WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for JULY 22, 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
https://pages.pathcom.com/~dtudor 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
https://pages.pathcom.com/~dtudor 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).
MAJOR THEME: USA WINES
Wines Under $20
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Fizz+29948 Faustino Brut Reserva Cava [trad method] Spain, $17.95, MVC/QPR: 89
W+20599 Featherstone Pinot Grigio 2022 VQA, $17.95, MVC/QPR: 90
W+ 224642 Joseph Cattin Pinot Blanc 2021 Alsace, $16.95, MVC/QPR: 89
W+599274 Dr. L Riesling 2021 Mosel, $16.95, MVC/QPR: 89
W+573683 Ferzo Abruzzo Pecorino Superiore 2021, $17.95, MVC/QPR: 89
W+711556 Wakefield Estate Label Chardonnay 2021 South Australia, $17.95, MVC/QPR: 89
W+21151 Alvi's Drift Signature Chardonnay 2021 Western Cape SA, $14.95, MVC/QPR: 89
W+19635 Albino Armani Corvara Pinot Grigio 2022 Veneto, $19.95, MVC/QPR: 90
Rose+20359 13th Street Expression Series Cabernet Franc Rose 2022 VQA, $17.95, MVC/QPR: 89
Rose+71712 Wildass Rose 2022 VQA, $19.95, MVC/QPR: 90
Rose+24747 La Posta Malbec Rose 2022 Mendoza, $16.95, MVC/QPR: 89
Rose+24746 Boschendal Chardonnay/Pinot Noir Rose 2022 South Africa, $18.95, MVC/QPR: 89
Rose+30445 Cabriz Rose 2022 Dao, $14.95, MVC/QPR: 88
R+Monasterio de las Vinas Reserva Garnacha/Tempranillo/Carinena 2018 Sp., $17.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+30525 Skyfall Red Blend 2020 Washington State, $18.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+Ponte Pellegrino Aglianico 2018 Campania, $15.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+270306 Masserie Pisari Primitivo 2021 Puglia, $16.95, MVC/QPR: 89
Wines Over $20
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W+70631 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling 2021 Finger Lakes, $29.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+284570 Tawse Growers Blend Cabernet Franc 2020 VQA, $29.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+269357 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Washington State, $21.95, MVC/QPR: 90
R+28574 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage 2019, $41, MVC/QPR: 89
R+331900 E. Guigal Gigondas 2019, $47.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+508655 Planeta Frappato 2021 Sicily, $24.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+483412 Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso 2020, $41.95, MVC/QPR: 89
R+31408 Heredis Nebbiolo 2021 Langhe Italy, $27.95,MVC/QPR: 89
***LIMITED TIME OFFERS: Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these are good value...on sale through Sunday August 13...
Rose+552562 Speck Bros. Three Hearts Rose VQA, $17.95, save $2
Fizz+256289 Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 Sparkling Nova Scotia, now $23.95, save $2
W+350041 Paco & Lola Albarino Rias Baixas Spain, now $22.95, save $2
W+316570 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, now $18.95, save $3
W+392597 Chloe Chardonnay Monterey California, now $16.95, save $3
W+13293 Villa Maria Chardonnay East Coast NZ, now $16, save $2
R+408658 Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Chile, now $20.95, save $3
[splurge]R+ 300012 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, now $74.95, save $4
** Some New Wines I Tasted Over the Past While (about 20 of them) ---
1.Featherstone Estate Winery Four Feathers 2022 VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 +341586 (their first general list wine at the LCBO, to be released in June): a summer social sipper or quaffer, combining 41.6% riesling and 40.7% chardonnay with 15.9% sauvignon blanc and balance pinot grigio – all highly aromatic grapes. The percentages change from vintage to vintage depending on vineyard conditions. Stainless steel fermentation. Typical fruit flavours to be found include pineapple, melon, lemon, some mango, and some sweet parts of citric tones near the finish. A popular seller with 2501 cases. Incredibly fresh and fruity tones for summer. Vegan friendly. 15g/L residual sugar. 12.9% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
2.Featherstone Estate Winery Black Sheep Riesling 2021 VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 +80234 Vintages Essential: more in the Mosel mode than Rhine wine, this delicious all Riesling sipper is loaded with a nose of citrus highlights (lemon, plentiful lime, grapefruit) evolving to Ontario orchard fruit on the mid-palate with some minerality and a long finish which also makes it nifty food wine for many Asiatic dishes. Medium body, off-dry. Suitable for aging (to get that "petrol" character). 1429 cases made. 9.5% ABV. Consistent vintage RS 21 g/L. Vegan friendly. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
3.Featherstone Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2022 VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 +89011 Vintages October 7: 20% of this wine went into neutral Canadian oak barrel for fermentation, leaving 80% for stainless steel. That contributed to the softness and to the muted tones of grassiness. Tropical flowers are accented rather than tropical fruit, and this too adds to its dryness culminating with ending citrus notes for a long finish. It's a great wine for savvy lovers who go for complexity rather than just herbs. At the same time, this allows for more food choices. Only 408 cases. Vegan friendly. 5 g/L residual sugar, 12.7% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
4.Featherstone Estate Winery Canadian Oak Chardonnay 2021 VQA Niagara Peninsula $24.95 +149302 Vintages September 23: one of my faves. Over the years it has simply gotten better as the grapevines matured. Wild indigenous yeast is used. Good mid-tone oaky component (it is very easy to say it is mid-way between French and US oak) from the use of nearby Canadian oak trees. 10% new oak, 90% 1 to 5 year old. Terrific ripe orchard fruit aromas and palate. Plus vanillin and cream after the mid-palate leading to citric food-friendly finish. Needs more time for balancing, but then at that moment it will be awesome. Vegan friendly. 328 cases. 12.5% ABV. 1.2 g/L residual sugar. Quality/Price rating is 93 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
5.Featherstone Estate Winery Pinot Grigio 2022 VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 +20599 Vintages July 22: this is a highly competitive category, but Featherstone goes up very well against the other PGs in Ontario, especially with its slight yellow colour. Its colour and even its taste can slot it into the rose category, or even the "orange" wine area. Typical nuances include off-dry orchard fruit (peach, pear, apple) with some aromatic melon-ish overtones. It is refreshing on the mid-palate, finishing with slightly bitter citric notes. That makes it both a sipper and a food wine, suitable as a pre-prandial in the summer. There is some Ontario cranberry tartness and some melon sweetness, but also with some peach notes. Stainless steel all the way, with half being pressed immediately and half left to soak on skins before pressing. Vegan friendly. 10g/L residual sugar. 12% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
6.Featherstone Estate Winery Phoenix 2022 VQA Niagara Peninsula $18.95 +519025 Vintages August 19: Gewurztraminer done up in stainless steel, very Alsatian in style, with concentrated fruit, off-dry on the mid-palate, spicy with a tad of bitter on the finish, great with Asiatic foods or any spicy foods. Or wonderful as an aperitif by the deck/patio/pool/terrace/balcony. Capable of improvement over the next few years.
Vegan friendly. Strictly limited at 75 cases total production. 10 g/L residual sugar. 12.3% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
7.Featherstone Estate Winery Frostbite Select Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2022 VQA Niagara Peninsula [half-bottle] $29.95 at winery retail store: On the nose, very aromatic with major tropical tones of melons and lychees, very much in the fruity Alsatian style of "tardif" gewurztraminer. Yum. Cool fermentation in stainless steel, with typical concentrated gewurztraminer modes of lychees, spices, limes, some roses on the mid-palate. Best as a desert wine by the deck or porch or pool, or with fragrant cheeses, spicy and/or creamy dessert foods, with a tad of bitter on the finish. Great with Asiatic foods. Vegan friendly. 112 cases. 14% ABV. Residual sugar is 66g/L. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
8.Featherstone Estate Winery Rose 2022 VQA Niagara Peninsula $16.95 +117861 Vintages May 27: over the years, this rose has had varying amounts of grape varieties – all dependent on what wily winemaker David Johnson sees as the best possible blend. In the past it has had pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, as well as gamay noir, merlot, chardonnay, and cabernet franc. This latest vintage (2022) has cabernet sauvignon 49%, cabernet franc 18.7%, gamay noir 18.7%, and pinot noir 13.7%. It's an extremely useful wine for any event, any occasion, with any food, or just alone as a sipper on the beach/patio/deck/terrace/backyard/porch/balcony – even in front of a roaring fireplace (as I did just this week when the temperature dropped). Expect plenty of red fruit tones in its deliciousness. Great price. Vegan friendly. 1148 cases. 11.8g/L residual sugar, 12.8% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
9.Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2021 VQA Niagara Peninsula $21.95 +64618
Vintages Essential: a consistent blend of 95% cabernet franc and 5% merlot. All US oak was used – 25% new barrels for 10 months. Full malolactic fermentation. Medium-bodied with an assortment of tastes of cherry-berries and plums, some leafy qualities. Black pepper. Long, long finish showing tart-ish food-loving acid balances. Should go well with BBQ veggies. Keep for another few years (I tasted one bottle over a week). Vegan friendly. 2067 cases. 1.7 g/L residual sugar. 12.2% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
10.Featherstone Estate Winery Red Tail Merlot 2021 VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 Vintages +131540: Merlot is still recovering from its dissing by Pinot Noir in the movie "Sideways". But a lot of wineries still enjoy making it. David Johnson the winemaker has here produced a delightfully fruity but dryish drop that is also affordable. Aged 10 months in French oak (25% new), 100% malolactic fermentation. Expect black fruit cherry-berry complexity, headed by cassis. Both a patio sipper and a food wine, and ready now for current drinking and accompanying any kind of comfort food. Vegan friendly. 499 cases made. RS 2.3 g/L 13% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
11.Featherstone Estate Winery Gamay Noir 2021 VQA Niagara Peninsula $18.95 winery retail store: medium-full-bodied, suggestive of lighter Beaujolais wines such as Fleurie. Dark cherry-berry flavours dominate, but there is added spicing and even some nuances of earthiness and eucalyptus (the wine is oaked for ten months in US barrels). Good with BBQ, cheese, or something substantial, but a tannic/tart structure of refreshing cranberies is present to carry through a whole meal. 348 cases produced. Vegan friendly. 11.5% ABV, Residual sugar 1.3g/L. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
12.Springs Road Kangaroo Island Shiraz 2017 Estate Grown, Vintages +30753, $32.95: a very nicely aged shiraz, bottled in August 2018 after 12 months in French oak, 30% new. Aromatics include plenty of riper black fruit tones (blackberry, black cherry) plus some mint and anise. A full-bodied wine but with soft tannins and some jamminess. Some saline notes detected (from the sea?) matched by black pepper and leather tones. The mid-palate has developed mocha notes, while the finish picks up some oaking. While the weather was wet in both winter and spring and the harvest was four weeks late, the resulting yield was very much reduced but with concentrated fruit. It shows well. Tasted over a few days with no real loss of flavours. 14.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
13.At the LCBO, you can currently find 332 coolers. Of course, no store carries them all. But the LCBO's website (
www.lcbo.com) does list them all. The largest sub-category is "coolers and cocktails" with 180 products, followed by "seltzers and sodas" with 105. "Teas and Caesars" take up the rest. Typical size is about a 355 mL can or a 473 mL can (size will vary) with 5.5% ABV and priced under $3. Sugar content varies wildly. I thought that I would drop a line or two about one of the newest, from the Aloette restaurant group. They've already launched "Espresso Martini Fizz" ($2.45, 473 mL can) and now they are back for a second launch: Southside Fizz ($2.95, 355 mL can, 5.5%ABV). It's a pre-made or pre-fab version of the basic Cucumber Mint Gimlet aka Eastside (or Southside) Cocktail aka Cucumber Gin and (if fizzy) Tonic. So it's got London Dry Gin, mint, cucumber juice, lime juice, sugar, and seltzer water. I'm a wine guy so I passed it over to my wife who's a gin aficionado. This cooler is light and citrusy on the palate, and would be more enjoyable if you deeply chill it and serve it on the rocks: it is the start of the patio season.
And now, quite a quartet set of wines, released by Chateau des Charmes (at winery and online) --
14.CHATEAU DE CHARMES EQUULEUS 2020 Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard, VQA St. David's Bench. +319525, $60 at winery and online: made from a traditional blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Cabernet Franc (25%) and Merlot (25%), but only made in good years (earlier vintages had all three grapes at varying levels such as, at one time, 53% cab sauv/34% cab franc/13% merlot and other blends; all was dependent on the harvest). The last vintage I tasted was 2010. The 2020 spent 16 months in small French oak, with each variety aged separately. After blending it is aged further in French oak casks for several months. Tons of concentrated Bordeaux flavours, all the dark black berries and mocha, but some years away from mellowing well. It's a Meritage wine in that Bordeaux-style blend, with plenty of black fruit and some smoke. Cellar this wine another 5 years, or else do a double decant (maybe even more) to accelerate the aging process. Tasted over a number of days – and it kept getting better. A good meaty wine for strong-flavoured grilled meats. Residual sugar 0.4 g/L. 13% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 94 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
15.CHATEAU DES CHARMES CABERNET FRANC 2020 St. David's Bench Vineyard, VQA St. David's Bench, +453415 $44.95 at winery and online: it has been some years since I last tasted their St. David's Bench Cabernet Franc; they have a continual winner of a brooding wine that could have been diverted to Equuleus. It has some over-the-top full-bodied black spicy fruit while still retaining some cranberries and bell peppers, slightly augmented with a herby edge of pine/cedar/tobacco leaf tones. Aged for a year in 1 – 2 year-old toasted French oak. Sip as a meditative drink or with red meat/cheese (the winery suggests any herb-encrusted meats). Cork closure. I opened my bottle and did a double-decant followed by several days of open bottle sampling. Residual sugar at 0.5 g/L. 12% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
16.CHATEAU DES CHARMES CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020 St. David's Bench Vineyard, VQA St. David's Bench, +935957 $44.95 at winery and online: this is the only single variety Cabernet Sauvignon that Chateau des Charmes makes, and not every year. Aged in small 1 – 2 year old French oak for 12 months. Loaded with dark choco-berry and mocha tones, and smooth all over, good balance between fruit-acid-wood. Ready now but will benefit from a cellaring of up to five years. This is Bordeaux quality as a food wine – upfront cassis, tobacco leaf, mocha. Should be great with shanks (lamb, veal, pork, drumsticks) or oxtail, even necks or cheeks. Residual sugar at 0.3 g/L. 13% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
17.CHATEAU DES CHARMES MERLOT 2020 St David's Bench Vineyard, VQA St David's Bench, +453431, $44.95 at winery and online: made only in the best years, 2012 was the last vintage I had tasted. Rich and ripe cassis, cherry, cedar tones from one year barrel aging in French oak. As is typical with Merlot, you'll get a velvet soft finish with enjoyable finishing tannins. Give it two or more years, or do double-decanting. Residual sugar at 0.5 g/L. 13% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
18.Lacey Estates Paradise Sparkling Rose [formerly Paradise Petit Petillant Rose] 2021 Prince Edward County $24. A delightful drink made from pinot noir grapes, very fruity and off-dry in a cream soda mode (raspberries, strawberries, creamy texture) with some watermelon and a lemon-lime-grassiness complexity at the finish. A good aperitif, or with a late course such as a cheese board with dried fruit or a fresh fruit dessert. Crown cap makes it easy to open. 12% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
19.Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery Pinot Gris VQA Creek Shores 2020 $27.95.
I'm not a fan of pinot grigio, but I adore pinot gris. It's the same grape, but it is produced differently, like syrah and shiraz are produced differently. In both cases it's a question of terroir and winemaking skills. Here the pinot gris has more colour and more body: some of Wending Home is late picked and has that nose of melons and orchard fruit, not to mention unctuousnes on the palate. Cool fementation in stainless steel gives this a rich and ripe sensibility, with minerality and some pear drops on the length which seems to have a higher acid finish very suitable for a wide range of food. Very well done in that Alsatian pinot gris style. 13% ABV. 2g/L residual sugar. 223 cases made. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
20.Konzelmann Estate Winery Chardonnay Barrel Aged 2020 Reserve Series VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95. Konzelmann has been making this style of barrel-aged chardonnay (in French oak barrels) since the last century. It has some plush fruit with some modest oak tones of vanilla and cream. Expect a combination of caramel, green apple, under-ripe peaches – smooth all the way through the finish. A basic crowd pleaser as an aperitif or as a first-course wine. Do not overchill. 12% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
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
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures
