Hello to all my wine friends,
Looking at this new release, the main feature is Tuscany's 2007 vintage. It includes a good selection of 17 new products, all of them red. After that, a mixed selection, a bit of everything including sweet wines for Valentine? A treasure from Northern Rhône and two of my favourite Zinfandel's (Ridge and Seghesio) which unfortunately came with disappointing reviews.
Tuscany 2007 vintage; I won't go into much detail and bore you to death but here is the 101 on Tuscan wines. It is important to remember that Italian wines in general, have good acidity,moderate alcohol and are made to be drank with food. Tuscany is Italy's most ancient wine region dating back to 8th century BC and produces two of Italy's most famous wines; Chianti and Brunello Di Montalcino. It is home to four wine regions, Chianti, Montalcino, Montepulciano and Bolgheri. Chianti's are from the Chianti Classico region and are; crafted using at least 80% Sangiovese grapes; the flavour profile of Sangiovese are sour cherries, plums, blackberries, pepper and earthy. Montalcino region wines are Brunello and Rosso Di Montalcino; crafted exclusively from Sangiovese Grosso (a clone of Sangiovese grapes). Brunellos are aged 4 plus years and Rosso (sometimes refer to as baby Brunello) are aged a minimum of 1 year before release. Rosso are great value as they are half the price of a Brunello and are usually ready to drink on release.
Wines from Montepulciano region are crafted using 70% Sangiovese. Most wines from Bolgheri (home of some of the must expansive wine in Italy) are blended wines using Italian grape and French grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah). For my top three Tuscan wines from this release, including a Rosso Di Montalcino, see below.
Moscato D'Asti; Moscato is the grape and Asti is the town in Piedmont, Italy, were this delicious wine is made. Moscato D'Asti is one of the best keep secrets of sommelier's. This wine is made in an off-dry or sweet style, slightly spritzy and usually low in alcohol (4.5% to 5.5%) with crazy (in a good way) aromatics; tree and tropical fruits profile. Very versatile either as an aperitif, with brunch or paired with dessert (crème brûlé, crème caramel, cheese cake and any whip cream type dessert like truffle cake) or to sip after dinner. In two words, sweet and refreshing. One such wine will be released this week, Dezzani Morelli Moscato D'Asti 2009 (187997) at $15.95.
French Treasure from Northern Rhône; Say What...Crozes-Hermitage at $22.95 ? Yes Domaine Belle Les Pierrelles Crozes-Hermitage (041921) at $22.95. I tried to research, and read as many wine reviews as possible before finalizing my shopping list. One great tool is WineAlign. John Szabo from WineAlign, one of only two of this countries Master of Wine attends the LCBO pre-release industry tasting. His review of this wine reads "Les Pierre Croze-Hermitage is made from vines in the vineyard of the same name. It has classic spicy, peppery leathery, unmistakable northern Rhône-styling, with character and class well above the asking price, and the depth and complexity of many Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage. It also has the potential to improve with age over the next 2-3 years. In the US this sell regularly for about $30/bottle, so at $22.95, I'd consider it top value." It is also reviewed in the Australian Gourmet Magazine and priced in Australia at $39.00 Australian Dollars. This is an example of the purchasing power of the LCBO (the biggest buyer of wine in the world). They can negotiate a great price, like this, for us. Now, I expect this wine to be in short supply and not available in all stores. To help you locate this wine, or any other wine for that matter, here is the Vintages web address, which allows you to search for stock of any of there wines. Enter the LCBO six digit code number, when the wine name appears you have the option of searching "All Cities" or region of your city.
http://www.vintages.com/index.shtml
My top three Tuscan wines from this release: (value and quality)
1-Testamatta Grilli Di Testamatta 2007 (115659) at $32.95
2-Abbadia Ardenga Rosso Di Montalcino 2007 (184945) at $19.95
3-Tenuta Moraia Pietracupa Bolgheri 2007 (115659) at $18.95
These wines did not make my shopping list but are worth considering;
Red Wines:
1-Le Cinciole Chianti Classico 2007 from Italy (207795) at $19.95
2-Ciacci Piccolomini D'Aragona Ateo 2007 from Italy (211623) at 24.95
3-Brancaia Tre 2007 from Italy (164715) at $24.95
4-George Wyndham Founder's Reserve Shiraz 2007 from Australia (107904) at $19.95
5-Ringbolt Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Australia (606624) at $19.95
6-Two Hands Angels' Share Shiraz 2009 from Australia (009480) at 27.95
7-Abbona La Pieve Baralo 2005 from Italy (213132) at 26.95
White Wines:
1-Joseph Cattin Pinot Gris 2008 from France (196956) at $18.95
2-Jean-Max Roger Cuvée C.M. Sancerre Blanc 2008 from France (196667) at $24.95
My team and I will be back for next New Release February 19, 2011.
Cheers,
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