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 for 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 Proseccos I Tasted Over the Past While ---
ONE -- The Date and Time: Tuesday October 11, 2022 10:30AM - 4PM
The Event: Milano Wine Week International Masterclass Program
The Venue: Aria Ristorante, 25 York Street
The Target Audience: sommeliers, wine agents, wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: There were two wineries involved, one with an Ontario agent – VALDO (Wine Online) and MASSOTINA.
The Quote/Background: The first seminar was a web show presentation seminar from Italy, "From Veneto to Friuli: exploring different terroirs and wine styles" by VALDO winery (a Bolla company) with various speakers such as their chief winemaker Gianfranco Zanon and Matteo Bolla. The second seminar was a blind tasting of six MASOTTINA wines, in "Exploring Prosecco styles and terroir". It too was a web show, but with participation in Milan, London, New York and Toronto. Both seminars had simultaneous translations when needed. Cristina Mercuri with Filippo Bartolotta spoke on the wines, with emphasis on: Brut/Extra Dry is just a question of dosage and taste?
The Wines: The six Masottina Proseccos were two different samples (Brut and Extra Dry) of three wine levels: Rive di Ogliano, Contrada Granda, and Calmaggiore, all Glera. But with different terroirs
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Valdo Cuvee 1926 Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry 16g/L RS, 90Glera/10Chardonnay
-Valdo Elevantum Rose Prosecco DOC Brut 11.5g/L RS, 90Glera/10PinotNoir [MY FAVE]
-Masottina Collezione RDO Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive di Ogliano DOCG Levante Extra Dry Millesimato. 13.5g/L all Glera [ANOTHER MY FAVE]
-Masottina Collezione Contrada Granda Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 10g/L all Glera
-Masottina Collezione Contrada Granda Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry 14g/L all Glera
-Masottina Collezione Calmaggiore Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut 10g/L all Glera
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Valdo Amor Soli Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Bio Brut 2021 10g/L RS, all Glera
-Valdo Tenuta La Maredana Prosecco DOC Brut 9g/L RS, 85Glera/15PinotNoir $21.99
-Valdo Prosecco Cuvee I Magredi Extra Dry DOC Extra Dry 15g/L RS, all Glera $18.99
-Masottina Collezione RDO Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive di Ogliano DOCG Ponente Brut Millesimato. 6G/L all Glera
-Masottina Collezione Calmaggiore Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry 14g/L all Glera
The Contact Person: Benedetta Marassi b.marassi@ice.it
TWO -- The Date and Time: Monday November 21, 2022 10:30A to noon
The Event: A tasting of Conegliano Valdobbiadene: the heart of Prosecco Superiore DOCG
The Venue: SIPS, Maud Street
The Target Audience: wine media and sommeliers (over two dozen in all)
The Availability/Catalogue: this was a masterclass of higher-end Prosecco wines. These wines were generally not yet available for sale in Ontario, except as specified.
The Quote/Background: Jennifer Huether, MS, was our speaker today, and she ran over the basics of what this Italian region was all about. The hills of CV are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All of the wine made in this DOCG is white; 93% of the wine made here is sparkling. Two sub-regions produce the best Prosecco – Rive and Cartizze. The Martinotti Method (a variation of Charmat) is prescibed. While not every farmed area is organic, glyphosate has been totally banned and growers are moving toward a green sustainability. The overall top quality Proseccos come from these two regions of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, both located between Venice and the Dolomites...and these are at the DOCG level. 105 million bottles are produced every year. Each bottle should have wine that is 85% Glera grape at a minimum, with 15% maximum allowable for other grapes such as pinot nero, chardonnay, and any of some four local varieties.
Pronunciation was basically straightforward: val-doh-bee-ahhh-deh-ne
The Wines: There were 9 wines, and in general I really enjoyed the dryer ones. Each wine had about 11.5% ABV.
**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-L'Antica Quercia Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Nature Sui Lieviti "A" 2020 [organic wine, on lees, bone dry at 0g/L residual sugar]
-Frassinelli Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut Rive di Santa Maria di Feletto 2021 [1.5g/L residual sugar, modest finish]
-Canevel Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Biologico Campofalco Monfalcon Vineyard 2021 [90% glera, 10% verdiso, extended Charmat storage]
-Bottega Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry "Il Vino dei Poeti" [16-18 g/L RS, Noble Estates agency]
-Col Vetoraz Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry [16g/L RS, finishes drier, savoury]
***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Sommariva Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut [9g/L RS, jes peachy with some lemon peel]
-Ruggeri Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Quartese [9g/L RS]
-Perlage Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry Col di Manza [16g/L RS]
-Marsuret Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry Il Soller [16g/L RS]
The Contact Person: lisa@androscom.com
** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these are good value...on sale now through Sunday January 29...
W+258681 G. Marquis Chardonnay VQA The Silver Line $18.95 now $17.20 – save $1.75
W+462846 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay Wash. State $18.95 now $16.95 -- save $2
R+30957 Concha Y Toro Winemaker's Lot 148 Carmenere Chile $19.95 now $16.95 -- save $3
R+360222 Ste Michelle Seven Falls Cabernet Sauvignon Wash. State $23.95 now $20.95-- save $3
R+258673 G. Marquis Pinot Noir VQA The Silver Line $19.95 now $17.95 – save $2
R+328567 Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon South Africa $18.95 now $16.95 -- save $2
MAJOR THEME: California's Key Regions
Wines Under $20
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W+492462 PELEE ISLAND WINERY VINEDRESSERS CHARDONNAY 2017 Ontario Vegan, sustainable, VQA South Islands, Lake Erie North Shore $17.95 MVC/QPR: 92.
W+27626 FONTANAFREDDA CHARDONNAY 2021 Piedmont Vegan, sustainable, DOC Langhe $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+273672 STORIA ANTICA SUPERIORE VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO 2020 Veneto DOC $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+488015 QUINTA DO ESPÍRITO SANTO 2018 Lisboa Vinho Regional Lisboa $14.95
MVC/QPR: 89.
Wines Over $20
=========
R+213132 LA PIEVE BAROLO 2018 Piedmont DOCG $39.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+328385 COLCHESTER RIDGE CREW CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 Ontario VQA Lake Erie North Shore $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+26094 DELHEIM GRAND RESERVE 2017 Stellenbosch WO Stellenbosch $29.95
MVC/QPR: 89.
Fizz+294181 ROEDERER ESTATE BRUT SPARKLING Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California $44.95 MVC/QPR: 90
Sherry+28617 LUSTAU RIO VIEJO OLOROSO Jerez DO, Spain $25.70 MVC/QPR: 90
Dean Tudor, Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.comhttp://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures
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