No. 21: December 2, 2008

The 2009 edition of my 500 Best-Value Wines in the LCBO is now on sale. This new edition lists about 180 new wines, and is completely updated. It’s available from all good book stores and on-line at Chapters/Indigo and Amazon.ca.

In this issue:

• Wines from Vintages release, December 6, 2008
• Pointing ahead
• Some exceptional wines for the holidays
• New wines from Ontario wineries, featuring Creekside Estate Winery
  

Look for these Winepointer best-buys:

• Goulart Reserva Malbec 2006 ($18.95, Vintages main release, red wines)
• Kilikanoon ‘Killerman’s Run’ Shiraz-Grenache 2006 ($20.95, Vintages main release, red wines)
• Tenuta Viglione Primitivo 2003 ($19.95, Vintages main release, red wines)

For an explanation of the five-star rating system, click here.

Vintages release, December 6, 2008

This release, the last in 2008, has a number of special features: “Sparklers,” “Niagara’s stars,” and “The icons”—the last a selection of wines from high-profile producers and regions. This issue of Winepointer starts with these features, then goes on to the main release. Look for Le Clos Jordanne wines in the Vintage release and in the “Pointing ahead” section.

Sparkling wines

Inniskillin Sparkling Icewine 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $69.95 (86884)
It’s iconic enough to go in the “The Icons” feature, stellar enough to go in the “Niagara’s Stars” feature, but here it is, in the “Sparklers” section. As decadent as hell, this ultra-sweet icewine is characterized by a good dose of acidity and the bubbles, both of which dial down the sugar. But with its rich pungency and mouth-coating viscosity, it’s still as decadent as hell.

“Niagara’s Stars” feature

White wines

Konzelmann Vidal Icewine 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $65.00/375mL (476192)
Rich and opulent, it delivers intense, pungent flavours that flow like cool, layered lava across your palate. The acidity, evident on the attack and persistent through to the finish, cuts the viscosity nicely and makes this a great partner for the usual suspects, such as seared foie gras and briny blue cheese.


Le Clos Jordanne ‘Village Reserve’ Chardonnay 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $30.00 (33936)
This is my kind of chardonnay, the style that combines intense and structured fruit with up-front acidity that’s bright and clean. The acidity drives the fruit here, but integrates with it at the same time, in a harmonious partnership. Quite delicious, this is drinking well now and will easily hold for another five years. Enjoy it with rich poultry dishes.

Red wines

Le Clos Jordannne ‘Village Reserve’ Pinot Noir 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $30.00 (33894)
This is a fine, well-made pinot noir that delivers elegance along with solidity. The flavours are well-tuned and structured, and they’re complemented by well-managed acidity that makes this a wine for food. Pair it with duck breast or grilled lamb.


Château des Charmes Equuleus 2005
VQA St. Davids Bench $40.00 (319525)
A blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon and 25% each of cabernet franc and merlot, this delivers a plush, well-structured flavour profile that covers a wide spectrum. There’s a broad seam of acidity that harmonizes with the flavour and contributes to the clean, refreshing texture. Ready now, it will hold another five to eight years. Drink it with well-seasoned red meats.


Fielding Estate Meritage 2005
VQA Niagara Peninsula $35.20 (85050)
This is a well-made blend that showcases the 2005 vintage. You get plenty of complexity in the flavour profile, which is dominated by ripeness and breadth. The texture is generous and smooth, the balance is very good, and the tannins supple. It’s ready for drinking now and for the next five or six years—with hearty red meat dishes.


Henry of Pelham Reserve Cabernet-Merlot 2005
VQA Niagara Peninsula $29.95 (395855)
This is a rich, textured Merlot-dominant blend that delivers a broad and layered flavour profile highlighted by a core of sweet, ripe fruit. The balance here is excellent, although the tannins need a little time to settle in. I would hold this a couple of years and drink it (with well-seasoned red meat dishes) from late 2010 through 2015 and maybe longer.


Tawse Pinot Noir 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $32.20 (54809)
This is a very attractive pinot noir that will pair nicely with lighter dishes, such as planked salmon. It delivers solid but somewhat delicate flavours of bright fruit, with a background dimension of pungency. A good, well-balanced level of acidity sets you up perfectly for food.

“The Icons” feature

White wines

Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay 2006
Napa Valley, California $57.95 (709717)
Rich, tangy and pungent, this is a delicious chardonnay with the density and flavour profile to handle dishes like seared scallops, lobster, and pork and poultry in rich sauces. The acidity is very well managed. It’s in fine balance with the fruit and contributes a refreshing character that’s so necessary with rich food.


Bouchard Père & Fils Meursault Genevrières 2006
AOC Meursault Premier Cru, France $101.95 (87049)
Here’s that irresistible combination of rich, intense fruit and a texture that’s at once mouth-filling and creamy, yet cut through by a broad seam of acidity that’s serious and well-calibrated. This is a fine chardonnay, elegant and substantial, that’s an excellent choice for rich seafood, poultry and pork dishes.

Rosé wine

Domaines Ott Rosé 2007
AOC Côtes de Provence, France $42.95 (74617)
Here’s a real challenge: a rosé for more than $40, when most people think of rosé as a fun, summery number that should come in at $15 or less. But rosé is taken more and more seriously, these days, and its popularity is on a steep rise. This one is quite remarkable, with great complexity in the flavours and terrific use of acidity. This is bright, fresh and substantial, a very good use of $42.95 when you’re stuck for something different to serve with Christmas turkey. Good for Vintages for buying it.

Red wines

Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Oakville, Napa Valley, California $140.95 (539098)
This is a gorgeous Napa cabernet that delivers across the board. The fruit is concentrated, well textured and nuanced, with excellent structure. The acidity supports it very well, and the whole is framed in tannins that are ripe, long and supple. It’s surprisingly harmonious already, and will drink well for another ten years and more. Serve it with a fine cut of red meat, grilled medium-rare.


Sterling Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Napa Valley, California $85.95 (92346)
This is 87% cabernet, with small percentages of petit verdot, merlot and syrah. It has all the style you look for in a cabernet: intense and complex flavours well balanced by acidity. They got it right with this one. The tannins are still too gripping, though, so put it away for three or four years, the enjoy it through to 2020.


Concha y Toro ‘Don Melchor’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
DO Puente Alto, Chile $61.95 (315176)
There’s a really attractive edgy note to this cabernet, which otherwise has a generous and quite plush texture. The fruit is ripe, layered, and well structured, and the tannins are ripe and supple. It’s excellent drinking now, and will hold another six years or more.


d’Arenberg ‘The Dead Arm’ Shiraz 2006
McLaren Vale, Australia $55.95 (981183)
This is a big, rich shiraz with well-defined flavours and good balance. It shows a lot of complexity and style, but the tannins still need a little time. You could drink it now (medium-rare lamb), but better to wait another year or two.


Elderton ‘Command’ Single Vineyard Shiraz 2004
Barossa Valley, Australia $96.95 (716142)
Big, bold and rich, this is an impressive shiraz for the force of its flavours and the impact of its full body. There’s stunning complexity here, and the promise of a fabulous wine once it unwinds. Right now, it’s tightly wound and hopelessly tannic. The catalog suggests 10-15 years’ aging, and this might well be what it needs. Buy if you’re under 65 years old.


Yalumba ‘The Menzies’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Coonawarra, Australia $49.95 (473645)
This is bold and elegant, impressive for the balance the winemaker has struck between the big, complex fruit profile and the broad seam of acidity that runs right through the palate. No sweet, sticky fruit here, just good structure and judicious calibration The tannins are well integrated and this is drinking well now.


Torbreck RunRig 2004
Barossa Valley, Australia $274.95 (997874)
This is a shiraz (96.5%) and viognier blend that combines sheer power in the fruit with a texture that’s silky smooth and generous. It’s a remarkable achievement, but you’ll have to wait at least another five years for the tannins to come around. Then you’ll enjoy the complex fruit and great balance embodied in this wine.


Château Ferrière 1995
AOC Margaux, France $129.95 (72124)
Even now, 13 years after vintage and six years after James Suckling recommends drinking it, this wine could still do with some aging. My tasting note suggests drinking from 2010. It’s richly flavoured, densely textured, and still in the grip of firm tannins. It’s going to be a winner with grilled or roast lamb.


Bouchard Père & Fils ‘Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus’ Beaune Grèves 2006
AOC Beaune Premier Cru, France $129.95 (43257)
Elegant and stylish, with a broad range of flavours in the fruit profile, this is a fine vintage of this wine. Look for medium-full weight, concentrated complexity, good focus, and excellent balance here. Give it three or four years, then drink it over the following ten.


Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006
AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France $90.95 (711317)
Full bodied and with full-on fruit, this will be wonderful to drink when it’s had time to integrate. Give it five or more years, and you’ll find massive complexity, a strikingly generous texture, and great balance. Beaucastel has established a lineage of excellence, and this vintage doesn’t deviate from it in the slightest.


Ornellaia 2005
DOC Bolgheri Superiore, Italy $158.95 (722470)
Another iconic candidate for the celebrity cellar, this is simply beautiful, with well-sculpted flavours and a plush, full texture. Again, it needs some time, and I’d give it five years before opening. Then enjoy it during the following 20.


Quintarelli ‘Ca’ del Merlo’ Rosso 2000
IGT Veneto, Italy $91.95 (958595)
This is a quite exceptional wine that had me dithering between four-and-a-half and five stars, before finally deciding to be mean-spirited. It’s a sort of four-and-seven-tenths-star wine. Look for elegance and finesse in the flavours, excellent management of the acid-fruit relationship, and a wonderfully rich texture. It’s drinking well now, and will hold another ten years.


Masi ‘Campolongo di Torbe’ Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2003
DOC Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Italy $93.95 (548677)
Big, bold, densely layered, concentrated, powerful… all that sort of stuff is going on here. It’s an impressive, full-bodied amarone that’s also stylish and elegant. But you’ll have to wait a bit for it to strut its stuff; it needs three or four years to unwind. Then drink it through 2020 and beyond.


Masi ‘Mazzano’ Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2003
DOC Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Italy $102.95 (546129)
Plush, elegant, and immensely complex in its flavour profile, this makes an excellent match for richly flavoured red meats and game. The balance is excellent and the tannins are firm but quite manageable. Drink it now—just—and over the next 12-15 years.

The main release

Fortified wines

Bodegas Hidalgo ‘Faraon’ Oloroso Sherry
DO Jerez, Spain $21.95 (87502)
Look for aged, pungent and complex fruit flavours here, lifted by good acidity. It’s dry and good to sip with roasted nuts and raisins.


Graham’s Crusted Port (bottled 2001)
DO Porto, Portugal $32.95 (726828)
This is really quite something. It delivers really attractive and delicious sweet fruit, light viscosity, and good balance, and it goes well with blue cheese or with dark chocolate. Crusted Port isn’t as common as it used to be, so this is a bit of a novelty. Decant it off its sediment before you serve it.

White wines

Malivoire Gewürztraminer 2006
VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario $26.00 (542522)
This is another fine Gewürztraminer from Niagara, where the variety has really come into its own in the last couple of years. This one is well-flavoured, with great acid-fruit balance and a fairly plush texture. Drink it with spicy chicken or pork dishes.


St. Supéry Moscato 2006
California $24.95 (398206)
This is a wine with delicate sweetness and some delicacy in its light-medium weight, too. It’s quite elegant and is delicious sipped alone as an aperitif (or while reading a novel about intricate relationships) or as an accompaniment to lightly spiced white fish or seafood.


Santa Rita ‘Floresta’ Sauvignon Blanc 2007
DO Leyda Valley, Chile $19.95 (680959)
From one of Chile’s coolest wine regions, this sauvignon blanc delivers bright, vibrant fruit that’s ripe and complex, with a broad seam of crisp, clan acidity. It’s a attractive and a great partner for grilled white fish and seafood.


Valdivieso Reserva Chardonnay 2006
DO Leyda Valley, Chile $17.95 (981621)
This is a beautiful, fresh-flavoured chardonnay, with a spine of juicy acidity that reflects the cool growing conditions of the Leyda Valley. The texture is crisp and this is just the sort of chardonnay you need to cut through cream-based sauces or oilier fish like salmon.


Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune du Château 2006
AOC Beaune Premier Cru, France $44.95 (88716)
This has a very attractive combination of solid, rich fruit and juicy acidity. They give the wine the heft to take on fairly substantial dishes like pork tenderloin and the texture to handle heavier sauces and condiments.

Red wines

Château Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Napa Valley, California $51.95 (718452)
Beautiful and classy, this is full bodied and full of complex, intensely flavoured fruit. With good structure and a smooth and generous texture, it’s a natural the next time you’re serving richly seasoned red meats.


Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Napa Valley, California $56.95 (14217)
This is a fine style of cabernet, one I really like. It has all the fruit intensity and balance you look for, but there’s an edginess to the texture that’s intriguing and attractive. The tannins are firm but manageable. Drink it now and over the next five-seven years, with rich red meat dishes.


Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Alexander Valley, California $33.95 (50427)
This has a lot of style. Yes, there’s plush fruit, a smooth texture, sleek tannins, but through it all there emerges a sense of opulence, perhaps in the richness of the texture. In this price range, it’s one of the best you’ll find.


Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Napa Valley, California $50.95 (111880)


Goulart Reserva Malbec 2006
Mendoza, Argentina $18.95 (83683)
This is a well-made malbec that delivers some intense flavours, good complexity, all balanced by a broad stream of refreshing acidity that tilts it toward food. It has good style and it’ll be a success with grilled or roasted red meats.


Kaiken ‘Ultra’ Malbec 2006
Mendoza, Argentina $22.95 (50849)
This is a big, richly flavoured and textured malbec. Look for ripe, plush and concentrated fruit, with a generous texture. Full bodied and moderately tannic, it needs substantial and well-flavoured food, like well-seasoned red meats.


Kilikanoon ‘Killerman’s Run’ Shiraz-Grenache 2006
South Australia $20.95 (9225)
With an exciting, tangy texture and full-on, well-structured fruit, this is a delicious blend from a premium producer. The tannins are nicely integrated, and this will enhance your enjoyment of grilled lamb or game.


Hardy’s ‘Eileen Hardy’ Shiraz 2003
McLaren Vale, Australia $88.95 (461368)
This is just delicious, a shiraz where every component is well managed and where harmony reigns. The fruit is ripe, plush and intricately layered, the acidity broad and consistent through the palate, and the tannins ripe, supple, and well integrated. It’s just—only just—drinking now, but you could well let it age another couple of years.


Kim Crawford ‘SP Te Awanga Vineyard’ Merlot 2004
Hawkes Bay, New Zealand $24.95 (99087)
Rich and plush, verging on fat, this soft-textured merlot goes well with strip loin steak. The flavours are nicely complex and structured, and the tannins supple.


La Cave La Référence Gigondas 2006
AOC Gigondas, France $21.95 (101353)
This is an impressive wine. Look for big, bold and plush flavours with good complexity and structure, a broad band of acidity that contributes a tangy texture, and ripe, manageable tannins. Drink it with well-herbed lamb, roasted or grilled medium-rare.


Renato Ratti ‘Marcenasco’ Barolo 2004
DOCG Barolo, Italy $57.95 (713479)
Look for intense flavours here, very up-front but well structured and covering a wide spectrum. The acidity is prominent, well calibrated and correct, and the tannins supple but still too firm. Give it another five years, then drink it through 2020.


Tenuta Viglione Primitivo 2003
DOC Gioia de Colle, Italy $19.95 (86165)
This is a very good wine that will help you enjoy well-seasoned red meats and hearty dishes with a tomato base. The flavours are rich and luscious and they’re very well balanced with refreshing acidity.

Pointing ahead

Look for these wines in forthcoming Vintages releases

Classics catalog, March 24, 2009

Le Clos Jordannne ‘Claystone Terrace’ Chardonnay 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $40.00 (36806)
There’s a lovely range of flavours here, with layers of bright fruit alternating with pungent. Intertwined is a seam of disciplined acidity that lifts the flavours and supports the structure. This is refreshing and well-sculpted, and a good choice for simply prepared white fish and poultry. You can also order this wine from www.leclosjordanne.com.

Classics catalog, March 24, 2009

Le Clos Jordannne ‘Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $40.00 (33910)
There’s lots of verve and enthusiasm in this vibrant-flavoured chardonnay, but it’s no flibbertigibbet, because it’s supported by well-structured fruit and acidity. Everything’s well proportioned and balanced here, from the complex fruit to the refreshing acidity, and it’s a good bet for richer poultry, pork and white fish dishes. You can also order this wine from www.leclosjordanne.com.

Classics catalog, March 24, 2009

Le Clos Jordannne ‘Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $40.00 (33902)
What’s immediately striking here is the sheer elegance of the texture. As the complex fruit flows, and just before the acid kicks in, there’s a split second when your palate is enveloped by a simple silkiness. Then come the full spectrum of the flavours, the edgy, balancing acidity, and the supple, drying tannins…. it’s an excellent experience. Try it yourself and enhance it with duck breast, cooked medium-rare. You can also order this wine from www.leclosjordanne.com.

Some exceptional wines for the holidays

No matter what your tradition at this time of year, you might want to seek out some unusual wines. Here are a few I’ve tasted recently. Of course, you don’t need to confine the pleasure they give to just one time of year.

Sherry

Sherry is much under-appreciated these days. It’s a terrific wine to sip as an aperitif and to drink with food. Here are three quite spectacular examples of old sherries from Gonzales Byass, one of Jerez’s iconic producers. All three of these are available in Vintages right now.


Gonzales Byass ‘Del Duque’ Amontillado Viejo
DO Jerez, Spain $33.95/375mL (694331)
Driven by refreshing and quite luscious acidity, the flavours are fresh and bright with a background of mature pungency. With its dry, crisp, and clean texture, this sets up your palate for food, and makes an excellent aperitif. You can sip it and nibble on roasted nuts while you’re waiting for (or preparing) dinner.


Gonzales Byass ‘Apostoles’ Palo Cortado Viejo
DO Jerez, Spain $33.95/375mL (969527)
Lightly viscous, this combines nicely focused sweet and pungent flavours with a broad seam of clean acidity. The result is refreshing, richly flavoured and textured, and an excellent partner for seared foie gras or blue cheese.


Gonzales Byass ‘Noé’ Pedro Ximénez Viejo
DO Jerez, Spain $33.95/375mL (721159)
Noé has a sort of cult following, and you’ll see why when you taste it. The dark amber-black colour prepares you for the sheer depth of the flavours, which are complex and decadently rich. The acidity keeps them from being cloying, though, and this is a treat and a pleasure to drink. For my money, it’s a wine to be enjoyed on its own.

Red wines

Mitolo ‘G.A.M.’ Shiraz 2006
McLaren Vale, Australia $54.95 (596031)
This stunning shiraz exhibits great complexity and structure. The flavour profile covers a broad spectrum, but remains focused and nuanced. The acidity sits in very good balance and the tannins are already well integrated. Drink this with a strip loin (medium-rare) and frites.

Port

Graham’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port
DO Porto, Portugal $29.95 (206508)
Rich and sweet, layered and complex, this tawny has great acidity that makes it easy to sip by itself or to match with food. Try it with roasted nuts, rich fruit cake, or a chocolate-based dessert.

Sweet wines

Creekside Select Late Harvest Pinot Gris 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $ /375mL
This delicious late harvest pinot gris is characterized by a sweetness that’s qualified by a level of pungency, a broad complexity, and a judicious contribution of acidity. It’s excellent sipped at the end of a meal, and it also goes very well with fruit-based desserts (peach would be peachy) or lighter blue cheeses. Order from www.creeksidewine.com.


Creekside Riesling Icewine 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $ /375mL
This is a young icewine that delivers vibrant flavours with the sweetness you buy icewine to get. But it’s very nicely cut by the acidity here—not only the sweetness but the viscosity that can sometimes make icewine difficult. The success of icewine is often to be found as much in the texture as the flavour, and this one has found a superior balance. . Order from www.creeksidewine.com.


Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider 2006
Québec $29.95/375mL (94094)
Rich, luxurious and sweet—but not too sweet--this has the flavour of apples and all the mouthwatering texture that goes with them. I love this stuff. Sip it alone or with (of course!) apple-based desserts.

New from Ontario wineries

Creekside Estate Winery

Some of these wines from Creekside Estate Winery are available in Vintages or the LCBO, but all can be ordered on-line at www.creeksidewine.com.


Creekside ‘Butler’s Grant’ Riesling 2007
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $15.95 (80267) Vintages
Just off-dry, this is a very attractive riesling that shows a great range of bright flavours that are elevated by a broad line of racy acidity that runs right through the palate. It really is delicious, and it’s an excellent choice for spicy seafood dishes.


Creekside Sauvignon Blanc 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $13.95 (620724) LCBO
This is a nicely balanced sauvignon blanc, with bright and pungent fruit pairing with a broad line of acidity. Not too complex, but it makes a very good partner with grilled white fish and seafood.


Creekside Laura White 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (53553) Winery
This is an eclectic blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, viognier, riesling and pinot gris. The ensemble is full of flavour, nicely complex and bright, with a major contribution by a broad seam of acidity. It’s attractive and refreshing, just the thing for well-seasoned chicken or pork.


Creekside Pinot Noir Rosé 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula $
This is a lovely rosé and just the sort of wine you need to lift your spirits as you contemplate the horrors of winter and the holidays. If you love winter and the holidays, this is just what you need to keep the faith. It’s dry, with the merest hint of sugar, very well balanced, and with bright and complex flavours. Sip it alone or drink it with baked ham or roast turkey.


Creekside Reserve Pinot Noir 2006
VQA St. Davids Bench $29.95 (81729) Vintages
Just medium in weight and relatively light in flavour, this delivers well-foscused flavours and impressive complexity. The fruit-acid relationship is well calibrated to achieve a fairly juicy texture, and the tannins are firm and drying. Open it when you’re serving duck breast.


Creekside ‘Laura Red’ 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (117960) Vintages
This is a blend of 39% cabernet sauvignon, 29% cabernet franc, 27% merlot and 6% malbec. There’s good complexity here, but also a slightly jarring underripe note. The texture is full and smooth and the tannins easy-going. Drink it with steak and a peppercorn sauce.

Cheer!

Rod.