WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for AUGUST 7, 2021
By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. My "Wines, Beers and Spirits of the Net", a guide to thousands of news items and RSS feeds, plus references to wines, beers and spirits, has been at http://www.deantudor.com since 1994.
These notes for good wines available through LCBO Vintages (on a bi-weekly basis) can always be found at http://www.gothicepicures.blogspot.ca or at http://www.deantudor.com No winery can buy their way into – or out of – this publication.
Scores are a combination of MVC (Modal Varietal Character, e.g. a Southern Rhone would taste like a Southern Rhone) and QPR (Quality/Price Ratio value in the marketplace above or below its price).
Currently, the wine media have no access to the tasting samples usually provided to us in the LCBO lab on a fortnightly basis. This will go on or some time. HOWEVER, the wine media will still have access to the advance spreadsheet of the wines to be released. So I know what is to be released and when. SOME (but not many) of these 100 or so biweekly released wines I have recently tasted since January 2020 or so, and I can comfortably recommend them based on this prior sampling.
Some New Wines Tasted Over the Past Fortnight ---
1.Lacheteau Parlez-Vous Sauvignon Blanc 2019 IGP Val de Loire +647099 LCBO General List $11.75: a good value savvy, with nods to tropical fruit and grass, but very easy going and very tasty, almost a savvy for beginners. A good way to get into the grape. 12.5% ABV, 4g/L residual sugar. Pairs very well with goat cheese e.g. paillot de chevre. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
2.Chateau de la Grange Muscadet Cotes de Grand Lieu Vieilles Vignes 2018 +637868 Vintages $13.95: minerally driven from 40 year old vines, and reflecting melon, orchard fruit, and ending with a long citrus clean finish. 11.7% ABV, 2gL residual sugar. Do not serve too chilled. Good with a variety of seafood and poultry. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
3.Thierry Delaunay La Salamandre Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Touraine +391847 Vintages $16.95:
Touraine is my fave go to region for sauvignon blanc, principally because it is so value-driven. You get a lot of bang for your buck: freshness, ripe peaches and melons, some cut grass (but not too zesty as in Kiwi land). Good finishing citrus acidity. This was the freshest wine of the tasting pack of six. 12% ABV, 4g/L residual sugar. Great with a cheese platter and/or sushi. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
4.Barton & Guestier Les Petites Parcelles Chenin Blanc 2019 Vouvray +232264 Vintages $16.95: tons of fruit aromas, both orchard and tropical. Good aperitif social wine, could be best with Asiatic spicy food, or a creamy cheese platter. It was useful with the pork rillette and the grand crème cheese. 12% ABV, 23g/L residual sugar. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
5.Jean-Max Roger Cuvee Genese 2019 Sancerre +189126 Vintages $33.95: an organic wine with cold fermentation, natural yeasts, some aging on heavy lees. Ripe fruit flavours and some zest from the sauvignon blanc, but not as nervy as the Antipodean style. Freshness has been retained by its minerality. 12.5% ABV, 2g/L residual sugar. Can be aged for a few years to show more complexity. Goes very well with all kinds of seafoods. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
6.Patrice Moreux Corty Artisan La Loge Aux Moines 2017 Pouilly-Fume +18493 Vintages $48: some organic principles are followed, but mainly for fertilizing and limited intervention and then, only when necessary (the producer also follows the lunar cycle during the vinification process). Taste: a juicy palate throughout with citrus tones evidenced on the mid-palate before resolving to more fruitiness and finishing with a minerality that makes it all food-worthy. It's very complementary to richly grilled fish, saucy scallops, creamy poultry, and fresh cheese platters. 13.5% ABV, 2g/L residual sugar. Can be aged another 5 years or so. Don't serve too cold. Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
I also recommend one red, one rose and one white wine from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...some are good values (see below)...now on sale through Sunday August 15 ...
[red] BERONIA RESERVA Rioja +50203 on sale to August 15, now $19.95, down from $21.95.
[white] Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay WO Western Cape South Africa +367698 on sale to August 15, now $14.95, down from $16.95. Buy a case.
[rose] GERARD BERTRAND GRIS BLANC ROSE +14673 on sale to August 15, now $13.75, down from $15.75. Buy a case.
[fizz] LILY SPARKLING ROSÉ VQA +536565 on sale to August 15, now $16.95, down from $17.95.
Under $20
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W+341586 FEATHERSTONE FOUR FEATHERS VQA Niagara Peninsula 2020 $14.95
MVC/QPR: 90.
W+439554 AVONDALE JONTY'S DUCKS PEKIN WHITE WO Paarl 2018 $16.95
MVC/QPR: 89.
Rose+950576 MAS DES BRESSADES CUVÉE TRADITION ROSÉ AP Costières de Nîmes 2020 $17.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+209874 COLUMBIA CREST H3 MERLOT Horse Heaven Hills, Columbia Valley 2018 $19.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+18653 CHÂTEAU LE GARDERA AC Bordeaux Supérieur 2017 $15.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
Over $20
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W+70946 SCHLOSS SCHÖNBORN HATTENHEIMER PFAFFENBERG RIESLING KABINETT Prädikatswein 2018 $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
W+628065 SOUTHBROOK VIDAL SKIN FERMENTED WHITE ORANGE WINE Estate grown, VQA Ontario 2019 $29.95 MVC/QPR: 90.
W+196667 JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE MARNES ET CAILLOTTES SANCERRE AC 2019 $32.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
Rose+490813 JEAN-MAX ROGER LA GRANGE DÎMIÈRE SANCERRE ROSÉ AC 2020 $27.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+317933 PELEE ISLAND VINEDRESSERS MERITAGE VQA South Islands 2016 $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+24430 CHÂTEAU CANTENAC AC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2016 $34.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
Chimo! www.deantudor.com
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