WINE TRADE WINDS TASTING DIARY FOR SUMMER 2018 [published since 2000] --

AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS –

 

Always available at http://pages.pathcom.com/~dtudor/trade.txt

or the archives at http://pages.pathcom.com/~dtudor/

 

 

WINE TRADE WINDS TASTING DIARY FOR SUMMER 2018 [published since 2000] --

 

By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca

Creator of Canada's leading wine satire site at http://fauxvoixvincuisine.blogspot.com

 

This Diary has always been available since 2000 at www.deantudor.com and at http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com

 

NEW BEVERAGE SAMPLES SENT TO ME FOR TASTING REVIEWS THIS SUMMER –

 

 

1. Chateau des Charmes Riesling "Old Vines" 2015 Estate Bottled VQA Niagara-On-The-Lake, +277228, $18.95 Vintages: made from vines largely planted in 1978, so it is now a very mature vineyard. 12% ABV. Succulent, but off-dry Alsatian character (citric tones, spices), with now almost three years of aging. A beaut with spicy or higher acidic foods. Lots of orchard fruit character. Twist top. Available at Vintages even before its release at the winery! Quality/price rating 90 points by Dean Tudor.

 

 

2. Chateau des Charmes Gewurztraminer 2016 St.David's Bench VQA, $21.95 Vintages +453472: from older vines in the St. David's Bench voineyards, done up in stainless steel, 12.6% ABV, Alsatian style (concentrated fruit, off-dry on the mid-palate, spicy with a tad of bitter on the finish, great with Asiatic foods. Or wonderful as a sipper by the deck/patio/pool. Cork finish, and it should improve over the next five years. Quality/price rating 90 points by Dean Tudor.

 

 

 

3. Chateau des Charmes Brut Sparkling Methode Traditionelle NV Niagara-On-The-Lake VQA, +224766, $25.95: this Brut is a mix of about half each of chardonnay and pinot noir from vines planted as early as 1991 (and from at least four vineyards), exhibiting apple and orchard tones with citrus and toast. All mostly from the same vintage, and "Recently Disgorged" after two or three years on lees, 12.5% ABV. Base material for bubblies from both grapes is the same: just the skin contact varies. RS is 8.6 g/L. Price has been incremental, only $3 in over 4 years. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

4.Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux Thomas Jefferson Brut Blanc 2015 AOP Cremant de Limoux, +438838, $19.95 Vintages September: from Haute Vallee de l'Aude in Languedoc comes this excellent under $20 Cremant derived from Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir. The nose is textbook white: flower, pepper, honey, green apple, biscuit; the mousse is excellent and full. Long dazzling finish. Hand harvested with disgorged bottles (Cremant). 12.5% ABV. Good comparison with the late lamented Saumur Brut which was delisted by the LCBO in the spring. Sparkling wine from Limoux was the only sparkler to be found in Jefferson's personal cellar. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

5.Luigi Bosca Chardonnnay 2017 Mendoza, +575985, $19.95 Vintages October: made from Lujan de Cuyo and Valle de Uco sources, from vineyards with an age of 40 years on average. It is still a young wine at a year and a bit, so it may need more time to evolve in the bottle. Currently, it reflects delicate orchard fruit and minerality. For the most part

there is stainless steel fermentation with some of the wine going into French oak for six months while the rest stays in stainless. 14% ABV with 1.6 g/L residual sugar. Do not serve too cold, the slightly bitter finish needs to open up. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

 

6.Madrone Estate Winery Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc/Viognier 2015 Sonoma County, +577775, $19.95 Vintages: this is a pretty well straight-up wine with nuances of typical California viognier fruit (honey, peaches, ripe tropicality) spread against the pinot blanc corpus in an 85-15 ratio in favour of the pinot blanc. This makes the wine an equally good sipper or first course drink (soups, leafy salads). No malo-lactic fermentation, 14.1% ABV. Great looking label. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

7.Madrone Estate Winery Valley of the Moon Blend '41 2013 Sonoma County, +570838 $26.95 Vintages: the '41 here pays homage to the year 1941 when the Valley of the Moon winery was first established. In composition, the blend for 2013 is zinfandel (44%), syrah (24), barbera (18), merlot (8), petite sirah (4), and sangiovese (2). In Europe, these are often called field blends, even though they may have been calculated. It screams "BBQ" all the way to the pig, although poolside drinkers may try it with less greasy affairs such as a slice of pizza or a meaty sandwich. Aged for 16 months, 20% second year oak. 14.8% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

8.Adega Mea Dory Harvest Red 2015 IGP Lisboa Portugal, +570085, $16.95 Vintages: a field blend from touriga nacional, syrah, tinta roriz, and merlot. Stainless steel fermentation followed by some of the wine aging in used French oak barrels. Dominant tones are black fruit such as black currants and black pepper. Nifty BBQ wine at 13.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

9.Ferraton Pere et Fils La Tournee 2016 Vin de France Rouge, +561282 $13.95 Vintages September: a blend of syrah and grenache from the south of France (Herault, Gard), fermented separately in stainless steel and concrete. The grape varieties are later blended and aged on the lees. Mostly red fruits dominate, but with the spices it is very reminiscent of the Rhone. BBQ might be a useful food accompaniment. Good price! 13.5 ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

 

10.Gerard Bertrand Terroir Saint Chinian 2015 +370247 September Vintages $17.95: Bertrand has a Terroir series embracing the range of Sud de France wines. Here it is older vines in a schist area of Languedoc, specifically syrah and mourvedre. Expect black fruit all over the place (even black olives, mocha and garrigue). The "f" word comes to mind: full, fat, fleshy, fabulous at this price. One third of the wine is aged for nine months in barrel, the rest matured in vats and then blended before bottling. 14% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

11.Gerard Bertrand Terroir Fitou 2015 $16.95 +403683 Vintages September: Bertrand continues to advance the Terroir series (and the Grand Terroir series) with more localized vineyards. Here it is Fitou, with its grenache and carignan grapes, vinified separately. The carignan has carbonic maceration for two weeks; the grenache is done in traditional style. Some of the wine is barrel aged for a year. Everything here seems to be concentrated in aromas and flavours, red fruit and undergrowth dominating. 13.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

 

12.Gerard Bertrand Terroir Corbieres 2015 $18.95 +394288 Vintages: In this Terroir Corbieres, Bertrand uses carbonic maceration for the syrah and traditional fermentation for the grenache and mourvedre. It is an appealing Rhonish G-S-M, with the blended wine aging in wood for eight months before bottling. Very firm with some fruit on the full finish. 14% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

 

13.Gerard Bertrand Grand Terroir La Clape Syrah/Carignan/Mourvedre 2015 AOP La Clape, +370262, $18.95 Vintages October: the bargains continue at the LCBO with this southern Rhone clone emphasizing aromatic red fruit (with some black) and garrigue. Nice long finish for that heavy meat dish. 14% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

 

14.Gerard Bertrand Terroir Minervois Syrah Carignan 2015 +952804, $16.95 Vintages: handpicking and total destemming are hallmarks of the Bertrand approach. After the malo, both varieties are blended and part of the wine is aged in 225-litre Bordeaux barrels for 8 months. There are lively light spicy carignan flavours of cherries and plums, with some black fruit (black olive and blackberry)syrah component plus mocha. 14% ABV. BBQ wine. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

 

 

15.Gerard Bertrand Gris Blanc 2017 IGP Pays d'Oc +409870 Vintages, $16.95: from between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, and from two different grenache varieties (noir and gris). Red fruit all the way, with very pale pink and grey colours. It looks different when viewed from different angles. Aromas of melons are fresh, just almost perfect for lazy late summer drinking, so you might want to load up. Twist top. 13% ABV.

Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

16.Palliser Estate Pencarrow Pinot Noir Martinborough 2016 New Zealand, +692301 Vintages, $24.95: made from 7 different clones in 4 different vineyards and with indigenous yeast, this crafted wine has been aged 10 months in 24% new 228-litre barrels. Expect ripe dark-red cherry fruit and blackberry aromas, followed by a palate of juicy dark-red cherry-berry tones. Some forest floor showing already. Structured to be an all-purpose pinot at an engaging price, it will get better over the next five years. Best with white meat (poultry, pork) – or, at this point in its growth, as a sipper. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures. 

 

 

17.Pelee Island Winery J.S. Hamilton Red 2017 VQA South Islands, +581181 Vintages, $18.95: named after one of the founders of the original Pelee Island Wine and Vineyards Company (and preceded itself by Vin Villa Vineyards). It's a bright and cheerful wine harbouring dark fruit among the syrah (48%), petit verdot (41%), and malbec (11%) blend. There is also some barrel aging. Residual sugar is less than 2.8 grams per litre. It is also a bit too young at this point, showing some tannins that may disappear with a double decant. As well, I tasted it over several days. Pairs well with fattier foods such as pork and, of course, cheeses. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

18.Pelee Island Winery Late Harvest Riesling 2017 VQA Ontario, +136010 Vintages, $15.95: sweeter white wines must be coming back, perhaps driven by sweeter roses, because I've seen a lot of them lately. This one has 38 grams residual sugar per litre, but it is not cloying. Rich flavours of lemon, peaches, some botrytis tones, and more orchard fruit. Its for dessert or fatty cheeses, perhaps over-the-top spicy foods as well. Quality/Price rating is 87 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

19.Pelee Island Winery LOLA Gewurztraminer 2017 VQA Ontario, +618231 LCBO September,$13.95: it's a basic Ontario gewurz showing off typical roses and slight bitterness tones. Lovely aromas. Body is semi-sweet at 28 grams per litre of residual sugar but alcohol of 12.5%. Quaffable for the dying days of summer or with South East Asiatic foods. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

 

 

20.Pelee Island Winery LOLA Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 VQA Ontario +618223 LCBO September, $14.95: a pretty good medium price winner in the Ontario cabernet sweepstakes, with some residual sugar of 6 grams a litre to give it a fruitiness for younger wine drinkers. It's the newest in Pele's LOLA series, brimming with red berry fruit tones. Good finish, ready now, quaffable for the autumn season or with grilled meats. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

Chimo! www.deantudor.com