MLCC sale again!

It’s sale time again at the MLCC, and there are some serious bargains to be had. I stopped by my local LC last night and picked up a selection of red and white wines – all for $8.99 or $9.99 each.

The discerning wine shopper will be pleased to note that the Fetzer’s low-carb “One 9” California Merlot is now on for $9.99. I had a glass of it last night and really enjoyed it. It’s not as jammy, or as sweet as some New World Merlots can be. If anything, it tasted like a decent French Merlot. Hints of smoke on the nose and a long spicy finish in the mouth make this one worth the price. It’s not your typical California Merlot in any way, but it is crisp, dry and delicious. We had it with some mustard-grilled Arctic char last night, and the pairing worked well.

Robin Garr has some tasting notes on this wine and its companion Chardonnay on his (excellent) Wine Lover’s Page. I think he’s right – in reducing the carb counts, the folks at Fetzer have come up with something that tastes very European. I’ll have to make sure to pick up a bottle of the Chardonnay (“One 6”) before it’s all gone.

I also picked up a bottle of Darling Cellars’ “Bush Vine” Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa) for only $8.99. I love South African Sauvignon Blanc and I’ve enjoyed this wine in the past. At $9, it’s a steal. And I got a bottle of the Hardy’s “Nottage Hill” Cabernet-Shiraz for $8.99 too. I’m not crazy about the Nottage Hill range, but there’s nothing wrong with the wines. If you want a cheap-and-cheerful Shiraz, it’s hard to find one at a better price.

My wines were all purchased at the Portage & Burnell MLCC, which is a smaller store. I imagine the bigger stores (Grant Park, Madison Square) might have a better selection of sale wines, but a lot more competition too. Move fast if you want to take advantage of these deals.

The first tasting notes of 2006

Lots of interesting wines have crossed my path lately. On New Year’s Eve, we were lucky enough to have friends with good taste visiting. They brought a beautiful old Burgundy and a Canadian Bordeaux-style blend. I’ll post my notes on the Burgundy later, but here’s what I thought of the Canadian wine they brought.

Osoyoos Larose 2002 (BC VQA)

This wine results from a partnership between Canada’s Vincor and France’s Groupe Taillan. It’s a classic Bordeaux blend, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I don’t have the bottle in front of me, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find some Malbec or Petit Verdot in the blend as well.

Lots of licorice and cherry on the nose, along with a hint of smoke. In the mouth, it softens up a little bit, and shows off layers of cherries, plum, chocolate and tobacco all wrapped in dense tannins. It was a bit tight, and would have benefited from being decanted. This is an amazing (if somewhat old-fashioned) wine and further proof (as if I needed more) that BC can make world-class wines. It went perfectly with the beautiful prime rib our friends brought over on New Year’s Eve.

Osoyoos Larose is not available in Manitoba yet, but the MLCC is considering bringing it in. If they do, expect a price in the range of $40, which I would say is a good value. Buy a case of six and age this one. Try opening one every six months to see how it’s developed.

Vincor is also producing a super-premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in partnership with Burgundy’s Boisset. The wines will be called Le Clos Jordan, although I don’t know when it’s supposed to be released. Frank Gehry designed the winery building, which is located on (big surprise) the Jordan Bench near Lincoln, Ontario.

Little Penguin Pinot Noir: (Australia) $11.99

Following their success with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz, the folks at Little Penguin are trying their luck with Pinot Noir. While the wine isn’t a classic Pinot Noir, it’s still pretty good – especially for the price. There was a hint of Pinot funk on the nose. In the mouth, it was all cherry, all the time. In your mouth, it will show off lots of very light fruit with just a hint of tannins. Like the other Little Penguin wines, this is a great crowd-pleaser. Try chilling it in the summertime. But if you want real Pinot Noir, go for the Cono Sur (Chile), which is available at private stores for $11-$12 instead.

I wonder what LP will do next. They’ve also released a dry rose, so I can only imagine that Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling are their next targets. Either that or they’ll start doing blends, although the market seems saturated with Cabernet-Shiraz blends.

Update:

That will teach me to post without the facts in front of me. We actually had the 2003 Osoyoos Larose. And it’s 75% Merlot, 11% Cab Sauv, 5% Cab Franc, 5% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot.