THESE ARE WORTH EVERY PRETTY PENNY
There’s nothing worse than tasting a wine that costs a pretty penny and thinking, ‘Is that it?’ But it happens more often than I care to know. After all, I taste wine for a living. But the flip side is tasting a pricey bottle that over-delivers — the kind
2013 Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy (Vintages Essential 413179 $52.95 in stores and online)
Amarone was actually created by mistake. Valpolicella traditionally made (and still makes) a dessert wine called Recioto from air-dried, shrivelled grapes. But one day, that wine was accidentally fermented dry. The winemaker tasted it, loved it and exclaimed “amarone!” which translates to “a great bitter”— distinguishing it from its sweet counterpart. The name stuck and the style was born. And this bottle is a particularly delicious version of the style. It erupts with cashmere flavours of chocolate fudge, sweet cherries and black coffee imbued with dried plum, fig, tar, orange peel, black pepper and blackcurrant. Tastes beautiful poured alongside a wedge Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Score: 94
2009 Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Champagne, France (Vintages Essential 268755 $299.95 in stores, online and in select grocery stores)
Is this wine worth the price? Actually, yes. Especially as a wedding gift. Give a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal and you give more than just a bottle of one of the top champagnes in the world. You’re giving a bottle that will improve with age for decades. This wine is a baby; it’s a champagne of depth and richness with opulent flavour of caramelized apples and stone fruit. But Cristal promises to improve with time — like a good marriage — developing complexity and elegance. To this day, I remember tasting a 1970 bottle of this wine in 2003 and it was sublime. And like true love, Cristal is hard to find. Demand outstrips supply in every market, so Ontario is lucky to have access to it in large enough quantities to make it a Vintages Essential. So as we swing toward wedding season, consider giving a bottle of this wine, which comes wrapped in its gold, lightproof paper and a gold-latched gift box. It’s worth every penny.
Score: 93
2016 Stanners Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County VQA, Ontario (LCBO 490359 $35 in select stores only, at the winery and at stannersvineyard.ca — free delivery for 6 bottles or more)
In November, I judged the second annual Judgement of Kingston, a blind tasting of Pinot Noirs from Prince Edward County and Burgundy. While two Burgundies earned first and second place — 2012 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Gevrey-Chambertin and 2011 Domaine Thenard Givry Cellier aux Moines respectively — 2014 Stanners Vineyard Barrel Select Pinot Noir came third. That bottle sold out long ago, but the point is, Stanners makes world-class Pinot Noir. And this bottle now available is a shining example with its shy aromas of fresh cranberries, silky mouthfeel and sheer wash of red berry flavour elegantly imbued with beet root, violet and talc notes. This is a bottle worth ordering from the winery to serve with salmon all spring and summer long. Score: 92
2017 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand (Vintages 974527 $21.95 in stores and online)
If you normally spend about $10 on a crisp white, you can confidently double that number with this new release. Shimmering pale straw, this Sauvignon Blanc offers great purity and delicacy without compromising the juicy-lit appeal of the style. The tightly-wound gooseberry-grapefruit core is lifted, bright and nuanced with struck flint, lime zest and white blossoms. Pour this food-friendly wine with pesto pasta or cucumber sandwiches and prepare to swoon a little. But don’t confuse this sophisticated white with the Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc (LCBO 426601 $15.20), which is a delicious but slightly less dignified, more full-throttle expression.
Score: 91
2015 Vineland Estates Winery Cabernet Franc Reserve, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario ($50 per bottle available at the winery only and at vinelandwineshop.com, plus shipping)
Vineland Estates is known for its passion and dedication to Cabernet Franc. And winemaker Brian Schmidt teases compelling expressions of this variety from Twenty Mile Bench — a growing area well-suited to that grape. If you’re a fan of lighter-bodied reds and the taste of freshly-picked raspberries, you’ll love this bottle. It teems with pristine aromas and flavours of perfectly ripe raspberries and blackberries interwoven with notes of warm cedar and slate. Then, it all tapers to a warm chalk and black raspberry finish. The flavours are clean and juicy but underpinned by a depth that nods to the fine-quality fruit. And the satiny-smooth texture pays quiet tribute to impeccable balance. Well done, Ontario. Gorgeous with duck, quail or duck liver pâté.
Score: 90+