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Dreaming of Whites at Christmas
From today’s Vintages release & the General List

So here it is – the last Vintages release of 2002. Thankfully all 158 items are being released today meaning that you don’t have to make extra trips to the LCBO to get what you want.

With exception of one red, this week’s focus will be on whites, which will hopefully make the holidays more festive than ever. First from the Niagara Peninsula, we have the well-priced Strewn 1999 Barrel Aged Pinot Blanc at $12.50. The attractive, honeyed, spicy, apricot-pear nose is followed up by dry but rounded, ripe red apple, pear and buttered toast flavours. This fine, ready-to-drink white will make your turkey happy.

The same could be said of the dynamic duo from British Columbia. The well-integrated Blue Mountain 2000 Okanagan Chardonnay at $18.55 is worthy of a detour. It weighs in at 13.3% alcohol and is medium bodied with very bright, ripe lemon and lingering, slightly toasty, Anjou pear flavours. Even better is the Blue Mountain 2000 Okanagan Pinot Blanc, also well priced at $16.50. It is bigger than the Chard with 13.6% alcohol and has well focused, dried ripe pear and candied apricot flavours with a solid, refreshing finish. Only 56 cases of each are available so you will have to hustle to get a couple of bottles.

A number of other fine Chardonnays are available. For bargain hunters, the least expensive is Boyar 2001 Barrique Chardonnay from Bulgaria’s Shumen region at $9.55. The nose may be a tad oaky with spicy spearmint notes, but on the palate it is well balanced with cedary, ripe lemon-pear flavours. Ironically, when I tasted Boyar 2001 Chardonnay on the general list at a mere $6.95 (cspc 428540), I felt that it was superior to its more highly priced cousin. My suggestion – at these prices buy a bottle of both for a comparative blind tasting.

Moving to France, we have a still youthful white from Burgundy – Chartron et Trébuchet 2001 Meursault at $44.95. The elegant, gently honeyed, beeswax nose has to coaxed out of the glass. It is nicely structured on the palate with ripe lemon-melon fruit and gentle toasty notes. From Chablis, which falls under the Burgundy umbrella, we have a decently priced effort La Chablisienne 1999 Chablis Vieilles Vignes ($19.95), which has very dry, medium light bodied, tangy, fresh apple-lemon flavours followed up by a faintly nutty finish. While the former is best with white meats, the latter should go well with oysters.

As an aside, those searching for a low-cost Chablis-styled white on the general list are well advised to check out Bouchard Pere et Fils 2001 Macon-Lugny Saint Pierre at $12.95. Originating in the Maconnais, which is most famous for Pouilly-Fuisse, it is bordered in the south by Beaujolais and Burgundy to the north. In terms of flavours, this gutsy 13% alcohol effort more resembles a higher-priced Chablis. Indeed, at one tasting session it blew away a somewhat tart Bichot 2001 Petit Chablis at $17.95.

This month’s top Chard comes from California – Robert Mondavi 2000 Unfiltered Carneros Chardonnay at $39.95. It has very refined, rather intense, toasty, lemon meringue flavours that show great length. A crowd-pleasing, versatile effort that is best with poultry and white meats.

I wish I could be more a little more excited about New Zealand’s first Stelvin screw capped bottle of Kim Crawford 20001 Unoaked Chardonnay at $18.95. Its bright, medium-light bodied, refreshing, tangerine citrus flavours lean in a Sauvignon direction and fit into the pleasant, easily quaffable category.

Bottom line, if I wanted something bright to go with oysters, I would have opted for the less expensive (at $9.95), very crisp, grassy Haut-Poitou 2001 Sauvignon from southern France.

My highest white wine rating went to an idiosyncratic effort from Alsace – the surprisingly mature, sweetish Zind-Humbrecht 2000 Gewurztraminer. At $39.95 these complex, rich flavours are not for everyone. Think of liquefied fresh ripe lychees covered in clover honey, but with enough acidity to prevent it from being cloying. This is a yummy thing indeed and can be sipped chilled with dessert or perhaps even with a foie gras appetizer. Remember that it comes with brain numbing15% alcohol.

And talking about numbing, readers are increasingly annoyed with the LCBO’s continued refusal to provide its customers with a list of products available in its stores. Having said that, the thought of relying on some Ontario wine importers makes me cringe. Take red German wine, which is hardly an easy sell. Attempts to taste the miniscule quantity of Rainer Lingenfelder’s ‘Super Pfalz’ Lingenfelder 1999 Spätburgunder (aka Pinot Noir) released last October went unheeded. That is a shame because how many folks are prepared to shell out $28.95 for a red without knowing if it is any good?

Last but not least is the best red of the release – in fact one of the best Italian reds to appear in Vintages this year. Make way for the ultimate Ceretto 1997 Barolo Bricco Rocche Brunate. It costs $84.90 and is worth every penny. The nose, ah the nose - spicy, ripe plum, sandalwood, cedar and smoky chestnut purée. And the taste, ah the taste - harmonious, silky, spicy, ripe red peppers, faintly minty chocolate, figs and baked plum flavours. Hallelujah!

Finally, the suppressed list of all 22 Vintages December "In Store Discoveries" which hit the shelves yesterday are now available by Clicking Here.

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Thanks for your support and all the best for the holiday season.

Check out the
December 2002 InStore Discovery

Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2004
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Contact Michael Vaughan at
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