B.R.Cohn 2007 North Coast Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a very attractive, medium body Cabernet with aromas of bing cherries, cassis, vanilla, soft leather and cedar. On the palate, the texture it is well balanced with rich fruit, lively acidity, well integrated oak and noticeable tannins. Alcohol is in check at 13.9%. It has a long cherry and cedar finish with light tannins.

I visited this winery in Sonoma in September of 2008, during harvest, a very busy time at the vineyard for sure. I enjoyed my experience, the friendly staff, great tasting (including a Port made of Cabernet grapes) and a beautiful setting. This winery grows olives for their olive oil as well; which explains the olive tree branch on their labels. A truly beautiful winery.

I enjoyed this wine with a steak on the BBQ, life is good.

This wine was purchased in British Columbia in January 2010 at $29.00

Quinta Nova Pomares 2008, Douro, Portugal

The nose alone, let's you know you are into old world territory.  This wine's complex aromatics; cherries, plums, raspberrys, sweet spices, church wood and soft leather.  The mouth feel is well structured with balanced acidity and grainy tannins. Long berry with refreshing acidity on the finish.  A truly enjoyable and charming wine.  I enjoyed this wine with Vietnamese food.
Wine was purchased March 19, 2011.  LCBO New Release at $16.95.

Oliver Taranga Vineyard Shiraz 2006, McLaren Vale, South Australia

This wine has great aromatics; smoky bouquet of ripe blackberries, cherries, raisins, cassis and cloves. Medium to full bodied, rich texture, cherry blossom mouth feel with velvet tannins. Very nice wine, love the fruit concentration here and ready to drink. Last enjoyed March 19, 2011. 
Wine was purchased November 13, 2010 LCBO New Release at $39.95.

Fattoi Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is definitely a little funky at first, after a few swirls in your glass, it dissipates and what you are left with is complex aromatics; black cherries, earthy, mushroom, leather and savoury spices. Medium to full body, lively acidity with grainy tannins. Long, silky and savoury finish. A more traditional style of Brunello. A lovely wine. Enjoy on March 17, 2011.
Wine was purchased from June 26, 2010 LCBO New Release at $34.95

Paul Picks from the LCBO New Release of March 19, 2011 - Quatrain, Studert-Prüm and My Splurge

Hello to all my wine friends,

Looking at this new release, there are two main features; Wines from Spain and Portugal and Kings of California "Icons & Cult Classics". Yes, go ahead and cash in your RRSP's...well, no I wouldn't recommend that.  There are some stellar premium wines from California in this release and some wines way over priced,  like the Opus One,  2007 at $339.95 or $179.95 for a half bottle...any takers? Well, it’s not a Château Haut-Brion after all. There is one thing to remember about Spanish and Portuguese wines in general, they are made to be enjoyed with food.  I have three of these wines on my shopping list, all between $17.00 and $20.00.

Quatrain; as some of you may know (full disclosure here), I once worked for the Artisan Wine Shop in Victoria, owned by the agent for Mission Hill winery in the Okanagan Valley BC. A great release this week is Mission Hill Quatrain 2006 (218636) at $44.95. Quatrain is part of the Legacy Series of wines from Mission Hill, first blended in 2005. As my friends from the Artisan Wine Shop can attest, I am a big fan of this wine and sold it easily to customers looking for a special occasion wine. I believed that most people would not be disappointed with this purchase. When I returned to Ottawa in May of this year, I had brought 3 bottles of this wine and vintage with me. I drank the last one a month ago; here is the review I wrote for WineAlign. "Quatrain is a poem or Stanza that is always composed of four lines. This wine is similarly composed of four grape varieties: Syrah 41%, Merlot 32%, Cabernet Franc 14% and Cabernet Sauvignon at 13%. Aged in French oak barrels for 15 months with 45% new oak. Blackberries, black cherry, exotic spices, espresso and dried herbs on the nose. Full body, great structure, fresh acidity, dusty tannins with cherry and coffee mocha finish. Very sophisticated wine here could be lay down for another 2-4 years but why wait? Delicious right now. Tasted February 2011.” In my view, the 2006 vintage of this wine was an improvement over the 2005 as the Syrah grape became a bigger component of this blend. As an added note, I have always enjoyed Mission Hill SLC Syrah, ripe black fruit from South Okanagan and French oak always made for a very elegant and sophisticated and peppery wine. An increase of percentage of Syrah in Quatrain made it more aromatic and complex. My cellar holds a bottle of Quatrain, 2007 waiting to be tasted. As noted above, this release is the 2006 vintage which was actually released in BC a year and half ago.

Studert-Prüm;  I have been a fan of Riesling for a long time but when I began to study my sommelier courses, most students were not big fans of it. Studert-Prüm Riesling Kabinett 2009 from Mosel Germany (970129) at $18.95, hard to pronounce but easy to enjoy. During the entire seven courses, students will taste hundreds of wines and about thirty to forty different Riesling. By the time you graduate, I swear it is almost like it's a sommelier goal to go out there and promote Riesling. It’s one of those rare white grapes that have an ability to evolve with age and where it’s grown makes a difference. The classic Rieslings come from first (best) Germany than Austria and France. Style varies from dry to sweet, generous acidity, tree fruit, citrus fruit and some minerality, low alcohol around 6-7% for Kabinett to around 12-13% for table wine. Studert-Prüm is a great producer and this wine will age well. Buy three bottles, drink one now, second in about one year from now and the other in about two year from now and see how its evolve. Drink as an aperitif, with Indian or Thai food (the sugar from the wine will balance out the spices from the dish) and on the patio this summer with a Chicken salad. Strongly recommended.

My Splurge; here is my theory on California premium wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is the king, high demand equal high prices. Merlot on the other hand not as popular, it was over planted and over produced in the 80’s and the movie Sideways did not help. But Merlot produced in low yields, in ideal temperatures (hot and dry during the day and cool at night), with quality oak barrels and in the hands of talented winemakers, will produce a full body wine with great aromatics and structure. After looking at reviews of premium California wines in this release, a clear winner to me was Beringer Bancroft Ranch Single Vineyard Merlot 2005 from Napa Valley California (340497) at $69.95. It is easy to go to a restaurant and spend $50.00 to $100.00 on a bottle of wine. My solution, make dinner at home, steak on the BBQ, have a great wine like this Merlot, which would cost $140.00 and up in a restaurant depending on their mark up.

My top three wines from this release:
1-Mission Hill Quatrain 2006 from BC (218636) at $44.95
2-Altair Sideral 2005 from Chile (660837) at $24.95
3-Beringer Bancroft Ranch Single Vineyard Merlot 2005 from California (340497) at $69.95

My top three wines for there value:
1-Studert-Prüm Riesling Kabinett 2009 from Germany (970129) at $18.95
2-Finca Sobrena Crianza 2007 from Spain (040360) at $17.95
3-Quinta Nova Pomares 2008 from Portugal (214007) at $16.95

These wines did not make my shopping list but are worth considering:

Red Wines;
1-Dominus 2007 from California (212381) at $119.95
2-Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red 2006 from California (967992) at $119.95
3-Ojai Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah 2005 from California at $47.95 (Need about 5 years in the cellar)
4-Grant Burge Barossa Vines Shiraz 2009 from Australia (738567) at $17.95
5-Terre Nere Brunello Di Montalcino 2005 from Italy (208462) at $34.95

White Wines;
1-Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2009 from South Africa (931006) at $29.95
2-Domaine de Riaux Pouilly-Fume 2009 from France (200063) at $22.95
 
The New Release of April 2, 2011 will be broadcast from Vancouver where I will be attending the Vancouver International Wine Festival. You will be able to read all about it on my blog. My blog?  Yes, over the last month, my team and I have been putting it together. Some work still to be done, but here is the link.  Feedback on this newsletter has been great and constructive. All feedback is good and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Blog.

Cheers,
Paul, YWG.

Mission Hill Compendium 2007, Okanagan Valley,British Columbia, Canada

Compendium is Mission Hill second label to Oculus, and is made to be drank sooner and requiring less cellar time than Oculus. The 2007 Compendium is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, and aged in French oak.

The wine is muscular and concentrated; the nose is very aromatic and inviting; black cherries, blackberries, red currants, sage, black olive, smoke and cedar. Full body with good acidity and silky tannins, everything is well balance here. Long smoky, cedar and pepper finish. Nice wine now, but with 1-2 years in your cellar it will shed some of its oak making it much smoother and more elegant.

Paul Picks from the LCBO New Release of March 5, 2011 - Chablis, Northern Italy's Whites and Today's Outstanding Value

Hello to all my wine friends,
A look at this new release reveals there are many wines of value from little known wine regions in Argentina, Chile and Italy. I must admit that I will have more whites on my shopping list this week...I know, reds are my thing, but these whites are worth it.
Chablis; This Chablis appellation is located in the Burgundy region of France. All Chablis are made with 100% Chardonnay grape. The cool climate of this region produces wines with more acidity and less fruity flavours than Chardonnay wines grown in warmer climates (like California or South Africa). Chablis is characterized by its greenish-yellow color and racy green apple-like acidity with flavours of green apple, citrus fruits, nutty, light honey, steely and some minerality. There are four Chablis appellations. In their order of quality, we have Grand Cru, followed by Premier Cru, AOC Chablis and at the lowest end of the classification is Petit Chablis. All of Chablis Grand Cru vineyards and Premier Cru vineyards are planted on soil composed of limestone, clay and fossilized oyster shells. Chablis can age for 5 years and up to 10 years for Grand Cru. Suggested pairing with Chablis is; roasted chicken, pork, white fish, lobster, crab and oysters.
My first wine "wow" moment occurred when I was about 22 or 23 years old, while travelling with a group of friends. We were returning from a ski weekend in Vermont and had stopped at a very nice wine shop where I wanted to spend my remaining US dollars, approx 30-35$. On a recommendation from the wine clerk, I bought a William Fèvre, either Grand Cru or Premier Cru. When I finally drank this wine, I could not believe how spectacular and complex it was. It was then that I realized I had a lot to learn about wine. So began this journey.
All that to say, I will be buying a couple of Domaine de la Tour Monts-Mains Chablis 1er Cru 2008 (159731) at $29.95, one for this summer, the other to be enjoyed in a few years.
Northern Italy's Whites; Now this is a category of wines which rarely find its way into our stores. Wine in the regions of Collio, Friuli, Alto Adige, Lombardy, Trentino and Liguria, to be more specific, are very aromatic, refreshing with good acidity. Again like Chablis this is a cool climate with very rugged landscape. My friend Brenna will remember, about ten years ago, I couldn’t get enough of Bollini Chardonnay from Trentino which was lightly oaked, crisp and refreshing at about $16. These are definitely great wines for spring and summer with suggested pairings of; salads, white meat, seafood, vegetable risotto or to enjoy on their own.  Here are my picks; Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio 2009 from Alto Adige (681429) at $18.95, S. Christina Massoni Lugana 2009 from Lombardia (200097) at $17.95 and Terenzuola Vermentino 2009 from Liguria (205823) at $17.95.
Today’s Outstanding Value; It is always nice to find a wine were quality and price are well in your favour, like Choncha Y Toro Maycas Del Limari Reserva Syrah 2009 from Chile’s Limari Valley (209916) at $14.95.  It is definitely worth tracking down. Three reviews given by WineAlign sommeliers rate it at; 91%, 91% and 90%. Enough said, I do not believe that this wine will be on the shelf too long.
My top three wines from this release:
1-Domaine de la Tour Monts-Mains Chablis 1er Cru 2008 from France (159731) at $29.95
2-Twenty Twenty-Seven Cellars Featherstone Riesling 2009 from Ontario (092353) at $24.95
3-Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate 2006 from California (089282) at $44.95
My top three wines for their value:
1-Concha Y Toro Maycas Del Limari Reserva Syrah 2009 from Chile (209916) at $14.95
2-S. Cristina Massoni Lugana 2009 from Italy (200097) at $17.95
3-Terenzuola Vermentino 2009 from Italy (205823) at $17.95
These wines did not make my shoping list but are worth considering:
 Red Wines;
1-Roodney Strong Merlot 2006 from California (497933) at $22.95
2-La Crema Pinot Noir 2008 from California (719435) at $29.95
3-Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate 2006 from California (089284) at $44.95
White Wines;
1-Concha Y Toro Maycas Del Limari Reserva Chardonnay from Chile (162040) at $19.95
2-Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from New Zealand (010421) at $21.95
My team and I will be back for next New Release March 19, 2011.
Cheers
Paul Forget, YWG