Tag Archives: LCBO

Non-Fiction Wines For Spring Break

Canada Geese Have Returned to the Lake – March 14, 2012

 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/14/non-fiction-wines-for-spring-break/

 

 

Another personal hermeneutic. Argot befitting the setting. Perfect weather to fly. “Are we part of the plan here?” Elbow up to the bar, eat, drink and be happy.

What’s on your menu this week? Take-out Pizza, maybe even from scratch? Pasta with tin tomatoes, or perhaps smothered in a sauce made from last summer’s canned San Marzanos? The grill fired up on a Spring evening laden with burgers, chicken and steaks? The Smoker filled with ‘Bama Ribs, Brisket or Pork Shoulder? My menu for Spring Break includes Boneless Beef Rib-Eyes cut to 2″, Beef Ribs, Tomato-Lentil Confit, Veal Knuckers, Brisket-Chuck Sliders, Grilled Whole Pink Snapper, Roasted Nova Scotia Cod, Oven Fries, Vine-Ripened Tomato and Beet Salad, Asparagus Gratin and Tuscan Bread Soup. No-nonsense and universally versatile, food-friendly wines will really tie the room together.

 

Michele Chiarlo ‘Le Orme’ Barbera D’asti Superiore 2009 (265413, $14.95) my old friend, “…step on in and let me shake your hand. So glad that you’re here again.” Felonious only in its unalarming cost, this cruising Piemontese and its waxing, gibbous nose is juicy, sumptuous and buys a dinner thrill. A study in IVR* 101. Luscious, lip-smacking acidity and balance are its calling card. From the VINTAGES March 17, 2012 Release.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Domaine Vincent Paris Saint-Joseph 2009 (239053, $24.20) was $28.95 when first released through VINTAGES. Chaste, exemplary, pellucid pulp of Strawberry Syrah. Itchy white pepper proboscis, more Vincent than Jules, true to its namesake proprietor. Logical, reasonable, avoiding intuitive survival. A Royale with cheese. Only 12.1% ABV. On the wine card at Barque. No fiction.  90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

 

 

 

 

Good to go!

Triumphant Wine Dinner

 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/12/triumphant-wine-dinner/

 

Six Farceurs, Four Courses, Eight Wines

Count me in when this troupe convenes. The comedy is relentless, la comida outstanding. Wine brings us together and we take care of the rest. Thanks to the E-man for a flawlessly executed feast.

 

BRAISED FENNEL, tomato, parmesan, baguette 

3630 Bubbles 2008 endowed of a fine mist. De-yeastified. Quenched yet the sea refuses no river. Saprolite hue and “pictures itself set up for good in a whole other life…where nobody knows us well.” A shaddock, as if southern hemisphere grapefruit in winter. Bill Turnbull turning fizz on its head. “When we decide what freedom is, turn water into wine.” Procured in the mystery zone.   88

Creekside ‘X’ Blanc de Blancs 2000 is experimental fizz, kept on its lees for a decade. 110 cases made. Leesy, cheesy, big and bouncy. Ever-evolving in the glass, the micro-bubbles coming and going like a teenager in the wee hours. Mr. C. abides despite the sulfuric launch and the thin to win finish. Ample brioche and salinity. Just when the fade out seems inevitable, another act ensues. Disk retry and success. In appreciation of the operating system.  88

  

CAULIFLOWER SOUP, leek, cream, truffle oil, parsley, thuet sourdough

Hidden Bench Nuit Blanche Rosomel Vineyard 2008, Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, the latter shrouding a would be goosey bench performance by the SB actor. The man in him says more sulfur and for me, marzipan. Musky and risky, on the edge of a roasted, toasted Nutella thing. Lack of brack but balance and superb silky texture the saving grace. Complex Beamsville white.  87

 

CASSOULET, pork hock, bacon, barese sausage, white beans, greens salad 

Louis Jadot Beaune Theurons 2006 casts a mirrored clarity of white-capped mountains upon a lake. A whiff of woodsmoke and the kettle filled with sour cherries simmering in clear sap. Brooding and yet to be chivalrous. Won’t hold the door open so wait three more years for the concierge to be of service.  88

Hartford Court Arrendell Vineyard Pinot Noir 2005 the open box of Queen Anne cherry chocolates that carry on through perfume and palate. Rich lacquer, juicy liquor and just now mellowing. “Now witness the quickness with which we get along.” The group can’t resist the next pour from this one. “There’ll be peace when you are done.” Only 320 cases made. Never left in the lurch by Hartford and the Pinots not mailed in. By way of J.  90

Tenuta Ponte Taurasi 2003 from argute vines so deep they find moisture in the ancient refuse of dinosaurs mixed with volcaniclastic debris within Campania’s subterranean core. Nose this sucker and be pummeled by a violet explosion, sun-dried San Marzano and Strega. Remarkably integrated, the shrewd beast already tamed-ish. Ode to Daniel.  92

Castellare Di Castellina I Sodi di San Niccolo 1997 of Colli Della Toscana Centrale IGT origins and the fountain of youth. How can it be so fresh? 85% Sangioveto and 15% Malvasia. The Sangiovese clone, also known as Sangiovese Piccolo is here a sweet and beautiful elixir. Polished deep purple Amethyst dipped in smokey, black raspberry water. No hard lines, void of animale and free from Tuscan iron. “No matter what we get out of this, i know, i know we’ll never forget.” Better with the cheese course to come.  93

 

CHEESE, 6-month manchego, boschetto al tartufo, niagara gold

Corte Sant’Alda di Marinella Camerani Amarone della Valpolicella 1998 and crumbled cork signals trouble but the wine was born to be alive. Acutely aware of the confident voice noting “roast beef beneath a blanket of cherry sauce.” The group concurs with a “hmmmn.” Black cherry bomb of oily syrup spiced like plum pudding. Impeccable balance at 15.5%. just great. Good on ya Remington.  92

 

 

 

Good to go!

Toronto Life Names Top 10 New Restos

Friday March 9, 2012

 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/09/toronto-life-names-top-10-new-restos/

 

Since opening in April 2011, the wine card at Barque Smokehouse has been in my charge. Weighed favourably towards VINTAGES releases, the list makes friends with and flatters the meats smoked ’round the clock. The wine program is unique to this city; affordable, accessible and stamped by a carbonic footprint in the sand. Wine outsells both beer and spirits and 15 choices are available by the glass at $10 or less. The same operose research afforded tasting and writing goes into picking wines from the LCBO and through some of our most assiduous and industrious agencies; Barrel Select, Halpern, Lifford, Liquid Art, Profile, Stem, 25Brix and Woodman.

The cover story for yesterday’s release of the April 2012 Issue is “Where to eat Now, Toronto’s Best New Retaurants.”  Toronto Life has published this cutting top ten list with Barque listed at number six. Good on you David, Jon and crew. These boys are in, and in for good, so it’s no surprise they are going the whole hog. Not bad to be gracing a list inhabited by Yours Truly, Acadia, Aria, Keriwa, Ortolan, F’amelia, Modus, Volos and Mideastro. Here three deep reds available in the here and now on Barque’s wine list.

H.M Borges Douro Lello 2010 the fortitudinous one was born with a complaint in its voice. Spicy po’boy BBQ feel crossed by electric kool-aid acid, black cherry jello. “New blood joins this earth” as the Unforgiven wooden wolf, opening a door to Portuguese perception. Prune and Aussie licorice concentrate. The Lello says “‘I’m sorry I kicked you in the ass, but I’m not sorry I’m an ass-kicker.” It’s cheap so please forgive.  87

 

Pietro Marini Malbec 2008 (269045, $13.95) of alpine altitude up Cafayate way searches low and high for that synaesthetic middle ground. A no nose start, awakens, naps and rises again. Notes of smoked allspice, juniper and blueberries come and go. Flavours are faint at first, develop with time, end abruptly, then return and linger. Intriguing and certainly not like your mother’s Mendozan Malbec. It’s “got values but I don’t know how or why.”  87

Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (944843, $34.95) alights with its prominent, perfumed proboscis. A Katherine Hepburn nose in fact, classy, confident, twitching, pretty. Swirl a second time and Texas tea laced cassis persists, with a hint of solder. A multi-coloured and peppered berry interchange tongue lashes the inner cheeks then settles in for a long haul chopper journey. A balanced attack both on ground and in air. Dreamt about under a bed of California Stars. Easy rider. 92

Kenwood JL Cab 2007

 

 

 

Good to go!

Nothing Simple About This Wine Dinner

 

12 Tasters, Five Courses, 13 Wines

Simple Bistro, 619 Mt. Pleasant Rd.

Chef: Matt Cowan

 

“Well, I float in liquid gardens.”

Large group, small pours, plenty to go around. A Tour de France of the mind-altering kind. Champagne, White and Red Burgundy, Bordeaux. A line up to prostrate the palate. Thank you AZ for the invite, the planning and the execution. A formidable feast matched with precision expertise and the company not bad either. Band of Gypsys (Jimi Hendrix) playing over the sound system. Who knew so much unintentional comedy would grace this evening.

  

 

Three Colville Bay Oysters, shallot mignonette

Oysters of this calibre are a treat. Shell swelling, sweetmeat, toothsome.

Roederer Champagne 1996

Apples in stereo. Intro succinct as a toasted energy chord, yeast still runs deep. Soul of the bubbles intact, velocity winding down. Tone has seen its evolution. Not quite Madeira but heading down that road. Beauteous bird.  90

 

Seared Sablefish, spinach, beurre blanc

Teaser, delicious, best crispy Cod crackling 

Vincent Sauvestre Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2004

Sadly, surprisingly oxidized. Flavour of fruit long time gone, now generic, walking a flat earth. Mildly redemptive aromatic qualities, most notably and oddly tequila/caramelized agave, pineapple and honey. Burnt banana too.   NR  

Vincent Girardin Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2006

Sleeping baby, horse with no name. Soft, floral, feminine, dry, lost in the desert. then the filly awakens. Evocative scents and images emerge as “plants and birds and rocks and things.” Minerality kicks in, moist sea air fills the bowl. Drink up within two to three years.  93 

 

Roasted Squab, sauce chasseur, gnocchi, shiitake

Brilliant dish, earth, mahogany, herb spiked, foul the texture of foie

Château de La Tour Clos de Vougeot 1990

Climbs over the enclosure to dwell in the suburbs of paradisiacal Burgundy. Redolent orchard of plum, coppice of resinous trees. Smokey, nary a sign of champignon. Later stages of ontogeny, post gallic acid but still long as the Saône flows. Choice Côte de Nuits.  92

Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot Morey-St.-Denis En La Rue De Vergy 1996

The dark knight of the three red Burgundies. Smells like merde at first, a pumpkin left to compost long after the hallow night is done. A few swirls and the funk blows away, leaving behind a smashing MSD. Oracular utterances are in the air now. “Lazer beam of acidity” says AM, “Pinot on a frozen rope” says I.  93

Domaine Joseph Drouhin Clos Vougeot 2002

Concludes the flight of the Conburgs. Ctunning clarity on a new world frame. Oregon of course. AZ notes a “zin, zinging character.” It’s in a sweet, candied Wonka way. “The hard candied shell of the apple” adds the doc. Despite the sacchariferous notes this Vougeot may just be the underappreciated WOTN.  91   

Lamb Saddle, roast root vegetables, brussels sprouts, spiced prune jus

Bison for MJG. Once again, Chef Cowan shows his penchant for rare meat as dentil frieze on a canvas of deep, earthy demi-glace.

BORDEAUX FLIGHT #1  

Château Cos D’estournel, Saint Estephe 1986

Corked, volatile acidity or disjointed? No clear consensus from the group. Despite the fact that I am not overly TCA sensitive I know it is corked. Muted nose, what the wine might have been masked by the taint.  NR

Château Beychevelle, Saint Julien 1996

Brick red, having entered its later stages of evolution. Luster and loin giving way but sweet fruit hanging on. At this stage a house, not a home. Once mighty, mighty, the ’96 Beychevelle “make a old man wish for younger days.”  90

Château Pichon Baron Longueville, Paulliac 1988

This PBL is throwing rocks tonight. I am dazzled by its youth. Purity, clarity, vitality. Embodies Cclaret’s dictionary entry. Opened in the heart of its window. While ’89 and ’90 continue to hog that era’s spotlight, here lies reason number one to endorse ’88.  The turkey of the triple flight.  95   

BORDEAUX FLIGHT #2

Château Léoville-Las Cases, Saint Julien 1996     

Utopian, foxy, rubicund health. Voluptuous tomato, classy and luxurious on every level. Unabashed, showing off unblemished, curvy fruit. Pellucid, transparent, honest. A player, even if the highest caste keeps the dark LLC down. The sixth major.  94

Château Léoville Barton, Saint Julien 1986

The right honourable LB, consummate professional, trusted friend. Works the room with a politician’s charm, open to debate, unscathed after 25 years in bottle. Cast firm, time honoured through oak, cedar and lead, now showing spice notes in middle age. Stalwart SJ.  92   

Château Monbousquet, St. Émilion 1998

Napa bent with rich cassis and blackberry jam, verging on chewy raisin, resinous Amarone, even Vintage Port liquor. Precious, juiced Bordeaux in a hedonistic state. Pretender or professional? “I was feeling kind of ethereal…had my eye on your imperial.” Not so sure. Tastes great but is it the real deal?  89   

Château Lagrange, Saint Julien 1990

Funky barnyard entry, unfailing after all these years. Dissipates, leaving behind a most noble, prosaic, seasoned specimen. “Pleasant, short, competent, you get what you pay for” is heard from around the table. This was a back-up bottle as understudy to the corked Cos. My take? This ‘Bourgeois’ can saddle up to my picnic bench in a paper cup any day of the week. Thank you for the icing on the cake AZ.  91  

  

Cheese, benedictin, roasted fig

 
 
 
Good to go!

 

Selling Ontario By The Wine

Sunday, March 4, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/04/selling-ontario-by-the-wine/

 

An example of the VINTAGES rare and sui generis modus operandi. Released back on Oct. 15, 2011, the Shafer One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (45476, $79.95) reappears as an Online Exclusive (0248856, $85), This 1.5 ’07 VSO is consistent with the Shafer Special Offer from back in July 2011. Would not be unusual save for the fact there is stock of 60 bottles, albeit outside of the GTA, still available at $79.95. Bottles can be acquired through a simple transfer to a GTA store at the request of a local Product Consultant. So, with only 13 left in stock by way of VSO, please tell me who is paying the $5 premium?

 

My tasting note from Oct. 13, 2011.

More delicate version of itself. a welcome change in style or not what winemaker Elias Fernandez was hoping for? Cinematic and showy, dabbed with pretty smells. Begins with a breath of fresh blueberry air, builds effortlessly through a creamy oak centre and finds its thrills in a crescendo of peppery goodness. “Can he fail armed with his chocolate surprise?”  mjg 91

 

 

 

Good to go!

C’s Get Degrees – Carmenere and Chardonnay From Chile and Califor-ni-a

VINTAGES March 3rd Release

Friday March 2, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/02/vintages-march-3rd-release/

 

Theme here is ‘Made in France, 13 Benchmark-Setting Grapes’ and though I pause over the possibilities of essential Alsatian Pinot Gris, ory Burgundian Chablis and even Northern Rhône Crozes-Hermitage, France today feels an ocean away. Second thoughts choose to sail alongside the emigration of Bordelais rootstock, round the horn of South America and making land where expatriate vines flourish in Chile.

Errazuriz Max Reserva Estates Single Vineyard Carmenère 2009 (273300, $18.95)

Priced in Alberta and British Columbia at $23, Manitoba $29.

While Concha Y Toro’s Block 27 (562892, $29.95) and Montes Purple Angel (062364, $56.95) are two upwardly mobile examples of the varietal, this SV is the wine to buy on March 3rd. My tasting note pulls a number and stands in line behind a battery of critical flattery. My two cents. Rich, textured, unctuous with a hint of Orange Crush, the Max Reserva has got its spine and is typically green, but in a good way. Electric, riveting and made of conscious movement.  90

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (90), “…packs a solid punch but this wine is quite elegant and seamless.” Decanter (****, 16.5), “…very harmonious wine with juicy, ripe, succulent red and black fruit layering spice and bitter chocolate flavour.” Anthony Gismondi, The Vancouver Sun (91), “…speaks to what is possible when care is taken…the finish is like a sunset with bits of dried tomatoes, spice, tobacco and ripe tannins.” International Wine Report (90+), “…full body coats your palate while the round polished tannins glide into the silky finish.” Wall Street Journal, “…a superb wine for those cold nights ahead.” Kurtis Kolt, Wine Access, “…brilliant acidity and perfectly integrated tannins. A stunner.” Tracey, 40-Something Life, “..memories of bonfires in England, of smoky cedar wood with a hint of cassis and fresh herbs.” Also WE (88), RJ (88), CT’s (89). 

 Errazuriz Single Vineyard Carmenere 2009

Next an IVR* deal in California Chardonnay here today, gone tomorrow. Act quick.

Marimar Estate La Masía Don Miguel Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 (270090, $19.95) wants to be consumed in the here and now. Progression has reached the optimum wheelhouse core, freshness and pique wound tightly around juicy citrus and mild vanilla buttered toast. In fact the oak is so subtle the medium-bodied fruit remains the star.  90

The Marimar is named after the man himself, Miguel Torres. The price here may be a one-off but not exactly 50% off, more like 30%. Heimoff of WE (90) says “dry, crisply acidic and strong in flavor in its youth.” CC Guide (90) notes, “a complete and involving wine” while David Lawrason is reverent with “riveting and intriguing.” La Masía is on Susan Desjardins’ list as she praises it as having, “loads of personality.” WS (88) and CT’s (88).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Wines of Note:

Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (711663, $119.95)

Antinori Guado Al Tasso 2008 (986380, $89.95)

Clos Del Rey 2004 (154385, $49.95)

Le Salette Pergole Vece Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2006 (19984, $95.95)

 

 

IVR*  – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

 

 

 

Good to go!

Vin-terra Incognita, The Wines of Celler Piñol

21st Century Wines from Inveterate Vines in Terra Alta

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/02/28/vin-terra-incognita-the-wines-of-celler-pinol/

February 23, 2012

 

If Bordeaux, Napa and even Malbec have your nose wedged in the close-minded glass of life then Terra Alta is certainly not on your radar. Just a stone’s throw away, as the crow flies, a singular and estimable cradle of wine civilization promulgates in the commingling regions of Montsant and Priorat. Stretching its legs from out of the shadow of proximate antediluvian cellars, Celler Piñol aims to broaden horizons, roll over stones, reset the compass. Organically motivated, Piñol is a vintner for the New World. Here nine wines tasted at Barque Smokehouse with partner in wine Jascha Baraness, the indubitable Juanjo Galcerá Piñol and markedly too legit to quit, Spirit Tasting Challenge Winner Mark Coster of Profile Wine Group.

Juanjo Galcera Pinol

L’AVI ARRUFI 2009 ($32) the Garnacha Blanco immortalizes Piñol’s patriarch abuelo. A bold (14.5% alcohol) statement and in tune with the old vine style (Beaucastel) of the Southern Rhône. Composed in peachy, tree-fruit floral tones, the Arrufi tastes like almonds soaked in cider and mel de romani. Essence of white Mediterranean wine. Ancient. Sephardic. Biblical.  91

LUDOVICUS TERRA ALTA 2010 ($14.95) molds Cariñena, Merlot and Syrah around a 50% frame of Garnacha. Grizzled vines for this entry level beauty claw, scratch and rope-a-dope their way through arid and unforgiving limestone soils. A fighter this Ludovicus. Dusty, rocky, bearded and sharp-dressed for the neoteric world. Climbs to the top of the hill and rips off a riff.  87

RAIG DE RAÏM 2010 ($14.95) with increased Cariñena in the mix is a deeper, darker, hemic descendant and displays more bullish animal. Cabernet Sauvignon here too joins Merlot for a cigar note. Begs to be paired with fatty meat, drippings and seared on spice.  88

PORTAL 2009 ($20.95) while not defined, is essentially a Reserva, composed of 50% Garnacha, 20% Cariñena and the remainder Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah. Jascha says “feral” so I think of the King of Limbs, “…abstract, loopy, throbbing.” Foggy, hat wearing portal to the brain of a braised landscape, demanding short rib, rich broth, slow wine. “Take it easy.”  91

Portal 2009

 

SA NATURA 2009 ($21.95) is a blend of 50% Cariñena with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Tempranillo. The qualities imparted by geomorphic wacke, anticline crag and orogenic Keuper translate to a natural wine, down to earth. Another Piñol made in the vineyard despite the varietal bag.  90

L’AVI ARRUFI VI DE GUARDA 2007 ($39.95) spends 16 months in French oak so the power of 60% Cariñena is unleashed. Combined with 30% Garnacha and 10% Syrah, the Guarda is an architecturally driven, linear and precise specimen. Menthol, eucalyptus and chewy, resinous berries swim out from the arid, desert soils where little rain falls, the days are hot and the nights cold.  92

MATHER TERESINA 2006/2007 ($49.95) is indeed a blended vintage bottling, now a lost art and set to disappear. 40% Cariñena and 30% Garnacha are joined by indigenous Morenillo and the combined effect is an early Cubist smoke, ash and tar affair. Cocoa and cream too.  90

FINCA MORENILLO 2009 ($64.95) is the diamond in the rough. No other wine in the line up buzzes as much with the warmth from humidity that is maintained in Terra Alta’s Mesozoic soils. Made from 100% Morenillo, this Pinot Noir like, thick-skinned, late-maturing grape here shows as a wine of distinct clarity. Very cherry, reminiscent of Bierzo but precisely concentrated and elegant. Here the Canaletas flowing gracefully to the Fontcalda Spa.  93

Finca Morenillo 2009

JOSEFINA VI DOLC 2009 (500 mL, $29.95) is black cherry pie, orange peel scented, late harvest dessert anti-syrup. While the pecan pie match is certainly viable, 76% chocolate would do just fine. That and a Persian Princess.  91
 
 
 
 
Good to go!

Academy Awards Wines

 

Oscar Night

February 26, 2012

 

The Oscars. Ritual television rivaled only by the Super Bowl. The AA’s speak to a wine crowd while the SB leans Wings and Beer fest. Here some recent tastings from VINTAGES to help transition from cliché opening number through three hours of pomp and pride.

 

 

ALOIS LAGEDER BENEFIZIUM PORER PINOT GRIGIO 2008 (231274, $16.75) dumbs down in a most descendant,  positive way and explains why one wine is an open book and another a deep well. PG so often a Limp Biscuit, insipid, pale, lifeless. This more of an every day Sexsmith crooning Costello, writing the book. From Alto Adige and punched up, acting more like Gris, or even Kabinett from a closer neighbour across the Alps. Watercolour of pomade and propellant. Wheat grassy, honey nut, marzipan cheery. Some evolution on it, as if almost oxidized Chardonnay but fresh still. On the card at Barque.   88

ALOIS LAGEDER BENEFIZIUM PORER PINOT GRIGIO 2008
  

TOMASSI RIPASSO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE 2009 (9014304, $19.95) is Tony Calabria’s tipple of choice for Oscar night. Sibilated sweet, reductive treacle and red licorice Lola in a bottle. Kinky, tangy and tasty like cherry cola, “C.O.L.A. Cola.” Will flatter the best available Pizza on Award’s night, like the one at Mama’s at Yorkdale, circa 1978. “This is this.”  87

TOMASSI RIPASSO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE 2009

NOTTOLA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2006 (184960, $15.95) seeps searing Sangiovese, Earl Grey Tea at the seams so drink up. A whiff of Brett huffs and puffs but the artist‘s house is all Siena brick and no straw. A sophisticated palate tears the roof of the sucker so this VNM Gives Up The Funk. Calcium Carbonate, cherry, licorice and umbrella pine dominate the wafts from this actualized, mellow member of the noble Tuscan wine parliament.  89

 NOTTOLA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2006

 

 

 

Good to go!

Family Day, Snow Forts and Sangiovese

It appears frozen but the lake likewise tempts as a precarious proposition. Look out and note just one (who is that guy?) ice hut, a solitary walking man and (thankfully) no snowmobiles.  Chewing repeatedly on the cud of weary winter thoughts has become this coming vintage’s obsession. Yet for one glorious weekend a foot of snow falls, the temperature hovers around a degree of perfection and the sun cozily kisses rosy-cheeked faces.  The family fortifies the wood garrison with brandy spirits. Pardon me, that was the Port. The fort is buttressed with more fallen branches. Best of all, packing snow is available so we fashion a brick house. “Mighty mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out.”

CASTELLARE DI CASTELLINA CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2006 (508507, $26.95) was released through VINTAGES back on June 12, 2010. A CC Riserva that resides in my wheelhouse and rings my bottiglia bell. This unassuming yet infamous winery first entered my Sangiovese psyche when I tasted the ’90 Riservas (including the wonderful SV Il Poggiale) with the proprietors’ daughter in their tasting room back in the summer of ’95. The price here is perfect; it’s over $30 US in Europe and very little is shipped to the States. Now fully resolved, suspended in mellow sanguis Jovis animation, plums floating in a cloud of vanilla hinted cream foam. The afternoon sun lighting up the face of an exhausted and content child laying down in the snow after a day of  igloo construction.  90

BODEGAS ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ TINTO PESQUERA CRIANZA 2007 (341461, $27.95) sold through at VINTAGES beginning on November 13, 2010. Fernandez does Tempranillo in the Ribera del Duero like no one else. While Parker’s Pesquera moniker from 1985 “the Petrus of Spain” may have been hyperbole, the lively and silky quality of this campesino Crianza never disappoints. My vertical goes back to 2001 and I find myself pining for a Pesquera on every visit to the cellar. Baking spices are a common aroma denominator and like Ridge‘s noticeable Draper “perfume” there is always a distinct Pesquera “bouquet.”  The wine is now showing Crimson and Clover, “over and over.” It is beginning to change colour, like maples in October. Also sugaring, as after a few hours in the kettle in March.   91

PETRA ZINGARI TOSCANA IGT 2008 (224228, $13.95) from the VINTAGES August 6, 2011 release deals value in quarto from varietals Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot. An unusual blend from the Maremma coast for sure but throw me down in the snow if it isn’t unmistakably Tuscan. Iron, leather, pure snappy, fennel fruit and tannic tang are all there. Primary yes, but what more can you ask from $14? Held up 24 hours later for a second go round.  88

 

 

Good to go!

 

VINTAGES February 18th Release, Wines Tasted

13th STREET OLD VINES RIESLING 2010 (272617, $23.95) carries on in the tradition of the house style. Eerily similar to the Palette, reeking of Viognier and Gewurztraminer. It’s round, easy to like, if negligent of grip.  85

DOMANE WACHAU TERRASSEN FEDERSPIEL GRÜNER VELTLINER 2010 (31534, $17.95) shows a playful, youthful exuberance. Simple broth here, properly seasoned and will work well as a base when combined with more mosaic ingredients. Adds touches of water spinach, mossy root vegetable and a faint hint of sweet pepper.  87

TOWNSHIP 7 SYRAH 2007 (263665, $24.95) gives off a stickum smell so much so VA comes to mind. Hard and brutish, the township ungroomed, full of moody character, barely penetrable. Hold a feather over the glass to see if it’s alive. Hard to assess.  85

CLOS DU VAL ZINFANDEL 2009 (590216, $23.95) though muted, noses mezzogiorno Primitivo so I question its origin. Primitive for Napa Valley Zinfandel, the CdV is silver-tongued and toothsome.  86

KENDALL-JACKSON VINTNER’S RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 (331603, $22.95) simplifies Sonoma CS. Compartmentalized by its oak; cocoa dust, black cherry and empletre olive. Cherry pie recipe for plain sailing consumption.  85 

CHAMPY SIGNATURE PINOT NOIR BOURGOGNE 2009 (1149, $20.95) is palatable if unrecognizable as French Pinot. Nothing wrong with it aside from its ambiguity. Sweet, tart, savoury, floral and smokey but could easily be Niagara, Oregon or NZ.  86

DONNAFUGATA TANCREDI CONTESSA ENTELLINA 2007 (990424, $25.95) is housed by a hard to crack tough shell. Puckers the mouth with a caramelized, ozbek orange Sicilian sun-kiss. Scented by eucalyptus, wild strawberry and corbezzolo.  87

CASTELGIOCONDO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2006 (35295, 375 mL, $26.95) is made impassable by a mountain of oak but breaking off bits of chocolate will open it up to the world. Mouthfilling for sure and Paulliac-like with cedar, cigar box and coffee. Potentially great.  90

ALLEGRINI PALAZZO DELLA TORRE 2008 (672931, $24.95) the ‘Customer Favourite’ and WS (90 and #60, Top 100, 2011) is indeed a gritty performer, raging bull, Chianina nero. Flavours of vanilla, root beer, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and Maraschino cherry. “Drink your big black cow and get out of here.” Points for staying power. Will drink well in five to seven.  89

MASI BROLO DI CAMPOFIORIN 2007 (976092, $24.95) also a ‘Customer Favourite’ and another Tybalt, dark lord, villainous. Rich, concentrated, black almandine, bruising yet freshly acidic.  88

BODEGAS LAN CRIANZA 2007 (166538, $15.95) noses low tones of game, bitter herbs and dried roses but wears it well. Colli Senesi comes to mind. Traditional Rioja here, pueblo issue, arid, yet pretty. “A little old fashioned but that’s all right.” 86

 

Good to go!