Heading into spring our preference for wine styles changes.  From the rich dark wines we like with braised foods in the winter, our outlook to sunnier days lends itself to lighter food and softer wines.  For the beautiful days ahead here is a selection of some of our Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from their homeland of France to the current hot-spot California and often under-appreciated British Columbia.

In addition to those included here, we also have a tiny allocation of some high-calibre village-level 2011 red Burgundies from Domaine Alex Gambal available for pre-order.  All will be packed in cases of six bottles.  Prices here are best-estimates. They include:

Vosne-Romanée 2011 $83 - the reference point terroir for all Pinot Noir

Chambolle-Musigny 2011 $89 - the most delicate, feminine and graceful of all red Burgundies

Gevrey-Chambertin 2011 $89 - the most rich, potent and powerful of all red Burgundies

If you're interested in securing any, please contact me for further information.

Please visit us on the web for all the reviews, blogs and catalogues.  And if you have friends or colleagues who also enjoy wine, please forward this newsletter along.

All my best,

Chris.

This Chardonnay is planted on the chalky-clay soils of the Côte Mâconnais that are very rich in limestone.  Almost all the parcels are located in the village of Fuissé. On average these vineyards are approximately 50 years old.

Harvesting is done by hand in the traditional way. The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks to preserve the natural fruit flavours and the characteristic of each vintage.  This Pouilly-Fuissé is a generous and rich wine, with an emerald-gold colour. The Mâconnais soil favours elegant development of fragrance, with a hint of hazelnuts, toasted almonds and exotic fruit. This wine can be kept for 6 years.

In Sotheby's World Wine Encyclopedia, Tom Stevenson claims the Mâconnais provides... "easily the best-value pure chardonnay wine in the world. The climate and ambience of the region differ from the Côte d'Or, the vineyards benefit from more sun, less rain, and little risk of frost."

Last year we introduced Lis Neris to Ontario and the launch was a smashing success.  Friulian wines are the most revered whites of Italy, due to the proximity to the Adriatic, calcareous gravels dragged there by glacial meltwaters and the mistral-like winds that promote acid development, thick skins and vibrant fruit flavours.

This 2010 has yet to be reviewed, but to give you an idea of the style to expect, the 2009 received the following critique:

Grown on the far Sonoma Coast near Cazadero,  Flowers Vineyard & Winery has established itself as one of California's top Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers. 

Flowers was selected as one of Wine Spectator's "Top 30 California Chardonnay Producers" in July 2012, as well Wine & Spirits magazine has named Flowers Vineyard & Winery as a Winery of the Year Twelve times - 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005 through 2013.

"Light straw colour in the glass. Very nice aromatic expression showing scents of white peach, lemon curd, and bear claw pastry. Fresh tasting flavours of green apple and brioche with a lemon peel driven and lively finish. Seamless and a solid food wine."

Hanzell is one of California's historically important  wineries, famed for its incredibly long lived Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.  However, from the vines auditioning for the Estate wines, they produce "Sebella", named for Sebastian and Ella, children of proprietors Alexandre and Jennifer DeBrye.  This wine shows an initial light floral and citrus aroma, complemented by pear and apple skin, all framed by the classic Hanzell minerality.

With time in the glass, the floral component comes forward with the beautiful scent of honeysuckle. There is nice weight and fullness on the entry, with flavours of green apple, tangerine and white peach. The initial richness gives way to a focused acidity that bursts through to a long lemony finish.

The Russian River Valley, so named for the immigrant fur-trappers that settled this land, is the confluence of the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean.  At night the river pulls fog off the Pacific and through Petaluma Gap, bathing the vineyards and dropping the temperature by 30-40 degrees fahrenheit, increasing acids in the grapes, making them vibrant on the palate.

Blue Mountain Vineyards was established in 1971 by the Mavety family, the vineyards overlooking Vaseaux Lake in the southern Okanagan Valley.  They supplied high-quality grapes to wineries for 20 years, and in 1991 started to produce wine themselves.   Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars has become one of B.C.'s iconic wineries in the past 20 years.

The soils, deposited over millenia by glacial and alluvial processes provides a mosaic of earth from which to produce their terroir-driven wines.

Director of Winemaking, Jason Jardine earned his stripes in winegrowing and development with notable Oregon producers including Domaine Serene and Tony Soter. His first winemaking tutelage was at the age of 21 with Robert Mondavi Woodbridge where he worked hand in hand with the Director of Winemaking David Akiyoshi. Prior to joining Flowers in May 2010, he was General Manager/Winemaker for Rhys Vineyards and Alesia Wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains, having launched the brand in 2003.

Peay's 'entry level' Pinot Noir is an excellent example of the winery style - at once fruity and fresh as well as elegant and finessed.  Prior to starting this label with her husband and her brother in law, Nick and Andy Peay, Vanessa Wong honed her craft at Peter Michael Winery making some of Sonoma's most famous wines.

In December 2009 The San Francisco Chronicle named Peay Vineyards "2009 U.S. Winery of the Year".

As well, Wine & Spirits magazine has named Peay Vineyards as a "Artisan Winery of the Year" six times - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013

To quote Matt Kramer's Wine Spectator article "Seven Wines to Try Before, well, You Know" (Nov 30, 2009) "..taste the indisputably original savour of Pinot Noirs from producers such as Flowers, Hirsch and Peay is to marvel at America's Pinot Noir treasures."

Many of you will be already familiar with the style of the Lafond wines since they share many of the same vineyards, barrels and winemaker with the Santa Barbara Winery.

The Santa Barbara and Lafond whites are produced in the Santa Barbara Winery while the reds for both properties are produced at the Lafond Winery just outside of Buelton (anyone remember Sideways?...).

From the early 1960s when the Santa Barbara Winery was established, Canadian born owner Pierre Lafond's goal was to open a second winery that bore his name and reflected more specifically the rich and varied terroir of the Santa Rita Hills appellation (SRH). At the end of the 1990's he was able to realize his dream with the release of the first wines under the Lafond Winery name. Lafond wines are made in small parcels - single vineyards lots of 350 cases and slightly larger quantities of approximately 1,000 cases from fruit harvested exclusively from vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills, designated SRH.

This is a very large scale, intense style of Pinot Noir.  If you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon but not the agressive tannins that come with young Cab, this may be the Pinot for you.