December 29, 2021 Newsletter
Newsletter Highlights:
- 95 points and over – 2019 Domaine Carneros ‘Avante Garde’ Pinot Noir earned 95 points @ $36.95 and is found under California: Red Wine; 2020 Malivoire Wine Company ‘Small Lot’ Pinot Noir earned 95 points @ $29.95 found under New in Ontario Wineries; 2016 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet 2016 earned 96 points @ $50.00 found under New in Ontario Wineries; 2019 Buena Vista ‘The Sheriff’ earned 95 points @ $49.95 found under Upstream in winecurrent.com - Vintages Release: February 19, 2022.
- Exceptional-value wine – There are exceptional-value wines found throughout the newsletter and easily spotted by the
icon checkmark. Happy hunting! - Louise Loves – 2014 Puelles Reserva earned 93 points @ $18.95 found Under Spain: Red Wine
- Vic Picks – Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc earned 91 points @ $19.95 found under Ontario: Red Wine; 2019 Henry of Pelham ‘Speck Family Reserve’ Baco Noir earned 94 points @ $27.95 found under Ontario: Red Wine; Malivoire Wine Company 2020 ‘Small Lot’ Pinot Noir earned 95 points @ $29.95 found under New in Ontario Wineries; 2019 Vineland Estates Wine ‘St. Urban – Kabinett’ Riesling earned 94 points @ $18.95 found under New in Ontario Wineries; 2018 3 – Rings ‘It’s Magic’ Shiraz earned 91 points @ $17.95 found under Australia: Red Wine; 2020 Piekenierskloof Wines ‘Six Hats’ Chenin Blanc earned 90 points @ $16.95 found under South Africa: White Wine; 2017 Fattoria La Torre ‘Guinzano Vineyard’ earned 90 points @ $16.95 found under Italy: Red Wine
Vintages Release: January 8, 2022
Ontario: Red Wine
• The following 2019 Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc is a Vintages Essentials wine always found in 225 select LCBO retail stores. It has a touch (5%) Merlot and was harvested then optically sorted prior to a five-day cold soak before fermentation with commercial yeast in the winery climate-controlled cellar. It was then matured in 100% American oak barrels with 20% one to three year old barrels, 15% four year old barrels and 25% new. Malolactic fermentation was taken to 100% completion. The winery suggests you can carefully cellar this for the next decade.
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Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (64618) 12.9% alcohol
This is rich and luscious on the nose with aromas of mocha, black cherry/berry fruit and black plum. It blankets the palate with a glorious swath of black raspberry, black currant and black juicy Bing cherry flavours cloaked in excellent tang and acidity and underpinned by firm ripe tannin structure. It’s nicely balanced, medium-plus weight and finishes lengthy and luxurious with palate replays. Pour alongside backyard burgers, beer-can chicken, pizza, or flank steak fajitas. Keep a few bottles on hand. (Vic Harradine)
• The following Henry of Pelham ‘Speck Family Reserve’ Baco Noir is quite special. Baco Noir is an especially successful hybrid grape amongst a small number that could be called ‘highly successful’ and possibly stands alone when referred to as ‘elegant, stylish or distinguished’. However, I believe this wine flirts with all three descriptors. It’s sourced from a single vineyard ‘Block 106’ that the Speck brothers planted manually by shovel in a somewhat less than perfect pattern as it meanders somewhat rather than the usual row after row after row of perfectly aligned vines, posts and trellis wire. The first vines were planted in 1984, making them 35-years-old when harvested for this wine. This matured in a combination of new, second-fill and third-fill American oak barriques then partially finished in 5000L oak foudres for a combined 12 months.
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Henry of Pelham ‘Speck Family Reserve’ Baco Noir 2019
VQA Ontario $27.95 (461699) 13.5% alcohol
There’s great value here. Lifted aromas of bramble berry, mixed piquant spice and black cherry abound on the nose of this dazzling baco noir. It envelops the palate with a surge of fruit flavours—ripe black currant and juicy Bing cherry intertwined with wisps of black plum compote and a glorious balancing streak of excellent tang and acidity mirrored by a streak of minerality. This showcases deft balance, persistent purity of fruit and excellent smooth and mellow taste, mouthfeel and a monumentally lengthy finish and aftertaste. Pour on its own or alongside grilled striploin or prawn and chorizo paella. (Vic Harradine)
California: Red Wine
• The following 2019 Domaine Carneros ‘Avante Garde’ Pinot Noir was sourced from all five estate vineyards in the Carneros AVA. The wine is fermented in small open-topped tanks then matured for eight months in Burgundian French oak barrels that were selected from special cooperages that complement the flavour and aroma profile of this wine.
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Domaine Carneros ‘Avante Garde’ Pinot Noir 2019
Carneros, California $36.95 (11528) 13.8% alcohol
Divine aromas of sharp, red fruit—red cherry, red berry—interlace with grilled savoury herbs, beetroot and piquant spice notes in this light ruby-hued beauty. It caresses the palate with spice-infused palate flavours of ripe black currant, crunchy red currant and ripe and juicy black Bing cherry, along with black bramble berry. This offers up deft balance of fruit flavours, delightful acidity and an underpinning of ripe, fine-grained tannin. Pour with coq au vin, boeuf Bourguignon or crown roast of pork. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Ivory & Burt ‘Old Vine Zinfandel’ pays homage to two of the early settlers in Lodi—Charles Ivory and J.M. Burt. The Lodi soils are rich in minerals and well drained along with a Mediterranean climate of warm afternoons and cool evenings that allows grapes to develop ripe fruit flavours. These fruit-forward wines have nice acid balance that characterize the quintessential Lodi style that has made and kept its sterling reputation. This is 100% sustainably grown and ages in new American oak.
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Ivory & Burt ‘Old Vine Zinfandel’ 2018
Lodi, California $19.95 (479303) 15.0% alcohol
Ripe and rich aromas of black cherry/berry fruit and mixed spice and savoury herbs abound on the nose of this rich, luscious Zin. It surges over the palate with black currant, black raspberry and hints of passionfruit and pie cherry that balance each other on the palate and throughout the finish and aftertaste. This has depth and complexity along with a good underpinning of supple tannin. Give it a go with grilled and smoked back ribs mopped with spicy barbecue sauce. (Vic Harradine)
Australia: Red Wine
• The following was harvested from 100% shiraz vines with a low-medium yield of 4 tonnes per acre in a vintage that was a textbook season with fruit allowed a long hang time allowing grapes to ripen organoleptically as well as optimum sugar levels. It was then fermented in the traditional method in open-top fermenters with maximum skin contact.
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3 – Rings ‘It’s Magic’ Shiraz 2018
Barossa Valley, South Australia $17.95 (15495) 14.9% alcohol
Purple-black and opaque in the glass, it offers up aromas of black bramble berry and black plum intertwined with mixed spice. It’s medium-plus bodied with creamy-smooth mouthfeel as flavours surge over the palate with dark cherry/berry fruit adorned with dark bittersweet chocolate and coupled with excellent tang and acidity. There’s deft balance, persistent purity of fruit and more palate replays on the delectable finish and aftertaste. 3 - Rings winery suggests braised Kangaroo tail as a food match, but if you’ve run out, give grilled rack of lamb a go. (Vic Harradine)
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Best’s ‘Great Western – Bin No. 1’ 2018
GI Great Western, Victoria, Australia $21.95 (222323) 14.0% alcohol
Peppery piquant spice, floral notes and aromas of grilled savory herbs are decorated with ripe mulberry fruit, cassis and black licorice on the nose of this elegant, well balanced, structured and delicious Aussie shiraz. Palate flavours of dark cherry fruit and red berry fruit—cherries and cranberries—come to the fore just past mid-palate and persist through the luscious, mouth-watering finish. This is good to go now and on to 2028; pour alongside grilled backyard burgers or grilled gourmet sausage and Portobello mushrooms. (Vic Harradine)
South Africa: White Wine
• 100% of the grapes sourced for the following 2020 Piekenierskloof Wines ‘Six Hats’ Chenin Blanc were certified, audited and sourced from Fairtrade producers—in this instance, the vineyards were primarily in Swartland with low yields of 2½ tonnes per acre. Piekenierskloof Wines is a certified Fairtrade producer. Grapes were handpicked very early in the morning to retain natural flavour. Only free run juice was utilised allowed to settle and inoculated with selected yeast strains then fermented under a controlled 12 °C temperature. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour.
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Piekenierskloof Wines ‘Six Hats’ Chenin Blanc 2020
WO Western Cape, South Africa $16.95 (21193) 12.5% alcohol
Aromas of honeysuckle and tropical fruit—pineapple and mango—abound on the nose. It captures the palate with a medium-bodied, heavenly textured mouthful of lemon chiffon pie, blood orange and a touch of white grapefruit. Another three or so months in bottle will allow it to meld together with good balance and flavour profiles too good to resist. For now, it will really shine with chorizo and prawn paella or breaded and grilled calamari under a squeeze of fresh lemon. (Vic Harradine)
Italy: Red Wine
• The Guinzano vineyard is 350 m above sea level and consists primarily of clay soils. This hand-harvested red blend is 70% sangiovese/15% cabernet sauvignon/15% merlot that was fermented on skins for 15 days in controlled-temperature concrete vats at 24 °C for two weeks followed by 12 months in French oak barrique then a further 12 months resting in bottle before release.
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Fattoria La Torre ‘Guinzano Vineyard’ 2017
DOC San Gimignano Rosso, Italy $16.95 (480665) 14.0% alcohol
This is mellow and smooth from cork pop to last drop. Aromas of fennel, blackberry and mixed spice dominate the nose. It dishes up a stream of well-balanced, pleasingly delicious flavours—ripe mulberry, black currant and excellent tang and acidity—before replaying on the lengthy finish and aftertaste. Pour alongside your favourite grilled meat, you won’t be disappointed. (Vic Harradine)
Spain: Red Wine
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Puelles Reserva 2014
DOC Rioja, Spain $18.95 (10720) 14.5% alcohol
This superb tempranillo reserva blend spent 24 months in equal parts of French and American oak before bottling and has been maturing in bottle since. The nose is complex with tertiary aromas of pencil shaving and leather, but also dried fig, pretty licorice notes, wild mushroom and potpourri. It is velvety on the palate with delicious flavours of dark cherry, blackberry, dry dill and crushed black peppercorn heating up the long, savoury and delicious chalky finish. This exceptional value Rioja is your full-bodied red sipper to enjoy on its own or with nibbles of aged hard cheese, dark chocolate, salted nuts...you get the idea. (Louise Boutin)
New in Ontario Wineries
• For daily home, office or restaurant delivery for the following two wines are sold at the winery only, order online from this link Malivoire Wine Company with FREE shipping on orders of $99 or more, or $20 credited next business day towards delivery outside Ontario and Québec. Phone 905-563-9253 Monday to Friday 10 am - 5 pm on weekdays and noon to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday for information and for locals to access curbside pickup instructions. Their retail shop is now open - 10 am - 5 pm on weekdays, and noon to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. There are guidelines due to COVID-19 that change often, best to phone or email first (the website has a space to type and is linked to their email).
• The following 2018 Malivoire Wine Company ‘Stouck’ Merlot was sourced from the sixth-generation sustainably farmed vineyards of the Stouck family in the VQA sub-appellation of Lincoln Lakeshore on October 24th with the average unfermented grape sugars reaching 24.2 ° Brix. This wine was fashioned and grown sustainably and accredited as such. After primary—aka alcoholic—fermentation and full malolactic conversion the wine was divided to mature in a large neutral oak cask and an assortment of others—65% American oak and 35% French oak of which 30% were new. After 17 months the lot was blended and 103 cases were bottled April, 2020. Drink now and over the next five or six years.
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Malivoire Wine Company ‘Stouck’ Merlot 2018
VQA Lincoln Lakeshore $39.95 13.0% alcohol
Fruit-forward aromas leap from the glass after the slightest swirl—ripe black cherry, black plum and bramble berry intertwine with aromas of savoury herbs, black licorice and baking spice. A surge of dark, ripe fruit—mulberry and black cherry—polished, fine-grain tannin and crunchy red pie cherry laced with tang envelop the palate with purity of fruit before persisting through the lengthy, mouth-watering delightful finish and aftertaste. This is medium-plus bodied, deftly balanced and absolutely delicious. Pour alongside filet mignon or Beef Wellington. (Vic Harradine)
• Fruit for the following 2020 Malivoire ‘Small Lot’ Pinot Noir was hand-harvested at an average 22.8% Brix with 15% of the grapes picked on September 15 from the Moira Vineyard and 85% from the Mottiar Vineyard on September 22nd. 80% of fruit was crushed with 20% retained in whole clusters. These were placed in fermenters in alternating layers. 40% of the grapes completed alcoholic fermentation and malolactic conversion in concrete tank, 30% in stainless steel. The wine was then transferred to neutral (6-years old) French oak barrels for 8 months then blended/bottled in July, 2021. This wine was grown and fashioned sustainably and is accredited as such.
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Malivoire Wine Company ‘Small Lot’ Pinot Noir 2020
VQA Beamsville Bench $29.95 12.5% alcohol
Aromas abound on the nose of this dazzling 2020 Small Lot Pinot Noir with baking spice, floral notes, vanilla and toasty bits to the fore. It surges over the palate with a gusher of flavours—piquant spice, ripe cherry and Saskatoon berry pie, with a truly delightful line of nerve and verve tang showing up as passionfruit and pie cherry that persist to and through the lingering, lip-smacking good finish and aftertaste. This is medium-bodied with excellent balance and persistent purity of fruit. This is drinking beautifully now and will mature to optimum over the next three or four years. Pour with coq au vin, lamb tagine or tourtière. My highest compliment; it took great discipline to spit, rather than swallow, while tasting. (Vic Harradine)
• Order the following wines online for home, office or restaurant: delivery in Ontario is FREE on orders of $100 or more from this link - Vineland Estates Winery. The wine shop is open for Curbside Pickup 7 days a week, 11am-5pm. Purchase online from the above link or place your order at 905.562.7088 ext. 124. Restaurant is open for Takeout Wednesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm. Please order directly with the Kitchen at 905.562.7088 ext. 165. Best to check with the winery first as COVID-19 rules and regulations often change.
• The following 2018 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Boteek Vineyard’ 100% Cabernet Franc was sourced from 12 year-old estate vines (Clone 214) in the Boteek Vineyard named for George Frostad’s premier horse-breeding stable in the late 1950’s. This wine matured for 30 months in oak barrels.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Boteek Vineyard – Clone 214’ Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $35.00 13.0% alcohol
Exotic aromas of incense, floral notes and deep, rich cherry/berry fruit dominate the nose. A stream of tang-laden pizzazz appear as passionfruit and racy pie cherry soon joined by a stream of dark plum compote and freshly picked red raspberry providing excellent balance on the palate. It showcases tasty and persistent purity of fruit, balance, good texture and an underpinning of ripe, fine-grained tannin. There’s many years ahead for this wine and it’s drinking well now. Serve this following a two- or three-hour aeration/decant alongside grilled, medium-rare lamb loin chops. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2018 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Boteek Vineyard’ 100% Cabernet Franc was sourced from 22 year-old estate vines—Clone 214—in the Boteek Vineyard named for Thoroughbred Hall of Fame member George Frostad’s premier horse-breeding stable in the late 1950’s on this very site. This wine matured for 30 months in oak barrels.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Boteek Vineyard – Clone 327’ Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $35.00 13.0% alcohol
Piquant aromas of black licorice, gamey and tarry notes adorned with luscious black cherry and mulberry fruit dominate the nose of this excellent cabernet franc. It’s fruit-driven on the palate with sweet, ripe black currant and a juicy delicious bowlful of black Bing cherries decorated with plenty of acidity and tang presented with flavours of cranberries and passionfruit and notions of pencil shavings. This showcases excellent nerve and verve, deft balance, firm texture and an underpinning of fine-grain, polished tannin. This is drinking well now and will over the next decade. Give it a go with skirt steak, gilled medium-rare along with a side of oven-roasted olive-oiled russet potatoes cut like fries with their skins on. (Vic Harradine)
• The following vintage-dated 2020 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve Wine - Méthode Charmat - Pinot Meunier - Sparkling Wine was sourced from select vineyards in VQA Ontario. Pinot Meunier is one of the three grape varieties most commonly used in the making of French Champagne. The residual sugar is 20.8 g/L and is a gorgeous, pale Rosé in the glass.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve – Charmat - Pinot Meunier - Sparkling Rosé 2020
VQA Ontario $30.00 13.0% alcohol
Alluring aromas of strawberry, rose petals and tinned fruit salad precede an unexpected river of dazzling palate flavours of rich, luscious red raspberry and wild strawberry excellent sweet and tang adorned with lively mousse sending streams of bubbles to the surface of your glass. This showcases deft balance, fruit-forward aromas and flavours, persistent purity of fruit going to and through the mouth-watering finish and aftertaste with plenty of pizzazz. Pour for friends as a welcoming wine and continue to pour with appetizers. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Vineland Estates Winery ‘handcrafted – Dry Riesling’ was sourced from estate fruit on the VQA sub-appellation of Twenty Mile Bench and saw no oak. It’s drinking well now and will until +2035. There are only 13 g/L of residual sugar in this dry riesling.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘handcrafted – Dry Riesling’ 2019
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $17.95 10.5% alcohol
Honey-drizzled pear, notions of floral notes and petrol aromas dominate the nose. It spreads over the palate with a gusher of flavours—tangy, lemon drop candy, saline minerality and lime cordial. This showcases good texture, creamy mouthfeel, great balance and a lengthy, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. Delicious sipped on its own, or pour with steamed mussels, skillet-seared rainbow trout or prawn ceviche. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2019 Vineland Estates Wine ‘St. Urban – Kabinett’ Riesling saw no oak and has 52 g/L residual sugar
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Vineland Estates Wine ‘St. Urban – Kabinett’ Riesling 2019
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $18.95 8.0% alcohol
Lifted aromas of petrol, lemon-lime and wet-stone minerality abound. It blankets the palate with a tsunami wave of yin and yang, sweet and tang, with plenty of pizzazz and sweet lemon-lime pastilles, racy, tang-infused lemon curd and a sweet and tang finish and aftertaste. Give this a go with a baked bone-in ham dotted with cloves and brushed lightly with maple syrup. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2016 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet was sourced from 100% old vines on the VQA sub-appellation, the Niagara Escarpment. This exceptional wine is a blend of 60% cabernet franc, 40% cabernet sauvignon that matured for nine months in oak.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet 2016
VQA Niagara Escarpment $50.00 13.5% alcohol
Lifted aromas leap from the glass after even the gentlest swirl—black licorice and Ribena © intertwine with grilled savoury herbs. The palate’s treated to black plum compote, cassis and plenty of pizzazz delivered by racy pie cherry and notions of cranberry and red raspberry. It delivers a dazzling array of aromas and flavours, persistent purity of fruit, good balance, good tension and a solid tannin underpinning that smooths out after a two-hour aeration/decant. Pour alongside the usual suspects—grilled back ribs mopped with spicy barbecue sauce, a grilled medium-rare steak from a premium cut of beef tenderloin or Chateaubriand with Béarnaise sauce. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2016 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet - Merlot was sourced from select sites in the VQA appellation of Niagara Peninsula from the following grape varieties—43.6% cabernet sauvignon, 41.5% cabernet franc, 14.8% merlot. This matured for 12 months in oak.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet - Merlot 2016
VQA Niagara Peninsula $60.00 14.0% alcohol
Fragrant aromas of earthy notes, sandalwood, dark cherry, bramble berry and piquant spice abound on the nose. The palate’s treated to a rich and concentrated gusher of intense flavours with kirsch liqueur, bramble berry, blue berry and excellent balance that’s delivered as racy pomegranate that’s full of nerve, verve and pizzazz. There’s good purity of fruit, deft balance, delicious palate flavours and plenty to like from the lengthy lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. Pour with Australian rack of lamb. (Vic Harradine)
• The following vintage-dated 2020 Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve – Méthode Charmat – Chardonnay – Sparkling Wine was sourced from select VQA Ontario older vineyards of 100% chardonnay fruit. The residual sugar is 15 g/L with not a splinter of oak.
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Vineland Estates Winery ‘Reserve – Méthode - Charmat - Chardonnay - Sparkling 2020
VQA Ontario $30.00 12.0% alcohol
Lively aromas of binned apple, Mirabelle plum and citrus notes herald a tang-infused wash of palate flavours with lemon curd, Granny Smith apple and juicy apricot to the fore, and they persist through the textured and balanced finish and aftertaste. Fine-bead bubbles wind their way to the top of your glass in never-ending streams. Give this a go with freshly shucked Malpec oysters dotted with hot sauce, under a squeeze of fresh lemon and a smidgeon of horseradish. (Vic Harradine)
New in the LCBO (available now in most LCBO retail stores)
• The following 2020 Henry of Pelham ‘Family Estate’ Cabernet-Merlot is a red blend sourced from cabernet franc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon from select VQA Niagara Peninsula vineyards with all grapes gently moved by gravity and tannins kept to a reasonable minimum. A relatively swift fermentation extracts juicy, fruit flavours with just the right amount of tannin. The cap is managed with a combination of gentle pulse-air and careful pump overs ever mindful of keeping tannin extraction to an acceptable minimum. The price-quality balance of the finished wine tips well in your favour; pick up a few.
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Henry of Pelham ‘Family Estate’ Cabernet-Merlot 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $15.95 (504241) 13.5% alcohol
Appealing aromas of exotic incense, black and red cherry/berry fruit decorated with wood smoke abound on the nose of this nicely balanced, creamy smooth, blend of palate flavours with red cherry, red currant and juicy black plum to the fore. It’s ready to drink now with a smooth, mellow mouthfeel and fine-grained polished tannin and a lengthy flavourful finish and aftertaste. Give it a go with burgers, pasta or pizza. (Vic Harradine)
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Bodegas Piqueras 'Castilla de Almansa - Reserva' 2017
DO Almansa, Spain $13.95 (270363) 14.0% alcohol
Delicate aromas of mixed spice, grilled savoury herbs, black currant and cassis precede a mouthful of tang-laden bramble berry, pie cherry and a firm underpinning of perceptible tannin that’s easily ameliorated with a brief aeration/decant. Pour on its own or with grilled or roasted seasoned beef or back ribs smoked, grilled and mopped with barbecue sauce. (Vic Harradine)
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Bodegas Piqueras ‘El Abuelo - Organic’ Verdejo – Sauvignon Blanc 2020
DO Almansa, Spain $10.45 (11586) 12.5.0% alcohol
Floral aromas mingle with grassy notes and hints of citrus on the nose of this well-paced and well-priced white wine. It blankets the palate with a light-medium bodied stream of racy tang and Granny Smith apple intertwined with mineral notes and plenty of lively pizzazz throughout. It sips well on its own and pours well with pan-seared freshwater fish, steamed mussels or breaded and baked calamari. (Vic Harradine)
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Bodegas Piqueras ‘El Abuelo - Organic’ Tempranillo – Monastrell 2020
DO Almansa, Spain $10.45 (524520) 14.0% alcohol
Alluring aromas of black, juicy cherry/berry fruit adorned with mocha and smoky notes on the nose of this tempranillo-monastrell—a.k.a. mourvèdre—blend sourced from sustainably grown fruit in the heartland of the Almansa region at 750m a.s.l. It’s laced with tang and perceptible tannin riding a wave of juicy black currant, dark plum and plenty of red pie cherry and passionfruit from first to last drop. Aerate/decant for a couple of hours and pour with chili con carne, lasagna or pulled-pork fajitas. (Vic Harradine)
Upstream in winecurrent.com
Vintages Seasonal Release: January 7, 2022
• The following 2020 Gérard Bertrand ‘Naturae’ Cabernet Sauvignon is certified organic and accredited Vegan-friendly. No sulphites have been added to this wine or used in the process of making it. Grapes are de-stemmed and macerate for approximately ten days and are pumped-over daily. Coarse lees are removed to allow malolactic conversion then racked again then cooled to ensure optimum stability in the vat.
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Gérard Bertrand ‘Naturae – Organic – Vegan Friendly’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
IGP Pays d’Oc, France $19.95 (22501) 13.0% alcohol
This is rich, ruby red in the glass and delivers lifted aromas of black licorice and grilled savoury herbs. It envelops the palate with a tangy wash of racy pie cherry, red currant and passionfruit adorned with black plum and tea leaves. It’s medium-bodied with good texture and a smooth mouthfeel from cork pop to last drop. The dry finish and aftertaste linger. Pour alongside vegan lasagna or flat bread dressed with olive oil, oregano and sautéed mushroom caps. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: February 19, 2022
• The following 2017 Buena Vista ‘The Sheriff’ pays homage to one of California’s first sheriffs, Agoston Haraszthy, who also established Buena Vista Winery in 1857. 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 Gallo’s winemaker extraordinaire, Gina Gallo. The wine is an eclectic blend of seven red grapes from various vineyards in Sonoma County—33% cabernet sauvignon/28% petite sirah/22% syrah/8% petit verdot/4% grenache/3% mourvèdre/2% mission. The wine aged 15 months in French oak, 9% new. The individual varietals were matured separately for 15 months before being blended and bottled. If you fish in these pricey waters, be certain to give this serious attention as it’s delicious.
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Buena Vista ‘The Sheriff’ 2019
Sonoma County, California $49.95 (539114) 15.0% alcohol
Aromas of juicy black Bing cherry and bramble berry precede a surge of palate flavours capturing the palate with sweet vanilla, cassis and black currant jelly intertwined with tang-infused passionfruit and pie cherry. This showcases deft balance, persistent purity of fruit and a lengthy lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. This took serious discipline for me to spit rather than swallow when tasting and reviewing. Give this a try with grilled rack of lamb, pastitsio or filet mignon. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: February 19, 2022
• The fruit for the following 2018 Santa Ema ‘Family Estate - Gran Reserva’ was sourced for the very heart of the Valle Del Cachapoal. Grapes were fermented in stainless steel tank for seven days at 30 °C with post fermentation maceration taking six days. Following malolactic conversion, the wine matured in 100% French and American barrels for 8 to 10 months. The price-quality ratio is skewed well in your favour. Stock up.
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Santa Ema ‘Family Estate - Gran Reserva’ 2018
Valle Del Cachapoal, Chile $18.95 (21981) 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of wild herbs and spices mingle with mocha and dark cherry/berry fruit. It blankets the palate with a gusher of flavours—black currant, blueberry and hints of dark bittersweet chocolate that persists to and through the finish and aftertaste. It’s medium-plus bodied with good concentration, texture and balance. It’s ready and rarin’ to go with a lovely underpinning of soft, ripe tannin. Pour with a cut of premium beef that’s grilled rare to medium-rare. (Vic Harradine)
Best wishes, always.
Louise, Lisa, Dave, Vic