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Fun Wines for the Holiday Season
December 2012
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Greetings!
Happy holidays! The season is in full swing and during the holidays, we always need to have wine on hand for entertaining guests, bringing to parties and for giving away as gifts, and it's exciting to bring wines that are new to your friends and family - wines made by exciting up-and-coming producers or small family wineries. Here is a selection of wines that you can always be proud to share, delivering tremendous varietal character and great value.
In January we'll be announcing the addition of two new wineries to our portfolio. Both are family owned and operated, producing extreme values and high quality, one is from Barolo, the other from Napa Valley. Stay tuned!
As always, our wines are sold by the unmixed case, prices here are per-bottle, inclusive of HST but exclusive of $0.20 bottle deposit. Please visit us on the web for our blog, all the critics' reviews, all the information about our wines and up-to-date catalogues.
Have a safe and happy holiday season,
Chris.
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 Tiefenbrunner "Anna" Pinot Bianco 2010
$24.95 per bottle, cases of 12 Drawn from the high-altitude vineyards of Italy's mountainous Alto Adige region, this 100% Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc) is mid-weight and rich, with minerally texture and bright, fresh aromatics. A wonderful wine for casual sipping or pairing with light fish and soft cheeses. You may remember Tiefenbrunner's Cuvee Anna? That was a blend of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco, but with age, the vines contributing to the blend have begun to produce fruit that the winery feels needs to be showcased independently, and so now we have "Anna". This beautiful Pinot Bianco earned Due Bicchieri (Two Glass Award) from Gambero Rosso in this vintage and the upcoming vintage, 2011, was awarded Tre Bicchieri (Three Glass Award) in the 2013 edition. |
 Stratus Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Niagara Peninsula VQA
$29.00 per bottle, cases of 6 or 12
This is only the second vintage of a Sauvignon Blanc produced by Stratus Vineyards, a winery whose reputation was born of their assemblage technique and blended wines. Bordeaux in style, this wine shows aromatics of gooseberry, boxwood, melon and wet stone. Fruit was hand-harvested from three blocks consisting of two clones of Sauvignon Blanc. "Made in the style of a white Graves from Bordeaux this is a smooth, rich partially barrel-fermented Sauvignon with a fairly deep yellow-golden colour. The nose shows well integrated sponge toffee, tobacco, gooseberry, fig and herbs. It's medium-full bodied, quite plush and polished in feel with a spicy, almost peppery finish. There is some heat from the 13.5% alcohol, unexpected from the cool 2008 vintage. It is actually a surprising wine overall, until you consider the style and work that also goes into the flagship Stratus White. Tasted June 2011."
90 points, David Lawrason, Wine Align For the holidays, and by request, Stratus Vineyards offers complimentary signature boxes with a lovely ribbon for your gift-giving needs; singles, two's, thr  ee's and sixes are all availabl  e. As well, Stratus also offers beautiful wooden boxes, singles are $35, doubles are $45 and sixes are $65 (plus HST).
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 Grayson Cellars California Chardonnay 2011
$18.95 per bottle, cases of 12 A blend of fruit from Sonoma County, Napa Valley and Mendocino County contributes the complexity and layers of flavour to this Chardonnay. The Napa fruit brings richness and tropical flavours, the fruit from Sonoma and Mendocino provides the acidity and high-toned aromatics. Altogether, it makes for a very complete and enjoyable wine.
This lovely Chardonnay has earned "Top Value" designations from Wine Advocate in every vintage from 2005 to 2009 and in 2011 it received this 89 point review, "The 2011 Chardonnay is tropical in its aromatic display as well as medium-bodied, fresh and lively." (Oct 2012) |
 Grayson Cellars California Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
$18.95 per bottle, cases of 12 Like the Chardonnay, this wine is a great blend of Cabernet Sauvignon that is farmed in Northern California's top appellations; Napa Valley, Sonoma and Mendocino County and crafted by one of California's top winemakers Larry Levin.
Prior to Grayson Cellars, Larry was the Director of Winemaking for Icon Estates, the fine wine arm of Constellation Wines which owns Robert Mondavi Winery, Franciscan Oakville, Mount Veeder, Simi, Ruffino and Columbia Winery among others. Most young Cabernets have firm or aggressive tannins from the skins, seeds and pips as well as from new oak barrels, these take time to resolve and often the wine is too tannic to be recommended for immediate drinking. Grayson uses mature oak which imparts little to no tannin and only a hint of barrel notes (pie crust, vanilla aromas), so the wine drinks very well on its own - a little grippy, but quite fresh and satiny. This makes it great with or without food. |
 Kenwood Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2010
$23.95 per 750 ml bottle, cases of 12
$14.95 per 375 ml bottle, cases of 12 At the confluence of the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean in Sonoma County some of California's finest Pinot Noir is grown. Evening fog which retreats to the ocean in the morning provides the necessary cooling to drive acid development. In the daytime, California sunshine provides all the richness and flavour to the grapes. The famous Goldridge loam soils are complimented by clays from Sonoma mountain and alluvial soils deposited by the winding Russian River. It is a tapestry of soils which the winemakers draw from. More than half of the fruit for this wine comes from Kenwood's own vineyards, the rest is bought from top quality growers. One percent syrah is added to provide some extra colour and richness. The wine then spends 11 months in 1 to 3 years old oak barrels. "Bright and straightforward with red cherry flavours, this is a simple Pinot Noir with hints of eucalyptus and mint in the blunt tannins. Pour it with braised wild duck and other game birds."
88 points and "Best Buy", Wine & Spirits, June 2012 |
 Domaine Brusset Côtes du Rhône
"Laurent B." 2011
$17.95 per bottle, cases of 12
The Brusset family are Grenache specialists. They make extremely collectable Gigondas from old-vines, dry farmed at the foot of Les Dentelles, the dramatic mountainscape found in this southern Rhône region.
Their Côtes du Rhône blend is 60% Grenache and 20% Syrah complimented by 10% each of Cinsault and Mourvedre. The wine is deep purple, dry and reasonably rich. The wine is raised in neutral vats, and has no discernable oak flavours or aromas, just pure terroir - and in southern Rhône that translates to hot earth, herbes de Provence, roasted fruits and lavender.
I personally think this is an extreme value and proudly pour this as my "house wine." Côtes du Rhône is very versatile and I believe an underrated style of wine and this one is also exclusive to our consignment wine program. |
 Querciabella "Mongrana" IGT 2009
$24.95 per bottle, cases of 12
"Mongrana" is a Super-Tuscan blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon that is farmed using bio-dynamic techniques in the coastal Maremma region of western Tuscany. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with a small portion raised in barriques and then added to the final blend, this wine is electric and full-bodied with bright savoury/tart pomegranate-type flavours and chewy tannins. A true steal!
"Clear aromas of blueberry and light jam. Full bodied, with silky tannins and a citrus, plum and berry character. Rich yet balanced and very pretty. Drink now or hold." 91 points, JamesSuckling.com, Aug 2011
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 Santa Barbara Winery Santa Ynez Valley Syrah 2010
$24.95 per bottle, cases of 12
Syrah is proving to be the rare example of a varietal that can be grown in all the temperature zones found in this valley, which are dramatically different as you travel west to east. Blending vineyard sites has become an intriguing endeavour for winemaker Bruce McGuire.
This bottling of Syrah highlights both the cool climate flavours of white pepper and lavender, and the jammier full fruit character experienced in the back of the mouth courtesy of the warmer eastern Santa Ynez Valley. Most of the wine was aged in small 60 gallon French and Hungarian barrels as Syrah benefits from ample barrel time.
As a diversion from other "big reds" like Cabernet and Merlot, Syrah from California offers power, tons of fruit and spiciness but another layer of savoury flavour that I like to call Animale. It is a spectrum of aromas and flavours that connect to your primal "caveman brain". Think about steak tartare, raw steaks, carpaccio, bacon, salt. On the surface they may not sound that appealing to find in wine, but these complimentary notes that only Syrah can produce brighten the fruit flavours the way that vinegar brightens a salad, it puts the other aromas and flavours "in focus".
Over the holidays, there may be no better red to have on hand than California Syrah. This goes very well with Prime rib, roasted birds, cheese plates, vegetarian dishes, roast beef, even cigars and conversation.
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 Cannonball Sonoma County Merlot 2010
$22.95 per bottle, cases of 12
The 2010 Cannonball Sonoma County Merlot is a gorgeous ruby red colour. Aromas of sweet earth and blackberries mix with chocolate-mocha nuances. The nose also presents a distinctive youthful "fresh walnut" Merlot varietal character. On the palette this wine is full-bodied and silky displaying ripe cherry, chocolate, and spicy red fruit flavours. The texture has just enough backbone to pair with red meats, duck with plum sauce, or pasta with rich sauces.
The 2010 is comprised primarily from Winemaker Dennis Hill's coveted vineyard in the Russian River Valley - the Adam and Eve Vineyard. Named for its proximity to a pair of so-named Redwood trees considered a landmark by the old-timers in Healdsburg. The vineyard is located in the vicinity of Dry Creek and the Russian River Valley.
Gold Medal - Sunset magazine International Wine Competition 2012 Silver Medal - California State Fair 2012
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Chris McLean
416 961 2294 |
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