WEEKENd WINE PICKS
Quails’ Gate Chasselas-Pinot Blanc-Pinot Gris 2016, Okanagan Valley
$17.49 | 88/100
UPC:
778856115055
Now a classic, this aromatic blend of Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris has returned to its bright, light and fresh form in 2016, and it’s delicious. Fine tangerine, Asian pear, yellow apple and a nip of zesty spice marks a snappy finish. Light bodied and brunch ready, you can pour this all summer on the patio.
Blasted Church Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Okanagan Valley
$24 | 89/100
UPC:
626990253211
This is the best we have tasted from Blasted Church’s Sauvignon portfolio. The nose is a mix of grassy grapefruit, melon rind, floral notes. A solid effort that would be perfect with West Coast mussels. Private wine shops.
Freemark Abbey Chardonnay 2015, Napa Valley, California
$35 | 91/100
UPC:
015917026999
Expect an expressive ripe, fruity nose of pineapple, guava and peach reflecting a mix of cooler sites including Coombsville, Howell Mountain, Carneros, and Suscol Creek. The palate is fresh with a linear tone and a complex, spicy nutmeg underbelly with creamy pear, citrus, green apple. A solid, fair-priced California Chardonnay. Perfect for a lobster dish.
Cims del Montsant Carignan-Grenache 2012, Montsant, Catalonia, Spain
$14.99 | 88/100
UPC:
8437013573030 Monsant is a stone’s throw from the nearby and highly heralded Priorat region. Cims is a mix of Carignan and Garnacha planted at a dizzying 530 metres above sea level. Expect a rich, round, sun-baked red full of black cherries, intense wild blackberries and tempered by a plummy licorice finish. The tannins remain youthful and gritty, calling for grilled sausages or venison.
La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Ventoux Rouge Rhone Valley, France $18.99 (1500ml) | 87/100 UPC:
631470000018
They say that magnum (1500ml) bottles are in, but were they ever out? Here’s a barbecue red that will turn heads all night because it’s fun to drink and the bottle is, well, big. A Ventoux red, it slides down with ease mixing Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. Fresh and juicy, with light tannins it is a grilled beef slayer — and it is under screw cap. Best of all is the price in magnum at $18.99, or $9.50 per bottle. Back up the truck.