Overlooked offerings from well-known wineries
Sales of big brand wines are up. It seems Ontario wine drinkers want to get in and out of the LCBO quickly so are grabbing names they know and trust. This isn’t a bad idea given the adage, buy from a trusted producer and the wine probably won’t let you down.
But the most popular wines by large producers don’t always deliver the best value. Here are some wines by wellknown wineries that you may have overlooked but are well worth your attention—starting with an undervalued Californian Cabernet Sauvignon.
Louis M. Martini has been producing wine in California since 1933 and was one of the founding wineries of the Napa Valley. So, no surprise its Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is its flagship cuvée, selling for just shy of $40 a pop in Ontario as an LCBO Vintages Essential. But for a real deal, look to the rich, velvety 2018 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County (Vintages Essential 292151 $20.95 till June 21, 2020. Reg. $23.95). This bottle offers more concentration, complexity and length than most sub-$25 Californian Cabernets.
Heady scents of cassis, muddled blackberries and cherry-vanilla lead to a plush entry. Flavours suggest bumbleberry pie laced with pencil shavings, cola, cherries and nuts that linger on the finish. And the wine’s full-fruited appeal is tempered by elegance, a well-toned structure, and impeccable balance. Perfect steak frites wine. Score: 93 Here in Ontario, Strewn Winery is well-known for its popular barrel-aged Chardonnay, which sells over 9,000 cases per year through the LCBO and is listed in more than 450 stores. But the 2018 Strewn Two Vines Riesling Gewurztraminer, VQA Niagara Peninsula (LCBO 467662 $13.95), also widely available, should be squarely on your radar. This wine shines deep yellow with gold inflections and opens with the wonderful perfume of candied yellow plums. The entry is brisk and mouthwatering with bracing acidity offsetting a light kiss of sweetness. Juicy apricot and peach flavours saturate the palate with generous weight and a silky texture before slowly tapering to a persistent poached pear finish. Score: 92 Pour this Ontario Riesling Gewurztraminer blend with
Korean fried chicken or Indian curry. The wine’s intensity stands up well to bolder flavours while the sweet-andsour character of this RieslingGewurztraminer balances spiciness.
Diehard fans of Joel Gott’s 815 Cabernet Sauvignon from California (Vintages Essential 444059 $24.95) should taste the 2017 Joel Gott Zinfandel (Vintages 224139 $25.95). About 450 cases of this wine was released in Vintages on May 30 and is well worth tracking down.
Each sip erupts with a crush of black fruit, laced with charcoal, chocolate shavings, pipe tobacco, grilled meat and a good crank of black pepper. The wine is muscular and brawny while retaining a certain sophistication thanks to its articulacy of flavour, bright-but-balanced acidity, and glossy mouthfeel. A gem. Score: 93
Pour this deep, dark, delicious red with spice rubbed short ribs. If you want to get fancy, sous vide them first, then finish in the oven or on the grill. Show stopper.
Sauvignon Blanc lovers often look to New Zealand, Chile, and the Loire Valley in France, all of which make that wine well. But an easy-to-find alternative that’s charming and inexpensive is the 2019 “Les
Jamelles” Sauvignon Blanc from the South of France (LCBO 465146 $14.95).
This French white exudes classic scents of freshly sliced lemons and damp herbs before racing over the palate with lively lemon-lime nuanced with white flowers and orange zest. Dry, well-balanced, and well-priced, the 2019 “Les Jamelles” Sauvignon Blanc is the type of wine I like to pour into a clay pitcher and serve with a big green salad topped with grilled fish, fresh cheese or roasted chicken, alongside a country loaf and some good butter. Score: 92
Last but not least, I recently tasted the 2019 Tawse Winery Sketches Rosé, VQA Niagara Peninsula (Vintages Essential 172643 $15.95 till June 21, 2020. Reg. $17.95). This latest vintage offers outstanding value and is made by a trusted name in Ontario wine—Tawse. Gleaming a medium shade of pink, this blend of 58 per cent Pinot Noir, 10 per cent Cabernet Franc, nine per cent Gamay Noir and five per cent Cabernet Sauvignon teems with the delicate fragrance of violets and cherries then glides across the palate with sunny flavours of the same leaving a subtle salinity, touch of stoniness, and a whisper of redcurrant in its wake. Just a delightful dry rosé to pour on its own, cocktail style, or with smoked salmon and cream cheese on crackers. Score: 92
There we go. Two reds, two whites and a rosé to enjoy right now.