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Spotlight
on Ontario
And
the winner is:
Chateau des Charmes 2004 Late Harvest Riesling
©
Michael Vaughan 2006
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday,
September 16, 2006
LIVE
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Today's Vintages release sees 106 items hit the shelves, excluding 14 in-store discoveries (ISDs). The focus of this release is Ontario VQA wines. The first 20 pages of the 44-page catalogue feature 34 Ontario wines, of which over one third (13) are icewines. In fact, it's all a bit deceptive because 14 of the 34 listings are actually Vintages Essentials, which are permanently featured and can be bought at any time. That leaves a mere 20 new items plus one untasted white ISD. To gain access to the catalogue, all wineries had to agree to buy into the LCBO 5 bonus AIR MILES rewards program.
Top Ontario Whites
Kicking
things off, of four Chardonnays presented, the best is the flavourful Strewn
2004 Terroir Chardonnay (12773) at $19.95. It
has a spicy, intense, cedary, key lime pie nose and dry, medium-full
bodied, well structured, cedar driven, lemon meringue flavours with a
lingering, very bright finish. Cave
Spring 2003 Chardonnay Reserve (256552), also at
$19.95, is a very close second.
Fans of hot spicy cuisine will get a kick out of Reif Estate 2004 Gewurztraminer (127985) at $14.95. Look for dry, well balanced, medium-light bodied, very slightly honeyed, fairly spicy, ripe pear-apple-lychee flavours with a crisp refreshing finish.
Sweeties
While
one would have hoped that some knockout Rieslings would appear, that
didn't happen. The two presented were ok, but not worthy of a detour. That
wasn't the case with the sweeties. My release highlight is Chateau
des Charmes 2004 Late Harvest Riesling (432930).
At only $17.95 per half bottle ($1.36 an ounce), it is a not only a best
buy, but to my taste it is superior to some icewines costing more than
twice the price. What to look for? A lovely, gently honeyed, sweet,
Seville orange marmalade nose with ripe melon notes. On the palate, it is
rich and sweet but perfectly balanced with vibrant, intense, orange citrus
acidity and lingering melon and intense Seville orange marmalade flavours.
It is not only delicious, but here is a sweetie that will easily last a
decade.
On the downside, only 741 cases were produced - so move quickly. To qualify as a VQA Late Harvest the grapes need only have at least 22 brix (or 22% sugar). The Bosc family, however, always picks at much higher levels - this 2004 has 29 brix, which is almost in the "Special Select" category and not all that far from the icewine minimum of 32 brix!
Of
the13 icewines presented, National Post readers can see my scores for the
2004s on my website. It is worth keeping in mind that Riesling icewines
performed very well in that year. Pillitteri
2004 Riesling Icewine (435727) at $29.95 per 200
ml bottle ($4.28 an ounce) would, for instance, be a fine buy. It is very
sweet and fairly viscous with rather spicy, caramelized baked apple
flavours with some lingering tropical notes. 
There
is no question that icewine costs a lot more to produce. Pillitterri has
21% residual sugar vs. the Late Harvest Riesling, which at 12% is still
very sweet. Of the group presented, my top icewine has 24% residual sugar!
At $54.95 per half bottle, Henry
of Pelham 2004 Riesling Icewine (430561) costs
$4.16 an ounce. All would be great served chilled with Quebec foie gras or
as an after-dinner sipper.
Top Ontario Wines - Reds
Getting
down to the reds, the best is Lakeview
Cellars 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (12617),
which is priced at only $19.95 (vs. an anticipated $29.95). It is dry,
well structured and harmonious with spicy, ripe, plummy-cherry flavours
and a lingering finish. The overall selection is a bit mixed. I am sad to
report that you should avoid the earthy, unpleasant, bitter tasting Peninsula
Ridge 2004 Beal Vineyard Cabernet Franc (5454)
at $18.95. How this "beaming with delight" Vintages Discovery
got a full page in the catalogue is beyond me. News
Flash: I was informed on Friday, September 15 that
Peninsula Ridge has been removed from the release.
A Trio of Inexpensive Whites
From
Italy there are two reasonably priced whites that offer easy drinkability.
The least expensive at $9.95 is Lungarotti
2004 Torre di Giano (49205), which is a blend of
Trebbiano and Grechetto with dry, light bodied, bright, ripe lemon-melon
flavours with a crisp, light finish. Note that this is a repeat of the
June 10, 2006 release.
For
$2 more, however, Calatrasi
2004 Accademia del Sole Viognier (687921) offers
more flavour and a bit more satisfaction. This $11.95 IGT from Sicily has
very dry, harmonious, fairly elegant, light apple-pear-peach flavours with
a crisp finish.
Add one dollar and you can get a decent white from Chile's Casablanca Valley. Vina Morandé 2005 Terrarum Sauvignon Blanc (686105) at $12.95. It has dry, very lively, medium-light bodied, pleasing, ripe melon-lemon-grapefruit flavours with a crisp finish.
A Delightful Duo of Reds
If
you like Pinot Noir, here is one from New Zealand's South Island
Marlborough region that hits the spot. Made in a new world style, Babich
2004 Pinot Noir (216) at $19.95 is medium-light
bodied and loaded with spicy, juicy, ready-to-enjoy, faintly smoky,
cherry-grapefruit flavours. This drink-now style is a definite crowd
pleaser.
My best buy red highlight comes from the Rhone's Costières de Nîmes region. It is well structured and is definitely a bargain at $17.95. Mas Des Bressades Cuvée Excellence (708750) is 100% Syrah and has deliciously juicy, ripe plum and cherry flavours with a crisp, lively finish.
Pick of the Week - Sparkling Value
It's
always a thrill to uncover a tasty sparkling wine at a great price. Bailly-Lapierre
Crémant de Bourgogne Réserve (991562) at
$17.95 offers lots of flavour. This blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and
Aligoté hails from the Burgundy region of France. Made in the Champagne
method, it is very effervescent and dry with attractive, ripe lemon-melon
flavours with a crisp finish. Drink it soon while it is fresh and fruity.
To see our Reel Wine of the Week click
here.
2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006
Tasting Note Database
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tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to September 2006, covers every
Vintages release product for the past 69 months. There are more than 13,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product,
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2006
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