Silvio Grasso Barbera D'Alba 2009, Piedmont, Italy

This is my first experience with the wines from this 1927 family owned winery. This wine is 100% Barbera grapes, with grapes that went through a brief maceration on the skins in steel for 4-5 days followed up by 7-8 months in steel tanks (no oak). This wine opens up with aromas of red fruit, black cherry, spices and cedar notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied (alcohol at 13.5%), with flavours a black pepper and spices, lively acidity and soft tannins. This Barbera's finish is long, fruity, spicy and refreshing. This wine is so good, so refreshing, so interesting, well made and very a good value. Need I say, strongly recommended. Score 92 points

Purchased April 28, 2012 at the SAQ (11580080) at $20.20

Bodegas Olarra Cerro Añon Gran Reserva 2004, Rioja, Spain

By Spanish labeling laws, Gran Reserva must have a minimum aging of 5 years, with at least 18 months in oak and a minimum of 3 years in bottles. This wine is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha with the remaining 15% Mazuelo and Graciano, alcohol comes in at 13.5%.

This wine opens up with aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, stewed plums, vanilla and spice. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, intensely flavourful with balance acidity and silky tannins. This Rioja finish is long with a rich combination of fruit, toasty oak and a creamy Cherry Blossom (chocolate bar by Hershey Canada) texture. This Gran Reserva is made in a more modern style (sweeter with toasty oak characteristic) and even if I prefer a more traditional style of Gran Reserva (dryer with more rustic and dusty tannins). I really enjoyed this wine. It was very flavourful and the sweetness and toasty oak are not overdone, but well integrated at this point. Strongly recommended, score 90 points.

Purchased June 23, 2012 LCBO New Release (190827) at $24.95

Duckhorn Merlot 2008, Napa Valley, California, USA

This wine is a blend of 86% Merlot, 9.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Maturation took place in 100% French oak Château -style barrels (60 Gallons), 20% new barrels and 80% second vintage for 16 months with alcohol coming in at 14.5%.

This wines opens up with aromas of cherry, plum, spice box, baking spices floral and mineral notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, smooth and complex flavours, mild acidity and fine grained tannins. Medium length and a bit hot on the finish but with soft seductive fruit flavours lingering. This wine may not represent value but is another very enjoyable wine from Duckhorn. Definetely more Bordeaux than California in style, score 90 points.  

Purchased May 28, 2011 LCBO New Release (995529) at $54.95    

Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand

This wine is a blend of 94% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% Sémillon, all certified organic grapes, with 10% of the Sauvignon Blanc and all of the Sémillon fermented in seasoned French oak, with alcohol coming in at 14%.

This wine opens up with aromas of grassy herbaceous notes, citrus fruit, ripe tropical fruit, honey and minerals. On the palate, medium bodied, citrus fruit flavours, creamy texture and lively acidity. Short finish on this SB with sweet and tart flavours and noticeable heat from the alcohol. This is a SB which needs spicy food like Indian or Thai. This is not the style of SB I enjoy, a little too creamy for me and not refreshing enough. Score 87 points.     

Purchased April 28, 2012 LCBO New Release (735043) at $21.95    

Le Sughere Di Frassinello 2007, IGT Maremma, Toscany, Italy

From the Italian coastal region of Maremma, this Super Tuscan wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with alcohol coming in at 14.5%.

A bit too easy removing the cork from the bottle, and as you can see on the photo, wine leak almost to the top of the cork (on two sides). I thought it might have been slightly oxidized, as the wine was much softer than I expected and drinking like it was a much older wine.

This blend opens up with aromas of small berry fruit, plum, fig, dried raisin, soft leather, exotic spices, earthy and violet notes. On the palate, medium-full bodied, silky smooth texture, fresh acidity and fine grained tannins. Very good length on the finish with soft seductive fruit and savoury flavours. This wine has elegance with seamless aromatics and great finesse. It may have been a cork situation here, but I don’t think that this wine would gain much more with age. I am not sure how it would drink in a year from now, but on this day Le Sughere Di Frassinello 2007 was very enjoyable. Score 91 points.

Purchased February 5, 2012 LCBO New Release (25700) at $31.95    

Paul's Picks from the LCBO New Release of June 23, 2012 - White Wines for Summer Sipping and Exciting Old World Reds

Hello to all my wine friends,

This New Release (NR) is certainly the least exiting NR I have seen in a while, including a very disappointing feature segment call “A Toast to Canada”. In the last NR, the publicity around this NR highlighted a segment called “A Canada Day Celebration” . So you would think that we would find some hard to find, great Canadian wines, from small boutique wineries maybe? Instead, we get only six wines and a odd selection at that; a sparkling apple cider, a love it or hate it grape Gewürztraminer wine, and a Chardonnay. Now this next wine has received great reviews, the Ravine Vineyard Meritage 2010 from Ontario (285627) at $24.95, followed by a Sparkling Vidal Ice Wine and a rosé. I don’t mean to say that all these wines are mediocre. But if you are going to label a feature segment “A Canada Day Celebration”, is it too much to ask for an exciting selection of awesome, harder to find, award winning Canadian wines. Like some of the wines from this year 2011 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards. Half of these wines are from British Columbia, and hard to find here in Ontario. This Canada Day segment would be a great opportunity to make some of these wines available here. I guess we will have to wait for the private member Bill C-311, An Act to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (Interprovincial importation of wine for personal use) be passed by the Senate after receiving unanimous support by all parties in the House of Commons. Once approved by the Senate, this bill will amend a 1928 Act which makes it illegal to purchase and transport wine across provincial borders and would allow wineries to ship their wines across the country. This is long overdue in an era of free trade and could help wineries bottom line. Well, now that I have made my point, let’s get started;

White Wines for Summer Sipping;   With summer now officially here, this is when people rediscover how refreshing and enjoyable white wines can be. The white wines I prefer during summer months, are thirst quenchers that are lower alcohol, good acidity, aromatic and with minimum use of oak. I would stay away from heavy oak Chardonnay but cool climate Chardonnays are usually lower in alcohol, fresher with better acidity. Here are four recommendation all under $20.00, including two sparkling wine.

• Blind River Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from New Zealand (141499) at $19.95 – This is a not to be miss for fans of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Would be nice served with a grilled salad on a hot summer night.

• Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett 2008 from Germany (606202) at $16.95 – From the best producing Riesling region in the world, this Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel region of Germany, is a typical light bodied wine with low alcohol, off-dry, with great aromatics and refreshing. You should expect lively acidity, tree fruit, citrus fruit flavours with some minerality.

• Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato D’Asti 2010 from Italy (942888) at $16.95 – This would be a delicious wine to pair with a nice summer day brunch, serve nicely chilled or paired with dessert like crème caramel, cheese cake or any whip cream type dessert like a strawberry trifle cake. Moscato is the grape and Asti is the town in Piedmont, Italy were this delicious wine is made. Moscato wines are 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.

• Prevedello Asolo Superiore Extra Dry Prosecco 2010 from Italy (262881) at $16.95 – If you are looking for a fun, cheerful, inexpensive Sparkling wine either as an aperitif or sipping on the patio, produced by Toronto restauranteur Franco Prevedello, in his home town of Asolo, in the region of Veneto in Italy.

Exciting Old World Reds;   When referring to Old World Wines, we are taking about European countries who have been growing grapes for centuries. The bulk of these wines are from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. European wines are usually lower in alcohol and better suited for warm summer days. Here are four wines for your consideration;

• Château de Lancyre Coste D’Aleyrac 2010 from France (074765) at $19.95 - From the very warm vintage of 2010, this wine is a blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Carignan, alcohol coming in at 14.0%. No barrel fermentation for this wine, fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. These type of wine are always delicious with lamb or a pasta dish with dry mushroom and sausage.

• Château de Nages JT Costières de Nîmes 2009 from France (736876) at $21.95 - Also from a very good vintage in the Rhône Valley, this is mostly Syrah at 95% with Mourvèdre in a supporting role at 5%, alcohol coming in at 14.5%, maceration for 30 days follow up by 12 months of barrel fermentation of which 25% are new French oak. This wine was bottled without filtration and it is recommended to decant.

• Quinta Do Quetzal Reserva 2007 from Portugal (277376) at $27.95 - This wine is a blend of Trincadeira Alfrocheiro and Alicante Bouschet, alcohol commes in at 14% with maturation takig place in 225 litre French oak barrels for 12 months.

• Bodegas Olarra Cerro Anon Gran Reserva 2004 from Spain (190827) at $24.95 - For fans of Spanish Gran Reserva, the 2004 vintage is starting to trickle in our stores of late. By Spanish labelling laws, Gran Reserva must have a minimum aging of 5 years, at least 18 months in oak and a minimum of 3 years in bottle. This wine is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha with the remaining 15% Mazuelo and Graciano.

My top three wines from this release;
1-Lionello Marchesi Coldisole Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 from Italy (281238) at $41.95
2-Gemma Giblin Riserva Barolo 2005 from Italy (185025) at $36.95
3-Penfold Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 2008 from Australia (309625) at $39.95

My top three wines for value;
1-Domaine de la Tourlaudière Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie 2010 from France (171694) at $13.95

2-Château de Lancyre Coste D’Aleyrac 2010 from France (074765) at $19.95
3-Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett 2008 from Germany (606202) at $16.95

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

Red Wines;
1- Ravine Vineyard Meritage 2010 from Ontario (285627) at $24.95

2- Mahle Wind Gap Syrah 2007 from California (242776) at $59.00

3- Sonoma-Cutrer Grower-Vintner Pinot Noir 2008 from California (140723) at $29.95

4- Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from California (708982) at $46.95

5-Maysara Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir 2008 from Oregon, USA (065680) at $39.95
6- Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Chile (322586) at $19.95
7- Penfold Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 2008 from Australia (309625) at $39.95

8- Greystone Pinot Noir 2009 from New Zealand (271312) at $37.95
9- Gemma Giblin Riserva Barolo 2005 from Italy (185025) at $36.95
10-Lionello Marchesi Coldisole Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 from Italy (281238) at $41.95

11-Ramon Bilbao Reserva 2005 from Spain (281097) at $17.00

12-Langa Tradicion Centenaria Garnacha 2008 from Spain (194795) at $13.95

White Wines;
1- Calera Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Vintage Chardonnay 2010 from California (713313) at $24.95
2- Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2009 from California (059576) at $27.95

3- Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2010 from California (241646) at $49.95

4- Stag’ Leap Winery Viognier 2011 from California (597369) at $34.95
5- Ferngrove Cossack Riesling 2010 from Australia (275206) at $24.95
6- Wynns Coonawarra Estate Chardonnay 2011 from Australia (468728) at $18.95

7- Astrolabe Province Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from New Zealand (010421) at $21.95

8- Seifried Riesling 2011 from New Zealand (989541) at $17.95

9- Domaine de la Tourlaudière Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie 2010 from France (171694) at $13.95

10-Maison Foucher La Vigne aux Sandres Pouilly-Fumé 2010 from France (277350) at $20.95

11-Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2011 from Italy (954024) at $17.95

Sparkling Wines;

1- Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato D’Asti 2010 from Italy (942888) at $16.95

2- Prevedello Asolo Superiore Extra Dry Prosecco 2010 from Italy (262881) at $16.95

That is all for me and my team. We will be back for the next New Release of July 7, 2012, where the featured segments are; A wine tour of France, Cool-climate Chardonnay and White wines from South Africa, some Chenin Blanc perhaps?

Cheers,

Paul YWG

Mitchell McNicol Shiraz 2003, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia

From one of my favourite regions of Australia, Clara Valley (cooler climate, better acidity and less jammy character), this 2003 Old Vine Shiraz from Mitchell is their current release. It’s nice to see that some vineyards hold on to their wines until they feel it’s drinking at its best.

This wine opens up with aromas of sweet berry fruit, dark plum, coco powder, baking spices, eucalyptus and light cedar notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied (alcohol comes in at 14.5%), soft seductive fruit, mild acidity and silky tannins. Very good length and smooth on the finish. This is a wine with lots of detail, fine texture and harmony with oak well integrated. This mature Shiraz is a real treat, strongly recommended. Score 93 points.    

Purchased June 9, 2012 LCBO New Release (278572) at $45.95