The Imbiber's Report

Our Bi-Weekly Newsletter with Product Reviews and Much More!

MARCH 6, 2010

CELEBRATING GOLD

Congratulations to Vancouver for showing the world a good time during the Olympics.  Sure, we won some medals, drank a lot of beer and had one hell of mess to clean up afterward.  What we really loved about the Olympics was a feeling that we were all, in some small way, participants.  One of our favourite moments was to see the women’s hockey team drinking Segura Viudas during the post-game celebrations like they were huge beer bottles.  The next time you open some Segura Viudas, toast our ladies and take a swig right from the bottle in their honour.

This month’s Vintages Catalogue celebrates Chile 2010 – the dawn of an evolutionary decade.  Our thoughts are with everyone in Chile who has been affected by the recent earthquakes.  The good news is that we have received word from Casa Silva, Apaltagua and Viu Manent to tell us that all of their people are safe and sound.  Some of the wineries have had some damage (which can be fixed) and all wineries have continued with harvest and crush despite the difficult circumstances. 

We have some great wines released through Vintages this weekend.  Let’s jump right in and see what’s happening.

VINTAGES RELEASE MARCH 6, 2010

Dow’s
Late Bottled Vintage Port 2004
DOC Douro, Portugal
#613927  $19.75
200 (12 pack) Cases Available

‘BEST IN CLASS’ GOLD MEDAL
International Wine & Spirit Competition 2009
“Deep opaque purple ruby and youthful primary, vibrant aromas, fruity and floral with coffee and blackberry compote, warm and nostril filling. The palate is rich, powerful and sumptuously sweet with firm tannic structure reining in the fruit concentration. More mocha in the mouth, along with sweet spices and dried fruit balanced by tart acidity.”

Dow’s 2004 Late Bottled Vintage is a wine of a single year but it is not a “declared” Vintage Port. Whereas Vintage Port spends only two years in oak cask and then matures in bottle, LBV is aged in seasoned oak casks and then bottled when it is between four and six years old. At the time of bottling, Dow’s LBV has completed its maturation and is ready for drinking without the need for decanting.

This is tremendous value at under $20.  Buy a few for the cellar.  While they are ready to drink now, they will age nicely for many years.

Symington Family Estates
Altano DOC Douro Red 2007
Portugal
#579862  $11.75
600 (12 pack) Cases Available

This popular red from Portugal is back, but if previous Vintages releases are anything to go buy, it won’t last long!  Altano comes from the Douro Valley vineyards of Northern Portugal and is produced from the Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca grape varieties. The former provides intense ripe berry flavours and the latter has lifted floral aromas. Altano is made by the Symington family, who also make Dow’s Port and a wide range of other wines.

2007 was an excellent vintage in the Douro Valley for both Port and Douro DOC and some very fine wines were made. Cool, dry growing conditions produced perfectly ripened grapes. Textbook colour, fruitiness and balance were the hallmarks of the 2007 Vintage.  Even the affordable entry level wines like Altano benefited from such a solid year.

Buy a couple of bottles of Altano and invite some friends over for a casual Saturday evening BBQ.  Pour glasses of Altano without anyone seeing and ask your peeps to name the grape and guess the price.  We’ll venture that everyone will think it costs more than it does and we would be very surprised if anyone got the grape mix.

Tasting notes:  There are lovely fresh floral aromas with a touch of peppery spice.  On the palate find layers of bright, generous cherry and raspberry fruit with a touch of chocolate and mocha. It’s medium-bodied and very well balanced.  Try with grilled sweet Italian sausage and grilled veggies.

Dopff Au Moulin
Crémant d’Alsace AC
Cuvée Julien Brut
Alsace, France
#641365  $18.75
200 (12 pack) Cases Available

There is a very interesting story behind this wine.  Julien Dopff wanted to inject a little life into the Alsace region’s winemaking culture by producing a sparkling wine.  He decided to go to Champagne to learn the traditional method of making sparkling wine.  After a few years, he returned to the Alsace region and started on his own version of sparkling wine using local grapes.  Julien was the first Alsace winemaker to attempt a commercial sparkling wine and he is considered the pioneer of the style. 

Dopff Au Moulin Cuvée Julien Brut Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively from grapes grown around Riquewihr and Colmar.  The vineyards selected are on well drained light sandy soil, with a capacity to ripen early and to be picked early in order to preserve the fresh character of the grapes.  A 50/50 blend of Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois is used for the wine.  The wine is made to a very high quality standard and follows the traditional method of Champagne production.  The Crément is aged for 18 months on its lees before being prepared for finishing.

The Cuvée Julien Brut shows crisp apple and floral notes on the nose and zippy citrus-apply richness on the palate with a fine persistent mousse and wonderful balance.  This charming sparkling wine would be perfect for Easter Brunch or a late Sunday morning breakfast.

Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery
Reserve Chardonnay 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
#945659  $24.75
112 (12 pack) Cases Available

ONTARIO WINE AWARDS GOLD MEDAL WINNER BEST CHARDONNAY OVER $20!
CUVEE 2010 – GOLD MEDAL DESIGNATION

5 OUT OF 5 STARS
Vic Harradine, www.winecurrent.com
July 4, 2009
Vanilla and smoky notes on the nose provide a segue for the delicious and persistent stream of fruit-filled flavours with white peach, spiced green apple, racy mouth-watering citrus and ripe tropical fruit to the fore along with nuances of hazelnuts … It’s a dazzling expression of the varietal and the wonderful ‘07 vintage in Niagara.



90 Points
Toronto Life, May 2009, David Lawrason,
An Ontario Wine Awards gold medal winner, it has a terrific, complex nose of woodsmoke, butterscotch, peaches, honey and clove.  It’s also full bodied and spicy on the palate, with stabilizing acidity.  Excellent length, with clove, pineapple and lemon on the finish.

If you have some friends who still don’t believe that Ontario can produce top quality wines, this 2007 Reserve Chardonnay should convince them.

Vinification: The juices from selected vineyards are kept isolated and are each put into a range of barrels from some of the finest coopers in France.  After fermentation and ageing in 100% French oak, the final selection and blend are made to maximize the wine’s full flavour, complexity and quality.

Tasting Notes: Soft vanilla, ripe pear, and a touch of toast and almond butter on the nose.  The nose carries through to the palate with the same gorgeous flavours that are well balanced with mouth watering acidity. 

ACCOLADES

Globe and Mail – Beppi Crosariol

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF WINE
“As with fashion and home decor, you can spend a lot on wine or you can fake expensive taste with a well-chosen bargain”.
Champagne (high)/cava (low)
“Ms. McCauley at CinCin also shares my preference for the dry sparkling wine of northeast Spain as a dirt-cheap substitute for $40-and-up Champagne. Made using the traditional, labour-intensive process perfected in the Champagne region of France (in which the bubbles form naturally inside the bottle with the addition of yeast and sugar), cavas generally cost between $12 and $18. They are a steal compared with today’s trendier choice, Prosecco from Italy, which is usually the product of a bulk, industrial fermentation process and delivers more coarse, soda-like bubbles. Ms. McCauley’s, and my, top cava choice for budget sipping: Segura Viudas (about $15). “It’s the best out there,” she says. “I spent a year living in Spain. After looking for smaller growers all over the Penedes (the region where cava is made), Segura Viudas was still one of my favourites.” (We’re not the only fans: The Canadian Olympic women’s hockey team quaffed the cava as part of their on-ice gold medal celebration.)”

EVENTS

Churchill Cellars Portfolio Tasting
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
27 Front Street East, Toronto
Monday, April 12th, 2010

This year’s annual portfolio tasting will be held in the front atrium of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto.  All Imbiber’s Report subscribers are invited to the event and we sincerely hope you can join us.  Your ‘official’ invitation will be emailed to you next week.  Mark the date on your calendar and plan accordingly!

 Download PDF of our most recent General List Price List