The yesses
2017 “The Final Rose” The Bachelor Cabernet Sauvignon, Ontario, Canada (LCBO 568576 $14.95 in stores and online)
Die-hard fans of
The Bachelor hit TV show might want to taste this red. It’s not love at first sip but you could pour this wine at a viewing party and your friends won’t hate you. It’s clean, well-balanced and offers a juicy-smooth entry of plum and black cherry fruit imbued with bittersweet chocolate and warm black olive. Not a bad little bottle with which to play all those now-famous drinking games, such as sip every time someone on the show says anything about “falling in love,” sheds a tear or uses the word “husband.”
Score: 88
2016 SUBMISSION, 689 Cellars, California (Available through Halpern Enterprises only, 416-593-2662, $230.40 for 12 bottle case incl. delivery anywhere in Ontario)
You know those bottles that bring you to your knees? This is one of them. Backstory: One of the better wine agencies in Toronto, Halpern Enterprises, went to California to scout a $20 Cab that kills it — and they came back with this very serious find. With a crushed velvet mouth feel — all polished on top and plush underneath — this wine draws you in with flavours of ripe mixed berries, café latte, smoked plum, milk chocolate, toasted tobacco and vanilla cream. Elegant yet slightly brooding, this wine is a steal.
Score: 96
NV Pere Ansleme “La Fiole du Pape” Chateauneuf-duPape AOC, France (LCBO 12286 $40.00 in stores and online)
Though this gimmickylooking bottle seems at odds with the premium price, the packaging is actually more about art than marketing per se. It was designed by the winery’s founder in 1952, inspired by the wild movement of the Grenache vine twisted in the strong Provence mistral (wind). And the wine itself is delicious. Expect warm scents of cherries, clove and nutmeg to rise from the glass before slipping over the palate with cashmere flavours of mixed berries, red meat, baking spices, dried herbs, leather and warm wood. Savoury, dry and satisfying. A classic and reliable Chateauneuf-duPape. Score: 93+
2017 The Original Ribshack Red, South Africa (LCBO 392761 $13.35 in stores and online)
A name as obvious as Ribshack Red definitely qualifies as gimmicky, so I tasted a bottle on your behalf and found it to be true to its name. It’s actually a great match for smoky, falloff-the-bone, melt-in-yourmouth ribs — whether rubbed with spices or brushed with sticky-sweet sauce. Each sip of this robust red offers rich, smooth flavours of black forest fruit, wood smoke, coffee and seared beef. Terrific value for money. So buy a case and pour it all summer long with ribs, steaks, skewers, whatever. You won’t regret it.
Score: 92
2016 Loosen UP Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany (LCBO 541110 $13.95 in stores only)
Wine aficionados love to spend large on great bottles of Riesling that can age for decades and offer mind-blowing complexity. Frankly, Loosen Up offers none of that. But it does reveal Riesling’s other side: the ability to deliver the perfect hit of refreshment at a reasonable price. This new General List item tastes like a lick of best-ever lemon sorbet, crisp and clean, pure and fresh, with just enough sweetness to offset the racy acidity. The charm lies in the perfect balance and pristine purity of fruit. Pour it with confidence on a hot summer day.
Score: 91