Providing a Unique & Affordable Selection of High Quality Red Wines and White Wines for Your Enjoyment. Also featured: Rosé, Port, Icewine, Champagne and Sparkling Wine for Special Occasions. Cheers!
Purchased this gorgeous cool-climate Chardonnay from an LCBO Vintages release last August that highlighted a bunch of wines that were scored 90 pts or higher by some of the more famous wine critics.
It was opened due to a closing drinking window. For those that prefer very oakey Chardonnays, this is one not to be missed, as you will see from my wine review below. However, it's unlikely you will be able to find this vintage in Vintages at this point in time, but I could see the 2010 coming into stock in the near future. This white wine paired great with crab curry and will go really well with other rich, seafood dishes.
GALLO FAMILY LAGUNA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2009 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#544981) (XD) - $19.95
Tasting Note:
Mango, melon and peach aromas from the cork. Heavily oaked with smoky aromas lead the way, followed by butter, and hints of apple. On the palate, it's medium-full bodied, dry, and concentrated with buttery oak, honeysuckle, spice and nutty flavours. Acids are still fresh. Slightly creamy texture, with a finish that is excellent in length and smooth. Enjoyed with Dungeness crab curry. Highly recommended. Score: 90 pts
Opened this lovely, dry rosé wine Sunday night. The packaging on this wine is well-above average as it includes an indented rose design on the bottom of the bottle and a reusable glass cork. I hope you purchased this when I recommended it back in May, as it's virtually sold out in LCBO Vintages now.
GÉRARD BERTRAND CÔTE DES ROSES ROSÉ 2013 - AP Languedoc, Midi, France (#373985) (XD) - $19.95
Tasting Note:
Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah blend. Crisp, medium+ aromas that show clean mineral, garrigue, strawberry, rose petals, and rhubarb. Has a dry flavour profile that's medium-full bodied with considerable depth and pleasing aroma replays along with hints of green apple. Feels substantial in the mouth with bright acids and lengthy finish. Not your average rosé. Recommended if you prefer dry wines and if you don't like your rosé wines sweet. Score: 89 pts
The next LCBO Vintages release will be on shelves across Ontario on . This edition features 18 wines for pairing with various foods off the BBQ, while the secondary feature highlights 10 cool-climate Chardonnays to coincide with the upcoming 4th Annual International Cool-Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4c) that takes place in Niagara.
Only three of the eighteen BBQ wines made my list of wine picks, and two of those are recommended for pairing with veggies. First up is the just off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet) 2013 Wildass Rosé that is made by Stratus Vineyards in Niagara and is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Secondly is a Grenache, Syrah and Carignan blend from Château Saint-Roch in Midi that can be enjoyed over the next few years. And finally, the dry Small Gully Australian Shiraz is recommended for pairing with Smoky Baby Back Ribs, but I would say it can also go with beef, lamb, or other red meats off the BBQ.
Two wines from the secondary feature on cool-climate Chardonnay made my list below. Chardonnay tends to develop aromas and flavours of the produce grown in its surrounding climate. In cool climates, that tends to be crisp apple, pear, peach, nectarine, citrus, and orchard blossoms. There are 3 main factors in determining whether or not a Chardonnay is considered "cool-climate":
Latitude - The further away from the equator, the cooler the average temperatures
Altitude - Vineyards high above sea level, including on mountainsides or towering slopes
Maritime Influence - Large bodies of water, including lakes and oceans, have a moderating and cooling effect on vineyards
Furthermore, cool climate Chards tend to have brilliant acidity. The two cool-climate Chardonnays that made my wine picks are the locally made Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Chardonnay and the Domaine Dublère from Burgundy. Both of these wines are oaked, however, the wood is kept in check.
From the rest of the release, in red wines, the Crianza from Abad is made using the Mencía grape, while the Château de Panigon from the excellent 2010 Bordeaux vintage is a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. In white wines, the Pinot Bianco from Italy is made using the Pinot Blanc grape, which is actually a genetic mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. Also from Italy is the Fattori Motto Piane Soave that is made using 100% Garganega and was dried for 40 days - it shows some dried fruit notes, but is still dry (i.e. not sweet). And lastly, the dry rosé from E. Guigal is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.
That's all for this week. Enjoy my wine recommendations for any BBQs you might have coming up. Cheers!
Red Wine:
ABAD DOM BUENO CRIANZA 2006 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#244699) (XD) - $14.95
SMALL GULLY MR. BLACK’S LITTLE BOOK SHIRAZ 2011 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#287979) (XD) - $17.95
VIÑA TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2011 - Maipo Valley, Chile (#57513) (XD) - $17.95
CHÂTEAU SAINT-ROCH CHIMÈRES 2011 - AC Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, Midi, France (#119354) (XD) - $18.95
DEI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2010 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#285510) (XD) - $27.95
RIDGE MONTE BELLO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 - Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast, California, USA (XD) (#321174) (375 mL) - $85.95 or (#320945) (750 mL) - $159.95
This red wine was recently released into the LCBO General List. I received this wine sample last week and opened it up last night. It is made using 100% Tempranillo from 12-25 year old vines, and was partially aged in French oak.
RADIO BOKA TEMPRANILLO 2012 - DO Valencia, Spain (#376145) (D) - $11.00
Tasting Note:
Screw cap. Medium+ intensity nose with aromas of deli meats, cherry, strawberry and hints of milk chocolate. Full bodied with big, plumpy tannins. Plum, dark cherry, pruney and hint of cassis flavour profile. Green pepper notes develop with time. Slightly sweet, with good acids and a medium-long, slightly warm finish. Pretty good for $11. Score: 87 pts
Sunday, July 20, 2014
