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Vintages Value List - September 12, 2009

Greetings!

 

It is the traditional time when the LCBO promotes wines from our own backyard.  The Ontario wine industry has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few decades.  

Gone are the days of Bright’s Unleaded, and today we can enjoy the fruits of some very talented grape growers and winemakers.  Ontario wine has the VQA designation now – informing consumers that the wine is made exclusively from Canadian grapes.  BUT, the vines are relatively young and there is stiff competition from abroad. 

Recently overheard, “Why would I pay $17 for a bottle of so-so red from Prince Edward County, when I can get a decent bottle of red from Chile for $7?”   

Good point, but if you want to support your local economy and try to consume as much local fare as possible and  drink wine, then you must start trying the wines from Ontario!  This is a great time to do so because 2007 was a stellar vintage in Ontario and wines made from those grapes are being released now.

 

Here are our picks:

 

WHITE WINE

129817 Oak Heights Estate Chardonnay 2007 (VQA) Niagara Peninsula $14.95

Distinct creamy buttery notes segue into a slight bitter edge.  Oak is present, but not overwhelming – in fact we rather liked it.  Upon further investigation learned that this wine is only aged in Canadian oak barrels!  Another interesting tidbit about Oak Heights is that the winery is located in Northumberland (close to Peterborough).  They sourced Niagara grapes for this wine.  The boundary just expanded for those of you on the 100-mile diet!

 

RED WINE

143545 Le Clos Jordanne Talon Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 (VQA) Niagara Peninsula $37.00

Absolutely delicious!  Floral notes, plum and berries abound – but not overly.  This is dry and still a bit tight – so laying it down for a few years will be rewarded.

V V List Release January 17, 2009

Hello Everyone!

Wine from a very popular region is the feature this weekend – we're going to Argentina – a formidable wine producer on the global stage. Wines from Argentina tend to be big and bold – to be drunk with beef – cattle ranching being another predominate industry of the region. Argentina produces Malbec – a wine that has gained a huge following over the past several years. Vintages is bringing us more than the ubiquitous Malbec this time – check out our picks below:

WHITE WINES

591743 Bodega Lurton Reserva Chardonnay 2008 (Argentina - $14.95)

From the Lurton brothers this Chard packs a punch of mouth filling peach and tropical fruit and smoky oak flavours. Pair with chicken dishes.

55475 J & F Lurton Flor De Torrontés 2007 (Argentina - $13.95)

Hail the brothers Lurton, yet another beauty – Torrontés the little white hero of Argentina offering up floral aromas, refreshing acidity and peach pit flavours. Serve as an aperitif, or just sip!

Hello and welcome to the Vintages Value List in 2009!

We hope you were all able to decant and drink some decent quaffers with family and friends over the holidays. The new year has arrived and some of you may now be on a "cleansing" program to give your liver a break and perhaps shed a few of the shortbread-induced extra pounds. While some of you are "cleansing", we are willing to bet that most of you are paring down your expenditures in the wake of the economic doom & gloom that we face daily in the media and the recent memory of the Boxing Day shopping trip charged to your credit card. Well, Vintages is in tune with your current state and has put together a release for January 10^th with the title: SMART BUYS. The upcoming release brings us a plethora of well-priced wine gems from around the world. Here are our picks:

White

801571 Alamos Chardonnay 2007 (Argentina - $13.95)

Apple and pear aromas/flavours and smoky, toasty notes. Good value in this number!

922203 D'Arenberg The Stump Jump White 2007 (South Australia - $14.95)

Fresh and fruity with floral aromas, following through on the palate with lively citrus, gooseberry and mineral notes. Makes for an awesome sipper.

V V List Release Saturday December 6/2008

Hello Everyone!

We kind of jumped the gun last newsletter – we thought there were no more Vintages releases until January – but we were wrong. The Dec 6^th release focuses on all things "fine" with the emphasis on "fizz" and other iconic wines. Collectors are anticipating this release and if you have 'collectors' on your gift list – head out to a Vintages and seek the advice of a product consultant. Guaranteed they will be enthusiastic over the wines in this release. We have not mentioned many of them here as they are priced well over the "value list" criteria.

This week's value picks are:

FIZZ

616441 Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catharine Brut (VQA) $29.95

A fine, fine sparkling wine from our own backyard. It offers everything you could ask for in a sparkling wine – a dry, clean finish, long lasting bubbles, with citrus and mineral notes on the palate.

WHITE WINES

81621 Valdivieso Reserva Chardonnay 2006 (Chile) $17.95

Subtle aromas of peach, pear, and some lanolin soft and creamy on the palate, makes for easy drinking or matched with a creamy chicken dish.

735241 Balthasar Ress Riesling Kabinett 2007 (Germany) $18.95

Medium Sweet that is big and flavourful with good acidity. Excellent sipper!

81836 Schloss Schönborn Riesling 2001 (Germany) $15.95

Medium sweet, petrol and floral aromas with some citrus notes. This Riesling will reward some cellar life 2-3 years. This is a good example of humble QbA wines from a good house, are capable of cellar life. 10% alcohol content makes this a good party starter or finisher.

RED WINES

83683 Goulart Reserva Malbec 2006 (Argentina) $18.95

This is not your typical Malbec from Argentina. It is quite fruity up front and then settles down to a lovely earthiness on the finish. Cherry & mint flavours predominate.

V V List release Saturday Nov. 22/2008

Well you may or may not have noticed that there was an absent Vintages Value List coming at you two weeks ago. Rose & I started out with the best of intentions. But when we started walking over to the tasting room and the weather was so sunny and warm, we pulled a 180 and went down to the lake and gazed into the sunshine marvelling at the mild clime in NOVEMBER!!! That seems like ancient history because we shovelled our way out to get to work this morning …

Unfortunately we missed out on the Bordeaux release and we just tasted the final release for 2008 – the one before Christmas – where values are sparse as Vintages pulls out the big, pricey guns to fire off the holiday season. Don't despair – there is still plenty of great wine to be had!

We also recommend that you ask the Product Consultants in the Vintages section for recommendations in your price range, varietal or occasion. They are always happy to offer up assistance and are often aware of special releases (Rapid Releases) that come into Vintages outside of the traditional release catalogue.

This week's value picks are:

WHITE WINES

77693 Amayna Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (Chile) $20.95

Here is a big-ass Sauvignon Blanc featuring aromas of citrus, nectarine and herbal notes with a smoky grapefruit citrusy palate rounding off with lime zest on the finish. Quite fresh and crisp.

390203 Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2006 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) $21.95

Peach, pear, citrus and toasty oak in harmony on the palate with good acidity to carry it through, making it a well rounded Chard.

SPARKLING WINES

558825 Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad (Spain) $37.95

Big on aromatics of toasty nuts, peach and mineral, replaying on the palate with a nice creamy mouth feel. Excellent priced sparkler for the holiday season!

V V List release Saturday Oct. 25, 2008

Hello Everyone!

Winter's coming and the cooler weather is directing our palates toward red wines and social gatherings to ward off the chill in the air. I know we just got through Thanksgiving and all the excess of food, wine and family dysfunction that comes with that holiday; but the cooler weather calls for even more togetherness. Social gatherings with friends and family warm the spirits – a much needed cure for the shorter, colder, darker days that come with the onset of winter. We don't mean to sound so depressive – but a good bottle of wine at a good price shared with chums is bound to buoy you!

This week's value picks are:

WHITE WINES

681247 Flat Rock Cellars Chardonnay 2006 (Ontario) $16.95

Big on tropical fruit, ripe peach and fresh green apple with a subtle hint of oak.

677450 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (New Zealand) $21.95

This is a classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. For those of you that adore that varietal from this fine wine producer, pick this up – you will not be disappointed. Lots of guava, fresh cut grass and citrus notes.

SPARKLING WINES

907568 Graham Beck Blanc De Blancs Premier Cuvée Brut 2005 (South Africa) $21.95

Alas South Africa made it on our list! This sparkler is a sure pleaser featuring crusty baked bread, citrus and candied apple on the finish.

V V L Release Saturday Sept. 27, 2008

Hello Everyone!

It has been a rough ride for the economy in the past little while and it doesn't appear that the situation will ease any time soon. SO, it is now – more than ever – that we need the Vintages Value List. We need it to help ease the pain of shrinking portfolios, the spectre of the slowing economy and shrinking wallets. Sure there are cheaper wines from the "other" side of the LCBO – but where is the discovery, the thrill of finding the Vintages release product that is still available and won't break the bank? You don't have to settle for mediocrity in these hard economic times – Vintages has a many reasonably priced wines. Don't compromise – if you can!

That being said, the focus of this week's release is Burgundy and the pinot noir and Chablis present strains to the pocketbook as most of them are well over $30. Don't despair – there is more to this week's release.

WHITE WINES

88864 Ridgepoint Medium Dry Riesling 2006 (VQA Niagara) $15.00

This Riesling has a nice mineral note, apple and fresh lemony juicy acidity rounding off nicely on the palate.

1578 Flat Rock Cellars Twisted 2007 (VQA Niagara) $17.15

Twisted is quirky, fun and out there, 60% Riesling, 20% Chardonnay and 20% Gewurztraminer featuring aromas and flavors of exotic fruits, peach and apricot and some citrus. This is a sure sipper or paired with light fare.

RED WINES

630616 Santa Barbara Winery Syrah 2005 (California) $20.95

Large, round and mouth-filling. Lots of big, black fruit and a touch of oak. This is from a cooler Cali clime, so it isn't a total fruit bomb – just concentrated.

VV List Release Saturday August 30, 2008

Greetings!

Spain & Portugal are the featured wine regions for this Saturday's release. These regions offer great diversity of styles. Spanish wines have a longer history of winemaking than most wines from Portugal, but both countries have modernized their centuries old winemaking traditions towards the end of the 20^th century. The result of these efforts is finely crafted wines that are much sought after all across the planet. We were quite pleased that the Spanish wines fell within our price range and were pleasantly surprised by the sophistication exhibited by the Portuguese wines. Of course, there are many more wines from around the globe on offer as well. This week's list is quite long – it was a joyous session in the tasting room and we found it quite difficult to come up with a short list.

WHITE WINE

70656 Pacific Rim Dry Riesling 2006 (Washington) $14.95

Petrol nose, a sure sign of a good Riesling with flavours of apricot, peach, some lime and mineral. Well priced for a Washington state wine.

709790 Martin Steimer Gewürztraminer 2006 (Alsace, FR) $18.95

Wow, luscious aromas and flavours of honey, lychee and dried apricot. Full and round with fruit replaying on a lengthy finish. Pair with spicy dishes.

V V L Release Saturday August 16, 2008

(due to a technical hiccup, I'm posting this for Karen & Rose)

WHITE WINE

396986 Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay 2007 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) $14.95

Lush exotic fruit and mineral aromas leads to a mouth filling fresh and fruity palate with crisp acidity.

61895 Natura Chardonnay 2007 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) $15.95

Made with organically grown grapes this number shows refreshing citrus and apple with toasty vanilla, and a full mouth feel. This won't disappoint.

421016 Jekel Vineyards Gravelstone Chardonnay 2006 (Monterey, California) $15.95

A well balanced Chardonnay that is big on aromatics, on the palate offering bright fruit and a touch of oak.

73437 Fattoria Laila Verdicchio Dei Castelli Jesi Classico Superiore 2006 (Marche, Italy) $15.95

Lemony with crisp refreshing acidity and some bitterness on the finish. It may not please all palates, but worth a try. Great patio sipper paired with a refreshing salad.

RED WINE

65458 Santa Rita Reserva Pinot Noir 2006 (Chile) $14.95

New world so totally Pinot, loads of black cherry jam, licorice. Definitely a try for those Pinot worshippers.

67215 Benziger Syrah (California) $18.95

Big black and inky with loads of dark fruit, full bodied and great character!

67801 La Puerta Bonarda Reserva 2005 (Argentina) $13.95

Big black fruit and vanilla notes and rich in flavour.

717959 Leone De Castris Maiana Salice Salentino Rosso 2006 (Puglia, Italy) $13.95

A good pizza wine featuring plum and dark berry and some pepper. Loads of flavour and well priced.

969469 Renzo Masi Chianti Riserva 2004 (Tuscany, Italy) $15.95

A well priced Chianti made in the traditional style featuring a mouth full of fresh berries, good acidity and tannins. Pair with Tuscan dishes.

981613 Finca Antigua Crianza 2004 (Spain) $15.95

A blend of Tempranillo, Cab. Sauv. Merlot and Syrah features intense berry fruit and some good toasty oak. Pair with casual grilled fare.

ALP

Rose & Karen

Vintages Value List for Saturday August 2, 2008

Hello Everyone!

Wine from South Africa is the feature of this Saturday's release. We are not huge fans of wine from this part of the world. More often than not the wine is tainted with brett – brettanomyces – a bacteria that gives wine a "band-aid" aroma/flavour or an earthy, creosote, stable type of aroma that we find most unpleasant.

Many of South Africa's wine making facilities are tainted with the bacteria and its proliferation continues despite concerted effort to abate it's spread. The jury is out on the desirability of brett's presence. Some believe that brett is the natural result of simple winemaking and others believe that it is an unattractive wine fault resulting from sloppy winemaking practices. We are in the latter camp and consequently much of what was present in the tasting room from South Africa didn't get past the initial nosing component of the tasting. This is not to say that all wine from South Africa is undesirable. Our favourite producer is Boekenhoutskloof (love the name!) and unfortunately the wines from this house are too dear to make it on the Vintages Value List. OK – enough blather on our dislikes. Here are this week's top picks:

RED WINE

79608 Domaine de L'Hortus Bergerie Classique Pic Saint Loup 2006 (Languedoc, FR) $17.95

Peppery, dry and full of bursting fruit flavour. Old world style. Blend = Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre.

427617 Chateau de Nages Reserve 2005 (Rhone, FR) $14.95

A meaty quaffer with a strong currant nose – full-bodied for sure!

14696 Raimat Tempranillo/Shiraz 2005 (Spain) $14.95

It's quite dark and dry – an interesting blend that calls out for grilled sausages or dark meat.

56267 Remo Farina Vigna Montecorna Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2004 (Veneto, Italy) $19.95

A great tasting wine with black cherry, chocolate and coffee notes. It's rather "large" in nature – not a lighter valpolicella at all!

WHITE WINE

82305 Domaine Bellevue Touraine Sauvignon 2006 (Loire, FR) $13.95

A classic herbaceous, asparagus-driven sauv. blanc. Good value here!

ALP

Karen & Rose