Canadian Wine Guy

Pale in color with a mild stone fruit nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with nice peach and pear. If your expecting a wimpy pinot gris go elsewhere because on the medium length finish the wine displays some nice crisp dry minerality, and fresh lively acidity. Not as long as some but it does linger nicely in the mouth. This is my kind of Pinot Gris. We paired it with shrimp/scallop fettucine Alfredo and it wen perfectly, held it’s own. I would give it an 88 or so. Definitely a drink now, fresh crisp wine! Not bad at all for the prices.

from the LCBO web site Check stock:
Left Field Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris 2017
Pinot Gris
750 mL bottle | LCBO#: 277649 $19.50

Ripe apple and the fuller figured pear saunter into view with lovely spice and vanilla trailing behind. They chatter in gentle, sweet tones.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Bottle Size: 750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol: 12%
Made In: New Zealand
By: Villa Maria Estate Limited
Varietal: Pinot Gris

Extremely pale in color, with a nice grapefruit nose along with some flinty/smokey notes, a little odd. On the mid palate the wine is pure grapefruit in flavor to me, but then I’m not sure gooseberry and nettles taste like (from the LCBO notes). On the medium length finish the lively acidity coats the palate nicely. It’s nice and dry! We had it with roast chicken legs and it went well, not a perfect pairing but still good. The wine is bold but not sharp. Some nice zest to it … This wine is in the general list. I would give it an 88 or so.

From the LCBO web site Check Stock:
Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc LCBO#: 489112 $18.95

Cool climate winemaking methods capture maximum aroma and exuberant flavour in this New Zealand beauty. Nectarine, gooseberry, and nettle notes flavour the lush palate and the finish has a racy acidity. The grapes come from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, famous for vibrant, intense sauvignon blanc.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Rapini Galette Rapini Galette Hazelnut-Coated Pork Chops with Cream Sauce Hazelnut-Coated Pork Chops with Cream Sauce Spicy Shrimp and Cheesy Grits with Jalapeños and Eggs Spicy Shrimp and Cheesy Grits with Jalapeños and Eggs
PRODUCT DETAILS
Bottle Size: 750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol: 12.5%
Made In: Marlborough, New Zealand
By: Sacred Hill Wines Ltd
Sugar Content: 9 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor:D – Dry
Style:Aromatic & Flavourful
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

I stopped by Hencdricks for there Thursday buck a shuck special for some oysters and saw this wine on the by the glass lists. Thursdays wines are $3 off, but on Wed they are half price bottles! It’s always interesting (sometimes maddening) to see the markup on wine at restaurants. From the DrinksOntario web site you can find who is the local rep for a wine that might not be currently in the LCBO. Wines not in the LCBO can generally be purchased from the rep by the case. Case sizes can vary.

Pale in color with a nice grapefruit nose. On the mid palate this wine spot on matches the nose with some nice vibrant pink grapefruit. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice racy acidity, to the point of zest. Theres some beautiful minerality that coats the mouth and lingers … I would give this an 88+. A boisterous example of a sauv blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand. Sadly not in the LCBO but it’s $22.95 a bottle in cases of 12 from B&W wines.

From the B&W Web site:
2017 Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc

Price: $22.95 + refundable bottle deposit and handling fee
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Brand: Nautilus
LCBO Product #: 481001
LCBO:
Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Category: High Volume
Bottles Per Case: 12
Bottle Size: 750ml

Availability
Availability in consignment

Background
A country of great contrasts, New Zealand is blessed with a variety of micro-climates and soil types, as diverse as those of the Rhine and Bordeaux. The growing regions of the North and South Islands enjoy cool growing conditions that encourage grapes to ripen slowly, to produce deliciously, aromatic wines with strength, structure and elegance.

Nautilus Estate relies mainly on grapes from its own vineyards in Marlborough but also selects grapes from other quality vineyard sites. The selection process is very rigorous and only those grapes that will produce wines of exceptional varietal and regional character are chosen. The wines of the Nautilus Estate range are carefully crafted; modern technology and traditional techniques have been deftly combined; French oak is used extensively during fermentation and maturation to complement and enhance the fruit. The resultant wines are stylish and individual. Each is an appreciation of the unique quality of the variety in its South Pacific setting

Tasting Notes
The wine is dry and medium-weight. Less assertive on the nose than some, this wine builds through the palate with great fruit complexity and concentration, culminating in a delicious, lingering finish.

Pale in color with a minerally nose. On the mid palate this wine is dominated by some firm minerality and vibrant acidity. There’s a hint of smokiness to the wine, and some notes I had trouble placing. On the medium length finish the acidity lingers nicely in the mouth. Be careful what you pair this with, it’s quite lively. The LCBO say Light & Crisp? Shrug … I would give it an -88. This is a general list wine.

From the LCBO web site Check stock:
Santo Santorini Assyrtiko LCBO#: 459032 $23.30
Pale lemon colour; the bouquet is filled with aromas of ripe pear, apple, lemon and floral notes; this light-bodied refreshing white is dry with racy acidity and shows more flavours of citrus, melon and mineral on the palate with a hint of smoke from the volcanic soils the grapes are grown on.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Caramelized Vichyssoise with Gremolata Toasts Caramelized Vichyssoise with Gremolata Toasts Boned Stuffed Turkey Boned Stuffed Turkey Anise-Scented Sausages with Caramelized Pear & Onion Anise-Scented Sausages with Caramelized Pear & Onion
PRODUCT DETAILS
Bottle Size: 750 mL bottle
Alcohol/Vol: 13.5%
Made In: Santorini, Greece
By: Evangelos Tsantalis S.A.
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor:XD – Extra Dry
Style:Light & Crisp
Varietal: Assyrtiko

I love Cab Franc, and Niagara make some awesome ones … Recently I encountered the Alta Vista Cab Franc which was a new one for me, an Argentinian Cab Franc single varietal. So I grabbed this one … Dark in color with a mild cherry nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some fruit forward cherry notes. On the medium length finish the wine displays some soft tannins and acidity. I would give it an -88, not the greatest cab franc and Niagara does better. If you prefer a softer gentler cab franc, this might be just the wine for you … if your like me and you enjoy the hearty, bolder ones … skip this one. If I had more honestly I’d return it. Not awful but not great either.

from the LCBO web site (Check stock)
Catena Appellation San Carlos Cabernet Franc 2016 — VINTAGES#: 450106
STYLE – Medium-bodied & Fruity
The Appellation range keeps growing, and the new name this time is the 2016 Appellation San Carlos Cabernet Franc, produced with grapes from the most fashionable red variety at the moment. It is from 20-year-old vines in El Cepillo, one of the cooler places of San Carlos in Valle de Uco. Furthermore, 2016 was a particularly cool year, so the wine is really a ‘cool climate’ example. It matured in French oak barrels for one year before bottling. It has tons of black pepper aromas and flavors, balsamic and with perfect ripeness. 2016 has produced outstanding wines in this Appellation range. Drink Date: 2018-2023. Score – 92. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, June 29, 2018) $17.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:February 2, 2019
Alcohol/Vol 13.5% Made in: Mendoza, Argentina By: Bodegas Esmeralda Sugar Content: 3 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry Style:Medium-bodied & Fruity Varietal:Cabernet Franc

I thought I would take a bit of time and go through the biweekly LCBO vintage release … Every two weeks the LCBO release a catalog of wines that are featured. These wines may or may not come back to the LCBO anytime soon. The catalog is available in three forms, printed (which can be mailed to your home by signing up on the Vintages site), a digital flipboard (that is very poorly done and clumsy, it doesn’t even link to the LCBO site for the products) or a PDF (which also does not link the LCBO site for the products). To say this process is clumsy is an understatement. Hard to imagine in today’s digital age but the printed copy is probably the easiest to use. Get out your pen and circle what interests you. If you choose the PDF I found a tool called Liquidtext to be a great way to cut out and manage excerpts (albeit an expensive tool).

If your lucky, and I am, you have an LCBO that has a tasting bar, complete with an Enomatic wine dispenser. For a small fee you can taste before you buy! They limit you to 4 samples (or mine does), and the tasting bar is only available at certain times of the day. I found no good way on the LCBO web site to get a list of all of the stores with tasting bar. Cornwall in Oakville, Summerhill in Toronto are examples.

So what do you look for in the catalog? Well it takes a bit of time to get efficient at it, but I look for tasting notes, wines I’ve had in the past (so your tasting notes is VERY helpful. I take all my notes digitally using Microsoft One Note on an iPad 9.7 with an Apple Pencil), wine ratings (but beware you need to find a reviewer who’s taste matches yours) and price. One of the criteria I tend to focus on is the residual sugar in the wines, quoted in g/l. I tend to prefer wines that are in the category the LCBO call Extra Dry or XD, which in LCBO terms is less than 6 g/l.

So you’ve found the ones you like how do you know where to find them? The LCBO web site, and the LCBO app can tell you what stores near you have stock of a particular wine. This is HUGELY helpful in that your not searching for a product that isn’t there, but be aware, the stock numbers can be as much as 24 hours out of date, stock levels show before the release is actually out, and stock levels include product that may be on hold for customer orders. So to say this is imperfect is a statement of the obvious. And once you find the store that has what you want, your in for a quest to find it. Or ask your handy product specialist, assuming they know 🙂

The current release can always be found on the Vinatges web site under the category of new arrivals.

Hope you’ve found something of value in this article …

So this Saturday Feb 16th is the next release. I thought I’d highlight a few of the wines that caught my attention, be aware though, I have NOT tasted these.

I love Pinot noirs and this price/description seemed interesting

Alcohol/Vol 13.0%
Made in: Tasmania, Australia By: Brown Brothers
Sugar Content: 4 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry
Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity
Check LCBO stock

I love Sauv blancs and have been exploring the offerings from the Loire region lately. My local product specialist raved about this wine. The product specialist pre taste wines before their release. As you can see, it’s nice and dry …

Alcohol/Vol13.0%
Made in:Loire, France By:Domaine Chavet Et Fils
Sugar Content: 4 g/LSweetness Descriptor:XD – Extra Dry
Style:Aromatic & Flavourful
Description: Made from Sauvignon Blanc and presented in an eco-friendly lightweight bottle, this wine is consistently vivacious and mineral with delicate citrus character. Pour it with green salads or seafood.
Check LCBO stock

Another super dry, Sauv blanc at a price that sounds REALLY good, I figured I’d give it a try.

Alcohol/Vol 11.8%
Made in: South of France, France By: Vinisource
Sugar Content: 2 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Check LCBO stock

I’ve recently been exploring Muscadets and saw this one, nice and dry, super attractive price.

Alcohol/Vol 11.7%
Made in: Loire, France By: Earl B. De Goulaine
Sugar Content: 2 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry
Style: Aromatic & Flavourful
Check LCBO stock

Reasonably priced Bordeaux’s that are good are hard to find, so this description caught my eye at a price I’m willing to pay.

Alcohol/Vol 12.5%
Made in: Bordeaux, France By: Cordier
Sugar Content: 3 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry
Style: Full-bodied & Smooth
Varietal: Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc
Description
This Cru Bourgeois is drinking beautifully now and will continue to delight for another 3+ years
Check LCBO stock