It's Summertime, almost. Greetings! Regardless of what Mother Nature has in store for us, as Canadians, May long weekend is the official start of Cottage season or as my people (northerners) call them, Camps. The past weekends may not have been so "summery", but it looks like there's better weather right around the corner, and so, open the windows, launch the boat and let's stock that cellar for the good times to come. In the summer I look to predominantly aromatic wines for drinking outside - where a wine's bouquet has a lot of competition from Mother Nature; and I look to great value wines, so I can convince myself to open more than just one.  With that said, here's a small collection of wines that I think would be terrific enjoyed on the deck, or around the barbecue. If there's any other wines you're interested in please visit our website where our current full catalogue is always available: www.rogcowines.com, or please call me at, 416 961 2294 x 29. As always, prices are listed per bottle, exclusive of GST and bottle deposit. Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2006 Alto Adige/Sudtirol [750ml/12 per case]    $18.35 Possibly the most widely enjoyed white from Italy, Pinot Grigio is floral, crisp, and refreshing. Tiefenbrunner's is a reference point for Pinot Grigio.  Grapes grown in the Italian Alps benefit from the well drained soils, extended sunlight hours, and hot days followed by downright cold nights.  These extremes produce grapes with vibrancy and character.  There are no published reviews for the 2006, but Robert Parker described the 2005 with this note: "It is hard to find a better Pinot Grigio than this 2005 Pinot Grigio. Fermented and aged in stainless steel for four months, it offers a fragrant perfume of candied citrus, orange rind, and lemon butter, medium body, lovely freshness as well as purity, and a surprisingly persistent finish." 88 points, Robert Parker, June 2006 Nino Franco Faive Sparkling Rosé 2006    [750ml/6 per case]    $22.95 Available at Vintages on May 24th, $21.95 Here's a one-of-a-kind wine.  A sparkler made of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown in Italy's Veneto.  This wine is fabulous by itself and outrageously good with whole grilled fish like pickerel (walleye),  sardines or smelts, or trout. This has a full mouth feel, beautiful red fruit character, and the minute mousse of bubbles that is expected from the wines of Nino Franco, the world's greatest producer of Prosecco.  This is a dry wine, and the fruit character of the Cab and Merlot shine through, strawberries, blueberries, red currants, plums.  Considering that rosé Champagne will cost a multiple of this price, it makes a terrific apertif for any party. "Scintillates like the sparks it is named for, giving almond laced red berry fruit, and hints of medlar (a fruit that tastes like apple sauce), plums and kermes (a berry used in ancient elixirs).  Simply delicious." One Glass, Gambero Rosso 2007 St. Urbans-Hof Estate Riesling 2007 QbA   [750ml/12 per case]     $18.45 The St. Urbans-Hof Estate has risen to elite status in the Mosel.  Year in and year out their Rieslings from Piesporter Goldtropfchen and Ockfener Bockstein vineyards set the bar for all other producers.  This wine is a blend of estate vineyards, and a single vineyard in the Saar River valley.  The same care and attention to detail is taken to produce this wine as with the more famous vineyard designate wines, making this expression of Mosel/Saar Riesling a stunning value. The delicate intensity of this Riesling is second to none in this price range. The nose is generous and enticing.  Bright acidity frames sweet lime, peach and mineral flavours.  It finishes clear, juicy and invigorating, with delicate florality, smokiness and slate stone minerality. Pair this with frisée or mesculin salads, pan-fried white fish, mussels in black bean and ginger sauce or enjoy it simply on its own. Mer Soleil Chardonnay 2005  [750ml/12case]    $44.95 Mer Soleil Chardonnay is made to express the generous, sun-ripened, tropical flavors of California. The original intent, with the 1992 vintage, was to produce a big, weighty, oaky blockbuster of a Chardonnay, but as time went on, the vineyard began to produce wines that were somewhat different. Rather than being firm and oaky, the wines showed more softness and spice. Flavour is the major force of Mer Soleil. We view this wine as a distinctive California style, standing apart from Chablis and other Chardonnays from Burgundy. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed and the wine is fermented in open concrete vats and some in oak barriques and it is aged in French oak barrels. "Exotic aromas of orange marmalade, lychee, honey and brown spice. Oily flavors of candied mango, lemon butter and pineapple. Honeyed close exudes butter." 91 points, The Wine News, December 2007 Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay 2006 [750ml/12case]    $44.65 also available as [375mls/12 per case]    $23.80 The newest wine in the Mer Soleil portfolio, this is the same wine as above from the next vintage, with absolutely no oak.  Stainless steel fermentation and maturation produces a clean, bright, crisp tropical Chardonnay. "This is a stunning wine, showing the laserlike purity and bright acids that this northwestern part of the Highlands coaxes from the grapes. The brilliantly illuminated flavours range from limes to kiwis to green apples, peaches and guavas. The finish is dry, but with a honeyed unctuousness that could be a touch of botrytis." 92 points, Wine Enthusiast Dec 2007 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Marlborough  [750ml/12case]   $23.90 If you've ever nosed this wine, you'll never forget it.  It has one of the most distinct bouquets of any wine in our portfolio.  Passionfruit foremost, followed by gooseberry, elderflower and green pepper.  The palate has a nice flinty acidity, and the finish is long and clean. "If there's a wine destined to become the next cult favourite it's this one....beg, borrow, and blackmail if you have to in order to get your hands on this phenomenal wine...." 5 stars - Yvonne-Marie Lorkin, Hawke's Bay Weekend August 5, 2006 Christian Moueix Pomerol 2005 [750ml/12 per case]    $31.55 or $29.95 at Vintages Pomerol is to Merlot what Barolo is to Nebbiolo, a reference point for the rest of the world.  And nobody produces Pomerols better than Christian Moueix. The wine thatdoesn't 'make the cut' for Château Pétrus, Vieux Château Certan, Château Trotanoy, La Fleur Pétrus and Mr. Moueix's other famous Pomerol properties are blended together to produce this wine.  In 2005 it is a tremendous value, considering that the wines that go into this blend in 2005 are in the hundreds to thousands of dollars per bottle! A beautiful nose rosie/yeasty nose is followed by a finely textured palate that comes from Merlot grown in clay.  Plums and blue fruits unfold on the tongue, young tannins grip your gums and the finish extends for quite some time.  It drinks very well now with roasted chicken or grilled steaks, or put it away for 3-5 years and watch its complexity unfold.   Belle Glos "Meiomi" Pinot Noir 2006 Sonoma Coast    [750ml/12 per case]     $34.95 The name "Caymus" registers only one thought for most people, Cabernet Sauvignon, but this young project from the son and grandson team behind Caymus hopes to change all that. Belle Glos, named for Chuck Wagner's mother Lorna Belle Glos-Wagner, focuses solely on modern, American Pinot Noir. The diversity of the Sonoma Coast appellation is expressed in this wine by the use of multiple vineyard selections within the sub-regions of Sonoma Coast AVA. Each vineyard site produces wines with individual character, and when blended together they form a complex and complete Pinot Noir profile. "Meiomi means "coast" in native Wappo and its use at Belle Glos is to signify the cool coastal source of the fruit. I like this effort with its black cherry and spicy celery salt and beetroot aromas and flavours. The palate is soft and supple with earthy black fruits notes in the finish. Best now and over the next year or so with salmon and lighter white meat dishes." 89 points, Anthony Gismondi July 2008 Kenwood Lodi "Old Vines" Zinfandel 2006 [750ml/12 per case]   $18.20 Kenwood Vineyards was founded in 1970 when wine enthusiasts from the San Francisco Bay Area refurbished and modernized the former Pagani Brothers Winery, which was originally established in 1906. Their focus is to produce high quality wines characteristic of Sonoma's style at an excellent price point.  The Kenwood wines always over-deliver. There is no legal definition of  "old vines", but most wineries consider any vines between 30 and 50 years to be old and near the end of their "commercially-viable" fruit-producing years.  These vines are usually dug up, and the vineyard replanted.  Luckily, some vineyard owners have allowed their vines to continue life.  These vines produce miniscule amounts of fruit into their twilight years, but the fruit character is intense and complex. The vines that produce this wine are from two family-owned vineyards in Lodi, California and are 100 years old. "Vibrant red color with fresh black cherry and blackberry fruit flavours and aromas. This medium-bodied wine has a supple mouthfeel and a lingering, smooth finish." Kenwood "Yulupa" Merlot 2005 [750/12 per case]   $18.20 This wine is produced from fruit of select northern California vineyards with which Kenwood has long-term relationships. Grapes from the cooler coastal climates bring deep colour, bright acidity and intense fruit flavours, while grapes from the more northerly and warmer regions add fruity, cherry characteristics and mid palate weight. The result is a supple, well-balanced wine, perfect for everyday enjoyment. My favourite thing about summer parties or barbecuing is that there's usually a number great things to eat in one meal. Sausages, steaks, chicken, grilled corn, salads, sometimes shrimp...etc. Here's a great wine for just such an occasion - plump, fruity and not too heavy.  Soft tannins show off the gentle oak treatment, it has moderate alcohol and is one of the best values in our portfolio.  Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Sonoma County [750ml/12 per case]      $23.65 Personally I love this wine.  I think it's a steal at the price.  It drinks well now, it has the character to evolve over the near-term.  The oak treatment is subtle, the fruit is pure and sweet, the wine itself finishes dry, and the empty glass smells like brown sugar and simmering jam.  "Pronounced fruit intensity.  Good character,  Defined and balanced.  Opulent wine with good grip. 2-5 years." Recommended, Decanter January 2008 St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Sonoma County  [750ml/12 per case]   $31.35 St. Francis first produced Cabernet Sauvignon from purchased grapes for the 1985 vintage and was the result of a decade's search for a source of grapes of the quality and character winery founder Joe Martin had in mind. Fruit is sourced from four different vineyard areas, each of which contribute distinct and individual qualities to the finished wine. The Dry Creek Valley yields grapes of rich varietal character and moderate tannins; grapes from the Alexander Valley are soft and fruity; Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Mountain grapes lend the wine colour, tannin and body. St. Francis Sonoma County is styled to emphasize rich varietal character and body in a classic Sonoma style. The fragrant Cabernet aromas of cassis and black fruit are underscored by discreet notes of vanilla, cedar and tobacco, and carry into ripe, intense berry fruit flavours on the palate. The structure is firm and well balanced, with excellent depth and supple, generous tannins. These impressions are confirmed on the finish, which is long and marked by a complex notes of spice and oak. "Softly tannic, this Cab is full-bodied and has complexity. The black cassis and cherry flavours have layers of spice and smoky oak, with a fine, sweet finish that lingers. Drink now through 2010." 88 points, Wine Enthusiast, web Ralph Fowler Shiraz/Viognier 2006 Mt. Benson  [750ml/12 per case]    $24.75 This wine is built along the same lines as the French northern Rhône classic, Côte Rôtie. The blending of a small amount of Viognier adds a spice and sweetness to the aromas of the wine and softens and enriches the flavour. Because of an association of the colour pigments of red and white wines the colour of the wine is brightened and enhanced by the addition of the Viognier. The wine is matured in old oak barrels so that the oak characters do not detract from the rich complex fruit flavours created by the blending. The wine is characterized by its rich berry flavours with notes of dark forest berries, mulberry, earth, truffles and a sweet perfume note from the Viognier. The flavours are intriguing, rich and fruity, with cherries and soft tannins. An intensely flavoured and complex wine that will change character in the bottle if properly cellared for 4 to 5 years. The wine will gain more complex savoury nuances while softening and filling out on the palate Thanks for taking the time to read this.  If there's anything here that you'd like, please don't hesitate to call or send me an e-mail.  Best regards, Chris.