Paul Picks from the LCBO New Release of April 2, 2011 - Pinot Noir, Cline Ancient Vines Zin and In-Store Discoverie​​s

Hello to all my Wine Friends,

I am sending you this newsletter from Vancouver while I am here taking in the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival 2011, where the featured wine country is Spain. I will be updating my blog with a feature article, complete with photos, list of favourite wines tasted and a list of wines purchased at the show. Luckily most wines featured here are available for purchase with some limited availability elsewhere in  the country.

Pinot Noir; the feature section of this New Release is the Burgundy region of France. The two main grapes grown in this region are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This comes at a good time as I have no Pinot Noir remaining in my cellar that is ready to enjoy. Pinot Noir (PN) are usually light or light to medium body, have lively acidity, they are usually far less tannins in PN as the skin of this grape is quit thin, and flavour profile are sweet, sour, floral , earthy, sweet spices and mineral texture. Now, the most expensive Pinot Noir (Grand Cru and 1er Cru) often needs time in your cellar as they can be austere, hard with tannins and acidic. This grape is  very versatile at the dining room table as it can be paired with so many dishes; from grilled salmon, chicken and pork to beef bourguignon, coq au vin, roasted duck, risotto, pasta with tomato based sauce and dishes cooked with mushrooms. Here are two PN that can be enjoyed now or short term cellaring of 2-4 years; Roux Père & Fils Côte de Beaune-Villages 2009 (208520) at $17.95 and Domaine Gille Côte de Nuits-Villages 2008 (210864) at $24.95.

Cline Ancient Vines Zin; here is my favourite BBQ wine, California Zinfandel at its best, also simply know as Zin.. This grape has really found its niche in California, where it produces medium to full body wines, fruity almost jammy, spicy with high alcohol. The high alcohol part is not what I like about Zin, I will usually stay away from Zin’s over 15% alcohol. One producer, Rosenblum Vineyards, often have Zinfandel clocking at over 16.5%, those are too jammy and hot for me. What I like about Zin, is its fruitiness and its velvet mouth feel. One such wine is being released this week, and one of my favourite, is Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2009 (719211) at $17.95. I have been enjoying this wine for the last 5 or 6 vintages and found it to be consistent from year to year and now the bonus is the price. This wine used to sell for $22 a few years back, it is now listed at $4 less a bottle. Ancient vines means that some of these vines are 80 to 100 years old, planted by Italian and Portuguese immigrants. These vines produce very little fruit, but the fruit produced by these vines are complex with rich and concentrated flavours. One thing I must tell you, I visited this winery in Sonoma, beautiful location in Sonoma, they have nice wines but were serving them way to hot as they had no method of serving their wine at an appropriate temperature. On a hot summer day, Zin served at 23-24 degree Celsius is way too hot. Don't be afraid to chill your wine for 15-20 minutes, they are better served at 16-17 degree Celsius especially during the summer. A cooler Zin brings more focus to the fruit and can tame the monster (Alcohol).

In-Store Discoveries; there are products (usually one or two dozen) released on New Release (NR) day that are not featured in the NR catalogue. To see a list of wines released as part of in-store discoveries, visit the LCBO web site, click on Vintages than look at the bottom of the page for “Additional Information”, click on “In-Store Discoveries”. These products are available in limited quantities and not available in all stores. To check for availability, simply use the product search engine. I had the opportunity to enjoy one of these discoveries, this past summer at an Italian Restaurant in Berlin, the wine, Castello Di Ana Chianti Classico 2006 (039768) at $32.95. This Chianti is from a reliable producer, a deeper color than most with rich flavours and velvet smooth on the finish.

My top three wines from this release:
1. Domaine Taupenot-Merme Gevrey-Chambertin Bel Air 1er Cru from France (209502) at $79.95.
2. Vilafonte Series M, 2006 from South Africa (007757) at $39.95.
3. Domain Gille Cote de Nuits-Villages 2008 from France (210864) at $24.95.

My top three wines for their value:
1. Roux Pere & Fils Cote de Beaune-Villages 2009 (208520) at $17.95.
2. The Oak Valley Blend 2005 from South Africa (214361) at $16.95.
3. Barba Vignafranca Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 from Italy (203894) at $17.95.

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

Red Wines;
1. Domaine Marchant Grillot Morey-Saint-Denis 2008 from France (210906) at $39.95
2. Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from California (718452) at $54.95.3. Decero Remolinos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Argentina at $22.95.4. Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2008 from Australia (5009919) at $34.95.
5. Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Australia (048579) at $24.95.
6. Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Reserva 2006 from Italy (111641) at $15.95.

White Wine
1.Domaine Roux Pere & Fils Les Chaumes Chassagne Montrachet 2009 from France (208512) at $38.95.
2. Inniskillin Winemaker's Series Two Vineyards Riesling 2009 from Ontario (105387) at $17.95.
3. Arboleda Chardonnay 2008 from Chile (606772) at $15.95.
4. Dr. Herman Riesling Spatlese 2006 from Germany (197178) at $22.95.

My team and I will be back for the New Release of April 16, 2011.

Cheers,

Paul, YWG.

http://paulnjoywine.blogspot.com/