Wines to chill down seem to be the best summer sippers given the official heat wave we are presently undertaking and there are several wines under the fifteen dollar mark that fit the bill nicely. The two themes of this release are customer favourites, aka “get excess stock out of the warehouse” and the Cru wines of Beaujolais. Although none of the Beaujolais wines particularly impressed me, I never have been a big fan of Gamay, they are well priced and could provide an interesting and educational tasting. For those that follow highly touted numerically approved Parker wines, all these Beaujolais wines scored exceedingly well.

The Beaujolais Cru release

177543 GEORGES DUBOEUF LA TRINQUÉE JULIÉNAS 2008 $16.95
Black raspberry, peppery blackberry and cherry cola combine with wet soil and mineral on the nose. The palate reveals flavours of red currant, red cherry and plum that have chewy plastic texture and a well balanced finish. find this wine

178301 JEAN-PAUL BRUN TERRES DORÉES MOULIN-À-VENT 2008 $19.95
An appealing start, showing plenty of sweet black toffee, plum, clay, black soil and thyme flowers on the nose. The fruit is tasty, lots of solid cherry and strawberry notes, some spice, a touch of pleasing bitterness and heaps of pepper on the finish. find this wine

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177535 DOMAINE MONT CHAVY MORGON 2008 $17.95
This Georges Duboeuf wine has bold aromas of earthy slate, blueberry, cassis and plum. I find it has the best balance of the pack; it is full of plumy fruit with a touch of damson and a trace of date on the finish. find this wine

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653584 LOUIS JADOT CHÂTEAU DES LUMIÈRES MORGON 2007 $22.95
Earthy, hay, strawberry, sweet red cherry, nutmeg and cake spice are in abundance. The palate offers a fleshy texture with iron, mineral and cured meat flavours. Acidity is quite pronounced especially on the finish. find this wine

590521 COLLIN-BOURISSET LES TERRES BLEUES CÔTE DE BROUILLY 2009 $15.95
A nice blend of barnyard, terroir, hay, lavender and mocha that give way to aromas of plum and red berry that carry through to the rich ripe palate. There are some tannins to deal with here, but they allow the fruit to take the premier position. Possibly the most age worthy wine of the bunch. find this wine

Canada

071712 WILDASS ROSÉ 2008 Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Stratus Vineyards) $19.95
A full bodied and wonderfully structured wine featuring dense aromas of strawberry, black raspberry, mineral, dried herb and plum. It is wonderfully balanced, has the right amount of acidity and a long pure finish. find this wine

147512 13th STREET JUNE’S VINEYARD RIESLING 2008 Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula $16.95
Premium Ontario Riesling at a non premium price, this wine emits chalky aromas with hints of lime leaf, citrus, white peach and a faint touch of petrol. It abounds with refreshing acidity, plenty of pure clean apple based fruit and a long refreshing finish. find this wine

591313 MALIVOIRE GAMAY 2008 Niagara Peninsula $17.95
An interesting ringer to add to the Beaujolais tasting and this Gamay would certainly hold its own. It has plenty of sweet red fruit aromas backed up with notes of toffee, Asian spice box, fresh rose petal, plum and black cherry. The palate has good structure, clean black fruit acidity, a silky texture and a note of spice on the finish. find this wine

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000075 MIKE WEIR PINOT NOIR 2008 Niagara Peninsula $19.95
A wine with floral notes, some red fruit, beet and mineral, some spice on the palate with pleasant strawberry and plum flavours and a cloying note on the finish. find this wine

179739 NYARAI CELLARS CABERNET/MERLOT 2007 Niagara Peninsula $18.00
Having never seen or heard of this winery until now, the blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and 15% Syrah has potential. It is actually quite tight in its present state, releasing teasing notes of clay, black cherry, black raspberry and currant. The palate shows off more than the nose, it has solid fruit, some chocolate tannins and lick of vanilla on the finish. I have to get some more! find this wine

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117846 13th STREET CABERNET ROSÉ 2009 Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula $15.95
A tough year in this part of the world to fully ripened cabernet yet this Rose has plenty of pristine strawberry aromas with floral notes and mineral. Excellently balanced, it is slightly sweet, carries great acidity and has a lovely finish. find this wine

USA

075598 PARDUCCI PETITE SIRAH 2007 Mendocino County $15.95
Solid value here, Parducci’s Petite Sirahs have always been enjoyable after some time in the cellar and this year will be no exception. This leathery bound wine has damson, blackberry and blueberry fruit seasoned with a touch of clove and peppercorn. It is ripe and juicy on the palate, the tannin is discernable now, but the fruit and cake spice flavours rule the finish. find this wine

181438 PHELPS CREEK BECKY’S CUVÉE PINOT NOIR 2007 Columbia Gorge, Oregon $26.95
One of the better Oregon Pinots to make it way to the shelves in a while shows some sturdy aromas of lavender, nettle, milky chocolate, star anise, cinnamon and sawdust. The fruit is plentiful too in the guise of black cherry, plum and raspberry. It is chunky on the palate, the chocolate makes its presence known and the finish shows good balance and plenty of sweet cherry flavours. find this wine

Argentina

467951 ALAMOS MALBEC 2008 Mendoza $13.95
This is a rich and spicy wine, although full of one dimensional ripe blueberry aromas it does offer an interesting combination of terroir, refreshing acidity and fruit on the palate. A lot of bang for the buck as people like to say. find this wine

166371 URBAN UCO MALBEC 2008 Mendoza $12.95
Another great Q.P.R wine that delivers plenty of sweet fleshy fruit, a touch of mocha creaminess and black cherry flavours on both palate and the finish. find this wine

Chile

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172247 ARBOLEDA SYRAH 2007 Aconcagua Valley $18.95
I really like this; it sits in my glass sending aromas of pure dark fruit, black peppercorn, slate and smoked meat. The palate has power, showing blackberry, and spicy oak, clean acidy and good balance. find this wine

Australia

058073 RED HILL ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2007 Mornington Peninsula, Victoria $19.95
Plenty of earthy mineral aromas, good red fruit and sweet Moroccan spice. It is simple, clean, has pretty red fruit flavours and the acidity shows great balance on the finish. find this wine

New Zealand

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675231 DELTA PINOT NOIR 2008 Marlborough, South Island $21.95
Pure essence of Pinot, this wine is laden with cherry cola, sage, dried mushroom and mocha on the nose leading to a palate of plum and dark cherry. It carries just the right amount of acidity that keeps the finish clean and bright. find this wine

France

140012 CHÂTEAU DE LAFAURIE-MONBADON 2005 Côtes de Castillon $15.00
A Merlot that offers aromas of canned cherry pie filling, forest floor, mushroom and red licorice. The red cherry appears on the palate, but gripping tannins soon shut the venue down. Perhaps time will lessen the tannins, but I am not sure there is enough fruit to last. find this wine

175562 CHÂTEAU HAUCHAT 2008 Fronsac $15.00
Combining 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, this Bordeaux blend is full bodied, with plenty of spicy blueberry and blackberry flavours, a creamy texture and good acidity. find this wine

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652313 CHÂTEAU PESQUIÉ TERRASSES 2008 Côtes du Ventoux $13.95
One for summer barbecue, a Grenache based wine with alluring aromas of blackberry, chocolate and cherry cough candy. It is fruit laden on the palate, with a note of mineral and slate. Tannins are there, but nothing that a rare rib eye can’t deal with. find this wine

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177097 CHÂTEAU MAS NEUF TRADITION ROUGE COSTIÈRES DE NÎMES 2008 $13.95
This Syrah/Grenache blend is full of damson, plum, clove, cassis and tar. It is little fat on the palate, but has plenty of oomph and delivers much for the low asking price. find this wine

Italy

681262 BANFI ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2008 $24.95
A bright and spicy “baby Brunello” that bellows out red berry, lavender and red licorice aromas. It is medium bodied, has plenty of fruit, silky tannin and just a touch of terroir on the finish. find this wine

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095828 LE ARCHE RIPASSO VALPOLICELLA 2008 $14.95
Blueberry and mocha take centre stage on the palate, there is a nice overlay of cocoa, a touch of vanilla and just a hint of dried sweet berry on the finish. find this wine

095190 LAS ROCAS GARNACHA 2008, Calatayud $14.95
Toasty cedar, smoked meat, tar, black cherry and shitake mushroom are all found on the nose. The palate is pure ripe and solid. There is just the right amount of black fruit acidity, a taste of mineral and iron back up the fruit nicely. find this wine

Cheers
CZ

Related posts:

1. Alan Kerr’s January 23rd, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
2. Alan Kerr’s January 9th, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
3. Alan Kerr’s June 26th, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
4. Alan Kerr’s May 29th, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes
5. Alan Kerr’s May 15th, 2010, Vintage’s Release – Tasting Notes

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