October 19, 2020 Newsletter
Newsletter Highlights:
- 95 points and over—one wine rang the 95 points and over bell—2017 Flat Rock Cellars ‘Gravity’ Pinot Noir earned 95 points @ $34.95 found under Ontario: Red Wine.
- Vic Picks – 2017 Flat Rock Cellars ‘Gravity’ Pinot Noir earned 95 points @ $34.95 found under Ontario: Red Wine; 2018 Alvear Palacio Quemado ‘Vendimia Seleccionada’ earned 90 points @ $13.95 found under Spain: Red Wine; 2015 Henry of Pelham ‘Cuvée Catharine – Carte Blanche - Estate - Blanc de Blanc’ earned 93 points @ $49.95 found under Vintages Release: November 14, 2020; 2017 Jim Barry Wines ‘Barry Bros.’ Shiraz earned 93 points @ $19.95 and 2019 Henry of Pelham ‘Bin 106 – Lost Boys – Limited Edition’ Baco Noir earned 92 points @ $29.95 with both found under Vintages Release: November 28, 2020; Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Shiraz 2018 earned 92 points @ $15.95 found under New in LCBO Portfolio (along with 6 other ‘available now’ Konzelmann wines you might be interested in).
- Exceptional-value wine
– Many (18) wines earned the coveted icon. They’re found throughout the newsletter and easily spotted by the icon checkmark in the October 31, 2020 Vintages Release and in categories following the release… Happy hunting!
Vintages Release: October 31, 2020
Fortified Wine: Sherry
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Bodegas Hidalgo ‘Faraon’ Oloroso Sherry Non-Vintage
DO Jerez, Spain $19.95 500 mL (471078) 18.0% alcohol
This mahogany-hued gem is alluring and irresistible; it got that way after twenty or so years maturing in oak casks. Aromas of walnuts, dried fruit, dried orange peel and caramel replay on the palate along with sharp spice, tea leaves, drying acidity and more nutty notes. It’s aromatic and flavourful with a drying, spice-laden aftertaste. Pour as an aperitif, with game dishes, hearty stew or mature Gouda or mimolette cheese. (Vic Harradine)
Ontario: Icewine
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Lakeview Cellars Cabernet Franc Icewine 2017
VQA Niagara Peninsula $29.95 200ml (53397) 11.0% alcohol
This is not your typical, gold-shaded icewine. This one has a vibrant raspberry glow and a very singular nose—ripe field strawberry, freshly cracked black pepper and a hint of green bell pepper. It flows on the palate in a luscious nectar bursting with ripened sweet strawberry and maraschino cherry flavours lifted with balancing rhubarb tartness and piquant peppercorn notes trailing into the endlessly delicious finish. No need for dessert, sip on its own after dinner to fully appreciate the complexity of this beauty. (Louise Boutin)
Sparkling Wine
91
Graham Beck ‘Brut’ Rosé Non-Vintage
WO Western Cape, South Africa $19.95 (175588) 12.0% alcohol
This opens with fragrant aromas—strawberry, watermelon and wisps of raspberry—and plenty of mousse a.k.a. froth or bubbles that form when poured. It’s a delight on the palate with lively flavours of red cherry and red berry fruit persisting throughout. It finishes in a blaze of crisp, lip-smacking freshness. Wonderful on its own as an aperitif or party starter, it has the oomph to stand alongside most appetizers. (Vic Harradine)
Ontario: White Wine
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Tawse Winery ‘Cuddy by Tawse’ Chardonnay 2014
VQA Niagara Peninsula $25.95 (469023) 13.0% alcohol
This is the result of a partnership with Canadian music celebrity Jim Cuddy and the Tawse winemaking team. It’s oaky and smoky on the nose before revealing aromas of peach, cooked apple, dry apricot and vanilla. A crisp and tangy wash of peach, red apple and citrus peel flavours mingle with smoke and lactic notes, slowly turning to a warm and mild, buttery, dry finish. Aged 12 months in French oak barrels, this medium-bodied white is delicious with pickerel-amandine. (Louise Boutin)
Ontario: Red Wine
• The following 2016 Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Cabernet-Merlot is certified by Sustainable Winemaking Ontario. Low-yielding, 3 tonnes per acre, hand-harvested fruit was sourced from estate vineyards on the Short Hills Bench, destemmed, sorted and partially fermented in oak tank with extended maceration. It matured in European and American oak, 30% new, then blended in an oak tank with total time in wood reaching ten months.
90
Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Cabernet-Merlot 2016
VQA Short Hills Bench $24.95 (395855) 13.5% alcohol
Lots of peppery character on the nose but also ripe dark fruit, cedar and graphite with this Bordeaux-styled red blend. Über silky-textured at first, it morphs into a robust juice of ripe blackberry and cassis flavours joined with savoury dry herbs, bright acidity and black peppercorn notes persisting in the very dry finish. This has cellaring potential with its grippy tannin but will be delicious with rare, grilled flank steak, seasoned with ‘Montreal steak’ spice mix. Aerate/decant two hours. (Louise Boutin)
• The following 2017 Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir is a flagship gem that’s been years in the making with the wine team at Flat Rock focused on producing the best possible pinot noir. It was sourced from 100% estate vineyards, hand harvested, sorted, destemmed and then cold soaked. Ambient cellar yeasts are used in fermentation where the cap is pushed down during upwards of 35 days. Only free-run juice is used and it’s transported to barrel by gravity. A mixture of French coopers are used for the 100% French oak barrels with only 15% new and 85% in pre-loved barrels both for 10 months maturation. Once the meticulous, final barrel selection has been decided, wine is racked, settled and bottled without filtration. There will be a total of 66 cases of 12 allotted to the 660 LCBO stores in Ontario—act quickly once you find a store that received a case. This wine and all Flat Rock Cellars’ wines are certified sustainable under the accreditation of SWM.
95 
Flat Rock Cellars ‘Gravity’ Pinot Noir 2017
VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment $34.95 (1560) 13.5% alcohol
Fruit-forward aromas—juicy ripe black Bing cherry—intertwine with sweet spice and notions of savoury herbs on the nose of this stunning red. A smorgasbord of flavour spreads over the palate with black cherry and dark bramble berry interwoven with racy passionfruit and tang-infused pie cherry. This is balanced on a pin and showcases persistent, delicious purity of fruit, good depth and complexity with a ripe tannin underpinning along with a luscious and lingering finish and aftertaste. Can only suggest that it will evolve and mature with a few more years in bottle. Pick up a few bottles and give it a go now to 2025. My highest compliment… it took über discipline to spit rather than swallow. (Vic Harradine)
California: White Wine
• The following 2018 Bookwalter Winery ‘Readers’ Chardonnay was sourced from a blend of old vines 80% chardonnay/20% viognier in their Conner Lee Vineyard harvested in the cool of night and pressed cool in early morning then co-fermented cold at 10 °C. It then spent four months on its lees in stainless steel vats with bâtonnage.
90
Bookwalter Winery ‘Readers’ Chardonnay 2018
Columbia Valley, Washington State $19.95 (634162) 13.8% alcohol
Aromas of orchard fruit—pear and apple—mingle with wisps of lemon on the nose of this medium-bodied, nicely textured chardonnay. It blankets the palate with a lively fresh flavours of crisp green apple, Meyer lemon and key lime. Palate replays persist through the mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. Pour this value-laden gem with pan-seared fish, roast chicken or three-cheese white pizza—stilton, chèvre and brie. (Vic Harradine)
California: Red Wine
• The following 2018 Joliesse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced primarily from the sunshine-drenched Lodi, a popular American Viticultural Area. It’s also a wine included in the much-vaunted category of the ‘Boisset Collection’ headed by wine icon, Jean-Charles Boisset, who is one-half of the wine world’s power couple, as the husband of Gina Gallo.
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Joliesse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
California $17.00 (16564) 13.5% alcohol
Dark-purple hued in the glass, aromas of black currant, and baking spice mingle with vanilla on the nose. It blankets the palate with rich flavours of black Bing cherry, sweet vanilla extract, Ribena © and notions of cherry clafoutie. It’s medium-full bodied with creamy-smooth mouthfeel, good balance of fruit, soft, ripe tannin and tangy acidity with a lingering finish of palate replays. Pour alongside smoked, grilled back ribs mopped with spicy barbecue sauce. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
New Zealand: White Wine
• The following 2018 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir was sourced from Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand. A well-known wine region for their sauvignon blanc, they’re now making an international splash with their tasty, value-laden pinot noir. A portion of this saw six months of maturation in pre-loved French oak barrels.
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Sacred Hill Pinot Noir 2018
Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand $19.95 (277665) 13.5% alcohol
Lightly red-hued in the glass, lifted aromas of spice-infused red plum and medicinal notes abound. It streaks over the palate with tension, nerve and verve expressed as flavours of passionfruit and pie cherry decorated with piquant spice and ripe black plum adding balance and a pleasing finish. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour. Give this a go with smoked duck breasts over oiled arugula and mango chutney or cedar-planked grilled Atlantic salmon. (Vic Harradine)
Spain: Red Wine
90
Ardal Crianza 2013
DO Ribera del Duero $21.95 (167601) 14.0% alcohol
If there’s such a thing as, ‘New World-styled wines’, this could be the poster wine for the category, notwithstanding it’s from the ‘Old World’. This is ripe, rich and raring to go. Aromas of smoke and cherry/berry fruit dominate the nose and replay on the palate with a medium-plus bodied, well-textured river of dark bramble berry, raisin and red pie cherry mingling with spice, espresso roast and black licorice galore. It finishes lengthy and lip-smacking good with oodles of delectable tang and fruit replays from the palate. (Vic Harradine)
Upstream in winecurrent
Vintages Release: November 14, 2020
• The following méthode traditionnelle, vintage-dated, 2015 Henry of Pelham ‘Cuvée Catharine – Carte Blanche - Estate - Blanc de Blanc’ is named for family matriarch Catherine Smith—Henry of Pelham’s wife. It was hand harvested and bunch selected from 100% chardonnay, then whole-cluster pressed, 20% barrel fermented, maturing four and one-half years in bottle on its lees before disgorgement. The 2nd fermentation of this Vintage-dated sparkling wine took place in the bottle(s) you purchase and take home.
93
Henry of Pelham ‘Cuvée Catharine – Carte Blanche - Estate - Blanc de Blanc’ 2015
VQA Short Hills Bench $49.95 (315200) 12.5% alcohol
A profusion of mousse forms in the glass when poured followed by seemingly endless streams of fine-bead bubbles winding their way from the bottom of the glass to the top amidst glorious aromas of leesy yeast, crisp Granny Smith apple and wisps of buttered toast and baking brioche. This bathes the palate with tang-laden pizzazz of lemon curd and white grapefruit adorned with ripe pear. It finishes clean, crisp and refreshing. There’s plenty of time for this to mature and evolve between now and 2025 when it’s ten years of age. I’d suggest careful cellaring and opening the first bottle then, reaping the rewards of patience and wine maturity. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Cave Mystère ‘Chombart + Speck’ Merlot is a collaboration between the Chombart family of Bordeaux, France with the Speck brothers of Henry of Pelham winery here in Ontario. The prehistoric caves below the Chambort’s vineyards at their winery, Château Lamothe-Haux, are carved out of limestone and go for kilometers as the limestone is used for the buildings in the area. This wine matured for 10 months in French oak barriques in these limestone caves with 80% pre-loved medium-toast barriques, half were one-year used and the balance two-year used with 20% new oak. The raisin d’être for the collaboration is to fashion a red wine in ‘old world’ Bordeaux to please ‘new world’ palates.
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Cave Mystère ‘Chombart + Speck’ Merlot 2018
AOC Bordeaux, France $18.95 (17232) 14.5% alcohol
Delicate aromas of floral notes and cherry/berry fruit make way for a tang-infused flow of palate flavours with pie cherry and passion fruit to the fore. It’s medium-bodied with plenty of tangy pizzazz and flavours of red plum and red cherry making an appearance on the aftertaste along with wisps of tannin. Give this a go now to 2024 poured with meat and tomato lasagna, chicken pot pie or tomato beef stew. Aerate/decant for two hours before serving. (Vic Harradine)
• Fruit for the following 2018 Fess Parker Chardonnay was sourced from 100% chardonnay vines from these select Santa Barbara County vineyards—37% Santa Maria Valley/29% Los Alamos/24% Santa Ynez Valley/10% Sta. Rita Hills. The wine was 100% barrel fermented and matured for seven months in French and Hungarian oak, 28% new.
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Fess Parker Chardonnay 2018
Santa Barbara County, California $21.95 (167501) 14.1% alcohol
Floral, sweet vanilla, orchard fruit and toasty aromas waft easily from the glass preceding a mouth-watering, smooth and balanced mouthful of mixed spice, pear, apple and lemony tang flavour enveloping the palate. The oak is well integrated and the flavours and acidity balanced on a pin. The texture is pleasantly oily while the finish is lengthy, clean and refreshing and the aftertaste replays palate flavours. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir was hand harvested over several days in October 2018. Fruit was pre-soaked on skins for five days then fermented on ambient and cultivated yeasts for two to three weeks with gentle maceration before pressing. It was then matured in French oak barrels for 10 months before racking and blending the 93% pinot noir and 7% gamay.
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Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir 2018
Okanagan Valley, BC $32.95 (585760) 13.5% alcohol
Wood-smoke and dark cherry/berry aromas mingle with mixed spice and savoury herbs. Palate flavours of bramble berry and black plum interwoven with piquant spice are framed by good tang and pizzazz and underpinned by ripe tannin. The oak regimen is well integrated and the palate flavours replay through the balanced and bountiful finish and aftertaste. It’s deftly balanced with good purity of fruit, ripe tannin and lively acidity. Give this a go now to 2026 with cassoulet or roast chicken. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: November 28, 2020
• The following 2017 Jim Barry Wines ‘Barry Bros.’ Shiraz was sourced from the family-owned estate vineyards in the cool-climate GI of Clare Valley located north of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia.
• Jim Barry Wines—on the winery’s 60th anniversary—captured the prestigious 2020 James Halliday Wine Companion, ‘Winery of the Year Award’!
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Jim Barry Wines ‘Barry Bros.’ Shiraz 2017
Clare Valley, Australia $19.95 (16036) 14.0% alcohol
Black bramble berry fruit aromas—raspberry and blackberry—intertwine with violet flowers and red cherry on the nose of this medium-plus weight, gorgeously textured, value-infused shiraz. It flows over the palate with a lovely wash of delicious flavours—black plum compote, juicy black cherry and grilled herbs interwoven with excellent tang and acidity and a balanced and beautiful finish, all underpinned with soft, ripe tannin. Drink now or cellar short term pouring with well-trimmed, low- and slow-cooked lamb shoulder. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Henry of Pelham ‘Bin 106 – Lost Boys – Limited Edition’ Baco Noir was sourced from a single vineyard of accredited sustainably grown fruit on vines that were shovel planted by hand by the three Speck Brothers thirty-five years before these grapes were harvested. The wine was barrel-selected after maturing in American 225L barriques—50% one-year old/50% new—followed by 12 months in a foudre—a foudre is a very large oak container (3000L) that is significantly larger than a barrique.
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Henry of Pelham ‘Bin 106 – Lost Boys – Limited Edition’ Baco Noir 2019
VQA Ontario $29.95 (13421) 13.0% alcohol
Gamey notes, tobacco, vanillin and mixed field berry fruit aromas introduce this fabulous baco noir. It envelops the palate with a gusher of palate flavours—lip-smacking crunchy red fruit melding beautifully with sweet-tinged black Bing cherry and wisps of Kirsch liqueur. It’s medium-plus bodied, generously textured and presents with good complexity and plenty of pizzazz. Give this a go with osso buco, cassoulet or lamb tagine. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2017 Gérard Bertrand ‘Grand Terroir - Les Aspres’ is a syrah/mourvèdre/grenache blend. Aspres translates to ‘arid’ in Catalan; an appropriate descriptor for this unique scrubland boasting a sunny Mediterranean climate in a region that borders Catalonia. Fruit was picked primarily by hand before being sorted in the vineyard and then again when they reach the winery. After a traditional fermentation they are de-stemmed prior to a three to four week maceration then pressed followed by malolactic fermentation then 33% of the wine matures in oak barrels for nine months while the balance settles and rests in vats.
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Gérard Bertrand ‘Grand Terroir - Les Aspres’ 2017
AOP Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres $19.95 (413245) 14.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of cassis, savoury herbs, black plum and dark chocolate set the mood for a crescendo of bountiful, deftly balanced and smooth-as-silk palate flavours—cassis, black bramble berry and dark bittersweet chocolate to the fore. This showcases fabulous palate flavours, excellent balance, creamy-smooth texture and a finish and aftertaste that’s luscious and lengthy. Don’t hesitate to pick up a few for drinking now to 2025. Pour with roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, mushroom gravy and carrot, onion and potato cooked around the roast. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Alvear Palacio Quemado ‘Vendimia Seleccionada’ was sourced from select vineyards of tempranillo and garnacha tintorera vines—the latter—aka Alicante Bouschet—a rare teinturier grape variety setting it aside from other Vitis vinifera varieties—most wine grapes are Vitis vinifera—as it has a dark skin and also dark pulp. Virtually all other varieties of Vitis vinifera—both white and dark grapes—have white pulp.
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Alvear Palacio Quemado ‘Vendimia Seleccionada’ 2018
DO Ribera Del Guadiana $13.95 (16588) 13.5% alcohol
Opaque black and brooding in the glass, shy aromas of grilled herbs, mixed spice and dark cherry/berry fruit can be coaxed after a serious swirl. It blankets the palate with a medium- bodied, sweet-tinged and tang-laden wash of cherry, plum and vanilla flavours leading to a lip-smacking and drying finish. Aerate/decant for a couple of hours serving with pasta in tomato sauce—try pasta puttanesca. The price-quality balance tips in your favour. (Vic Harradine
Vintages Release: December 12, 2020
• The following 2018 Palliser Estate Wines ‘Pencarrow’ Chardonnay was fashioned from fruit grown on two estate vineyards—Om Santi and Clouston. It was barrel fermented in French oak using 50% ambient and 50% cultivated yeasts with 20% being new oak then aged ten months on its lees with occasional stirring.
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Palliser Estate Wines ‘Pencarrow’ Chardonnay 2018
Martinborough, North Island, New Zealand $21.95 (16028) 13.0% alcohol
Alluring, delicate aromas of tropical fruit, toasty notes and pit fruit provide segue for a medium-weight, nicely textured river of palate flavours with buttered toast, crisp apple and wisps of minerality to the fore. This is deftly balanced with good purity of fruit and a lengthy, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. The price-quality ratio skews in your favour. What’s not to like. Pour with mussels steamed in leeks, cream and white wine or scallops pan-seared in butter. (Vic Harradine)
New in Vintages (in stores now)
• The following 2017 Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Syrah/Grenache is a Vintages Essentials wine always available in select stores.
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Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Syrah/Grenache 2017
AOP Languedoc, France $16.95 (413237) 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of black currants, black licorice and tarry notes abound. It rolls over the palate with crunchy red and black fruit—plum, currant and passionfruit—framed by tangy acidity and underpinned by soft, ripe tannin. Medium-full bodied and nicely textured, this is enhanced with a two-hour aeration/decant. Versatile at the table, pour alongside burgers, gourmet sausage, red pizza or pasta in Bolognese sauce. The price-quality proposition favours the purchaser/imbiber. (Vic Harradine)
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Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $22.95 (1545) 12.5% alcohol
Aromas of tobacco, red cherry and floral notes abound. The palate’s treated to a medium-bodied nicely textured wash of crunchy red cherry, hints of passion fruit and savoury notes. There’s good purity of fruit, deft balance and a clean, crisp, lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. This sips well on its own and is versatile at the table; pour with pan-seared Atlantic salmon and bok choy or roast chicken and root veggies. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
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Château de Nages ‘Vielles Vignes’ 2017
AOP Costièrs de Nîmes, France $19.95 (40964) 14.5% alcohol
This flavourful blend of 70% grenache/25% syrah/5% carignan hustles from the glass with aromas of ripe black cherry, fig and black plum. It captures the palate with medium-plus bodied, generously textured stream of ripe black fruit—cherry, currant and bramble berry—juxtaposed with just enough crunchy red cherry for balance. The finish and aftertaste linger sufficiently and end up nicely balanced, Give this a go with lasagna, chili con carne or spaghetti Bolognese. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is a Vintages Essentials product always available in select LCBO stores. Search the LCBO website to find the store(s) closest to you that carry this wine. Hand-harvested, low-yielding fruit (3 tonnes per acre) were whole-cluster pressed then barrel fermented in 225L French oak barriques with a portion in 3000L foudres with all maturing for 8 months.
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Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Chardonnay 2019
VQA Short Hills Bench $21.95 (268342) 12.8% alcohol
Aromas of exotic spice, green apple and toasty/oaky bits waft from the glass after a vigorous swirl. It dazzles the palate with a medium-weight, generously textured gusher of tangy lemon curd, blood orange and minerality interlaced with sweet apple compote and ripe pear and peach. It’s juicy and crisp on the mid-palate and delivers excellent value along with replays of palate flavours on the nicely balanced, lengthy and lip-smacking finish. Pour with steamed lobster dipped in clarified butter or a festive turkey dinner with all the fixings… this Christmas or next. (Vic Harradine)
• New in LCBO Portfolio (the following Konzelmann wines are in most LCBO stores now. (search the LCBO website for the store nearest you) The following wines are also available at Konzelmann Estate Winery as they are open (at the time of this being written) to the general public for wine sales. Even better still, you can also purchase these wines online and have delivered to your home, office or restaurant with delivery free with every order of six bottles or more—also convenient for those who are limiting their exposure to the general public. Click on the winery link above then click on the Buy Online tab at the top of the page that opens on their site.
White Wines
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series - Unoaked’ Chardonnay 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (200535) 12.0% alcohol
Tropical fruit, peach and pear aromas provide segue to a medium-bodied creamy-smooth flow of palate flavours with ripe nectarine and juicy white peach melding beautifully with Meyer lemon and lip-smacking tang. It finishes crisp, clean and refreshing. Versatile at the table, give it a go poured with roast chicken, pork roast or vegetable terrines. The price-quality ratio skews well in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Pinot Blanc 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (219279) 13.0% alcohol
Delicate aromas of honeysuckle, lanolin and white floral notes are evident. A medium-plus bodied, generously textured pinot blanc packed with palate flavours— ripe Bosc pear, Mirabelle plum and lemon zest also showcases deft balance, complexity and a lengthy, tang-infused, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste… in a word, delicious. Pair this value-laden gem with grilled prawns in a pesto sauce or room-temperature mild cheese like Cream Havarti or Emmental on water crackers. (Vic Harradine)
Red Wines
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Pinot Noir 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (200584) 11.5% alcohol
A light-hued red liquid when poured, aromas of mixed spice, medicinal notes and red berry fruit can be coaxed from the glass. It bathes the palate with spice-infused red currant and passionfruit tinged with ripe red cherry and an excellent balance of delightful ripe fruit and lip-smacking, tangy acidity. It’s value-packed and light on its feet with delightful flavours and racy tang replaying on the dry finish and aftertaste. Pour alongside roast chicken, breaded veal cutlets or grilled and lightly spiced pork chops. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Konzelmann Estate Cellar ‘Canada Red’ is made from zweigelt, a red grape native to, and grown primarily in, Austria, where it originated in 1922 from a crossing of two indigenous grapes—St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch—by Austrian Entomologist, Friedrich ‘Fritz’ Zweigelt.
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Canada Red’ 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (125260) 12.0% alcohol
Aromas of piquant spice, minerality and red berry fruit abound on the nose of this well-priced red. It races over the palate with an abundance of tangy acidity expressed as Montmorency cherry and crunchy cranberry adorned with baking spice. It’s light-medium bodied with good mouthfeel and wisps of drying tannins on the finish and aftertaste. Pour with pasta in tomato sauce or meat and tomato lasagna. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Shiraz 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $15.95 (144857) 13.0% alcohol
The price-quality balance tips wildly in your favour here. Translucent-red hued in the glass, it dishes up a medium-plus bodied surge of tang-laced palate flavours with cherry cordial, ripe bramble berry and mixed spice to the fore. It’s balanced on a pin, with generous mouthfeel and oodles of charm and pizzazz. It replays palate flavours on the luscious, lingering aftertaste. Serve with grilled gourmet sausage, grilled rack of lamb or Moroccan lamb tagine. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Merlot 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (439281) 13.0% alcohol
Heady, fruit-forward aromas of black currant, black plum and red cherry abound. A deftly balanced, creamy-smooth river of pure ambrosia blankets the palate—crème de cassis, ripe strawberry and tangy pie cherry galore. Medium bodied and full of flavour, the purity of fruit persists through the deliciously lengthy and mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. Pour with your favourite cut of beef, grilled medium-rare—hamburgers with all the fixings or steak with mushrooms, or in the oven, a prime rib roast with root veggies cooked around the roast. (Vic Harradine)
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Konzelmann Estate Winery ‘Lakefront Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (112946) 13.0% alcohol
Tobacco, earthy notes and wisps of floral aromas set the stage for a medium-bodied, well-balanced stream of palate flavours—tangy passion fruit and red currant mingling with exotic spice and hints of kirsch liqueur. This is framed with excellent tang and acidity and underpinned by ripe tannin. Pair with braised lamb shanks. Aerate/decant a couple of hours before service. (Vic Harradine)
New in Ontario Wineries
The following 2019 Henry of Pelham (Speck Family Reserve) Pinot Noir is barely a teenager, though strutting its stuff now and certainly flashing signs of an enhanced future after even short-term cellaring. Sourced from older vines—some shovel planted 35 years before this fruit was harvested—that are sustainably grown under, and accredited by, SWM. Fruit was hand harvested, gently destemmed and mechanically sorted. It was then stainless steel vat fermented with the cap punched down by hand. It was then aged in European oak, 30% new then married together with the balance in pre-loved oak with total oak maturation being ten months.
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Henry of Pelham (Speck Family Reserve) Pinot Noir 2019
VQA Short Hills Bench $34.95 (657874) 13.0% alcohol
Grilled savoury herbs and mixed spice aromas mingle with red berry fruit on the nose of this young and fresh pinot. A lively flow of flavours race over the palate with crunchy pie cherry and passionfruit intertwined with sweet black plum and hints of black cherry along with savoury herbs and a firm tannin underpinning. There’s replays of palate flavours and mouth-watering tang on the lengthy finish. Time in the cellar should pay off handsomely, pick up a few and pour starting in 2023. Impatient? Aerate/decant three hours and pour alongside roast fowl with all the fixings. (Vic Harradine)
LCBO ‘Limited Time Offers’ – October 12 to November 8, 2020
• Regardless of the vintage you purchase from the LCBO, you’ll receive the discount shown for each bottle of wine reviewed below that’s purchased October 12 to November 8, 2020.
White Wine
The following two wines receive a $2.00 discount on each bottle purchased from the regular price shown below.
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La Crema Chardonnay
Sonoma Coast $29.95 (962886) 13.5% alcohol
This is an elegant chardonnay with subtle oak aromas on the nose combined with notes of apple and minerality. It’s medium-full bodied with zesty acidity delivering green apple and citrus flavours on the palate. The finish is tangy and underlined with clean minerality. This will evolve nicely in the cellar for a few years, and can be enjoyed with shrimp parmesan pasta. (Dave Isaacs)
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Tawse ‘Sketches of Niagara’ Chardonnay
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (89037) 13.0% alcohol
High-toned aromas of nutmeg and ginger are interwoven with ripe apple and pear. Aromas replay on the palate with the addition of oaky bits and piquant spice. This was barrel fermented by native yeasts then barrel matured, 20% new, for 12 months. It’s medium-plus weight with smooth texture and a long, long finish and aftertaste—crisp and mouth-watering. Give this a go with roast chicken or a pork roast. (Vic Harradine)
• The following three wines receive a $3.00 discount on each bottle purchased from the regular price shown below.
• The following sustainably grown Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Riesling was sourced from vines +20 years old with the largest portion being 35 years old and shovel planted by the Speck Brothers in 1984. A low-yielding 3.5 tons/acre was taken from the well-known Weiss 21B clone vines. It was fermented in stainless steel tank at a controlled cool temperature of 15 – 17 ° C and a portion in large, neutral-oak foudres.
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Henry of Pelham ‘Estate’ Riesling
VQA Short Hills Bench $19.95 (557165) 9.8% alcohol
The price-quality balance in this perennial favourite tips wildly in your favour. Floral and mineral notes intertwine with lime zest aromas on the nose of this fabulous off-dry riesling. It races over the palate with nerve, verve and delicious tang-infused flavours—lime cordial and sharp minerality with notions of Granny Smith apple. This is medium bodied with creamy-smooth texture and a lingering, lip-smacking finish. Give it a go with scallop ceviche, prawn bisque or steamed mussels in a shallow bath of white wine and garlic. (Vic Harradine)
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Oyster Bay Chardonnay
Marlborough, New Zealand $19.95 (326728) 13.5% alcohol
Tropical fruit, citrus and sweet vanilla aromas abound on this tangy, generously textured, value-packed beauty. Rivers of nicely balanced flavour pour from the bottle with lemon chiffon pie, crisp grapefruit and spiced yellow plum to the fore. It’s mid weight sporting a mid-length finish that’s crisp and refreshing. Pour alongside grilled white fish, roast chicken or roast pork. (Vic Harradine)
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Stoneleigh ‘Latitude’ Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (324228) $21.95 13.0% alcohol
The fruit for this gem was sourced from the ‘Golden Mile’ in Marlborough, it’s blessed with extra warmth relayed by the stones covering the soil that allow the grapes to fully mature. Partially hand-harvested and aged six months in French oak, this delicious white offers citrus aromas along with lactic, cedar, grassy and mineral notes. Deliciously tart and crisp on the palate, this is medium bodied with flavours of grapefruit, honeydew melon and lime zest finished with beautiful minerality. Try alongside scallop ceviche for a mouth-watering pairing. (Louise Boutin)
Red Wine
• The following three wines receive a $2.00 discount on each bottle purchased from the regular price shown below.
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Bodega Catena ‘High Mountain Vines’ Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina $19.95 (478727) 13.5% alcohol
Plum, blackberry, mocha and sweet pipe tobacco aromas open this nicely-balanced malbec. Dry, medium-full bodied with defined tannin and fresh acidity, cherry, plum, vanilla and spice flavours linger on the tasty palate and into the medium-long finish. This would complement grilled steak or lamb chops. (Lisa Isabelle)
• The following Bodegas Lan Crianza is a Vintages Essentials wine always found in select LCBO stores. It’s also an inexpensive way to taste what will be a $30 or $40 wine when released from the winery some five or more years from now as a ‘Reserva’ or a ‘Gran Reserva’ wine.
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Bodegas Lan Crianza
DOCa Rioja, Spain $16.95 (166538) 13.5% alcohol
Sexy aromas of exotic spice and incense interweave with soft, ripe, dark berry fruit and flecks of mocha. It bathes the palate with a rich and balanced wash of black raspberry and dark cherry flavours underpinned by ripe chalky tannin and framed by excellent acidity and purity of fruit. It’s medium-plus bodied with deft balance and a lengthy finish. Pour on its own, after a two-hour aeration/decant or alongside prawn and chorizo paella. (Vic Harradine)
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Malivoire Gamay
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (591313) 12.0% alcohol
Although lightly-hued to the eye, aromas leap from the glass of this well-priced gamay with the slightest swirl—red cherry/berry notes, peppery/savoury bits and piquant spice abound. It’s light on its feet with fruit flavours of pie cherry and crunchy red berry fruit—currant and cranberry—framed by tangy acidity and joined by a dry, crisp and clean finish and aftertaste. Pour with a three-cheese white pizza or arugula salad dressed with verjus and topped with crumbled chèvre. (Vic Harradine)
• The following two wines receive a $5.00 discount on each bottle purchased from the regular price shown below.
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Beringer ‘Knights Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon
Knights Valley, California $44.95 (352583) 14.8% alcohol
This blend of predominantly cabernet sauvignon with a splash of cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot, matured 16 months in French oak, 30% new. Dark cherry, plum compote, chipotle, baking spice and violet aromas showcase the complex nose. Silky soft on palate entry with flavours of ripe black cherry, clove and vanilla, it shows a firmer profile mid palate with tight tannin and flavours of cocoa powder, freshly cracked black peppercorn and a wisp of red plum acidity through the finish and aftertaste. This is full-bodied with cellaring potential; enjoy now to 2024 with juicy rare prime rib after a two-hour aeration/decant. (Louise Boutin)
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Rodney Strong ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California $29.95 (954834) 14.5% alcohol
This is a premium pinot from the fabulous cool-climate appellation of Russian River Valley. It’s part California with ripe fruit and oodles of it, and part Burgundy with good structure and lip-smacking acidity for excellent balance. There’s red cherry with wisps of red currant and mixed spice on the nose and palate joined by ripe black berry and notions of beetroot on the finish and lingering aftertaste. (Vic Harradine)
Cheers, Louise, Lisa, Dave, Vic