finish. A really nice, delicious wine, that works really well with red meat.
b) the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($79.95), also from Napa, (which I also bought) is (believe it or not) good value. California cabs can cost a lot more than this, but there are new that are better than this. This wine could use a year or two more in the bottle but it is a smooth, complex, tasty offering. This winery hasn’t boosted its prices the way other California wineries have, but the quality is surely there.
Other reds
I’m not normally a huge new world pinot fan, and, when we visited Yering Station, I wasn’t impressed. But I do like that the Little Yering Pinot Noir 2008 ($14.95) from Australia. It is no burgundian offering, but it is a light, fruity wine dominated by sour cherry and apple. This is a pleasant wine at a good price, and if you’re having turkey for Thanksgiving, this would be my choice. This wine is a crowd pleaser.
The Grant Burge Barossa Shiraz 2008 ($16.95) also from Australia is another crowd pleaser. I’ve been a fan of this producer for a long time, and it produces a really good value shiraz. This isn’t a fruit bomb. It has good structure with sweet black fruit that will nicely complement spare ribs, beef (as long as it isn’t too lean) or hard cheese. Well worth trying.
It took a while for me to warm to the Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($19.95), but, once it opened, I was quite impressed.. It is a bigger, richer, more intense wine than the Burge, with masses of black fruit, marzipan, vanilla and a long finish. Aerate for an hour (at least) and serve with red meat.
I also very much liked the Balma Venitia Cuvee Ferdinand de Laye Visan 2007 ($13.95) from the Rhone. Finding a good Rhone at this price is like finding treasure, and this wine qualifies. There’s black fruit, white pepper and marzipan on this interesting and tasty wine, which has good acid and a long finish. Serve with stew, steak or hamburger, and buy this wine.
I’m a long time fan of amarone, and of Zenato as a producer. The only thing I don’t like about the Zenato Amarone Valpolicella Classico 2006 ($47.95) is the upward price creep, but the wine is still delicious. This is an old style raisiny intense amarone, that you can’t help but like, now or for the next five years. Serve with lamb or hard cheese, and just enjoy. Aerate for an hour or two before serving.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Vintages Release - September 4, 2010
Hello All
Labour Day weekend already. This summer seems to have just flown by. Ah well, we should still have some pleasant weather ahead of us before winter sets in and turns us all into ice hermits.
The major theme of tomorrow’s release is the wines of the southern Rhone, one of my all time favourite wine producing regions. It includes the justly famed Chateauneuf-du-pape appellation, as well as some lesser known, but still important, AOC’s (wine control regions) like Gigondas and Vacqueyras, as well as Cote du Rhone Village, and Cote du Rhone. The classification system is a bit complicated, but there is a hierarchy as follows:
1. Cru’s (named appellation which do not use the name “Cotes du Rhone”) such as Chateauneuf-du-pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and a number of others (most of which are in the Northern Rhone);
2. Cotes du Rhone Village (with the name of the village (such Cairanne) included – there are eighteen of these;
3. Cotes du Rhone Village (without a village name) – there are 95 communes that fall under this sobriquet; and, finally,
4. Cotes du Rhone – the generic name for almost anything which is produced in the region, but does not qualify for any of the above categories.
Don’t let the hierarchy dominate your thinking though. Although simple Cotes du Rhone are at the bottom end of the scale, and are usually priced lower, there are some very good wines in this classification. After all, they have been making wine in the Rhone valley for more than two thousand years, and have learned a thing or two in that time.
The major red grapes are Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane, Counoise and Mourvèdre, which produce rich, chewy, complex wines, which do not generally require much aging. The region also produces some very good rosés, and a goodly number of lesser known whites.
The wines featured in this release come from the 2007 vintage which, together with 2005, earned a perfect 10 from most experts.
In this column, as a further move toward the new format, I will be spending most of my time, with respect to red wines, comparing some the release offerings to the Guigal Cotes du Rhone (in this case the ’06) which is a Vintages essential, and one of my benchmarks. I will have a comment on a few other wines but wanted to concentrate on the Southern Rhone for comparison purposes. Thus:
RHONE REDS
The E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone ($16.95) is a Vintages essential and can be found in general list. I tend to use it as a benchmark because it is available all the time, and because I think it delivers good value for the money. This is a very nice wine, with stewed plum and violets showing on the nose. Those same flavours, together with some spice, black current and vanilla replicate on the palate. There is a long, slightly finish, with a touch of glycerin. This is a very reliable wine and will go well with virtually any red meat dish (particularly a spicy stew or ragout), or with a hard cheese.
It makes sense, therefore, only to recommend other Rhone wines from this release which surpass the Guigal in quality or value (hopefully both). To that end, I tried the Perrin & Fils Blanche Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne 2007 ($17.95); the Chateau Saint Maurice Les Gres Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun 2007; and the Vigerons de Gigondas La Font Des Grieres Gigondas 2007. I have also tried the Delas Domaines des Grands Chemin Croze-Hermitage 2007, from the northern Rhone, and the Domaine de Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Here are my thoughts:
- the Chateau Saint Maurice Les Gres Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun 2007 ($14.95) represents good value as compared to the Guigal. It’s a couple of bucks cheaper, but quite supple with rich blackberry, black cherry, anise, pepper and cedar flavours. The finish goes on and on. Serve with red meat, preferably spicy red meat.
- the Vigerons de Gigondas La Font Des Grieres Gigondas 2007, at $21.95, will set you back $5 more than the Guigal, but it is a better wine. Expect rich layers of well integrated, candied black fruit, leather, vanilla and smoke on the palate, with raspberry, plum and smoke on the nose. Once again, any red meat dish would work.
- It isn’t fair to compare the Delas Domaines des Grands Chemin Croze-Hermitage 2007 ($27.95) to the Guigal. It’s not that they come from different parts of the region (even though they do) but because the Delas simply represents too big a step up. This is a mouth filling, elegant wine with cassis, sweet oak, soft tannins, smoke and a hint of gorse. The difference comes down to the fact that you get what you pay for.
- The same is true of the Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($32.95). This is an extremely good price for a chateauneuf, but, if it’s twice the cost of the Guigal, it’s twice the wine. Expect a chewy, full-bodied offering, with leather, vanilla, earth, black cherry, raspberry, pencil box and spice, and a long finish. The wine is well integrated now, but will improve over the next few years.
OTHER REDS
I simply never expected to see a good amarone (one of my favourite wines) for $32.95 ever again, but the Antiche Terre Venete Amarone Della Valpolicella 2007 pulls off both the price and the taste. This producer is new to me, but it delivers a classic, long-on-taste amarone with raisin, violets, blackberry and a hint of cocoa. This is a big wine, and needs strong tasting food to measure up. I’d pair it with lamb or hard cheese, but a spicy beef stew would work too. Buy this wine. Drink now (with at least an hour in the decanter) or put it down for up to five years, maybe longer.
The Zenato Cormi 2006 ($17.95) comes from one of my favourite Italian producers. This is a brooding, concentrated wine – a mixture of corvine and merlot – and the two grapes complement each other well. The corvina imparts deep concentration of brooding black fruit and raisin, with earthy notes, while the merlot softens the wine and adds a bit of needed sweetness to balance the wine. I really enjoy this offering. Try it with grilled sausages.
WHITE WINES
By way of sauvignon blancs, there are two good choices, depending on your preferred style:
- The Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($15.95) from New Zealand is a classic, dry New Zealand sauve. There not so much of the gooseberry as there is tangy lemon lime flavours, with pear, and ripe grapefruit notes. A very refreshing, mouth pleasing wine, that will complement a salad or grilled calamari.
- The William Fevre Sauvignon Blanc Saint-Bris is back in the 2008 version ($16.95). This wine is unusual in that Burgundy is chardonnay country but this is a very lean sauve, with notes of red apple, citrus and mineral, with a mouth drying finish. If you like your whites very dry, this is for you.
There are also some good choices for chardonnay drinkers:
- From B.C., the Sumac Ridge Black Sage Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 ($14.95) was a very pleasant surprise both as to price and taste. I’m not normally a big chardonnay fan (except as it comes to Chablis) but I liked this wine a lot. I think it’s just at its peak, with well integrated, buttery tropical fruit, vanilla, lots of butterscotch, and a hint of honey and cinnamon. Very tasty, and not oaky. Highly recommended.
- From California, the Rodney Strong Chardonnay 2008 ($18.95) is also very good. This is a bigger, richer wine than the Sumac, with more sweet creamy oak, as well as pineapple, lime. hazelnut and caramel. A good wine to drink on its own, or a great complement to chicken or pork.
Labour Day weekend already. This summer seems to have just flown by. Ah well, we should still have some pleasant weather ahead of us before winter sets in and turns us all into ice hermits.
The major theme of tomorrow’s release is the wines of the southern Rhone, one of my all time favourite wine producing regions. It includes the justly famed Chateauneuf-du-pape appellation, as well as some lesser known, but still important, AOC’s (wine control regions) like Gigondas and Vacqueyras, as well as Cote du Rhone Village, and Cote du Rhone. The classification system is a bit complicated, but there is a hierarchy as follows:
1. Cru’s (named appellation which do not use the name “Cotes du Rhone”) such as Chateauneuf-du-pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and a number of others (most of which are in the Northern Rhone);
2. Cotes du Rhone Village (with the name of the village (such Cairanne) included – there are eighteen of these;
3. Cotes du Rhone Village (without a village name) – there are 95 communes that fall under this sobriquet; and, finally,
4. Cotes du Rhone – the generic name for almost anything which is produced in the region, but does not qualify for any of the above categories.
Don’t let the hierarchy dominate your thinking though. Although simple Cotes du Rhone are at the bottom end of the scale, and are usually priced lower, there are some very good wines in this classification. After all, they have been making wine in the Rhone valley for more than two thousand years, and have learned a thing or two in that time.
The major red grapes are Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane, Counoise and Mourvèdre, which produce rich, chewy, complex wines, which do not generally require much aging. The region also produces some very good rosés, and a goodly number of lesser known whites.
The wines featured in this release come from the 2007 vintage which, together with 2005, earned a perfect 10 from most experts.
In this column, as a further move toward the new format, I will be spending most of my time, with respect to red wines, comparing some the release offerings to the Guigal Cotes du Rhone (in this case the ’06) which is a Vintages essential, and one of my benchmarks. I will have a comment on a few other wines but wanted to concentrate on the Southern Rhone for comparison purposes. Thus:
RHONE REDS
The E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone ($16.95) is a Vintages essential and can be found in general list. I tend to use it as a benchmark because it is available all the time, and because I think it delivers good value for the money. This is a very nice wine, with stewed plum and violets showing on the nose. Those same flavours, together with some spice, black current and vanilla replicate on the palate. There is a long, slightly finish, with a touch of glycerin. This is a very reliable wine and will go well with virtually any red meat dish (particularly a spicy stew or ragout), or with a hard cheese.
It makes sense, therefore, only to recommend other Rhone wines from this release which surpass the Guigal in quality or value (hopefully both). To that end, I tried the Perrin & Fils Blanche Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne 2007 ($17.95); the Chateau Saint Maurice Les Gres Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun 2007; and the Vigerons de Gigondas La Font Des Grieres Gigondas 2007. I have also tried the Delas Domaines des Grands Chemin Croze-Hermitage 2007, from the northern Rhone, and the Domaine de Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Here are my thoughts:
- the Chateau Saint Maurice Les Gres Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun 2007 ($14.95) represents good value as compared to the Guigal. It’s a couple of bucks cheaper, but quite supple with rich blackberry, black cherry, anise, pepper and cedar flavours. The finish goes on and on. Serve with red meat, preferably spicy red meat.
- the Vigerons de Gigondas La Font Des Grieres Gigondas 2007, at $21.95, will set you back $5 more than the Guigal, but it is a better wine. Expect rich layers of well integrated, candied black fruit, leather, vanilla and smoke on the palate, with raspberry, plum and smoke on the nose. Once again, any red meat dish would work.
- It isn’t fair to compare the Delas Domaines des Grands Chemin Croze-Hermitage 2007 ($27.95) to the Guigal. It’s not that they come from different parts of the region (even though they do) but because the Delas simply represents too big a step up. This is a mouth filling, elegant wine with cassis, sweet oak, soft tannins, smoke and a hint of gorse. The difference comes down to the fact that you get what you pay for.
- The same is true of the Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($32.95). This is an extremely good price for a chateauneuf, but, if it’s twice the cost of the Guigal, it’s twice the wine. Expect a chewy, full-bodied offering, with leather, vanilla, earth, black cherry, raspberry, pencil box and spice, and a long finish. The wine is well integrated now, but will improve over the next few years.
OTHER REDS
I simply never expected to see a good amarone (one of my favourite wines) for $32.95 ever again, but the Antiche Terre Venete Amarone Della Valpolicella 2007 pulls off both the price and the taste. This producer is new to me, but it delivers a classic, long-on-taste amarone with raisin, violets, blackberry and a hint of cocoa. This is a big wine, and needs strong tasting food to measure up. I’d pair it with lamb or hard cheese, but a spicy beef stew would work too. Buy this wine. Drink now (with at least an hour in the decanter) or put it down for up to five years, maybe longer.
The Zenato Cormi 2006 ($17.95) comes from one of my favourite Italian producers. This is a brooding, concentrated wine – a mixture of corvine and merlot – and the two grapes complement each other well. The corvina imparts deep concentration of brooding black fruit and raisin, with earthy notes, while the merlot softens the wine and adds a bit of needed sweetness to balance the wine. I really enjoy this offering. Try it with grilled sausages.
WHITE WINES
By way of sauvignon blancs, there are two good choices, depending on your preferred style:
- The Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($15.95) from New Zealand is a classic, dry New Zealand sauve. There not so much of the gooseberry as there is tangy lemon lime flavours, with pear, and ripe grapefruit notes. A very refreshing, mouth pleasing wine, that will complement a salad or grilled calamari.
- The William Fevre Sauvignon Blanc Saint-Bris is back in the 2008 version ($16.95). This wine is unusual in that Burgundy is chardonnay country but this is a very lean sauve, with notes of red apple, citrus and mineral, with a mouth drying finish. If you like your whites very dry, this is for you.
There are also some good choices for chardonnay drinkers:
- From B.C., the Sumac Ridge Black Sage Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 ($14.95) was a very pleasant surprise both as to price and taste. I’m not normally a big chardonnay fan (except as it comes to Chablis) but I liked this wine a lot. I think it’s just at its peak, with well integrated, buttery tropical fruit, vanilla, lots of butterscotch, and a hint of honey and cinnamon. Very tasty, and not oaky. Highly recommended.
- From California, the Rodney Strong Chardonnay 2008 ($18.95) is also very good. This is a bigger, richer wine than the Sumac, with more sweet creamy oak, as well as pineapple, lime. hazelnut and caramel. A good wine to drink on its own, or a great complement to chicken or pork.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Vintages Release - August 21, 2010
Tomorrow’s Vintages release features “New World Wonders” and German wines.
I’m frankly not going to spend a lot of time on either topic because:
a) There are lots of good New World wines aside from the 10 mentioned;
b) I’m not a fan of German wines, and won’t be paying much attention to them (nor should you) until they adopt a reliable classification system that gives you some indication of quality; and
c) I’ve been spending more time trying to develop the new direction for this column; and
ROSÉS
The Carte Noire Rosé 2009 ($13.95) from Provence is one of my favourite rosés, and is well priced to boot. This is a great hot weather sipper, but will go very nicely with a salad, cold chicken or grilled or fried white fish. Expect a dry wine, with a medium long finish and a very refreshing taste of red fruit and herbal notes.
WHITE WINE
I said, in the last column, that the Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc ($16.05) from New Zealand would be one of my benchmarks, as offering really good quality and good value. I hold to that view, but even more so since it’s reduced to $15.05 until September 12. This is a general list wine, but a benchmark for me.
If you want a sauvignon with a little more obvious acid and slightly richer fruit, the Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($14.95) offers a small saving and some lusty taste. This is a classic NZ sauvignon. It starts with some citrus and acid, with gooseberry and honey on the mid-palate, and some grassy, peapod notes on the finish. A very nice wine to accompany most seafood or salads.
The Domaine des Charmilles Sancerre 2008 ($21.95) from the Loire is an interesting contrast to its New World cousins. This is a leaner wine, with lemon drop and white flower notes, and a nose which, with time, became not so freshly cut hay . The fruit is more reserved, which means that it will go very, very well with whitefish or shellfish.
Chardonnay lovers should consider either of:
- Hess Estate Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) from Napa. This is a classic California chardonnay with vanilla, pineapple, green apple, peach, toast and a hint of smoke. A rich, well priced wine that will drink very well on its own, and will complement chicken or even pork.
- Robert Mondavi Chardonnay 2007 ($28.95), also from Napa, is a special occasion chardonnay, sporting butterscotch, peach, pear, vanilla and hazelnut notes, with a long, rich finish, and lovely mouth feel. Drink on its own, or with some brie and a fresh baguette, or with a poultry or pork dish, and life won’t get much better.
My other suggestions (benchmarks) for white wines (mostly from the Vintages Essentials list):
- Henri Bourgeois Les Baronnes Sancerre from the Loire ($24.95). Too pricey but good.
- Willm Reserve Riesling from Alsace ($15.95). Classic, always reliable wine.
- Cave Spring Estate Riesling from Niagara ($17.95). A reliable wine, but if you can get out to the Bench, you might want to get the Henry of Pelham Riesling Reserve ($14.95) which I think is just as good or better than the Cave Spring. Alas, the Pelham Riesling Reserve is not available at the LCBO (although you can buy it at the winery or order it for delivery).
SPARKLING WINES
Go for the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne ($54.95). This is a really good bubbly for the price. Expect a tasty mélange of buttery toast, pear, honey, and white flowers, with a long, racy finish of green apple, lemon, and mineral. Drink on its own (of course) or with virtually any food – perhaps excepting red meat. Bacon and eggs would be good, but so would seafood of any description, or chocolate soufflé.
If the Heidsieck is too hard on your pocketbook, go for the Bernard-Massard Cuvee de L’Ecusson Brut Sparkling Wine ($16.95) from (of all places) Luxembourg. Aside from the novelty of having a wine from Luxembourg, this is a very refreshing wine with notes of green apple and brioche. If you want a tasty, straightforward bubbly, this is it. At this price, you can mix it with your breakfast orange juice, but you won’t need to disguise the taste.
RED WINES
When it comes to Australian shiraz I think that you have to go a long way to beat two essentials for price and quality. They are the Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz ($19.95) and the Mitolo Jester Shiraz ($21.95). Both of these wines are consistently well made, and have enough structure to avoid being the kind of jammy fruit bombs, that deliver a mouthful of rich black fruit and taste it’s on steroids. I recommend either of them.
It’s always nice, however, to find a wine that can compete with those two, and the Small Gully The Formula Robert’s Shiraz 2005 ($17.95) from South Australia does just that. This is a rich, well structured wine, with rich, but not overly sweet, black fruit (cherry and plum), with bacon and blueberry notes. This is just the thing to go with a barbecued steak.
Before leaving Australia, consider the Peter Lehman Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Apparently the LCBO over-bought this wine, and it’s now on sale for $12.95 (down from $19.95). At this price, it’s a bargain. Although it may be a little rich for some tastes (and I certainly wouldn’t keep it for any length of time) it is well worth getting. Expect mocha, spice, coffee, vanilla, black cherry and a hint of beetroot. Will also go well with grilled red meat, or with hard cheese. Aerate for at least 30 minutes.
If you’re fond of Rhone wines, there are two good choices:
- The Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($89.95) is pricey, but this iconic wine is the class of this classic region. Expect a virtual smorgasbord of tastes – everything from black cherry, mushroom, leather, licorice, smoked meat, vanilla, cassis, spice, oak and cedar smoke. This wine doesn’t so much go with a meal as it becomes the meal. Decant for at least two hours (or wait 2 to 5 years) and serve with red meat.
- The La Ferme du Mont le Ponnant Cotes du Rhone-Villages 2007 ($17.95) doesn’t compare with the Beaucastel unless you take price into account. On that basis, this is a very good wine, with good structure, and notes of plum, spice, Christmas cake, pepper, licorice and cassis. This is a rich wine, and some aeration (at least a half hour) would be useful before serving. Once again, red meat would be the complement of choice.
Some other recommendations (benchmarks) mostly from the Essentials:
- E Guigal Cotes du Rhone, from the Rhone ($16.95). Always consistently good.
- Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera from Piedmont ($15.95). A good choice for tomato and meat based pasta dishes.
- Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Riserva 2006, from Tuscany ($15.00). This isn’t an essential, but it’s been around for quite a while, and it’s a very versatile, and tasty, wine.
- Zenato Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore from Veneto ($24.95). There are many cheaper Valpolicellas around, and some of them are quite good, but this one tastes like a mini amarone. It comes from one of my favourite producers.
- Rodney Strong Estate Pinot Noir from California ($24.95). New World pinots are not generally my favourites, but there are some times, as with barbecued salmon, when they go so very well. This producer delivers a consistently tasty wine.
I’m frankly not going to spend a lot of time on either topic because:
a) There are lots of good New World wines aside from the 10 mentioned;
b) I’m not a fan of German wines, and won’t be paying much attention to them (nor should you) until they adopt a reliable classification system that gives you some indication of quality; and
c) I’ve been spending more time trying to develop the new direction for this column; and
ROSÉS
The Carte Noire Rosé 2009 ($13.95) from Provence is one of my favourite rosés, and is well priced to boot. This is a great hot weather sipper, but will go very nicely with a salad, cold chicken or grilled or fried white fish. Expect a dry wine, with a medium long finish and a very refreshing taste of red fruit and herbal notes.
WHITE WINE
I said, in the last column, that the Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc ($16.05) from New Zealand would be one of my benchmarks, as offering really good quality and good value. I hold to that view, but even more so since it’s reduced to $15.05 until September 12. This is a general list wine, but a benchmark for me.
If you want a sauvignon with a little more obvious acid and slightly richer fruit, the Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($14.95) offers a small saving and some lusty taste. This is a classic NZ sauvignon. It starts with some citrus and acid, with gooseberry and honey on the mid-palate, and some grassy, peapod notes on the finish. A very nice wine to accompany most seafood or salads.
The Domaine des Charmilles Sancerre 2008 ($21.95) from the Loire is an interesting contrast to its New World cousins. This is a leaner wine, with lemon drop and white flower notes, and a nose which, with time, became not so freshly cut hay . The fruit is more reserved, which means that it will go very, very well with whitefish or shellfish.
Chardonnay lovers should consider either of:
- Hess Estate Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) from Napa. This is a classic California chardonnay with vanilla, pineapple, green apple, peach, toast and a hint of smoke. A rich, well priced wine that will drink very well on its own, and will complement chicken or even pork.
- Robert Mondavi Chardonnay 2007 ($28.95), also from Napa, is a special occasion chardonnay, sporting butterscotch, peach, pear, vanilla and hazelnut notes, with a long, rich finish, and lovely mouth feel. Drink on its own, or with some brie and a fresh baguette, or with a poultry or pork dish, and life won’t get much better.
My other suggestions (benchmarks) for white wines (mostly from the Vintages Essentials list):
- Henri Bourgeois Les Baronnes Sancerre from the Loire ($24.95). Too pricey but good.
- Willm Reserve Riesling from Alsace ($15.95). Classic, always reliable wine.
- Cave Spring Estate Riesling from Niagara ($17.95). A reliable wine, but if you can get out to the Bench, you might want to get the Henry of Pelham Riesling Reserve ($14.95) which I think is just as good or better than the Cave Spring. Alas, the Pelham Riesling Reserve is not available at the LCBO (although you can buy it at the winery or order it for delivery).
SPARKLING WINES
Go for the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne ($54.95). This is a really good bubbly for the price. Expect a tasty mélange of buttery toast, pear, honey, and white flowers, with a long, racy finish of green apple, lemon, and mineral. Drink on its own (of course) or with virtually any food – perhaps excepting red meat. Bacon and eggs would be good, but so would seafood of any description, or chocolate soufflé.
If the Heidsieck is too hard on your pocketbook, go for the Bernard-Massard Cuvee de L’Ecusson Brut Sparkling Wine ($16.95) from (of all places) Luxembourg. Aside from the novelty of having a wine from Luxembourg, this is a very refreshing wine with notes of green apple and brioche. If you want a tasty, straightforward bubbly, this is it. At this price, you can mix it with your breakfast orange juice, but you won’t need to disguise the taste.
RED WINES
When it comes to Australian shiraz I think that you have to go a long way to beat two essentials for price and quality. They are the Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz ($19.95) and the Mitolo Jester Shiraz ($21.95). Both of these wines are consistently well made, and have enough structure to avoid being the kind of jammy fruit bombs, that deliver a mouthful of rich black fruit and taste it’s on steroids. I recommend either of them.
It’s always nice, however, to find a wine that can compete with those two, and the Small Gully The Formula Robert’s Shiraz 2005 ($17.95) from South Australia does just that. This is a rich, well structured wine, with rich, but not overly sweet, black fruit (cherry and plum), with bacon and blueberry notes. This is just the thing to go with a barbecued steak.
Before leaving Australia, consider the Peter Lehman Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Apparently the LCBO over-bought this wine, and it’s now on sale for $12.95 (down from $19.95). At this price, it’s a bargain. Although it may be a little rich for some tastes (and I certainly wouldn’t keep it for any length of time) it is well worth getting. Expect mocha, spice, coffee, vanilla, black cherry and a hint of beetroot. Will also go well with grilled red meat, or with hard cheese. Aerate for at least 30 minutes.
If you’re fond of Rhone wines, there are two good choices:
- The Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($89.95) is pricey, but this iconic wine is the class of this classic region. Expect a virtual smorgasbord of tastes – everything from black cherry, mushroom, leather, licorice, smoked meat, vanilla, cassis, spice, oak and cedar smoke. This wine doesn’t so much go with a meal as it becomes the meal. Decant for at least two hours (or wait 2 to 5 years) and serve with red meat.
- The La Ferme du Mont le Ponnant Cotes du Rhone-Villages 2007 ($17.95) doesn’t compare with the Beaucastel unless you take price into account. On that basis, this is a very good wine, with good structure, and notes of plum, spice, Christmas cake, pepper, licorice and cassis. This is a rich wine, and some aeration (at least a half hour) would be useful before serving. Once again, red meat would be the complement of choice.
Some other recommendations (benchmarks) mostly from the Essentials:
- E Guigal Cotes du Rhone, from the Rhone ($16.95). Always consistently good.
- Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera from Piedmont ($15.95). A good choice for tomato and meat based pasta dishes.
- Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Riserva 2006, from Tuscany ($15.00). This isn’t an essential, but it’s been around for quite a while, and it’s a very versatile, and tasty, wine.
- Zenato Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore from Veneto ($24.95). There are many cheaper Valpolicellas around, and some of them are quite good, but this one tastes like a mini amarone. It comes from one of my favourite producers.
- Rodney Strong Estate Pinot Noir from California ($24.95). New World pinots are not generally my favourites, but there are some times, as with barbecued salmon, when they go so very well. This producer delivers a consistently tasty wine.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Vintages Release - August 7, 2010
The theme of tomorrow’s release is the wines of central and southern Italy – an area which (to be honest) I really don’t know enough about. I have had some very tasty wines from the region(s), and they certainly represent good value from a price standpoint, but they are less well known than wines from regions such as Tuscany, Veneto, and Piedmont.
It is my impression that the reds from central and southern Italy are (huge generalization follows) a bit less sophisticated and a bit more rustic that their northern counterparts, so that you can expect lush, ripe fruit, and earthy flavours. The whites tend to be dry and refreshing, with floral overtones, and notes of citrus and stone fruit.
Please don’t let me discourage you from trying these central and southern Italian offerings. There is great value here, and some very good wines. They won’t, in general, rival the northern Italian wines in terms of complexity, but they won’t cost you as much either. I’d encourage some experimentation, which is what I’m doing.
BTW
Over the next little while, I plan to change the direction of this column to some extent. I expect to review fewer Vintages wines, while concentrating more on the ones that I really like. I also plan to include more wines from the general list, and from Vintages essentials, that I think are worthwhile.
My thinking is that I should be treating the Vintages Essentials as a standard, rather than reviewing wines simply because they are newly released. I don’t mean that I ever reviewed wines that I didn’t like – never- but I did often review wines that I thought were quite good, but not necessarily as good as the essential. I plan to do less of that in the future, so that, at least over time, I will not spend as much time on wines from the current release where I think that the essential (or a wine from the general list) is as good and represents better value.
I expect that I will be reviewing fewer wines, but giving you a better idea of how those wines compare to the wines that are available all the time. That’s because the wines that are classified as Essentials (and some on general list) are there because they already represent good value and quality.
But what I really expect to do is establish my own benchmarks for different types of wine – benchmarks that are generally available all year long - and review only those new wines which exceed the benchmarks for quality and value.
I also expect that I will try some themed columns of my own (eg. cabernet sauvignon comparisons, or (perhaps at New Year) sparkling wine evaluations).
This will likely also mean that the columns will somewhat more irregular than heretofore.
I would really like feedback, on the concept, and its execution.
ROSÉS
I found the Chateau Routas Rouviere Rosé 2009 ($14.95) from Provence to be almost syrupy on its own, and I really didn’t like it. I wouldn’t have mentioned it except I tried it with food - some cheese and a slice of pastrami –and it came alive and tasted really good. Serve quite chilled. Expect well integrated orange, strawberry and maraschino cherry flavours, with a long finish. This wine will stand up to the bacon and anchovy in a Caesar salad, or barbecued salmon. Don’t drink it without food.
WHITE WINES
The Pala Crabilis I Fiori Vermentino di Sardegna 2009 ($13.95) from Sardinia is an unusual white. It starts like a crisp sauvignon blanc, but then there’s a hit of honey and sweetened white grapefruit on the mid palate, and a hint of white flowers and herbs on the long finish. A refreshing wine, which can be sipped on its own on a hot day, but would be better with food – maybe potato or chicken salad, or shellfish in a light cream sauce.
I really liked last year’s version of the Jean-Marc Brocard Domaine Sainte Claire Saint-Bris 2007 ($14.95) from Burgundy, and I bought several cases of it. This is a very good Chablis producer putting out a sauvignon blanc, and is something of an oddity since the producer (and the Chablis region of Burgundy) are known for chardonnays. I liked this year’s version of the wine also – it’s dry, very refreshing, with lime, gooseberry, green apple and herbal notes, and a long, white floral finish – but I also think it will get better as it integrates, since it’s pretty acidic at the moment, and that will smooth out with time. Try on its own, with a soft cheese, or with grilled or fried white fish.
The Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc ($16.05) from New Zealand is not a release wine, but is virtually certain to become one of my benchmarks. This wine is available in general list, and delivers lots of classic gooseberry, with a grassy, herbal finish. It’s got great mouth feel and well integrated acid. Drink on its own or with a wide range of foods – anything from a salad to baked chicken with asparagus. I’ve been to this winery, and it delivers year after year.
If your idea of chardonnay is a California style, with lots of vanilla and butterscotch, get the Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95). Good California chardonnays generally cost a whole lot more than this, without delivering much, if anything, more in the way of taste. This is a rich, rich wine with vanilla that is almost caramel, tropical fruit, and sweet oak. If this style of wine turns your crank, buy this wine. You won’t get a better value on this style of wine.
If you like Chardonnay’s that aren’t as rich (or as expensive) go for the Emiliana Novas Limited Selection Chardonnay 2008 ($14.95) from Chile. Expect silky, apple butter, almond and pear flavours on a well made wine, with a somewhat acidic finish. This wine doesn’t have California vanilla or butterscotch, but carries 14% alcohol and drinks well on its own. Add a little brie and some fresh baked bread, and life will be really good.
RED WINES
If, like me, you’re a fan of Rhones, I have two good choices for you:
- The Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($39.95) is a rich, chewy wine with concentrated flavours of leather, earth, black cherry, cassis, anise, lavender, spice, fruit cake and white pepper. This is a classic chateauneuf (ie. you simply can’t go wrong by buying it). Serve with a nice cut of prime rib and just enjoy. Drink it tomorrow (a little aeration would be nice, but 30 minutes will do) or 5 years from now.
- Les Vignerons du Castelas Cotes du Rhone 2008 ($13.95) is a steal at this price. A lot of lower priced Cotes du Rhone lack body and taste thin and watery. Not this one. It’s a robust wine with lots going for it – black plum, violets, a touch of earth, smoke and leather. It won’t match the chateauneuf but, for this price, it’s great value. There is not a ton of complexity here, but you won’t do a whole lot better for a versatile, $14 wine.
I just loved last year’s Gnarly Head Merlot (from California), and bought a lot of it, because I couldn’t stop drinking it. This year’s version (the 2008) is still good at $17.95, but is somewhat more fruit forward, with less structure, and with richer fruit. Expect sweet black plum and black cherry. This is a good wine, but if you want something with a lot of structure or complexity, it won’t be for you. It will still go well with hard cheese, a not-so-lean cut of barbecued beef, or (especially) ribs.
There are a lot of good shiraz’s on offer in this release, and I’ve become quite particular about this varietal because I think that a whole lot of wineries have sacrificed structure and overall quality in favour of making a wine that’s too fruit forward. Me, I like a lot of structure and jammy wines leave me cold. I’d buy the Richard Hamilton Gumprs Block 2008 ($18.95) which is a delicious blend of blackberry, chocolate, plum, sweet oak and vanilla. If you like something with richer fruit, try the Grant Burge Barossa Shiraz 2008 ($16.95). The Burge is a good wine, with raspberry, cherry, cocoa, and green pepper. These are both good wines, but I prefer the Gumprs Block as being the leaner, and more structured of the two. Feel free to disagree.
There are also a lot of good American cabernet’s in this release. Unfortunately, prices for American wines have not declined as much as they should have in currency market terms, but they still make such good cabernets in California that it is hard to ignore their products. The Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($34.95) is pricey, but this is a very worthwhile wine with masses of well structured black fruit. It will work really, really well with a lean cut of barbecued red meat.
You can spend virtually as much as you want for California cabernets. If you want a truly superior wine, there’s always the Shafer One Point Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($84.95). This iconic wine is sophisticated and well structured with lots of black fruit, cedar, violets and herbs de provence, If you plan to open it within the next five years, give it lots of time (an hour at least) in the decanter, and serve with the best cut of lean beef you can find. You won’t regret buying this wine.
Without pressing a point, the Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($17.95) from Argentina, is another of my potential benchmarks. This is a lovely, medium bodied, cabernet, with sweet oak, vanilla, black fruit, and a long finish. As a value, all purpose cabernet sauvignon, it will be hard to beat, and will go with anything from burgers to a grilled steak..
It is my impression that the reds from central and southern Italy are (huge generalization follows) a bit less sophisticated and a bit more rustic that their northern counterparts, so that you can expect lush, ripe fruit, and earthy flavours. The whites tend to be dry and refreshing, with floral overtones, and notes of citrus and stone fruit.
Please don’t let me discourage you from trying these central and southern Italian offerings. There is great value here, and some very good wines. They won’t, in general, rival the northern Italian wines in terms of complexity, but they won’t cost you as much either. I’d encourage some experimentation, which is what I’m doing.
BTW
Over the next little while, I plan to change the direction of this column to some extent. I expect to review fewer Vintages wines, while concentrating more on the ones that I really like. I also plan to include more wines from the general list, and from Vintages essentials, that I think are worthwhile.
My thinking is that I should be treating the Vintages Essentials as a standard, rather than reviewing wines simply because they are newly released. I don’t mean that I ever reviewed wines that I didn’t like – never- but I did often review wines that I thought were quite good, but not necessarily as good as the essential. I plan to do less of that in the future, so that, at least over time, I will not spend as much time on wines from the current release where I think that the essential (or a wine from the general list) is as good and represents better value.
I expect that I will be reviewing fewer wines, but giving you a better idea of how those wines compare to the wines that are available all the time. That’s because the wines that are classified as Essentials (and some on general list) are there because they already represent good value and quality.
But what I really expect to do is establish my own benchmarks for different types of wine – benchmarks that are generally available all year long - and review only those new wines which exceed the benchmarks for quality and value.
I also expect that I will try some themed columns of my own (eg. cabernet sauvignon comparisons, or (perhaps at New Year) sparkling wine evaluations).
This will likely also mean that the columns will somewhat more irregular than heretofore.
I would really like feedback, on the concept, and its execution.
ROSÉS
I found the Chateau Routas Rouviere Rosé 2009 ($14.95) from Provence to be almost syrupy on its own, and I really didn’t like it. I wouldn’t have mentioned it except I tried it with food - some cheese and a slice of pastrami –and it came alive and tasted really good. Serve quite chilled. Expect well integrated orange, strawberry and maraschino cherry flavours, with a long finish. This wine will stand up to the bacon and anchovy in a Caesar salad, or barbecued salmon. Don’t drink it without food.
WHITE WINES
The Pala Crabilis I Fiori Vermentino di Sardegna 2009 ($13.95) from Sardinia is an unusual white. It starts like a crisp sauvignon blanc, but then there’s a hit of honey and sweetened white grapefruit on the mid palate, and a hint of white flowers and herbs on the long finish. A refreshing wine, which can be sipped on its own on a hot day, but would be better with food – maybe potato or chicken salad, or shellfish in a light cream sauce.
I really liked last year’s version of the Jean-Marc Brocard Domaine Sainte Claire Saint-Bris 2007 ($14.95) from Burgundy, and I bought several cases of it. This is a very good Chablis producer putting out a sauvignon blanc, and is something of an oddity since the producer (and the Chablis region of Burgundy) are known for chardonnays. I liked this year’s version of the wine also – it’s dry, very refreshing, with lime, gooseberry, green apple and herbal notes, and a long, white floral finish – but I also think it will get better as it integrates, since it’s pretty acidic at the moment, and that will smooth out with time. Try on its own, with a soft cheese, or with grilled or fried white fish.
The Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc ($16.05) from New Zealand is not a release wine, but is virtually certain to become one of my benchmarks. This wine is available in general list, and delivers lots of classic gooseberry, with a grassy, herbal finish. It’s got great mouth feel and well integrated acid. Drink on its own or with a wide range of foods – anything from a salad to baked chicken with asparagus. I’ve been to this winery, and it delivers year after year.
If your idea of chardonnay is a California style, with lots of vanilla and butterscotch, get the Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95). Good California chardonnays generally cost a whole lot more than this, without delivering much, if anything, more in the way of taste. This is a rich, rich wine with vanilla that is almost caramel, tropical fruit, and sweet oak. If this style of wine turns your crank, buy this wine. You won’t get a better value on this style of wine.
If you like Chardonnay’s that aren’t as rich (or as expensive) go for the Emiliana Novas Limited Selection Chardonnay 2008 ($14.95) from Chile. Expect silky, apple butter, almond and pear flavours on a well made wine, with a somewhat acidic finish. This wine doesn’t have California vanilla or butterscotch, but carries 14% alcohol and drinks well on its own. Add a little brie and some fresh baked bread, and life will be really good.
RED WINES
If, like me, you’re a fan of Rhones, I have two good choices for you:
- The Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($39.95) is a rich, chewy wine with concentrated flavours of leather, earth, black cherry, cassis, anise, lavender, spice, fruit cake and white pepper. This is a classic chateauneuf (ie. you simply can’t go wrong by buying it). Serve with a nice cut of prime rib and just enjoy. Drink it tomorrow (a little aeration would be nice, but 30 minutes will do) or 5 years from now.
- Les Vignerons du Castelas Cotes du Rhone 2008 ($13.95) is a steal at this price. A lot of lower priced Cotes du Rhone lack body and taste thin and watery. Not this one. It’s a robust wine with lots going for it – black plum, violets, a touch of earth, smoke and leather. It won’t match the chateauneuf but, for this price, it’s great value. There is not a ton of complexity here, but you won’t do a whole lot better for a versatile, $14 wine.
I just loved last year’s Gnarly Head Merlot (from California), and bought a lot of it, because I couldn’t stop drinking it. This year’s version (the 2008) is still good at $17.95, but is somewhat more fruit forward, with less structure, and with richer fruit. Expect sweet black plum and black cherry. This is a good wine, but if you want something with a lot of structure or complexity, it won’t be for you. It will still go well with hard cheese, a not-so-lean cut of barbecued beef, or (especially) ribs.
There are a lot of good shiraz’s on offer in this release, and I’ve become quite particular about this varietal because I think that a whole lot of wineries have sacrificed structure and overall quality in favour of making a wine that’s too fruit forward. Me, I like a lot of structure and jammy wines leave me cold. I’d buy the Richard Hamilton Gumprs Block 2008 ($18.95) which is a delicious blend of blackberry, chocolate, plum, sweet oak and vanilla. If you like something with richer fruit, try the Grant Burge Barossa Shiraz 2008 ($16.95). The Burge is a good wine, with raspberry, cherry, cocoa, and green pepper. These are both good wines, but I prefer the Gumprs Block as being the leaner, and more structured of the two. Feel free to disagree.
There are also a lot of good American cabernet’s in this release. Unfortunately, prices for American wines have not declined as much as they should have in currency market terms, but they still make such good cabernets in California that it is hard to ignore their products. The Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($34.95) is pricey, but this is a very worthwhile wine with masses of well structured black fruit. It will work really, really well with a lean cut of barbecued red meat.
You can spend virtually as much as you want for California cabernets. If you want a truly superior wine, there’s always the Shafer One Point Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($84.95). This iconic wine is sophisticated and well structured with lots of black fruit, cedar, violets and herbs de provence, If you plan to open it within the next five years, give it lots of time (an hour at least) in the decanter, and serve with the best cut of lean beef you can find. You won’t regret buying this wine.
Without pressing a point, the Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($17.95) from Argentina, is another of my potential benchmarks. This is a lovely, medium bodied, cabernet, with sweet oak, vanilla, black fruit, and a long finish. As a value, all purpose cabernet sauvignon, it will be hard to beat, and will go with anything from burgers to a grilled steak..
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Vintages Release - July 24, 2010
The July 24 release features Australian whites and Southern French reds. It’s a good combination, and hard to go wrong with some of these wines.
ROSĖS
There are three good rosés in this release - the Bieler Pere et Fils Sabine Rosé 2009 ($12.95) and the Domaine Des CarteressesTavel Rosé ($15.95), both from the Rhone, and the La Cadierenne Cuvée Grande Tradition Bandol Rosé 2009 ($17.95) from Bandol (admittedly also part of the Rhone). All three are very pleasant, and, in terms of quality, the prices are pretty good indicator. My suggestion – go for the Bieler, not because it’s the best quality, but because it’s the best value. I’m still not a huge fan of roses, but they have their place as hot weather sippers as long as they are dry, with reasonable structure. This wine fits that bill, with a minty/strawberry nose, and notes of fresh red fruit (cranberry, plum, red cherry and a touch of rhubarb) on the palate. It is dry and refreshing, and will drink well on its own or with a green salad or cold chicken dish.
WHITE WINES
My favourite white from this release was the Highfield Estate Paua Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($14.95) from New Zealand. You are unlikely to find a sauvignon blanc this good, and at this price, for a good long while. Expect gooseberry to dominate with flavours of tropical fruit, and a touch of fresh mown grass, on this well integrated wine, that typifies what New Zealand does best. Drink on its own, or (if you can get them) with green mussels. A soft, flavoured cheese or a salad or pan fried tilapia would work well too. Buy this wine.
The Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Chardonnay 2009 ($15.95) from Australia will also appeal and represents really good value. This is a leaner style chardonnay, with lime, vanilla, and a touch of oak and pineapple, rather than a California style wine featuring butterscotch, but it’s well worth trying. It’s very nicely structured, with a long finish, and a refreshing , satisfying mouth feel. Try with any chicken dish.
The Henschke Tilly’s Vineyard 2008 ($19.95) from Australia is an unusual mixture of four varietals – semillion, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot gris. It comes across as a bit of a aromatic with a slightly floral nose and a touch of diesel and black licorice on the finish. But there’s also a lot of pear, some peach, and a touch of mineral, that works really well with chicken or pork (barbecued skewers might be nice) or cheese. You can drink this wine on its own, but I think it’s better with food.
RED WINE
The south of France produces a ton of good reds, and I’ll happily recommend any of these (in order):
- The Chateau de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2007 ($29.95) comes from the most storied house in the Rhone’s most storied region (Chateauneuf-du-Pape). It costs more than your basic Rhone, but that’s because, year after year, this chateau delivers some of the best (if not the best) wine in the region. The Coudoulet is the second wine (or third) wine from this house, but it carries with it a lot of the flavours of its much more expensive siblings – well integrated leather, chewy black fruit, spice, vanilla, black licorice, herbs and smoked meat – and is approachable now (with an hour or more of aeration). You can cellar it for up to 10 years if that’s what you want, but you don’t have to. The older siblings won’t be ready for at least five, and perhaps as many as 15 years. You won’t regret buying this wine.
- the Cave de Roqubrun Roches Noires Maceration 2007 ($17.95) represents incredible value. This wine shows well with a nose of black licorice and equally black fruit, with cocoa, spice, licorice, ripe plum, black pepper and earth on the palate. This is a very well structured wine, that will work very well with any barbecued red meat.
- I liked both the Chateau du Pena 2006 ($13.95) and the Domaines des Aires Hautes Minervois la Liviniere 2007 ($19.95). Both wines had tons of flavour and come from a very good vintage, The Pena is a great burger wine with layers of rich black plum, spice and a touch of cherry cola preceding a medium finish. The Minervois is very rich, with layers of sweet black plum, cassis, cocoa, spice, earth and glycerine. If you like a really rich red, say to go with a beef stew, this would be a good choice.
Bordeaux lovers will know that 2006 was far from the best year that the region ever had, but that doesn’t mean that every 2006 bordeaux is inferior, although it does mean that prices are down. The Chateaux Robin 2006 ($17.95) is a lighter style, very drinkable wine from a region that rarely sees the south side of $20. This is a well made, well balanced offering, with notes of vanilla, smoke, herbs, and sweet oak. It would complement a lean cut of roast beef or steak, hard cheese, or dark chocolate with dried fruit and nuts.
Surprise, Surprise. Not every good, red wine comes from France. Thus, two others which you should seriously consider:
- The Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($17.95) from Argentina. This is a great, hot weather cabernet, with sweet oak, vanilla, and black fruit flavours, all wrapped up in great structure and balance. But, unlike most hot weather cabernets, this is no fruit bomb. It has enough savoury flavours to balance the sweeter fruit, with soft tannins and a long finish. Vintages suggests laying this wine down for a period of time, but I think it’s perfectly drinkable now with an hour or two of aeration. Serve with cheese or rare beef.
The Pirramimma Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($23.95) from Australia is also very much worth having. It’s a tasty combination of silky black fruit, mocha and spice, with a medium body and a medium finish. Many red wines need food. This one doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t benefit from an hour’s aeration and some fresh paté and fresh bread (or a good steak).
ROSĖS
There are three good rosés in this release - the Bieler Pere et Fils Sabine Rosé 2009 ($12.95) and the Domaine Des CarteressesTavel Rosé ($15.95), both from the Rhone, and the La Cadierenne Cuvée Grande Tradition Bandol Rosé 2009 ($17.95) from Bandol (admittedly also part of the Rhone). All three are very pleasant, and, in terms of quality, the prices are pretty good indicator. My suggestion – go for the Bieler, not because it’s the best quality, but because it’s the best value. I’m still not a huge fan of roses, but they have their place as hot weather sippers as long as they are dry, with reasonable structure. This wine fits that bill, with a minty/strawberry nose, and notes of fresh red fruit (cranberry, plum, red cherry and a touch of rhubarb) on the palate. It is dry and refreshing, and will drink well on its own or with a green salad or cold chicken dish.
WHITE WINES
My favourite white from this release was the Highfield Estate Paua Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($14.95) from New Zealand. You are unlikely to find a sauvignon blanc this good, and at this price, for a good long while. Expect gooseberry to dominate with flavours of tropical fruit, and a touch of fresh mown grass, on this well integrated wine, that typifies what New Zealand does best. Drink on its own, or (if you can get them) with green mussels. A soft, flavoured cheese or a salad or pan fried tilapia would work well too. Buy this wine.
The Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Chardonnay 2009 ($15.95) from Australia will also appeal and represents really good value. This is a leaner style chardonnay, with lime, vanilla, and a touch of oak and pineapple, rather than a California style wine featuring butterscotch, but it’s well worth trying. It’s very nicely structured, with a long finish, and a refreshing , satisfying mouth feel. Try with any chicken dish.
The Henschke Tilly’s Vineyard 2008 ($19.95) from Australia is an unusual mixture of four varietals – semillion, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot gris. It comes across as a bit of a aromatic with a slightly floral nose and a touch of diesel and black licorice on the finish. But there’s also a lot of pear, some peach, and a touch of mineral, that works really well with chicken or pork (barbecued skewers might be nice) or cheese. You can drink this wine on its own, but I think it’s better with food.
RED WINE
The south of France produces a ton of good reds, and I’ll happily recommend any of these (in order):
- The Chateau de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2007 ($29.95) comes from the most storied house in the Rhone’s most storied region (Chateauneuf-du-Pape). It costs more than your basic Rhone, but that’s because, year after year, this chateau delivers some of the best (if not the best) wine in the region. The Coudoulet is the second wine (or third) wine from this house, but it carries with it a lot of the flavours of its much more expensive siblings – well integrated leather, chewy black fruit, spice, vanilla, black licorice, herbs and smoked meat – and is approachable now (with an hour or more of aeration). You can cellar it for up to 10 years if that’s what you want, but you don’t have to. The older siblings won’t be ready for at least five, and perhaps as many as 15 years. You won’t regret buying this wine.
- the Cave de Roqubrun Roches Noires Maceration 2007 ($17.95) represents incredible value. This wine shows well with a nose of black licorice and equally black fruit, with cocoa, spice, licorice, ripe plum, black pepper and earth on the palate. This is a very well structured wine, that will work very well with any barbecued red meat.
- I liked both the Chateau du Pena 2006 ($13.95) and the Domaines des Aires Hautes Minervois la Liviniere 2007 ($19.95). Both wines had tons of flavour and come from a very good vintage, The Pena is a great burger wine with layers of rich black plum, spice and a touch of cherry cola preceding a medium finish. The Minervois is very rich, with layers of sweet black plum, cassis, cocoa, spice, earth and glycerine. If you like a really rich red, say to go with a beef stew, this would be a good choice.
Bordeaux lovers will know that 2006 was far from the best year that the region ever had, but that doesn’t mean that every 2006 bordeaux is inferior, although it does mean that prices are down. The Chateaux Robin 2006 ($17.95) is a lighter style, very drinkable wine from a region that rarely sees the south side of $20. This is a well made, well balanced offering, with notes of vanilla, smoke, herbs, and sweet oak. It would complement a lean cut of roast beef or steak, hard cheese, or dark chocolate with dried fruit and nuts.
Surprise, Surprise. Not every good, red wine comes from France. Thus, two others which you should seriously consider:
- The Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($17.95) from Argentina. This is a great, hot weather cabernet, with sweet oak, vanilla, and black fruit flavours, all wrapped up in great structure and balance. But, unlike most hot weather cabernets, this is no fruit bomb. It has enough savoury flavours to balance the sweeter fruit, with soft tannins and a long finish. Vintages suggests laying this wine down for a period of time, but I think it’s perfectly drinkable now with an hour or two of aeration. Serve with cheese or rare beef.
The Pirramimma Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($23.95) from Australia is also very much worth having. It’s a tasty combination of silky black fruit, mocha and spice, with a medium body and a medium finish. Many red wines need food. This one doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t benefit from an hour’s aeration and some fresh paté and fresh bread (or a good steak).
Friday, July 9, 2010
Vintages Release - July 10, 2010
There is no specific theme to tomorrow’s release, but there are a bunch of reasonably well-priced old favourites, any of which I would be happy to recommend. There are also quite a few wines that are new to the LCBO, and I’ll try to cover a reasonable mixture of the two.
ROSÉS
The Chateau de Fonscolombe Cuvee Special Rosé 2009 ($13.95) from the Rhone is new and, at least to my mind, priced as a rosé should be, i.e. less than $15.00. I am less than impressed by the plastic cork (why not use a screw cap?) but the wine is a bit of all right. It has a delicate salmon color, and a strawberry/rhubarb nose, but packs a pretty hefty punch on the palate. Don’t look for a lot of complexity, but if you want a very pleasant sipper on a hot summer’s day, this will work nicely. I get tart strawberry and peach flavours, with a touch of mineral, on the palate and a medium to long finish. It would be good with a salad or, as Vintages suggests, a chicken satay, but perhaps the best accompaniment would be a lawn chair and a good book. Be careful getting out of the chair though since the 13% alcohol can sneak up on you.
WHITE WINES
By way of old favourites, consider any of the following (all of which I have reviewed in the last year or so):-
- The Santa Carolina Barrica Selection Chardonnay 2008 ($13.95) from Chile represents great value in a warm weather chardonnay. This is a soft, creamy wine with lots of tropical fruit, vanilla, butterscotch, and peach.
- The Latitude 41 Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($18.95) from New Zealand is a typical (that is to say well made and tasty) sauvignon blanc. The primary taste is ripe gooseberry, with some pineapple and lemongrass notes.
- For sancerre lovers, the Roland Tissier et Fils Sancerre 2008 ($21.95) from the Loire is unmistakably a Loire product, with a slight aroma of white flowers and lemon, and a mineral/grapefruit/pear palate. But there’s a bit of a New Zealand in this wine, with some a touch of gooseberry on the finish.
- The 13th Street June’s Vineyard Riesling 2008 ($16.95) is very much worth a try. If Niagara does anything consistently well, it’s Riesling, and this is one of our best craft producers. You’ll get stone fruit and lemon/lime (but virtually no petrol) on this offering. Try with pork or with spicy oriental food.
I haven’t (I don’t think) reviewed the following recently:
- The Michel Delhommeau Cuvee Harmonie Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine 2008 ($12.95) is a very nice muscadet, and new to Vintages. Being frank, I preferred the Domaine de la Grange Veilles Vignes Muscadet Sevre & Maine 2008 from the last release, but, if you missed that, this is a good substitute. It’s light, with mineral, lime, grapefruit and lemon drop flavours, with a racy finish that’s very refreshing, but quite acidic. I’d recommend it with food rather than on its own. Try shellfish in broth (even a cream sauce) or brie and a nice French baguette.
The Domaine de la Pouvrae Vouvray 2008 ($14.95) from the Loire is also new to Vintages. This is a slightly unusual wine for the region in that it sports riper, bigger fruit that most vouvrays. There’s green apple and kiwi, but a touch of honey as well. Vouvrays are usually on the leaner side, and this one breaks the mold, but it will please sauvignon blanc fans who like their wines on the richer side.
The Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($19.95) from New Zealand shows peach, lime, lichee and gooseberry on a refreshing wine with a long finish. This is a lovely, refreshing, well-balanced wine that will drink well on its own, or go well with seafood or soft cheeses.
Also from New Zealand, there’s the Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2009 ($19.95). This wine comes from one of the country’s premier producers, and is an unusual, but certainly not unpleasant, offering. Pinot gris’ are often quite lean, but this one will appeal to anyone who prefers a richer taste. Expect a hit of honey on the opening, with peach, lime and grassy flavours of chives and asparagus on the mid-palate and finish. This is one of the few wines that will work well with asparagus, a dish that is notoriously difficult to match with wine.
If you want the best white in the release, it’s the Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2007 ($44.95) from California. This is a classic California chardonnay, chock full of butterscotch, vanilla, toasted oak, candied fruit and notes of brioche, hazelnut, green apple and pear. This is a rich, complex wine, that will complement poultry, seafood or just your desire for a special wine.
RED WINES
From the tried and true (and recently reviewed) you won’t miss with:
- The Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Riserva 2006 ($15.00) from Tuscany. I buy cases of this stuff. It’s a great house wine, always reliable and drinks well on its own, and goes with virtually any food, including tomato based dishes. If you haven’t tried it, do. I’ll be surprised if you don’t buy more.
- the Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($19.95) from California comes from a reliable, well-priced house in a good year. California tends to over-price many of its wines, but this one represents value year after year. Expect black fruit, toasted oak and cedar on a well structured wine with a long finish. Pair with a not too lean steak and enjoy.
- the Alamos Malbec 2008 ($13.95) from Argentina represents great value, with big, black fruit flavours of cassis and plum, and a long, fleshy finish.
- the Gemtree Vineyards Tadpole Shiraz 2008 ($16.95) from Australia is a good shiraz, well structured with cassis, mint and ripe plum. Drink on its own or with burgers, pizza or a steak.
- Chateau Pesquie Terasses 2008 ($13.95) from the Rhone. This wine has a touch of gorse or mint to me, but is dominated by black cherry and plum flavours. I think it represents really good value, but needs food – hard cheese, red meat or spicy sausages.
- the Wolftrap Syrah/Mourvedre/Viognier 2009 ($13.95) from South Africa. Expect earthy black fruit, spice, tar, leather and licorice on a medium bodied, long-finishing wine that just begs to be paired with hard cheese or sausages.
Not as recently reviewed (if at all):
Buy the Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2006 ($36.95) from the Rhone. If you’re waiting for a lower priced chateauneuf, you’ll be waiting a very long time. Expect chewy kirsch, cedar, plum and spice flavours, on a rich, very tasty wine. This wine may be new to vintages, but I know it well, and can tell you that you’ll be making a mistake by not buying in. It will go beautifully with roast beef, hard cheese or a veal chop.
If you want a lighter Rhone, I very much liked the Chateau Mas Neuf Tradition Rouge Costieres de Nimes 2008 ($13.95). There’s a touch of gorse on this wine also, with some black licorice, pepper, spice, blueberry and plum. It represents very good value and compares well to wines that cost $5 more, as long as you are looking for something relatively lean.
The Bodegas Lans Crianza 2005 ($15.95) from Spain is a lovely, richly-textured wine with very soft tannins, cooked cherry, prune, raspberry, mint and milk chocolate flavours. It is a lighter wine wine, but it has big, red fruit and a long finish. Good value and good taste. Pair with poultry (Vintages suggests duck) or cheese, or drink on its own. Don’t aerate this wine. It’s ready now.
The Crias de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 ($12.95) from Argentina is a good, hot weather cabernet, with very soft tannins and ripe plum, blueberry, violets, cassis and mint notes. This is a great burger/pizza wine.
I was really happy with the Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2007 ($23.95) from California, I expected to be recommending the Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel 2007 (which I also like) but which is $4 cheaper, but the Napa Cellars really impressed me. It’s full bodied with lots of tobacco, plum, raspberry, raisin and peppery flavours, and chocolate notes. This is a really good zin. Delicious on its own, but better with ribs. Highly recommended.
I also really liked the Chateau Grand Rivallon 2006 ($21.95), another wine that’s new to Vintages, from the right bank in Bordeaux. It’s also quite ready (although an hour or so of decanting wouldn’t hurt) with soft tannins, and flavours of green olive, tobacco, cedar, plum, and black currents. I was in Bordeaux during the 2006 Vintage, and know how iffy the weather was at harvest time, but this winery has delivered a really good wine at a good price. Its complex and wll structured with a long finish, and will complement any red meat dish. Highly recommended.
ROSÉS
The Chateau de Fonscolombe Cuvee Special Rosé 2009 ($13.95) from the Rhone is new and, at least to my mind, priced as a rosé should be, i.e. less than $15.00. I am less than impressed by the plastic cork (why not use a screw cap?) but the wine is a bit of all right. It has a delicate salmon color, and a strawberry/rhubarb nose, but packs a pretty hefty punch on the palate. Don’t look for a lot of complexity, but if you want a very pleasant sipper on a hot summer’s day, this will work nicely. I get tart strawberry and peach flavours, with a touch of mineral, on the palate and a medium to long finish. It would be good with a salad or, as Vintages suggests, a chicken satay, but perhaps the best accompaniment would be a lawn chair and a good book. Be careful getting out of the chair though since the 13% alcohol can sneak up on you.
WHITE WINES
By way of old favourites, consider any of the following (all of which I have reviewed in the last year or so):-
- The Santa Carolina Barrica Selection Chardonnay 2008 ($13.95) from Chile represents great value in a warm weather chardonnay. This is a soft, creamy wine with lots of tropical fruit, vanilla, butterscotch, and peach.
- The Latitude 41 Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($18.95) from New Zealand is a typical (that is to say well made and tasty) sauvignon blanc. The primary taste is ripe gooseberry, with some pineapple and lemongrass notes.
- For sancerre lovers, the Roland Tissier et Fils Sancerre 2008 ($21.95) from the Loire is unmistakably a Loire product, with a slight aroma of white flowers and lemon, and a mineral/grapefruit/pear palate. But there’s a bit of a New Zealand in this wine, with some a touch of gooseberry on the finish.
- The 13th Street June’s Vineyard Riesling 2008 ($16.95) is very much worth a try. If Niagara does anything consistently well, it’s Riesling, and this is one of our best craft producers. You’ll get stone fruit and lemon/lime (but virtually no petrol) on this offering. Try with pork or with spicy oriental food.
I haven’t (I don’t think) reviewed the following recently:
- The Michel Delhommeau Cuvee Harmonie Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine 2008 ($12.95) is a very nice muscadet, and new to Vintages. Being frank, I preferred the Domaine de la Grange Veilles Vignes Muscadet Sevre & Maine 2008 from the last release, but, if you missed that, this is a good substitute. It’s light, with mineral, lime, grapefruit and lemon drop flavours, with a racy finish that’s very refreshing, but quite acidic. I’d recommend it with food rather than on its own. Try shellfish in broth (even a cream sauce) or brie and a nice French baguette.
The Domaine de la Pouvrae Vouvray 2008 ($14.95) from the Loire is also new to Vintages. This is a slightly unusual wine for the region in that it sports riper, bigger fruit that most vouvrays. There’s green apple and kiwi, but a touch of honey as well. Vouvrays are usually on the leaner side, and this one breaks the mold, but it will please sauvignon blanc fans who like their wines on the richer side.
The Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc 2009 ($19.95) from New Zealand shows peach, lime, lichee and gooseberry on a refreshing wine with a long finish. This is a lovely, refreshing, well-balanced wine that will drink well on its own, or go well with seafood or soft cheeses.
Also from New Zealand, there’s the Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2009 ($19.95). This wine comes from one of the country’s premier producers, and is an unusual, but certainly not unpleasant, offering. Pinot gris’ are often quite lean, but this one will appeal to anyone who prefers a richer taste. Expect a hit of honey on the opening, with peach, lime and grassy flavours of chives and asparagus on the mid-palate and finish. This is one of the few wines that will work well with asparagus, a dish that is notoriously difficult to match with wine.
If you want the best white in the release, it’s the Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2007 ($44.95) from California. This is a classic California chardonnay, chock full of butterscotch, vanilla, toasted oak, candied fruit and notes of brioche, hazelnut, green apple and pear. This is a rich, complex wine, that will complement poultry, seafood or just your desire for a special wine.
RED WINES
From the tried and true (and recently reviewed) you won’t miss with:
- The Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Riserva 2006 ($15.00) from Tuscany. I buy cases of this stuff. It’s a great house wine, always reliable and drinks well on its own, and goes with virtually any food, including tomato based dishes. If you haven’t tried it, do. I’ll be surprised if you don’t buy more.
- the Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($19.95) from California comes from a reliable, well-priced house in a good year. California tends to over-price many of its wines, but this one represents value year after year. Expect black fruit, toasted oak and cedar on a well structured wine with a long finish. Pair with a not too lean steak and enjoy.
- the Alamos Malbec 2008 ($13.95) from Argentina represents great value, with big, black fruit flavours of cassis and plum, and a long, fleshy finish.
- the Gemtree Vineyards Tadpole Shiraz 2008 ($16.95) from Australia is a good shiraz, well structured with cassis, mint and ripe plum. Drink on its own or with burgers, pizza or a steak.
- Chateau Pesquie Terasses 2008 ($13.95) from the Rhone. This wine has a touch of gorse or mint to me, but is dominated by black cherry and plum flavours. I think it represents really good value, but needs food – hard cheese, red meat or spicy sausages.
- the Wolftrap Syrah/Mourvedre/Viognier 2009 ($13.95) from South Africa. Expect earthy black fruit, spice, tar, leather and licorice on a medium bodied, long-finishing wine that just begs to be paired with hard cheese or sausages.
Not as recently reviewed (if at all):
Buy the Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2006 ($36.95) from the Rhone. If you’re waiting for a lower priced chateauneuf, you’ll be waiting a very long time. Expect chewy kirsch, cedar, plum and spice flavours, on a rich, very tasty wine. This wine may be new to vintages, but I know it well, and can tell you that you’ll be making a mistake by not buying in. It will go beautifully with roast beef, hard cheese or a veal chop.
If you want a lighter Rhone, I very much liked the Chateau Mas Neuf Tradition Rouge Costieres de Nimes 2008 ($13.95). There’s a touch of gorse on this wine also, with some black licorice, pepper, spice, blueberry and plum. It represents very good value and compares well to wines that cost $5 more, as long as you are looking for something relatively lean.
The Bodegas Lans Crianza 2005 ($15.95) from Spain is a lovely, richly-textured wine with very soft tannins, cooked cherry, prune, raspberry, mint and milk chocolate flavours. It is a lighter wine wine, but it has big, red fruit and a long finish. Good value and good taste. Pair with poultry (Vintages suggests duck) or cheese, or drink on its own. Don’t aerate this wine. It’s ready now.
The Crias de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 ($12.95) from Argentina is a good, hot weather cabernet, with very soft tannins and ripe plum, blueberry, violets, cassis and mint notes. This is a great burger/pizza wine.
I was really happy with the Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2007 ($23.95) from California, I expected to be recommending the Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel 2007 (which I also like) but which is $4 cheaper, but the Napa Cellars really impressed me. It’s full bodied with lots of tobacco, plum, raspberry, raisin and peppery flavours, and chocolate notes. This is a really good zin. Delicious on its own, but better with ribs. Highly recommended.
I also really liked the Chateau Grand Rivallon 2006 ($21.95), another wine that’s new to Vintages, from the right bank in Bordeaux. It’s also quite ready (although an hour or so of decanting wouldn’t hurt) with soft tannins, and flavours of green olive, tobacco, cedar, plum, and black currents. I was in Bordeaux during the 2006 Vintage, and know how iffy the weather was at harvest time, but this winery has delivered a really good wine at a good price. Its complex and wll structured with a long finish, and will complement any red meat dish. Highly recommended.
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