Rogers & Company Newsletter
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
May 2009
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Greetings!
This edition of our newsletter focuses solely on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Two very closely related grapes that are grown the world over, and two wines that bridge the chasm between red and white wine styles.
Whether you prefer the talc-like minerality and knife's edge acidity of Chablis or the tropical opulence of central California, we offer a Chardonnay for every taste.
Pinot Noir reflects its origins so well, styles vary the world over. When Pinot is good, it's great, and there is no varietal on earth that can match Pinot Noir for complexity, sensuality and seductivity.
Because of the different styles and production methods involved, prices can range from "everyday" to "special occasion" to "how much!!??" So, I've split these up into three price categories, under $30, $30 to $45 and $45+. None of them fall into the "how much!!??" category, but with these varietals, it is money well spent.
As always, prices are per bottle, pre-GST and bottle deposit.
I hope you find something you'd like. A new price list and informnation about all our wines and wineries can always be found at Rogers & Company
All my best,
Chris.
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Kenwood "Yulupa" Chardonnay 2007 [750ml/12cs] $20.50
 The Yulupa series of wines really over-delivers. Kenwood's vast vineyard holdings allow for blending of estate-controlled, top-quality fruit, maintaining a style and quality vintage to vintage.
Grapes for the 2007 Yulupa Chardonnay were harvested after an extended and exceptional growing season. Eighty percent of this wine was matured in second year French oak to add complexity while still retaining the bright aromas of freshly cut pears, green apples and citrus with overtones of
vanilla and butterscotch. |
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St. Francis Sonoma County Chardonnay 2006 [750ml/12cs] $25.90
 Rich with notes of citrus, melon and vanilla, this Chardonnay is a
fresh expression of the hand-picked classic varietal. A third of the
grapes in this blend were grown in the Lagomarsino estate vineyard; the rest carefully selected from nearby vineyards in Sonoma Valley, Carneros,
and Russian River appellations.
Fruit and pear aromas are offset on the palate by
hints of oak and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, this Chardonnay has
ripe fruit flavors, crisp high acid in the mouth, and a rich lingering
finish.
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Hunter's Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007 [750ml/12cs] $24.15
 New Zealand winemaker Jane Hunter OBE is renowned for her
benchmark Marlborough wines. This magnificent 2007 vintage Pinot Noir
is one of their finest yet.
A note for the calendar: The 2009 Toronto New Zealand Wine Fair on May 21st at The Design Exchange,
234 Bay Street. For tickets, go to http://www.nzwine-events.ca/, $60 per person, 7-9:30 pm.
This wine is beautifully aromatic with abundant
cherry, plum and berry flavours rounded out by a kiss of toasty oak.
Great with roast game or light, tomato sauced pasta dishes.
Silver Medal, Vintage Cellars National Wine Show of Australia 2008, Australia
Silver Medal, Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2008, New Zealand
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Mer Soleil "Silver" Chardonnay 2007 [750ml/12cs] $33.95
 "The polar opposite of its outsized brother,
Silver channels a knife's shiny edge. Fermented in concrete tanks, this
is 100% fruit focus with lemon zest, apple and a palate-cleansing
finish. Like a lithe Chablis with an extra gear."
Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Provisions, Napa CA
The concrete tanks that this wine matures in are egg-shaped. Many top winemakers around the world are gravitating to this design for its natural and somewhat mystical properties. Winemaker Joey Wagner believes this supposedly neutral vessel does add to the mineral character of the wine.
The 2007 is being offered at the best price we've ever had for the Mer Soleil Silver and the vintage is considered by the critics to be excellent.
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Château de Maligny Chablis 1er Cru "Vau de Vey" 2007
[750ml/12cs] $36.00
[375ml/12cs] $20.55
 Château de Maligny is owned by the Durup family who have been
resident in the village of Maligny since the 15th century. Owner, Jean Durup is a driving force in Chablis. Together
with his talented and dedicated vineyard manager and winemaker, Michel
Poitout, he ferments and matures his wines in stainless steel without
the use of wood. The result is a consistently fine Chablis with the
characteristic mineral nuances that the terroir gives it, but with an
unusual, but welcome succulent fruitiness.
Pale straw with green tints, this brilliant Chablis offers the same
rich fruit of the famed "Fourchame" Premier Cru, but adds a more
pronounced mineral dimension, which enhances the structure and
character.
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Lafond Pinot Noir 2007 "Santa Rita Hills" [750ml/12cs] $33.95
 The Santa Rita Hills AVA enjoys one of the longest growing seasons of any appellation in th U.S. This long "hang-time" imparts rich, dark fruit character while maintaining the characteristic acidity of the varietal.
"Lafond" is the premium lineup of wines from the very popular Santa Barbara Winery, and winemaker Bruce McGuire chooses only the best fruit for these bottlings.
The intensity of the wine from this
vintage will reward cellaring through 2016 with 2011 being a great year
to begin enjoying this wine.
The complexity of flavour found in Pinot Noir from Lafond Vineyard is a
wonderful match with savory foods and a classic with grilled salmon or
mushrooms. |
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"Migration" Pinot Noir 2006 Anderson Valley [750ml/12cs] $43.95
 Migration was created in 2001 not as a "second" wine, but rather a
"sister" label to Goldeneye, Duckhorn Wine Company's ultra-premium
Pinot Noir venture.
The fruit for this wine is hand
harvested, then vinified in steel and barrel-aged for 18 months in new
French oak, before the blend is finalized.
"Feathered garnet hue. Sweet oak, cherry and glove leather aromas.
Ripe black cherry flavours with a compote-like richness. Grace notes of
iced tea and mocha in the finish."
90 points, The Wine News, Aug 2008
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Mer Soleil Chardonnay 2006 [750ml/12cs] $50.95
 "The classic California style - big, rich and loaded with fruit. We found poached pear and ripe orange top notes with a butterscotch edge to the finish. The chilly Monterey weather keeps some muscle on it, but this is foremost about richness."
Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Provisions, Napa CA
"Year in and year out, Mer Soleil's Chardonnay is one of the biggest, most distinctive ones in California. The 2006 is almost like a late harvest dessert wine, rich in apricot jam, pineapple custard and new oak butterscotch flavours, but for all the opulence, it's entirely dry, and has zesty Monterey acidity. Almost a food group in itself, it will challenge chefs to rise to the occasion."
93 points, Wine Enthusiast, April 2009
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Belle Glos "Taylor Lane" Pinot Noir 2007 [750ml/6cs] $69.95
 Within sight of the cold Pacific, the Taylor Lane vineyard seems like a doubtful place to grow grapes. But adversity builds character, and these grapes have it in spades. Complex almost dusty tannins surround Pinot fruit flavours that go on and on. Peel off the wax-dipped neck capsule and drink it now or allow it two years in your cellar to really show off.
"This
pinot noir comes from the wind-whipped Taylor Lane Vineyard on the
Sonoma Coast. This inhospitable site produces wonderfully concentrated,
intense wines with cherry pie, and campfire aromas. In the mouth it
shows delineated fruit with vibrant acidity and well-integrated
tannins. Enjoy this now with rich fish, pasta or pork dishes, or lay
down in your cellar for 5-7 years."
K&L Wine Merchants, San Francisco
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Belle Glos "Las Alturas" Pinot Noir 2007 [750ml/6cs] $69.95
 A "sibling" of the 'Taylor Lane' Pinot Noir, this vineyard is located in the ultra-premium AVA, of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Neighbours include such regarded vineyards as Garys', Mer Soleil, Sleepy Hollow, and Pisoni.
The Highlands barely protect the vineyards from cold Pacific air that tumbles through the vineyards into the Salinas Valley, providing a cool environment and enhancing acid formation to the otherwise sun-drenched vineyards.
Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands are dense, muscular, bright and almost vibrating with energy. I'd suggest one to two years in the cellar to allow this youngster time to mellow out and then I'd drink it beside a thick wild salmon steak.
"Elegant red and black fruit aromas are punctuated by anise notes that
carry over to the palate. Layers of sweet fruit, pipe tobacco, and
dusty earth add an Old World-like dimension to an otherwise
fruit-driven wine. Luscious and richly textured, this wine is drinking
well now and will continue to age for up to a decade."
K&L Wine Merchants, San Francisco
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Flowers "Andreen Gale" Chardonnay 2005 Sonoma Coast
[750ml/12cs] $89.95
 High above the fog line, Flowers Vineyards looks out over the Pacific and neighbouring vineyards; Bohan, Marcassin,
Helenthal, Nobles, Failla, and Pahlmeyer. The wind is cold, the sun, even at this latitude is unrelenting and the wines are for lack of a better word, beautiful.
"Medium gold. Deep, smoky aromas evoke poached pear, yellow apple
and cling peach, with a zesty mineral overlay adding vibrancy. Ripe,
round and fleshy, with deep orchard fruit flavours and refreshing
spiciness. Finishes with firm minerality and very good lift. Possesses
plenty of weight and chewy texture but is energetic enough not to be
tiring. This really clings to the palate."
90 points, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008
In October 2008 Wine & Spirits magazine named Flowers Vineyard & Winery as a 2009 Winery of the Year
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Flowers "Andreen Gale" Pinot Noir 2005 Sonoma Coast
[750ml/12cs] $97.95
 "Deep red. Fresh strawberry and raspberry scents are pure and
energetic, with gentle oak spice adding complexity. Tangy red fruits on
the palate, picking up fine-grained tannins with air. Finishes with
good lift and cut, repeating the lively strawberry quality and leaving
a subtle trace of minerals behind. "
89 points, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008
In
April 2009, Wine & Spirits magazine ranked this wine as the #2 most
popular Pinot Noir in America's fine dining restaurants.
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Chris McLean
phone: 416 961 2294 x 29
c.mclean@rogcowines.com
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