The Imbiber's Report

Our Bi-Weekly Newsletter with Product Reviews and Much More!

JANUARY 9, 2010

THE NEW YEAR EDITION

We hope that all of our Imbiber’s Report subscribers had a memorable New Year’s Eve.  We’ve heard tell of some fantastic meals that were put on to honour the new decade.  Our friend Cindy at The Wine Establishment corralled some wild lobsters from her kitchen floor into the steamer, neighbours roasted a whole suckling pig, Dungeness crabs were boiled and saddles of salmon were grilled, planked and enjoyed.  We were fortunate enough to spend some time with great friends in New York for New Year’s Eve, where we feasted on Ancient White Park beef from Leaping Water Farm in Virginia.  I think without the hype of Y2K, more people enjoyed the start to this decade than the last.  We wish you all a health and prosperous 2010!

Great wine, great value is the theme of the January 9th Vintages release and we are very happy to have a few entries in the fray.  Our long-time favourite amazing value red wine, The Stump Jump GSM Red graces the cover of this month’s release and it is joined in the release by a new addition to the range, the Lightly Wooded Chardonnay.  We have a scrumptious Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from Casa Silva and an amazing Muscadet from a small estate on the western frontier of the Loire Valley.

Winter has finally arrived, so get outside and enjoy it!  Try a new outdoor activity this year: ski, skate, snowshoe, toboggan or ice fish.  You’ll be surprised at how much fun you can have outside if you keep busy.  It’s what makes us Canadian.

VINTAGES RELEASE JANUARY 9, 2010

d’Arenberg
The Stump Jump
Lightly Wooded Chardonnay 2008
McLaren Vale, Australia
#147520  $14.95

No, you are note seeing things.  Lightly Wooded Chardonnay is Winemaker Chester Osborn’s take on an evolving style of Chardonnay particular to south-Australia.  Unoaked or Unwooded Chardonnays are produced in a variety of styles.  Some use extended lees contact to give the wine a creamy, toasty feel to them (some even smell and taste as though they have wood in them), and most have a touch of sweetness balanced with tropical acidity (making it a great food with spicy pan-Asian dishes).  d’Arenberg’s version includes a little nip of oak, not enough to make the wine woody, but enough to add an interesting layer of spice.   It would be an interesting exercise to line this wine up in a blind tasting with a number of ‘naked’ Chardonnays and see if you could pick out the Lightly Wooded one.

Winemaker Chester Osborn has jokingly said that the design of this label was inspired by an optometrist’s eye chart and is a make-shift sobriety test. If you hold the bottle at extended arm’s length and can still read the bottom line, you can have another glass. Repeat as necessary. (This statement is not to be construed as a test of blood alcohol for the purpose of driving a vehicle, working machinery or wrestling Polar Bears and/or Crocodiles). Note: self-administered sobriety tests are generally not considered to be accurate.

Chardonnay had a great year in 2008, especially in the cooler growing regions of McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.  Healthy rains in winter and spring set up the vines perfectly and allowed for stress-free conditions from veraison to harvesting.  Cool temperatures in February meant that intensity of flavour ripeness was achieved at low level of pH and high levels of natural acidity.

Melons, yellow peach, pear and stone fruits on the nose give away the style of this fresh easy drinking Chardonnay.  The palate picks up from the nose with refreshing tropical fruits and more yellow peach and pears. The mid palate is beautifully creamy with good weight, and the small amount of barrel fermentation adds a touch of integrated spice.

The screwcap closure makes it easy-peasy to open and pour for yourself and friends.   SJLWC (figure it out) may very well end up being your new house pour.  Try it out on your friends with Asian take-out, spicy wings and a Leafs game or a bowl of corn chips, a few dips and re-runs of Restaurant Makeover.

d’Arenberg
The Stump Jump
Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2008
McLaren Vale, Australia
#606236  $14.95

90 Points – Wine Spectator
Best Values
(Sneak Preview Buying Guide for February)
“Light in texture and fragrant with floral, berry and beet aromas, playing the fresh flavours against refined tannins, lingering effortlessly.  Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre.  Drink now through 2013”.

d’Arenberg’s Winemaking Notes:  “It was also a tale of two vintages with a mixture of cool conditions and an extended period of heat.

Good winter rains set the vines up well with healthy canopies. A normal spring and a very cool January and February meant the vines were able to ripen without stress.

A sustained heat wave in early March caused the grapes to finish ripening quickly and resulted in some frantic picking.  The resulting wines are a tasty blend of elegance and generosity”.

Each time we pour this wine we are astounded by its depth and complexity.  There’s a friendly Shiraz feel to this wine that is complemented by earthy Grenache and spicy Mourvedre.  Drink this wine with savoury curries, mid-Eastern spiced meat dishes and chicken in Mole sauce.

Casa Silva
Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Colchagua Valley, Chile
#24216  $13.95

89 Points International Wine Competition

Fans of Sauvignon Blanc will be pleased to find fresh gooseberry, melon and citrus notes on the nose with hints of herb and minerals.  The palate shows gooseberry, citrus, banana and melon flavours with lifted acidity and a long, smooth finish.  This is a medium-bodied and well structured wine with lively acidity and great balance.  It’s also a great value.  

This attractive Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect match for seafood dishes, especially oysters and scallops. It would be superb with an asparagus and chèvre tart or simply on its own.

Château Salmonière
Muscadet Sèvre & Maine
AOC Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes 2008
Loire, France
#142380  $13.95

At the far western reaches of the Loire Valley, the soil changes from limestone to granite and the climate turns Maritime.  The river delta spreads out here and grapes are planted on most of the flat terrain.  The main growing area lies between the rivers Sèvre and Maine and is planted primarily with Muscadet.  This is fish and seafood country. 

The region’s wine trade is dominated by large growers and negoçiants who produce enormous amounts of average quality wine.  While some still adhere to the traditional methods of production, many large-scale companies only concern themselves with meeting the minimum standards of the appellation.  As a result, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine has gained a reputation for producing lackluster, neutral wines of modest quality. 

The light at the end of the tunnel rests with small, traditional producers who treat the Muscadet fruit with respect and are patient with production.

Family owned Château Salmonière produces an average of 55,000 bottles a year from 9 hectares of old-vine vineyards which are planted around the estate on granite soils.  The wine is produced and bottle at the Château, which was a command post of the Knights Templar in the 15th century.

Slow, cool fermentation in tanks is followed by a minimum of 6 months of lees contact (after fermentation dead yeast cells drop to the bottom of the tank where they ‘ripen’ and impart mouthfeel and complexity to the wine), the wine is blended and lightly fined before bottling.  

This is ‘serious’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine with quite a bit of complexity on the nose and palate.  Mineral, lime, spice and floral aromas make for a wonderfully enticing nose.  It is dry and vibrant on the palate with a mélange of unctuous ripe melon, lime and spice up front with a spicy, crisp, long finish.  This rich, well-balanced Muscadet would be perfect with fresh Atlantic oysters and a squeeze of lemon.

I plan to purchase half a dozen bottles for my cellar.  This is a great opportunity to see how a wine can evolve over a relatively short period of time.  Muscadet can develop pear, toast and ginger spice relatively quickly, so open one up every 4-6 months and check in on things.  The screwcap closure will ensure little if any bottle variation.

Willm Reserve
Pinot Gris 2008
Kosher
Alsace, France
#156919  $25.85

Pinot Gris (Grigio) is grown with good success around the world.  In cooler growing regions that have a shorter season the wine is crisp and lighter in body. In regions which are cool but have a long growing season like Oregon and Marlborough, Pinot Gris gains a little weight and texture.  Pinot Gris reaches its apex in the northern French region of Alsace where long, dry growing conditions allow for Pinot Gris to fully ripen and mature.  Here is one of the only places in the world where the grape is encouraged to develop Botrytis cinerea, further concentrating flavour and sugar. 

You’ll find powerful apricot smokiness and floral notes on the nose with hints of cashew and lime.  The palate explodes with rich ripe stone fruit, spice and ginger-citrus notes, all held tightly together with focused acidity.  The wine finishes with intense honey-spice and mouthwatering tangerine acidity.  This is worth picking up just for the tasting experience alone.  Match with rich food like duck paté, game terrine or Alsace bacon and onion tart.

Wonder what makes a wine Kosher?  Here, from the winery, is an explanation of how it’s made.

‘The winemaking of this wine (from harvest to labelling) is entirely made by a Rabbi.  The winemaking of our premium range focuses on the varietal character and the fruit. The grapes are harvested at good maturity and pressed in pneumatic presses. The pressing is fractured and takes 4 hours in total.

The juice is decanted in order to begin the winemaking with a clean and clear must. We inoculate with selected neutral yeasts chosen by the Rabbi to start the alcoholic fermentation. The fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel vats (64° Fahrenheit / 18°Celsius) and takes between 4 to 6 weeks. It is followed by a maturing on the fine lees for another 2 to 3 months. The wines are then racked, cold stabilized and go through a light filter (Kieselguhr). The wine is then finished and stays in tempered tank until the bottling. The wines are generally bottled a few months following the harvest”.

EVENTS

A Warm Welcome to…

We are very pleased to welcome Michael Kingma to the Churchill Cellars team.  Michael is the new south-western Ontario Sales Rep and will be covering a sizable chunk of real estate including the Windsor-London-KW-Guelph corridor.  Michael will be on hand at the London Wine and Food Show next weekend, so drop by and say hello if you are at the show.

London Wine & Food Show
January 15 – 17, 2010
Western Fair Entertainment Centre,
900 King Street, London, Ontario
The London Wine & Food Show has received rave reviews from exhibitors and patrons since its debut in 2006. Anticipation is building as we look forward to another great show.  The ‘new and improved’ Churchill Cellars booth will be located on the main aisle as soon as you enter the building.  Grab a glass and come see us first for a glass of Segura Viudas.  Remember: always start and end with bubbles.

Dates and Times:
Friday, January 15th
4:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday, January 16th
12:00pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday, January 17th
12:00pm – 5:00pm

Tickets:
$10.00 advance
$12.00 @ the door $1.00 Sample Tickets (each)

Parking:
FREE!

For more information please visit www.westernfair.com/shows/winefood.html

Twenty Valley's Winter WineFest
The "Not Just Ice Wine" Festival
January 16 & 17
Jordan Village, ON
Look for Peninsula Ridge Wines at this brand new festival for wine lovers!

For more information CLICK HERE.

ON FOOD AND WINE

Rodney’s Oyster House
469 King Street East,
Toronto, Ontario
416-363-8501

Fresh oysters were delivered and sorted today at Rodney’s and Mike says they are some of the best he’s ever seen.  Call ahead for take-out for large orders or drop by the shop and pick them out yourself.  We’re going with an East coast mix tonight and some Château Salmonière.

LCBO PROMOTIONS

The following promotions are available now to January 31st at the LCBO:

Pisse-Dru Beaujolais (2881)
4 Bonus Air Miles

SAVE $1 off Wente Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon (301507)

SAVE $1 off Peninsula Ridge Merlot VQA (61101)

Download PDF of our most recent General List Price List