Sauvignon Republic Cellars Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (2004)

I tasted the Sauvignon Republic Cellars Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (2004 vintage) over the weekend, and it was as good as I had hoped. I’ve already tried (and really enjoyed) their Russian River bottling, so I was curious about this one. And it was worth the $26 I paid (it’s available at several of the private wine stores).

On a side note for a minute, the folks at Sauvignon Republic Cellars are dedicating all of their time and energy to producing Sauvignon Blanc. Given their name, that’s no surprise. They have three wines out right now (NZ, California and one from Stellenbosch in South Africa) and are coming out with a European bottling next spring (likely from the Loire Valley).

The Marlborough was a beautiful golden-green colour, and had nothing but minerals on the nose (more than I had expected from a Marlborough wine). In the mouth, it showed off some very well-balanced citrus and herbal flavours with lots of tangy acidity and a long, almost sweet fruit finish. It didn’t taste as overwhelming as some NZ Sauvignon Blancs that I’ve tried, and that long finish made it a perfect match for food (try oysters or anything with goat cheese for a nice pairing).

I liked the Russian River Sauvignon Blanc a bit more than this one, but I do prefer the California style. But I’m really looking forward to trying the Stellenbosch when (if) it gets to Winnipeg. Keep your eyes on the private wine stores for these wines.

On a side note, I’ll be in Calgary next weekend, and would like to hit at least one or two decent wine stores while I’m there. I haven’t been in Calgary for about three years, so I’d love some advice on interesting new wine stores in or near downtown.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #22 - “Lite” Reds

For the twenty-second edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday (hosted by the fine folks at Winecast), the focus is on “lite” alcohol reds. Specifically, red wines with 12.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) or less. Given our less-than-perfect climate, Canada (especially Ontario) is home to a lot of good light reds. I chose to go with an Ontario wine - the Konzelmann Estate Pinot Noir (VQA - 2004 vintage).

Konzelmann is a boutique winery in Ontario which is best known for their Germanic-style wines. Not surprising, given that the owner comes from a winemaking family from Stuttgart. They do a very nice range of Rieslings, an neat Zwiegelt and some nice icewines, including (in good years only) a Riesling-Traminer icewine and a Cabernet Sauvignon icewine. Interestingly enough, they also label wines with both the German and English names. So as you can see by the label, my bottle proudly flew the Spatburgunder flag high.

Enough rambling. Let’s talk about the Konzelmann Estate Pinot Noir. This wine is only 12% alcohol, so fits in perfectly with the theme of this month’s tasting. It’s in the general listing at the MLCC, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. And it’s well-priced, you can pick up a bottle for $12.30 (CDN) plus tax.

In the glass, it showed a darker colour than I expected, with a strong sour cherry nose and plenty of Pinot Noir funkiness. And beets. For the first time ever, I actually smelled beets in the glass!

Moving past the beets with some difficulty, I found (not surprisingly) sour cherries in the mouth. They were joined by strawberries, more of that gloriously nasty Pinot funk and some very well-balanced tannins with a long finish. This is a tasty, well-priced Pinot that shows what Niagara can do. It’s not the most accessible Pinot Noir (try the Saint Clair from an earlier post), but with some age and the right food pairing, it would be excellent. And longtime readers will know that I do love those nasty funky Pinots.

I’d recommend leaving this one to settle for a few years. I think this is a wine that will improve with some age. If you’d like to drink it now, pair it with food - try some lean wild salmon, duck or even a big plate of sushi. And if you’re going to serve it in the heat of the summer, chill it for ten or fifteen minutes to make sure the Pinot funk shines.

Lindeman’s Bin 35 Rosé

A dependable dry rosé for the summertime is a very good thing. I enjoy white wine, but sometime I just crave the richness of flavour found in red wines. And the blistering heat and humidity of summer are not a friendly match with bigger red wines.

That’s where rosés come into the picture. The drier they are, the more they will satisfy your red wine cravings, without being too overwhelming (try a big Cabernet outdoors in mid-July and you’ll see what I mean). Judging by my experience yesterday, I think the Lindeman’s Bin 35 will be a frequent visitor to my fridge this summer.

I’ve passed this one up a few times in the past, but after spending most of the weekend on yard work, I was craving a cold glass of wine. The rest of the wines in the Lindeman’s ‘Bin’ series are usually good, so I decided to give the Bin 35 a try. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but it was a pretty good move on my part.

Made from Grenache and Shiraz, this wine packs a lot of flavour into the glass. It’s a bit darker than most rosés I’ve come across lately, and the nose has a lot of sweet fruit (cherry for the most part). But it’s soft and dry in the mouth, with more fruit (cherries again and some raspberries) and a little hint of spice. I had this by itself, but it would be a great match with BBQ chicken, grilled salmon or even home-made burgers.

As a bonus, it’s on sale at the MLCC for $9.99 right now. Stock up for the summer, it’s worth it.

One Word Wines

Following the decline in wines named after animals, it seems like the new trend is wines with one word in the title. Short, catchy and easy to remember, they don’t yet have the baggage carried by their annoyingly cute competitors. I’m tired of penguins and bears crawling across my sideboard and it’s time for something new. So this post is my tribute to some of the best one-word wines I’ve enjoyed lately.

Zed Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand - $12.40 @ the MLCC)

Being a contrary kind of person, I think I’ll start at the end of the alphabet. Zed (made by Montana Wines) is a new Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. (’Zed’. ‘Zealand’. Very cute). It’s well-priced (especially for a Kiwi wine), well-made, has a neat label, a catchy name and it’s sure to be a success this summer.

And it’s really good too, even if it ain’t no Fish Hoek. Loads of lemons, herbs and melon on the nose and in the mouth, with softer fruit than you typically find in a Kiwi Sauv. It’s got the zippy acidity so common to this part of the world, but it’s not overwhelming, and is a great introduction to New Zealand at a good price.

Bloom Riesling (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer - $13.99 @ DeLuca’s)

Like many other people in the wine world, I’m a sucker for a good Riesling. Especially at this time of the year. Spring just seems tailor-made for crisp, light white wines.

Bloom has a beautifully floral nose (almost like lilacs) with some mineral overtones. Having recently moved eleven yards of gravel around my backyard, I’d say that it has a hint of gravel to it. But since I didn’t wear a dust mask, everything has a hint of gravel these days.

In the mouth, it’s a classic German Riesling. Loads of peaches, more flowers, some sweetness and lots of acidity to balance it off. It’s as close to perfection as you’ll find from Germany for under $15. We served it up with a selection of fine Indian dishes from Ivory and it went well with everything - and was even better the next day.

And I love the marketing. My biggest problem with German wines is the labels. I’ve learned to figure them out, but I’ve seen people walk away from some beautiful German wines just because they can’t decipher the labels. Dr. Loosen (maker of the fabulous ‘Dr. L’ Riesling) gets it, and so do the folks at Bloom. Marketing is key when there are such a wide selection of good Rieslings to choose from.

So kudos to the folks at DeLuca’s. I’m glad they took a chance and brought this one in. There’s also a Muller-Thurgau from the same folks with a similarly-catchy one word name, which (strangely enough) runs for $15. I haven’t tried it yet, but I can’t imagine it being better than the Bloom.

Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon (California - $18 @ Kenaston Wine Market)

One of the few downsides to living in Canada (aside from the weather) is that American wines are really expensive. I travel to the States pretty regularly, and it’s hard going to Minneapolis and finding wines for $7 or $8 (US) that you can’t find for under $20 at home. Having said that, the Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon is a great value for $18 (Canadian).

Avalon Winery focuses on making fine Cabernets. They have a California bottling and a Napa Valley bottling. Both are fantastic, but only one is a ‘one-word wine’. I’ll cover the Napa Valley bottling another day. I think they are also connected in some way to the folks who make Rock Rabbit (Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc) and Mark West (Pinot and Chardonnay).

Suffice to say that the name may be short but the wine is not. Lots of beautiful berry, plum and chocolate flavours shine through here, and are wrapped around a core of soft and tasty tannins. You’ll even pick a little hint of the dustiness that I’ve found in great Napa wines (although this is mostly sourced from Central and North Coast fruit).

For $18, it’s a great California wine. And the companion Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an even better value for $25.