No. 22: December 15, 2008
There are now two great ways to select wine in the LCBO: WineAlign and The 500 Best-Value Wines in the LCBO.WineAlign is an on-line service you can access on your computer, Blackberry or iPhone. You get linkage to the daily inventory at your local LCBO, reviews from well-known critics, and the social networking of the next generation Web 2.0. You can select wines by type, region, price and food match, with results from your local LCBO store or stores immediately displayed from highest to lowest-rated wines.
I’m one of the reviewers on WineAlign, along with David Lawrason, Margaret Swaine, Vic Harradine and Anne Martin. Others will be added.
The first two months of this service are free. Thereafter, a $40 subscription buys access to critics’ reviews and ratings, advance reviews of Vintages’ bi-weekly releases, and the capability to access WineAlign on mobile devices while you’re in your local LCBO store. Subscribers earn credits toward their subscriptions when their friends sign up..
For more information, and to subscribe, visit www.winealign.com.
If you prefer paper, or like multiple reading formats, 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 online at Chapters/Indigo and Amazon.ca.In this issue of Winepointer:
- Wines for the holidays
- Pointing ahead
- New wines from Ontario wineries
December 6 (see Winepointer 21) was the last Vintages release in 2008, and in this issue I’m featuring wines for the holidays.
But before that, note that the LCBO/Vintages is having a series of sales running through to early January. They include Vintages Essentials, wines in Vintages, and sparkling wines/Champagnes. (The sparkling wine sale starts December 15.) Check www.lcbo.com for information, or visit your local store.
Wines for the holidays
No matter what your tradition, if you drink alcohol, the holidays are often occasions to try something special. Sparkling wine flows at this time of year. People look for wine for parties and dinners, and they’re more likely to drink fortified wines. Here are a few suggestions that cover a wide range of styles. Most are available in the LCBO or widely available in Vintages. Check the LCBO web site for inventories in Vintages stores.Sparkling wines
Sparkling wine should be drunk year-round, but it’s a particular favourite during the holidays. There’s a great range of styles and prices available. Here are a few that have caught my eye recently, but also check out the Cavas in the Spain section of the LCBO. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine made by the “traditional” (Champagne) method, and it tends to be very good value.
Wolf Blass ‘Yellow Label’ Sparkling Brut
Australia $17.95 (649996) LCBO
This is great value, a pretty elegant sparkling wine with good flavours and zesty texture, all set in motion by lines of fairly fine bubbles. You can sip it on its own or drink it with chicken, pork, seafood and spicy dishes.
Santa Carolina Brut Reserve
DO Casablanca Valley, Chile $12.95 (94656) LCBO
Picking up great acidity from the cool conditions of the Casablanca Valley, the chardonnay and chenin blanc grapes used for this wine deliver flavourful crispness. There’s some complexity here, but it’s above all a friendly sparkling wine that’s perfect sipped alone, or drunk with mixed appetizers or spicy dishes.
La Robinia ‘Astoria’ Extra Dry Prosecco
Italy $12.95 (593855) LCBO
This is a well-priced sparkling wine that’s excellent for parties, drunk alone or with mixed appetizers. It has good flavour, a dry, crisp texture, and effective bubbles. You can drink it alone or add orange juice the morning after.
Casillero del Diablo Brut Reserva
Limarí Valley, Chile $16.95 (92650) LCBO Seasonal/supplies limited
This is one of the sparkling wines the LCBO brings in to bulk up the sparkling category for the holidays. It should stay on. It’s a quite elegant and lovely sparkling wine made from chardonnay grapes grown in Chile’s northern desert region. The flavours are well defined and the acid-fruit balance is terrific. With fine bubbles and a soft mousse, it’s delicious alone or with spicy food. And it’s well priced for the quality.
Lanson ‘Rose Label’ Brut Rosé Champagne
AOC Champagne, France $59.95 (94458) LCBO
Rosé champagne is on a roll, and more and more champagne houses are climbing aboard. This is a delicious and well-priced example from Lanson. It delivers pretty and vibrant but yet solid flavours, along with great acid balance and a fine mousse. Drink it alone or with roast turkey and cranberries.
Remy Pannier Chardonnay Brut
France $10.90 (341669)
This is a straightforward sparkling wine that’s ideal for holiday get-togethers, either drunk alone or with appetizers, or blended with fruit juice for a refreshing, low-alcohol party drink. It has good, uncomplicated flavours and a crisp, clean texture.
Codorníu Cava Gift Pack
Cava, Spain $33.95 (6379)
This pack combines a bottle of ‘Raventos’ Reserva Brut Cava and a bottle of Pinot Noir Brut Cava, which is Spain’s first rosé Cava. The delicious duo make a great present, which you might feel like giving yourself. This line of Cava is always high quality and great value.
Red wines
Domaine Remoriquet Nuits-St-Georges 2006
AOC Nuits-St-Georges, Burgundy $47.95 (69427) Vintages
This is a very fine young wine that’s drinking now and will hold well for another five or more years. The flavours are high-toned and beautifully complex, with depth and vibrancy, while the texture is nuanced and complex. It’s dry with moderate grip from the fine tannins, and finishes very well. Drink it with grilled salmon or lamb, but this will also go very well with seasonal turkey.
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.
Zenato Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2004
DOC Valpolicella Superiore, Italy $146.95/3000mL (43554)
There are four regular bottles in this bottle. You do the math. I think big bottles like add fun to enjoyment when you’re having enough people at the table to justify opening four bottles of the same wine. And this one’s a beauty, with concentrated fruit that’s well-defined and layered, and a rich texture that’s lifted by the excellent use of acidity.
La Colombina Brunello di Montalcino 2003
DOCG Brunello di Montalcino, Italy $61.95 (85506)
From the hot 2003 vintage, this delivers particularly rich and intense flavours that are well structured and offer good complexity. There’s no lack of acidity (one of the fears about 2003) and the balance is stellar. It’s stylish and delicious.
Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Napa Valley, California $44.95 (904532)
This is an excellent example of Napa cabernet. Already six years old, its components are nicely integrated and it’s great drinking now. Look for well-defined flavours, well-pitched acidity, and excellent balance, with softening tannins. It’s a great choice for roast beef.
Domaine Delagrange ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Volnay 2005
AOC Volnay, France $42.95 (69138)
The 2005 vintage in Burgundy was just stellar, and here’s one of the results. It’s beautifully made and stylish, with nuanced fruit flavours, terrific balance, and sleek tannins. Drink it now or cellar it another ten years. It’s a fine choice for roast turkey, cranberries, and traditional stuffing.
Fortified wines
Anvers Fortified Shiraz 2007
Adelaide Hills, Australia $31.95/375mL (75556) Vintages
This delicious fortified shiraz displays rich and concentrated flavours (imagine the fruit sweetness and flavours of shiraz magnified a few times) with a slightly viscous texture. Sip it alone after dinner or enjoy it with fruit cake or briny, crumbly (not creamy) blue cheese.
Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port
DO Porto, Portugal $68.95 (149047)
This is a delicious port that shows excellent balance. On the one side, you find layers of complex ripe and dense fruit, on the other the broad seam of acidity that give structure and reins in the sweetness of the fruit. The alcohol and tannins are well integrated and the total effect is harmonious, smooth and rich. It’s excellent by itself, with crumbly blue cheese, and also with rich, semi-sweet chocolate desserts
Liqueurs
Mozart White Chocolate Cream Liquor
Austria $36.95/700mL gift pack with glasses (3905)
If you love white chocolate (or you know someone who does), this is for you (or them)! It’s all creamy white chocolate with a slight alcoholic (15%) kick. It’s easy drinking at parties and a sweet gift. Drink it with nothing.
Spirits
Highland Park 40 Years Old Orkney Island Single Malt
Orkney Island, Scotland $1,999.99 (92288)
This is heady and amazing stuff. I sat down with Highland Park brand ambassador, Marc Laverdière, at ONE restaurant in Toronto, and as he uncorked the bottle across the table, I could smell the whisky immediately. The aromas are rich, sweet and complex, with just a whiff of smokiness. On the palate, it’s complex and beautifully layered, and the texture is equally impressive: it’s creamy and viscous, it coats your mouth with flavour. As for the burn, it’s more a blooming warmth that spreads from the back. Made at the end of 1967, and carrying 48% alcohol, this is an exquisite whisky.
Highland Park 18 Years Old Orkney Island Single Malt
Orkney Island, Scotland $119.95 (500231)
It’s tempting to call this a baby 40 Year Old. If it hadn’t been bottled when it was, it might have made 40 years. What you get here, effectively, is a stage in the aging process that’s delicious and impressive in its own right. The flavours are sweet and layered, there some viscosity in the texture, and the integration is excellent. It’s an excellent whisky
Pointing ahead
Look for these wines in forthcoming Vintages releases. Note that the Vintages release scheduled for January 3, 2009, has been postponed to January 10. The three releases in January 2009 are the 10th, 17th, and 31st.Vintages release, January 10, 2009
Groot Eiland Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
WO Beedekloof, South Africa $13.95 (80168)
Big, bold and dense, this delivers richness across the board. The flavours are layered and reasonably complex, and there’s that slightly bitter note that used to be pervasive in South African reds, but that seems to have dropped away recently. It’s back, here, although not so much that it interferes with things. The acidity is good and nicely balanced and it has a surprisingly refreshing texture, given the richness and depth of the fruit. It’s a good choice for grilled and roasted red meats.
Vintages release, January 10, 2009
Renwood ‘Jack Rabbit Flat’ Zinfandel 2005
Amador County, California $53.95 (95794)
This is a lovely zinfandel, all sweet fruit, but well structured and nicely complex, complemented by a good line of acidity. It’s dry and medium-full in weight, and the 15% alcohol (which is becoming a modest level in the zinfandel world) is well integrated. Drink it with a well-seasoned steak.
Vintages release, January 10, 2009
Villa Tonina Inzolia 2007
IGT Sicilia, Italy $13.95 (100552)
Made 100% from a grape indigenous to Sicily, this bracing, zesty white goes especially well with seafood. It’s dry, medium bodied and crisp, and has the texture you expect to find in sauvignon blanc, but with a more vibrant, lean flavour profile.
Vintages release, January 17, 2009
Conte Brandolini d’Adda ‘Vistorta’ Merlot 2005
DOC Friuli Grave, Italy $27.95 (932517)
Delicious! This is an exceptional merlot that delivers tautly textured fruit with flavours that are rich, dense, and packed with flavour. The texture is generous, wound, and the tannins are firm and just manageable. It all holds together very well and, although it’s drinking now (with red meats), it’ll repay a couple of years cellaring.
Vintages release, January 31, 2009
Zumaya Crianza Tempranillo 2005
DO Ribera del Duero, Spain $21.95 (93013)
This well-structured 100% tempranillo is packed with ripe flavours that are layered and dense. The fruit-acid balance is nicely done and the tannins are ripe and well integrated. It’s quite dense and stylish, and goes well with grilled or roasted red meats.
Vintages release, January 31, 2009
Bestué ‘Finca Rableros’ Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
DO Somontano, Spain $17.95 (78045)
A 50:50 blend from a too little-known Spanish wine region, this delivers quite concentrated flavours that have good definition and complexity. A nice line of acid contributes juiciness to the texture, and the tannins are well integrated. This is an excellent choice for rich meat-based pasta, aged hard cheeses, and red meats.
Vintages release, January 31, 2009
Albada Tinto ‘Garnacha Viñas Viejas’ 2005
DO Calatayud, Spain $15.95 (93005)
It means ‘Old Vines Grenache’ and the wine is 100% Grenache from vines most of which are 50-100 years old. If old vines produce concentrated flavours, that’s what’s happened here. It’s quite luscious and rich, with good complexity and a tangy texture contributed by the well-calibrated acidity. Dry and medium bodied, it’s a great choice for grilled lamb.
New from Ontario wineries
Here are some new releases from Calamus and Rosehall Run. The Calamus wines are available only from the winery (www.calamuswines.com). The three from Rosehall Run are in selected LCBO stores (check locations at www.lcbo.com) or from www.rosehallrun.com.
Calamus ‘Half Penny’ Rosé
VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario $13.00 Winery only
I like this. It’s clean, refreshing, and dry, with the merest hint of residual sugar. It’s a great choice for spicy appetizers and I can see pairing it with turkey and cranberry sauce—it has the acidity to handle the berries. It’s a blend of gewürztraminer (30%), pinot gris (25%), riesling (20%), chardonnay (20%), and cabernet sauvignon (5%). It should taste like a white blend with some cab for colouring, but it’s more than that. Very nice.
Calamus Meritage 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $20.00 Winery only
The 2006 Niagara vintage was pretty challenging, and many reds carry unripe notes, sometimes prominently, sometimes subtly. They’re here, but in a quite manageable and, to some, attractive way—the sort of notes that are often characteristic of cabernet franc from the Loire Valley. The fruit here is otherwise quite lovely, the texture is smooth and the balance well done. It’s a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon and 25% each of cabernet franc and merlot.
Rosehall Run Sur Lie Chardonnay 2007
VQA Ontario $14.95 (111914) Selected LCBO stores or winery
With good complexity and structure in the flavours, and a clean and refreshing texture, this is a versatile chardonnay that goes well with chicken, turkey and pork It’s dry and medium bodied.
Rosehall Run Sullyzwicker Red 2006
VQA Prince Edward County $14.95 (114686) Selected LCBO stores or winery
This is a blend of 45% gamay, 33% cabernet franc and 22% pinot noir. It’s a straightforward red, with vibrant flavours and some complexity, and a good seam of acidity. Drink it with tomato-based dishes, like pasta, pizza or lasagna.
Rosehall Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
VQA Ontario $29.95 (111237) Selected LCBO stores or winery
I don’t find a lot of complexity in the fruit, but the overall experience of drinking this is very satisfying. The fruit is quite dense (and I don’t mean there’s no complexity), and the texture is generous and smooth. Dry, nicely tannic and smooth, it’s a good choice for simple red meat dishes, like steak frites.
Cheers!
Rod.