WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for JANUARY 22, 2022

WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES:  under/over $20 for JANUARY 22, 2022

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 I Tasted Over the Past Fortnight ---

REPORT ON RED WINES FROM RIBERA DEL DUERO SPAIN –

Spain's Ribera del Duero is home to the most Spanish iconic wine estates—- Vega Sicilia and Tinto Pesquera. Both have defined the taste and style of Ribera del Duero. This region has more great wines than any other in Spain.

-Hermanos Penez Pascuas El Pedrosal Crianza 2016 Ribera del Duero, LCBO +540070 $18.95:
a basic entry level wine at a good price for Ribera wines. Actually, it is rare to find Ribera del Duero for under $20 in Canada. This is all tempranillo from 20 year old vines, aged 12 months in a mix of French and American oak barrels. There's a lot of wine packed into this bottle. Although medium-bodied, it is warm and spicy, floral, with toasted ripe fruit and oak tones. Charcuterie and cheese boards work very well here as food pairings. 14.5% ABV, 4 g/L residual sugar. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

-Legon Premium Vina Vilano 2018 Pedrosa Ribera del Duero, LCBO +270645 $29.95: 100% tempranillo, aged two years in French oak. Vineyards are 90 years old (on average) with some at 100 years plus. Rich nose, "pumpkin pie" spices, cooked plums, berries. Long wooded tannins with some olive complexity and a slightly bitterish finish. Should be great with all manner of roasts. Dryish, dense rich and plush on the mid-palate. 14% ABV, 2 g/L residual sugar. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

-Real Sitio de Ventosilla Pradorey Finca la Mina Reserva 2015, LCBO +995191 $36.95: 95% tempranillo, 3% cabernet sauvignon and 2% merlot, from a single vineyard. 18 months in French oak, six months in Nevers oak vats. Very savoury in tone (the cab and merlot seem to contribute nuances of eucalyptus), yummy fruit which just gets better as it aerates (do a double decant). Classic complex wine for Ribera del Duero at the median price point: black and red baked fruit (cherries, plums, berries) and even some garrigue in its herbs and smokey spices. Finish is smooth and velvety. Tasted over several days. 14.5% ABV, 2 g/L residual sugar. Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

-Penafiel Silencio de Miros 2015 Raphael Vineyard Ribera del Duero, LCBO +21214 $86: 100% tempranillo grown at 1000 metres, aged in new French oak barrels. Fruity aromatic compounds are extracted: red currants, plums, forest floor nuances, raisinated grapes, mocha, spices, new oak tones, even a touch of sherry. At the end, everything comes together with a melding of flavours, in an extremely long finish. Tasted over several days. Probably even better after some aging, say a decade more in bottle through 2032. This vintage was rated at 96 points by Decanter in 2018. 14.5% ABV, 2 g/L residual sugar. Quality/Price rating is 94+ points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.

** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these  are good value...on sale  through Sunday January 30...
 
[red]+168716  M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon-Villages was $13.95 LTO for $11.95 Save $2 until Jan 30 [buy a case!]
[rose]+279661 L'ORANGERAIE ROSE PAYS D'OC Sas Vignobles Lorgeril  WAS: $ 11.80  LTO for $ 9.80 SAVE: $ 2  Until Jan 30 [buy a case!]
[white]+286377 Cave Spring Estate Riesling regularly $19.95, LTO for $17.95 Save $2 until Jan 30
[splurge fizz] +462432 PIPER HEIDSIECK BRUT CHAMPAGNE  WAS: $ 60.30 LTO NOW: $ 55.30 SAVE: $ 5.00  Until Jan 30 – great for St. Valentine's Day

Jan 22 Wines Under $20
=========
W+389726    BOYA SAUVIGNON BLANC    Sustainable, Coast Zone, DO Valle de Leyda    2020    $14.95  MVC/QPR:  89.
R+160226    MONTE DEL FRÁ LENA DI MEZZO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO    DOC    2019    $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+488015    QUINTA DO ESPÍRITO SANTO    Vinho Regional Lisboa    2017    $13.95 MVC/QPR:  89


Jan 22 Wines Over $20
=========
Fizz+23971    JACQUES BRUÉRE CAP CLASSIQUE BLANC DE BLANCS SPARKLING    Traditional method, WO Robertson, South Africa    2011    $25.95  MVC/QPR:  89.
Fizz+113035    PELLER ESTATES SIGNATURE SERIES ICE CUVÉE SPARKLING ROSÉ    Traditional method, Icewine dosage, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario $36.95 MVC/QPR:  89
R+638445    MORANDÉ ADVENTURE VIGNO VIGNADORES OLD VINES DRY-FARMED CARIGNAN    Valle del Maule    2018    $28.95  MVC/QPR:  89.
R+12736    ENRICO SERAFINO PICOTENER NEBBIOLO    DOC Langhe    2018    $41.95 MVC/QPR:  89.
R+342824    CANNONBALL MERLOT    California    2019    $22.95  MVC/QPR:  89.

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus Ryerson School of Journalism