Vintages Release: September 2016

• The excellent 2012 Vintage of the following Tawse ‘Sketches’ Chardonnay is still available in most LCBO stores. It’s a Vintages Essentials product always available in select stores. The 2013 below will begin making its way to LCBO store as stocks of the 2012 are depleted.

  
Tawse ‘Sketches of Niagara’ Chardonnay 2013
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (89037) 12.5% alcohol
Fruit was barrel fermented by indigenous yeast then aged in French oak barrel for 12 months. It jumps from the glass with heady aromas of tropical fruit, wisps of minerality, nutty notes and sweet vanilla interwoven with green apple and toasty bits. The price-quality balance tips well in your favour. It’s medium bodied with generous mouthfeel and a crisp, clean finish. The lengthy aftertaste is flecked with toasty oak. (Vic Harradine)

Vintages Release: October 1, 2016

• The following Gallo Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is one of their 2013 flagship ‘Signature Series’ wines marking both their incredible 80 years (since 1933) of successful winemaking spearheaded by Ernest and Julio, and third-generation winemaker Gina Gallo’s return to the cellar. Fortuitously, the 2013 vintage was outstanding and is reflected by the high quality of the meticulously chosen fruit and the resulting wine.

  
Gallo ‘Signature Series’ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Napa Valley $49.95 (394197) 15.0% alcohol
Involved aromas of bramble berry, black licorice, vanilla and mint abound. A luscious, structured, full-bodied wash of black currant, boysenberry jam and espresso roast coat the palate infusing the lengthy aftertaste. There’s deft balance, ripe tannin, persistent purity of fruit, depth and seamless integration of oak—20 months in French and American. Gorgeous now poured with grilled striploin, this will also repay patience by popping corks up to 2025. (Vic Harradine)