El Meson Rioja Blanco, Bodegas El Meson 2009

If you're in search of a unique, refreshing, and outstanding value white wine, this is it!

Produced from the Viura grape, the most widely planted white grape variety in Spain's Rioja region, this wine is similar to a crisp and refreshing cool climate Sauvignon Blanc. The nose offers upfront citrus aromas with more subtle floral and woody notes. On the palate, it's light- to medium-bodied, vibrant, and smooth with a rounded texture and pure fruit flavour. Finishes crisp and dry with lingering grapefruit, lime and mineral notes.

Food Pairings

Perfect with turkey, chicken, tuna, halibut, and soft to semi-firm creamy cheeses such as brie.

Vega Sindoa Tempranillo, Bodegas Nekeas 2008

"Dark ruby. Redcurrant, cherry, dried flowers and a note of pepper on the nose. Suave, supple and sweet, with a core of peppery spices giving energy and cut to the sweet red fruit flavors. No obvious tannins to get in the way of the juicy fruit, which lingers nicely on the velvety finish."

88 points - Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2009

Domaine de l'Olivette Blanc Corbières AOC (Organic), Château De Caraguilhes 2009

Pale golden color with tints of green and shades of silver at the rim of the glass. A brilliant, lively and clear wine. Very expressive on the nose with notes of acacia and white peaches. Further lemon scents and a compelling flintiness emerge after aeration. Good concentration balanced by a clearly defined acidity. Fresh, youthful yet very present with a distinct flavour of white fruits and a savoury minerality on the palate.

Wine of the Week - Jancis Robinson (2008 vintage)

Food Pairings

Serve as an aperitif with prawn cocktails, canapés, cold salmon, fish-stuffed tomatoes, fennel salad, goat cheeses and clams, fish curry, sweet and sour fish, Japanese sushi or...just by itself.

Puligny-Montrachet Villages, Domaine Dublère 2007

"Pethel's 2007 Puligny-Montrachet - which comes from the Suis les Puits sector - smells of Normandy cider, ripe peach, and pungently bitter-sweet iris and buddleia perfume. Subtly silken in feel and exceptionally rich for a village-level wine, its hints of peach kernel and chalk, fresh lime and grapefruit with their zests lend counterpoint, invigoration, and refreshment. This is one of those 2007s that make me think of Riesling. Piquant nuttiness emerges as this lusciously, purely-fruited, brightly citric wine takes on air, and it finishes strikingly fleet of foot. I expect this will continue to give enormous pleasure for half a dozen or more years, although a track record has yet to be established for it at this address."

91 points - David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate issue #186, Dec 2009

Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses, Domaine Dublère 2007

"When opportunity arose for Pethel to acquire a contract on old vines in Les Preuses, he knew he had to make the extra effort - in this one instance - to work outside of his Cote d'Or base. Pethel said, in so far as he took lessons in the art of Chablis, it was from Raveneau, and his 2007 Chablis Preuses testifies not just to his having learned them well, but to the wisdom of his decision to work with these vines. Explosively aromatic in its bouquet of iris, buddleia, apple blossom, white peach, fresh lime and nutmeg, this memorable reflection of a great site boasts a creamy, buoyant palate on which scallop-like sweet, saline savor mingles with essence of peach, lime, and liquid floral perfume. Here is an uncanny alliance of the richness that typified 2006 with the refreshment and transparency that bespeak 2007, so that salt, crushed stone, crustacean shells, herbs, citrus zest, and fruit pits seem to shimmer through a pure pool of liquid perfume in a finish somehow at once caressing and invigorating. I suspect this will remain glorious for more than a decade."

95 points - David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate issue #186, Dec 2009

Lamborghini Trescone IGT, Lamborghini 2006

"The 2006 Trescone shows more freshness and tannic spine than the 2007. Still quite vibrant, this pretty Umbrian wine impresses for the precision and length of its red Sangiovese-dominated fruit. The 2006 Trescone will be at its best at the dinner table. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014."

89 points - Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate issue #189, June 2010

Food Pairings

Recommended with roasted meats and game.

Barbabelle, Marc Kreydenweiss 2006

Widely considered one of the best deals in Ontario, it's biodynamic and organic, extremely versatile, and absolutely delicious. The nose offers fragrant and complex aromas of dried red and dark fruits, earth, some spice, and a hint of vanilla. On the palate, it's smooth and medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins, and a nice balance between power and elegance. Finishes dry with lingering red and dark fruit flavours. Definitely worth ordering a case or two!

Food Pairings

This wine pairs well with shepherds pie or moussaka, goulash, sausages, vegetarian casseroles, wild mushroom dishes, chilli con carne, ratatouille and hard cheeses. A great barbeque wine.

Con Class Rueda, Sitios De Bodega 2008

"Pale yellow. Smoky aromas of tangerine, herbs and minerals. Very dry Rueda wine, offering finely etched citrus and mineral flavors deepened by the smoky quality. Shows good complexity and depth, especially for the price point, and finishes with strong cut and lingering citrus notes."

88 points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2009

Menade Verdejo (Organic), Sitios De Bodega 2009

"Light gold. Highly perfumed aromas of lime, salty minerals, honeysuckle and herbs. Pure, focused and energetic, with spicy citrus and green apple flavors underscored by smoky herbal and floral qualities. Offers excellent clarity and finishing cut, echoing the lime and mineral notes. This would work great with raw oysters."

90 points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 2009 (2008 vintage)

Rated 90 points or more since 2005!