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Getting the best of Vintages in Cottage Country
Winners from British Columbia
©
Michael Vaughan 2004
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday,
July 3, 2004
www.winefind.ca
(CLICK ON THE NAME - All listings are automatically linked to the LCBO database)
If there is a product that interests you, just click on the name below and you will instantaneously connected with the LCBO database. The product will appear in blue and all you have to do is click on the name again and then the next screen will provide details along with the store search. Just click on store search. The number of bottles in each store is updated nightly. You should call the store first to see if stock still remains (each store phone number is listed).
With
next Saturday’s Vintages release at hand, it is essential to plan ahead
if you have any hope of getting that great wine into cottage country. To
make things easier, until October 11, Vintages is offering a selection of
its monthly products in some 43 LCBO stores scattered across cottage
country (see the list click
here).
You can contact your local store directly to see if they will be carrying
the product you want, because if they don’t, you have up until 11 am
Tuesday, July 6th, to place your order.
The
July release is huge with a record shattering 200 items coming up in
Vintages. In order to help you plan ahead, here are some highlights from
the next Saturday’s, July 10th release. First focusing on the
whites, there are four OkanaganValley entries, two Chards are worth a
detour. First, Quail’s
Gate 2002 Limited
Release Chardonnay
(377770) at only $15.95 is a well-priced bargain. Light yellow colour, it
has a spicy, ripe lemon, dried pear nose and is very dry and crisp with
those dried ripe pear flavours shining through. It works perfectly with
seafood.
Jackson-Triggs
2001 Chardonnay Proprietors Grand Reserve
(643452 $19.95) is no slouch. Although a year older, it is offers an
appealing, gently honeyed, ripe Anjou pear nose. Bright and medium bodied,
the gently toasty, dried pear and red applesauce flavours show good
length. This crowd pleaser is now at its peak, so drink up.
If
you are looking for something from California, R.H.
Phillips 2002 Toasted Head Chardonnay
(594341
$19.95) from the Dunnigan Hills hits the spot. Fairly deep yellow
colour, it has a complex, toasty, sweet pear purée nose and dry, very
spicy, bright, lemon-melon flavours with a lingering, cedary finish. Try
it with chicken and white meats.
Those
who eschew Chard should love this new fine summer refresher, which hails
from northern Italy’s Alto Adige region. The light straw coloured
Cantina
Tramin 2003 Pinot Grigio
(627059 - $15.95) has a subtle, gently honeyed nose with hints of
fresh red apple. On the palate you will find it bright and tangy with ripe
apricot and red apple flavours with a crisp finish.
My
best buy July 10th highlight is the
individualistic Ironstone
Vineyards 2003 Sauvignon Blanc
(692350 - $15.95) Made from the Sauvignon Blanc Musqué clone from the
Sierra Foothills. It has a light yellow colour and attractive, very
lively, sweetish, ripe rhubarb nose with honey suckle notes. It is
delicious and ready to drink with refreshingly juicy, ripe rhubarb crumble
flavours. Thankfully some 500 cases are available meaning that you should
actually have a chance in tracking some bottles down.
Moving
on to July 10th reds, there are two more winners from BC. The
first is the gold medal winning top red from last year’s Canadian Wine
Awards. Don’t miss Jackson-Triggs
Okanagan Estate 2001 Meritage Proprietors’ Grand Reserve
(643460 - $24.95). It comes with a hefty 13.9% alcohol and has a very deep
intense purple colour. The nose is rather spicy and gently earthy with
smoky, baked black cherry notes. It is fairly rich and slightly smoky with
plummy, red pepper purée flavours and a long cedary finish. Great with a
rare rib steak.
Next
a surprisingly tasty, very well priced Mission
Hill 2002 Pinot Noir Reserve
(545012) at $17.95. This Okanagan Valley gem has an attractive, bright,
ripe red cherry nose with hints of black pepper. It is well balanced and
medium-light bodied with spicy, bright, ripe cherry flavours. This
versatile, crowd pleaser will make you wonder why you shelled out so much
cash for some of those pricey off shore Pinot Noirs.
France
has a bevy of fine food-friendly reds. An excellent value from the Rhone
is Delas
Frères 2001 Côtes-Du-Rhône Saint-Esprit
(729962) at $16.95, which would work well with roast beef. The nose is
quite spicy with sun-dried tomato, sweetish black cherry and smoldering
fire notes. Look for very tangy, dried plum, sun dried tomato flavours
with a smoky finish.
Saving
the best for last are two classics. The first is an Instore Discovery from
the Minervois region of French Midi Charles
Frédéric 2000 Réserve de Vese Philharmonie
(626887). At only $16.95 (only 75 cases available), this best buy has a
smoky, red pepper, dusty plum and chocolate nose. It is solid and complex
with slightly smoky, ripe baked plum and chocolate flavours. A big wine
that stands up to reds costing twice the price.
Last
is stellar value from Bordeaux. This St-Emilion has appeared before and is
an instant sell out. Make a beeline to 2001
Château Les Cabannes
(743377) at $24.95. It is made by ex-Torontonian Peter Kjellberg who was
the first Canadian to graduate from the prestigious Faculty of Oenology at
the University of Bordeaux and bought the property in 1997. The nose is
very attractive with earthy, ripe plum and Merlot mocha. Well balanced and
dry but accessible, Chateau Les Cabannes has rounded, ripe plum, chocolate
and sandalwood flavours with a lingering, finish. Don’t miss it.
2001-2002-2003-2004
Tasting Note Database
Our
tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to June 2004, covers every
Vintages release product for the past 42 months. There are more than 7,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product,
supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country
of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. Also you can get information on the agent by clicking on the
agent’s name, as well as current LCBO store inventory by clicking on
"Check
LCBO Availability", which will automatically tell you the
number of bottles at LCBO as of last night.
To use our winefind.ca Tasting Notes Database: click here
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2004
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
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Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net