WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for April 29, 2023 release.

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From: "deantudor@yahoo.com" <deantudor@yahoo.com>
To: Dean Tudor Tudor <dtudor@pathcom.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 10:31:45 a.m. EDT
Subject: WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for April 29, 2023 release.

THIS IS THE THIRD BLUE MOON RELEASE FOR APRIL 2023...

WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for April 29, 2023 release.

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 New Wines I Had Tasted ---

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 Food: water biscuits and water
The Contact Person: lisa@androscom.com
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 90

** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these are good value...on sale through Sunday May 21...

[white] +43281 Flat Rock Riesling VQA save $2, LTO price $17.95
[white] +711556 Wakefield Estate Chardonnay Padthaway South Australia save $2, LTO price $15.95
[red] +30163 Cesari Bosan Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore save $4, LTO price $29.95
[red] +681643 Chateau Argadens Bordeaux Superieur save $3, LTO price $16.95
[red] +226944 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon save $3, LTO price $26.95
[red] +59311 Seven Deadly Zins Old Vines Zinfandel Lodi save $3, LTO price $21.95
[red] +419770 C. Smith Wines of Substance Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State save $3, LTO price $21.95.
[splurge] +996405 Stag's Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa save $5, LTO price $66.95
[fizz] +12619 Vilmart Grand Reserve 1er Cru Champagne save $5, LTO price $68.95


MAJOR THEME: SMART SUMMER BUYS

Wines Under $20
=========
FIZZ+16602 ALBINO ARMANI EXTRA DRY CONEGLIANO VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO $18.95 MVC/QPR: 92.
W+186346 SIDEWOOD CHARDONNAY 2019 AUSTRALIA $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
W+89029 TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA RIESLING 2021 VQA $19.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
W+99309 LEYDA GARUMA SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 CHILE $17.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
W+31090 ROUTE 62 SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 SOUTH AFRICA $15.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+444687 LA POSTA FAZZIO MALBEC 2020 ARGENTINA $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+28081 VIÑALBA PATAGONIA RESERVA MALBEC 2020 $19.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+523001 CAVE SPRING ESTATE GROWN CABERNET FRANC 2020 VQA $19.95 MVC/QPR: 92.
R+29978 DOMAINE DES TERRES DORÉES LE RONSAY BEAUJOLAIS 2021 $19.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+24495 CHÂTEAU MAISON NOBLE SAINT MARTIN 2019 BORDEAUX $16.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+396382 ZACCAGNINI TRALCETTO MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2020 $16.95 MVC/QPR: 89.

Wines Over $20
=========
FIZZ+19346 THE FOREIGN AFFAIR BRUT ROSÉ SPARKLING VQA $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
FIZZ+499442 DOMAINE STE. MICHELLE BRUT ROSÉ SPARKLING $24.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
W+483875 THE TRAGICALLY HIP AHEAD BY A CENTURY CHARDONNAY VQA 2021 $21.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+633628 MISSION HILL FAMILY ESTATE RESERVE MERITAGE 2020 BCVQA $31.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+17239 BACHELDER LES VILLAGES GAMAY NOIR 2020 VQA $25.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+33894 LE CLOS JORDANNE JORDAN VILLAGE PINOT NOIR 2020 VQA $29.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+86363 WILDASS RED 2018 VQA $21.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+632984 PIERRE LURTON BORDEAUX 2016 $21.95 MVC/QPR: 89.
R+579094 CAPARZO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2017 $51.95 MVC/QPR: 89.



Dean Tudor, Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
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