The Pont d'Avignon crosses one of "Europe's Wine Rivers" (the Rhone) highlighted in this release.
It's a bit of a stretch as a theme to be sure - rivers are hardly rare or special - but rivers do play an important role in modifying the climate, soil and topography of their valleys. Indeed proximity to the Mosel and Rhine, especially their south-facing slopes, can mean the difference between being able to ripen grapes or not in Germany. Here in Ontario, proximity to the Niagara River is useful and coveted. In France, the Rhone and Loire rivers are so important they have regions named after them...
Anyway, the flow of good, well priced wines in this release is more like a creek than a river but, as always, it's possible to find good things at Vintages.
The Sparkling Wines
Cave Spring Brut 2005. $29.95
VQA Niagara (Beamsville Bench)
Terrific fresh and honeyed nose with some toast and apple. Aciditiy is verging on sharp. Very fizzy, some lemon zest and light white fruit on the palate, which is light in the middle. Nice honeyed finish. 88 points.
Codorniu Brut Cava Pinot Noir Rosé. $16.95 ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Penedes, Spain
Rather muted nose with dark berry notes. Fresh and dry on the palate with red berry fruit. Good acidity and nice bubbles from this very reliable producer. Great darker salmon pink colour. 88 points.
The Whites
Peninsula Ridge A.J. Lepp Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $19.15
VQA Niagara
Pleasantly fruity nose - not the expected herbaceous/grassy notes. Lovely, fresh and dry on the palate, with sharp lemon and gooseberry notes as well as grapefruit. Nice finish. Celebrate Canada Day with this very not-New Zealand sauv blanc! 88 points.
Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $13.95 ** GOOD VALUE**
Rapel Valley, Chile
Interesting nose: mixture of fruit and herbaceousness, but more on the grassy side. Not overly acidic and fairly light on the palate and as a result there's a bit of heat from the alcohol. Muted tropical fruit as opposed to grassiness and an OK finish. 87 points.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $34.95
Marlborough, New Zealand
A lot more money, but a lot more wine. One of New Zealand's higher quality producers delivers as usual with its signature sauvignon blanc. Elegant nose with muted grassy notes and lemon. Very smooth and fresh on the palate, with delicate tropical fruit notes as well as some honeydew melon. Nice complexity on the palate leads to a terrific finish, with the acidity rising nicely and underscoring more lemon and some passion fruit. 90 points.
Waimea Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $17.95
Nelson, New Zealand
Over the top nose of grassiness and a bit of bug spray. Quite rich and fruity on the palate, which tastes exactly like passion fruit, though there are some citrus notes in there too. It's a little much, but fun. 87 points.
Rabl Gruner Veltliner Vinum Optimum 2006. $19.95
Kamptal, Austria
Terrifically rich and aromatic nose of apple, peach and a spicy note on this good example of Austria's signature white. Richer than expected on the palate, with acidity somewhat muted and there's even a slightly oily feel adding to the fullness. Some lemon zest on the palate and into the decent finish. A richer style of gruner velt here... 88 points.
Domaine Dominique Pabiot Pouilly-Fume 2006. $19.95
Loire Valley, France
Here's the original French sauvignon blanc: great nose that's darkly herbaceous. Crisp acidity on the palate and the darker notes carry through and are joined by delicate tropical fruit notes, including some passion fruit and some lemon. Nice sharp finish. 89 points.
Zenato Pinot Grigio 2007. $15.95
Veneto, Italy
Fresh and lively nose verging on aromatic, with fruity and floral notes. But nicely dry on the palate - acidity could be a bit crisper, but it's there, along with ripe white fruit and some lemon. OK finish. 87 points.
Martin Codax Albarino 2007. $17.95 ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Rias Baixas, Spain
Lovely rich and aromatic nose, as expected of Spain's finest white - albarino is a great combination of richness, fruitiness, dryness and crispness - with plum, peach and lemon notes. Full bodied, smooth and dry on the palate, which has a fair amount of fruit and some lemon zest. Acidity rises nicely towards the finish, which is fruity and which lingers. 89 points.
The Reds
Camelot Merlot 2003. $13.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
California
The lack of an AVA (American Viticultural Area) designation and the low price might have you worry that this is just fancy jug wine from some factory near Fresno, but it's not. The grapes come from vineyards in the North Coast, Central Coast and Lodi regions, and the quality is good. Very pleasant nose of cherry and plum, good acidity and tannin levels and some nice secondary flavour and backbone from the oak, including a toasty note. This is a ripe Californian, nicely smooth at the age of five. 87 points.
Matchbook Blockhouse 2004. $20.95
Dunnigan Hills, California
Interesting blend here: Syrah and tempranillo with a little bit of malbec and petit verdot. Pleasant nose of ripe cherries, berries and oak notes. Very smooth and fruity on the palate with fresh ripe red fruit and vanilla underneath. nice finish too. 88 points.
Cono Sur Vision Merlot 2007. $15.95 ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Cohchagua Valley, Chile
Terrific merlot with a great and almost Bordeaux style nose, including an alluring hint of iodine under muted cherry and plum fruit. Lovely smooth red fruit on the palate, nice balance of acidity and tannins as well as attractive secondary oaky notes, including coffee. 89 points
Novas Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. $14.95
Cohchagua Valley, Chile
This one is touted as organic and it certainly smells it: green leaf and earthy notes dominate on the nose. Nice fruity surprise on the palate though, with plenty of red licorice and red plums. It's a bit rough, but then it is a lower priced carmenere... OK finish, not bad for the price. 87 points.
Barossa Valley Estate E Minor Shiraz 2005. $17.95
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Less alluring nose than expected, but there is some dark plum and spice. Better on the palate, where you'll find lots of ripe red fruit, including plums. Really quite fresh and juicy. OK finish. I noted that "this one grew on me". 88 points.
Chain of Ponds The Amadeus Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. $27.95
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Hmm. Another classical music reference from Oz.... Anyway, Mr. Mozart would find this one very much a big, bold New World cab. Rich and almost over-extracted dark red fruit dominate the nose. Big mouthful of red fruit, including black cherry and raspberry. There's also a hint of chocolate and tobacco, giving nice depth. Good finish too. 89 points.
Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. $26.95
Coonawarra, South Australia
Great nose of dark red fruit, including red currants and cassis. Acidity is high and up-front on the palate, which calms down with nice cedar and oak notes rising over red berry fruit. Nice smooth finish as well. 88 points.
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz 2005. $24.95
Clare Valley, South Australia
Big rich ripe nose of dark red fruit, somewhat extracted, and some secondary spiciness. Very smooth ripe fruit on the palate - red berries, tobacco and cigar box notes. Nice complexity, well integrated. Good finish that lingers. 90 points.
Georges DuBoeuf Morgon Descombes 2005. $17.95 ** TOP VALUE PICK**
Beaujolais, France
Forget that lame Beaujolais nouveau fruit punch you suffered a few years back at some "come on! it'll be fun!" night out to a wine bar: this is grown-up Beaujolais. Gamay's a lighter grape and some people in Niagara, for example, are doing interesting things with it. Morgon is the second largest appellation within Beaujolais and is known for its more robust and "masculine" gamays. Well this one delivers - you still get the great fruity nose of strawberry and light berry fruit, as well as some floral notes, but this is super smooth, rich and fresh on the palate, with the exuberance of the fruit held in check. It's still there, but muted. Like its lighter, fruitier cousins, this is easy drinking, but this is posh Beaujolais... at a very good price too. 89 points.
Chateau Mirausse Le Grand Penchant 2006. $18.95. ** GOOD VALUE **
Minervois, France
Mostly syrah, this southern French powerhouse has a very rich fruity nose of cherries and blackberries. It's smooth, rich and full on the palate, which offers more cherres as well as nicely balanced acidtiy and tannins. Nice finish as well. 89 points.
Guyot Crozes-Hermitage Le Millepertuis 2005. $21.95
Rhone Valley, France
This one is not too promising on the nose, though there is a bit of perfume there. On the palate, it's medium bodied, silky and fresh: very elegant with plum fruit. A very smooth example of a high quality appellation (Crozes-Hermitage). "Really lovely", I noted. 88/89 points.
Mas de Bressaudes Cabernet/Syrah 2006. $18.95
Pays de Gard, France
Great nose of dark red fruit that feels more cab than spicy syrah. The syrah kicks in on the smooth palate with rich red fruit. Acidity and tannins are both high, but nicely balanced. Good finish too on this interesting blend. 88 points.
Bodegas Arrocal 2006. $17.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Ribero del Duero, Spain
Lovely nose of dark red fruit as well as both spicy and floral notes: wow! Very ripe fruit, but not cooked, on the super dry and smooth palate. Acidity and tannins are both high, as you'd expect from a young Ribero del Duero. There's more red berry fruit, woody notes and a good lingering finish. This has excellent aging potential and represents very good value. 89 points.
Los 800 2003. $19.95
Priorat, Spain
Super big nose with slightly over extracted and oaky dark red fruit. Great fresh surprise on the palate though: lots of acidity balancing the tannins and big oaky smoky notes. Great red berry fruit, including raspberry and blackberry. nice finish. 88 points.
Torres Gran Coronas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. $9.95 (375 ml) ** GOOD VALUE **
Penedes, Spain
Very nice nose with some cherry and herbal notes and a bit of mushroom. Nicely smooth on the palate, which is very dry. The fruit is there, but muted, tannins are smooth and there's a nice finish. Nice quality in a small package - treat yourself to one of these at the next lunch or dinner you whip up tout seul, especially if you're thinking "I need some time for *me* goddammit!". 88 points.
