John Szabo, MS

This week’s preview features the top VINTAGES releases for May 25, 2013 with a focus on Germany, as well as a few highlights available through the consignment program. These latter wines are available for purchase directly from the importing agent by case lot (6 or 12, depending on how the wine was shipped), and can be delivered straight to your home or office. It remains little known in Ontario that there are hundreds of wines available at any time outside the LCBO through this fashion. This is where smart sommeliers do their shopping to add unique, often limited production wines to their wine programs, and you can do the same for your cellar or cupboard. This week I revisited the latest releases from a couple of top Italian estates that I think are worth sharing with you.

Pinot noir from around the world is the other VINTAGES theme, but the selection is disappointing and expensive, the antithesis to the German releases, so I’ve nothing to report on. And finally, of course, there are the usual top smart buys.

Top Smart Buys

This week’s tour of smart bottles takes you to the southern Rhône, Alsace and the Loire Valley in France, and from there southeast to Austria and northern Italy and then west to Rioja. You’ll traverse the equator to reach the Yarra Valley in Victoria, Australia, and then cross the Pacific to the shores of Chile and head up the Aconcagua Valley to vineyards sitting under the southern hemisphere’s highest peak. Start your journey here.

Smart Germany

Looking for smart buys to sip this summer? Deutschland calls. Four of the six rieslings proposed by VINTAGES come highly recommended. Indeed, had I not chosen to list the German wines separately, these recommendations would have all made the top smart buys list. It’s hard to imagine a better summertime wine than the crisp, light, low alcohol and fragrant rieslings of Germany, and of the impossibly steep slate-covered slopes of the Mosel in particular. And while popularity and price lag behind quality, these are still some of the smartest buys in the world of wine. You need only reflect back to the late 19th century when the top rieslings of Germany fetched higher prices at auction and on restaurant wine lists than cru classé Bordeaux and vintage Port to get a sense of the changing whims of consumer preference. Smart drinkers, like smart investors, stay away from the over-fashionable.

In the off-dry category, the 2005 Dr. Hermann Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese ($21.95) is a well-balanced Auslese from the magnificent Würzgarten vineyard. It’s just starting to show some mature, smoky, caramelized fruit character and is drinking beautifully now.

A pair of slightly drier, kabinett-level rieslings from two of the most reliable producers in the Mosel are worthy of attention: 2011 Markus Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett ($29.95) and 2011 Studert-Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett ($19.95). Markus Molitor is well known for his maniacal devotion to his vineyards and minimalist philosophy in the winery, with the sole aim of expressing the uniqueness of each site. It’s a refrain you’ll hear time and time again in the wine world, but not all walk the walk. Molitor does. His ’11 from the Sonnenuhr vineyard has more like spätlese level ripeness than kabinett, and the palate is a little softer than what I’ve come to expect from this estate, but the site expression and the length/complexity are compelling. Were there a Burgundian style classification of Mosel vineyards, the Sonnenuhr would be grand cru, and this is unquestionably top stuff, it’s a wine to enjoy relatively young, that is to say, now or over the next eight-ten years.

Stüdert-Prüm, not to be confused with the (excellent) estates of J.J. Prüm and S.A. Prüm, has a prized parcel of vines in the nearby Himmelreich vineyard (loosely translated as paradise, from himmel meaning heaven, and reich, meaning empire), which officially belongs to the town of Graach next to Wehlen. This ’11 is an absolutely textbook Mosel riesling, with lovely, fragrant perfume, and off-dry palate balanced by tight acids. Infinitely drinkable, nicely priced.

And the driest of the quartet is the 2011 Vollenweider Wolfer Riesling ($19.95) from the village of Wolf in the Mosel. Wines are made by the Swiss Daniel Vollenweider, who blames Egon Müller for his move to the Mosel. It was specifically a 1990 Müller Scharzhofberg Riesling Auslese that compelled Vollenweider to drop everything and move to the Mosel to purchase several sites classified as “steep” or “extremely steep”, planted to an unusually high percentage of ancient, ungrafted vines. Having tasted the Scharzhofberg, I can’t say I blame Vollenweider. But his wines are making their own waves amongst German riesling cognoscenti, and this village blend is a clean, intense, smoky and minerally example with what I’d describe as an authentic, natural, pure profile – there’s nothing contrived about this. The palate is lean and tight, essentially dry, and rivetingly acidic in the best sense, with excellent complexity. This is fine stuff.

Consignment Corner: Wine Beyond the LCBO

Read David Lawrason’s latest report laying out the ever-more compelling reasons for private wine shops in Ontario. Maybe in our lifetime we’ll be able to find wines like the ones I’ve highlighted below, and thousands more, in a privately run shop near you. Wouldn’t that be nice. Until then, get to know some of the best agents in the province.

Valdicava Brunellos

Last week Vincenzo Abbruzzese, proprietor of Valdicava in Montalcino, Tuscany, was in town to show off current releases and provide a retrospective on some old vintages of the estate’s top single vineyard Brunello, Madonna del Piano Riserva. Abbruzzese’s grandfather purchased Valdicava in 1953, and was instrumental, along with Franco Biondi-Santi, in establishing the appellation regulations for Brunello di Montalcino. At the time there were perhaps a dozen wine-producing estates in the zone; today there are over two hundred. Fortune has smiled on the once impoverished town of Montalcino. Yet Abbruzzese recalls the days when pici al ragù meant pasta with a sauce of moistened stale bread to the citizens of the town. Today, the ragù is rich and meaty, much like the wines of the DOCG.

The Valdicava property lies on a 300m high plateau north of the town Montalcino in the valley of the same name. It’s curious to call a plateau at 300m a “valley” (“val”), that is, until you look down on it from the town of Montalcino at over 400m. Perspective is everything. It’s a notably cooler zone of the Brunello DOCG, much more prone to fog and mist than the southern portion, and largely sheltered from the warming influence of the Mediterranean. The temperature on the north side of Montalcino is often several degrees lower than the south. Valdicava has twenty-seven hectares planted exclusively to sangiovese grosso (aka brunello), all farmed organically, on some of the most prized land in the valley, surrounded by several other top Brunello names like Caparzo and Romitorio.

These are certainly not inexpensive wines, but they’re among the top stuff in an appellation where the mean quality is extremely high. As Abbruzzese points out, the stakes are simply too rich today, and only those with sufficient ante to get into the game can even contemplate making wine in Montalcino. The net result is a large collection of small, extremely well funded estates aiming for the top end of the market. Consumers likewise have to ante-up if they wish to drink Brunello, but if you are inexorably attracted to the deepest and most powerful expression of sangiovese, there is nowhere quite like Montalcino to get your fix.

When Abbruzzese asked whether I would categorize his Brunellos as “traditional” or “modern”, a common distinction in the region, I sat back and thought for a moment. I couldn’t rightly place them in either category, absent the obvious toasty wood and sumptuous black fruit of the modern camp, yet neither the pale garnet colour, pot-pourri and dried cherry scented expression of the best traditional styles. Valdicava hits a nice balance between the two, with plenty of rich, ripe fruit and supple tannins, without sacrificing the savory, dried porcini-like character and firm structure that made Brunello famous in the first place.  A good entry point to experience the quality level of Valdicava is the 2010 Rosso di Montalcino ($36.99). This is no easy drinking Rosso as most are, but rather one with substance, richness and considerable depth. It’s ripe yet rustic and earthy, with a real meaty-savoury note and complexity well above the average for the designation.

2005 was a cooler, generally lighter vintage in Montalcino, but in the case of the 2005 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino ($99), that simply means more finesse and earlier enjoyment, and indeed this is a really fine and fragrant bottle of Brunello. It’s sultry, with wet clay and ripe, savoury black cherry flavours, and a whiff of wild herbs and dried roses. And while not the most powerful of vintages, it delivers immense pleasure with its authentically dry and dusty texture, suitable for mid-term ageing.

2006, on the other hand, is the vintage for those seeking more muscle. The 2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino ($125) is a powerful and concentrated wine, full of savoury fruit notes, and loads of umami flavour like pure dried porcini mushrooms. The palate is still firm and compact, packed with ripe and solid tannins and supporting acid structure, making this a highly age worthy bottle. This should be best after 2016, and drink nicely for another decade after that if not longer. (This wine is currently available in the LCBO Classics Catalogue).

Azienda Agricola Accadia

Considering the amazing diversity and complexity of the top red wines of Italy, Italian whites are usually relegated to the second division. I attribute this view largely to the overwhelming acreage devoted to neutral grapes like trebbiano Toscano and catarratto. But a handful of native grapes stand above the sea of mediocrity: fiano, greco and falanghina from Campania, garganega from Soave, arneis from Piedmont, vermentino from Sardegna and the Tuscan-Ligurian coast come to mind. Then there’s Verdicchio, Le Marche’s contribution to the characterful white wines of Italy. It’s ironically related to trebbiano (of Lugana), but with far more character and class, excelling in styles ranging from bone dry to sweet, late harvest, even some sparkling versions. It has a wonderfully subtle floral side, often with a whiff of honey and almond, bright acids and the capacity to age.

Angelo Accadia manages a small, high quality operation in the Castelli di Jesi appellation that sits in an east-west valley that gives onto the Adriatic Sea. I recall visiting Accadia in 2006, and was impressed by the quality and the range of expressions of verdicchio on offer. Accadia is first an artist, a painter and sculpture to be precise, who happens to make wine. His works of art are on display throughout the estate, and he holds regular artistic symposia, inviting artists from across Italy to participate and further the culture of art in an open forum of exchange and sharing. His sense of artistry, balance, proportion, and authenticity seep into his winemaking philosophy.

Years later after my visit and the positive impression remains intact: the wines are still well priced and deliver great pleasure. For me they caused an almost instant retrieval of sunny Adriatic afternoons, vivid paintings and sensual sculptures from the recesses of my mind. The 2011 Azienda Agricola Accadia Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico “Consono” ($15.95) is Accadia’s very good entry level verdicchio cropped at higher levels and harvested slightly earlier than his two other cuvées, and I find it the most authentic and food-friendly of the range. It’s bright, lively, crisp and bone dry, yet with a certain weight and palate richness that gives this better depth than the average. Aromas and flavours mix in the citrus, blanched almond and sweet green herbal spectrum, with a fine dose of wet stones.

2011 Azienda Agricola Accadia Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Cantorí” ($22.95), on the other hand, is Accadia’s top end of the verdicchio range, from the highest elevation and lowest yielding vines (2.5 tons/hectare). There’s a distinctive late harvest-like richness here; the nose is powerful and ripe, full of custard pear, vanilla-poached pear, succulent ripe white peach and plenty of honeyed nuances, while the palate is viscous and dense, with a vague impression of sweetness firmed up by a streak of acids and a certain stony-mineral note. This is a verdicchio of real stature and class; try with luxury shellfish.

Valdicava is represented in Ontario by the Stem Wine Group and Accadia by Le Sommilier Inc. You can contact the agents directly regarding availability. For your convenience, wines on our site are linked to the agent’s profile page where you can find their contact info as well as Critic reviews of the wines they represent. Select  ‘All Sources’ and ‘Zero Inventory’ as some of these wines are not in retail stores.

That’s all for this week. See you over the next bottle.

John Szabo, Master Sommelier

We invite our Premium Subscription members to use these links to find all of John Szabo’s reviews. Paid membership to WineAlign has its privileges – this is one of them. Enjoy!

From the May 25, 2013 Vintages release:

Top Ten Smart Buys
Smart Germany
All Reviews

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Julian Hitner

For professional wine tasters, the art of tasting wine ‘blind’ is an invaluable skill. By tasting different wines without knowing what they are, the playing field is leveled, so that two wines, even if one of them is priced twice as much as the other, are judged without any preconceived biases. In the best wine publications and judging contests around the world, most wines are evaluated in this manner.

Just as significant, no skill among professional sommeliers is more admired than the ability to identify wine simply by examining the contents in the glass. It is a skill only the greatest professional wine tasters are able to master with any degree of repetitive success (a skill largely maintained by tasting wine this way on a regular basis), while the rest of us cannot help to look upon such an ability with acute approbation.

This said, the ability to taste wine blind is hardly the be-all and end-all of fine wine appreciation. Though many of my colleagues have been in the business many years longer than me, I am hopeful that the majority of them would agree with the notion that there is only a very minor correlation in the ability to taste any given wine blind compared to any increased enjoyment derived from the process of actually drinking it in like manner.

To elaborate on this requires the invention of a new phrase: ‘blind drinking.’ Say I head down into my cellar to fetch a bottle of claret. I retrieve a bottle of the immaculate ‘83 Château Margaux and serve it to my guests. Over the course of the evening, the wine earns endless plaudits and only seems to get better as we wile away the hours in comradely and merriment.

Now let me ask this question: would not this experience have been at least somewhat diminished had we decided to ‘blind drink’ this wine? Would not the evening have been less of a special occasion had a third party retrieved a bottle from my cellar at random, decanted it and placed it on the table, so that none of us would know what the wine is?

The point I’m trying to make is that tasting, or serving, wine blind has its limits. Oftentimes, the most joyous attribute of fine wine appreciation isn’t derived from deciphering what a wine is, but knowing precisely what it is beforehand. Granted, my guests and I would have probably had great fun spending an evening trying to guess what fabulous wine we were drinking. But I submit it was of far greater joviality in knowing that we were sitting down to one of the finest clarets of the early-eighties at the start of the evening than learning about it at the end. Though some may claim otherwise, great wine consumed under the veil of uncertainly just isn’t the same as knowing what it is from the start. Even the anticipation, or planning stage, involved in serving a fine wine plays a potentially profound level of importance in its eventual enjoyment.

Such is the Achilles heel of tasting wine blind, in that there is no guarantee of any enhancement if consumed in like fashion. Of course, this is not meant to diminish the immense skillfulness of professional tasters and their unique ability to taste wine blind. Indeed, it is a great skill – it’s just not the only skill.

Julian Hitner

A few of Julian’s gems for collectors from recent VINTAGES Releases:

Château La Louvière Blanc 2009, Pessac-Léognan AOC, Bordeaux, France: Owned by André Lurton and widely recognized as one of the best non-Premier Cru estates in Pessac-Léognan, the wines of Château La Louvière have taken on greater seriousness and heft in recent years. Pale-light lime in colour with the slightest touch of straw, the ’09 Blanc reveals extremely delicate, elegant scents of citrus-infused green fruits, heather, minerals, mild chalky elements, and a hint of orange peel and spice. Complex, boasting exquisitely textured, immensely refined fruit, balanced acidity, and a superb hint of lemon, green fruits, and ‘mellow’ lanolin overtones on the finish. Outstanding finesse, style, and breed. The vineyard is planted to 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Sémillon. Now-2023.

Henri Bourgeois 2010 La Chapelle des Augustins, Sancerre AOC, Loire, France: In all likelihood the greatest Sancerre I have yet to taste from Henri Bourgeois, the 2010 La Chapelle des Augustins represents a sensational effort. Very pale lime in colour, the wine exhibits irresistibly intense scents of green fruits, lemon citrus, delicate tropical elements, minerals, and an almost Marlborough-styled hint of gooseberries and grapefruit. Complex, delivering impeccable bracing fruit, balanced acidity, and a pitch-perfect hint of intense green fruits, lemon, and minerals on the finish. Outstanding harmony, clarity, and textural disposition. Now-2018+.

Château Bouscaut Blanc 2009, Pessac-Léognan AOC, Bordeaux, France: Acquired by Lucien Lurton in 1979 and now run by his daughter Sophie, I have only recently become familiar with the charms of this slowly improving estate. Pale-light straw in colour with a touch of gold, the 2009 Bouscaut Blanc reveals exceptional scents of lemony apricots, starfruit, pears, delicate lanolin, and a hint of white chocolate, candlewax, and spice. Complex, with beautiful, elegant dry fruit, balanced acidity, and a refined, upright hint of lemony apricots, lanolin, and candlewax on the finish. Great focus, stylization, and balance. The vineyard is planted to 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Sémillon. Now-2018+.

L’Aventure 2010 Côte  Côte, Paso Robles, California: Unashamedly Parkerized, the 2010 Côte  Côte is actually one incredible wine—best enjoyed in fortified-like quantities. Extremely dense black-ruby in colour, this massive offering delivers supersaturated aromas of blackberry compote, plums (slightly floral), blueberries, licorice, smoked meats, pipe tobacco, leather, incense, vanilla, and spice. Complex, possessing incredibly sumptuous, decadent fruit, firm tannins, milder acidity, and a long-lasting, unbelievably powerful hint of blackberry compote and blue fruits on the finish. Supremely rich, fully flavoured, and surprisingly harmonious as a whole; this will appeal to very specific types of collectors. 42% Grenache, 34% Syrah, and 24% Mourvèdre. Now-2025+.

L’Aventure 2010 Estate Cuvée, Paso Robles, California: Even at 16.1% alcohol, the 2010 Estate Cuvée is surprisingly even-keeled—understandable when considered that virtually all of its other characteristics have been strengthened accordingly. Extremely dense black-ruby in colour with purple highlights, it exhibits hedonistic, ultra-powerful aromas of white- and dark chocolate-driven blackberry treacle, crème de cassis, freshly brewed coffee (the expensive kind), tobacco, forest floor, dessert nougat, licorice, vanilla, and spice. Very complex, with massively concentrated fruit, firm tannins, milder acidity, and an extremely lengthy, well-structured hint of chocolate and blackberry treacle on the finish. Unbelievably Parkerized, delicious, and alluring. 42% Syrah, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Petit Verdot. Now-2028.

Château Gloria 2009, St-Julien AOC, Bordeaux, France: Compared to the ’10 (tasted very recently), the 2009 Château Gloria is definitely the more boisterous of the two, and is unquestionably the greatest wine ever produced at this estate. Opaque black-ruby in colour, it presents stellar multilayered aromas of currants, espresso, licorice, forest floor, graphite, grilled meats, asphalt, subtle floral elements, vanilla, and spice. Very complex, boasting brilliantly textured fruit, very firm tannins, balanced acidity, and a graceful, pitch-perfect hint of currants, graphite, and dried blueberry nuances on the finish. Exceptional depth, finesse, focus, and harmony. 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. Now-2036+.

More more reviews visit our Critics profile page: Julian Hitner

Steve Thurlow

Frequent readers of my reports on the Top 50 wines by value know already that wines from the south of Italy, Chile, South Africa and Argentina make up the bulk of the list. However it is rare for an inexpensive wine of quality from Greece to appear, but the 2012 vintage of Boutari Moschofilero deserves to be there.

The Top 50 list changes all the time. Prices go up and down, new vintages of current listings arrive, over 200 new products are launched each year and as a consequence around the same number of wines are discontinued. All these cause changes to the list.

This month there are eight wines that are new to the list. So let’s look at the arrivals in detail, but please also check out all the rest of the wines on my Top 50 Value Wines list, since all offer great value. So read beyond the new entrants to find more values, and to discover how the Top 50 is systematically selected.

New to the Top 50

Eight wines arrived on the Top 50 this month.

Less than $17

Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Aconcagua Valley, Chile $16.45 (on sale until May 26 was $18.95)

A classic Chilean cabernet with a degree of elegance not often seen for less than $20. The complex lifted nose shows cassis fruit with cocoa, menthol, pine and mineral notes plus some black cherry jam hints. The palate is juicy with the dense fruit elegantly balanced by fine tannin and lemony acidity. Very good to excellent length. Try with a rare steak or lamb cutlets. Best 2013 to 2017.

Errazuriz Max Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Aconcagua Valley, Chile $15.95

This is the best vintage yet for this excellent sauvignon from cool coastal part of the Aconcagua Valley in Chile. The nose shows complex aromas of pea pod, gooseberry and lime with floral and mineral tones and fresh cut grass. The palate is very smooth with just enough fruit sweetness to cover over the lime acidity. It is very fresh and juicy with very good length. Try with pasta or risotto with a pesto base or herbed lemon chicken.

Less than $12

Boutari Moschofilero 2012
Mantinia, Greece $11.95

Moschofilero is an aromatic white grape from Greece used here to make a great value wine with apricot, peach and pear fruit aromas plus baked lemon, ginger and orange blossom. The palate is midweight and very fruity and it is well balanced with vibrant lemony acidity plus a nice touch of bitterness on the finish. Very good length. Try with mildly spicy Asian cuisine or intense hard cheese like Gruyere.

Less than $10

Fuzion Alta Malbec Reserva 2010
Mendoza, Argentina $9.95

The 2010 vintage of this 100% malbec delivers a lot of structure and depth off flavour for a wine under $10. Expect lifted currant fruit with tea and herbal notes, mild oak spice and a hint of prune. It is elegant and quite rich, medium-full bodied with good to very good length.

Obikwa Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
South Africa $8.45 (on sale until May 26 was $9.45)

A youthful bright cherry red with delicate berry aromas and lots of flavour. Expect mild aromas of earthy black cherry with jam and leathery tones. The palate is juicy with soft red fruit and fine tannin and there is good length. It finishes dry and needs a juicy hamburger or maybe some sausages. Best 2013 to 2014.

Fuzion Chenin Chardonnay 2012
Mendoza, Argentina $7.95

A very tasty white with baked fruit aromatics of orange and peach with some honeysuckle notes. The palate is rich with a good depth of flavour and very good length. Great for drinking on its own or as an aperitif with pastry nibbles.

Citra Sangiovese Terre Di Chieti 2011
Abruzzo, Italy $7.25

Excellent value red with a savoury herbal nose. It’s midweight with juicy fruit balanced by firm tannin and soft acidity. The finish is firm and dry and very long. Its delicate and savoury so try with mildly flavoured red meat dishes or mild cheddar. Best 2013 to 2015.

Citra Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011
Abruzzo, Italy $7.25

Great value for a well balanced food red that will work with a wide variety of dishes. Expect aromas of red cherry and pomegranate fruit with dried herbs, mushroom and tobacco tones. It is midweight and well balanced with just enough acidity and soft tannin to give it the structure for food. Try with meaty pasta sauces or mildly spicy sausages. Very good length. Best 2013 to 2015.

Top 50 Value Wines at LCBO

There are about 1,500 wines listed at the LCBO that are always available, plus another 100 or so VINTAGES Essentials. At WineAlign I maintain a list of the Top 50 LCBO and VINTAGES Essentials wines selected by price and value – in other words, the best least expensive wines. The selection process is explained in more detail below, but I review the list every month to include newly listed wines and monitor the value of those put on sale for a limited time.

How I Choose the Top 50

I constantly taste the wines at the LCBO to keep the Top 50 list up to date. You can easily find all of my all Top 50 Value Wines from the WineAlign main menu. Click on Wine =>Top 50 Value Wines to be taken directly to the list.

To be included in the Top 50 for value a wine must be inexpensive while also having a high score, indicating high quality. I use a mathematical model to make the Top 50 selections from the wines in our database. Every wine is linked to WineAlign where you can read more, discover pricing discounts, check out inventory and compile lists for shopping at your favourite store. Never again should you be faced with a store full of wine with little idea of what to pick for best value.

Once you have tried a wine, you can use the ‘thumbs up/thumbs down’ to agree or disagree with our reviews. Or better yet, you can add your own review and join our growing community of user reviewers. If you find that there is a new wine on the shelf, or a new vintage that we have not reviewed, let us know. It is very easy to do this. Click on Suggestions & Feedback or send an email to feedback@winealign.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Top 50 changes all the time, so remember to check before shopping. I will be back next month with more news on value arrivals to Essentials and the LCBO.

Cheers!

Steve Thurlow

We invite our Premium Subscription members to use this link to find all of Steve Thurlow’s reviews of the Top 50 Value Wines. Paid membership to WineAlign has its privileges – this is one of them. Enjoy!

Top 50 LCBO and Vintages Essentials Wines

To celebrate the passion, ingenuity and achievement of Canadian winemaking, Maclean’s has spent the past 12 months to develop “Wine in Canada”, the first annual national publication that takes Canadians on a tour of our country’s finest wine regions, their latest releases, innovative pioneers, hottest trends and hidden gems.

Contributed by some of Canada’s leading sommeliers, including John Szabo MS, Rhys Pender MW, Kurtis Kolt, Treve Ring, and Erin and Courtney Henderson, “Wine in Canada” brings together the land, the people, the culture, the wine and the food through colourful photography and vivid articulations.

“WineAlign readers know that I take Canadian wine seriously. I’ve watched the industry boom over the past couple of decades, evolving from local curiosity to world-recognized wine producer. Maclean’s, one of the nation’s leading news media, has also identified Canadian wine as worthy of a critical and investigative eye – an important addition to our business and cultural landscape, and a sign of its coming of age. With two WineAlign team members consulting on the project, BC’s Treve Ring and myself, you can be sure that, from coast to coast, no stones were left unturned.” John Szabo MS

Raising Awareness

Together with industry partners, Wine Country Ontario and Wines of British Columbia, Maclean’s is committed to raising awareness of Canada’s wine and wine tourism industry. It has never been a better time to share the inspiration and potential of our Vineland.

“This was a great project to work on, the first to cover the Canadian wine scene from so many perspectives. From travel, tourism and local gastronomy, to the history and future of Canadian wine, its hard business realities, who the current movers and shakers are, and of course the most representative, currently available bottles from every wine producing region, this is a brilliant and timely resource for anyone with even a passing interest in locally grown wines, up to the die-hard supporters.” John Szabo MS

Special Online Offer

WineAlign members are invited to join this journey of discovery and savour the joy in each glass with Maclean’s.

Simply click here to order and receive a 25% discount off your purchase of “Wine in Canada” online today.

Special offer ends May 20.

David Lawrason

On Thursday, May 9 the vested interests in Ontario’s beverage alcohol industry gathered at an Economic Club of Canada luncheon at Toronto’s Delta Chelsea Hotel to hear why the province should move to a mixed public/private retail model of selling wine, beer and spirits.

Speaker Ian Baillie, executive director of ABLE, an association and lobbyist for private beverage alcohol retailers in British Columbia, delivered a vision based on the B.C. model, where about two-thirds of the 1,400 beverage alcohol retail outlets are now in private hands.

He was sponsored by the Wine Council of Ontario, an association of smaller Ontario wineries that is lobbying for private wine stores through a website called www.mywineshop.ca. The wineries are needing new retail outlets for their growing number of products, which the one-stop LCBO is not able to handle effectively, despite recently announced initiatives that are too little, too late.

There were many Ontario winemakers in the audience, but virtually all other vested interests were in the room as well – importers, beer and spirits reps, hoteliers and restaurateurs, MPPs and the LCBO itself. No party leaders.

I will get to some of Ian Baillie’s key points in a moment, but first an observation based on audience reaction during a question and answer session. If the Q&A had not been shut down by the Economic Club’s moderator it could have turned into something nasty.

There is a cauldron of pent-up passion around this issue – so many different viewpoints, truths, and ways to interpret facts and figures. It is very complex. And the feelings have been entrenched for years, decades – virtually since the LCBO was established at the end of Prohibition. I just don’t see how these parties will ever come to a consensus. If it is left to the vested interests it won’t get done.

Ontario one day? Supermarket wine section,
Wellington, New Zealand

The solution needs to come from the will of consumers. The Wine Council says 70% of Ontario favour some level of privatization. That needs to be expressed through an election of a party that presents a clear and balanced, consumer-based vision and has the courage to act. The Conservatives seem closest now, but at one point under Premier David Peterson it was the Liberals.

The benefits of privatization were made plainly evident to the current Liberal government in a 2005 beverage alcohol review they themselves commissioned, then shelved. They turtled in the face of protest by the vested interests – the union, the LCBO bureaucracy, and the largest financial stakeholders who prosper handsomely under the LCBO monopoly.

There are clarion benefits to privatization – primarily vastly increased selection and improved service guided by the forces of open competition. There would be growth in production, distribution, retailing revenue, job and government revenues. It is also clear that the government can increase revenues without running the stores, and they can regulate the industry as they please to serve social responsibility concerns.

Baillie’s Key Points

Public/Private Retailing? Mr. Baillie was promoting B.C.’s politically expedient, mixed public/private retailing model – not the Alberta model wherein all retail is in private hands, with government’s role moved to wholesaling, distribution and regulation. The B.C. compromise is most likely what will happen in Ontario.

I prefer Alberta’s model. I don’t believe government should be in competition with the private sector, or that government can do it as well as private enterprise.

Either way, I strongly believe that it is government’s responsibility to properly regulate and license beverage alcohol; to test product safety and to educate the public about its hazards, especially if government is paying the medical costs of alcohol abuse. But let’s not confuse this responsibility with the need for government to be a retailer.

Government Revenue – Ian Baillie made the startling assertion – oft Tweeted in recent days – that if Ontario, with roughly three times the population of B.C., were to adopt the B.C. model, it would deliver 1.1 billion dollars more per year to provincial coffers than it is doing now – 2.7 billion as opposed to 1.6 billion.

The formula and figures were vehemently debated on the floor, but two things were clear. First, the province will not lose revenue by introducing privatization (B.C. has not, in fact its revenues are growing annually under the public/private model). Second government still has the ability to raise taxes as it sees fits to ensure that revenues would not be lost. I for one would not be totally against this as the price of privatization.

Social Responsibility - Mr. Baillie went to great lengths to promote the idea that social responsibility is also a business responsibility of private retailers. He emphasised that all the provincial rules apply in terms of not serving those under 19, and that retailers are trained to enforce them.

He also described a B.C. regulation that new private stores must be built a minimum of 1km from the nearest store, to prevent certain neighbourhoods having too many stores or “liquor stores on every corner”.

Corner Stores – It is very interesting that Ontario’s historical alternative vision to the LCBO is “corner store wine and beer sales”, perhaps a model assumed due to the nearness of Quebec’s ‘dépanneurs’.  Baillie dismissed allowing alcohol sales by convenience stores as socially irresponsible because it would be almost impossible and very costly to monitor 10,000 stores in the province.

Corner stores as the only alternative for Ontario would, in my opinion, be the worst possible option for a different reason. I want to see wine sold in responsibly run convenience stores, in grocery stores and supermarkets, and in fine wine shops – and I want to see the entire range of price and quality that would ensue, with retailers free to serve their constituents as they see fit, and consumers free to shop how and where and for what they want.

How Many Stores? -  Baillie mentioned that B.C. has recently capped the opening of new stores beyond the 1,400 store level. The government has deemed that level adequate for B.C.’s population of 4.4 million people, or one store for every 3,100 people. By contrast, Ontario currently has roughly 1,200 LCBO, Beer Stores and winery stores serving 13.3 million people, one store for 11,000 people. So it is a no brainer that the LCBO is under-serving us, and that privatization in Ontario would see a boom in store creation and employment.

So how do we get government to brave this debate and make the right choice – a choice that people the world over have already made, or never even felt it necessary to make in the first place? Closer to home, if this idea is right works in Vancouver, Victoria, Vernon, Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Peace River, Winnipeg, Brandon and Halifax – why on earth will it not work in Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor and Thunder Bay? Even Pennsylvania, a bastion of Dutch protestant conservatism in the U.S. made the move most recently.

Successful precedent alone should be all the political fodder our legislators require.

But to nudge them along consumers need to organize and get vocal, as do media editorialists who claim to represent “the people”. Major papers have actually begun writing about this more frequently. And it could be fanned by an LCBO employees strike that could come on May 17. But beyond that consumers need to organize themselves and petition their MPPs.

And if possible Ontario’s cooler-headed vested interests could try to form an organization, like B.C.’s ABLE, to carry a unified voice to Queens Park. ABLE represents private wine store owners, hotels, restaurants and pubs – any business in the business of selling beverage alcohol. Based on what I heard in reaction to Baillie’s speech I am not sure this is possible in Ontario, but there must be some reasonable, willing and articulate people willing to step forward under common cause from all these camps.

Good luck to us all.

David Lawrason
VP of Wine

A downloadable copy of his Mr. Baillie’s speech is available here.

David Lawrason

The Australian feature in VINTAGES May 11 release is not all that thematically strong yet there are a couple of 90 point shiraz based reds. Likewise, the quirky selection of rosés delivers a fine pair of $13 pinkies. And I have dug deeper into the release to find several other Wines of Interest. But first a comment on the mini-feature on Ontario’s Lake Erie North Shore, a region that some marketing whiz has re-branded as Essex Pelee Island Coast, or EPIC for short. EPIC is not a new appellation (yet), nor are the wines epic yet – despite the breathless prose in VINTAGES catalogue.

Lake Erie’s Forgotten Wineries

Calling the wines of LENS (Lake Erie North Shore) forgotten is bound to raise the hackles of the folks from Harrow, Kingsville, Pelee and other points in southwest Ontario. They will suggest it reflects a GTA-Niagara indifference to the wines down Windsor way. And they are right.  But there are two sides to every story. For one thing the wines are too seldom put on the radar in the huge market around Lake Ontario, which is why Vintages is pushing hard in this week’s catalogue. The real reason however is that they are not competing well enough in the bottle. Too few of the wines are driven by terroir/quality aspirations. There are few premium priced wines, or single vineyard wines – in other words too few buzz-worthy wines. The two economic drivers of the region – Colio and Pelee Island – rank among the top five volume-wise wineries in Ontario. They have attempted premium wines, and their prices do not over-reach. But neither does their quality.

I am particularly disappointed of late by Pelee Island, a winery possessing the largest and perhaps most unique estate vineyard in the province. In recent times they ceased using their Pelee Island VQA designation on their labels. And so the Pelee Island designation was quietly dropped altogether by VQA Ontario and folded into Lake Erie North Shore. This is the only instance I can recall of an appellation disappearing from the books – surely a backward step (and a good reason never to allow one producer to own an entire appellation). It has undoubtedly led to the creation of the new EPIC branding that some will be angling to officially replace Lake Erie North Shore (which admittedly is not a great name either).

I visited LENS in 2010 and I am due to return. I can see the potential for the reds due to the moderate climate that favours later ripening “Bordeaux” red varieties like cabernet franc and merlot. The whites I find a bit flabby and hot, with some exceptions. The soils are weighted to sand and clay, but as with all areas in the Great Lakes basin there is limestone subsoil from an era when the Great Lakes comprised one great inland sea. In some places the limestone is not far from the surface.

And there are signs of winemaking progress. The Muscedere family (pronounced Moo-shed-ray) is producing some fine reds from their small plot – including syrah and pinot. Muscedere 2011 Cabernet Franc ($18.20) is a bit lighter than some of their other offerings but pleasantly vibrant, energetic and almost racy.  Viewpointe and Sprucewood Shores have produced some good individual efforts, and I tasted some potentially good wines from Smith and Wilson farther east toward Port Stanley.  Newer Cooper’s Hawk and Colchester Ridge CREW are promising too, but the 2008 reds in this release are maturing and a bit awkward.

90 Point $25 Syrahs

The $25 price point is important for fans of syrah and shiraz. For some reason this grape – with rare exceptions in the Rhône and Australia – has always been held to a lower pricing standard than cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. I think it is a lingering historical prejudice, whereby the commercial and auction house establishment of Paris and London once considered the syrah and grenache based wines of the south of France inferior by nature. And perhaps they were. But that no longer holds up in today’s global wine universe. The winemaking quality standard has risen dramatically, which means that the value quotient has risen too – a notion that struck me as I tasted through this release and found at least three solid 90 pointers at $25.

Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz/Viognier 2011 is a great buy at $24.95. It is an organically grown wine that bridges the Old and New Worlds, the result of a project by Michel Chapoutier of the Rhône and American Anthony Terlato who runs a large, international fine wine distribution company as well as Terlato Family Vineyards in California. It has classic Rhône syrah character with some Aussie heft. As Vintages Wine of the Month it should be around in sufficient quantities to be easily available. Grab a handful for the cellar.

Château Puech-Haut 2010 Prestige Saint-Drézéry from the Languedoc region in the south of France is another excellent buy at $26.95. This is actually weighted to grenache in the blend but it is a modern classic of the genre, with poise and power. It’s from a large 100 ha property not far from Montpelier that has gone to expense of hiring top consultant Michel Rolland; who if nothing else does tend to fashion wines with some elegance.

Spice Route 2009 Shiraz from the Swartland region of South Africa is another bomb at $24.95. It’s not just big; it’s complex, layered, profound and packed with personality. The Swartland region toward the western Atlantic coast has emerged as a new star for shiraz and Rhône-styled reds grown on dry farmed, red granitic soils. This is an In Store Discovery, so only available in larger Vintages store.

Pretty $13 Pinks

Rosé season is now fully upon us, and each release Vintages puts out another dozen or so. They have become quite international in their reach, which is interesting in one sense but it nets some odd ducks too. Not every region or producer really cares about rosé, nor is it a style that expresses regionality all that easily, especially at $15 price point Vintages seems to demand. I would rather see Vintages focused on great quality examples in the $20 range.

Still, there are some finds. Mulderbosch 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé ($12.95) is unusual for its piquant aromas of red currant and green herbs, directly attributable to the cabernet. It is brisk and almost zesty – not the soft and cuddly type – and for that reason I suspect it will perform very well with cold al fresco meals on the deck or dock.

Zenato 2012 Bardolino Chiaretto Rosé ($12.95) is the meek, mild and very pure sunset sipper.  It is so gentle in fact, and pale, that you might find yourself feeling a bit let down at first. After a couple of glasses you will have a new friend.

Other Wines of Interest

Blue Mountain 2011 Chardonnay ($23.95) from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is a terrific buy in serious, cool climate chardonnay. When Ian and Jane Mavety first planted their stunning, much photographed vineyard overlooking Vaseux Lake in 1971, they were years ahead of the curve. They didn’t open a winery until 1991, and when they did the restaurant-focused wines remained largely inaccessible to the general public. With Matt and Christie Mavety of the next generation now taking a more active role, the wines are finding a broader audience, and recent quality and value quotients are very high – a result of sustainable, careful grape growing that began over 40 years ago.

Balbas 2001 Reserva from Spain’s Ribera del Duero is amazingly silky and refined, but it raises a questioning eyebrow. How is it that the colour is still so youthful and the fruit so fresh when this wine is 12 years old? There is some mature leathery character amid all the fruit, and it sure is texturally smooth, so there is some age here. But it still shows youthful aplomb and it will drink well for at least another five years – all rather remarkable for a wine costing $20.95.

Still in Spain, Vinos Sin Ley 2009 Puerta Bonita Garnacha is from a region northwest of Madrid. It purports to come from 120 year old vines, which is really quite remarkable. The resulting low yields have imparted excellent flavour focus and concentration, and there is a sense of refinement and poise that had me mentally comparing this to top Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Vinos Sin Ley (Wines without Law) is a collective of young winemakers who work through Spain, assembling twice a year to take on adventurous, value focused projects, often outside the realm of established DOs.  They succeed admirably here, at $18.95.

Guenoc 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.95) is at first glance nothing remarkable, the kind of wine easily overlooked on the tasting bench or the crowded wine aisle. Another California cabernet, and because it’s not from Napa it’s not an attention grabber. I think I was drawn to it precisely because it is not refined and sculpted; because it’s loaded with fruit and energy, and doesn’t rely on the confection of so many California cabs at this modest price. The Guenoc Valley is a massive spread of vineyards tucked in the hills of Lake County north of Napa.

Manzone 2007 Le Gramolere Barolo ($51.95) is a splendidly refined and modern example of carefully and naturally rendered, almost tender nebbiolo from a steep, low-yielding single vineyard in Monforte d’Alba. Manzone, founded in 1925, is now a father and son enterprise focused only on premium quality. With only 4000 cases per year spread across a range of four Barolos plus barbera and dolcetto, individual bottlings are rather scarce. I consider this a very fair price for the impeccable quality it displays.

Badia A Coltibuono 2009 Chianti Classico ($23.95) has very much the same tender yet energetic and natural feel, perhaps because this too is organically grown. This is a very old but very modern property owned and managed by the Stucchi Prinetti family. It makes a range of wines and olive oils and runs a restaurant, small inn and cooking classes. What I admire is the honest Chianti-ness of the wines – it’s exactly what I hope for from Chianti, and I would be willing to pay even more to get it.

That’s it for this edition. Don’t forget to check out our latest episode of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” and watch next week for an article by Anthony Gismondi, as well as Steve Thurlow’s monthly report on the LCBO Top 50 Values.

But before signing off, I want to welcome Sarah Goddard who joins Bryan and Carol Ann as our third full time staff member at WineAlign. With a deep resume as a sommelier (and a former star student at CAPS) she will be managing our new office in Etobicoke that will become tasting central for the WineAlign’s professional critics and the WineAlign Cru of bloggers. The address is at 4195 Dundas Street West, Suite 222, Toronto, Ontario. M8X 1Y4.

Cheers,

David Lawrason
VP of Wine

We invite our Premium Subscription members to use these links to find all of David Lawrason’s reviews. Paid membership to WineAlign has its privileges – this is one of them. Enjoy!

From the May 11, 2013 Vintages release:

David’s Featured Wines
All Reviews

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Sara d’Amato

Recently I became a mother for the third time with the birth of little Jasper a mere eight weeks ago. Despite the haze of newborn-dom I am back to tasting wine. The most valuable asset a mother has is the ability to multitask. In fact, while I write this I am also playing Lego and making blueberry pancakes. With renewed sympathy and appreciation for mothers everywhere, and especially my own, I would like to offer a few suggestions to all of you wracking your brains to come up with the perfect mother’s day solution. And although I realize that writing this piece may be somewhat (hopefully) self-serving (hint hint), I can assure you from ample personal experience that these suggestions will not go unappreciated.

The theme of these wine recommendations is relaxation, something that might come naturally to most people, but that many mothers learn to live without, at least as long as they have children under their roofs. What we mothers want from Mother’s Day is simple: rest and appreciation. No need for expensive gifts or elaborate surprises. And if your mom is anything like me, a nice round glass of aptly-chosen wine is the very symbol of relaxation. Whether you are planning a home-cooked brunch or allowing mom some free time at home alone, a bottle of wine will never be unwelcome.

Brunch Worthy:

Treating mom to a home cooked meal is a tried and true practice on Mother’s Day. But to go the extra mile and pair brunch with a memorable bottle of wine will win yourself a multitude of points. To whet your palate, here are a few praiseworthy suggestions:

Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Blanc De Blanc 2007
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, ON $44.95

Not only will this newly redesigned, gorgeous bottle dress up your table, it will add class to your affair. A mistake would be attempting to make this into a mimosa, however, so stay away from the OJ and let the wine alone impress. Pair with blini, crème fraiche and caviar for a decadent match.

Tilia Torrontes 2010
Salta, Argentina, ON $12.95

Fun, fresh, floral and unique, this affordable selection is also sure to receive thumbs up from moms everywhere. Skip the bouquet and reach for the Torrontes for a fresh alternative to her usual faves. Try with Thai inspired cold spring rolls.

Ca’Dei Mandorli Dei Giari Moscato D’asti 2011
Piedmont, Italy, ON $15.95

Here’s a wine that will have mom asking for a second glass and with half the alcohol as in a standard glass of wine, there is no reason not to indulge (an apt selection for nursing mothers). Pair with a lemon panna cotta or mixed greens with strawberries and almonds.

Château St. Roch Syrah/Grenache Rosé 2011
Languedoc Roussillon, France Vintages, ON $14.95

Both the ladies and the men of the house will appreciate this swoon-worthy rosé from southern France. Dry with notes of lavender and pink grapefruit, this will prove a delightful pairing for smoked salmon eggs benedict.

Contemplative Whites

Taking the kids out for ice cream and allowing mom some peaceful time alone to rest and relax is just the thing to recharge the overworked lady of the house. Leaving her a bottle of wine and a charming note will have her smiling in no time. Here are a few restorative suggestions:

Norman Hardie Chardonnay 2009
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, ON $35.00

An intuitive, generous and thoughtful family man himself, Norman Hardie also produces world-class chardonnays rich with terroir-inspired complexity, subtlety and elegance. A great wine to help mom contemplate and appreciate her generous and thoughtful family.

Santo Santorini Assyrtiko 2011
Santorini, Greece, ON $16.95

Whisk mom away to one of the most beautiful spots in the world for some restorative daydreaming. The island of Santorini is perhaps the planet’s most picturesque locale with a dramatic coastline dotted by whitewashed dwellings that contrast the deep blue sea. As a result of its volcanic formation, the beaches feature jet-black sand and contribute to the complex terroir of these racy and verve-filled wines such as this scintillating assyrtiko.

Gray Monk Pinot Gris 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, ON $19.95, BC $16.99

An undeniably inviting wine that will both challenge and seduce, this delectable pinot is made in the heavier, more complex ‘gris’ style as opposed to the often lighter, brighter, more simple ‘grigio’ style. The west coast produces some of the most exquisite examples of this varietal and this bottle is a case in point. Utterly enjoyable on its own but also makes a great pairing for soft and semi-soft cheeses.

Melt-Away Reds:

Pampering goes hand and hand with Mother’s Day so spoil her with an indulgent, enveloping, plush, velvety wine that will prove more satisfying than the spa. Sure to keep her off her feet for the afternoon while you finish the clean up (hint, hint).

Château Pech Redon L’épervier 2010
Côteaux Du Languedoc, France, ON $19.95

A strikingly soulful and compelling find at less than the price of a manicure (and much more rewarding). This spicy, wildly flavoured southern blend of syrah and grenache will prove both stimulating and indulgent.

Langa Centenaria Garnacha 2008
Calatayud, Spain, ON $13.95

A massage and a bottle of grenache would do the trick for me on Mother’s Day and here’s a great value that is sure to knock her socks off. A decadent, almost guilty pleasure, this grenache is a perfect pairing for a little dark, spiced chocolate.

Monte Del Frá Lena Di Mezzo Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2007
Veneto, Italy, ON $48.95, BC $79.99

This wine is certainly a splurge, but this is mom we’re talking about. Amarone is often thought of as a ‘masculine’ wine but in reality, women appreciate the lush, velvety texture and opulent fruit just as much as men and with reportedly more sensitive noses, we can certainly derive greater enjoyment from such a generously flavoured wine.

Here’s to all mothers out there who could really use a break! Wishing you a peaceful and indulgent day.

Sara d’Amato

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

Division “B”, Round 2

The new episode is posted and ready to go, so pour yourself a glass of wine and tune in here: Episode 3.5

In this episode, Division ‘B’ is back for Round 2. Bruce, Bill and Sara face-off over this time. You’ll notice that Bill is wearing his lucky Leafs hat – so he may have an unfair advantage!

Recap and Scorecard

In Episode 3.4, Division ‘A’ contestants John, Will and Steve had no problem heading straight to Australia with the 2010 Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz. However, it was John’s powers of deduction that earned him the maximum points.

Here’s how the score sits after Episode 3.4:

There’s more to come

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

Past Episodes are always available under Videos within the Discuss tab on the WineAlign Home page.

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John Szabo, MS

This week’s report features a handful of rosés that shine above the rest for their quality/value/pleasure. Few producers take rosé production seriously, and finding the good stuff is like panning for gold. My selection includes a shiny range from $13 to $27; all are dry. I’ve nothing against sweet pinks – they’re great for spritzers. I also highlight a naturally low alcohol white made by a medical doctor in New Zealand who believes he’s hit on an innovative method (patent pending) to achieve full flavor at under 10% ABV, saving countless calories, livers and maybe even marriages. And the Top Ten Smart Buys this week include two astonishingly good $50 wines, which, if they hailed from Burgundy, Bordeaux or Napa, would easily cost in the $100s, plus a whole lot more. Read on.

Perilous Rosé

I know that rosé is a perilous category for wine consumers, fraught with the frustrations of trying to find what you’re looking for out of a jumble of radically different styles all lopped under the same loose heading. It’s kind of like tossing all fruits into one bin at the grocery store and letting shoppers muddle through, only they’re blindfolded and each fruit is wrapped in newspaper. Grab and hope. You’re as likely to find a green apple when looking for a juicy peach, or an avocado instead of a mango. So what can you do to navigate these murky waters? Not much I’m afraid, except find somebody you can trust who’s already tasted the wine, or stick to the regions and producers for whom rosé is not an afterthought or by-product of red wine, or worse yet, the dreaded “brand extension”. If you enjoy dry rosé with some authentic regional character, these are for you:

2012 Muga Rosé ($12.95). Garnacha, tempranillo and viura are blended in this well-priced, dry and lively rosé. 2012 was a warm and dry year in Rioja, conditions under which garnacha thrive. Muga’s vineyards in the cooler, higher elevations of the Rioja Alta also contributed to maintaining the impeccable balance here, and while this may be slightly riper than previous vintages, it’s still lean and crisp with low alcohol. Perfect for patios and paellas.

No other region in the world is more closely associated with quality rosé than Provence in the south of France, and it’s still the source of the world’s best in my view. Château La Tour De l’Évêque makes regular appearances in Canadian stores and the 2012 Rosé ($18.95) is an arch-classic, dry, savoury, solidly built and concentrated example without sacrificing refreshment.

Taking it up a notch into a rarefied quality level for rosé is the 2011 Château Léoube “Rosé de Léoube” ($26.95); available through the agent The Case For Wine. Léoube is a 550 hectare property of dramatic beauty, nestled within sight of the Mediterranean with 62 hectares of organically farmed vineyards surrounded by forests and wild scrub. The English owners of Léoube launched Daylesford Organic foods in the UK over 25 years ago, so respect for the land runs deep in the house philosophy. Château Léoube’s winemaker is Romain Ott, originally of the highly respected Domaine Ott in Provence, who came to the property after the family estate was purchased by Champagne Roederer. He brings considerable experience to the Léoube project, with the know how to make rosé of the highest order. This classic blend of 40% Grenache, 40% cinsault and 10% each of syrah and mourvèdre is a rosé of considerable depth and class. Pale in colour but deep in flavour, it delivers a marvelous fragrance of white flowers, sweet herbs and fresh strawberry, while the palate offers a harmonious balance of acids and alcohol (13%), just hitting perfect drinking stride now. It’s a compelling example of how some time in bottle can do wonders for classically structured rosé, especially when built on genuine concentration rather than merely clever winemaking. Bottom line: it’s well worth the asking price.

Next door to Provence on the other side of the Rhône delta is the AOC of Costières de Nîmes, where the Marès family has been making wine for six generations. Mas Des Bressades 2012 Cuvée Tradition Rosé ($14.95) is a reliable blend of Grenache, syrah and cinsault made in a dry style, reminiscent of Tavel with its generous 13.5% alcohol and powerful fruit.

And rounding out these five picks is the Domaine Allimant-Laugner Rosé Crémant d’Alsace ($19.95), from a region admittedly not known for rosé, but very much worth a look nevertheless because the adjectives good, bubbly, pink and under $20 are rarely found in the same sentence. Hubert Laugner is the 10th generation in a succession of winemakers in the Allimant-Laugner family farming twelve hectares spread over three villages. The Crémant rosé is a traditional method bubbly made from pinot noir, designed to be enjoyed young and fruity. It’s bright and fragrant, with red berry, raspberry, cherry and green apple aromatics, balanced palate and very good length, offering lots of pleasure.

The Doctor Recommends

Drs. John and Brigid Forrest operate Forrest winery in Marlborough, New Zealand, and also own prime parcels in the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay, Bannockburn in Central Otago and the Waitaki Valley. Considering the Forrests’ medical training – John spent eight years at the Salk Institute studying neurology – there’s an extra measure of scientific rigor applied to the wines, along with a great deal of empiricism: learning through experimentation and observation, which has lead to many innovative techniques and new wines. The range is indeed huge and would seem impossible to stay on top of, that is, until you meet this energetic and indefatigable couple, the kind of people that make you feel as though you should’ve accomplished more today.

Dr John Forrest, Forrest winery

John and Brigid launched the Doctors’ range to represent their growing roster of alternative grapes like arneis, gruner veltliner and St. Laurent, and to label the results of innovative winemaking techniques that have led to wines like the 2011 Forrest Estate The Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc ($19.95). This dry wine clocks in at a featherweight 9.5% alcohol, naturally achieved, without chemical or mechanical de-alcoholization.

My conversation with Dr. Forrest on his methods quickly surpassed my knowledge of plant biology/physiology, touching on concepts such as the splitting and deviations of carbon rings as the plant grows grows – this is clearly a process that Forrest has studied deeply. He has drawn upon work done at the Geisenheim Research in Germany, where Professor Hans Schultz has been investigating methods to maintain the traditionally low alcohol style of German riesling in the face of global warming. According to Dr. Forrest, the initial step is to carefully select sauvignon blanc clones from specific vineyards and microclimates. Then, methods of vine de-vigoration are applied, such as the targeted removal of young basal leaves from vines at critical times, which are far more efficient at photosynthesis, leaving the less efficient older leaves to do all of the ripening work. The result is lower sugar accumulation but longer hang time, allowing full flavour development with less potential alcohol. This, and other “top secret” viticultural techniques, as well as less secretive winemaking techniques such as using low-efficiency yeast strains that pump out less alcohol per gram of sugar, have enabled Forrest to create this dry 9.5% alcohol sauvignon naturally, a first of its kind to my knowledge.

Forrest first applied his techniques to riesling with tremendous commercial success before turning his sights on Marlborough’s calling card variety. The 2012 is the third and most successful attempt to date, a wine in which he finally achieved the balance he was looking for.  Forrest needed one last little tweak: the addition of a small portion of slightly overripe/late harvested sauvignon to add a tropical fruit nuance that was missing from the previous trials.

While the Doctors’ sauvignon blanc may not make the angels sigh, I find it remarkably flavourful nonetheless, not to mention regionally and varietally accurate, for such a low alcohol wine – I have to marvel at the ingenuity of its production and the commercial potential. For anyone who enjoys Marlborough sauvignon blanc, or any other zesty-herbal white, and wants a low alcohol alternative with fewer calories and lower alcohol-related health (and moving violation) risks, this is worth trying. Forrest plans to share his research with others later this year.

Highlights From Top Ten Smart Buys

In this week’s top ten I’ve included two wines that are well above the price range normally recommended: 2010 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg ($50.00) and 2007 Manzone Gramolere Barolo ($51.95). The reason is simple: these are great value wines, period.

The Schlossberg riesling is made by one of the most respected domaines in Alsace, from the world’s most noble white grape, grown in one of the top vineyard sites for the variety in all of northern Europe, in a classic vintage. $50 is actually a bargain. The 2010 is a pure marvel of the grape with a palpably gritty texture, riveting acids and striking salty minerality – this is all about vineyard expression with a minimum of winemaking interference. Be forewarned that this is not an immediately accessible wine, but rather one for both long ageing in the cellar and for terroir fanatics – a real intellectual challenge in the best sense. But those are precisely the qualities one looks for in premium wines – the fruity fluffy stuff can be made just about anywhere by anyone. (This wine is available in VINTAGES Classics Catalogue from February, so supply may be limited.)

I have a similar pitch for the Barolo: an historic estate making limited quantities of wine from Italy’s most aristocratic red grape grown in the legendary hilltop vineyard Gramolere in Monforte d’Alba, in a top, age-worthy vintage. ‘Nuff said. It’s just starting to open nicely now on the nose, showing its evident class and quality right off the top and textbook floral, red fruit, licorice, tar and violet aromatics. The palate is firm and very well structured, with wave after wave of palate-coating flavour and pleasantly grippy texture. It’s an expansive wine of genuine concentration and authentic complexity that can only derive from a unique combination of suitable conditions, i.e., a terroir wine.

Although $50 is a lofty price to pay for any bottle, I have to say that relative to the equivalent top wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy or the Napa Valley for example, you could argue that these are outright giveaways. I’d say it’s where the smart money goes if you’re into the premium category.

See below for the link to the rest of the top ten. You’ll find more smart white wine values from the Loire and the Mosel, one of my favorites whites from Campania, sturdy reds from Calabria, Spain and the Languedoc, and one of the best values from California I’ve encountered in some time.

That’s all for this week. See you over the next bottle.

John Szabo MS

We invite our Premium Subscription members to use these links to find all of John Szabo’s reviews. Paid membership to WineAlign has its privileges – this is one of them. Enjoy!

From the May 11, 2013 Vintages release:

Top Ten Smart Buys
Rosé Selection
All Reviews

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Margaret Swaine

Armagnac from the Gascony region of south-western France doesn’t play second fiddle to its more famous spirituous neighbour to the north, Cognac. Documents prove Armagnac was distilled over 700 years ago around 1411, making it by far the oldest eau de vie in the country and beating Cognac to the puncheon by some 150 years. It’s feisty, distinctive and individualistic like the Gascons portrayed in The Three Musketeers and Cyrano de Bergerac.

Armagnac’s heritage is the marriage of three great cultures: the Romans who introduced the grapevine to Gascony, the Moors who brought alembic distillation (they used the alcohol to make perfume) and the Celts who taught the Gascons about oak barrels. By the late 15th century, Armagnac stills were common in Gascony.

Gascony, about an hour and a half drive southwest of Bordeaux is still a highly agricultural region. The department of Gers in the region is the number one producer of duck in France. You know what that means: duck confit, magret, grattons (crispy duck skin), cassoulet and of course foie gras is on the menu. Duck fat replaces oil and butter in cooking. These artery plugging dishes are miraculously neutered by a glass of Armagnac after a meal. (In 2005 researchers at the University of Bordeaux discovered Armagnac drunk moderately and regularly helps prevent heart attacks and thrombosis. Further studies showed rats on a high fat diet and Armagnac did not gain weight versus rats on the same diet that got only the ethanol.)

Armagnac is produced from the distillation of white wine. Ten grape varieties can be used but in practice most growers cultivate just four: ugni blanc (also called Saint-Émilion), colombard, folle blanche (aka piquepoul) and baco blanc (also known as baco 22-A). Folle blanche was once the favoured grape in the area but it has been mostly replaced by baco blanc, a cross of folle blanche and the hybrid Noah. The highly acidic ugni blanc is the common grape used for cognac.

The Armagnac Appellation Contrôlée was defined in 1936 and comprises of three regions. The most important is Bas Armagnac (57% of vineyards), which has a sandy, silt soil structure that yields grapes of higher acid making generally rounder, supple Armagnac with finesse and a characteristic plum fruitiness. Ténarèze (40% of vineyards) is in the centre of the appellation and produces the most robust, rich brandies with aromas of violets. Haut-Armagnac (3%) produces brandies of lower quality and most growers have switched to corn, wheat, soybean and other crops.

Some producers like Larressingle marry the brandies of Bas Armagnac and Ténarèze to create a blend that captures both the robust warmth of Ténarèze and the mellow, fruity elegance of Bas Armagnac. Larressingle XO is a divine example.

Centuries ago Armagnac was distilled twice in pot stills. Since the first half of the 19th century, most Armagnac is made in a simple continuous alembic column still in a single distillation. Mobile distillers still service small farmers quickly performing the alchemic conversion in a few days. Since 1972, pot stills have been permitted in the appellation as well as double distillation but less than a handful do this.

As soon as the Armagnac is distilled, it’s placed in 400 litre oak casks for aging. The famed local oak (black oak) is in limited supply today and many producers now purchase barrels made from staves from forests further north, such as Limousin and Tronçais. (A Gascony legend states that casks should be made from oaks that have watched the vines grow but alas for many today this is no longer practical.)

Once the barrels are filled, the true transformation begins as the spirits age and first take on vanilla notes, which change to caramel and then toffee. Floral notes dissipate with time and flavours and aromas of dried fruits such as prune develop. With more age come nutty aspects and rancio notes akin to aged sherry. Armagnac in fact needs time to tame its feisty character. While the law says two years minimum, many are blends of multiple vintages. The spirits in bottles marked VSOP or Reserve are a minimum of five years old , the youngest in an XO, Napoleon, Extra or Vieille Reserve blend is six and that of Hors d’Age is ten and older.

In reality, some of the oldest in a blend can be much more aged than the law requires. The delightful Armagnac de Montal VSOP for example has brandies that have aged in French oak up to 20 years. The classy Domblat Napoléon 10 Year Old, is just that, and the label indicates it was bottled on July 5, 2012 from cask #4-5. Bas Armagnac Castarède 20 Year Old XO is still lively, perfumed with violets and lavender yet with power and length. Marie Duffau Bas Armagnac Napoléon boasts a minimum of 10 year old brandy and with its great price and sweet approachable warmth, it’s the fastest selling Armagnac in America.

However my favourite are the vintage dated Armagnac, which must all come from the harvest of the stated year. Cognac producers were only given the right to produce single vintage eau-de-vie in recent years. Armagnac on the other hand has been producing them since the beginning. It’s a special thrill to purchase a birth date vintage for a loved one or for pure self indulgence. Producers such as Chabot have stocks that date back to 1888. When you buy a vintage Chabot, it comes with a parchment paper sealed around the bottle with wax that certifies the exact year of harvest and the exact day and year of bottling. All brandies only age while they are in barrel so the date of bottling is a clear indication of the actual “taste” age of the product. The elegant, complex Chabot 1982 I tried was bottled July 12, 2012 and it showed all the beauty of age. Armagnac de Montal 1993 is elegantly aristocratic with ginger notes in the finish.

Normally I throw out a bottle once it’s empty. Not so for my Vintage Armagnac from my birth year. Those who see the bottle on display in my house pretty much can guess why I’ve kept it around. The allure of Armagnac trumps vanity.

Cheers!

Margaret Swaine

For all of Margaret’s picks click here: Margaret’s Whisky and Spirits

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John Szabo, MS

In light of the upcoming New Zealand Wine Fair rolling out across Canadian cities starting this week, this report takes you on a tour through New Zealand’s principal wine regions and highlights some of my top producers in each. All those listed below are represented (somewhere) in Canada, and I’ve listed the agents who represent them wherever possible. The fair hits Vancouver on April 29, Québec City on May 6, Montreal on May 7 and Toronto on May 9. There are both trade and consumer portions in each city, so plenty of access for all. Visit nzwine.com to see the list of producers who will be in each city and to register.

Some, but not all of my recommended producers will be represented at the fairs, so contact the agents directly to find out what’s currently in stock. I’ve also provided links to each producer’s website for your convenience, plus some individual links to reviews on WineAlign. For all my New Zealand wine reviews, please visit my Critic page on WineAlign. Make sure to check “Show wine with zero inventory” and “all Sources” as many of these are only available through the Agent listed.

The bottom line: there’s so much more quality NZ wine available in Canada than what’s on liquor board shelves. Indeed, many of the top small producers are rarely found in government shops, and they’re often the ones most worth tracking down.

New Zealand: Regions & Recommended Producers

New Zealand has just over 34,000 hectares under vine, almost exactly the same acreage as in Champagne, France, to put it in perspective. Although official Geographical Indications are still being mapped out, the New Zealand Winegrowers Association recognizes ten regions in its annual report. For background details on each, visit nzwine.com. Heading roughly north to south, here are the main regions and some of the producers to look for.

Browse by Region: Auckland; Hawkes Bay, Gisborne; Wairarapa/Martinborough; Nelson; Marlborough, North Canterbury; Waipara; Central Otago, Waitaki Valley

Auckland/Northland

Auckland was likely developed as a wine region more for its proximity to a major city rather than particular suitability for viticulture. The climate is virtually sub-tropical, hot and humid, yet there are nevertheless a few exceptions that belie the rule. The region also officially encompasses Matakana and Waiheki Island, the latter a volcanic Island just off the coast from Auckland that’s producing some exceptional, if hard to find wines, with its own unique and highly favorable maritime growing conditions.

Kumeu River Wines

Kumeu River Wines, an estate established in 1944 by Croatian immigrants Mick and Katé Brajkovich, leads the pack in the Auckland area. Generally considered too warm to produce really top-notch wines, Mick’s grandson, winemaker Michael Brajkovich MW and his family continue to defy the odds and consistently deliver some of the best chardonnay in New Zealand.

Agent: Connexion Oenophilia

Review on WineAlign: Kumeu River Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2008

Hawke’s Bay

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest and second largest wine region (14% of NZ vineyards), with a history stretching back to 1851. Today, it’s known principally for its red wines; the region accounts for nearly 85% of the country’s, cabernet, merlot and blends, as well as syrah. Hawke’s Bay is also home to the 800h hectare Gimblett Gravels sub-appellation, the world’s first based exclusively on soil type. It’s centered on the poor, free draining gravels laid down by the Ngaruroro River, which were exposed after a massive flood in the 1860s stripped away the overlying layers of silt and sand from a clearly delineated section of the plain. Yet it wasn’t until the 1980s that it was realized that grapevines could flourish on these barren soils, as they do on similar gravels on the Left bank of Bordeaux. The region has since taken off since, and pretty much the entire appellation is now planted.

Te Mata Wines

Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard

A venerable estate producing one of NZ’s most sought after reds, Coleraine, a cabernet-merlot blend. Also excellent chardonnay Elston and Bullnose syrah, among others.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Reviews on WineAlign:

Te Mata Awatea Cabernet/Merlot 2010

Te Mata Coleraine 2010

Elephant Hill

A relatively new estate in the cooler coastal zone of Hawke’s Bay called Te Awanga. Owned by German couple Reydan and Roger Weiss. In 2006, Günter Thies, ex Managing Director of Schloss Johannisberg, was lured from the Rheingau to join as MD for Elephant Hill. Look for fresh and peppery syrah among other specialties.

Agent: H.H.D Imports

Trinity Hill

Celebrating nearly twenty years as a leading Gimblett Gravels winery, Trinity Hill makes an exciting range of wines from experimental plantings of tempranillo, arneis and montepulciano, as well as one of NZ’s top syrahs under the “Hommage” label. Trinity also makes an excellent “bay blend” of cabernet-merlot.

Agent: Connexion Oenophilia

Craggy Range

Terry Peabody and Steve Smith MW established Craggy Range in 1997, and they quickly moved into the top echelon of NZ producers. Craggy produces a large range of high quality, single vineyard wines from multiple regions in New Zealand. Gimblett Gravels Syrah and Sophia blend are particularly impressive from Hawke’s Bay (see also Martinborough).

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Alpha Domus

Alpha Domus first planted in the Bridge Pa sub-zone of Hawke’s Bay in 1991. Today, the winery makes a solid range of fresh, balanced wines with particularly successful malbec and syrah, along with more traditional Bay Blends.

Agent: Connexion Oenophilia

Sileni Estates

A large but quality-oriented producer in Hawke’s Bay, with vineyards also in Marlborough. The Cellar Selection range offers excellent value in general; the Estate Collection is a step up in quality and price.

Agent: The Kirkwood Group

Other wineries to look for: Sacred Hill, Esk Valley, East Hope Winegrowers.

Gisborne

James Millton & all the necessary equipment of a vigneron

Gisborne is among the warmest viticultural areas in the country. It was also once the largest wine region in NZ, from the early mid seventies until the mid-eighties, based mostly on the short-lived success of Muller-Thurgau sold in bulk. Gisborne has since fallen to 4th largest, accounting accounts for 5% of NZ’s vineyards, but quality has risen dramatically. Loamy alluvial soils with high levels of calcium, boron and magnesium washed down from the upper hills produce voluptuous chardonnay and aromatic whites (viognier and gewürztraminer). Few reds are grown, but at least one-producer, Millton, proves that it can be done at the very highest level. There are only about four estate wineries; the rest under the Gisborne label are made from purchased fruit, or from contract growers, and bottled outside the region.

Millton Vineyards

James and Anne Millton have been growing grapes for 30 years in Gisborne, farming organically from the start. The shift to biodynamics occurred when the Milltons hired a Dutch intern in 1980 to develop an Integrated Pest management program. The intern happened to be trained in biodynamics and left a book behind for the Milltons to read, and they haven’t looked back since. James, by his own admission, is a Virgo, a “control freak”. He’s firmly in the iconoclast category of winemakers, never shy with opinions, yet neither close-minded. There’s a sense of constant searching in Millton, and his wines have shown a philosophical evolution, moving ever-more minimalist over the years. The musical taste of his cellar hands remains in the seventies, however, as evinced by the greatest hits of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones blasting in the winery as they’re bottle the 2011 Chenin Blanc and I’m tasting with James. Wines from the Clos Ste. Anne vineyard are the top range, and indeed the entire region.

Agent: The Living Vine

Review on WineAlign: Millton Crazy By Nature Dry Flint Chenin Blanc 2009

Other producers to look for: Vinoptima

Wairarapa (Martinborough)

Wairarapa, which means “glistening waters” in Maori, is composed of three distinct growing regions: Masterton, Gladston, and the most important in terms of acreage (2/3), Martinborough. The first vineyards were planted in 1980 on the edge of town by Ata Rangi, Martinborough Vineyards and Dry River. This is the driest region on the North Island, lying in a rain-shadowed valley tucked between two mountain ranges, inland and north from Wellington. And like Wellington, it’s very windy, and crops are naturally low. Sauvignon blanc, for example, regularly crops at half the average tonnage per acre you’d find in Marlborough. It’s also telling that although Wairarapa accounts for 3% of NZ’s vineyard acreage, it contributes only 1.6% of the national volume.

Helen Masters, winemaker at Ata Rangi

Soils are mostly gravel-based alluvials, free draining, though with more water holding capacity than the Gimblett Gravels. Irrigation is not generally needed, especially for older vines. This is a region of mostly small wineries. Pinot noir is the strength of the region, representing about half of plantings. Here the grape yields a concentrated, structured, less fruity and decidedly more savoury style of wine.

Ata Rangi

A pioneering winery in Martinborough established by Clive Paton in 1980, Ata Rangi (“dawn sky”, or “new beginning”) has been farmed using organic sprays from the start, and fully organically since 2010. This is an outstanding range across the board crafted by winemaker Helen Masters, with top NZ Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, among others.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Reviews on WineAlign:

Ata Rangi Petrie Vineyard Chardonnay 2011

Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2011

Craggy Range

Established by Terry Peabody and Steve Smith in 1997, Craggy Range has grown to become one of New Zealand’s leading premium producers making wines from multiple regions. Both the Martinborough Te Muna Road Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are excellent, though the whole gamut is worth a taste.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Palliser

One of the largest yet still quality-oriented producers in Martinborough, established two decades ago. The Pencarrow range offers good value; the estate range is more serious.

Agent: Pacific Wines and Spirits

Dry River

Ultra-concentrated wines from among the oldest vines in the region, with great depth and purity, built to age.

Agent: Alto Vino

Cambridge Road

Cambridge Road is a small, 5.5-acre estate on the so-called “Martinborough Terrace”, with some of the oldest pinot plantings in Martinborough, up to 30 years. Winegrower Lance Redgwell practices a natural approach to winegrowing, incorporating biodynamic principals, inspired initially by James Millton in Gisborne. These are pure and impressive wines.

Agent: The Living Vine

Other Producers to look for: Escarpment Vineyard, Kusuda Wines, Schubert.

Nelson

Vines first arrived in Nelson in the mid-1800 with German settlers, though the modern era dates to the 1960s, when Viggo du Fresne was granted the 2^nd winemaking license on the South Island. Other pioneers followed: Seifried in 1973, Neudorf in 1978. Today the region is still rather isolated across the hills to the west of Marlborough, and most operations are still family owned. 185 hectares are planted, divided between the unofficial sub-zones of the Moutere Hills, with its heavier, low fertility soils, with enough clay to hold water so that irrigation is not necessary, and the Waimea Plains and its low-lying flatlands, composed of free-draining floodplains and riverbeds, with gravels under alluvial silt loams, where irrigation is essential.

High sunshine hours, coupled with a long, moderate season thanks to warm air flow from Tasman Bay, and cool nights and reasonable rainfall, contribute to making Nelson well-suited to aromatic varieties such as riesling, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc.

Neudorf Vineyards

Neudorf has been considered a regional leader since Tim and Judy Finn established the winery on a shoestring budget in 1978. The estate has recently converted to organic farming, and the benefits of old vines are evident: these wines are dense and concentrated, not to mention age-worthy.  Chardonnay and pinot noir are highlights.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Marlborough

Much has been written about Marlborough, so I’ll skip the historical details. The region is still NZ’s largest by a wide margin, its 24,000 hectares representing 66% of NZ’s vineyards. Despite the international success with sauvignon blanc, which still dominates plantings, I got a real sense of innovative spirit permeating even the thickest corporate walls in the region when I visited in February of this year. By their own admission, Marlborough pinot noir growers are ten years behind Martinborough and Central Otago in terms of clonal and site selection and vineyard management. Most of what was planted in the early days in the flat, gravelly soils is best suited for sparkling wine, or at best light and fruity pinot noir – not what most would consider serious or age-worthy pinot. And growers treated the grape as if it were sauvignon blanc, which is like trying to make soufflé and pound cake from the same recipe. But one gets the sense they will catch up quickly, as indeed some growers already have.

James Healy & Ivan Sutherland – Dog Point Wines

The serious pinot action since the early 2000s has moved into the heavier soils of the (north-facing) Southern Valleys, an unofficial sub-zone of the region that really should be called Southern Hills, since that’s where most of the best vineyards are situated. This drier, sunnier side of Marlborough was unplantable until recently due to a lack of water, a situation that was addressed just a decade or so ago by an irrigation scheme. Suitable Dijon clones are replacing earlier clones, planting densities have increased, and farming techniques have been adapted to the foibles of pinot. Some of the results are excellent. At any rate, the Marlborough style is distinct from other regions in NZ, characterized by fresh, red fruit-driven wines with light tannins and bright acids, versus the darker fruit character of Otago or the savoury Martinborough style, for example.

Marlborough sauvignon blanc is also undergoing a radical make-over by serious producers, in an effort both to distinguish their own brands, and to add diversity to what has been a fairly straightforward and homogenous offer from Marlborough for the past twenty years. The cookie-cutter, pungent, overtly grassy, grapefruit and asparagus flavours are being traded in for riper, richer tropical fruit tones, lees contact, and quite often barrel fermentation in mostly old oak, in an effort to add layers of complexity and make the wines more age-worthy. It’s mostly a question of reducing yields and tweaking the harvest time, in addition to of course being in the right site in the first place, and fermenting with wild (or neutral) yeasts as opposed to the commercial yeast strains selected to pump up volume of thiols (the compounds responsible for the sweaty grapefruit aromas). In the words of Ivan Sutherland and James Healy of Dog Point Vineyards, ““If all you’re doing is chasing the cat’s piss [aromas/flavours], you’re going to find yourself with a wine that unravels pretty quickly. Thiols are a short-lived wine aroma component.”

I suspect we’ll see sub-appellations emerge in the not too distant future, as the differences across the region can be quite dramatic where all other things are equal. Already we’ve started to see unofficial sub-regional designations such as Awatere Valley, Wairau Valley and the Southern Valleys appear on labels, and we haven’t even begun to add on further refinements like “upper” and “lower” to these.

Finally, one of the un-written stories about Marlborough, and of New Zealand in general, is the astonishing quality of the chardonnays. Now that it’s cool to like (cool climate) chardonnay again, don’t miss some of the great examples from Marlborough and elsewhere in the country. This pliable variety has adapted well to various conditions, and more serious attention to sites, clones and winemaking techniques is resulting a remarkable range of quality examples. Get these now while the prices for all but the top end wines remain relatively accessible.

Astrolabe

Established in 1996 with winegrower Simon Waghorn at the helm. Grapes are sourced throughout Marlborough, but emphasis on vineyards in the slightly cooler Awatere Valley gives Astrolabe’s sauvignon a particularly pungent, pleasantly herbaceous character.

Agent: Rogers & Company

Aunstfield

Marlborough’s first commercial winery with a 100-year history, Aunstfield focuses on single vineyard wines from sites in the Southern Valleys. These are solid, savoury wines with plenty of character.

Agent: DB Wine & Spirits Inc.

Churton Wines

Sam Weaver – Churton Wines

A former London wine trader and Master of Wine candidate (he passed the tasting), Sam Weaver and his wife Mandy established Churton Wines in 1997 in the Southern Valleys of Marlborough. Sam has plenty of winemaking experience, too, including a stint as chief winemaker for Stoneleigh. The Weavers farm their Southern Valleys vineyard biodynamically, and all wines are 100% estate. Yields are well below the regional average and the range is excellent, with an extra measure of depth and concentration, and purity, across the board.

Agent: Le Sommelier Inc.

Clos Henri

Clos Henri is the antipodean outpost of Sancerre producer Henri Bourgeois, crafting very fine sauvignon blanc and pinot noir from vineyards in the Wairau Valley. The style of sauvignon is neither Loire Valley nor typically grassy Marlborough, but a fine meeting point of old and new world.

Agent: Charton Hobbs

Cloudy Bay Vineyards

Cloudy Bay Vineyards is of course the winery that put Marlborough on the world map back in the late 1980s. After a slight dip in quality, Cloudy bay is back on form with a strong set of recent releases. The 2012 sauvignon is one to watch for, while the Te Koko Sauvignon, wild fermented in barrel with full malolactic was one of the first wines in the region to launch this new style (as discussed in the intro above).

Dog Point Vineyard

Margaret and Ivan Sutherland purchased land at the convergence of the Brancott and Omaka Valleys in 1979 and planted vines. The fruit was initially sold to Cloudy Bay, where Sutherland and his future partner James Healy worked together, until 2003, when the pair left to launch Dog Point Vineyards. Their 100 hectares are farmed organically and hand picked (a rarity in Marlborough). Some fruit still goes to Cloudy Bay, but Sutherland and Healy keep the top, hillside vineyard fruit for their own label. The style is intense and edgy, with lots of lees contact and wild yeast complexity, some of the finest wines in the region.

Agent: Trialto Wine Group

Framingham Wines

Characterful wines from the Wairau Valley, including one of the region’s top rieslings, and an exceptional chardonnay.

Review on WineAlign: 2009 Framingham Chardonnay

Agent: Charton Hobbs

Greywacke

Owner Kevin Judd worked with Ivan Sutherland and James Healy (now of Dog Point) at Cloudy Bay before breaking off to start Greywacke; his first vintage was 2009. Judd now buys 90% of his fruit from Dog Point Vineyards, and makes the wine at their facility. The large range of wines is consistently well above average in terms of quality.

Nautilus Estate

A consistent range of clean, modern, quality wines sourced from all three sub-regions of Marlborough.

Agent: B&W Wines

Vineyard Workers at Seresin Estate

Seresin Estate

A region-leading, authentically biodynamic property making an exceptional range of characterful wines, not to mention beautiful olive oil and tasty vegetables. Seresin provides biodynamic preps to many of the other BD estates in the region. Minimal intervention in the winery occasionally results in idiosyncratic flavours, but these are wines of real depth and class, among the best in Marlborough.

Agent: Dionysus Wines & Spirits Ltd.

Staete Landt Vineyards

Dutch couple Ruud Maasdam and Dorien Vermass launched Staete Landt Vineyards with the 2000 vintage. They farm 21 hectares in the Wairau valley, producing a compelling range of wines at excellent prices. The Map Maker label is the very good entry range, while the estate range offers premium quality at fair prices.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Other names to look for: Fromm, Hans Herzog, Te Whare Ra (pronounced ‘teh-FAR-eh-rah”).

North Canterbury

The wines of Canterbury, and particularly North Canterbury, were among the most exciting discoveries at Pinot2013. It’s one of the rare places on earth where limestone and clay come together in the right measure to be perfectly suited to pinot noir and chardonnay, along with an appropriate climate, rainfall, and most importantly, the right intrepid souls who are willing to exploit the potential. The region represents less than 1% of total NZ vineyard area, but I suspect that will change as the top wines become better known.

Pyramid Valley Vineyards

Mike Weersing & his limestone – Pyramid Valley Vineyards

After a lengthy quest around the world searching for the right combination of soil and climate to produce meaningful pinot and chardonnay, Californians Mike and Claudia Weersing settled in a small farm on Pyramid Valley Road in 2000. Hundreds of holes dug into the dirt later, they planted 2.2 hectares of pinot noir and chardonnay on south and southwest facing slopes at 12,000 vines per hectare, un-grafted, and farmed biodynamically from day one. Weersing is a deeply thoughtful winegrower, with strong opinions on such things as biodynamics and screwcaps, yet is always willing to question and consider. His aim is to get as far out of the way as possible in winemaking, and nothing other than sulphur dioxide is used, and even that is dosed out as sparingly as possible. He latest searching has led to experiments with clay amphorae imported from Italy. Wines range from sublime to challenging, always intellectually demanding and multi-dimensional. The 800 or so cases produced from the “home” vineyards (Lion’s Tooth, Angel Flower, Earth Smoke and Field of Fire) are supplemented by the “Grower’s Collection”, a range of wines produced from grapes purchased from organic and biodynamically farmed vineyards throughout New Zealand.

Agent: The Living Vine

Bell Hill

Bell Hill is a tiny estate in the Weka Pass of North Canterbury, with just 2ha of super high-density planted vineyards (up to 11,363 vines/ha) on the unique limestone soils of the region. Vines are farmed organically with biodynamic principals employed; wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. I’d put these are the very top of NZ’s wines.

Agent: The Living Vine

Reviews on WineAlign:

2008 Bell Hill Estate Chardonnay North Canterbury

2010 Bell Hill Estate Pinot Noir North Canterbury

2010 Bell Hill Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir North Canterbury

Waipara Valley

The Waipara Valley lies south through Weka Pass in a sheltered zone. The lower lying areas of the region are mostly free-draining gravelly moraines well suited to aromatic whites (riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot gris), while the hillsides sites are clay-limestone dominated, where pinot and chardonnay are at their best.

Mountford Estate Vineyard & Winery

A very good range of pinot noir and chardonnay, the best of which are from 20 year old vines planted on a steep, eastern, limestone-rich hillside of the Waipara Valley. “The Rise” and especially “The Gradient” are the vineyard names to watch for. Also exceptional late harvest riesling and pinot gris from the gravelly flats to rival top-notch examples from Alsace.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Reviews on WineAlign:

2009 Mountford Estate Pinot Noir ‘The Gradient’

2011 Mountford Voluptueux Riesling

2011 Mountford Pinot Gris

Pegasus Bay

Matthew Donaldson – Pegasus Bay

One of the original Waipara wineries established in the early 1980s by Ivan and Christine Donaldson, Pegasus bay continues to produce exception quality across their considerable range. It’s still family owned and operated, with sons Matt and Ed now looking after winemaking and marketing respectively. In addition to top notch riesling, pinot noir and chardonnay, the winery boasts one of the region’s best restaurants; during my lunch there I ran into legendary rock star Geddy Lee of Rush and his wife, having a quick bite and tasting – the man knows good food and wine as well as bass guitar and vocals.

Agent: Woodman Wines & Spirits

Bellbird Spring

An up-and-coming Waipara producer owned and operated by the porter family, making reasonable pinot noir, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc. Guy Porter, born in India, raised in the UK, with vineyard and winery experience in Australia, Italy, Spain, and California, has considerable know-how. Yet considering that his first vintage was just in 2008, the best is yet to come. Look for the River Terrace Pinot Noir and the Home Block White, an aromatic white blend.

Agent: The Case For Wine

Other wineries to look for: Tongue in Groove, The Crater Rim, Black Estate

Central Otago (and The Waitaki Valley)

Central Otago is most closely associated with New Zealand pinot noir, even if the first commercial wine to come out of the region was reportedly a riesling in 1986. And riesling remains the real insider’s secret, with some superb examples grown on the predominantly free draining, arid, brown-grey soils with low fertility but high mineral content (quartz, mica, calcium) over schistous bedrock, unique in New Zealand.  Riesling clearly loves it here.

But pinot is of course the main story, yet one that is far from fully developed. Otago is quite spread out, encompassing some 1900 square kilometers, of which 1790 hectares are planted to vines. Pinot accounts for three-quarters, so the emphasis is clear. Considering the large area, it’s not surprising that no fewer than six distinct sub-regions have already been identified, ranging from relatively hot and dry Alexandra which receives about 340mm of rain a year, to the considerably cooler and wetter sub-zone of Wanaka, or the cool and windy Gibbston Valley where pinot can struggle to ripen in some years. The bulk of the 60 or so commercial wineries are centered on Bannockburn, which lies somewhere in between climatically and geographically.  Bendigo and Lowburn are the other two zones.

Rippon Vineyards, Central Otago

Otago has New Zealand’s only true semi-continental climate, protected from prevailing west to east weather patterns by the Southern Alps, yet lying far enough inland (about a 2.5 hour drive) from the east coast that the maritime influence that affects every other NZ region is not felt here. As a result, humidity, and thus disease pressure is low, making organic viticulture far easier than elsewhere in the country. Add in high UV light and plenty of sunshine (the region lies at 45º South, meaning summer days are very long), and the result is thick-skinned, deeply coloured pinots with riper, darker fruit flavours than other parts of NZ, despite a marginally shorter growing season than, say, Martinborough. I particularly enjoyed the fineness of examples from Wanaka (biodynamically-farmed Rippon Vineyards is outstanding) and the Gibbston Valley (look for Valli).

In addition to climatic suitability, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Central Otago is also an astonishingly beautiful place, a fact that the region plays on to promote their wines. The winegrowers’ association tag line, “It’s like nowhere else on earth”, is appropriate. Though as a Canadian wandering around Queenstown, I was reminded of Banff, Alberta, which is of course, a good thing. Too bad vineyards wouldn’t survive in the Rockies.

Carrick Wines

After searching in several other parts of NZ, Steve Green settled on Bannockburn with the single-minded goal of producing pinot when he established Carrick Wines in the early 1990s. The estate now has 24ha of certified organic vineyards, of which 70% is pinot noir with the balance in riesling, chardonnay, pinot gris and sauvignon.  Winemaker Francis Hutt makes a solid range of ‘classic’ Otago pinots, with plenty of dark fruit flavours, but the surprise here was the excellent rieslings in dry, off-dry and medium-dry styles.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Felton Road

Widely considered one of the leading wineries in New Zealand, Felton Road farms several vineyard sites in the Bannockburn and Cromwell areas using biodynamics. Viticulture is meticulous, and winemaking no less precise, even if winemaker Blair Walter’s approach has grown increasingly hands-off as confidence in vineyard sites has grown. The whole range is outstanding, with special thrills from the Block 2 Chardonnay and the Block 3 pinot noir.

Agent: Lifford Wine Agency

Mt. Difficulty Wines

Adventure sport enthusiast and skilled winemaker Matt Dicey crafts a fine range of wines from some of the oldest plantings in Bannockburn, the sub-region where Mt. Difficulty was established in 1992. “Roaring Meg” is the very good entry range; rieslings were a particular highlight, while three single-vineyard pinot noirs – Long Gully, Pipe Clay Terrace and Target Gully – make for a fascinating Burgundian-style terroir comparison.

Agent: Small Winemaker’s Collection

Quartz Reef

Austrian-born winegrower Rudi Bauer specializes in pinot noir, pinot gris and traditional method sparkling wine from his certified biodynamic vineyards in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sparkling wine is a particular treat.

Agent: Amethyst Wine Agency

Two Paddocks

Actor Sam Neill showing off his Two Paddocks Pinot

Established in 1993 by renowned actor Sam Neill, Two Paddocks is based in the sub-zone of Alexandra, making balanced, smooth and polished pinots at the riper end of the spectrum for Otago. Neill delivered one of the keynotes on day one of Pinot 2013, a memorable speech that included a hilarious video called Microdoodle #14: Cornucopia Vitis. The wines are a little more serious.

Agent: Glen-Ward Wines Inc.

Other Central Otago wineries to look for: Burn Cottage, Gibbston Valley Wines, Rippon, Terra Sancta, Valli Vineyards, Nanny Goat Vineyard

Waitaki Valley

The Waitaki Valley is New Zealand’s newest region, one that generated a lot of excitement at the Pinot 2013 conference. It really has nothing to do with Central Otago, but is lopped in under this heading since Otago is the closest region. The Waitaki Valley is about a 2-hour drive north from Otago, a valley carved by the Waitaki River itself through marine deposits. About eighty hectares of predominantly pinot noir, along with some aromatic whites, are planted in mainly limestone soils with a high degree of calcium – a soil type that pinot clearly enjoys. It’s cooler and more marine-influenced than Central, which is reflected in the lean, sharp, bright flavours of the pinots I tasted. The oldest vineyards date only to 2001, so there’s still much discovery and fine-tuning to be done, but the results are already exciting. Expect to hear a lot more about the Waitaki Valley in coming years.

Ostler Vineyards

Ostler is the leading producer based in the Waitaki Valley itself (though other fine wines are made by producers like Grant Valli and Dr. John Forrest, who own vineyards in the region but vinify at their home wineries). Jeff Sinnott and Jim Jerram planted their site in 2002 after a search for the confluence of cool climate and limestone soils led to Waitaki. These are decidedly delicate and refined wines, perfumed and tightly wound, vastly different from the pinots of central Otago. The quality already achieved here casts a positive light on the future of both Ostler and the entire region, with so much more yet to come.

Agent: The Living Vine

Other Waitaki Valley producers (wines) to look for: The Pasquale Kurow Winery, Forrest, Valli Vineyards.

For more information about New Zealand wine and The New Zealand Wine Fair visit nzwine.com.

Cheers!

To highlight their wines’ surprising flavours and top level food friendly versatility, the Riesling & Co. 2013 German wine fair returns to Toronto this spring.

On May 28 over 25 celebrated German winemakers and winery principals, offering 100+ wines, will assemble at the Arcadian Loft to offer guests the most extensive German wine tasting in Canada.

The “walk about” trade fair is open for attendance by professionals from the retail, media, and hospitality sectors during the day and by consumer wine enthusiasts during the evening. (See special offer for Wine Align subscribers below)

“What better way to discover the versatility of German Riesling and Pinots, than when matched with the passion of the visiting winemakers,” notes Ulrike Lenhardt of the German Wine Institute, who will be in Toronto for the event.

German Wine Queen and winemaker Julia Bertram

Winemaker Julia Bertram German Wine Queen

Guests will also have an opportunity to meet a real live QUEEN – German Wine Queen and winemaker Julia Bertram who will be attending to educate visitors on German wines!

German wines are generally heralded as great food friendly wines. This is a very bold statement, but most sommeliers and other food and wine professionals will agree.

Germany’s wines, while following strict wine laws, offer among the most variety, and one can find a wine for any occasion, matching any food and satisfying almost anyone.

The not-really secret here is the variety in styles (dry to sweet, sparkling or still), grape varieties (Riesling and Pinot Noir, to name the top ones of either white or red) and the distinct levels of richness (light to full, to honey-like) plus, based on the cooler climate, the wines generally have a good amount of acidity (considered vital for a great food wine) and lower levels of alcohol than warmer climate peers.

Another great thing about German wines with the higher acidity levels is that the wines last better than any other wines after they are opened. Hence don’t hesitate to open more than one bottle, taste and decide what will be the best for the occasion and return the other opened bottles to the refrigerator for later enjoyment.

“If you don’t love German wines, you just have not yet found the right one for you.”

Much has been written about food and wine pairing suggesting what goes and what does not go together. In the belief that enjoyment of food and wine is a very personal experience, we encourage everyone to experiment -and what better place than at the German Wine Fair!

To add to the fair, food pairings will be catered by Oliver and Bonacini and live music will be styled by BELLOSOUND.

And as an added incentive to join us, all trade and consumer registrants are eligible to win Rimowa Luggage valued $595.

Date and Location:

Tuesday, May 28th  – Arcadian Loft, 8^Th Floor, 401 Bay Street, Toronto

Trade Tasting

2:00PM to 5:00 PM

Media and Trade professionals interested in attending the walk-about are encouraged to register at: www.germanwinefair.ca

NEW: Consumer Tasting

Calling all wine lovers! Meet over 25 winemakers and winery principals  and taste over 100 wines with food pairings by Oliver & Bonacini

7:00PM to 9:30 PM

Tickets $65 — all food and wine samples included

Wine Align subscribers receive $10.00 off the regular ticket price of $65.00.
Enter promo code: winealign

Order Tickets Here

Wine lovers are encouraged to visit: www.germanwinefair.ca for more information.

David Lawrason

This is a large, rambling release with only one stylistic/regional theme – Italy’s appassimento wines. I will explain why I am lukewarm on appassimento wines, wherever they are made, then move on to more compelling topics. There are a handful of excellent 2010s from France, a vintage very much deserving to be on your radar. Then from there it’s a potpourri of ten WOIs – or Wines of Interest. They may be new, or rare, or surprising for any number of reasons, but all have made the list because their quality is high.

Why I Pass on Appassimento

Last week John Szabo penned a superb WineAlign essay on wines made by the appassimento technique of drying grapes toward raisin-hood in order to concentrate sugars and flavours. It leaves me nothing to do except explain, on a fairly subjective level, why I am not all that interested in the genre.

Appassimento particularly benefits reds made in cooler climates, so if all the world’s reds were made in Veneto or Ontario, I might be tempted to buy more appassimento. And when the world of Italian wine was much more narrow than it is today, amarone was indeed greeted as something magically rich and wonderful. But there are now simply far more choices in rich, buxom reds made elsewhere, particularly rich syrah/shiraz from Australia, South Africa, California, even B.C. And there are also many fully ripened reds from southern Italy and Spain that actually have similar flavour profiles to amarone. So, pass – especially when considering the next points.

The number two reason is price. By drying the grapes the yield per berry is lower and the price is justifiably higher. But increased weight and concentration does not always equate to higher quality to justify the price. I have had some great Italian amarones – and there are a couple of excellent ones on this release – but I have had far more not great Italian amarones that cost $30 to $60. Likewise, many of Ontario’s new appassimentos are quite expensive as well. Pass.

The third reason is inconsistent quality. As John Szabo explains, the finished appassimento wine is only as good as the quality of the grapes going in. The process doesn’t manufacture quality; only weight and flavour concentration. And if the drying is not done carefully the grapes can develop volatile/acetic character which I find frequently in appassimento wines. So one has to be careful to choose the best producers, and nowadays in Veneto there are hundreds of producers of amarone and ripasso wines. And in Ontario the technique is sufficiently new and varied that a strong quality track record is not yet established.

Having said all that, here two recommended wines on this release. Le Ragose 2005 Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico is certainly not cheap at $62.95 but it is classic, mature, complex and compelling amarone that gets to the heart of the reason that the genre endures. And for those unwilling or unable to consider that price I also recommend Le Arche Atesio 2010 Appassimento Rosso at only $16.95. This is a wine that doesn’t try too hard to be an amarone; it is simply charming, youthful and well made.

France’s 2010 Vintage

In recent weeks and months we have begun to see the whites and reds of France’s excellent 2010 vintage arrive in some volume. No matter the region or grape variety any well-made 2010s have a certain energy, structure, purity and depth. I first noticed it a year ago when I spent a week in Alsace and tasted the new releases. There were dozens of scintillating whites. I moved on to Burgundy and the south of France directly after Alsace and found the same kind of tension and focus in the early releases there as well. Since then we have begun to see the first “minor” Bordeaux, the first premier cru Burgundy, and the bigger Chateauneuf-du-Papes. The winemakers of the Rhone are particularly excited.

The weather was not uniform throughout all the French regions but there are some commonalities that begin to account for the quality. One is the lower than normal yield across the country thanks to a cold winter; with commensurate increase in flavour concentration (length of finish). The spring tended to be cool with a later start to the growing season, which was warm and balanced, with good warmth if not as sensationally hot and news-grabbing as 2009. With the later start, good fall weather was essential and Mother Nature delivered. So overall the grapes enjoyed a long, even ripening with natural acidity maintained, and tannin levels being in balance as well. And that’s what I really like about 2010 – the sense of balance and tension and evenness – not overripe, not underripe, not flabby, nor shrill. Here are some examples on this release.

Clos Du Roy 2010 Fronsac ($22.95) is a thoroughly impressive, solid yet forgiving and quite elegant young merlot-based red from the right bank of Bordeaux. Domaine De Saint Siffrein 2010 Châteauneuf-Du-Pape ($41.95) is another in a string of solid 2010 southern Rhones that are reserved now, but will bloom in the cellar over the next five years, and could last for over a decade. Delas Domaine Des Grands Chemins 2010 Crozes-Hermitage ($31.95) is a 100% syrah from the northern Rhone that is also showing classic, age-worthy structure. (This is an In-Store Discovery found only in the largest Vintages stores).

Five White Wines of Interest

Loan Wines 2004 Unwooded Special Reserve Semillon from the Barossa Valley of South Australia is jaw-droppingly stunning. And amazing value at $15.95. For years I have extolled the virtues and value of Australian semillon, but this organically grown, fully mature example is the exclamation point. If you are at all a wine explorer you cannot afford to not buy a bottle.

La Cappuccina 2012 Soave ($14.95) is an organically grown garganega that points to a real renaissance in quality within this once boring, industrialized category. The Tessari family has been making wine in the region since 1890, but in 1985 they began the conversion to “slow wine” and organic grape growing. The resulting energy, balance and refinement is palpable, and remarkable for $15.

Mount Riley 2011 Chardonnay ($17.95) from New Zealand is of interest not just due its price, but due to its tight, Chablis-like cool climate structure. New Zealand in general and Marlborough in particular tends to be over-looked as a chardonnay producer – largely due to the omni-presence of its sauvignons. But this is a very good buy, partially fermented in new oak, but not the least oaky.

Lammershoek 2010 Roulette Blanc from the Swartland region of South Africa ($21.95) is one of the most intriguing and best white blends of the Cape – from naturally farmed bush vines growing chenin blanc, chardonnay, viognier and clairette. It is barrel fermented but the oaking is very well handled. It’s complex, age-worthy and performs well above its price.

Lunae 2011 Colli Di Luni Vermentino ($20.95) is one of the best examples of vermentino that I have ever encountered. Colli di Luni is an appellation in eastern Liguria on Italy’s north Mediterranean coast. Cantina Lunae is a widely heralded producer with 65 ha planted on sand and gravel slopes overlooking the Mediterranean. Great vitality, finesse and exotic flavours here.

Five Red Wines of Interest

Hidden Bench 2009 Terroir Caché Meritage ($32.95) from the Beamsville Bench of Niagara Peninsula is a dramatic statement for pressing on with Bordeaux varieties in Niagara, if winemakers are prepared to commit to quality and consumers are willing to pay for it. This is a surprisingly fine and ripe example from “a lighter, cooler vintage”, and from a sub-region of Niagara that is much better known for riesling, chardonnay and pinot. And I would put it up against any $35 Bordeaux you could name.

Maycas Del Limarí 2009 Reserva Especial Syrah ($19.95) is very good value, and a peek at the evolving quality and styling of Chilean syrah. The grape is relatively new in the long thin land, so still in the process of finding itself. Many still smell and taste more like cabernet or carmenere than syrah, but the northern, Pacific-cooled regions of Limari (with some limestone) and Elqui are showing more typical syrah character.

Quartz Reef 2010 Pinot Noir ($44.95) is from the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago, New Zealand. It is of interest to me on many levels, including the fact it represents a specific sub-appellation of Central Otago. After spending five days there I came to appreciate that Otago is indeed more than one region. It is also of interest because it is biodynamically produced and because it is a very refined pinot noir.

Morgenster 2005 Lourens River Valley ($25.95) is a mature example of a very serious, cabernet focused, Bordeaux-inspired house with vineyards in the slightly cooler Helderberg sub district of Stellenbosch near Somerset West. Pierre Lurton of Bordeaux is the winemaking consultant. You may not be a fan of Stellenbosch reds with their distinctive rubber band/tarry character – and you will find it here – but there are so many other attributes on display, for a shockingly low price.

Torrevento 2008 Vigna Pedale Riserva ($20.95) is from the Castel del Monte appellation of Puglia on the heel of Italy – an appellation that has been on my value radar for years. This red is from a low-yielding local grape called uva di troia, but it becomes a Wine of Interest largely due to its unique, exotic spiciness. And by the way, I would easily buy three bottles of this over one bottle of fine amarone.

That’s it for this edition. See you back here before the May 11 release. May warm weather wine drinking be with us all soon.

David Lawrason
VP of Wine

From the April 27, 2013 Vintages release:

David’s Featured Wines
All Reviews

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WineAlign is pleased to present an exclusive tutored tasting with Stoneleigh Chief Winemaker – Jamie Marfell

Stoneleigh Chief Winemaker, Jamie Marfell

This summer, Stoneleigh will introduce Canadians to Stoneleigh Latitude, the latest addition to the Stoneleigh family from New Zealand’s highly-regarded ‘Golden Mile’. To celebrate, Stoneleigh will break open its vault for WineAlign members during a special tasting with Head Winemaker Jamie Marfell.

What makes Stoneleigh so unique? Produced in the Marlborough region, Stoneleigh vineyards are scattered with stones left by an ancient riverbed. The stones soak up the warmth of the sun’s rays by day and radiate that heat to help ripen the grapes by night. This natural phenomenon, coupled with the free-draining stony soils, inspires a distinctively crisp, fresh and elegant wine.

Join WineAlign to preview Latitude with winemaker Jamie Marfell, and taste some of Stoneleigh’s other award-winning wines – some of which are not available in the Canadian market. Tickets are available now for $30 including wine tasting and appetizers.

Joining Stoneleigh Chief Winemaker Jamie Marfell will be our own David Lawrason.

Wines to be tasted:

- Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc
- Stoneleigh Pinot Noir
- Stoneleigh Latitude Sauvignon Blanc
- Stoneleigh Latitude Pinot Noir
- Rapaura Sauvignon Blanc
- Rapaura Pinot Noir
- Rapaura Chardonnay 2003
- Stoneleigh Chardonnay 2005

Event Details:

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Location:  Crush Wine Bar (455 King St. W)

Reception: 6:30pm

Tutored tasting: 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Enjoy remaining wines with appetizers: 8:30pm – 9:00pm

Order Tickets online: $30.00 ($35.64 after taxes and fees)

About Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh’s distinctive sunstones

The natural environment of Stoneleigh vineyards, Rapaura soils and distinctive sunstones create a wine style that is elegant and crisp, yet intense – the flavour of Stoneleigh. It is these sunstones and the unique stony riverbed soil structure that are renowned for delivering quality and flavour to Stoneleigh wines.

Started by nature and finished by the talents of the Stoneleigh winemakers, whose philosophy of minimum intervention in the winery ensures that the vibrant flavours of Stoneleigh are captured in each and every bottle.

The Stoneleigh team is committed to sustainable practices and is accredited under the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) scheme.

About Jamie Marfell

Winemaking was an inevitable career choice for Jamie who grew up on a farm overlooking a valley of grapevines in Marlborough and whose holiday employment was usually spent planting or pruning vines, depending on the season.

Following the completion of a degree in agricultural science and a postgraduate diploma in viticulture and oenology at the University of Lincoln, New Zealand, Jamie began his career as a trainee winemaker with Pernod Ricard, in 1990.

Based in his hometown of Blenheim for the first two years of his career, Jamie moved to Auckland and worked on the company’s acclaimed sparkling wine range. This was interspersed with vintages in Gisborne, Marlborough and several vintages in Germany’s Mosel and Rhine Hessen wine regions.

In 2002 Jamie returned to Stoneleigh, Blenheim, to concentrate on crafting distinctive Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

About Crush Wine Bar

Located in Toronto’s trendy King West entertainment district, CRUSH Wine Bar offers a blend of casual fine food and winning wines in a vibrant atmosphere.

From organic meat, fresh fruits and vegetables from surrounding local farms, Executive Chef Trista Sheen constructs a menu rooted in the French style but highlighted with continental flair. Sommelier Tiffany Jamieson-Horne is on hand to guide guests through the extensive wine collection to enhance the flavours of Chef Sheens’ simple yet stunning dishes.

Our winemaker events have been consistently and quickly selling out.  If you are interested in attending then we advise you to purchase your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

David Lawrason

The winemaking folk of Prince Edward County like it there – tucked far from the madding crowds on their “virtual island” offshore in Lake Ontario just west of Kingston. It’s a place that moves to its own rhythms. It is governed by the slow march of history, and the seasons, and how different one season is from the next. A few of the County folk have grown up there, but most have actually moved from the city (Toronto or Ottawa) and they are now even more fervent about the County than the locals.

So they must be feeling some anxiety in returning for the second annual “County in the City” tasting this Thursday at the Berkeley Church on Queen St east of Sherbourne St. The location may seem odd to city folks – an historic church remade into an event space. But the County folks will surely be more comfortable in this rustic setting, east of Yonge Street, and closer to home. Most will likely high tail it down the 401 in the darkness as soon as the event closes at 9 pm.

But this event is a commercial necessity. For as attractive as the County has become to citified agri-tourists – with almost 40 wineries, its craft brewery (Barley Days) and new distillery (Gilead); its very fine restaurant scene; its myriad small inns and B&Bs; and its twice-yearly wine events in Picton’s “Crystal Palace” – it is still, after over ten years on the wine map, unknown to a large swath of urbanites.

And more importantly this year, the Berkeley Church event will allow guests to try the wines then place orders on the spot. No, you still can’t walk out with bottles under your arm, but the wineries will arrange free direct deliveries to your home and office. And most are wines you will never see at the LCBO.

At last count, 15 wineries were signed on to pour, and they represent an interesting cross-section of the larger, more well established wineries like Grange of Prince Edward, Huff Estates, Rosehall Run and Norman Hardie,  plus newer, tiny operations like Exultet, Stanners, Devils Wishbone, Lighthall and Half Moon Bay. But they all share the same  MO – incorrigible idealists who worked themselves to the bone to hew vineyards out of the tough, limestone gravel strewn soils, all in order to make tiny amounts of light bodied, fragrant and elegant pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris and perhaps sparkling wine from vines with impossibly low yields.

So if you have not experienced the County and its wines, and you find yourself with time on Thursday between 5pm and 9pm, click here for tickets. It is $39 all in – the cost of one fine bottle of County pinot – with an opportunity to try dozens of wines, have a bite to eat and enjoy some live music as well. And if you can’t make it Thursday, set aside the weekend of May 25 to visit the County itself for the annual Terroir event in Picton.

Cheers,

David Lawrason
VP of Wine

Try & Buy Great Prince Edward County Wines

Back for its second year, County in the City is a great “TRY and BUY” event. Many of these wines are not available in Toronto retail outlets. All wines purchased at this event will be delivered right to your door – with FREE shipping.

And it gets better – all wine samples are included in the ticket price!

Here are the details you need to know:

Event Name: County in the City

Date: Thursday, April  25, 2013

Time: 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 pm

Venue: The Berkeley Church, 315 Queen Street East, Toronto

Tickets are available now: $39 in advance (online tickets sent as a PDF in a confirmation email), $50 at the door (subject to availability)

Order Tickets Now

Have a look at some of the amazing Prince Edward County wineries who will be pouring at the event:

By Chadsey’s Cairns
Casa Dea
Closson Chase
Devil’s Wishbone
Exultet Estates
Grange of Prince Edward County Vineyard and Estate Winery
Half Moon Bay Winery
Huff Estates Winery
Karlo Estates
Keint-He Winery and Vineyard
Lighthall Vineyard
Norman Hardie
Rosehall Run
Sandbanks Winery
Stanners Vineyard

Follow County in the City on Twitter @winefestival