Mar. 21 LCBO Wine Picks: Cali Icons + Southwest France

The next LCBO VINTAGES release will be on shelves this Saturday, March 21st. The major theme of this release highlights many of the biggest names in California's wine scene and is titled "Cali Icons". As such, we find many high-priced wines that are beyond the reach of most people. However, if you have the deep pockets or are really into wine, there are 5 wines worth your attention and all are north of $70.

First up is the Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon that hails from the Santa Cruz Mountains and contains 14% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc - it will drink well for the next 6-7 years. The Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon is organic & biodynamic and almost all Cab with just dashes of Petit Verdot (5%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Merlot (1% ). The Cade Cabernet Sauvignon is also all Napa Valley fruit, but specifically from Howell Mountain, and includes 7% Merlot to round out the blend. The Dominus is the most expensive wine in the release and it is composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc and can be enjoyed over the next decade. Lastly, the Cakebread Dancing Bear Ranch is available as part of the Flagship Store Exclusive release and contains 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot.

The mini-theme of this release features 6 big, food-friendly wines from Southwest, France. From this portion of the release, only a premium Cahors made the list - a red wine that is 100% Malbec from vines that are 60+ years old.

If you're looking for quality red wines under $20, this release is a little light. However, there is a big 100% Xinomavro from Greece that could be aged for at least another 10 years. There is also traditional Bordeaux-blend from Ontario - a 2012 Cab Franc/Cab Sauv/Merlot blend from Pondview. Actual Bordeaux wines that are worth considering are a Cab Sauv/Merlot blend from Les Charmes de Magnol and a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot (60/35/4/1%) from iconic Château Pontet-Canet.

In white wines, the only blend is from Rhône's E. Guigal and it consists of 65% Viognier, 15% Roussane, 10% Marsanne, 8% Clairette, and 2% Bourboulenc. For sweet wine lovers, you'll want to check out either Riesling from Germany or Ontario, or the Pinot Gris from Alsace.

Enjoy my wine picks for this week. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• CASTELLO DI AMA RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2009 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#403824) (XD) (375 mL) - $16.95
• BOUTARI GRANDE RESERVE 2008 - PDO Naoussa, Greece (#140111) (XD) - $17.95
• PONDVIEW RESERVE CABERNET/MERLOT 2012 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#307561) (XD) - $18.95
• LES CHARMES DE MAGNOL 2010 - AC Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#403709) (XD) - $18.95
• CHAKANA ESTATE SELECTION RED BLEND 2012 - Mendoza, Argentina (#322602) (D) - $26.95
• CHARLES CIMICKY RESERVE SHIRAZ 2012 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#685594) (XD) - $31.95
• CHÂTEAU PINERAIE L’AUTHENTIQUE CAHORS 2011 - AC, Southwest, France (#408294) (XD) - $39.95

• RIDGE ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 - Monte Bello Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA (#089284) (XD) - $73.95
• GRGICH HILLS ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#071407) (XD) - $80.95  reviewed here
• CADE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 - Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA (#325027) (XD) - $112.95
• CAKEBREAD DANCING BEAR RANCH CABERNET SAUVIGNON/CABERNET FRANC 2011 - Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA (#220459) (XD) - $159.95  Flagship Store Exclusive
• CHÂTEAU PONTET-CANET 2011 - 5e Cru, AC Pauillac, Bordeaux, France (#297739 / #300335 / #297747 / #298885) (XD) - $174.85
• DOMINUS 2011 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#212381) (XD) - $176.95

White Wine:

• RABL LÖSS GRÜNER VELTLINER 2013 - DAC Kamptal, Austria (#295709) (XD) - $14.95
• CAPE POINT VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013 - WO Cape Point, South Africa (#285221) (XD) - $15.95
• DR. HERMANN ERDENER TREPPCHEN RIESLING KABINETT 2010 - Pradikätswein, Mosel, Germany (#402420) (S) - $17.95
• E. GUIGAL CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2013 - AC, Rhône, France (#290296) (XD) - $18.95
• WOLFBERGER SIGNATURE PINOT GRIS 2013 - AC Alsace, France (#398172) (D) - $18.95
• FLAT ROCK NADJA’S VINEYARD RIESLING 2013 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#578625) (D) - $19.95  reviewed here
• TRIMBACH RIESLING 2012 - AC Alsace, France (#734517) (XD) - $21.95
• DOMAINE LE VERGER CHABLIS 2013 - AC, Burgundy, France (#181289) (XD) - $22.95
• SAINT CLAIR WAIRAU RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#415653) (XD) - $35.95
• CALERA CHARDONNAY 2013 - Mt. Harlan, Central Coast, California, USA (#968925) (D) - $49.95

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

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Vidal Wine Tasting

On March 4th, I attended an exclusive tasting of Vidal table wines at the iYellow Wine Cave. This tasting was born out of a conversation about Vidal between Angela Aiello and André Proulx at this very same venue back in January during a promotional event for Niagara Chilled. Krista Lamb and I were nearby and eventually got involved in the discussion. The conversation eventually led to André proposing a tasting of Vidal table wines to see how they fared.

There were 6 Vidal wines available for tasting on this Wednesday evening. All the wines were brown-bagged so we could taste them blind. However, we were told that all the wines were from Ontario and ranged in vintage from 2011 to 2013. Looking at the labels of each of the wines at the conclusion of the tasting, I couldn't help but notice that all the wines were designated VQA Ontario. If I'm not mistaken, the fruit for five of the six wines came from Niagara, while the fruit for the Monarch came from Pelee Island.

The results from tasting the wines blind was interesting. In general, these Vidal wines all featured varying degrees of sweetness, ranging from just off-dry (slightly sweet) to semi-dry (quite sweet). Furthermore, the palates were generally light-to-mid-weight. The biggest surprise I discovered on this night was the balanced acidity. Generally speaking, Icewine made with Vidal tends to lack the acidity desired to balance the sweetness, while also making the wine have a somewhat flabby mouthfeel. However, when sugar levels are lowered, in cases such as the below table wines, the acids are quite balanced.

We tasted the wines in the order listed below. Bottles #2 and #3 seemed off to my nose and may require re-tasting at a future date when visiting the winery. It was interesting to note that André's favourite was the first wine (Lailey Vidal 2011), while Angela and myself preferred Sandbanks Dunes Vidal; Krista's favourite was a toss up between these two wines. The Sandbanks version is a good, cheap alternative for those who prefer sweet wines and want to try something else other than a Riesling.

If you're interested in purchasing any of these wines, all are available through the winery, while the wines from Pelee Island and Sandbanks are readily available at the LCBO.

Lastly, thank you Andre for proposing the idea, arranging the tasting and securing the wines. Also thank you Angela for hosting us at your fantastic Wine Cave. And finally, thank you to all the wineries who provided the samples for us to taste.

LAILEY VINEYARD VIDAL 2011 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#) (D) - $12.20
Medium intensity nose featuring floral, wild herb, iodine and acetone aromas. It's light-to-mid weight on the viscous palate with off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet) wildflower, green melon notes. Mouthfeel has a chalky mineral texture, while acids are balanced. Medium-long finish that is a little warm. Score: 86 pts

SUE-ANN STAFF VIDAL 2011 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#) (MD) - $13.95
Unpleasant, medium intensity, oxidized aromas of egg and funk. The light-to-medium bodied palate is quite different with quite sweet fruity, floral, and melon flavours and a slightly chalky mouthfeel. Balanced acids tone down the semi-dry sweet flavours, while the finish is short. Score: 82 pts (flawed bottle?)

REIF ESTATE VIDAL 2012 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#) (XD) - $10.95
Medium intensity nose, oxidized, with underlying orchard apple and poached pear aromas. Medium bodied palate comes off as extra dry due to high acidity. Hints of apple flavour profile and finishing short. Score: 80 pts (flawed bottle?)

PELEE ISLAND MONARCH VIDAL 2012 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#393405) (D) - $10.95 $9.45
Blend of 85% Vidal and 15% Geisenheim. Nose was somewhat closed but showed subtle off-dry hints of melon, honeysuckle, floral notes. Palate is light-to-mid weighted and quite sweet with melon, honey flavours which taper off on the long, bitter finish. Crisp, balanced acids with good balance overall. Currently on sale until March 29th. Score: 87 pts

LAILEY VINEYARD VIDAL 2013 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#) (D) - $12.20
Slightly oxidized with a nose that seemed closed but showed hints of floral, wild herb, grass, gooseberry aromas. Medium-to-full bodied on the palate with a chalky mineral texture and flavours consisting of floral and pink grapefruit. Palate begins off-dry, but tapers off into the dry (i.e. not sweet) zone. Balanced acids and lengthy finish. Score: 85 pts

SANDBANKS ESTATE DUNES VIDAL 2013 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#110031) (M) - $12.95
Very focused medium+ intensity aromas of wildflower and honey. The palate is medium bodied and medium in sweetness with exotic wildflower, Flintstones vitamin flavours and a slightly chalky texture. It has balanced, vibrant acids and a long, focused finish. Score: 88 pts

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Sula Vineyards & Fratelli Indian (Nashik) Wine Reviews

On my recent trip to India, I had plans to visit India's Wine Capital - Nashik. Located in the state of Maharashtra, less than 200 km northeast of Mumbai - about 2.5 hours by car - an overnight trip to the region was in the cards. Unfortunately, those plans had to be cancelled.

Getting tired of drinking India's most popular alcoholic beverage - Whisky - I ended up purchasing a bottle of Sula's Chenin Blanc from an outlet within a local grocery store in Mumbai. Knowing how much I loved wine, my Uncle also purchased two other Indian wines from a liquor store nearby in Dadar East.

This was my first time tasting Indian wines. All of the wines below are on the low-end of the price scale, and it shows. Here are wine reviews of three Indian wines I tasted while in India, with the Chenin Blanc and the Shiraz blend relatively quite enjoyable.


SULA VINEYARDS CHENIN BLANC 2014 - Nashik, India (#) (M) - Rs. 550 ($11 CAD)
Screw cap. Elegant aromas of medium intensity with sweet notes of pineapple, honey, elderflower and lime citrus notes. Palate is medium bodied and medium-dry sweet (i.e. medium sweet) with lemon/lime, floral, honeysuckle flavours. Lacking a bit of acidity with a medium+ length finish that tapers off into the dry zone with a slight bitterness. Tasted February 24, 2015. Score: 86 pts

SULA VINEYARDS SATORI MERLOT MALBEC - Nashik, India (D) - Rs. 520 ($10.40 CAD)
Manufactured July 2013, so I assume 2013 vintage. Screw cap. Medium intensity nose with grapey, dried red fruit, raisin, black cherry, sweet ripe red fruit aromas. Integrated, rounded tannins, Palate is sweetish with black fruit, dried fruit, raisiny flavours. Balanced acids, while tannins are rounded and integrated well. Average length finish, Easy drinking wine for those that prefer sweeter red wines. Personally, I didn't feel any "Satori" or sudden enlightenment. Tasted February 28, 2015. Score: 83 pts

FRATELLI CLASSIC SHIRAZ - Nashik, India (XD) - Rs 485 ($9.70 CAD)
Manufactured March 2014, so I assume 2014 vintage. An unspecified Shiraz blend (2013 vintage was 80/20 Shiraz/Cab Franc.) Screw cap. Medium+ intensity aromas featuring black pepper, plum and milk chocolate aromas, along with hints of raisin. Medium bodied, sweet ripe fruits, red & blue fruits, and subtle oak spice, milk chocolate flavours. Tannins are refined and smooth, while acids are balanced. Medium length finish that is smooth, yet a touch hot with slightly bitter chocolate and dried fruit notes. Quaffable and easy drinking. Tasted February 25, 2015. Score: 86 pts

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Creekside Iconoclast Niagara Syrah 2012 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is this lovely, locally made Syrah by Niagara's own Creekside Estate Winery. This particular bottle arrived on my doorstep back in October, along with four other Creekside wines for review. However, since I had tasted this delicious red wine when I was at the winery in September, I held this one back to see how it would evolve. Five months later, here is what we have...

CREEKSIDE ICONOCLAST NIAGARA SYRAH 2012 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#) (XD) - $17.95

Tasting Note:
Screw cap. Medium+ intensity aromas with notes of plum, cracked black pepper, black currant and hints of chocolate. On the palate, it's medium bodied with dusty, refined tannins and plummy, dark currant, white pepper and vanillan flavours. It has a chalky mouthfeel, mouth-watering acids and very good length on the finish. Highly drinkable right now and could cellar up to 2018. Delicious! Originally created for licensees only, it was made available for purchase at the winery in September because their Estate Syrah was sold out. Score: 89 pts

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