My Picks: Vintages Release ─ December 10 2011

This week’s release, entitled “holiday cheer”, is the third of the Christmas-themed releases going back to early November.  And it’s still 2 weeks until Christmas.

It’s generally a disappointing effort, with way too much Chardonnay on what is a meagre list of white wines…and more Cabernet Sauvignon than we should have to endure.   And the third strike?  It’s the prices.

And so, dear readers, just nine wines made the My Picks grade.  No organics.  No white wines!

But what is here is worth a trip down to Vintages.  7 red wines, 5 of which have Grenache in the blend.  Grenache, which thrives in sunny, hot, dry climates (southern France, Spain, Australia) is the perfect low-tannin wine for slow-cooked winter comfort foods such as stews, braised, and roasted meats (especially game).  Ah Grenache, you are a friend indeed.

And 2 sparkling wines.  One is a rarely found Brut Nature (no dosage, that sugar-wine syrup that they add to a sparkling wine to increase its sweetness).  Makes for a wonderful aperitif.

Well, at least we have the “bargains” of the New Year to look forward to! 

   

Off the Beaten Track

Reds

VIÑA COBOS FELINO MALBEC 2009, Mendoza (Argentina); #118067; Price: $19.95; 14.5% ABV

100% Malbec from 3 different vineyards in the arid Mendoza highlands.  Fermented with cultivated and native yeasts in large closed-top stainless steel fermenters.  Cold maceration for 3 days, followed by fermentation for 15 days.  Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels over 4 months, followed by aging in American and French oak barrels (21% new) for 8 months.  Big but not over-oaked.

DOMAINE COMELADE LE CASOT ROUGE 2010, AC Côtes du Roussillon-Villages (France); #255000; Price: $17.95; 14.2% ABV

A blend of Syrah, old-vine Carignan, and Grenache.  The Syrah and Carignan undergo carbonic maceration.  Fermented in stainless steel and partially aged in oak barrels (new, 2, and 3 years old).

LES HAUTS DE CASTELLAS VACQUEYRAS 2009, AC Vacqueyras (France); #177634; Price: $19.95; 14.0% ABV

A GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) blend.  Hand harvested.  Aged in oak for 12 months.

PIERRE AMADIEU DOMAINE GRAND ROMANE CUVÉE PRESTIGE GIGONDAS 2009, AC Gigondas (France); #968693; Price: $27.95; 12.0% ABV

Another GSM blend.  Hand harvested.  Open-top maceration for the Grenache and Syrah; long carbonic maceration for the Mourvèdre.  Blended and then aged in a combination of oak barrels and in 100 hl oak casks.  Unfiltered, so decanting is a good idea.

KATOGI & STROFILIA XINOMAVRO 2005, AO Naoussa (Greece); #249615; Price: $17.95; 13.0% ABV

100% Xinomavro, which translates literally as “acid black”.  Cold maceration for 7 days.  Fermentation and then maceration for 20 days.  Transferred to oak barrels for Malolactic fermentation, where it’s left on its lees for 2 months, and then aged in the barrels for 10 months.  Should easily handle a few years more aging.

ARGIOLAS COSTERA 2009, DOC Cannonau di Sardegna (Italy); #99028; Price: $17.95; 13.5% ABV

A blend of Cannonau (what Sardinians call Grenache), Carignano, and Bovale.  Seems more Languedoc than Italy.  Harvested by hand.  Fermented for 10 days. Malolactic fermentation in cement glass-lined tanks.  Aged in small oak casks for 8 months.  Great with roast lamb or pork, as they do in Sardinia.

RAMON BILBAO GRAN RESERVA 2004, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #244715; Price: $29.95; 14.0% ABV

A blend of old vine Tempranillo (90%), Graciano (5%), and Garnacha (5%) from Rioja Alta.  Hand harvested.  Aged for 30 months in American oak casks, then 36 months in the bottle in “complete quietness and darkness”.  A classic.  A perfect match with lamb.

Sparklings

CARLES ANDREU BRUT NATURE NV, DO Cava (Spain); #246686; Price: $15.95; 11.9% ABV

A blend of Macabeo and Parellada from the region that makes Cava, which has become both the name of the wine and the region where they make the sparkling wine.  Just like Champagne.   Fermentation of the base wine for 10 days.  Second fermentation in bottle and left on its lees for 18 months.  No dosage, so it’s dry, dry, dry.  Refreshing start to any evening.

ROEDERER ESTATE BRUT SPARKLING NV, Anderson Valley (California); #294181; Price: $28.95; 12.0% ABV

A blend of Chardonnay (60%) and Pinot Noir (40%).  Fermentation in stainless steel tanks.  No Malolactic fermentation.  Otherwise, it’s the traditional method.

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Ignoble Rottenness in Bordeaux

One of my favourite bloggers, Alder Yarrow (who writes Vinography), wrote a perplexing post about 10 days ago.

In his post, The Downside of AOC, Alder tells the tale of a convenience store owner in the Bordeaux region who was convicted of selling sugar to “professionals” (i.e., wine producers) without recording the buyer’s names.  In turn, these buyers avoided paying a tax owed on sugar used in a business.  (Adding sugar to wine, within specific limits, is legal in France and many other cool climate regions.  Sugar converts to alcohol during fermentation.  Adding sugar = higher alcohol.)

From this case of tax evasion, Alder argues that France’s Appellation Contrôlée regulations “prevent winemakers from making the best wine they think they can make, or even worse, prevent them from making wine that is commercially viable in a tough year.” 

Well, isn’t that the point of regulations that exist to protect the quality and integrity of a wine?      

Wine is one of the few products that we consume that is not required to disclose what’s in the package.  Reliance on the integrity and stringency of “quality control” regulations that wine regions around the world impose is one of the few guarantees that we consumers have.  Appellation Contrôlée is essentially a brand that assures consumers that what we think we are buying is really what we are getting.  And, like every other brand, these regulations exist to so that the brand is protected.  (Here in Ontario, we’re fortunate that the provincial government also tests a bottle of every wine brought into the province.)

If I buy a sweet white Bordeaux (like Sauternes or Barsac…expensive, those), I want to know that I can rely on French regulations that lay down how that wine can be made.  I wouldn’t like the idea that winemakers in Sauternes can simply dump as much sugar as they like into the vat to “salvage a poor vintage”.   It may be a better wine, sure, but it’s no longer Sauternes, which deservedly commands its premium price because it’s so difficult to make, and tastes so good.  Go ahead and sell it as vin de table but not as Sauternes.

So we either keep the Appellation Contrôlée system and the (limited) brand protection that it offers.  

Or, as Alder seems to suggest, we open up wine-making to no regulation.  (Worked well for the financial industry.)  But then let’s insist on full disclosure of the how and what of wine-making on the label.  Consumers deserve no less.     

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ November 26 2011

Vintages continues its long march towards Christmas with the second of three holiday-themed high-end releases that cover nine weeks, from early November to the new year.  Ka-ching.

As usual, a careful review shows that there are good choices that make the cut for My Picks. No surprise but, as usual, it’s Spain and Italy, each with 3 picks, that bring the value. And just to show that I’m not the Grinch, I’ve included a sparkling and a Port for your holidays, as well as an affordable Pinot Noir from Germany for your turkey dinner.

Nothing organic.

Off the Beaten Track

Whites

ULISSE UNICO PECORINO 2010, IGT Terre di Chieti (Italy); #249128; Price: $17.95; 13.0% ABV

There’s Pecorino the cheese...and Pecorino the grape, grown along the Adriatic coast in Abruzzo. Handpicked. Cold maceration for 24 hours, then fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Aged 3 months in stainless steel. No cork, no screwtop…this one has a glass closure. Made for seafood, the raw and the cooked. And why not try it with Pecorino cheese?

GROTTA DEL SOLE FALANGHINA 2009, DOC CAMPI FLEGREI (Campania, Italy); #247940; Price: $15.95; 12.5% ABV

100% Falanghina from the volcanic soil northwest of Napoli. Grown on Vinifera roots. Handpicked. 12-hour cold maceration, then cool fermentation. No oak. Bottled after 6 months in tanks. Great with seafood, as they do in Napoli.

Reds

13TH STREET GAMAY NOIR 2010, VQA Niagara Peninsula; #177824; Price: $19.95; 12.0% ABV

100% Gamay Noir from 3 vineyards, one of which is organic. Handpicked. Cold maceration and fermentation in stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation and aging for 8 months in French oak barrels (25% new), then blended. Gamay Noir is greatly underappreciated and one of my favourites, now that the Beaujolais region is back on track. Look for red fruit and earthy aromas. Try it with roast poultry.

ACACIA PINOT NOIR 2007, (Carneros, California); #235960; Price: $29.95; 14.4% ABV

100% Pinot Noir from Carneros, a wonderful cool climate for Pinot Noir in the Napa Valley. Hand-harvested. Cold maceration. 3 weeks fermentation. Aged in oak barrels for 7 months.

MAD FISH SIDEWAYS CABERNET SAUVIGNON/MERLOT 2009, Margaret River (Australia); #247163; Price: $23.95; 14.0% ABV

A Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), Merlot (42%), and Petit Verdot (5%) from the west coast of Australia. Fermented in a mix of open-top and closed fermenters with some extended maceration. Aged in French oak barriques for 15 months. Try it with game.

DOMAINE SERGENT OAK AGED MADIRAN 2008, AC Madiran (France); #251561; Price: $19.95; 14.5% ABV

100% Tannat from southwest France. Big big tannins. Hand harvested. Cold maceration for 5 days. Fermentation for 21 days in stainless steel tanks, followed by Malolactic fermentation in cement tanks. Aged in oak barrels (1/3 new) for 12 months. Fined and filtered. Duck confit is the brilliant regional match.

REICHSRAT VON BUHL PINOT NOIR 2008, QbA Pfalz (Germany); #249649; Price: $19.95; 13.0% ABV

100% Pinot Noir from the Pfalz, the largest wine-producing area (by volume) in Germany. Yes, it’s true. Fermented on its skins for 10 days in sealed stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation in a combination of stainless steel and large oak casks. Aged in oak for 10 months. This is the ideal (and affordable) wine for a large turkey dinner at Christmas or, as the winemaker suggests, “simply for a cold winter’s evening in front of the fire”. What’s a Reichsrat, you ask? No, it’s not a Nazi war criminal. The Reichsrat was the upper house in the German legislature during the Weimar Republic. von Buhl was a member of the Reichsrat.

DUCA DI SALAPARUTA PASSO DELLE MULE NERO D'AVOLA 2008, IGT Sicilia (Italy); #250928; Price: $19.95; 13.2% ABV

100% Nero d’Avola. Hand harvested. Maceration for 8 days. Aged 10 months in oak barrels and, after bottling, 6 months in the cellar before release. Great match with stews and roasted game.

BODEGAS BERCEO GONZALO DE BERCEO RESERVA 2005, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #246744; Price: $20.95; 13.5% ABV

A blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo (aka Carignan), and Grenache. Hand picked from 14 vineyards. After maceration, fermentation, and Malolactic fermentation, aged in both French and American oak barrels (for at least a year, according to the Riojan rules) and then 2 years in bottle before release to round out the tannins. Another wine that’s great with winter dishes (stews, braised, or roasted meats, especially game).

MARQUÉS DE CÁCERES GRAN RESERVA 2001, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #976670; Price: $29.95; 13.6% ABV

A blend of Tempranillo (85%), balanced by Graciano and Garnacha. Aged in French oak for 26 months and then 4 years in bottle before release. Wonderful stuff.

Sparkling

SEGURA VIUDAS BRUT RESERVA HEREDAD CAVA, DO Penedes (Spain); #558825; Price: $29.95; 11.5% ABV

A blend of 2 indigenous grapes: Macabeo (67%) and Parellada (33%). They use the traditional method (same as in Champagne) in Penedes (outside Barcelona) for Cava. Dollar for dollar, Cava represents excellent value in sparkling.

Fortified

FONSECA LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2005, DOC Douro (Portugal); #87551; Price: $22.95; 20.0% ABV

A wonderful treat at the end of Christmas dinner. Winemakers can use 90 different grape varieties to make a Port wine but usually they use only 6…and they don't disclose which of the 6, as is the case here. They make LBVs from grapes harvested in a single year when winemakers don't make a Vintage (top of the line) port, such as 2005. Aged in wood vats of 50 pipes (27,500 litres) capacity and then bottled after five years. Ready to drink now. Unfiltered, so needs decanting!  (As it turns out, this is a no-show.)

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ November 12 2011

I am back, at least from time to time. But what a time to come back.

The theme of this week’s release is “Holiday Magic”. Really? Even Vintages has the gall to start the Christmas season too early. It’s still 6 weeks to go but there Vintages is in this week’s release catalogue, “The festive season is off and running…” Oh no, it’s not. I don’t want to hear “Christmas” or “holiday season” or “festive season” for another couple of weeks, thank you. Prostituting the Christmas season by stretching it out from the day after Halloween dilutes a wonderful experience, like putting water into your Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. Is there no one in the retailing world with any imagination? They can only think to make the Christmas season longer. A pox on all your retail houses!

And so, in their spirit of Christmas, the release is packed full of expensive (over-priced?) bottles. But if you step carefully, you can find some hidden goodies. Here are 8 (yes, I only found 8) bottles that made the cut for My Picks.

Nothing organic.

Off the Beaten Track

White

VINUM AFRICA CHENIN BLANC 2009, WO Western Cape (South Africa); #739995; Price: $14.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Chenin Blanc, South Africa's signature white. Handpicked. 80% fermented in stainless steel tanks, 20% in small oak barrels (a mix of new, one-year, 2-year, 3-year and 4-year barrels). Left on its lees for 12 months, then blended and bottled 2 months later. Look for citrus and floral aromas and good minerality. Great with seafood.

Reds

FLAT ROCK GRAVITY PINOT NOIR 2009, VQA Twenty Mile Bench (Niagara Peninsula); #1560; Price: $29.95; 12.9% ABV
100% Pinot Noir. Handpicked. Whole grapes were gravity fed into open top fermentation tanks and left to macerate for 3 days. Fermented with both wild yeasts and cultured yeasts. After fermentation, the wine was again gravity fed into 100% French oak barrels (30% new). Pinot Noir is a prima donna, so gentle, gravity-fed winemaking treats her as she demands. Unfined. Try it with veal tenderloin in a morel cream sauce.

We’re on the tipping point of the winter season, where red meats that are stewed, roasted, and braised take centre stage. Whether beef or lamb, any of the following wines will serve you well.

MONTES ALPHA SYRAH 2009, Colchagua Valley (Chile); #612; Price: $19.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Syrah (90%), Cabernet Sauvignon (7%), and Viognier (3%). Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Filtered.

CLAIRAULT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007, Margaret River (Australia) #246876; Price: $24.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), Merlot (6%), and Petit Verdot (6%). From 6 different sites in the “Mediterranean climate” of the Margaret River region on the west coast of Oz. Fermented in small open vats, macerated for 10 days. Aged in French oak (30% new) for 18 months. You can leave it the cellar for a few years.

E. GUIGAL 2007, AC Gigondas (France); #331900; Price: $29.95; 13.5% ABV
A blend of Grenache (65%), Mourvèdre (25%), and Syrah (5%) from the southern Rhone. Long maceration, aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 2 years. From Guigal, the King of Rhone.

FERRATON PÈRE & FILS LA MATINIÈRE 2009, AC Crozes-Hermitage (France); #127712; Price: $20.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Syrah from the northern Rhone. Macerated for 20 days. Aged in a combination of oak barrels and vats for 12 months.

PEIQUE RAMON VALLE 2008, DO Bierzo (Spain); #236943; Price: $18.95; 14.5% ABV
100% Mencía from Bierzo in northwest Spain. A variety and region that have come out of nowhere. Handpicked. Cold maceration for 3 days, followed by 6 days of fermentation, then 7 more days of maceration and 5 days of Malolactic fermentation. Aged 7 months in French, Russian, and American oak barrels. Bottled and aged 5 months more before release. For me, this is the pick of the release. You have to try it.

SEÑORÍO DE P. PECIÑA RESERVA 2001, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #82156; Price: $29.95; 13.4% ABV
A blend of Tempranillo (95%), Graciano (3%), and Garnacha (2%). Aged 3 years in oak barrels, then another 2 years after bottling. A real treat, it’s ready to drink now.

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My Dad

It's impossible to sum up my father in 500 words but, thanks to the Globe and Mail, I gave it a try here.

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Hiatus

Regular readers may be wondering where I’ve gone.

We were on a couple of trips in the month of September. Firstly, off to Prince Edward County. This is the relatively new wine region along the shores of Lake Ontario, roughly halfway between Ottawa and Toronto.

Second, we were on a 2½ week hiking tour through the Greek Islands (the Cyclades group to be specific). Had a great time with super weather and inconsistent wine. Well, we got back from Greece on the evening of the 26th.

Unfortunately, the good feelings from that trip disappeared quickly as my father had another heart attack the next morning and died shortly afterwards. He had such a tough go of things in the last year and his quality of life had really gone downhill. He was a tough fighter, though, and I was amazed that he battled through so many setbacks.

Readers of my bio will know that it was my father who introduced me to the pleasure of wine. 

I will devote the next few weeks to dealing with his estate. I already know through friends that settling even a simple estate in Ontario is cumbersome and incredibly bureaucratic.

I’ll be back here eventually.

My Picks: Vintages Release ─ September 3 2011

As much as the last release was a feast, this one is more of a famine. Maybe because it’s Labour Day weekend and folks will be too busy partying to buy wine? Or perhaps it’s just me. The theme of the release is blends. I found them heavy in the Big Grape Varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz), which are not my focus.

And sometimes when I did find something interesting, the price pushed them off My Picks list. Just 10 wines made the cut.

Oh well, there are a couple of worthy blended wines from South Africa. (Some readers will have been alarmed, as I was, by the recent report from Human Rights Watch [Ripe with Abuse – Human Rights Conditions in South Africa’s Fruit and Wine Industries]. However, I could find no references to the wineries listed below or to their specific locations. There may be problems with some wine companies in South Africa but that doesn’t mean there are problems with all wine companies in South Africa.)

On the other hand, there are 2 relatively rare (for Ontario) Varietal wines that make an appearance: Alsatian Sylvaner and Austrian Blaufränkisch. Hooray for the letter “A”!

Organic

SAN MICHELE A TORRI 2009, DOCG Chianti Colli Fiorentini (Italy); #900258; Price: $15.00; 12.5% ABV
A blend of Sangiovese (80%), Canaiolo (15%), and Colorino (5%). Hand harvested. Fermented in steel vats with maceration for 15 days. Aged 30% in oak, 70% in concrete. Chianti for $15? Yes! Certified organic by the Consortium for the Control of Organic Products of Italy. Pizza, anyone?

Off the Beaten Track

Whites


STAG'S LEAP WINE CELLARS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008, Napa Valley (California); #243162; Price: $29.95; 13.5% ABV
A blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc (78%), Sauvignon Musque – a variation of Sauvignon Blanc – (17%) and Semillon (5%). Aged for 5 months, partially in neutral (4th and 5th use) French oak barrels (63%) and stainless steel tanks (37%). No Malolactic fermentation.  Drink now.

MOMO CHARDONNAY 2009, Marlborough (New Zealand); #247247; Price: $18.95; 14.0% ABV
100% Chardonnay from the southern island, a bit of a rarity. Cool climate, my favourite for Chardonnay. Hand harvested. Barrel fermented using wild yeast. Aged in the barrel on its lees for 11 months.

CAVE D'OBERNAI SYLVANER 2009, AC Alsace (France); #223883; Price: $13.95; 12.1% ABV
OK, I can’t tell you much about this particular wine. It’s here for my nostalgia for Alsace and the many years when I lived just across the river from Alsace in the Black Forest. One of my favourite summer sippers:  it’s the perfect aperitif: light-bodied, crisp acidity.


Reds

LAMADRID SINGLE VINEYARD RESERVA MALBEC 2008, Mendoza (Argentina); #234492; Price: $15.00; 14.0% ABV
100% Malbec from a single vineyard. Hand harvested. Cold maceration for 7 days, then fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete vats for 22 days. Spontaneous Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels for 30 days. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (50% second use, 50% third use). No filtering, no fining, so be sure to decant. A great match for any grilled meat.

A TO Z WINEWORKS CHEMIN DE TERRE 2006, Oregon; #234724; Price: $14.95; 13.0% ABV
A kitchen-sink blend of Merlot (44%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17.5%), Syrah (17.5%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Sangiovese (6%), Grenache (4%), and Pinot Noir (2%). Aged 18 months in French oak and 15 months in bottle before release. I’d match it to roast game.

LAMMERSHOEK ROULETTE 2006, WO Swartland (South Africa); #58164; Price: $23.95; 14.0% ABV
A “Southern Rhone” blend of Syrah (48%), Carignan (25%), Grenache (20%), Mourvèdre (5%), and Viognier (2%). Hand harvested. Separately fermented in open-topped concrete tanks. Malolactic fermentation and aging in older barrels. Blended, then more aging in concrete tanks. 

MULLINEUX SYRAH 2008, WO Swartland; #246553; Price: $28.95; 14.0% ABV
100% Syrah from 6 different vineyards. Hand harvested. After 4 days of maceration, fermented with indigenous yeasts for 7 days with further maceration for two weeks. Malolactic fermentation and aging in oak barrels (15% new) for 11 months. Unfiltered and unfined; it’s another candidate for decanting.

REBENFELD BLAUFRÄNKISCH 2007, AC Burgenland (Austria); #218420; Price: $15.95; 13.3% ABV
Blaufränkisch is a grape variety that’s indigenous to Burgenland, in eastern Austria, on the Hungarian border. Known for its high acidity and a spicy character. Couldn’t find much about this one (other than it’s fermented on the skins and undergoes Malolactic fermentation) but it gets a pass, simply because it’s so far off the beaten track. Try it with roast chicken.

TOCCHI 2004, DOCG Sagrantino di Montefalco (Italy); #174664; Price: $19.95; 14.4% ABV
A big wine made from Sagrantino grapes (indigenous to Umbria) that’s admittedly not to everyone’s taste…but I love it. Long maceration to make a dark wine with lots of healthy tannins. Malolactic fermentation. Aged 25 months in oak barrels, then 5 more months in bottle. This one will keep (and get better) for a few more years. A rib-eye steak is what you need with this wine!

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My Picks: Vintages On-Line Exclusives ─ August 25 2011

Looks like Vintages On-Line Exclusives is back on a regular basis! It disappeared for 4 months starting last August and then showing up on an irregular basis for the first 6 months of 2011 with mostly expensive offerings. But since mid-June, it’s offered new selections every 2 weeks, alternating with the in-store release.

Never heard of Vintages On-Line Exclusives? You’re not alone. Even LCBO employees don’t know about it, or don’t know how to access it to help a customer. Here’s a little story.

About a month ago, a reader wrote to ask me if I knew where he could find some Tintilia for a very special occasion. (Tintilia is a grape variety that’s native to Molise, a tiny and poor region in southeast Italy. In Sardinia, they call it Bovale Grande.)  As he explained to me, “The people at the LCBO couldn't help.”  I had written about a Tintilia wine back in January 2010 that was available through Vintages On-Line Exclusives. I checked to see if there might be some still available and, voilà, there it was: the same wine with 88 bottles sitting in the warehouse. (And as I write this, there are still 69 bottles available. Hasn’t anyone heard of markdowns at the Vintages?! It’s been there for 17 months!)

So the lesson, dear reader, is when you’re looking for something a little bit different, not available at the store, check out Vintages On-Line Exclusives. You can order online or by calling Vintages at 1-800-266-4764. They will deliver to any LCBO outlet.

BTW, emails and comments are always welcomed!

Now, here are 2 selections from this week’s on-line release, with 3 more from earlier releases.

From this week:

R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA CUBILLO CRIANZA 2005, DOC Rioja (Spain); #692780; 12% ABV; $25
A blend of Tempranillo (65%), Garnacha (25%), Mazuelo and Graciano (10%). Aged 3 years in American oak barrels, fined with egg whites but unfiltered. López de Heredia makes wine the time-honoured Riojan way, with long aging in American oak. Soft tannins with lots of secondary (from the oak) and tertiary (from aging) aromas, in addition to the fruit. Not to everyone’s taste but I love it.

MONTIRIUS LE CLOS 2006, AC Vacqueyras (France); #76547; 14% ABV; $28
An equal blend of Grenache and Syrah. No oak! Certified organic by ECOCERT and Biodynamic by Biodyvin.


From earlier releases:

MESH RIESLING 2008, Eden Valley (Australia); #627877; 12% ABV; $27.95
It’s Australian Riesling, OK? Great stuff.  And a joint venture between 2 Riesling specialists: one from Yalumba and one from Clare Valley. They picked the grapes from alternate rows from 2 different vineyards, vinified them separately, then blended the finished products to get to a single wine. What a mesh! The winemakers say it’s suitable for vegans, which is reason enough to drink.

And now, the Schiopetto twins:

SCHIOPETTO PINOT GRIGIO 2008, DOC Collio (Italy); #234757; 14% ABV; $29.95
100% Pinot Grigio. Hand harvested. Fermented 10 days in stainless steel tanks. Aged on its lees there too for 8 months. Try it with seafood.

SCHIOPETTO FRIULANO 2008, DOC Collio (Italy); #93526; 14% ABV; $29.95
100% Friulano. Hand harvested. Fermented for 10 days in stainless steel tanks. Aged on its lees for 8 months. Don’t know Friulano? It’s indigenous to northeast Italy and worth trying! Known for its tree fruit, floral and almond aromas. Great as an aperitif.

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ August 20 2011

Number 250!

It’s Christmas in August! The main theme of the release features wines from one of my favourite regions: Languedoc-Roussillon. Half of My Picks come from there.  If you don’t know the wines of Languedoc-Roussillon, it's a great chance to introduce them to your table.  Known for aromas of black fruit, spices and, most distinctly, “Garrigue”, which is imparted by the wild herbs (think thyme and rosemary) that grow throughout the regional scrubland. Very food friendly and ideal with grilled meats, especially lamb.  Lots of different blends available and there’s a single Varietal Carignan to check out.

Plus there’s a Chinon (Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley) and a Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula.  Ozsome.

And 3 interesting organic wines.

Organic & Biodynamic

AMPELOS GAMMA SYRAH 2006, Santa Rita Hills (California); #239459; Price: $27.95; 14.3% ABV
100% Syrah from Santa Barbara (Sideways country). Cold-soaked for 3 days in open-top fermenters, then (surprisingly for a Biodynamic producer) inoculated with yeasts. After 12 days’ fermentation, transferred into oak barrels for Malolactic fermentation. Aged in 35% new oak (a combination of 100% French oak barrels and hybrid barrels that have American oak staves and French oak heads) and 70% in neutral oak (barrels used more than 3 times). Unfined and unfiltered, so decanting is a good idea. Certified Biodynamic by Demeter, certified organic by USDA, and certified “Sustainability in Practice” by the Central Coast Vineyard Team.

Here's one of the Languedoc wines:

HEGARTY CHAMANS NO. 1 SYRAH/CARIGNAN 2005, AC Minervois (France); #250605; Price: $24.95; 13.5% ABV
A blend of Syrah (60%) and Carignan (40%). Hand harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. They fermented the Carignan and 25% of the Syrah at a cool temperature (which takes longer) and they fermented the remainder of the Syrah for 6 weeks in concrete tanks. Aged 16 months in new French oak and another 18 months on its lees in tanks. Unfined. The winemaker’s symbol is a black sheep. As they say, “We may not please everyone, but hopefully we can reward the adventurous.”  Be adventurous!  (They've had organic certification since 2007 and Biodynamic certification with the 2010 vintage.  This wine predates that but they were following organic and Biodynamic principles back then as well.)  As for a food match, I'm game for anything.

PARÉS BALTÀ MAS ELENA 2007, DOC Penedes (Spain); #687236; Price: $17.95; 13.5% ABV
There’s more to Penedes than Torres! A non-indigenous blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc made by the two women oenologists: Marta Casas and María Elena Jimenez. Separate maceration and fermentation of the three varieties. Malolactic fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Aged 8 months in French oak barrels, then blended. No herbicides, pesticides or any chemical fertilizer. The sheep do the fertilizing in the off-season. Certified organic by CCPAE (Consell Català de la Producció Agrària Ecológica).  Why not try it with a grilled ribeye?  The sheep have contributed enough to the effort.

Off the Beaten Track 

White

JEANJEAN ORMARINE 2010, AOC Picpoul de Pinet (Languedoc); #525287; Price: $12.95; 12.5% ABV
100% Picpoul, the wonderfully fresh, acidic white wine from the shores of the Mediterranean. A great aperitif, but it’s amazing with raw oysters…or damn near anything else from the sea!


Red

STONIER PINOT NOIR 2009, Mornington Peninsula (Australia); #25338; Price: $24.95; 13.0% ABV
From the cool climate just south of Melbourne, where they do amazing stuff with Pinot Noir. Fermented in both small open fermenters and larger closed fermenters, with 5% carbonic maceration. Malolactic fermentation, then aging for 10 months, in French oak (10% new).

DOMAINE BERNARD BAUDRY CHINON 2009, AC Chinon (France); #940783; Price: $19.95; 12.0% ABV
100% Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. Very underappreciated, thanks to the big US critics, who don't much like Cabernet Franc. Hand harvested. Fermented in concrete vats. Aged in neutral oak vats for 12 months. A good price too!  Great with roast chicken and veggies.

CHÂTEAU DE FLAUGERGUES CUVÉE SOMMELIÈRE 2007, AC Coteaux de Languedoc (France); #65896; Price: $17.95; 13.8% ABV
A classic blend of Grenache noir (50%), Syrah (30%), and Mourvèdre (20%) from vineyards right in Montpellier.  Fermented for 4 weeks. Aged in tanks for 9 months. Lamb (grilled, roasted, or braised) is the classic match. The producer says it’s a “red for laying down”. Interpret that as you will.

CHATEAU DE L'ILLE CUVÉE ANGÉLIQUE 2008, AC Corbières (France); #237578; Price: $15.95; 13.7% ABV
A blend of Syrah (60%) and Grenache noir (40%). Maceration for 15 days. They aged some of the Grenache in oak for 8 months before blending. Try it with grilled merguez.

DOMAINE DE BILA-HAUT OCCULTUM LAPIDEM 2008, AC Cotes du Roussillon-Villages (France); #643239; Price: $21.95; 12.0% ABV
A blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan, my favourite blend from the south of France. (Carignan brings tannin and minerality to complement the fruit and spice of Syrah and Grenache.) Hand-harvested. Maceration of 4 weeks. Half aged concrete vats, half in oak casks. You can’t go wrong with grilled lamb.

L'ARGENTIER VIEILLES VIGNES DE CARIGNAN 2007, Vin de Pays du Gard (France); #250712; Price: $19.95; 14.0% ABV
100% Carignan from vines planted in 1935. Carignan is a traditional grape variety in Languedoc, much of it ripped out in the previous decades in a misguided marketing approach. Hand harvested. Fermented in concrete vats, then aged in those vats for 18 months. No oak. If you like your tannins, this one’s for you. Try it with duck confit.


Rosé

MONCIGALE MINÉRAL ROSÉ 2010, AC Bandol (France); #226670; Price: $18.95; 13.5% ABV
Get a buzz with mon cigale. A blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Cinsault. With that name, there’s got to be some minerality. Bouillabaisse!

ARGIOLAS SERRA LORI ROSÉ 2010, IGT Isola dei Nuraghi (Sardinia); #224931; Price: $13.95; 13.0% ABV
A blend of Cannonau (aka Grenache), Monica, Carignano, Bovale Sardo. Hand-harvested. Partial carbonic maceration and traditional maceration for just 3 hours for a touch of colour. Fermented for 4 weeks. It’s from an island, so match it with anything grilled from the sea. I have a craving for sardines.

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ August 6 2011

There’s a lot of choice in this weekend’s release from Vintages. The main theme is Chile, and I found 3 for My Picks.

There are also 5 wines from British Columbia and although none of them made my final list, I encourage you to take a close look. Anything we can do to encourage bringing BC wines into Ontario (and vice versa) helps convince our lawmakers that it’s time to break down those antiquated interprovincial trade barriers.

Don't miss the Beaujolais!

Organic 

EMILIANA ADOBE RESERVA SYRAH 2009, Rapel Valley (Chile); #213553; Price: $12.95; 14.0% ABV
100% Syrah from the Rapel Valley, a Mediterranean climate (good for Syrah) that sits at the midpoint of Chile’s winegrowing regions. 20% aged in French oak for 6 months. Try it with some grilled lamb chops.

Off the Beaten Track

White

Try either one of these first 2 wines with grilled chicken:

CRIOS DE SUSANA BALBO TORRONTÉS 2010, Salta (Argentina); #1834; Price: $11.95; 13.5% ABV
If you like Viognier, try Torrontés. This one is from way up in Salta (northern Argentina). Loved the 2008. Another wine to drink young. Susana Balbo is the most known female enologist in Argentina.

Of course, if you really like Viognier…

ANAKENA LILÉN SINGLE VINEYARD VIOGNIER 2010, DO Requinoa (Chile); #45138; Price: $13.95; 13.7% ABV
100% Viognier from a district within the Rapel Valley. 45% barrel-fermented in French oak. 25% aged in French oak barrels for 4 months.

Now here’s something I find interesting. Two Chardonnays(!) from the same winemaker…one Old World from Chablis and one New World from Chile. Compare and contrast.

WILLIAM FÈVRE CHILE GRAN CUVÉE CHARDONNAY 2009, Maipo Valley (Chile); #45146; Price: $16.95; 13.9% ABV
100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard in the Maipo Valley; the vineyard is almost 1000 meters above sea level. Fèvre imported this chardonnay clone from their Chablis vineyard 20 years ago. 10% fermented in French oak barrels, the rest in 6,ooo-litre stainless steel tanks. Aged on its lees for 10 months, then filtered.

WILLIAM FÈVRE 2008, AC CHABLIS 1ER CRU (France); #169805; Price: $29.95; 12.0% ABV
100% Chardonnay, likely a blend from the 8 Premier Cru vineyards that Fèvre has. Hand harvested. Gravity-fed separation of juice from skins. 50% aged in French oak for 10 months, the rest in stainless steel. Try it with grilled fish or chicken.

CIÙ CIÙ LA MERLETTAIE PECORINO 2009, DOP Offida (Marche, Italy); #245670; Price: $16.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Pecorino. That’s right, just like the sheep that make the cheese. Hand harvested. Barrel-fermented. Aged 6 months in oak, then 3 months in bottle. Known for its minerality, it’s one of those indigenous Italian varieties brought back from near extinction. A rarity in these parts. La Merlettaie are “the lacemakers”. Drink it with…pecorino cheese!

TERUZZI & PUTHOD 2010, DOCG Vernaccia Di San Gimignano (Italy); #735373; Price: $15.95; 12.5% ABV
100% Vernaccia Di San Gimignano, the Manhattan of Tuscany. Fermented in stainless steel with cultured yeasts. Vernaccia Di San Gimignano was the first Italian white to win DOC status, and I can remember when Parker said it was the sole Italian white worth drinking. That’s changed, but it’s still worth checking what the fuss is about. Known for its minerality and its bitter almond finish. A great aperitif.

ABAD DOM BUENO GODELLO 2009, DO Bierzo (Spain); #154302; Price: $15.95; 13.0% ABV
Godello (aka Verdelho) is a grape variety indigenous to northwestern Spain. Maceration for 48 hours, followed by fermentation for seven days.  Aged 8 months in stainless steel.  No oak!


Red

CONCHA Y TORO TERRUNYO BLOCK 27 CARMENÈRE 2007, DO Peumo (Rapel Valley, Chile); #562892; Price: $29.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Carmenère (85%), Cabernet Sauvignon (12%), Petit Verdot (2%) and Cabernet Franc (1%). Hand harvested. Aged in French oak (80% new, 20% one-year-old) for 18 months. Bring on the ribs!

JEAN-PAUL BRUN TERRES DORÉES 2009, AC Côte de Brouilly (France); #235127; Price: $18.95; 12.0% ABV
100% Gamay. Jean-Paul Brun is a throwback who makes Beaujolais the old-fashioned way. He uses indigenous yeasts, not the cultured yeasts that turn Beaujolais into a candyfloss and banana horror. Lower alcohol, lower sulphur dioxide, minimal chaptalisation or filtration. Brun is famous among traditionalists. 2009 is a great year for Beaujolais. Find out why.

TERREDORA LACRYMA CHRISTI DEL VESUVIO ROSSO 2008, DOC Vesuvio (Italy); #93088; Price: $18.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Piedirosso, from the largest producer in Campania. 6 days maceration. Aged 8 months in French oak. It ain’t your father’s Lacryma Christi!


Rosé

CHÂTEAU LES BERTRANDS 2010, AC Bordeaux Clairet (France); #224972; Price: $12.95; 12.5% ABV
A blend of Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%). Made using the Saignée method (bleeding the juice after 24 hours of maceration; the rest of the juice goes on to make red wine). After bleeding, it's fermented in stainless steel, then aged on its lees for 3 months. Great with grilled shrimp.

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But Now I See

Is there anything that impresses a wine drinker about a sommelier more than does the blind tasting, when a sommelier successfully guesses what the wine is without seeing the bottle? (Providing that the wine drinker knows what a sommelier is. A friend of my mother thought that I had become a citizen of Somalia.)

Blind tastings are one of the rites of passage for any sommelier. Our program at Algonquin had no less than 10 and as many as 15 blind tastings in every class. And six blind tastings on every exam, when it really counted. After a while, either you became adept at blind tastings or they relegated you to Cs or Ds.

But if you want to see just how challenging a blind tasting can be, head over to the Wine Align site to catch their new video series, “So, You Think You Know Wine?”. In each episode, four of Toronto’s most respected (or prolific) wine reviewers put their reputations on the line in 4-minute blind tastings. It’s schadenfrohen fun to see these top-notch reviewers struggle and rationalise their way towards – or away from – guessing what the wine is. It’s a great way to learn how a wine is analysed. Some episodes reinforce one of the basic tips that our profs gave us: your first instinct is usually right.

One suggestion for improvement: bring back Sara d’Amato, who brings a different, and welcomed, perspective than does having 3 middle-aged guys...like me.

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ July 23 2011

This week’s major theme at Vintages is the signature grape varieties of Italy. For a new wine fan, understanding Italy can be a challenge. Full of indigenous varieties, many of which aren’t grown anywhere else. But that’s the fun! So much new stuff to try. And every year there seem to be more new varieties that Italy is exporting. Maybe confusing...but rewarding. I found 3 of the 22 featured wines worth recommending, all of them whites.  I remember an old wine book from the 1990s that stated that Italy made no good white wines.  Ah, how that has changed!

The minor theme is cool climate Chardonnay. Regular readers know that I don’t recommend too many Chardonnays…unless they happens to come from a lesser-known region. And that’s the case with the one that I’ve picked from Tasmania. Devilishly good.

But (surprise) I found another cool climate Chardonnay worth your consideration. Strangely, Vintages’ blurb about cool climate Chardonnays does not include one of the wine world’s most famous (but lately overlooked) cool climate regions – Chablis – even though they have a very good Chablis in the release. I’m sure there’s an explanation…

Organic & Biodynamic

LA CAPPUCCINA 2010, DOC Soave (Italy); #81489; Price: $13.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Garganega. Macerated on the skins, then fermented, followed by aging on its lees (spent yeast) for six months in stainless steel tanks. Organic since 1985. Many of us still think of Soave as an insipid wine (the Pinot Grigio of an earlier generation), but a good Soave is ideal as a refreshing aperitif or with antipasti.

CHÂTEAU LA GROLET 2009, AC Cotes de Bourg (France); #126615; Price: $17.95; 12.7% ABV
A blend of Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%). Hand harvested. No chaptalisation. Fermented with natural yeasts. No fining. Certified both organic (ECOCERT) and Biodynamic (Demeter).

Off the Beaten Track

Whites

JOSEF CHROMY CHARDONNAY 2009, Tasmania; #162982; Price: $29.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Chardonnay from northern Tasmania. Hand harvested. Barrel fermented in French barriques (one third new, the rest 1 and 2 years old). Aged 12 months in oak, then 12 months in bottle.

LOIMER TROCKEN GRÜNER VELTLINER 2009, DAC Kamptal (Austria); #142240; Price: $18.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Grüner Veltliner, the signature white Varietal of Austria. Hand harvested. Short maceration. Fermented in steel tanks. Aged on its lees for 4 months. Fresh, great acidity...makes a wonderful aperitif and is perfect with grilled trout.

LA CHABLISIENNE FOURCHAUME 2008, AC Chablis 1er Cru (France); #656835; Price: $28.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Chardonnay…but what a Chardonnay! Fermentation, Malolactic fermentation, and aging on its lees for 15 months all takes place in a combination of tanks and small barrels. From one of the biggest and best wine co-ops in the world, with over 300 growers.  The winemaker describes the wine as “feminine and floral”. Please, please, please let it age until at least 2014! It’s worth the wait as the citrus and buttery aromas mature yet the wonderful minerality will still be there.

TERREDORA LOGGIA DELLA SERRA 2009, DOCG Greco di Tufo (Italy); #983197; Price: $17.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Greco. Fermented using cultured yeasts, then aged on its lees in stainless steel. No oak. Another great summer sipper, and will match well with grilled fish or chicken.

MARCO FELLUGA MONGRIS PINOT GRIGIO 2009, DOC Collio (Italy); #230623; Price: $22.95; 13.2% ABV
$23 for Pinot Grigio?! Well yes, when it’s from Friuli in the northeast of Italy. An ideal climate to produce great minerally, pleasantly bitter white wine: tucked in between the Adriatic and the Alps with warm sunny days and cool nights. Cold maceration on the skins with fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Aged on its lees for several months. Try it with grilled tilapia.


Reds

TABALÍ RESERVA ESPECIAL SYRAH 2008, Limari Valley (Chile); #213538; Price: $19.95; 14.5% ABV
100% Syrah from the Limari Valley, way up north (hot) but only 29 km from the Pacific coast (cool). Sounds ideal for Syrah! Hand harvested. Cold maceration for 8 days. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks, with a further maceration afterwards. Aged 12 months in 100% French oak barrels (70% new, 30% second use).

HENRY FESSY 2009, AC Moulin-â-Vent (France); #233924; Price: $21.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Gamay. Hand harvested. Unlike much of ordinary Beaujolais, this cru Beaujolais (Moulin-â-Vent is one of 10 cru) does not use carbonic maceration, where they ferment whole bunches of grapes in closed vats. Instead, they use standard red winemaking techniques, including a short maceration. But no oak. You may want to save this for an autumn meal with roast game and mushrooms, or with Thanksgiving turkey. Or if you can’t wait, try it chilled with beer-can chicken.  Don't miss this 2009 Beaujolais!

CHÀTEAU DE NAGES JT 2007, AC Costières de Nîmes (France); #736876; Price: $20.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Syrah (95%) and Mourvèdre (5%). Hand harvested. Pre-fermentation maceration for 3 days, then fermentation, followed by further maceration for 30 days. Blending, then aging in French oak barrels (1/3 new, 1/3 first use, 1/3 second use) for 12 months. Bottled without filtration. JT stands for José Torrès, founder of the vineyard, located in south-west Rhone, just on the border with Languedoc. Definitely a wine to put away for a winter stew.  Great year!


Rosés

DOMAINE MABY LA FORCADIÈRE TAVEL ROSÉ 2010, AC Tavel (France); #701318; Price: $16.95; 13.5% ABV
A blend of Grenache Noir (70%), Cinsault (10%), Grenache Blanc (10%), with Bourboulenc, Carignan, Clairette, and Mourvèdre (a combined 10%). Short maceration of one day for a typically Coho pink colour. Fermented and aged briefly in stainless steel. A classic. I agree with Vintages: A great match for gourmet sausages, grilled pork chops or barbecued chicken legs.

BARON DE LEY ROSADO 2010, DOCa Rioja (Spain); #117283; Price: $13.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Tempranillo from Rioja Baja. Hand harvested. The juice fermented in contact with the skins for about 8 hours, using the Saignée method. No oak.

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Recommended Reading: A Hedonist in the Cellar

A few months back, I read Bacchus & Me, a collection of columns about wine that novelist Jay McInerney (Bright Lights, Big City) originally wrote for House & Garden magazine back in the 1990s. I wasn’t impressed. Collections of magazine columns can often be repetitive as this one was. (I expect an editor of collections to eliminate repetitions, inconsistencies, and other faults that are excusable when writing month to month, but irritating when collected within a single set of covers.)

McInerney just seemed to fall into the wine writing gig.  The magazine editor was a friend and, in his editor’s circle, McInerney was the guy who knew more than anyone else did about wine.  Colour me green.  Many of the essays came across as unsophisticated, yet snobby and self-indulgent. But perhaps I’m not the typical House & Garden reader. (House & Garden disappeared a few years back but Jay McInerney still writes about wine at the Wall Street Journal.)

But it takes more than one unsatisfactory effort to keep me from writings on my favourite subject. So I picked up McInerney’s second collection of essays, entitled A Hedonist in the Cellar.

It’s a much better standalone effort, showing a level of knowledge and appreciation that was missing from the first collection. It’s as if the first book was training camp and the second book was the playoffs. Maybe it’s because McInerney spends much more time writing about lesser-known wines and regions (“off the beaten track” if you will) that the columns have more appeal. You can actually learn something from this book!

He had me hooked from the first column, My Favourite White, where he praises Condrieu, a white wine made from Viognier grown in Northern Rhone. And he follows this up with an essay about Friulano, the food-friendly minerally white Varietal from Friuli in northeastern Italy, which we rarely see here in Ontario.  McInerney compares it to a blend of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

He introduces (or maybe re-introduces) us to a wide variety of regions and wines, giving some overlooked gems their rightful appreciation.  Anybody who loves Sagrantino di Montefalco knows his stuff.  And in the section, Lovers, Fighters, and Other Obsessives, we meet some of the eccentrics of wine. My favourite is Michel Chapoutier (from the Rhone Valley) who is responsible for the two best quotes in the book:

The perfect match for asparagus is my competitors’ wines.

[W]hen one of his guests [McInerney, it turns out] struggles to identify the components of a wine’s bouquet in the tasting room he urges him to relax and just enjoy the wine. “If you think about it too much you can kill it. The brain is a pleasure killer. You don’t need to be a gynaecologist to make love.”

He (or his House & Garden editor) toned down the self-indulgency and snobbism from the first volume, and the sophistication, as should be expected, has grown.

Skip Bacchus & Me, go directly to A Hedonist in the Cellar.

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My Picks: Vintages Release ─ July 9 2011

This week’s release is interesting for a few things. Sure, there’s the theme: wines rated 90+, which features 28 wines that some reviewer somewhere rated 90 or above. It would be even more interesting to show what each reviewer thought of each wine. Bet there’d be some disagreements!

I encourage you to look beyond the scores for varietals or regions that you haven’t tried lately…or ever. To my surprise, I found 8 of My Picks among those top scoring wines. Goodies like Morgon (a cru Beaujolais), varietals that I've never heard of from Puglia and the Basque region, 2 Biodynamic wines, and a couple of New World Syrahs.  The other 4 are equally worthy of your consideration.

The rosés are disappointing this week, including a Bandol that comes in at 14.7% ABV! Try drinking that one out on the sunny patio; you’ll be gibbering in no time.

Biodynamic

COOPER MOUNTAIN RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2008, Willamette Valley (Oregon); #510750; Price: $29.95; 13.5% ABV
100% Pinot Noir, blended from 2 different vineyards. Fermented in stainless steel, aged in French oak (5% new). Certified Biodynamic by Demeter. Classic match: grilled salmon on a cedar plank.

DOMAINE DUSEIGNEUR ANTARÈS 2007, AC Lirac (France); #213082; Price: $19.95; 14.0% ABV
This wine has a lot going for it. A blend of Grenache (at least 40%), Syrah and Mourvèdre, each vinified separately with natural yeasts after 3 to 4 weeks of maceration in concrete tanks. No oak aging. No fining or filtration. Certified Biodynamic. And it’s from 2007, a wonderful year in southern Rhone! I’m going to try it with grilled lamb chops.

Off the Beaten Track

Whites

R DE RIEUSSEC SEC 2007, AC Bordeaux (France); #100891; Price: $22.00; 13.0% ABV
A blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Rieussec, owned by Lafite-Rothschild, is better known for its Sauternes but they make this wine from grapes that remain unaffected by botrytis. 20% barrel-fermented. Try it with some grilled lemon chicken.

FERRATON PÈRE & FILS LA MATINIÈRE 2009, AC Crozes-Hermitage Blanc (France); #127720; Price: $19.95; 12.8% ABV
100% Marsanne. Fermentation in stainless steel. Aged 10 months on its lees. Marsanne typically has floral and almond aromas, with peach flavours. You don’t know about white wines from Northern Rhone? Here’s a great (and affordable) chance to try one!

LEONE DE CASTRIS MESSAPIA VERDECA 2009, IGT Salento (Puglia); #221879; Price: $14.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Verdeca. Verdeca? It’s an indigenous grape traditionally used to make vermouth. But it’s another example of an under-respected grape that’s showing good potential. The winemaker touts its floral nose, with citrus and tropical flavours. Fermented and aged on the lees for 3 months in stainless steel. Drink this summer with grilled seafood.

GURRUTXAGA TXAKOLI 2009, DO Bizkaiko Txakolina (Spain); #240333; Price: $18.95; 10.5% ABV
A blend of Hondarribi Zuri (60%), Mune Mahatsa (20%), and Txori Mahatsa (20%) – No, I’ve never heard of them. All indigenous grapes grown in the Basque Bizcaya region (known as Biscay in France) near the Atlantic Ocean. I must try it! Fermented in stainless steel. Usually fizzy…think Vinho Verde. Known for its minerality. Drink now as an aperitif or with light seafood. Clams, anyone?

Reds

Compare and contrast:  here are 2 New World Syrahs, one from a Mediterranean climate, the other from a Maritime climate.  Which Syrah do you prefer?

CONCHA Y TORO MARQUÉS DE CASA CONCHA SYRAH 2008, Maipo Valley (Chile); #19042; Price: $19.95; 14.5% ABV
A blend of Syrah (96%) and Carmenère (4%). Hand picked. Aged 18 months in French oak. From the southern Maipo Valley, more famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but with an arid Mediterranean climate (just like the Rhone Valley), growing Syrah there makes a lot of sense.

LOMOND SYRAH 2008, WO Cape Agulhas (South Africa); #146464; Price: $19.95; 14.0% ABV
Grown just 8 km from the ocean in a cooler Maritime climate that yields a different expression of Syrah than does the one listed just above. Handpicked and hand-sorted. Fermented in stainless steel tanks for seven days, with 3 more days of maceration. Malolactic fermentation. Aged 12 months in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd use French oak barrels. Gelatine fining and filtration.

DOMINIQUE PIRON LES PIERRES MORGON 2009, AC Morgon (France); #231969; Price: $22.95; 13.0% ABV
100% Gamay Noir, a blend of 2 vineyards in the Morgon cru of Beaujolais. Manual harvest. 50% aged in a neutral (>3 years old) foudre for just a touch of oak. Morgon wines can age for considerable time (compared to other Beaujolais), even up to a decade in an excellent year such as 2009. Or just drink it now with some grilled merguez. For me, with the little cru Beaujolais that shows up at Vintages, this is the pick of the release.

JEAN-MAURICE RAFFAULT LES GALUCHES CHINON 2009, AC Chinon (France); #244798; Price: $16.95; 12.5% ABV
100% Cabernet Franc. No chemical fertilizers or herbicides. Maceration for 15 days. Aged in neutral oak casks (more than 10 years old) for 18 months. Fining with egg whites but no filtration.  Another region whose reds need more representation at Vintages.

RAMOS PINTO DUAS QUINTAS RESERVA 2007, DOC Douro (Portugal); #951301; Price: $21.95; 12.0% ABV (?)
A blend of Touriga Nacional (70%), Touriga Franca (25%), and Tinta Barroca (5%). Hand harvested from 2 different vineyards. Fermented in granite troughs and small stainless steel vats (a true mix of the old and the new of Douro). Malolactic fermentation in new and one-year-old barrels and hogshead casks (6,200-litre capacity), both French oak. Aged for 20 months. Fined with egg albumin. I’d put this down for a few years (2016?) to let the oakyness integrate into the wine. The winery website says the ABV is 15% but the LCBO says 12%. That’s a huge discrepancy, so there must be a misprint somewhere!

PLÉYADES RESERVA 2005, DO Cariñena (Spain); #214163; Price: $12.95; 13.5% ABV
A blend of Mazuelo (75%, aka Carignan), Garnacha (15%), and Syrah (10%). Fermented for 1 week, then maceration for 10 more days. Aged 12 months in American oak. From a woman winemaker (Ana Becoechea) working in a cooperative in northwestern Spain. A good match with any grilled meats, such as lamb or beef.

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