Easter treats for most suggest chocolate and candy. But the Vintages team have nominated a wide range of wines - from sauvignon blanc to Argentinean malbec to red Bordeaux to Niagara rose - for the "Easter Entertaining" category. So it's really not clear what criteria were used for a wine to qualify.
Eco-friendly wines, like "organic" vegetables, have a range of different measuring sticks and the rules can change from one country to another. Organic, biodynamic, "made from organic grapes", are some of the ways eco-friendly is expressed. While techniques have been developed to combat insect infestations without using chemical sprays, some other specific challenges of growing grapes, mainly rot and mould, mean that for growers in damper, more humid climates it's difficult to avoid spraying if they don't want to lose their whole crop.
So it's much easier to be organic in a dry climate like most of Spain, parts of Chile, Argentina and Australia, but more and more wineries elsewhere, including here in Niagara, are trying it out too. Frogpond Farm is the only "certified organic winery" in Ontario. In addition to banning the use of insecticides, herbicides, synthetic fungicides and chemical fertilizers, Frogpond also uses "100% green energy" - i.e., from clean, renewable sources. The winery has chosen the odd size of 500ml for most of its bottles, but this is actually a great amount for one person... those 375ml half bottles never quite seem to do it and there's often a big glassful left in the bottle of a 750ml bottle. The Frogpond riesling on release this week is pretty fine and worth a try.
While I didn't taste any stand-out stunners (i.e., the good ones were fairly expensive), in general this is a pretty good release, with plenty of decent choices below $20 and even a few under $15.
To get a hold of any of these wines, visit the LCBO website to check availability near you.
Tabali Reserva Merlot 2006. $14.95 ** TOP VALUE RED**
Limari Valley, Chile
Dark nose of ripe red berry fruit, then fresh and zesty on the palate, which has decent body, more ripe red fruit and even a bit of mint over the charred wood note. It's fairly simple and straightforward, but there's enough darkness to make it interesting. 87/88 points.
Domaine de Gourgazaud Viognier 2007. $15.95 ** TOP VALUE WHITE**
Languedoc, France
Here's a nicely muted viognier if you're hesitant about the viognier aromatics getting out of hand. In fact the reserved nose is initially reminiscent of an unoaked chard, though richer, ripe peach fruit soon starts to appear, and there are hardly any floral notes. It's more typical on the palate, which is dry, fresh and has rich tropical and ripe peach notes. Elegant finish. 88 points.
The Sparkling Wines
Jacquart Extra Brut Champagne. $49.95
Champagne, France
Kick up the easter dinner with a very pleasant and very dry champagne. There's a fairly muted nose with honeysuckle and brioche. On the palate it's very crisp and dry, with fresh apple, vanilla and a hint of citrus. Elegant, clean finish. 89 points.
Dufouleur Pere & Fils Cremat de Bourgogne Brut 2005. $21.95
Burgundy, France
Half the price and not bad - but in a different style. In addition to the champagne grapes (chardonnay and pinot noir), this one also contains chardonnay's bespectacled and buck-toothed sister, Aligote, which is probably contributing to the high acidity in this one. There's a bold, creamy, bready nose with citrus rind and a mineral note. There is a slight sweetness on the palate, but the high acidity keeps it in check. There's some apple and lemon fruit and an OK if sweetish finish. 88 points
Marques de Gelida Exclusive Burt Reserva Cava 2004. $19.95
Catalonia, Spain
Initially somewhat offputting nose with a metal note, but there's white fruit under. Fresh and zesty on the palate, which is on the lighter bodied side but reasonably creamy. Some tropical fruit hints in there too and an OK finish. 87 points.
The Whites
Cave Spring Estate Riesling 2006. $17.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
VQA Beamsville Bench
Cave Spring is just very good with its whites, especially its rieslings. Here's another terrific one: lovely aromatic nose with a petrol note over fresh citrus fruit and floral notes. Very fruity on the palate, with acidity rising nicely towards the finish. There's lemon, lime and green apple fruit and a good finish. 88 points.
The vintage on release now is 2007, however the tasting I attended featured the 2006. But I'd say don't hesitate to buy the 07.
Frogpond Farm Organic Riesling 2006. $11.95 (500ml) ** GOOD VALUE **
VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake
Ontario's only organic winery goes for offbeat bottles too... 500ml is a good idea and it would be nice to see more wineries do it, but that would probably screw up the SKUs or something. Rather muted nose with some nice mineral notes and lime fruit. Super dry and fresh on the palate. Good Niagara acidity keeps it crisp, there's lemon, lime and apple fruit and the finish is clean and fresh. 88 points.
Bonterra Chardonnay 2007. $18.95
Mendocino, California
These reliable producers of mid-range wines serve up a very Cali chard here: Quite fruity nose with white stone fruit and a bit of caramel under. There's a little sweetness on the palate, though it is dry, and there's smoke, apple and lemon notes. Ripe and a little round, this one does offer a nice finish. 87 points.
Note: the other half dozen California whites on release ranged from overblown and too sweet to round to just plain boring.
Vinterra Terra Viognier 2008. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Mendoza, Argentina
This Rhone white keeps getting more and more takers around the world and here's a decent effort from the Andes. Lovely aromatic nose with peach fruit and floral notes. There's a slight sweet note on the palate, but the good acidity makes it OK. There are some nice tropical fruit flavours on the medium to full bodied palate as well. 87 points.
Stella Bella Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $18.95
Margaret River, Western Australia
This is the classic Bordeaux white blend, and the Aussies have opted to showcase the sauv blanc - but only on the nose. Very herbacious nose with even a bit of bug spray, but then there's some lovely ripe fruit under. Full and fruity on the palate, tropical notes like passion fruit take over and there's really none of the grassiness I expected. There is a certain roundness to it even though the acidity is high (re-acidified for sure, but reasonably well done). Ripe apple note on the pleasant finish. 88 points.
Sensation de Chateau Grand Bourdieu Blanc. $18.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Bordeaux, France
Or, for the same money, you could go for this majority semillon blend from Bordeaux itself - the Graves AC, to be exact. Lovely nose with a nice touch of oak blending in well with the herbaceous notes. Sharp acidity over ripe white fruit and a bit of grass on the palate. Even though this is quite a full bodied white with a yeasty note, this is a clean, fresh wine. 89 points.
Loron & Fils Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay 2007. $19.95
Burgundy, France
Rich and oaky nose with apple fruit under and a bit of smoke. Fresh, smooth and dry on the palate, which has notes of vanilla and butterscotch. Good acidity accentuates the apple fruit and there's a nice finish, though a hint of roundness emerges. 87 points.
Domaine du Peit Coteau Les Grenouilles Sec Vouvray 2007. $17.95
Loire Valley, France
This chenin blanc beats the South African entrant this week for sure: Lovely nose with floral and citrus notes. Very ripe on the palate, which is slightly round but there's enough acidity. Good white fruitiness and there's some marshmallow on the finish. 88 points.
Domain du Pre Baron Sauvignon Touraine 2007. $15.95
Loire Valley, France
Touraine is the value AC for sauvignon blanc in the Loire, usually coming in much cheaper than Sancerre or Pouilly Fume. Here's a good one with a nicely aromatic nose that, a little unusually, contains a lot of peach and citrus fruits as well as grassiness. Acidity is high, but it's fairly full on the palate, which has more peach and citrus fruit and a great fresh fruit finish. 87 points.
Chante Cigale Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2007. $37.95
Rhone Valley, France
We don't see enough white Chateauneuf-du-Papes but then, like their red cousins, they are not inexpensive. This is a four-grape blend with equal parts of grenache blanc, roussane, clairette and bourboulenc. Beautiful and slightly floral nose with honeysuckle and honeydew melon. Quite big on the palate, which has fresh acidity, more melon, and a smooth, elegant feel. Great finish. 90 points.
Les Vignes Retrouvees Blanc 2007. $15.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Gers, France
The nose on this blend of three grapes local to the region in south west France, just inland and south from Bordeaux. You'll never remember them and it's unlikely you'll see any from elsewhere but here they are: arrufiac, petit courbu and manseng. Expect a fairly big and lively nose with lime, pear and some tropical notes. Fresh and medium bodied on the palate, there's more citrus fruit, a slight sweet note and a lovely finish. 87 points.
La Raia Gavi 2007. $18.95
Piedmont, Italy
Here's an eco-friendly white with both organic and biodynamic certifications. Big and fruity nose with pear and peach aromas. Zesty acidity on the palate, which also has some citrus fruit and a bit of vanilla. Good finish. 87 points.
A Rose
Malivoire Ladybug Rose 2008. $15.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
VQA Niagara Escarpment
The ladybug branding is a bit unfortunate as ladybugs in vineyards are very bad news. If even just a few bugs fall into the fermenting tanks, the pyrazine in their carapaces (or is it innards?) can taint a huge amount of wine with stale peanut aromas. Happily there's none of that with this fresh, light, and fun rose from one of Niagara's wineries worth watching: Shiraz Mottiar, Malivoire's winemaker, has been at it for a few years now & just keeps getting better. Fresh nose of slightly underripe strawberry, a hint of grape and a bit of red currant or even cranberry on the nose. Lighter bodied on the palate, which is full of fresh fruit, with a very slight hint of weeds. Light fresh finish, great colour, nice rose. 88 points.
The Reds
White Oak Merlot 2004. $36.95
Napa, California
The rich nose has a very slightly cooked edge to it, but there's good red berry fruit and darker woody notes. Super smooth on the palate, which has lots of ripe red fruit and some vanilla. Tannins are still high and there's a nice fresh uplift on the finish, which retains the berry fruit and woody notes. 90 points.
Temple Bruer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot 2001. $23.95 ** GOOD PREMIUM VALUE **
Langhorne Creek, South Australia
Here's an Aussie eco-effort that's very New World and very fine. Rich nose with ripe cherry and berry fruit, red licorice, smoke and mint. Smooth and rich on the palate, which is nicely complex with the flavours following on from the nose. acidity and tannins are in good balance, the finish is lovely and fresh with a plum note. 90 points
Brancott Reserve Pinot Noir 2006. $29.95
Central Otago, New Zealand
It's the southernmost winegrowing area in the world - 45 degrees south vs. Niagara's 43 north - so Central Otago keeps the focus on cool climate grapes and is developing a good reputation for pinots. This one has a richly fruity and very New World pinot nose bursting with cherry fruit over woody notes and tobacco. Quite big and fresh on the palate, which has ripe cherry fruit and even a little earth. Great finish too. 89 points.
Kaiken Malbec 2007. $14.95
Mendoza, Argentina
The "from both sides of the Andes" on the label suggests a mix of Chilean and Argentinean wines, something like Jackson-Triggs' terrific "Unity" wine, which blended BC and Ontario wines (they did a very good chard). But no. What this means is malbec from Argentina with a Chilean winemaker on staff. But the result is good: rich and dark nose with espresso and chocolate notes over modest red fruit, including some plum. Fairly acidic and moderately tannic, it's a little lighter and simpler than expected on the palate - medium bodied as opposed to full - but the fruit is nice and ripe. OK finish. 87 points.
Chateau Haut La Greniere 2005. $23.95
Bordeaux, France
Back in food-friendly France, this Bordeaux has a dark nose with berry fruit and a herbal note. Nice and pleasantly fruity on the palate, it still manages to be very dry, with elevated tannins and the herbal note carrying through. Lovely muted and lingering finish on this very food-friendly wine. 88 points.
Chateau Saint-Roch Chimeres 2006. $19.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Cotes du Roussillon, France
Here's a grenache, syrah and carignan blend from the Midi region. Moderately fruity nose with tobacco and pepper. Dry and full on the palate, which has rich ripe cherry fruit and a woody note now under the pepper. Acidity and tannins both high still, and there's a good finish of muted red fruit. 89 points.
Clos du Mont-Olivet Font de Blanch Cotes-du-Rhone 2006 $16.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Rhone Valley, France
Very soft and fruity nose of ripe cherries and strawberries - and it seems worryingly candied. However it's much better on the palate, which is dry, has good tannins and acidity, and some pepper and spice notes adding complexity. Nice finish. 88 points.
Chateau La Caminade Cahors 2005. $18.95
Cahors, France
Here's a terrific malbec from its ancestral home, where the even darker, heavier grape tannat is also used: expect a big wine when you see Cahors on the label. This one's got a muted nose of plum, leather and a bit of burnt rubber. Lovely and smooth on the palate, with ripe cherry and plum fruit, some nice earthy notes and a good lingering plummy finish. 88 points.
Castellani Vignetti di Campomaggio Rosso 2003. $22.95
Tuscany, Italy
Lovely ripe nose of red berry fruit with a rich, meaty secondary note under. Fresh and lively on the palate, with nice ripe berry fruit, spice, more meat and a good finish. Nicely complex. 89 points.
Tezza Ma Roat Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2006. $17.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Veneto, Italy
Ripasso is a step up from Valpolicella and a step down from Amarone. Meaning "re-passed", ripasso refers to the fact that grape skins from the finer Amarone production are re-fermented with Valpolicella wine, giving more body and depth to what can often be a simple and light wine. Here, expect a rich nose of ripe red berry fruit, spice and plum. It's fresh and fairly full on the palate, which has a solid core of ripe red fruit. Good acidity, moderate tannins, just a hint of secondary notes of leather and pepper and a lovely finish. 88 points.
Burmester Red Douro 2006. $16.95
Douro, Portugal
Smoky nose with ripe red berry and cherry fruit. Secondary notes of tobacco also present. On the palate the fruit is ripe and red and, although the smoke note carries through, it remains a little simple. 87 points.
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