Milestone Moments is the theme for June the 9th. Vintages is releasing wines that have changed the direction of the wine world. It’s an odd choice, but nonetheless, here are my thoughts on some of the wines available.

ONTARIO

068825 HIDDEN BENCH FUMÉ BLANC 2016 Rosomel Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment$29.95
Hidden Bench is clearly one of the top producers in the Niagara region. Their barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, AKA Fume Blanc, gives up aromas of tangerine, grapefruit, melon and honey. The palate has bench deep mineral flavours along with lime leaf, lemon Thyme, citrus and vanilla. It is beautifully balanced with good length on the finish. Find this wine

USA

046342 PAUL DOLAN ZINFANDEL 2015 Mendocino County $29.95
A mix of clay, mineral, dried herbs, plum, blueberry, red currant and spicy Szechwan peppercorn. Its palate is tight, but the fruit is there and will be released once the tannin subsides. Lovely plum and toffee notes on the finish. Find this wine

708982 STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS ARTEMIS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 Napa Valley $84.95
This blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot has pure Cassis/Ribena essence that is supported with layers of Fry’s chocolate cream and raspberry ripple. However, there is far more to this wine than the shop floor of a candy factory. It also shows notes of mocha, espresso, plum and Asian spice. Tannins are gentle allowing the dark fruit to shine; the sweetness is balanced by perfect acidity. Find this wine

269357 CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 Columbia Valley $21.95
Dark fruit, leather, forest floor and sweet spice aromas carry through to a palate of chewy chocolate, currant and plum. Find this wine

715979 RAYMOND RESERVE SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 Napa Valley $44.95
Warm blackcurrant, touch of clay and mineral, solid palate, chunky, but full of creamy dark fruit, cocoa and gentle tannins. Find this wine

NEW ZEALAND

063941 MAHI SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 Marlborough, South Island $20.95
All the usual suspects, gooseberry, kiwi and grapefruit line up. The palate is a little fat, but carries nice flavours of candied lime, tree fruit and melon. This is worth chilling and popping the cork for an opener to a summer barbecue. Find this wine

SOUTH AFRICA

556365 L’AVENIR FAR & NEAR CHENIN BLANC 2017 Stellenbosch $15.95
An interesting quaffer, laden with notes of honey, lime and pineapple leading to a high acid palate of guava, ripe pear and grapefruit. Find this wine

129353 THE CHOCOLATE BLOCK 2016 Swartland $39.95
This ripe and polished blend of Syrah with Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut and Viognier is brimming with notes of blackberry, olive, blackcurrant, flint, mineral and chalk. Its palate is leathery, somewhat harsh, full of dark fruit and black pepper, but once this baby settles down, it will deliver much pleasure for sure. Find this wine

FRANCE

363101 CHÂTEAU DES LANDES CUVÉE PRESTIGE 2014 Lussac-Saint-Émilion $25.95
An interesting nose showing plum, currant, black raspberry, lead pencil and lavender. There is pleasing red fruit on the palate, but it is still so tannic and very astringent on the finish. Its future, who knows! Find this wine

711317 CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2015 $93.95
Layers of plum and black raspberry are pushed up by notes of tar, coal dust, juniper, dried cherry, black tea and Dutch licorice. Plenty of silky dark fruit on the palate, lively acidity, but the tannins are threatening and will soon shut this wine down. As usual, it will take time for it to rest and show its best. Find this wine

069518 DOMAINE POULLEAU PÈRE & FILS LES MONDES RONDES 2013 Côtes de Beaune $38.95
Floral and perfumed, lots of red fruit, macerated cherry, licorice root and earthy beet. As unique as the nose is, the palate shows overly mature fruit with cola flavours and sadly, the finish drops off way to soon. Find this wine

ITALY & SPAIN

216457 PIETRA PURA MANDUS PRIMITIVO DI MANDURIA 2016 $18.95
Bold and revealing, whiffs of plum, blueberry, cake spice, lavender and Licorice Allsorts. It is quite sweet, but the creaminess and decent level of acidity tones it down. It is chunky, fun to drink and it finishes with notes of anise and burnt sugar. Find this wine

606921 MASI GRANDARELLA REFOSCO 2013 Refosco delle Venezie $28.95
Levels of dried fruit are high, but the notes of marshmallow, lavender, cake spice, and dried flowers stimulate interest. It has a silky palate featuring cherry brandy, strawberry coulis, dark fruit and balsa. Find this wine

209148 MARQUÉS DE MURRIETA FINCA YGAY RESERVA 2014 Rioja $34.95
Dark fruit, Chinese dried mushrooms, cherry liqueur and mocha on the nose. A ripe, but dusty palate with plenty of tannins powdery cocoa and bright acidity. Find this wine

FLAGSHIP WINES

Flagship wines are now not just for those residing in Ontario’s uppity neighbourhoods. Now these wines are available through the LCBO’s online ordering system.

496646 CHÂTEAU BROWN 2010 Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France $66.95
Bordeaux as Bordeaux should be, juicy blackcurrant, blackberry and plum reinforced by layers of wet earth, tar, leather and Maltesers. Its construction is solid, the fruit shines, but tannins are still powerful. Best to give this wine some time as it does has great potential. Find this wine

337048 MARCHESI DI BAROLO SARMASSA BAROLO 2013 Piedmont, Italy $77.95
Notes of caramel, cedar, plum, dark roasted coffee beans and mineral with a chewy palate full of blackberry, cinnamon, Moroccan spice and mocha flavours. . Indeed, it is a lovely wine, or it will be as the tannins grip tightly. It too will need years to show its best. Find this wine

327452 GLENMORANGIE SIGNET HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT Scotland $337.95
I wish I could drink Scotch. Due to an incident in my teens, I can’t tolerate. I always try it and I really love the aromatics this Scotch shows, dried orange peel, tangerine, candied citrus and treacle. The palate is where it goes pear shaped. I just can’t handle the heat! Scotch lovers will find much pleasure with this bottle.

Cheers,
CZ

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; rosé isn’t just a warm weather libation here at Adams-Heritier & Associates, because we drink the stuff the whole year round. Spring IS the time of year when many producers, importers and distributors like to roll out their fresh pink products, and that makes good business sense. We received a nice package from our friends at Tablas Creek Vineyard a few weeks ago, and the hot Memorial Day weekend seemed like the perfect time to twist the Stelvins off of their two rosés and taste what they have to offer. Not surprisingly (we’ve tried several successive vintages now), they did not disappoint in the least.

2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas Rosé Paso Robles, 64% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah, 2% Counoise, 13.0% alc., $25.00: Not too pale, and peachy pink in color, with with attractive strawberry and sea air aromatics; straightforward strawberry watermelon flavors shaded with some chalky mineral. Medium bodied, but not lightweight, with good acids and length, and there’s a subtle creamy undertone here in character and texture. Hits all the right buttons for this taster when it comes to dry rosé, so let’s have another glass! 3770 cases produced. Find this wine

2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Dianthus Paso Robles, 49% Mourvedre, 39% Grenache, 12% Counoise, 14.1% alc., $30.00: This shows an intense strawberry pink color, and while it’s not as generous aromatically as the Patelin, it’s more fruit forward than the paler selection. It’s also a little thicker and more dense than the Patelin; rich and intense, with raspberry, strawberry and cherry characteristics, laced with some mineral. Medium bodied, and maybe a little more, with ample acids and good length. Bold, baby, bold. 1625 cases produced. Find this wine

True to form with previous vintages, the Patelin is more Euro in style, while the Dianthus is more new world, and while I slightly prefer the first for those reasons, both offer plenty of pleasurable drinking. We enjoyed them while reminiscing fondly about our 2010 visit with Jason Haas at Tablas Creek. As we were finishing up our lunch that day, Jason called his father Bob over from an adjacent table and we had a pleasant chat with the venerable founder of Vineyard Brands and co-founder of Tablas Creek. Robert Haas passed away on March 18 at his home in Paso Robles. We drank a toast to his life, his illustrious career and his many achievements.

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

Here are a few notes on some of the wines for Vintages release on May 26th. The theme of this release is Let’s Meet The Makers, but unfortunately, many of these were not available to taste. Thus, I just bundled them all together for you. Enjoy!

421032 CHARLES MIGNON PREMIUM RÉSERVE BRUT CHAMPAGNE $49.95
This bargain basement bubby is showing plenty of lime, lemon grass, tangerine and dried red fruit aromas, with good foam and apple and citrus flavours all melded with bright acidity. Find this wine

993113 TAITTINGER PRESTIGE BRUT ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE $79.95
Plenty of earthy and mineral aromas, along with nice whiffs of fresh cut flowers, rose petals, red berry and strawberry. Nice crisp mid-palate, red currant and strawberry hints make an appearance. Find this wine

096016 EMMOLO SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 Napa Valley $24.95
Enticing aromas of Asian pear, lemon balm, mineral, candied lime and a weird note of poo! A sweet palate featuring dried ginger, kiwi and dried herbs. For a Sauvignon Blanc, there is not enough acidity for my taste. Find this wine

221887 ROBERT MONDAVI FUMÉ BLANC 2015 50th Anniversary, Napa Valley $22.95
I usually enjoy this wine as it is consistently well made, and sold (at least in Ontario) at a fair price. This vintage is no exception. It has bright lively aromas of almond, pear, melon, apricot, vanilla and honeydew melon. There’s a creamy texture on the palate, nice ripeness with a kick of butterscotch on the close. Find this wine

268391 HENRY OF PELHAM ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2015 Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment $24.95
A pretty perfumed wine, showing notes of strawberry, caramel, clove and bay leaf. Its palate has decent structure, lots of red currant, rhubarb and strawberry. There are unresolved tannins that need to settle. Medium-bodied and fruity. Find this wine

469189 WESTCOTT TEMPERANCE RED 2016 Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula $19.95
This Passe-Tout-Grains, blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay has an captivating nose of wet earth, barnyard, plum, pepper, black raspberry and beet. The palate is elegant; it has plenty of red fruit and plum flavours, nice chocolate undertones and it finishes well. Find this wine

462820 BOOTLEG RED 2013 Napa County, California $49.95
A blend of 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 21% Zinfandel, 12% Merlot, and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, which creates a wine I should enjoy. I do! It is earthy, full of mineral, thyme, Chinese mushrooms and black licorice. The fruit appears in the form of blackberry, black raspberry and blueberry. It is disjointed at the present, but has fabulous structure and potential. Tons of sediment already! Find this wine

096024 EMMOLO MERLOT 2015 Napa Valley, California $69.95
Loads of sweet dark fruit, plum, dark cherry bouquet, backed up by layers of sawdust, cedar, nutshell and vanilla. Very ripe on the palate, creamy, but at the same time tight and solid and there is a perception of over ripeness on the finish. Find this wine

459933 ROBERT MONDAVI MAESTRO 2014 Napa Valley, California $59.95
This wine, a Meritage blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc and 2% each of Merlot and Petit Verdot starts out with aromas of forest floor, cave air, moss, tobacco leaf, bitter chocolate and dried fruit. The palate has a lovely roundness, nice elements of spice, cherry liqueur and chalky tannin. Find this wine

159970 CLOUDLINE PINOT NOIR 2015 Willamette Valley, Oregon $26.95
Under the reigns of Domaine Drouhin, this pleasant Pinot offers up notes of cherry, cough syrup, plum red licorice and anise. It carries a nice silky texture on the mostly red fruit palate, it’s clean well balanced and has lovely fruit laden finish. Find this wine

460964 KLOOF STREET 2016 Swartland, South Africa $19.95
I must confess that my usual take on wines from South Africa is never that positive. Happy though to say that a bottle of two of this vibrant wine, loaded with notes of blueberry, sweet spice mocha and rhubarb will be coming home with me. Beautifully balanced, lots of red fruit, milk chocolate, silky tannin and bright acidity. Find this wine

672931 ALLEGRINI PALAZZO DELLA TORRE 2014 Veronese, Italy $24.95
Pure blackcurrant essence, backed up with a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. A bit of a fruit bomb on the palate that features blackcurrant plum and vanilla bean, but the acids do their job to balance. Find this wine

552901 LORCA MONASTRELL 2009 Bullas $15.95
Some funky notes of dank earthy sewer, potato peeling, dried shitake and plum/prune. I find black cherry and blueberry on the somewhat spicy palate. A hint of cedar and chocolate on the finish makes this a fun great wine to pour, especially at this price. Albeit low on the acidity level, it provides enjoyment. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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Periodically, we receive samples of some of their client’s wares from the public relations and brand marketing agency, Donna White Communications. The wines are always good, and come from diverse growing regions from around the world. The latest offerings are from a Spanish producer that I was vaguely aware of previously, but have never actually tried. These two selections also gave us the opportunity to taste some things from an appellation we have had very little exposure to, Bierzo, located in the province of Castilla y Leon. I’ve not posted any notes from this region until now, but Canadian Zinfan has once or twice, the most recent being back in 2015.

Bodegas Godelia is apparently a relatively new operation, owned by one Vicente Garcia Vazquez. There are 35 hectares of estate vineyards, and another 15 hectares farmed under contract, some as old as 100 years. According to Europvin, their importer, “All picking is by hand, loaded into small plastic crates and then chilled 24-48 hours at -5°C in a reefer container. This causes them to split and begin maceration on the skins.

The white grapes are gently pressed while still semi-frozen, and then settled off the gross lees. Fermentation in stainless steel. The Blanco remains in tank on the fine lees (with lees stirring) for 5 months before bottling. The Tinto spends 12 months in 400 and 500 litre oak casks (90% French, 10% American, 1/3 new oak.”

2015 Bodegas Godelia Blanco Bierzo, 80% Godello, 20% Doña Blanca, 13.5% alc., $17 SRP: Clean, medium color, with a little lemony citrus on the nose at first; no lightweight by any means, this shows good depth and intensity on the palate, with mineral driven lemon-lime-citrus flavors. Medium-full bodied and somewhat thick in texture, with zippy acids and good length, this is really to our liking; it’s a seafood friendly kind o’ white, and a excellent choice as the weather warms going into the summer. Sourced from 10-40 year old Godello vines and very old vine (60-80 years) Doña Blanca. Find this wine

2012 Bodegas Godelia Bierzo, 100% Mencia, 14.5% alc., $19 SRP: Good dark color here, with an earthy, slightly herbaceous nose. Rich and intense on the palate, where flavors echo and expand on the aromatic promises, with a lot of dark berry at the core. The earth and herb (no, not THAT kind of herb!) set the tone to the wine’s character, and a subtle note of iodine emerges on the finish, somewhat reminiscent of a northern Rhône Syrah. Full bodied, with a good tannin/acid backbone and good length on the finish, with the stuffing to benefit from 3-5 years in the cellar, if not more. Find this wine

Both of these wines evoke a strong “sense of place.” When Kim says she likes to taste dirt in her wine, these are the kinds that she’s talking about, and I mean that in the kindest possible way. The winemaking is thoroughly modern, but these are anything but “international styled wines,” which is why we like them so well. I ran across a lone bottle of the red a few days ago at an area retailer, and didn’t hesitate to grab it and bring it home. I’ll do the same with any others that I may happen to run run across in coming weeks and months, and, when you think about it, isn’t that the best possible recommendation I can give?

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo

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The release for May 12 features wines from the vast and diverse region of Bordeaux, but sadly only two of the wines were available to taste. One was very good one indeed, but whilst the other was tasty, it lacked the complexity of the first. Both are eight years of age, but the quality is clearly very different. Here are notes on them and a few others too. If spring is finally here to stay, enjoy it.

282475 DOMAINE DE VIAUD 2010 Lalande-de-Pomerol $32.95
Heady aromas of iron, lead pencil, black raspberry, cream soda and blueberry. Flavour laden palate delivers dried currants, pepper, plum, Asian spice and raspberry. There are silky tannins, but they do not impede. There’s plenty of lovely dark fruit on the finish with chocolate and clean acidity. It’s drinking nicely right now. Find this wine

445510 CHÂTEAU FLEUR HAUT GAUSSENS 2010 Bordeaux Supérieur $18.95
Blackcurrant, cedar and red fruit with a touch of tar and leather, a light to medium palate, with pleasant blueberry fruit; it’s tasty, but it falls short on the finish. Find this wine

ONTARIO

493973 THIRTY BENCH WINEMAKER’S BLEND DOUBLE NOIR Niagara Peninsula 2016 $18.95
This blend of Gamay and Pinot, similar to the highly quaffable Passe-tout-grains of Burgundy, exudes notes of perfume, sweet spice and ripe raspberry, which focuses more on the Gamay than the Pinot. It’s nicely balanced, there is a little tannin, but acids are crisp and clean. Good choice for a simple burger or even smoked ribs. Find this wine

USA

498766 LAKE SONOMA ZINFANDEL 2014 Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County $26.95
A solidly constructed and well-priced Zin that carries both fruit and earthy notes. It starts with blackberry, black cherry, dried blueberry, black raspberry and Cassis. Soon notes of clay, caramel, balsa and mocha appear. The palate is ripe and juicy, but not over the top. It has a blackberry toffee texture, acids are spot on and the finish is long. Find this wine

936039 SILVER OAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013 Napa Valley $204.95
Gone are the days when Silver Oak had more wood than old Sherwood Forest. This rendition is choco-block full of dark super ripe fruit enhanced by mint, eucalyptus, couverture and cocoa. The structure is dense; it brings on layers of cherry cola, Ribena, After Eight mints, black currant and plum. The tannins are ripe, but not austere; its finish is super long with traces of coconut, dried fruit and black toffee. Find this wine

237776 KINGS RIDGE PINOT NOIR 2015 Willamette Valley $27.95
Flint, blackberry, wet soil, milk chocolate, strawberry, dried mushroom and cinnamon are to be found in this tasty little gem. Good fruit on the palate, strawberry jello sweetness, some black tea, dried red fruit and dusty tannins. Find this wine

486936 CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE MERLOT 2015 Columbia Valley $21.95
Pleasing mix of black raspberry, blueberry jam, sweet spices, mocha and dried herb. It has an unassuming palate, nothing special, but well balanced, nice fleshy fruit on the finish along with a hit of cocoa and dusty tannin. Find this wine

ITALY

378257 BANFI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2012 Tuscany $56.95
Maraschino and red cherry, balsa and perfume on the nose, some defined fruit on the palate, a touch of caramel, but a surprisingly short finish. Find this wine

338939 TOMMASI GRATICCIO APPASSIONATO 2015 $15.95
This blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Merlot is a peach! It teases with lovely whiffs of red fruit, red licorice, anise, lavender and Bouquet Garni. There’s mostly red fruit on the palate, where it carries a slight sweetness, but is balanced by fine acidity and there’s decent length to the finish. One to stock up on for the barbecue season. Find this wine

SPAIN

370023 LICENCIADO RESERVA 2012 Rioja $24.95
Enticing forest floor and pine needle aromas meld with mocha, cedar, cherry brandy and plum. Soft palate, nice red currant flavours, some thyme and bay leaf, gentle tannins and well balanced. Find this wine

166579 MONASTERIO DE LAS VIÑAS RESERVA GARNACHA/TEMPRANILLO/CARIÑENA 2012 $14.95
A Vintages staple showing notes of tar, black licorice, dark fruit, forest floor and mushroom. Lovely roundness on the palate, some tannin, but nothing to spoil the fun. Just a little chalky on the finish, but a bargain basement wine that rarely disappoints. Find this wine

89284 RIDGE VINEYARDS ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014 $94.95
Those lovely people at the board sent this wine, but it was not on the last release or this. Could be a “Flagship” product, but who cares, yours truly got to taste it and this is what I thought! The Draper perfume emits layers of pure dark fruit, dried mint, chalk, slate and mineral. Cherry liqueur, Asian spice and blueberry preserve make an appearance on the well-structured and nicely composed palate. Tannins are far from integrated and if one acquires a bottle or two, lay it down for at least five years. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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It’s been a while since we last tried anything from Cornerstone Cellars. I had to look back over the last two and a half years of our reports to find our last encounter with this excellent Napa Valley producer. We hadn’t heard anything from them until just a few months ago, when we got an inquiry as to whether we’d like to try some of their new releases, and, of course, we’ve never been known to turn down offers like this.

The four wines came in packages of two, a few weeks apart. We gave them plenty of time to rest, and tasted them in the order that they arrived. (Click on images to enlarge.)

2014 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Benchlands, 14.9 % Alc., $65.00: Deep and dark in color, and all lush fruit and chocolate on the nose. Creamy in texture at first, but some serious structure makes itself known in short order. Very intense and primary, and very much in the house style that we remember from previous encounters with Cornerstone Cabs, with black currant, cassis and chocolate. Ideally, I’d like to try this again in about 10 years. Still, it finally does start to open after about three hours, so give this some time in a decanter if you have to open one now. Find this wine

2014 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga, 14.5% Alc., $75.00: Deep and dark in color, fairly faint on the nose and not quite as backward as the Benchlands. Deep, dark black currant and berry flavors, with a chocolatey note similar to the Benchlands, and some earth underneath it all. Full bodied, and not quite as big as the wine above, but well-structured for aging and evolving over the next ten years and beyond. It also opens with some extended air, so you know the drill if you want to open one now; decant, decant, decant. Find this wine

I like both of these wines, the Benchlands perhaps the better of the two; despite my reservations about opening either of them anytime soon, they do work well enough with some grilled, medium rare steak. They need lots of time to tone down those tannins and acids, but both have to goods to go the distance.

We opened the second two a few weeks later, starting with the Sauvignon.

2016 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Sauvignon Blanc, 14.1% Alc., $30.00: Clean medium straw, morphing into pale gold; the intense aromatics tell you right away that this ain’t no Kiwi Sauvignon, and the flavors confirm that impression. It might actually compare more favorably to a Didier Dagueneau Pouilly Fume from the good ol’ days than a grapefruit-gooseberry number from New Zealand, but it’s really most reminiscent of previous Cornerstone models that we’ve enjoyed and some of those nice old Mondavi Fume Blancs. This one is more in the green melon, apple and grape spectrum, with the barest hint of oak influence from some neutral barrels and even some mineral lurking here and there. Medium-full bodied, with good acids and length; the fruit has excellent intensity, and it’s not fruit bomb ripe. A very good seafood white, and maybe even better with grilled smoked chicken. Find this wine

2014 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, 14.6% Alc., $100.00: Deep, dark color, with a pretty perfume of ripe (but not too ripe) black currant and blackberry, graced with well-integrated sweet oak. The flavors largely echo the aromatics, with a good dose of earth and significant structure; some subtle toast, smoke and cocoa emerge as it opens. It would have been interesting and instructive to try this with the other two cabs, but we had already tried those when we received this, but my gut feeling is that this would be my favorite of the three. It’s a fine match for some thin-sliced medium rare flank steak on a bed of power greens with sliced beets and fried goat cheese, but it’s best to put this down for several years to mellow those tannins. Find this wine

These four are very much in the same “house style” that we remember from our previous experiences, which is a very good thing. They’re not inexpensive, especially the reds, but they’re very well-made and offer lots of pleasurable drinking, both now and/or several years down the road.

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

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I was happy to taste a few of the wines from the upcoming release slotted to hit the shelves on April 28th. There is good news now for those Ontarians who might enjoy the wines that Vintages provide but live in remote areas where these wines never seem to get to. Thanks to modern technology, all consumers can use the Vintages shop online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Inventory is shown in real time so one should be able to see what’s available at all times. Even wines normally only available at the “flagship” stores (in other words, reserved for Ottawa and Toronto politicians and well to do’s) are now available to all. The feature of this release is wine from the Pacific North West. Please read on.

402180 PRIMARIUS PINOT NOIR 2015 Oregon $29.95
Lovely aromas of fresh cut flowers, plum, green herbs and dark fruit, with solid layers of beet, red licorice, black raspberry and Moroccan spice. Fabulous structure, and quite viscous; not a wine to drink just yet, but give it a year and it will settle down. Find this wine

199802 COOPER MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR 2014 Willamette Valley$37.95
Plum and blackcurrant, with some Asian spice and cave air; lovely fruit based palate, plum and blueberry, with solid structure, but excessive sweetness that compounds on the finish. A little disjointed at this point, but time might help it settle. Find this wine

463000 14 HANDS MERLOT 2015 Columbia Valley$19.95
Plenty of dark fruit, espresso grounds, forest floor, juniper berry and sweet cherry. Clean palate, round and filled with milky chocolate, coconut, mocha and plum. Good value wine from one of Washington’s warmest growing seasons. Find this wine

488510 JOEL GOTT WASHINGTON RED 2015 Columbia Valley $24.95
Plain and simple, with nice aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, mocha, cedar and dried herbs. A blend of 49% Cabernet, 36% Merlot, 9% Syrah and 6% Malbec with a well-rounded palate, some aggressive oak and gentle tannin. Find this wine

220376 DUSTED VALLEY BOOMTOWN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 Columbia Valley $19.95
Enticing fragrance of dark ripe fruit, stewed tea leaves, and creamy raspberry ripple. It carries an enjoyable texture, much like a blackcurrant smoothie, but has plenty of grip on the finish. Find this wine

OTHER WINES FROM THE USA.

480244 1000 STORIES BOURBON BARREL AGED ZINFANDEL California. 2015 $29.95
I fully appreciate that Bourbon is presently a much in-demand hipster beverage, but I have to ask the question why do this to Zinfandel? The barrel aging simply overpowers any complexity the wine might have started out with. Not for me thank you very much. Find this wine

544221 BERNARDUS SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR 2013 Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County$34.95
A little medicinal at first, then sweet spice, caramel, dark cherry, iron, mineral and underbrush appear. It has a solid palate, plum, dark cherry, mineral and wet earth with a super long finish, and great balance with lip smacking black fruit acidity. Find this wine

MORE WINES FROM THE REST OF THE GLOBE.

534768 THE THIEF GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MATARO 2015 Barossa Valley, South Australia $24.95
A pleasing blend of mint, dried spice box, black fruit, saddle leather, Bounty candy bar and caramel. Its palate is lively, with good acidity and gentle oak, showing a gratifying mix of plum, blueberry, and black fruit. Find this wine

434464 CHÂTEAU SAINT-ANTOINE RÉSERVE DU CHÂTEAU 2014 Bordeaux Supérieur $16.95
Dusty, with notes of cigarette tobacco and hints of plum and sweet cherry. The palate is viscous and sweet as is the finish. one dimensional and bland. Find this wine

943290 FONTANAFREDDA SERRALUNGA D’ALBA BAROLO, Piedmont 2013 $44.95
Layers of dark fruit, cedar, sawdust, espresso, dried cherry, dried flowers, and Asian spice. Still youthful, but tannins are gentle, and pristine fruit, plum, cherry and mocha all deliver pure pleasure. This is a seriously tasty wine that will go on to reward the patient collectors decades down the road. Find this wine

368910 CARPINETO VINO RISERVA NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO, Tuscany 2012 $32.95
Charming whiffs of black raspberry, dark chocolate, anise, walnut, cigar box and leather. It is super juicy, full of red currant and cherry fruit and although enjoyable now, the dusty tannins suggest a couple of years away will change the end result. Find this wine

538561 BASILICATA CANTINA DI VENOSA VERBO AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE 2015 $17.95
A good value wine that boasts bold aromas of stewed red fruit, cherry cola, lead pencil and black tea, with a balanced palate of plum, red currant, red cherry and cedar. Find this wine

543710 BALBAS BARRICA OLD VINES TEMPRANILLO 2015 Ribera del Duero $14.95
This new addition to Vintages portfolio offers pure blackcurrant and sweet cherry combined with slate, mineral and Licorice Allsorts candy. A bit of a fruit bomb, but a well-balanced one that could be a winner at mid-week summer barbecues. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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From the Quick-but-by-no-means-Dirty Dept.:

2016 Cuvee des 3 Messes Basses Rosé Ventoux, 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 20% Carignan, 13% alc., $5.99: Here’s everything you need to know about this terrific bargain. The bottle pictured on the right is empty for a reason. This rosé is made by the same producer that is responsible for one of the more memorable red QPR All Stars that we’ve run across in the last several years, and it offers the same kind of value.

It does everything you could ask from a dry rosé, and is eminently drinkable. Hell, it’s way too easy to drink. A bottle shared with friends can be drained in minutes. The price is so low at Western Market in Ferndale, you can buy it in multiples (6 gets you a 10% discount) and open a 2nd bottle after you finish that 1st one. You can even open a 3rd and 4th, depending on how many friends you have.

We picked up 2 cases of this yesterday, and Western had another 5 or 6, so, I would recommend getting your butt in there post haste if you’re looking to cash in on the best value in dry rosé that we’ve found in many moons. Find this wine

Imported by Kindred Vines Import Co., Troy, Michigan

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Bastardo

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I’d like to think that I’m not the type of hombre who is swayed by a Robert Parker score on a wine label when making my purchasing decisions. Obviously, this is nothing but a ploy to sell bottles to numbers chasers and consumers who aren’t savvy enough to have a buying strategy based on more substantial factors, like the producer’s reputation, appellation of origin, age of vines, etc.

So why in the hell did I bite on this one when I found it displayed at our friendly neighborhood Costco?!

The producer, Señorío de Barahonda, is hardly a household name, even here at Gang Central, and while we’re not exactly unfamiliar with wines from Yecla, located in southeastern Spain, neither is it way up there on our radar. And just what does “old vines” mean on a label, when no actual age is given?

Sometimes it all comes down to just being intrigued and asking one’s self, “How bad can it be for 9 bucks?”

As luck would have it, this turns out to be a pretty damned good glass of wine. A quick look around the producer’s website never did tell me just how old those vines (situated at 700 and 800 meters above sea level) actually are, but the bottom line is what’s in the bottle.

2014 Campo Arriba Old Vines Yecla by Señorío de Barahonda, 70% Monastrell, 20% Syrah and 10% Garnacha Tintorera, $14% alc., $9.99: I was concerned that this might be a fruit and oak bomb, but such is not the case. Clean and dark in color, with a nice, earthy core of plum, berry and cherry fruit, more black than red. Big, but not too ripe, and I really like its earthy disposition; the good structure should take this at least five years down the road, no sweat. This is a red meat kind o’ wine, and I’m thinking lamb all the way. It opens nicely with some air and gives pleasure with an hour in a decanter, but tannin pigs might just want to pour a glass as soon as it’s uncorked. This was aged three months in small French oak barrels, but, again, shows very little influence from that regimen. It offers great QPR (quality-price ratio) for so few dollars, which is why we keep going back for more. Find this wine

Imported by Joint Ventures, New Rochelle, NY

Reporting from Day-twah,

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My first encounter with one of Andrew Jones’ Field Recordings was back in January of 2016. My buddy Putnam Weekley gave me a taste of the 2014 Old Potrero Zinfandel as an aside during a Ridge tasting at Mudgies Deli & Wine Shop, and I liked it quite well. I had never heard of Andrew Jones before trying that particular wine, but, according to his website, he’s a “vine nursery fieldman planning and planting vineyards for farmers all over California.” His work allows him to find interesting, often “unknown or under-appreciated” sites, and he is sometimes offered small lots of the best fruit from them to make wine under his own labels. (Jones’ secondary labels include Wonderwall, Alloy Wine Works and FICTION.)

Field Recordings is a clever repurposing of the old term that describes “recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds.” Perhaps the most famous field recordings in the US are those made by musicologist/folklorist John Lomax in the 1930s and ‘40s, including legendary tracks performed by Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly. When you think about it, it doesn’t take much of a stretch to consider wine as a kind of “field recording,” especially wine that expresses a “sense of place” of its vineyard source. In that sense, this Old Potrero Zinfandel is certainly successful.

2015 Field Recordings Zinfandel Aroyo Grande Old Potrero Vineyard, 92% Zinfandel, 5% Mourvedre, 3% Syrah, 14.9% alc., $19.99: Clean and dark in color, and effusively aromatic, all earthy dark “zinberry” and toasty oak. Young, tight and intense, but not unapproachable; full bodied and built for several years in the cellar, but you can give it some air now, say, an hour or so in a decanter, and enjoy it with BBQ, grilled red meats or pasta with a red sauce. The marriage of the deep, dark fruit and toasty oak sets the tone for the wine’s personality, but I’d love to see what happens to this over the next five years and beyond, because it certainly has the stuffing to age and evolve nicely. Find this wine

I found this one, where else, at Ferndale’s Western Market. Putnam is head of the wine department these days, and he has this placed in a stacked display, at a friendly price. I’ll be picking up more this week.

Reporting from Day-twah,

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