Featherstone Gemstone 2023 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a delicious, certified sustainable, and vegan-friendly blend of Cab Franc and Merlot from Niagara that made its debut at the LCBO last month in the July 19th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by the eco-friendly Featherstone Estate Winery that is situated in the Twenty Mile Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara Escarpment. It was founded in 1999 by Louise Engel and her winemaker husband, Dave Johnson.

In 2024, amidst their 25th anniversary, Featherstone changed hands and is now under the ownership of philanthropist Rayla Myhal and businessman George Myhal. Even though Featherstone is under new ownership, Rayla and George aim to build on the successes of the past and continue to produce distinctive, small-batch Niagara wines that are cultivated in soils that reflect the biodiversity of the Niagara Escarpment.

Since the beginning, Featherstone has prided itself on its eco-friendly practices in the vineyard and cellar. In addition to farming insecticide-free since its founding, the philosophy at Featherstone has always been based on respect for the land, which is at the heart of making wine that is true to its soil and site. Furthermore, as nutrients and minerals are exchanged and transformed in a give-and-take relationship between living soil organisms and plants, there is a mutually beneficial circle where the soil nourishes the vine, while farming practices nurture the soil. In 2023, Featherstone Estate Winery received their Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario (SWO) certification.

This red wine is a blend of 57.1% Cabernet Franc and 42.9% Merlot. The various parcels of grapes were harvested over a couple of weeks from Oct. 26 to Nov 10, 2023. Each component of the blend was individually vinified in their climate-controlled cellar. After undergoing alcoholic fermentation, the wine underwent 100% complete malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks to ensure freshness and bright fruit flavours. It was minimally oaked by spending only 2 months in oak barrels.

The growing season in 2023 featured a wet, dreary, and smoke-filled summer, which delayed harvest. It also featured an extended growing season that allowed for the development of ripe, concentrated primary fruit flavours and complexity, alongside firm tannins and finesse. Furthermore, the vintage produced bountiful fruit with a dry and warm fall that resulted in very good to excellent fruit quality, with impressive results for structured reds such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot - the two grapes comprising this red wine. Let's see how this 2023 Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend from Niagara is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

FEATHERSTONE GEMSTONE 2023 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#46055) (XD) - $17.95
This vegan-friendly blend of 57.1% Cabernet Franc and 42.9% Merlot is enclosed by Stelvin screw cap. The medium-high intensity nose is ripe and plummy with dark berry, currant, and peppery spice aromas, plus accents of cassis, black cherry, and subtle oak spice. The mid-weighted palate is dry and ripe with some jammy notes joining the plummy, black fruit, dark cherry, currant, cassis, and subtle oak spice characters. It has fresh and juicy acidity, along with ripe, lightly structured, and grainy tannins. Earthy and subtle oak spice notes with touches of dark cherry and herbs on the dry and savoury finish, with good length. Enjoy this recommended buy over next 2-3 years. Score: 88 pts

Many other delicious wines by Featherstone are available at the LCBO, while the entire portfolio can be ordered direct from the winery in Niagara.

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August 2, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Canadian Wines

Here are my top wine picks from the August 2, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (click here for digital edition), which features Canadian Wines from Coast to Coast as the theme of the release, while the mini-feature has a trio of wines from an Australian producer, and in Local Talent there's a look at wines from Lake Erie North Shore (aka LENS). The release is a bit on the small side with only 86 products offered, but there are quite a few nice wines, and everything should be readily available for purchase across the province.

We'll begin with the feature story about Canadian Wines from Coast to Coast. There are thirteen wines included as part of the feature, with half a dozen wines each from British Columbia and Ontario, plus one wine from Nova Scotia. Two of these wines are among my top wine picks - a Pinot Gris from British Columbia, and a Riesling from Niagara - and both have some natural sweetness to them.

My top red wine picks from the main release begin in the Rhône with a trio of fantastic wines, all blends. At the top of the list is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is composed of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. The Vinsobres is an unspecified blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, while the Luberon is an unoaked blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache that was vinified without adding sulfites. From Spain, the 2020 Rioja is 100% Tempranillo, while the 2015 Rioja is 95% Tempranillo with the balance made up of Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. From Italy, the Chianti Classico is crafted with mainly Sangiovese and a splash of Colorino, while the Cannonau di Sardegna is Grenache from Sardinia. On the local front, the wine from Niagara-on-the-Lake is a kitchen sink type of blend consisting of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Semillon, Syrah, and Sangiovese.

The only blend among my white wine recommendations from the main release is a Sicilian white crafted with 90% Catarratto and 10% Chardonnay. Other notable white wines include a Pecorino from Abruzzo, an Alvarinho from Portugal, and a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. There's also an Assyrtiko from Greece, a Grüner Veltliner from Austria, and a Chenin Blanc from South Africa. And lastly, the Pinot Gris from New Zealand is a touch off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet).

Among my top rosé wine picks, the rosés from Niagara and Sancerre (Loire) are both crafted with Pinot Noir, while the Tavel is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Clairette, Picpoul, and Syrah. Lastly, the Champagne is composed of 60% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• AMÉDÉE SANS SOUFRE AJOUTÉ LUBERON 2023 - AP, Rhône, France (#43529) (XD) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• ASKOS CANNONAU DI SARDEGNA 2023 - DOC, Sardinia, Italy (#36810) (XD) - $18.95
• VENTISQUERO GREY SINGLE BLOCK CARMENÈRE 2022 - Trinidad Vineyard, DO Valle del Maipo, Chile (#325415) (XD) - $19.95
• VILLA CERNA PRIMOCOLLE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2021 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#573501) (XD) - $19.95  90+ pts  wine review
• RHONÉA LES CONFLUENCES VINSOBRES 2022 - AC, Rhône, France (#43748) (XD) - $24.95  90 pts  wine review
• BERONIA VIÑAS VIEJAS 2020 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#16587) (XD) - $24.95
• PUELLES GRAN RESERVA 2015 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#30222) (XD) - $27.95
• STRATUS ALTO 2023 - Sustainable, Vegan, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#40108) (XD) - $28.95  90+ pts  wine review
• LAKEVIEW SYRAH 2020 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#49999) (XD) - $40.00
• RÉMY FERBRAS CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2021 - AP, Rhône, France (#15184) (XD) - $50.95  93 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• MAN FREE-RUN STEEN CHENIN BLANC 2024 - WO Cape Coast, South Africa (#126847) (XD) - $14.95
• MARKUS WALDSCHÜTZ KAMPTAL GRÜNER VELTLINER 2023 - Sustainable, DAC, Austria (#34245) (XD) - $17.95
• MATAHIWI ESTATE PINOT GRIS 2023 - Sustainable, Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand (#12679) (D) - $18.95
• TENUTE ORESTIADI RISERVA IL BIANCO DI LUDOVICO 2021 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#36478) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• LYRARAKIS VOILA ASSYRTIKO 2023 - Vegan, PGI Crete, Greece (#40446) (XD) - $19.95
• RIVER FARM SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#32547) (XD) - $21.95
• REDSTONE LIMESTONE VINEYARD SOUTH RIESLING 2023 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#381251) (M) - $22.95  90+ pts  wine review
• AVELEDA SOLOS DE XISTO ALVARINHO 2022 - Vegan, Vinho Verde, Portugal (#35465) (XD) - $24.95  91 pts  wine review
• MISSION HILL FAMILY RESERVE PINOT GRIS 2023 - BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#537076) (XD) - $25.95
• UMANI RONCHI CENTOVIE PECORINO 2023 - IGT Colli Aprutini, Abruzzo, Italy (#11108) (XD) - $27.95

Rosé Wine:

• DOMAINE DES CARTERESSES TAVEL 2024 - AC, Rhône, France (#739474) (XD) - $20.95
• MALIVOIRE VIVANT ROSÉ 2024 - Sustainable, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#498535) (XD) - $21.95  90+ pts  wine review
• JEAN-MAX ROGER LA GRANGE DÎMIÈRE SANCERRE ROSÉ 2024 - AC, Loire, France (#490813) (XD) - $30.95

Sparkling Wine:

• JEAN-NOËL HATON BRUT CLASSIC BLANC DE NOIRS CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#45411) (XD) - $59.95

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Eradus Sadie Rosé 2024 (New Zealand) - Wine Review

Tonight's rosé wine review is a lovely Pinot-based dry rosé from New Zealand that made its debut at the LCBO earlier this month in the July 5 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Eradus Wines, a family-owned winery that was established in the early 1980s by Har and Sophie Eradus. The Eradus family had emigrated from Holland and initially grew flowers in Auckland before moving to winegrowing in Marlborough, and then to Awatere Valley, which was mostly dryland sheep country with only a handful of pioneering winegrowers.

The Eradus family settled on a sliver of land that captured their imagination. The land was nestled between a higher terrace and the glacial river below, along with a guarding boundary of gnarled old macrocarpa trees. As fate would have it, their connection to the land was formed when Sophie cleared a shed on the property and found an old potbelly door with an embossed logo that entwined their initials - "H", "S" AND "E" - which inspired the Eradus wine label.

From the beginning, Har and Sophie desired to have the unique and wild terroir of the Awatere Valley to speak through their vines. Their first vintage, a 2002 Sauvignon Blanc from the Breloft Vineyard, has heralded a future of extraordinary wines that reflect the essence of the Awatere Valley.

In 2004, their son, Michiel, and his Kiwi wife, Hanna, took over the family business and to this day, remain committed to celebrating the unique terroir of this place. Their philosophy is to bend to nature and let the Awatere Valley imprint itself upon every Eradus wine. Knowing that good fortune led the family to this remarkable piece of land in a valley that is now globally acclaimed for its wines, the Eradus family's role has been to take this good luck and build it into vines and wines that pay homage to the Awatere Valley.

Dedicated to their super lady, Sadie, this dry rosé is crafted with 48% Pinot Gris, 48% Chenin Blanc, and 4% Pinot Noir from vines averaging 18-years-old that were grown on a slender terrace at the edge of the Awatere River that features a unique micro-climate and soil structure that consists of alluvial and river stone. This parcel of land is stony, dry, windy, and cool due to the influences of a fault line, a river, and the power of the nearby Pacific Ocean, and features the elements to create lively wines with elegance, minerality, and long finishing. In this wine, Eradus lets the untameable terroir of the Awatere Valley express itself through their vines and grapes. Completely vinified in stainless steel, this rosé brings together new world fruit and old world elegance and minerality.

While the 2024 growing season in New Zealand had uncertain weather at times, with yields down across the board, the quality of the fruit is said to be brilliant. The growing season began with some unpredictable weather during budburst and flowering, then settled down for a warm and dry (but not hot) summer, which led to drought conditions for most of the country. Cooler weather arrived in autumn, which helped cool the grapes and retain essential acidity and aromatics. From a vintage that produced clean and fresh fruit, let's see how this 2024 rosé from New Zealand is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

ERADUS SADIE ROSÉ 2024 - Awatere Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#43353) (XD) - $19.95
Enclosed by screw cap, this blend of 48% Pinot Gris, 48% Chenin Blanc, and 4% Pinot Noir pours a pale copper-orange colour. The fragrant, medium-high intensity nose has enticing and ripe aromas of grapefruit and orange citrus aromas nuanced with yellow fruit, red apple, strawberry, and raspberry, with touches of spice. It shows good weight and concentration on the dry, medium+ to medium-full bodied palate with flavours grapefruit, orange citrus, red apple, and red berry, plus touches of savoury spice and minerality. It has fresh, well-balanced, and juicy acidity, alongside a slightly textured mouthfeel. Citrusy, apple, red berry, and spice notes taper to savoury minerals on the long, succulent finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

Their Sauvignon Blanc is available at the LCBO, while other lovely wines by Eradus can be ordered through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.

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Evans & Tate Wild Cape Sauvignon Blanc 2022 (Margaret River) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a refreshingly delicious Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River. It made its debut at the LCBO earlier this month in the July 5 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

Like the 2018 Evans & Tate Hullabaloo Cabernet Sauvignon I enjoyed earlier this year, this white wine is produced by Evans & Tate, a winery whose roots were established in 1971 by two friends - John Evans & John Tate. In 1974, the friends and business partners purchased land and planted a vineyard in Wilyabrup, the heart of Margaret River, Western Australia, and named the vineyard Redbrook. Evans & Tate played pioneering roles in establishing Margaret River as a world-class wine region.

In 2012, Evans & Tate joined the Fogarty Wine Group portfolio of wine brands. The winemaking philosophy at Evans & Tate begins with accessing high-quality fruit and oak, as well as using state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. Senior Winemaker Matt Byrne, who has been at the helm of winemaking at Evans & Tate since 2001, continues to lead the team at Fogarty as they continuously strive to craft elegant wines which exhibit distinct regional characteristics and intense purity of fruit.

The Margaret River wine region is situated adjacent to the Indian Ocean and boasts optimal conditions for viticulture due to its proximity to the ocean, soil consistency, and generally perfect seasonal temperatures. Situated at an elevation of 295 feet above sea level, the Margaret River wine region features a high mean January (peak summer) temperature of 20.2°C, and a low mean annual temperature of 7.6°C, which translates to a pleasant year-around Mediterranean climate that is warm and dry during summer with cooling afternoon breezes, and a mild winter. The soil in the area is loamy sand and gravel, which was formed directly from underlying granite and gneissic rock.

Evans & Tate has been crafting Margaret River wines for over 50 years. Today, they have eight lines of wines ranging from fun-and-friendly to award-winning and sophisticated. This particular white wine is from their mid-range Wild Cape line. The Wild Cape range of three wines is a celebration of the raw beauty of Western Australia's southwest region and is inspired by the spectacular coastline and distinct regional characteristics of Margaret River wine. Adorning each label of Wild Cape wine is a dramatic photo by Andrew Semark that embodies the essence of the region where dramatic waves crash into the cape and world-class wines are produced in this remote, pristine part of the world. The photo that represents the Wild Cape Sauvignon Blanc is called ‘Void’ and captures the wave succinctly as "force, rare and relentless", terms which can also describe Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc as it offers a relentless wave of flavour with purity and energy, while showcasing the unique varietal characteristics of the region.

Crafted with 100% Sauvignon Blanc, the grapes for this white wine were picked at various times from small parcels in two vineyards in order to capture the myriad of aromas and flavours that Sauvignon Blanc vines produce at various ripeness levels. The grapes from the Karridale Vineyard were pressed upon arriving at the winery to soften acidity and to impart aromatic and textural complexity. The grapes from the Wilyabrup Vineyard were allowed to cold-soak on the skins for 24 hours before pressing and fermenting the clear juice. A small portion (13%) was allowed to undergo wild fermentation in used 500 L French oak puncheons to impart texture.

The growing season of the 2022 vintage began with a very wet winter, which led to good and healthy vine growth. The dry summer featured intense heat, which resulted in decreased yields. However, the dry, sunny days also provided a natural barrier to disease, while the extensive marri blossom kept bird pressure at bay. While some bunches suffered from sunburn, there were minimal challenges in the vineyard. Yields were lower than average, but the quality was the fruit resulted in outstanding wines. From a cracker of a vintage, let's see how this 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

EVANS & TATE WILD CAPE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#41435) (XD) - $19.95
Screw cap. Fresh and fragrant, the medium-high to highly aromatic nose delivers tropical fruit (passion fruit, guava), lime/lemon zest, citrus, and green herbal aromas with underlying savoury mineral and a touch of white floral. The medium+ weighted palate is dry and ripe with lime/lemon zest, passion fruit, guava, and herbs joined by mild spice notes. It has fresh and vibrant acidity, alongside a textured mouthfeel with good structure on the mid-palate. Lime zest, herbs, spice, and touches of mineral linger on the long, crisp finish. Chill well and enjoy this recommended buy on a hot summer day! Score: 89 pts

Other delicious wines by Evans & Tate are available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Eurovintage Wines & Spirits.

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Maturana Naranjo Torontel Orange Wine 2023 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely and highly-acclaimed orange wine (i.e. skin-fermented white) that arrived at the LCBO earlier this month and was featured on the back cover of the July 5th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Maturana Winery, a family-owned wine producer that was founded in 2010, after the great earthquake in Chile, by brothers José Ignacio and Sebastian Maturana. After the earthquake, the brothers decided that there was no time to waste in getting started on their great passion for viticulture and wine. Since the beginning, the Maturana brothers have produced unique, sustainably crafted wines which represent a way of life.

The core values at Maturana are based on innovation, differentiation, fair price, passion, rescue of heritage strains, and quality. With innovation, the goal is to capture the identity of the varieties and specific locations in order to bring out each of their best characteristics. Because Chile has been making wines in the same way for decades, Maturana welcomes differentiation as this is an opportunity to differentiate themselves from others. Maturana supports natural vineyard management and believes in horizontal growth by responsibly paying their growers, sometimes as much as seven times the market price per kilo. Passion is the drug that keeps the Maturana brothers going, and is personified by the Walt Disney phrase: "Dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." With a deep commitment to promoting the ancient vineyards of central Chile, Maturana aims to revive varietals such as País, Torontel, San Francisco, and others. Last, but not least, producing the best quality wines is their core value and goes hand-in-hand with their concept of creating something unique.

This unique orange wine is crafted with 100% Torontel from old vines that were planted ungrafted in 1935 in Loncomilla, within the Maule Valley. The grapes were selected and harvested by hand. It was vinified using traditional Orange Wine (or Amber Wine) methods whereby the white wine remains in contact with the grape skins. To craft this wine, the grapes were fermented and aged for 9 months in concrete eggs.

The 2023 growing season was a warm and somewhat challenging vintage for most of Chile, except for the mostly coastal areas. It began with a chilly and wet winter, followed by an equally cold spring. Vegetative growth was relatively prolific due to replenished water levels, while budburst and flowering was slow due to cold weather. Summer was sizzling as one of the hottest in decades, with fires breaking out in parts of the country, including Maule. Those that were lucky enough to be out of the fires' path avoided smoke taint and the drop in yields, with the result being good quality wines. Let's see how this 2023 Torontel Orange Wine from Chile is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

MATURANA NARANJO TORONTEL ORANGE WINE 2023 - Sustainable, Loncomilla, Valle del Maule, Chile (#556217) (XD) - $24.95
Pours a vivid orange colour. The medium-high intensity nose is deep and intense with lovely orange, white tea, and dried herb aromas accented with spice notes. The medium+ weighted palate is dry and spicy with bright and vibrant acidity lifting the orange, white tea, blossom, and herbally flavours. Stony mineral notes add interest and complexity on the textured mid-palate. Spices and herbs give way to tea and minerals on the long, juicy, dry, and fine-grained finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

One other wine by Maturana is available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.

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Les Dauphins Réserve Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023 (France) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely, certified sustainable, and vegan-friendly white wine blend that is predominantly Grenache Blanc and Viognier that arrived at the LCBO a couple of weeks ago in the July 5th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

Les Dauphins is one of several wine brands produced by Union des Vignerons des Côtes du Rhône (UVCDR), a co-operative winery that was founded in the southeastern French region of Drôme Provençale in 1965 by a group of local grower co-operatives. Together, they specialize in the production of an extensive range of AOC Côtes du Rhône, Villages, and Cru wines, thanks to the wealth of terroirs and grape varieties cultivated by their growers. The wines of UVCDR are crafted with the aim of encapsulating the beauty of their landscapes and the fabulous diversity of their Rhône Valley vineyards.

With its colourful, retro-style label, the Les Dauphins brand captures the "Joie de Vivre" of Paris in the Roaring 1920s, at a time when Paris was the festive capital of culture, and creativity was at its peak. The brand's origins go back to the 1920s, when family winegrowers in the region of Dauphiné joined forces in a co-operative style. The wines quickly became very popular because of their fruit-forward and palate-pleasing style.

The name "Les Dauphins" pays tribute to the terroir of the former Dauphiné province in southeastern France, where these wines originate from. The area, which has some of the Southern Rhône's best plots of vineyards, is bordered by the French Alps to the east, the Rhône River to the west and Provence to the south. The climate in this area is typically warm and sunny with little rainfall, while the soils range from stony clay-limestone to sandy soil.

Today, Les Dauphins wines are crafted by the new generations of winegrowers in the southern Rhône Valley as they work together with care and dedication to their terroir and by practicing environmentally-friendly viticulture. To obtain the unique style of Les Dauphins wines, the winemakers of Les Dauphins wines first select the plots among their vineyards, guide the vinification at their facilities, then select, blend, and age the best wines that will adorn the Les Dauphins label.

This white wine is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 40% Viognier, and 10% Marsanne. The grapes were grown in a vineyard situated in the southeast of France, around the village of Tulette, within the old historic region of Dauphiné, on two different soil types: clay-limestone soil formed of sedimentary rock and pebbles, and stony soil with a sandy subsoil. With careful attention throughout the winemaking process, the grapes were grown in carefully selected plots and picked at dawn in order to preserve a pale colour, crunchy aromas, and freshness. It was aged for 4 months to increase drinking pleasure and soften the wine.

The 2023 growing season in the southern Rhône was very good for white wine varieties. The season began with a very dry start from January to March. Bud burst was relatively late (early April), while the Mistral winds were often influential from early April to flowering in mid-May. Following some welcoming late-spring rains in May and June, the summer months were warm and arid, reaching a climax of 43°C on August 22nd, and the fierce heat remained until the end of the month. White varieties were picked from mid-to-late-August. It was a season well-suited for vines planted in clay soils, rather than sandy soils. Let's see how this 2023 Côtes du Rhône Blanc is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LES DAUPHINS RÉSERVE CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, Vegan, AC, France (#18600) (XD) - $14.95
Screw cap. Blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 40% Viognier, and 10% Marsanne. The medium+ to medium-high intensity nose is open and ripe with lovely yellow apple, pear, and lemon citrus aromas nuanced with white peach, melon, mealy, leesy, and vanilla. The dry, medium+ to medium-full bodied has good weight with delicious, ripe yellow fruit, apple, pear, citrus, leesy, spice, white peach, and vanilla flavours. Gently spicy on the mid-palate along with fresh and juicy acidity. Yellow orchard fruit and leesy notes with touches of vanilla linger on the long, very satisfying finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other delicious Les Dauphins wines are available at the LCBO, and can also be ordered through their Agent - Churchill Cellars Ltd.

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Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate Laborum Finca El Retiro Torrontés 2023 (Argentina) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is an excellent, high-altitude, and single vineyard Torrontés from the Cafayate Valley in Salta, Argentina, that arrived at the LCBO earlier this month in the July 5 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

Established in 2000 by the Romero Marcuzzi family, Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate is one of the benchmark wineries in the high-altitude Cafayate Valley wine region of Argentina. While El Porvenir is relatively new, its roots go back to the 1970s as the first winery was located in Tolombón, a few miles outside Cafayate.

The name 'El Porvenir' means 'future' and embodies the paradigm of Cafayate wine - the fusion between permanent innovation and great respect for the identity and unmistakable character of the Cafayate terroir. El Porvenir is part of a generation of wineries that emerged at the end of the 20th century with the transformation of the Argentine wine industry, the reconversion of Salta's viticulture and the projection of Cafayate wines to the world.

Since 2013, El Porvenir has been led by Lucía Romero Marcuzzi, a vintner, entrepreneur, mother, and third-generation vineyard owner who was born and raised in Salta and took her first steps at her grandfather's finca. With Lucia's hands-on approach, this female-led, family-run project is rewriting the legend of Cafayate. The philosophy at El Porvenir is based on a deep respect and love for their terroir in Cafayate, and is reflected in the wines.

Cafayete is a small, isolated, and elevated valley known for its stunning red rock formations. It is located 180 km (111 miles) south of the city of Salta and features a unique terroir that ensures high-quality and healthy grapes. The Cafayete Valley has an extreme desert climate, along with poor soils, warm days and cool nights, very little rainfall, and plentiful sunlight, all of which, when combined, allow El Porvenir to practice integrated, sustainable, and organic viticulture at high-altitudes between 1,750 and 2,500 metres above sea level. Furthermore, because these vineyards are among the highest in the world, the height and thermal amplitude (i.e. diurnal temperature range) are the elements that significantly influence the growth of the vine and impart unique characteristics to the grapes.

Like the previous vintage, this white wine is crafted with 100% Torrontés that was grown at El Porvenir's oldest vineyard - Finca El Retiro. The vineyard is located at the high-altitude of 1,650 metres above sea level in the Cafayate Valley, Salta, and first planted in 1945 uses both pergola and parral vine-training techniques. Harvest was carried out manually over three periods - the first week of February, and the first and last weeks of March - in order to obtain different layers of complexity. The clusters of grapes were harvested, placed into 20 kg bins, and brought to the winery for cluster selection. It was vinified by whole-cluster pressing and underwent alcoholic fermentation using selected yeasts for 30 days at relatively cool temperatures between 11°C and 13°C. The wine was aged on its fine lees for 3 months, then underwent débourbage (clarifying) and final blending in September prior to bottling.

I enjoyed the 2022 Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate Laborum Finca El Retiro Torrontés about 18 months ago, and I am expecting this vintage to be even better. The 2023 growing season in Argentina was a bit of a rollercoaster, with recent years influenced by La Niña leaving the country in an unnatural state of drought, as well as being influenced by the southern pole. After devastating spring frosts during budburst, which cut yields in some parts of the country, the season settled into warm, dry days, with summer being one of the hottest and driest in years, which resulted in the grapes ripening quickly. Vineyards at high altitudes (such as those in Salta) benefited from high diurnal temperature variation, which helped retain acidity and aromatics. Due to the heat, the resulting harvest was a little earlier than normal. From what is considered to be an excellent vintage for high-altitude white wines, let's see how this 2023 Torrontés from the Cafayate Valley in Salta is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

BODEGA EL PORVENIR DE CAFAYATE LABORUM FINCA EL RETIRO TORRONTÉS 2023 - Valle de Cafayate, Salta, Argentina (#489179) (XD) - $19.95
Screw cap. Delicately lifted and fresh, the medium-high to highly aromatic nose offers green herbs, ripe kaffir lime citrus, and lemongrass aromas nuanced with hints of tropical fruit, guava, blossom, and pithy fruit, with touches of leesy minerality. The medium+ to medium-full bodied palate shows impressive weight, concentration, and structure in a tangy flavour profile of ripe lime citrus, green herbs, lemongrass, and tropical fruit flavours, plus some peppery spice and leesy notes. It has crisp, juicy, and well-structured acidity. Leesy minerals carry you through to the long, savoury finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines by Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate can be ordered through their Agent - Eurovintage Wines & Spirits.

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