The most important reason for the white focus is that I didn't, um, get to taste many of the reds as summer vacation #1 got in the way of the extra session. Vacation #2 starts the last week of July, and it's off to Muskoka.
Back to the task at hand, there are not many rose wines out this release, but the quality is good and the profile is bigger and manlier than usual - check out Niagara's Wildass Rose and Mas des Bressades Cuvee Tradition Rose from the southern Rhone Valley for some of the biggest and fullest flavoured rose wines around.
A great area to take a look at is part of the Italian regional highlights program for this release. Most notable is a grape you've never heard of from an island you never hear about: nuragus from Sardinia. The island is one of the least densely populated parts of Italy and is the 2nd largest island in the Mediterranean (after Sicily). Check out the island's wine regions and styles on this cool interactive map.
Like the rest of Italy, Sardinia has its local grapes and wines as well as Italian standards like moscato and nebbiolo. Nuragus is one of Sardinia's own and, though it doesn't have a great reputation, the Pala Salnico Nuragus on offer is very good at a very good price. For a buck more, and another major Sardinian grape, there's the delightful Santadi Villa Solais Vermentino, which is as dry and fresh, but with a little more fruit. Vermentino is also grown in other parts of the Med, but it's most common in Sardinia. For a well priced taste of Italy's most popular export white, Duca di Quadri Catemario Collezione Privata Pinot Grigio is a good value pick.
I can recommend a couple of terrific reds from one of my favourite "budget" regions in France, the Cotes du Rhone, one of which I think is a 90-point blockbuster... for twenty bucks.
To get a hold of any of the wines, visit the LCBO website to check availability near you.
TOP VALUE PICK
Pala Salnico Nuragus 2007. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Sardinia, Italy
The nuragus grape is a new one on me. Answers.com suggests the wines of the region, "which are made mainly from Nuragus grapes, are dry, light and crisp thirst quenchers that are mediocre, at best." I'd agree with all that except the mediocre part. This may be an unusually fine example, but I found it to have a fresh nose with some peach and lemon fruit, very dry and clean on the palate, which has a great mineral note in the middle and even a slight salty edge. Good finish. 88 points.
A Sparkler
Codorniu Pinot Noir Rose Brut Cava $16.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Catalonia, Spain
Codorniu is a reliable producer at the lower end of the sparkling price scale. Big and fruity nose with ripe raspberry and strawberry notes. Moderately fizzy on the palate, which also has some darker notes, but some lemon as well. There's a slight cloying note on the finish, but overall pretty good. 87 points
Selected Whites
Duca Di Quadri Catemario Collezione Privata Prinot Grigio 2007. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Friuli, Italy
Simple fresh peachy-honeyed nose with some aromatic notes. Smooth and ripe on the palate, which has good acidity, peach and pear fruit and a mineral note. A good, straightforward pinot grigio. 87 points.
Santadi Villa Solais Vermentino 2007. $15.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Sardinia, Italy
Nice bright yellow-green-gold colour, and a rather muted nose with a bit of green apple and a bit of a mineral note. There's a slight petillance on the palate, which is fresh and dry, yet full of ripe peach fruit. There's also a rich smoothness underlying it, which is a nice contrast to the very crisp acidity. The finish lingers beautifully, with ripe apple notes a little citrus and slightly dark undertone. 88 points.
Cave Spring Chardonnay Musque 2007. $15.95
VQA Beamsville Bench
"Musque" is your indication that it's really not like a regular chardonnay: the musque clone is very perfumed, floral and fruity variation that is particularly popular in NIagara. As one of the best producers of riesling, its not that surprising that Cave Spring takes a shot at it. The very perfumed nose might worry you in the sweetness dept., but it's actually fairly dry on the palate, which is also quite full and offers a range of fruity flavours, moderate acidity and a nice finish of yellow plums. 87 points.
Peller Estates Private Reserve Riesling 2007. $15.95
VQA Niagara Peninsula
Quite bold nose with aromatic notes over ripe peach fruit and the faintest hint of petrol. Dry and very fresh on the palate, which is moderately fruity, rather acidiic and has some nice lemon/lime notes too. OK finish. 87 points.
Man Vintners Chenin Blanc 2008. $13.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Cape Province, South Africa
One of South Africa's signature whites, chenin blanc has its origins in the Loire Valley in France. It doesn't get as much respect as it deserves, but whaddya gonna do? This one has a quite muted nose for a chenin, with apple notes, a bit of spice and a tiny hint of floral. Fuller than expected on the palate after the muted nose, it's even slightly round with a lot of juicy, ripe fruit. Apple and pear with some lemon to freshen it up. Nice finish. 87 points.
Santa Ana La Mascota Chardonnay 2008. $15.95
Mendoza, Argentina
Rich nose with oak notes of vanilla and smoke as well as a bit of apple and lemon. More obviously oaky on the palate, which is smooth and has smoke and woody notes. Very ripe apple and pear fruit and some smoke on the finish. It's probably a little much for most people, but good for oak lovers. 87 points.
Carmen Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2007. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Casablanca Valley, Chile
Lighter nose with citrus and mineral notes but not a lot of the sauv blanc grassiness, nicely muted. Smooth and fresh on the palate, there's good acidity, nice lemon fruit and a good and lively finish that lingers. 88 points.
William Cole Vineyards Alto Vuelo Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Casablanca Valley, Chile
Another more muted sauvignon blanc from Chile - this one with lots of citrus and minerality. Nicely smooth yet tangy on the palate, this wine is very dry and has nice white fruit. Very not OTT sauv blanc, very nice. 88 points
Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2008. $19.95
Margaret River, Western Australia
Super big nose focused more on the darker, herbaceous side of sauvignon blanc - even a bit of bug spray. A little round on the palate, the flavour veers towards the tropical fruit you'd expect from a warmer climate version, including passion fruit. There's a slight chalky note and some lemon fruit as well. The acidity rises nicely toward the finish, which is good. 88 points
Momo Sauvignon Blanc 2008. $18.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Marlborough, New Zealand
Lovely and fairly muted nose with citrus, gooseberry and just a hint of a green note. Smooth and clean on the palate, which has lemon fruit, fresh yellow plum and very good acidity. An elegant New Zealander. 90 points.
Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2007. $19.95
Marlborough, New Zealand
Very muted nose with a little bit of white fruit. Fuller than expected on the palate, which is dry, fresh and has melon and a little bit of a honeyed note. Some fresher green notes too and a good finish with citrus. "Bland in a good way," I wrote. 88 points
Selected Rose Wines
Wildass Rose 2007. $19
VQA Niagara Peninsula
This is a blend of cab franc, cab sauv, merlot and syrah. 07 was a good year for reds, so there's lots of fruit: the nose is pretty rich and ripe with fresh red cherries and strawberries, a bit of herbal and maybe even some garrigue. On the palate it's very full, with more ripe red fruit. So even though the acidity is good, that's not the dominant feature, giving it a more New World feel. The fruit stops short of candied and there's a slight tannic note too. The acidity rises as you taste more and the raspberry finish stays fresh. Solid. 88 points
Cave de Turckheim Pinot Noir Rose 2008. $16.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Alsace, France
Great salmon pink colour and a lovely bold nose with strawberry fruit and a hint of perfume. Super smooth and elegant on the palate. Acidity is medium but reasonably pronounced and the finish is fresh and clean. A muted, elegant rose. 88 points.
Mas des Brassades Cuvee Tradition Rose 2008. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Rhone Valley, France
Fuller bodied bodied and darker, this has ripe berry fruit with a hint of spice on the nose. On the palate, there is ripe raspberry and some blood orange. Good acidity and even a bit of tannin, giving it more depth. I wrote: "a man's rose". 87 points.
Three Good Reds
Tharru Cannonau di Sardegna 2006. $14.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Sardinia, Italy
Pale ruby colour. Well integrated nose with some darker spicy notes and light, ripe, soft plum and cherry fruit with some red flowers, a bit of licorice and a hint of herbal. Tannins are moderate, acidity medium, but there are some earthy notes too. I was stunned to learn that the grape cannonau is Sardinian for... grenache. You start to sense the link to the Rhone once you know, and there's good complexity for the price. 87 points
Domaine Comte de Lauze Cotes du Rhone 2007. $13.95 ** GOOD VALUE **
Rhone Valley, France
Earthy and with a note of olive brine, the nose has a lot of dark berry and cherry fruit too - nicely complex for the price. It's smooth and ripe on the palate, which has good red fruit. Tannins and acidity both high, but well balanced. Nice finish with a bit of spice. 87 points.
Domaine Grand Veneur Les Champauvins Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007. $19.95 ** VERY GOOD VALUE **
Rhone Valley, France
Beautiful big nose of ripe blackberry, black cherry and some pepper too. Super ripe fruit on the palate - tannins and acidity both high. It's very dry, but with that pleasing note of Rhone sweetness to the fruit. Nice spicy finish that lingers. 90 points.
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