May 25 Wine Picks: Pinot Noir + German Riesling

The next LCBO Vintages wine release will be on Saturday, May 25. The major focus on this release is on Pinot Noirs that show a sense of place. Most of this feature is quite disappointing. However, if you're heart is set on the heart-break grape, check out the version from Lailey that's from our own backyard.

The secondary feature is on German Rieslings. This noble white grape is very versatile and can range in style from bone-dry to very sweet (i.e. Eiswein). In all, there are only 5 wines from this feature and, unfortunately, no Eisweins (again!). In general, German Rieslings offer excellent value considering the superior quality that's in the bottle. I am sure I will be adding a couple of these Rieslings to my collection.

Daniel Vollenweider has 2 wines in this Vintages release. His Wolfer Riesling has a classic Mosel profile and is just slightly off-dry. Going up a notch in the sweetness level, and yet another classically styled Mosel Kab, is the Studert-Prüm Riesling Kabinett.

Last, and definitely not the least, is the 2005 Riesling Auslese from Dr. Hermann. Auslese wines take the sweetness levels further up the scale. The Dr. Herman hails from Ürziger Würzgarten (in Mosel), where the terroir consists of red sandstone and slate soil, helping create wines with a unique character. At 8-years-old, the Dr. Hermann is ageing gracefully and drinking beautifully now. A trademark of German Rieslings is their high acidity combined with low-alcohol levels. Both the Studert-Prüm and the Dr. Hermann follow this path, with just 8% alcohol/volume.

From the rest of the release, in white wine, the Malivoire Musqué Spritz is made from the clone 809 Chardonnay Musqué. From the red wines in this release, the Château le Grande de Bessan is a blend of about 70% Cab Sauv and 30% Merlot. The Château Rozier is also a blend, consisting of mostly Merlot, some Cab Franc, and trace amounts of Cab Sauv. And finally, the Rivera Il Falcone is a blend consisting of 70% Nero di Troia and 30% Montepulciano.

Enjoy my Vintages recommendations for this week. New wines will be on shelves this Saturday. Let me know if you buy and taste anything from my wine picks below. Enjoy!


Red Wine:

• IN SITU WINEMAKER’S SELECTION CARMENÈRE 2010 - Aconcagua Valley, Chile (#37952) (XD) - $13.95
• TERRAZAS DE LOS ANDES RESERVA MALBEC 2010 - Mendoza, Argentina (#29280) (XD) - $17.95
• EVANS & TATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#327411) (XD) - $18.95
• BASTIDE MIRAFLORS VIEILLES VIGNES SYRAH/GRENACHE 2011 - IGP Côtes Catalanes, Midi, France (#320499) (D) - $18.95
• CHÂTEAU LA GRANGE DE BESSAN 2009 - AC Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#321331) (XD) - $19.95
• RIVERA IL FALCONE RISERVA 2007 - DOC Castel del Monte, Puglia, Italy (#177295) (XD) - $22.95
• LAILEY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2011 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#591404) (XD) - $24.95
• CHÂTEAU ROZIER 2010 - AC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France (#024539) (XD) - $28.95

White Wine:

• HENRI POIRON FIEF GIRAUD MUSCADET SÈVRE & MAINE SUR LIE 2011 - AC, Loire, France (#327726) (XD) - $14.95
• VOLLENWEIDER WOLFER RIESLING 2011 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#324335) (D) - $19.95
• STUDERT-PRÜM GRAACHER HIMMELREICH RIESLING KABINETT 2011 - Gutsabfüllung, Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#160853) (M) - $19.95
• DOMAINES SCHLUMBERGER LES PRINCES ABBÉS PINOT GRIS 2010 - AC Alsace, France (#21253) (XD) - $19.95
• MALIVOIRE MUSQUÉ SPRITZ 2012 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#189670) (MS) - $19.95
• DR. HERMANN ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING AUSLESE 2005 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#324285) (MS) - $21.95  93 pts  wine review
• SIGALAS SANTORINI ASSYRTIKO 2011 - AP, Greece (#74781) (XD) - $21.95
• SAINT CLAIR PIONEER BLOCK 10 CHARDONNAY 2010 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#317651) (XD) - $25.95
• DOMAINE ZIND-HUMBRECHT CALCAIRE GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2009 - AC Alsace, France (#320481) (S) - $29.95
• SAINTSBURY CHARDONNAY 2010 - Unfiltered, Carneros, Napa Valley, California, USA (#359281) (XD) - $29.95

Rosé Wine:

• DOMAINE DES CARTERESSES TAVEL ROSÉ 2012 - AC, Rhône, France (#739474) (XD) - $16.95

The rest of the wines from this release can be found here.