Rogers & Company Chateau, Villa and Estate Wines

Desert Island Wines

May 2014

After recently watching the Tom Hanks movie Castaway for the umpteenth time (it's my favourite "rainy day" movie) I thought it would be fun to ask our staff this question, "If you were to be stranded on a desert island, which of our wines would you be happy to drink for the rest of your life or until your solar powered wine fridge burns out." Here are the wines they chose.

As always, prices are listed per bottle, but we sell only by the unmixed case.

Please visit us on the web for the complete listing of all our wines, the newest reviews, our blog and current catalogues. If you have friends, colleagues or family that also love wine, please forward this along.

All the best,

Chris.

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars

Brut NV

$27.95 per bottle, twelve bottles per case

Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellar has a reputation among Canadian wine collectors as a blue-chip icon yet their wines still remain impressive values. In fact, the Globe and Mail just reviewed another of the winery's sparklers, the Blanc de Blancs R.D. 2006, awarded it 92 points and called them "a leading B.C. bubbly producer" (May 1, 2014)

This estate grown Traditional method sparkler is a blend of 47% Pinot Noir, 47% Chardonnay and 6% Pinot Gris, and it spent 2 years on the lees. It is fruity and bright and toasty, with a biscuity, baked goods note in the background, which will come to the fore given some years in a cellar. At half the price of Champagne, this is a steal!

"This is excellent value for a bottle-fermented sparkling wine. The wine has toasty and citrus notes with a crisp, dry finish."

90 points, johnschreiner.blogspot.ca, April 19, 2013

Champagne Vilmart & Fils. NV "Cuvée Rubis"

$88.95 per bottle, six bottles per case

I'm going to defer to Terry Thiese, American wine writer and expert on all things Champagne go on about Vilmart & Cie. For some of the most detailed and hilarious wine writing around, his annual "catalogues" are available online for free.

"It's clear to me Vilmart is a Champagne estate of unassailable consequence, a must-have for anyone interested in the possibilities of this most suavely powerful and graceful of all wines. Casks are hardly the point any more. Organic viticulture, (truly!) low yields, remarkable polish of fruit, and the deliberate patient pursuit of a vision of perfection make Laurent Champs' estate a gemstone gleaming among the chalk."

"As always, it is the most singular Rosé in Champagne, and one could argue, the best at the NV level. This one's like a foamy vapour of Bonnes Mares. If you're new to it, think serious vinosity, main-course Champagne."
Terry Thiese, 2013

Lis Neris "Jurosa" Chardonnay 2010

$39.95 per bottles, twelve bottles per case

2 glasses -
Gambero Rosso 2013

4/5 bunches - Associazione Italiana Sommelier 2013

This outrageous Chardonnay from Friuli is a dead ringer for high end far-Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at about half the price. Eleven months ageing in the same barrel in which it is fermented provides a nuanced hint of oak that is reserved now and will come to the fore given time in a cellar.

Because of Antonio Galloni's unexpected departure from Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, a number of Italian wines from the 2010 vintage were not reviewed. However the very similar 2009 received the following press and the 2011 was recently reviewed by Mr. Galloni's replacement, Monica Larner, and received 93+ points.

"The 2009 Chardonnay Jurosa is fabulous in this vintage. It shows all of the elements that make the best Friulian wines so compelling; expressive varietal fruit, vibrant minerality and the personality of the vintage. The wine literally bristles on the palate with energy focus and vitality. A poised, centered finish gives the wine its sense of proportion and balance. The 2009 Jurosa is quite simply one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Lis Neris, and I have been visiting here for over a decade. Proprietor Alvaro Pecorari notes that this was the last fruit to be harvested in 2009 yet had the highest acidity. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. "

94 points, Feb 2012

Domaine Masson-Blondelet

"Villa Paulus" Pouilly-Fumé 2012

$28.95 per bottles, twelve bottles per case

Pouilly-Fumé is one of the greatest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. Located across the Loire from Sancerre, this region also shares same soils that have made Sancerre so famous, but Pouilly-Fumé also has proportions of Kimmeridgian marl, the famed soils of Chablis. Pouilly-Fumés tend to be a little richer and denser than Sancerre. One could suggest that the soil is the reason. They are outrageous values when one considers the price of most Sancere.

Domaine Masson-Blondelet boasts 14 generations of family winemaking. Their focus is the expression of their magnificent soils, all of which have been farmed organically since the 1980's. The winery is a state of the art gravity-feed facility and the wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks.

The flintiness of Pouilly-Fumé's wines is always apparent, a smokiness of the fruit that makes the wine complex, beautiful and so easy to appreciate. The grapefruity grassiness of the varietal and the minerality on the palate balance the wine elegantly. If you like pure and fine Sauvignon Blancs then this will go down perfectly over the summer months.

Grgich Hills Cellars
Napa Valley Chardonnay 2011
$60.95 per bottles, six bottles per case

Mike Grgich turned the wine world upside down when in 1976 as winemaker for Chateau Montelena, his 1973 Napa Valley Chardonnay triumphed at the Judgment of Paris, a competition which pitted America's and France's best Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons against each other.

Shortly thereafter he founded Grgich Hills Cellars which continues to make one of the valley's most popular Chardonnays. Vineyards in the southernmost regions of Napa provides fruit with rich flavours and bright acidity and by blocking the malolactic fermentation while ageing in oak, the wine remains vibrant, citrusy and minerally. It also makes for a wine that can age for up to 6 years.

"This Chardonnay, which comes from the winery's American Canyon and Carneros vineyards, shows modest alcohol levels. Oak brings toastiness, while malolactic fermentation was avoided to preserve acidity. Flavours veer towards lemon, lime and grapefruit, with riper note of mangoes. It's a dry, elegant wine for drinking now."

88 points, Wine Enthusiast, May 2014

Valdipiatta

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2010

$30.95 per bottle, twelve bottles per case

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano offers a regional take on Sangiovese, the main grape in Chianti Classico (as well as in Brunello di Montalcino). Valdipiatta's is rich and creamy, but still showing Sangiovese's trademark acidity and spicy, earthy nuances. This is a really great buy that rewards drinking now and for the next 6-8 years.

"Bright, packed with black cherry, plum and herb flavours, this is firm and muscular, featuring a medium-bodied frame, with a finish of black tea and tobacco. Best from 2016 through 2026. 3,300 cases made."

92 points, Wine Spectator, Sept 2013

Belle Glos "Alouette"

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2011

$29.95 per bottle, twelve bottles per case

Alouette is French for "lark", a friendly song bird that frequents California vineyards at daybreak and sunset, and this wine positively "sings" with bright red fruit flavours of cranberry and cherry and a spiced cider note that carries through the gently minerally finish.

Medium bodied and rounded out in 60% new French oak barriques and 40% mature barrels this is very food friendly and delicious.

This is stylistically similar to "Meiomi" but a more regional blend, as Meiomi also encorporates fruit from Sonoma, Monterey and Santa Barbara County.

Domaine Henry Pellé

Menetou-Salon "Les Bornés" 2012

$27.95 per bottle, twelve bottles per case

The wines of Domaine Henry Pellé are studies in terroir and elegant expressions of the upper Loire Valley. Located in Morogues, they produce wines from Sancerre and Menetou-Salon.

"Les Bornes" is a beautiful Pinot Noir, rich and fruity. The vineyard is a mix of Kimmeridgian marls, 4 hectares only and the vines average 30 years old. Fermentation takes place in steel tanks and wooden vats, then the wine ages in large casks. The finished wine is all about terroir and the intrinsic beauty of Pinot Noir. Although it drinks nicely now you would be amply rewarded to age it for three years.

Falchini "Paretaio" IGT 2009

$30.95 per bottle, six bottles per case

Always one of our favourites, Paretaio is one of the best values in the "Super Tuscan" category. Falchini's consulting enologist is Giacomo Tachis, the man fundamental to the development of such collectable wine as Antinori's Tignanello and Solaia, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and other great Italian wines.

"Falchini's 2009 Paretaio (Sangiovese 95% and 5% Merlot) is rich, deep and powerful. Layers of black fruit, grilled herbs, tobacco, smoke and graphite emerge from a big, broad-shouldered frame as the wine opens up in the glass. Sweet floral notes appear later, adding an element of lift that complements the generally dark aromas and flavours. The 2009 can be enjoyed today with some air, but it is best cellared for another few years."
92 points, Antonio Galloni, Aug 2013

Ehlers Estate "One Twenty Over Eighty"

St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

$64.95 per bottle, twelve bottles per case

This tiny vineyard in northern St. Helena dates back to 1886 when Bernard Ehlers first planted vines here. His original winery building still stands on Ehlers Lane. Today it is an exciting and beautiful biodynamically farmed vineyard producing small volumes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc.

Small-production, 100% estate grown wine at this price point is a rarity in Napa Valley. Winemaker Kevin Morrisey crafts a lucious style of Cabernet Sauvignon that is layered with flavours of blackberry, currant, black raspberry, caramel and milk chocolate, and it sports a great structure and backbone. Focused acidity, silky tannins, and a touch of spice emerge from the mid-palate. Compelling and complex, this is a beautiful Cabernet that will age for decades.

Altesino Brunello di Montalcino "Riserva" 2007

$114.95 per bottle, six bottles per case

Without question, this is one of the most balanced, lengthy, poised wines I've had in years and I see no limit to its ageability. The scores below are great, but I would suggest that they may be a little low. Wine hardly gets better than this. It is breathtaking and shockingly well priced for the quality.

"Fine wine with fabulous aromas of tangerines and peaches with plums. So aromatic. Full body, with super polished tannins and a long, long finish. Drink or hold."

95 points, JamesSuckling.com, Feb 2013

"Pungent with balsamic and macchia underbrush aromas, this distinctive red also features cherry, leather and tobacco notes. The supple texture is offset by firm yet ripe and refined tannins. Excellent length. Best from 2016 through 2035. 850 cases made."

94 points, Wine Spectator, June 2013

Chris McLean

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