What We’re Drinking Now!
Now that the cooler weather is upon us, we’re diving into rich, luscious red wines, and some elegant whites, as well.
You can tell we’re moving into the holiday season as there are a number of fantastic wines punching above the $25 class, but we’ve also thrown in a few Tuesday night under $20 sippers as well.
We’d love to know your thoughts on the wines we’ve picked as tops this month, so leave you comments below!
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2012
$18.95 Vintages 316570
Fresh, vibrant and consistently reliable, this has exactly what lovers of New Zealand Sauv Blanc want: a fruity, quaffable wine with energy and zest. Look for aromas and flavours of yellow grapefruit, lime peel, and fresh cut herbs. Lively with bright acidity on the palate pair this with ham and goat cheese quiche, fresh herbed risotto… or oysters. 87 points.
Lailey Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$19.95 (193482)
Pouring medium gold with lanolin, baking spice and musk aromas. The palate is creamy and ripe with focused acidity and a mineral edge and flavours of nectarine, spice and cream. Oak is evident but restrained. Nice value here. 88 points.
Le Clos Jordanne “Village Reserve” Chardonnay, 2010
$30 (33936)
Winemaker Sebastien Jacquey says this wine is a good example of how Ontario can navigate warm vintages like 2010. In order to preserve freshness and acidity he picked early, and then extended his normal year long oak aging to 16 months, to better integrate the oak. What results is a brilliantly focused and poised chardonnay with aromas of vanilla, poached pear, and a tinge of mineral. The palate, while creamy and rich to be sure, has a nice core of acidity to balance the ripe orchard fruit, warm spice and vanilla bean flavours. Pair with pasta carbonara or creamy chicken and corn stew. 90 points.
Lapostolle “Cuvee Alexandre” Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley, Chile 2011
$24.75 Vintages 947937
An elegant and creamy Chardonnay with a nose of creamed corn, tropical fruit and vanilla. Ripe and round on the palate with flavours of mango, pineapple, baking spice and toasted corn nuts, this organically produced Chardonnay offers plenty of appeal and should pair well with seared scallops or butternut squash risotto. Stock is dwindling at the LCBO, so try Trialto Wine Group so order. 88 points.
Château Doms, Graves, Bordeaux, France 2010
$17 Vintages 350678
A fantastic introduction to Bordeaux for New World lovers. Look for concentrated aromas of cassis, dark cherry, mocha and black pepper spice. Medium bodied and supple on the palate with fine tannin and dark berry and spice notes. A great match for braised beef, roast duck or game meats. Great value. 88 points.
Château Clauzet, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France 2009
$29.85 Vintages 192047
Bright ruby red with pretty, feminine aromatics of baking spice, red raspberry and cherry. Mid weight on the palate with a soft, creamy mouthfeel and flavours of sweet red fruits, smoke and light earth. Fat tannins are balanced by moderate acid. Decent finish. 90 points.
Château Peyrabon, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France 2010
$28.95 Vintages 336925
Dense and deep with slightly bretty aromas of barnyard micing with bright red cherry leather, crushed rock and menthol/eucalyptus. Ripe, round and approachable on palate, with grippy but soft tannin and balanced acid and flavours of red cherry, cedar, cooking spice and an uplifting herbal note on the finish. 88 points.
Tawse “Sketches of Niagara” Cabernet-Merlot, NQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$20.95 Vintages 130252
Bright, juicy and fresh this ruby red wine offers loads of drinking pleasure with sweet raspberry, cherry balanced by tart cranberry/pomegranate and mineral notes. Tannins are fairly angular and firm with a bit of heat on the finish, but overall a restrained and elegant wine coming out of a fairly cool vintage. 88 points.
Stratus Red, VQA Niagara on the Lake 2008
$44 Vintages 131037
A Cabernet Franc dominated, elegant Bordeaux blend, with a nose of bright red fruit, plum, crushed black pepper and a savoury salty edge. The palate is plush and full with black currant, cherry, humidor, pencil led and dusty, dried herbs. A weighty wine of finesse and class, pair this with roast lamb or game birds or even duck confit. 90 points.
Foreign Affair “The Conspiracy”, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$19.95 149237
Voluptuous and rich, this Cabernet-based wine, like most Foreign Affair wines, is made in the ripasso method whereby the wine is macerated with partially dried grape skins. he nose is full of sweet raspberry jam, coffee, and blackberry Halls. Juicy and concentrated on the palate with soft tannin, look for flavours of cassis, chocolate and plum. Fresh acidity keeps things from getting to heavy. Pair with pasta in Bolognese sauce or beef stroganoff with lots of mushrooms. 88 points.
Kacaba “Reserve” Cabernet Franc, VQA Niagara Escarpment 2010
$44.95 Vintages (direct sales) 264127
Powerful and rich with aromas of face cream, dark cherry, spice and an interesting celery note, the palate is concentrated with ripe cassis, black cherry and plum followed by chocolate pudding, cherry tobacco and wet leaves. Fat tannin and balanced acidity make for a very indulgent wine with masculine appeal. Pair with steak au poivre or venison stew. 90 points.
Château de Gourgazaud, Minervois, France 2011
$12.95 LCBO 22384
A dark purple Syrah-based wine with a nose of dark fruit, wet earth, and an interesting herbal/vitamin mix. Round and ripe on the palate with chewy blackberry, plum and currant. An easy drinking crowd pleaser of terrific value that would be great with roast beef.
Tenuta Luce della Vite “Luce”, Tuscany, Italy 2010
$48.95 Vintages 225284
A beautifully balanced and sophisticated bubbly of fantastic value. Rich and full bodied with creamy marzipan, shortbread cookie, lemon curd and ginger spice flavours. Creamy texture with soft bubbles and a refreshing seam of acidity. Wonderfully elegant. 90 points.