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New Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc a stunner!
As LCBO takes control of all sales

© Michael Vaughan 2003
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
 Saturday, March 1, 2003

With 62 new Vintage releases hitting the shelves next Saturday, non-urban dwelling wine fans are anxious to get their advance orders into their local LCBO stores (11 am this Tuesday is the deadline). Unfortunately, an increasing number end up as disappointed, empty-handed buyers. They claim that some of best wines never leave the city. An example might be the Cloudy Bay 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (cspc 304469) at $28.95. It appears with the symbol, which means, “limited availability” and thereby restricting its appearance to selected stores and boutiques.

This cult wine always sells out, despite the fact that occasionally equally impressive, less expensive Sauvignon Blanc languish in Vintages. While the LCBO didn’t put out a bottle for the press to taste, I managed to review a bottle and was truly impressed. This is one of the best efforts ever by winemaker Kevin Judd. The nose is gently honeyed with elegant, slightly grassy, fresh peach aromas. These lovely refined fruit notes are followed up on the dry, perfectly harmonious, honeyed, citrus-tinged palate. This exquisite, unoaked, refresher would be perfect for seafood.

New Zealand produced some brilliant whites in 2002 due to the long, cool growing season. Some eight estate and grower vineyards located in various sub-regions of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley provided the Cloudy Bay fruit, which was machine harvested during the cooler nights and early mornings. It was then fermented in various stainless steel tanks where it remained in contact with yeast lees for about two months. Finally assemblage took place in August and subsequent bottling in September. The high alcohol of 13.5% is balanced by high, but perfect, total acidity (7.2 g/l).

It is the first time in memory that this wine has appeared in the monthly release. The 2001 was, for instance, an exclusive November 1st Vintages V-mail offering at $26 with a three-bottle limit. The 2000 appeared in the 2001 Spring Classics Catalogue at $26, while the 1999 appeared the year before at $25. Hopefully, the handful of LCBO stores carrying the 448 cases currently being released will limit per customer sales in order to share the wealth. Call the infoline at 1-800-668-5226 to see where it is available; also, be aware that new shipments are scheduled for April (300 cases) and June (140 cases). 

When I talked to Cloudy Bay’s Ontario agent, Tony Hirons, he reported that apparently the LCBO demanded that unless he gave them his entire allocation of all his Cloudy Bay wines, they would refuse to buy any Cloudy Bay for store sales. In the past, in addition to what went to the LCBO, Hirons brought in about half the Sauvignon Blanc Ontario allocation for his licensee accounts. Rather than cut off Ontario consumers, Hirons agreed to give his full allotment to the LCBO.

It is worth noting that the LCBO has admitted to playing “hardball” with Hirons and Cloudy Bay; supposedly “to get a larger allotment of wine into the hands of the consumers.” Unfortunately, it would seem that the allocation for consumers hasn’t increased significantly over the past year. Moreover, one has to wonder whether the consumers are really going to get more as the LCBO is going to ensure that licensees get their orders as usual. Apparently almost all of the upcoming 440 cases are being allocated to trade buyers. One must seriously question whether a monopolistic buyer is acting appropriately when it presents such ultimatums to agents and suppliers.

What seriously upsets Hirons is that the Sauvignon Blanc is now $3 a bottle higher than what the price should be based on the regular LCBO mark-up. “As everything has to come through the LCBO, they know every detail about your business - even who you are selling your wines to,” says Hirons. When I asked the LCBO about this matter, I was told that they were pricing the wine in accordance to international markets. In other words, on the total shipment of 848 cases, the LCBO now making an additional $31,968 of windfall profits.

On one hand the LCBO says it is doing this for the consumer; but then arbitrarily raises the price. That doesn’t that sound very consumer-minded to me. Also, keep in mind that the agent who was given the ultimatum by the LCBO to relinquish direct sales (at $26 a bottle) seems now to be seriously out of pocket. In the words of one supplier “the LCBO can do anything it wants to do with no accountability as long as it shovels money into the provincial coffers.”  

Other Vintages Selections

Moving on, there are three other Sauvignon Blanc in this release, two of which are worth exploring. South Africa’s Roberston 2001 Wide River Sauvignon Blanc Reserve is a decent buy at a mere $11.70 with very crisp, dry, slightly honeyed, grassy, ripe lemon notes. It’s a perfect oyster wine. Considerably more expensive is the extremely crisp Robert Mondavi 2000 Stags Leap Sauvignon Blanc at $35.90. The very intense, still youthful, tangy, grapefruity, green peach flavours are followed up with just a touch of toastiness as 70% of the juice was lees-fermented in older French oak barrels for six months. Here is an unfiltered white to accompany boldly flavoured poultry and white meat dishes.

Moving on to Chardonnay, make sure you don’t miss the best value *** Chablis I have tasted in many years. Jean-Marc Brocard 200 Domaine Sainte Claire Chablis is a knockout at only $17.95 as it offers incredible value. This has all the hallmarks of a classic with its complex, hazelnut, dried ripe lemon and buttered toast flavours that go on and on. It is as they say a pointe or perfectly ready to drink. Even if you are not a Chablis fan, I doubt that you will ever taste better typicity at the price.

Ironically. it is the antithesis of my next recommendation – the fresh, ripe, sweet pear driven Lenton Brae 2000 Chardonnay from Australia’s Margaret River ($23.60). It is creamy, well structured and thankfully dry with a lovely, lingering finish. Fermented and aged in French oak, it would be perfect with poultry.

Finally, from Germany’s Franken region we have a Vintages debut of the uncannily delicious, just off-dry 2000 Silvaner Kabinett Grosslangheimer Kiliansberg at $13.75. The gently spicy, honeyed, fresh pear flavours make it a perfect afternoon sipper, with out without food – a true harbinger of spring.

Coming up this week, we have a celebration of Oregon wines. First on Tuesday night at 6:30 pm is an impressive winemaker’s dinner at Toronto’s Avalon Restaurant featuring Westrey, Amity and St. Innocent. Call 416-979-9918 for reservations.  On Wednesday, March 5th the Oregon Pinot Festival takes place at St. Lawrence Town Hall (157 King Street East) with a trade tasting at 2:30 to 5:00 and a consumer event from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Call 416-410-4630. To see the  and visit list of wines being presented press here

 

Vintages March 2003 Release
To see the complete list of upcoming products click here
(sorted by date of release). It includes the number of cases, which wines were presented by the LCBO, our agent ID for every product, as well as, special unannounced In Store Discoveries” for December.
You can also see it sorted by agent
click here  

 

Check out the
March 2003 InStore Discovery


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Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2004
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
 (electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net