Sept.29th, Tuscany and Turkey

This release focuses on Tuscany, Thanksgiving, and Pinot Noirs from Oz and NZ. If I was independently wealthy, I might think this is a pretty good release. I’m not, so I think it has a few high points but overall, I’m a little let down. We’re not yet to Thanksgiving on the calendar and already you can see the prices climbing at your friendly, local LCBO Vintages section. Is it just my imagination or is Christmas coming early for our friends at the monopoly?  
 I understand the global interest in Tuscany means the wines do not come cheap but while the Tuscan focus is an interesting cross section of the various DOCGs and IGTs available, the majority find themselves in my Big Bucks category.

The Aussie/NZ Pinots, I can take or leave, so I’ll mostly leave them and the Thanksgiving feature has pretty pictures of food and wines to match but not much else going for it.

Must I buy much from this release? Nope. And a few of the ones I must buy are over my ceiling so I mustn’t buy them. There are just enough must buys to give it a VRSS score of 58.

THE WHITES OF THE RELEASE
A comment here, one of the nicest wines for summer sipping is a good, well priced Vinho Verde. It’s no longer summer but now we finally get one! Earth to the LCBO – timing is everything!

TWO SAUVIGNON BLANCS from NZ – the Babich Black Label ($17.95) and the Dog Point ($21.95) are both an excellent accompaniments to  seafood and shellfish.

SIMONSIG CHENIN AVEC CHENE 2009 - $28.95 – Want something a little different to try with your turkey? Go for this South African Chenin Blanc. It’ll be oaky and not cheap but high quality. Actually,  if you can still find some of the Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc from the July release, save yourself $11.00 and buy it.

SUB $30 TUSCAN SELECTIONS

TOSCOLO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2006 - $24.95 – I’m a sucker for a really good  C C R from a great vintage. Here we are.

MICHELE SATTA BOLGHERI ROSSO 2009 - $19.95 – From the producer of two of my favourite Italian wines (Piastraia and Cavaliere), this is the lone sub $20 offering worthy of inclusion and it makes it here on Satta’s name alone for now.

RUFFINO MODUS 2008 - $28.95 – This might not be quite up to the last two years’ efforts but is still a very good option.

DEI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2008 - $28.95 – Dark fruits, some licorice or anisette, an OK wine.

LA PUPILLE POGGIO VALENTE MORELLINO DI SCANSCANO RISERVA 2007 – $29.95 – Worthy of a try.

THE REDS

LUCA MALBEC 2009 $29.95 – On the heels of the last release’s Luca Chardonnay selection comes another from the Catena family of wineries and fine wines. The LUCA wines promote regional terroir and reflect the high quality we’ve come to expect from Catena. This is annually a very good example of Argentina’s steak wine capability if a little pricey.  

CATHEDRAL CELLARS TRIPTYCH 2008 - $16.95 – Very good producer of crowd pleasing, quality wines. This one a blend of the big three reds – Cab sauv, Shiraz and merlot that’ll provide lots of pleasure around a late season BBQ of burgers or brats (sausages that is, not misbehaving children).

FINCA FLICHMAN PASAIJE DE BARRANCAS 2009 - $17.95 – Typically Argentina, with big flavours that require equally big grilled red meat. They found a great review.

BEAULIEU VINEYARDS BV CAB SAUV 2009 - $25.95 – Slightly more Bordeaux than Napa in style but $25.95? C’mon, you can do better than that!

HOGUE GENESIS MERLOT 2008 $18.95 - Stimmell likes it which means it’ll be a pleasant, simple wine for early fall BBQ’s. Price wise, this should be $15.95 or less.

CHATEAU MAISON BLANCHE 2009 $19.95 – BP recommends a Bordeaux! Are those hogs hovering outside your second story window? Well priced and a terrific review. Give it lots of air if you open it soon, otherwise, let it rest for a time.

LES VIGNES BILA- HAUT COTES DE ROUSILLON VILLAGES 2010 $14.95 – Expect to be pleasantly surprised by this one, in a Cotes du Rhone Villages kind of way. Is it a 92-94 point wine? Nah, but you won’t regret it with grilled souvlakis, burgers or rotisseried chicken. Your problem will be finding it. At this price and with that Parker score, it’ll be gone in a flash.

DOMAINE DE BILA-HAUT OCCULTUM LAPIDEM 2009 $24.95 – As I’ve said before, I love reading those David Schildknecht reviews and this wine gets a recommendation just so you might read his review. They always contain snooty, over the top wine vernacular that is impossible not to like. Malolactic fermentation meets William F Buckley if you will.  Anyhow, back to the wine. This Chapoutier offering  has jumped in price over the last few years and it’s my opinion that quality-wise, what’s in the bottle  doesn’t merit the increase. And don’t let the LCBO tell you it’s due to currency fluctuations. A year ago a Cdn dollar bought 4.8 francs, now it’ll buy anywhere  between 5.2 and 5.4. This should be in the $19.95 range. My recommendation? Forget this and buy more of the $19.95 Gigondas that was in the previous release.

XAVIER COTES DU RHONE 2010 - $15.95 – Another ‘whatever happened to $12.95 Cotes du Rhones?’ wine from the stellar 2010 vintage. (See Canadian dollar vs. French Franc above.)

BIG BUCKS

Welcome to Tuscany my friends!

PIAN DELLE VIGNE 2006 – $59.95 - From a terrific vintage in Brunello and from a family whose life is steeped in the tradition of Tuscan winemaking.  This one provides a real temptation to ignore my self imposed $ ceiling on wine. Fruitier than many and more receptive in its youth, this is always a smashingly good wine.

SILVIO NARDI 2007 BRUNELLO -$41.95 – This’ll need time to soften and open, but is well priced for a Brunello.

LIVIO SASSETTI 2005 BRUNELLO - $39.95 – Not up to ’06 and ’07 Vintage wise, but perhaps better grapes than normal because no reserve wine was made during this vintage. Again, time is required so lay it down or open with your morning coffee to serve with supper.

POGGIO AL TESSORO SONDRAIA 2008 - $44.95 – Made the WS Top 100 last year, this Bordeaux blend from Tuscany is a worthy  cellar candidate.

JACOPO BIONDI SASSOALLORO 2008 – $35.95 - Black fruits predominate in this IGT blend.

TENUTA SETTE PONTI ORENO 2009 - $71.95- A glowing review from Galloni marks this one as a must have if you have the bucks.

FREEMARK ABBEY CABERNET 2008 -  A terrific cab, under $40 if just, the written review finds red fruit which I think is unusual for Napa. I usually find it much blacker – bing cherries into black currants with cedar.

CATENA ZAPATA NICASIA VINEYARD MALBEC 2008 – $89.95- A single vineyard offering from the famed La Consulta region of the Uco Valley in the Mendoza this should be a smashing wine. But, it’s way over my price ceiling. Damn, where’s that winning lottery ticket?

LA CRAU DE MA MERE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2010 - $44.95 – Spices, cherry and licorice from a terrific vintage. Make a note and remember this one. It  may be worth holding out for a future markdown.


And don't miss Paso man in the previous blog entry!