Celebrity wines worth a pour
The Yeses 2017 Miraval Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France (Vintages 342589 $23.95 in stores and online)
Despite their split, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt still produce this wine together in partnership with the Perrin Family of Château Beaucastel fame. And that’s good because it’s one of the best celebrity wines on the market. Not only is the packaging tasteful, the wine is quietly sophisticated with subdued scents of red currants, mixed dried herbs and cool talc. Shifting berry-floral-citrus notes give way to a long orange zest and talc finish.
Score: 93+
2017 Francis Coppola Sofia Rosé, Monterey County, Calif. (Vintages 284943 $24.95 in stores and online)
Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola made this wine to honour his daughter, Sofia Coppola, an established director and producer in her own right. And it’s quite a compelling expression of Californian rosé made from Syrah, Grenache and Pinot Noir. Vivacious cherry and tangerine aromas lead to an explosive, bone-dry attack of red cherry and lemon zest laced with lavender, thyme and cool minerals. Then, a whisper of white grapefruit peel.
Score: 91
2015 Cuddy by Tawse Cabernet Merlot, VQA Niagara Peninsula, ON (Available at the winery only $27.95)
Jim Cuddy, best known as lead singer for Blue Rodeo, produces a range of bottles with Tawse Winery in Niagara. That range, called “Cuddy by Tawse,” includes this soulful red that calls to mind smoked damsons and blueberry crumble laced with black cherry, dark chocolate and warm wood. It’s a dry and lush offering with an attractively juicy undertow. While bold Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blends aren’t what I’d call Ontario’s calling card, this is a striking exception.
Score: 93
The Nos 2015 Dreaming Tree Crush Red, Calif. (LCBO 310391 $17.95 in stores and online)
Singer-songwriter Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band produces this bottle in collaboration with Sonoma winemaker Sean McKenzie, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It tastes harsh and angular with lots of rough edges that seem to jut through the sweetish red and black fruit core. And while the finish offers some length, it’s oak that lingers rather than nuanced fruit. There are better buys on shelves for a wine that’s nearing the $20 mark. I’m not crushing on this wine.
NV Bellissima Prosecco Brut DOC, Treviso, Italy (Vintages 548164 $24.95 in stores)
What’s striking about Christie Brinkley’s new Bellissima Prosecco isn’t the bare-breasted blond etched on the bottle, but rather the price. It costs $24.95, which is quite a lot considering the vast majority of Proseccos sold in Ontario cost less than $20. Frankly, it’s not worth the premium. Bellissima is clean-tasting and wellbalanced with Prosecco’s telltale pear character on the nose and palate, but it lacks the complexity, concentration and length one would expect for a nearly $25 wine. I want more than just a pretty bottle
2017 Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99 Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula, ON (LCBO 63826 $14.95 in stores and online)
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s range of wines was first made in partnershipwith Creekside Winery, then Peller Estates here in Ontario. So I grabbed a bottle of Gretzky’s current vintage of Chardonnay, a variety well-suited to Ontario’s growing conditions. But the wine fell flat. The classic citrus-and-buttered-toast aromas of wooded Chardonnay come through nicely on the nose and the entry tastes clean and fresh, but alcohol quickly shows through the fruit making the wine taste and feel hot and boozy. He shoots; he misses.