Recent Articles
Get
Michael Vaughan's Buying Guide for today's Vintages Release today!
With a special $20 Discount
Click Here
Best
New Releases for Discerning Palates
©
Michael Vaughan 2006
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday,
June 24, 2006
LIVE
WINE LINK
www.winefind.ca
(CLICK ON THE NAME - All
listings are automatically linked to the LCBO database)
If there is a product that interests you,
just click on the name below and you will instantaneously connected with
the LCBO database. The product will appear in blue and all you have to do
is click on the name again
and then the next screen will provide details along with the store search.
Just click on store search.
The number of bottles in each store is updated nightly. Call
the store first to see if stock still remains (each store phone number is
listed).
Today's
Vintages release featuring 102 items has some great choices for discerning
palates. Hot off the mark is a delicious rosé sparkler made in the
classic Champagne method. Taltarni
2003 Brut Taché (967398) at $21.95 is produced
from grapes grown in Australia's cooler Victoria Pyrenees and Tasmania's
Pipers River regions. Despite its slightly elevated alcohol (13%), it is
surprisingly refined and yet flavourful. The bouquet drips with ripe plum
and strawberry fruit. On the palate it is dry but not austere with ripe
plum flavours and excellent mouth-tingling effervescence.
Taché is a French word meaning 'stained' and refers to Taltarni's unusual winemaking technique, which was adopted in 1985. The delicate salmon pink colour is achieved by adding a dash of red wine liqueur (referred to as the dosage) when the bottle is having its frozen sediment removed (a process called disgorgement). This classic blend of 52% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay and 6% Pinot Meunier is aged on lees for a minimum of 18 months. This versatile crowd-pleaser is certain to work any time, any place.
If
you are looking for something sweet, fizzy and fruity for Sunday brunch,
don't miss snapping up a couple of bottles of Villa
Giada 2005 'Andrea Faccio' Moscato d'Asti
(699900) at $14.95. Thankfully it only has 5% alcohol, because you will
not be able to resist its sweet, spicy, juicy, Muscat, honeyed grapefruit
flavours.
Moving
on to whites, I have a couple of best buys that are guaranteed to bring
down the house. The first a great thirst-quencher from Portugal's Dao
region. You don't have to be nervous about Duque
de Viseu 2004 Branco (980227) from Portugal's
giant Sogrape because it costs a mere $11.95. This blend of indigenous
Bical and Encruzda grapes has lively pleasant aromas and ripe, lemon-melon
flavours with a zesty, oak-free, finish. Great for appetizers, soups,
salads and seafood, it is perfect for casual summer drinking.
If you think that Portuguese whites lack oomph, guess again. From Real Companhia Velha comes a remarkable white that is loaded with flavour and complexity at only $15.95 - terrific value and definite best buy in today's Vintages release.
Porca
de Murca 2004 Reserva Branco (684761) has an
intense, ripe yellow grapefruit nose with hints of cedar. It sings on the
palate: complex, well-structured, smoke-tinged, lemony melon and Anjou
pear flavours with a lovely lingering finish. This ready to enjoy white
would be perfect with grilled chicken.
Porca de Murca originates in Portugal's Douro region whose claim to fame, at least up until recently, has been Port. This unique blend of traditional varieties - Boal and Gouveio along with some touches of floral Moscatel (the latter two grapes being fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel) - sees the Boal grapes partially-fermented and aged in new Portuguese oak with 6 months of lees contact. While high in alcohol (just over 14%), the high acidity and fine structure from low yields provides perfect balance. You must move quickly because only 200 cases of 6 are available.
Moving on to the ever-popular Chardonnay, here are three best buys. The
first from the French Midi comes with a convenient, taint-free, screwcap
closure. The ever-successful team of Jacques & François Lurton
present Les
Salices 2004 Chardonnay (734541) at $12.95,
which designated as a Vin de Pays d'Oc. Ready to drink and medium-light
bodied, the bright, ripe lemon-melon flavours come with a crisp,
refreshing finish, it goes with almost anything!
Moving up a notch is a very fine effort from South Africa's
Stellenbosch region. Amani
2003 Chardonnay (687442) at $19.95. Fermented
and aged for ten months in French oak, it offers much greater complexity.
The nose shows stewed lemon and fresh brioche notes, while its toasty,
ripe lemon flavours linger on the palate.
Pick of the Week
If you like your Chardonnay with lots of structure, don't miss one of
the best values to pass these lips this year. Don't be fooled by the
casual screwcap closure. This small Margaret River winery in Western
Australia produces a modest 10,000 casers annually. Complex and intense, Ashbrook
2003 Chardonnay (684076) is truly remarkable at
only $21.95. It has a wonderful, toasty, lime-driven nose. On the palate,
it is extracty with gripping key lime pie flavours with a lingering Anjou
pear finish. As half of the wine was fermented and aged for 6 months in
new French oak, the toasty notes will overwhelm most seafood dishes. Try
it with poultry or even a rack of lamb.
Moving on to reds, the two best buys of the release come from the New
World. The first comes from Argentina's Mendoza region and is thankfully
free of any greenish, herbal notes that characterize many wines made from
classic Bordeaux varieties. Famiglia
Bianchi 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (677567) at
$16.95 is spicy, rich and well structured with plummy, dark chocolate
flavours that go on and on. Although it has a whopping 15% alcohol, the
integration and depth are such that you can't taste it! Perfect with a bbq
rare rib steak!
My red release favourite, especially with bbq ribs, would be Backsberg
2003 Pumphouse Shiraz (652651) at $19.95, which
comes from South Africa's Paarl region and weighs in with a hefty 14.5%.
Look for slightly smoky, cedary, juicy, ripe black cherry flavours with a
vanilla stick finish.
Now some may think that these alcohol levels are too high. Such sentiments miss the mark because to ensure ripe flavours, it is often necessary to let the grapes fully ripen to levels where high alcohol is inevitable. The real question is whether the wine is balanced and delicious, not simply the aspect of high alcohol. Take away the natural ripeness and accompanying high alcohol and you are likely to end up with just another insipid, tasteless, wine.
National Post readers wishing to receive the current June 2006 Vintage Assessments newsletter (covering the Vintages releases for today & for the June 24th release - including exclusive current ISD reviews) as well as the June 24th Vintages Shopping List can have it e-mailed today and receive a $20 discount - click here.
2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006
Tasting Note Database
Our
tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to June 2006, covers every
Vintages release product for the past 66 months. There are more than 13,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product,
supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country
of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. Also you can get information on the agent by clicking on the
agent’s name, as well as current LCBO store inventory by clicking on
"Check
LCBO Availability", which will automatically tell you the
number of bottles at LCBO as of last night.
To
use our Tasting
Notes Database: click
here
|
** For All Visitors **
To
see the complete list of upcoming
products
from the To
see the complete list of upcoming
products
from the |
Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2006
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
(electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net