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September 2, 2010 • 11:03 am 0

David Lawrason’s Take On Vintages Sept 4th Release – The most interesting release in months

Southern Rhône Horizontal, Bountiful B.C., Huff of PEC, Pretty Pinots, Classy Italians and Forgotten Corners of the Old World and Lake Erie North Shore

David Lawrason

David Lawrason

Vintages September 4th release is the most interesting since sometime pre-summer 2010.  There is certainly a seasonal pulse to the wine business, and in September as the grapes ripen, everything gets all serious again. And the overall quality at Vintages improves.  I do wonder why summer should be less focused on quality, but so be it.  I was delighted to encounter several 90+ wines in this release, although I must also say that there are several disappointments and ho-hum entries, particularly among New World reds that hover in Vintages favourite $15 to $18 price range.


Vignerons De Gigondas La Font Des Grières Gigondas 2007The special Southern Rhone feature is by and large very strong; and presents an opportunity for a great learning experience.  It’s range includes several different appellations, price levels and styles – all from the same, excellent 2007 vintage.  If it is at all affordable I would buy one of each and re-construct this horizontal tasting I was able to do twice at the LCBO. (Vintages was kind enough to provide one very early look at the wines in time to write a column in Toronto Life appearing in the next few days). It is a fascinating frozen-in-the-moment glimpse at the evolution of French wine region; wherein some stick to the old ways, some head into international territory and others try to blend the two ideas. It is also provides a look at the emergence of smaller, less well known village appellations to challenge the old guard. The best values are certainly among these challengers, while the established regions like Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas cling to supremacy through sheer size and depth of flavour.  Individually there are many good buys, so spend some time by searching WineAlign by Southern Rhone.  For the wine that best shows the character, depth and the certain rustic majesty I like in the region, tryVignerons De Gigondas La Font Des Grières 2007 Gigondas.


Cedarcreek Estate Cabernet/Merlot 2007I spent almost three weeks in British Columbia in August – ten days in Okanagan and Similkameen wine country, including five days at the Canadian Wine Awards in Penticton where I tasted hundreds of B.C. wines. And by the way, I think the overall quality is up in B.C., even since my last visit in 2008.  The wines are showing better balance with less alcohol.  The great lament in Ontario is that we can’t get more B.C. wine, and the reasons are classically Canadian. There is not that much B.C. wine to go around and those folks who look up and see mountains every day are drinking most of it – and who can blame them.  Then there are our ridiculous inter-provincial laws that treat B.C. wines as imports in Ontario, with all the requisite listing hoops.  Frankly many B.C. producers can’t muster much enthusiasm to jump through them when they are selling so well at home and in Alberta.  So we must rely on spot listings at Vintages and a few regulars at the LCBO.  Although the Sept 4 mini-feature is dominated by the powerful wines from Sandhill – The Canadian Wine Awards Winery of the Year in 2009 – I would like to steer you to Cedarcreek Estate  2007 Cabernet/Merlot as an example of the new elegance being crafted in the Okanagan. By the way, Darryl Brooker, formerly of Hillebrand and Flat Rock in Niagara, has taken over at Cedar Creek this year from talented California-raised winemaker Tom DiBello.


Huff Estates South Bay Chardonnay 2007Huff Estates 2007 South Bay Chardonnay is the most decorated wine yet made in Prince Edward County. To crib from my upcoming article in County Grapevine Magazine:  “The first inkling of stardom was a gold medal at the Royal Winter Fair in November 2009, followed quickly by a gold medal when  it accompanied the winning recipe from Montreal’s Kitchen Galèrie at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Vancouver.  It was named top chardonnay and Wine of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards judged in April, then two days it was also voted Best White at the 2010 Artevino Wine Awards for Prince Edward County wines.  At the same time, way over the pond in London, England it appeared on the fave lists of top British wine writers like Jancis Robinson during a showcase of Ontario chardonnays called Seriously Cool.”   You must try this wine if for nothing else except the way it best expresses County soils. And this release is your last chance. It sold out at the winery weeks ago after the avalanche of accolades.


Steve Bird Big Barrel Pinot Noir 2008Every time I taste wines at Vintages I like to start my reds with pinot noir, hopping around the tasting bench among the regions where it excels – Burgundy, New Zealand, Canada, California etc – to compare them side by side. There is always just an extra sense of intrigue and fragrance that no other reds deliver. They can be so pretty and engaging. I found several pretty pinot on this release and none were outrageously priced given the quality delivered, included the two solid Burgundies. But it was Steve Bird Big Barrel 2008 Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region of New Zealand that struck me as the prettiest and best value at under $25.  But pinot is always perplexing too and this time I worked very hard to come up with a rating for the Gallo 2007 Sonoma County Pinot which showed collapsed flavours when it endured long air exposure, while a fresh bottle was actually quite good.


Tenimenti Angelini TreRose Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2006The surprise of the release were a handful of very classy Italian reds from all three main regions – Tuscany, Piedmont and Veneto.  There are four 90 or better scores among six wines, and again none are outrageously priced, nor are they from well established, iconic producers. To see this level of quality from different regions, grapes and winemakers speaks very much to the observation by many people that Italy is perhaps the most dynamic and interesting wine country in the world today. The better wines capture complexity, balance, depth and a certain sophistication that is very appealing. For example, try Tenimenti Angelini Tre Rose 2006 Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano, a wine returning to Vintages after first release last September, and still drinking with everything you might want in a maturing Tuscan sangiovese.

Chateau Ksara Prieuré 2007
And for some reason this release has assembled a clutch of wines from some forgotten corners of the Old World – countries like Croatia, Morocco, Lebanon, Georgia, and Moldova.  It is very nice, and very Canadian, of the LCBO to offer a window to these wines, but the shotgun approach and reticense to import anything of serious quality and price, is perhaps not the right course of action. Quality is frankly a crap shoot at this price level. There are a couple of good buys this release including 178095 Chateau 2007 Ksara Prieuré from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, but the wines from Croatia and Moldova are flawed enough to make me ask why they were purchased in the first place, and ask “who is this helping?”  I would much rather see more serious effort by Vintages to assemble a grouping from say Lebanon or Slovenia, offer them all at once, and see what sticks long enough to build a bit of a market.  By the way, I had a Chateau Musar 1999 from Lebanon last week in a Windsor restaurant called Mazaar, and I was blown away by the wine as is warmed and breathed in the glass. When we left there was one bottle left in stock.

I was in Windsor during a three day visit to the wineries of Lake Erie North Shore, which is itself something of a forgotten corner because its wines are virtually unknown from the GTA eastward. The LCBO is loaded with wines from the two largest producers: Pelee Island and Colio, but bereft of listings from new comers like Sprucewood Shores, Mastronardi, Muscedere, Colchester Ridge, Viewpointe and Smith & Wilson. Yes they do have wines in the LCBOs Go To Market program in stores from London to Windsor, but again very few are available elsewhere unless you order direct from the wineries themselves. I spent three days in LENS (as the locals call it) and can confidently predict that they will not remain forgotten for long.  There are now 14 wineries in the region and a palpable local pride way down south at the 42nd parallel.  I was especially impressed by the cabernet and merlot-based reds from Muscedere and Sprucewood, plus higher end wines from Pelee Island (delicious Cabernet/Petit Verdot) and Colio’s CEV line. There were also a couple of very good local syrahs. Most interesting is the fact that 2008 was actually a better red vintage in Ontario’s banana belt than 2007.

That’s it for now; happy shopping.

See all my reviews for the September 4th release here.

Cheers,

David Lawrason, VP of Wine at WineAlign

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August 26, 2010 • 8:39 am 0

10th Annual Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards & John Szabo’s Personal Best

John Szabo, MS

It’s horribly cliché, but it’s true, so what can I say? The 10th Annual Canadian Wine Awards organized by Wine Access Magazine in beautiful Penticton in the Okanagan Valley was the finest showing of Canadian wines yet, at least out of the 5 years that I have been a judge. And I’m willing to venture that the first five years weren’t as strong in terms of the overall quality of wines presented. Everyone knows which way Canadian wines have been heading in the last decade: more, better, best. “A great and satisfying tasting”, said arch veteran Tony Aspler.  “I was more impressed than ever this year by the high level of quality”, had to say Véronique Rivest, one of the country’s top sommeliers, and “just an awesome week of tasting!!!” according to Alberta-based sommelier and wine buyer Brad Royale, all judges at this year’s awards. New Brunswicker Craig Pinhey was so enthused that he could hardly wait for next summer’s competition: “I think we need a winter wine competition. Shall we meet in Winnipeg? Quebec City?”.

Our own David Lawrason, judge at nine out of the ten awards, had a more philosophical take-away from the experience: “We may all have different notions about wine, and competitions, but there is something about blind tasting together that speaks to the purpose of our vocation. We have all invested so much time caring about quality and taste both on behalf of consumers and winemakers, and it’s very gratifying to share that with you all.” It’s certainly not war, or high school, or even a three-week canoe trip, but it is a real bonding experience, with but one singular purpose: to find and award the producers of Canada’s best wines (with multiple interpretations) with some deserved recognition. We obviously enjoy, but it’s for done for you the consumer, to settle the turbid waters of the vastly populated wine store shelves, as well as for all of this country’s dedicated producers, to offer a non-binding, suggestive direction of what’s working best from an assembly of people who spend their lives immersed in the subject. The ultimate goal? To further the Canadian wine industry and make wine drinking a little more pleasurable for all. Ok. And sell a few magazines, too.

But I’ll spare you the tiresome details about the grueling tastings of 100s of wines over the course of a week, the long nights of great camaraderie with colleagues from across the country, the welcoming and generous Okanagan hosts, the outstanding locally-sourced, low pomp, high flavour dinners, and cut to the chase.

This year there were about as many entries as in previous editions, yet there are more wineries, and wines, being produced in Canada than ever before. My interpretation, born out by the results, is that wineries were more selective in their entries, submitting mostly the best stuff. It was harder than ever in the preliminary rounds to sort out the wines that should move forward to the finals from the rest. The obviously low-quality wines are easy to dismiss, but this time the majority required serious sensorial scrutinizing to separate the good from the best. And that’s a very good thing.

So what’s happening in Canada? Several things came into sharp focus for me during the week in Penticton. For one, the grape varieties that perform most consistently, and that yield the best quality wines in the right areas, became more evident. The results, or at least my interpretation, show clearly what’s working and where. Chardonnay and Riesling have become the most exciting categories to judge. From the ponderous, overly oaky and clumsy chardonnays of the bad old days to now, there were too many outstanding wines to count (well, somebody did). Lees oak, no oak, more class, elegance, finesse, minerality. Exciting stuff. And Riesling, a long time top performer, firmly entrenched itself as one of Canada’s best, particularly from Ontario. And thankfully, people are finally starting to drink it. There are certainly great examples of sauvignon blanc, viognier, pinot blanc, pinot gris, gewürztraminer and others, but the consistency across the range is not as deep.

Sparkling wines: yes we can. Aromatic white blends is another clear winning category. In my view it’s the most sensible approach to making consistently tasty, charming mostly unoaked whites in our always unpredictable climate. Bets can be hedged against any single variety, allowing maximum flexibility to take the season’s best components and craft good wine. More of this please.

For reds, pinot noir has finally taken its rightful place. For years we’ve predicted, half wishfully, that it will be one of the country’s more successful wines. It’s a tricky variety as pinotphiles know, but it’s purpose-made to grow in cooler climates – it’s a short cycle grape that ripens early – it should work here. And now that more than a handful of producers have learned to coax the best out of it in both the vineyard and the winery, there is critical mass of really good examples.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, on the other hand, were perhaps too enthusiastically planted in the early days. They simply don’t work everywhere; few and far between are the places warm enough, with sufficient frost-free days to ripen them up to the point where they become interesting on their own. Oak flavour, green tannin and alcohol alone cannot carry these monovarietal wines. This is not to take away from the top examples that are made in Canada, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. As with whites, the smart thing to do is blend, as was shown in the reds blends category, where there were many excellent wines made from a vast array of sometimes traditional, sometimes whimsical assortments of grapes. And here there is room to grow and experiment with many fringe varieties like malbec, petit verdot, tannat and others.

Syrah/shiraz has proven now for several years that it can make top class wines, both in the peppery northern Rhône style and in the riper new world style. It has produced past red wine of the year champions. Though it must be said, BC has the strong advantage here over the rest of the country due to the warmer, drier climate of the southern Okanagan. As for cabernet franc, touted to be the best of the traditional Bordeaux grapes, I found disappointing. And red hybrids. What to do with hybrids. I may be shot for saying this, but let’s rip them out. Even the best examples (of which there are barely a handful) are merely good, never great. To paraphrase Michelangelo, the failure in life is not to have aimed high and missed it, but rather to aim low and achieve it.

For more on the 2010 Canadian Wine Awards, check out the #CWA10 hashtag on Twitter, and read the real-time reactions of judges flight by flight.

My personal, unofficial, top picks:

Sparkling

NV Hillebrand Trius Brut, Niagara Peninsula

No real surprise here when the bottles were unveiled after the competition, this has consistently been one of my top picks for bubbly in Canada. Classy, complex, elegant and half the price of champers.

L’Acadie Vineyards 2007 Prestige Brut, Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

Definitely a surprise. I know that Nova Scotia has the potential to make killer sparkling, and I’ve even tasted a few superb wines, but acadie bubbly? You bet. Crisp, clean, minerally and lively.

Fruit Wine

Rodrigues Winery N/V Raspberry

Raspeberries seem to lend themselves well to making fruit wines. They are among the most pure and easily identifiable, a good thing (points off if you can’t tell what fruit it’s made from when tasting blind…) This was an intense, concentrated essence of raspberry, sweet but balanced. Check it out with chocolate.

Mead

Rosewood 2009 Mead Blanc, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula

Yes, that’s correct: mead. An alcoholic beverage made from honey. The judges requested to move the tasting into a medieval banquet hall, don Viking helmets and swap crystal for pewter, but the Penticton Lakeside Resort couldn’t accommodate so we settled for a more wine-like environment. It didn’t prevent me, however, from enjoying the super-intense honey, beeswax, pollen and propolis flavours. I actually saw open wounds heal and bacteria scatter as this was consumed. Weird I know, but if you haven’t tried it yet, you must. Totally compelling stuff. Rosewood’s Mon Cherie mead mixed with a little cherry juice is also worth checking out.

Riesling

Tawse 2009 Riesling, Niagara Peninsula

Tawse is getting riesling right on. Super tight, minerally, austere, barely off dry but balanced by electrifying acidity. The way we like it

Creekside Estate 2008 Butler’s Grant Vineyard Riesling, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara

Wooly, honeyed and lemony in a German spätlese trocken style (dry late harvest). Great intensity.

Vineland Estates 2008 St. Urban Riesling, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara

Another Ontario classic, from some of the oldest riesling vines in the province. Steely, minerally, delicately honeyed, with deceptive weight and power – you need to pay attention to this and give it time in the glass (or bottle).

Thirty Bench 2009 Winemakers Riesling, Beamsville Bench, Niagara

Another fine edition from Thirty Bench. The 09 is all citrus blossom and lemon-lime flavours, sprinkled with crushed limestone. Riveting acid, saliva and appetite inducing.

Aromatic White Blends

Road 13 Vineyards 2009 Viognier-Riesling-Sauvignon Blanc, B.C.

A fullish, succulent, peach-flavored blend dominated by the viognier component. Highly satisfying.

Flatrock Cellars 2009 Twisted, Niagara Peninsula

Different from the rest of the wines in the category, this is less effusively aromatic but has great texture and minerality, and long finish.

Syrah/Shiraz

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2007 SunRock Vineyard Shiraz, Okanagan Valley.

Again no surprise here; a perennial favorite of mine and most of the other judges. Peppery, cassis and smoke flavours, compelling intensity, great length. What’s the secret? I guess it’s a sunny vineyard and the grapes get ripe.

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2006 Grand Reserve Shiraz, Okanagan Valley.

Whoa! This smells quite simply like great wine. Mature, floral, violet, tar, red and blackberry fruit; well structured with plenty of life ahead. Top shelf.

Mission Hill 2007 Select Lot Collection Syrah, Okanagan Valley

A more elegant, peppery-floral style of syrah, the way we like it, with no shortage of sweet ripe cassis flavours and warm, satisfying palate.

Cabernet Franc

Cerelia 2008 Cabernet Franc, Cawston, Similkameen Valley B.C.

A surprise newcomer from the lesser-known Similkameen Valley (though the fruit for this wine comes from the South Okanagan), Cerelia is off to a great start. This has all of the hoped-for leafy, tobacco, wood spice and wild violet aromas and flavours that make cab franc such a fine variety.

White Single Varieties

Vineland Estates 2008 Chenin Blanc, Niagara Peninsula

One of the best of the ‘other’ varieties, Vineland’s Chenin is wonderfully wooly, honeyed, mineral and just barely off dry in a classic style.

Red Single Varieties

Twisted Tree Vineyards & Winery 2007 Tannat, Osoyoos, B.C.

There isn’t much of it in Canada, but if tannat can be this good then we should plant more (in the right places). Smoky, meaty, savoury in an old world style, yet not too rustic. Lovely stuff.

Red Blends

Cassini Cellars 2007 Maximus, Okanagan Valley B.C.

Beautiful, slightly rustic, floral and dried-herb-scented blend of cabernet, merlot and malbec. Firm, finessed, balanced and elegant.

Road 13 2008 Rockpile, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

A blend of just about everything  (8 grapes) led by syrah (not sure which genius assembled it but it works). It’s more modern in style, with notable wood influence but well within the limits of respectability, and smooth tannins. I could drink this all night. Well, I have. Just to prove the point.

Mission Hill 2007 Compendium, Okanagan Valley B.C.

Aerial infrared imagery, subsoil moisture probes, pressure bombs…. Mission Hill is on a mission, and will stop at nothing to make the best wine possible from their 900 acres of vineyards scattered throughout the Okanagan from Kelowna to Osoyoos. Compendium is a classy blend of cab sauv and franc, merlot and petit verdot full of ripe fruit, oak and spice all judiciously measured.

Chardonnay (Oaked)

Tawse 2008 Robyn’s Block Chardonnay, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara

A fabulous 08 Niagara chardonnay here, bright, fresh, restrained, mineral, with well-measured wood influence. Hate to draw vulgar comparisons, but this is like top notch Burgundy.

Henry of Pelham 2007 Speck Family Reserve Chardonnay, Niagara Peninsula

Absolutely top-notch effort from the Speck brothers, the exception to the rule that 2007 Ontario whites won’t age. This is a hefty, intensely flavoured wine with beguiling complexity and impressive finish.

Rosehall Run 2008 Cuvée County Chardonnay, Prince Edward County, Ontario

The County proves its suitability for first class chardonnay with this effort from Dan Sullivan of Rosehall Run. It’s more Chablis-like is style and I wondered if it should be in the oaked chardonnay category, then I stopped fussing over details and just enjoyed the lively green fruit, superb balance, wood integration and limestone minerality.

Pinot Noir

Howling Bluff 2008 Summa Quies Vineyard Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley B.C.

Howling Bluff is a boutique producer on the celebrated Naramata Bench, obviously doing a superb job based on the class of this pinot, one of the best I’ve tasted in Canada.

Tawse 2008 Lauritzen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula

The first pinot released from Tawse from the Lauritzen vineyard, this could easily be the top wine of the vintage from Ontario. Silky, elegant, smooth, fruity and spicy, this has everything one could hope for in a pinot, and should satisfy both old world and new world palates.

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August 24, 2010 • 9:23 am 0

WineAlign achieves milestone – 10,000 registered users

On August 12th the 10,000th person registered for WineAlign. We feel this is a significant milestone and we are our pleased with our growth (we’ve doubled in size since November).  10,000 users is often a number associated with a ‘real’ internet business.

WineAlign Growth

Here are some interesting statistics about WineAlign at the 10,000 user mark.  97% of our users are from Ontario, the average age is 46 and about 60% of our users are male.  WineAlign has been used over 80,000 times.  Our user’s collective wine cellar contains over 10,000 bottles.  We have 9,110 different wines in our database and 4,642 active wines linked with the LCBO inventory.  Associated with those wines are 4,463 user reviews and 16,285 critic reviews.  In the last 30 days WineAlign has had 19,000 visits by 12,900 unique visitors.  Those visitors spent an average of five minutes on the site.

Our goal is to provide consumers with the most accurate and objective information available to make better wine purchase decisions. We feel that by creating a community and aggregating the reviews of multiple top critics and wine lovers we can help you to consistently make better wine purchase decisions.

We want to thank all of our users, and a special thank you to those who take the time to provide us feedback on the site.  We encourage anyone with any questions or suggestions to send us their feedback.

Cheers,

Bryan

Filed under: News

July 4, 2010 • 7:38 pm 0

Chris Hatcher of Wolf Blass video. WineAlign’s first community event.

On 23 June, 2010 WineAlign members were invited to an exclusive Wolf Blass premium wine tasting with winemaker Chris Hatcher at Canoe restaurant in Toronto.

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June 24, 2010 • 9:50 am 1

Lawrason’s Take on Vintages June 26th Release – by David Lawrason

David Lawrason

David Lawrason

My Gee20 Ontario Wineries, Exotics from Southern Italy, Craggy Strikes Again and Seriously Pink

Last weekend I was invited to present an evening with Prince Edward County wines at a small conference at Queens University in Kingston. It  brought together some distinguished folks of arts and letters from across Canada.  Most had no idea that nearby Prince Edward County made wine, as its small production is yet to radiate far from the shores of Lake Ontario.  But this wine friendly crowd was aware that Ontario wine in general is “finally turning the corner to respectability”.   I was engaged by a bright, loquacious woman – a leader in Canada’s “culture” industry – who professed great pride in Ontario wines and asked which wineries I thought were doing the best work – a really important question.  I gave her my picks; but she hadn’t heard of any of them.

So in honour of Canada Day I would like to contribute to the learning on Ontario wines by naming names of those leading the way – something we are loathe to do as Canadians in fear of offending those not named.    These are picked solely on dedication to quality – with history, size, clout, value and style be-damned.  They make wines that that challenge me, excite me or at least make me stand up straight and pay attention.  They make wines I want to own, even in occasional imperfection.  They are wineries that are leading by example and entirely capable of putting Ontario on the global stage.  Call them my Gee20!

They are, in alphabetical order:   Cave Spring, Closson Chase, Creekside, Daniel Lenko, Fielding, Flat Rock, Henry of Pelham , Hidden Bench,  Huff Estate,  Le Clos Jordanne,  Long Dog,  Malivoire,  Norman Hardie,  Ravine,  Rosehall Run,  Southbrook,  Stratus, Tawse,  Thirty Bench and Vineland Estates.  There are another ten or so that are knocking at the door, most of them very new, or just in transition toward a top quality focus – so maybe next year.  I am sure I will hear about others who feel they should be on the list.

Vintages June 26 “Happy Canada Day” release contains some wines from some of these Gee 20 wineries.  Do try the terrific Tawse 2009 Sketches of Niagara Riesling, which is a double steal at $17.95, as well as the Daniel Lenko 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay and Flat Rock 2009 Rosé.

Tawse Sketches Of Niagara Riesling 2009

Di Majo Norante Contado Aglianico 2007I would like to move on to a mini-theme within the release that was probably not intended, and certainly not promoted. There is an intriguing batch of inexpensive whites and reds from indigenous varieties in southern Italy.  That country is just chock-full of virtually unknown, local grapes, many rooted in antiquity and some of them quite exotic.  TakeDi Majo Norante 2007 Aglianico from the Adriatic region of Molise. This progressive winery is taming and framing a grape variety that can be very complex and intriguing, but also ruggedly tannic and sinewy. This one finds a great balance.  Then there is a fine white, the Vesevo 2008  Falanghina  from a new appellation in Campania called Sannio, located in the Apennine Mountains inland from Naples, Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast.  The distinctive falanghina grape is rightfully becoming a fave of sommeliers who seek out the new and the inexpensive.  And still in southern Italy don’t miss the great value Illuminati Riparosso 2008 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, again from a very good winery.  The producer is always the pivotal piece in defining quality.


Capçanes Costers Del Gravet 2006Still in Europe, I return again to the Priorat and neighbouring Montsant regions of Spain as being one of the most exciting new/old terroirs in the world.  Capçanes 2006 Costers Del Gravet from  Montsant  captures the unique balance of nerve, finesse and complexity consistently  being delivered in this rugged, mountainous region by blending of several varieties like carignan, grenache, syrah, merlot and cabernet.  The outcome is something like a cross between pinot noir and nebbiolo with an extra energy and virulence.


Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot 2007Not long ago I waxed on about the wines of Craggy Range in New Zealand, and there is reason to do so again with the arrival of theCraggy Range 2007 Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Merlot from Hawkes Bay. I can’t think of anyone in New Zealand doing a better job of highlighting varietal and regional exactness while delivering wines that are both poised and powerful. If you have strayed away from merlot, this is a great way to get re-focused on what it should be like.


A  tip of the hat to Vintages for its on-going barrage of new rosés.  There are all shades of pink and price and quality out there on the shelves this season – lots to choose from.  But occasionally one comes along that is more about being a fine wine than a pink wine.  Some may balk at paying over $20 for a rosé but  La Bastide Blanche 2009 Bandol Rosé from the south of France is a must buy; a wine of deceptive paleness, subtlety and mildness that finishes with a firmness and minerality of any terroir-driven thorougbred.

La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rosé 2009

And finally, I want to thank all those who turned out to Wednesday evening’s Up Close and Personal Event with Wolf Blass winemaker Chris Hatcher.  It is always refreshing and enlightening to get the goods from someone who is so experienced and practical and straightforward. And it was truly touching to see so many long time friends from the original Wine Access and First in Line days, and to meet those who are following our efforts on WineAlign. Some of you had gentle advice for me that I have taken to heart.

Cheers…

See all my reviews for the June 26th release here.

- David Lawrason, VP of Wine at WineAlign

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June 21, 2010 • 7:54 am 0

Worldwide synchronized tasting: South of France – by John Szabo

John Szabo, MS

Sud de France, the umbrella brand for wine and food products from Languedoc-Roussillon celebrates its 4th anniversary today with a worldwide synchronized tasting of wines from the region. 90 bloggers in 24 countries were each sent the same 5 wines to review and comment (though only 4 wines made it to this reviewer). Each of the reviewers was asked to post his/her notes at the same time, 11am in my case. There was no pressure from the organization to post anything but honest opinion. Reviewers were asked to “focus your comments on the overall community of Sud de France wines”, since this is not supposed to be promotion for individual brands.

Sud de France WinesIt’s an interesting concept and positive use of technology to bring together a myriad of voices from across the planet for a single tasting, and thus in one initiative compare the impressions of opinion leaders in two dozen markets. I can only imagine what a logistical challenge it must have been to coordinate it all. What might have been even more interesting would have been to incorporate a live video element to the synchronized tasting, to have critics discuss and describe their views in an open forum to which anyone could tune in, but don’t ask me how to do that. Perhaps a panel of selected critics together at Sud de France headquarters tasting and discussing, with the possibility of video phone-in comments from other participating critics and spectators. As it stands, it’s still entertaining for readers to surf the world and compare views of identical wines across a broad spectrum of tasters.

For all the views visit:

http://suddefrance-export.net/sync-tasting/blog/commentaires/

I spent the summer of 1998 in the Languedoc working in the kitchen of the now-defunct Michelin-starred restaurant Chez Léonce in Florensac, a small town located between Montpellier and Béziers in the heart of wine country. Though I was not a sommelier at the time, I spent most of my days off touring wine regions and tasting local wines, with a great deal of guidance from Chez Léonce’s passionate sommelier. It was a great time of discovery, just when the region was experience a serious renaissance. There were dozens of producers emerging on to the scene making some pretty fine wine at interesting prices. The early part of this decade then saw a commercial boom for the Languedoc-Roussillon in Ontario, with many of the top names finding their way to the LCBO’s shelves (Ontario’s government-run alcohol distribution monopoly). The excitement has since waned and the selection somewhat dwindled, but I still consider the Languedoc-Roussillon as a source of characterful and flavourful wines at reasonable prices.

Tasted Wines

Unfortunately, the selection offered here failed to excite. But I can appreciate the difficulty of selecting specific wines to use in generic promotional campaigns. So while the reviews and scores here are not glowing, don’t take this as representative of the region. I know there are better wines out there.

Sieur d’Arques, AOC/AOP Crémant de Limoux, Grande Cuvée 1531

Considered one of the oldest sparkling wines in the world, Crémant de Limoux is made using the traditional method in the cooler upper Valley around the town of Limoux in the northern Languedoc. Sieur d’Arques is one of the leading cooperatives in the region. This is made from Chardonnay and the local Mauzac variety. The wine is light and crisp, quite dry, with simple flavours ranging from green apple to citrus. Of modest depth and complexity overall, this is for basic patio sipping without too much reflexion or contemplation. 85 pts

Cigalus, VDP/IGP Pays d’OC, cuvée 2008, Gérard Bertrand

Chardonnay, viognier and sauvignon blanc are cultivated using biodynamic principals by leading southern French vigneron/négociant Gérard Bertrand, and aged in small oak for 6-8 months. The nose is rather simple but very pretty, led by the peach and apricot notes of viognier and the grassy-citrus side of sauvignon blanc. Wood is well integrated. The palate is mid-weight, balanced, with decent acid and generous alcohol, leading into a short finish. Correct, but at $25 euros retail (from one internet retailer), a little overpriced for the depth and complexity offered. 87 pts

Fruité Catalan, AOC/AOP Côtes du Roussillon

The south of France, particularly Provence, is well known for rosé production; the Roussillon less so, but no less capable with its similar Mediterranean climate and well-adapted grapes. But this example is made in a clearly commercial mold, with plenty of up front candyfloss, banana and strawberry. On the palate it’s simple and straightforward with a pinch of residual sugar and a bitter finish. All in all, this is basic, commercial wine, and it’s probably commercially successful, but it represents everything that I hate about rosé. It seems a purely market-driven afterthought of more serious red wine making. I’d love to see some characterful, dry, food versatile rosés hit our market as opposed to tarted-up commercial plonk. 82 pts

Mas de Madame, AOC/AOP Muscat de Frontignan, cuvée

The vins doux naturels of the Languedoc-Roussillon are among the world’s undervalued wines, over-delivering pleasure for a very reasonable price. The nose is absolutely classic, effusively perfumed Muscat, full of orange blossom, fresh grapes, rose water and honey, while the palate is sweet but not excessively cloying, with a lingering, Turkish Delight-flavoured finish. VDNs are hardly popular wines these days, but they deserve to be better known for the sheer pleasure they deliver. Try as an afternoon aperitif, or with savoury, intensely flavoured pakoras, lightly-curried chicken salad, blue cheese or not-too-sweet apricot or peach tart.  88 pts

Note to Ontario residents: click here to find the top-rated Languedoc-Roussillon wines at your local LCBO store.

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June 16, 2010 • 9:59 am 0

Lawrason’s Take: Austria’s Struggle in Ontario – by David Lawrason

David Lawrason

David Lawrason

A few weeks ago I missed the annual Austrian Wine Fair, but the Austrian Consulate came through recently with an opportunity for WineAlign critics to taste some fair “leftovers”.  It was a very impressive collection of 2009 grüner veltliner, rieslings and chardonnays, (I was not much impressed by the small sampling of reds).  The wines in general were racy, pristine and varietally correct – absolutely delicious and fascinating  I could drink grüners and rieslings from producers like Diem, Huber and Jurtschitsch, all summer long, and winter too. And I loved the unusual Satterhof 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Problem is, virtually none are currently available through the LCBO or Vintages.

It remains a mystery to me why Austrian wine is not making deeper inroads in the Ontario market. The wine press and trade have been hyping Austrian wine for years; most of us have travelled to the Danube and the annual Vie Vinum fair in Vienna.  The Toronto fair has been an annual showcase for the trade for as many years as I can remember.  Maybe the problem is that Austrian wine is just not percolating through  to consumers.  The LCBO won’t invest much shelf space without  consumer demand, so there needs to be increased effort from importers and buyers to create that demand.

Grooner Grüner Veltliner 2009

Grooner Grüner Veltliner 2009

Winzer Krems Sandgrube 13 Grüner Veltliner 2009

Winzer Krems Sandgrube 13 Grüner Veltliner 2009

There is however a glimmer of hope -  a wedge in the door –  at LCBO with two wines that caught me by surprise with their quality and price. Winzer Krems 2009 Sandgrube 13 Gruner Veltliner is surprisingly peppery, loaded with citrus zest and shows great structure for $10.95.  The 2009 vintage should be coming into the LCBO in the days and weeks ahead. Then there is the new Grooner 2009 Grüner Veltliner, packaged with a kitchy “yodeling fräulein” label.  The label is a bit silly and re-enforces a stereotype that Austria needs to change.  But inside the bottle there is a decent wine for $12.95 – a lemony lightweight compared to the majestic wines that Austria can produce – but it does catch gruners basic character in a clean, mouth-watering style.

If you have not tried grüner, both are a place to start, then watch at Vintages for others that step higher in quality. Check out the –meagre – Austrian Grüner Veltliner selection at a store near you by by clicking here.

Cheers

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June 14, 2010 • 4:02 pm 0

Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam and Certified Sommelier Exam

Court of Master Sommelier
Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam and Certified Sommelier Exam
September in Toronto

The Court of Master Sommeliers will be conducting the Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam on Saturday, September 11th; Sunday, September 12th and the Certified Sommelier Exam on September 13th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON.

The Introductory Course is the first tier of education and examining conducted by the Court of Master Sommeliers. This two day program consists of tastings and a fast paced review all the world’s major wine regions, viticulture and vinification, spirits, and proper wine service. The Deductive Tasting Method, used in all upper level Master Sommelier examinations, is also introduced and extensively practiced. The course culminates with a written 70 question theory examination.

The intention of the Introductory Sommelier Course is to provide a hospitality professional with a very well-rounded beverage expertise following the most rigorous standards. In preparation, it’s recommended that students acquire a good encyclopedia, such as The Wine Bible, by Karen McNeill. The basic points of beer and spirits production should be covered as well.

The Certified Sommelier Exam is the second tier in the Court of Master Sommeliers four tiers of exams. The Certified Sommelier Exam, a one-day exam only with three portions: a blind wine tasting of two wines, a written examination of twenty-five questions covering the world of wine, and a service exam requiring the candidate to exhibit sales and service skills, including the safe and correct opening of a champagne bottle. There is no classroom work involved so we strongly suggest you have a minimum if three years in the industry for this program. Not having any industry background at this level will make the exam extremely challenging.

Please note, it is the policy of the American Chapter of the Court that everyone, without exception, must pass the Introductory Course & Exam before sitting the Certified Sommelier Examination. Candidates can register for just the Introductory Course & Exam or the Introductory and Certified Sommelier Exam. If however you do not successfully complete the Introductory Exam you cannot sit the Certified and all but a $40 (US) administrative fee will be refunded.

If registering for both levels we strongly recommend you are proficient in wine theory, service and tasting skills.

THE MASTER SOMMELIER PROGRAM
The Master Sommelier credential is the most internationally recognized credential for beverage sales and service. The Introductory Sommelier Course is open to all beverage professionals who are interested in pursing the highest standards of wine service and product knowledge in a dining room setting. Candidates come from restaurant, wholesale and retail backgrounds.

The Introductory Sommelier Course, with a 95% pass rate, is the prerequisite for the Certification Sommelier Exam, which has a 62% pass rate and the Advanced Course & Examination which has an average pass rate approximately of 25%. Candidates who pass the Advanced Course are then qualified to take the Master Sommelier Examination itself. The pass rate for the M.S. exam is approximately 5% of the candidates.

Invitation and Registration Information
We invite you to participate in the Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory Sommelier Course taking place September 11-12, 2010 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON. The cost for the program and exam is $495.00 US.

To register with Visa, MasterCard or Discover, please visit the website at www.mastersommeliers.org and complete the online registration form. To register by check, please print the online form and mail with check or money order in the amount of $495.00 US to the address below:
Court of Master Sommeliers
Attn: ON Introductory Course
PO Box 6170
Napa, CA 94581

For inquiries about this program please visit the website or contact Kathleen Lewis, Executive Director at klewis@mastersommeliers.org.

Thanks for reading and I hope you can join us in Toronto in September.

Cheers,

John Szabo, MS

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• 3:27 pm 0

Winners of the ARTEVÏNO 2010 Wine Awards

News from Prince Edward County:

ArteVino

Winners of the ARTEVÏNO 2010 Wine Awards from the Quinte Arts Council Press Release

The medalists of the sixth annual 2010 ARTEVÏNO Wine Competition Awards were released today, with five wines earning gold medals by rating 90 points or better in a blind tasting competition open to wines produced in Prince Edward and Northumberland counties.

On May 10, 2010 a panel of eight judges led by WineAlign’s David Lawrason gathered at the Inn at Huff Estate to blind taste more than 75 entries. Others on the panel included Master Sommelier and WineAlign critic John Szabo, Michael Pinkus of the Ontario Wine Review, Billy Munnelly of Billy’s Best Bottles, Tony Aspler, wine book author, broadcaster and recipient of the Order Of Canada, Konrad Ejbich of CBC Radio, Remy Charest of Quebec City, and Shari Darling of the Peterborough Examiner.

The gold, silver and bronze medalists plus other wines from the wineries involved in the competition will be poured on June 19 at the ARTEVÏNO Art and Wine Festival being held at Picton’s Crystal Palace from noon to 4 pm. This year there will be a record number of artists, wineries and restaurant/caterers involved to showcase the creative talents of the entire Quinte region represented at ARTEVÏNO . The top scoring white and red wines as well as the recipient of the Jonathan Welsh Memorial Award, named for the co-founder of ARTEVÏNO, will be announced at the June 19 event.

Look for special ARTEVÏNO Award-Winning Dinner menus, featuring the award-winning wines, paired with delicious three-course dinners, created by the chefs of many of these restaurants, which will be held on Saturday, June 19 after the event at the Crystal Palace.  Check out www.artevino.ca

Tickets are $35 for the afternoon at the Crystal Palace, and are available online.  Tickets can also be purchased at the Quinte Arts Council, 36 Bridge Street East, Belleville (call 613-962-1232), at the Prince Edward County Arts Council, 280 Main Street, Suite 103, Picton, at participating wineries and at many other locations that will be listed on the website. For $95 you can enjoy the ARTEVÏNO art, wine and food festival, plus a dinner at a restaurant of your choice, which must be booked in advance.  See www.artevino.ca for details of this exciting celebration.

The Results:

GOLD MEDALISTS
Hillier Creek Estates 2007 Vidal Icewine
Huff Estates  2007 South Bay Vineyards  Chardonnay
Rosehall Run 2008 Chardonnay Cuvee County
Rosehall Run 2008 Pinot Noir Cuvee County
Rosehall Run 2008 Pinot Noir Rosehall Vineyard
SILVER MEDALISTS
Casa Dea Estates 2008 CD Rosso
Exultet Estates 2009 Dolce Ghiacciato
Huff Estates  2008 Riesling Reserve
Huff Estates 2006 Cuvee Peter F. Huff
Norman Hardie 2008 County Pinot Noir
Norman Hardie 2009 Riesling
Rosehall Run 2008 Cabernet  Franc Cold Creek
Rosehall Run 2008 Chardonnay Rosehall Vineyard
Rosehall Run 2008 Sullyzwicker Red
Sandbanks Estates 2008 Cabernet  Franc
The Grange of  PEC 2008 GPE Chardonnay
The Grange of PEC Grange2007 Sparkling Brut
Waupoos Estates 2008 Icewine
BRONZE
Black Prince 2008 Terroir Elite Chardonnay
Casa-Dea Estates 2008 Dea’s Cuvee
Casa-Dea Estates 2009 Cabernet Franc Rosé
Casa-Dea Estates 2009 Pinot Gris
Harwood Estate 2008 Pinot Gris 2008
Hillier Creek Estate 2008 Chardonnay
Hillier Creek Estate 2009 Rosé
Hillier Creek Estates 2007  Gamay
Hillier Creek Estates 2008 Chardonnay Estate
Hillier Creek Estates 2009 Riesling
Huff Estates 2008 Gamay Reserve
Huff Estates 2009 South Bay Vineyards Rosé
Huff Estates Winery 2007 First Frost
Karlo Estates 2008 Chardonnay
Karlo Estates 2008 Malbec
Lacey Estates 2008 Baco Noir
Lacey Estates 2009 Gewurztraminer
Rosehall Run 2008 Gamay Cuvée County
Rosehall Run 2008 Sullyzwicker White
Rosehall Run 2009 Chardonnay Musqué
Rosehall Run 2009 Sullyzwicker Rosé
Sandbanks 2008 Waves Chardonnay
Sandbanks 2009 Dunes Vidal Riesling
The Grange  of PEC 2008 Trumpour’s Mill Cabernet Franc
The Grange of PEC 2008 Trumpour’s Mill Pinot Noir
The Grange of PEC 2009 Trumpour’s Mill Rosé

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April 23, 2010 • 9:00 am 0

Vintages Preview May 1st Release – A Volcanic Wine, a Greywacke, a Groovey Grüner and a Cal-Ital Duo by John Szabo

John Szabo, MS

Any traveler who has set foot on the Aegean Island of Santorini senses immediately that it’s a special place. Gazing out across the vast expanse of deep azure water that fills the Caldera, the collapsed summit of the volcano that is Santorini, has a way of re-calibrating your sense of size. You feel infinitely small before the clear, wide space stretching to the infinitely blue horizon, yet at the same time you feel part of the landscape, it absorbs you, draws you in. Sunsets here are among the most mesmerizing on earth. This is the Greek postcard you’ve already seen, dreamed about: the white-washed dwellings clinging to the cliff side on the edge of the crater, turned golden by the disappearing sun, the bright blue, freshly painted domes of orthodox churches, the trio of bells, the pack mules carrying building material through the narrow alleys where no cars can venture. Were it not for the hordes of tourist who disembark daily and trek up to Oia to clog those same minuscule streets and haggle with weary locals over junky trinkets, Santorini could well be a paradise on earth.

Travel to the other side of the island on flatter east coast, and the scene is unrecognizable, rarely photographed. Its splendor is hidden to all but those able to see through to the inner beauty of what lies before you. It’s an otherworldly landscape of bushes scattered across completely barren, rocky soil like splashes of green on a natural canvas. One wonders how anything at all manages to grow in this poorest of poor soils. Closer inspection reveals that this is no purposeless vegetation; these are grapevines. But these are like no other grapevines I’ve seen. There are no posts, no wires, no trellises, no neat rows of orderly canes and leaves, made to submit by the hand of man. These vines sprawl along the ground, the stalks obscured by decades worth of woven shoots that makes them look like gnarled, old wicker baskets discarded in an empty waste yard on the backside of a middle eastern bazaar. You could easily drive past these fields and remain gleefully ignorant that you are in wine country. How strange to see, or not see. If I hadn’t seen, and tasted, I may not believe that some of the world’s most original wines are made in these vineyards on the island of Santorini.

The grape is called assyrtico, an ancient, indigenous variety that achieves its greatest expression in the poor volcanic soils of the island. Really, Santorini is nothing more than a piece of exploded volcanic mountaintop protruding from the sea, with little vegetation and no fresh water. Before its eerie beauty was discovered by outsiders and the age of tourism began, this was among the poorest of Greek Islands, the inhabitants scratching out a meager existence from the unyielding terrain.

The queer method of growing grapes is explained by Santorini’s extreme climate. The vines are left to creep along the ground to remain sheltered from the fierce winds that constantly buffet the island. Otherwise, tender shoots and flowers would be blasted off the vines and further reduce the nearly uneconomic yields that these vineyards produce. The new shoots of each year are carefully woven into a basket shape, purpose-crafted to allow the grape bunches to grow within, protect from the wind, as well as shaded from the ever-present blazing sun above by a canopy of leaves that functions like a 19th century parasol. The vineyards are not picturesque, but I reckon that after 2,500-odd years of grape-growing, local vignerons have got it figured out. From these grotesque vines come some of the most astonishingly mineral wines I have ever tasted.

The whites of Santorini are not fruity, not easy, not immediately friendly. They are intense, demanding, almost salty, like a freshly-squeezed chunk of volcanic pumice that drips slowly into your glass. There is also the tell-tale whiff of sulphur, like being several miles downwind from a natural hot spring, not obvious, not pungent, but certainly there. This unusual smell is not from added SO2, as I have asked and repeatedly been told by the island’s winemakers. True enough, the alcohol and acidity levels are remarkably high, they’re bone dry, and the dry extract is off the charts, lending a palpably astringent character. That makes these wines extremely stable and ageworthy. Free sulphur is needed only in very limited amounts. No, that smell comes from the soil.

2008 SIGALAS SANTORINIThe Sigalas 2008 Santorini is one of the island’s best. Paris Sigalas is a perfectionist, a poet. It’s unique, extraordinary, complex, complete, like Grand Cru Alsatian Riesling or Chablis, or top notch Wachau gruner veltliner. So why is it only $21.95 a bottle? Good question. I guess it’s because so few people know about it. I’m torn: on the one hand I’m happy to keep it that way, selfishly hoarding these hidden diamonds in the literal rough. On the other, the pressure of urbanization from the relentless tourist trade threatens to make these vineyards disappear altogether. Slinging drinks sure beats back breaking field work for limited gain. That would be a modern Greek tragedy. So this is my pitch to save one of the great world patrimonies for wine lovers. Buy and drink this!

2009 GREYWACKE VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANCOther wines worth a detour this week include the Greywacke Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. New Zealand is the focus of the May 1st LCBO-Vintages release, and this is the top smart buy from the lot. I have become somewhat ambivalent towards NZ sauvignon, a little tired of the predictability and terminal sameness that ironically made this genre the triumph that it is, but that also threatens its future success. But here’s a NZ sauvignon that stands out for it distinctive personality. There’s no pungent cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush, no one-dimensional grassy refrain like a pop hit that lasts two weeks on the charts. This is restrained, elegant wine, full of stony-minerality and framed by bracing acidity, in short the way it was meant to be.


2009 SALOMON UNDHOF SAL'MON GROOVEY GRÜNER VELTLINERThe Salomon Undhof Groovey Grüner Veltliner is a wine to add to your spring-summer house wine program. Infinitely sippable, this is the bottle you want to reach for when you get home from work and kick back on the terrace or patio. It’s a perfect cooking wine, too, that is, a wine to sip as you cook with your friends mingling around the kitchen. It’ll also move comfortably into the first course of seafood or shellfish – be sure to use liberal doses of sweet aromatics like basil, mint, coriander and parsley to enhance the complementary flavours.


2007 PICHIERRI TRADIZIONE DEL NONNO PRIMITIVO DI MANDURIAZinfandel/Primitivo is the other feature of the release. Genetically determined to be closely related (but not exactly the same grape), both are descendents of the Croatian mouthful crljenak kastelanski. These two vines share a love for heat and a propensity to produce violently fruity and alcoholic wines, and California and Puglia in southern Italy provide the ideal habitat to express their characteristics to the fullest. From Italy, my top pick goes to the non-too-subtle Pichierri Tradizione del Nonno Primitivo, “grandpa’s tradition”. This is indeed a wine the way grandpa used to make: raisined, ultra-ripe fruit is tuned into a fiery, old farmhouse-style wine of 16% alcohol and chocolate-Christmas cake flavours that would make most Amarone blush with envy. Make sure you are sitting down when drinking this and the car is permanently parked for the night.


2008 SEGHESIO SONOMA ZINFANDELFrom California, my greatest excitement was reserved for the Seghesio Sonona Zinfandel, appreciated more for it classy, elegant styling; a stark contrast to the Italian stallion. This example manages to strike a fine balance, avoiding the excesses of alcohol and the common feature of cheap zinfandel that sees underripe and overripe fruit juxtaposed together. Zin is a tricky variety to grow. The grapes within a single bunch ripen at differing rates and intervals, and make the timing of the harvest a compromise one way or another. More moderate sites and old vines tend to smooth out the ripening curve and reduce the disparity, making wines of better flavour balance and greater elegance without needing the monstrous alcohol that is inevitable when half the grapes have turned to raisins. Seghesio’s is a good example what’s possible with this grape.

To see all of my reviews click here.

Cheers,


John Szabo, MS

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