Sometimes folks who have wines stored in their cellars or basements come across the odd bottle tucked away that might be past its prime. During my recent move from London to Niagara, I found a magnum of Cave Springs Reserve Chardonnay 1995.  My first thought was this baby is toast, but at a recent dinner I helped put together, I decided to open it during the reception and see if it had survived.

The cork showed no sign of deterioration; the colour had a solid straw background with a touch of yellow starting to show at the rim. The nose showed plenty of slate, mineral wet stone, apple, canned pineapple and vanilla. The oak was perfectly integrated and the fruit on the palate was still solid and continued to open up as it sat in the glass. Although it probably would not hold on much longer, it was good to see the aging potential of well-constructed wines from this region.

This month, Vintages is releasing the debut wines from Clos Jordanne, an enterprise between Canada’s wine giant Vincor and Domaine Boisset of Burgundy. There have been previous endeavors to produce wines in Ontario using technical input and cash from the French, none of which ever amounted to much. Good news; what I tasted was stunning. The bad news, the LCBO in its infinite wisdom, chose to submit only one bottle of the designated wines to the tasting.

Clos Jordanne makes wines from estate grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, hence the Boisset influence, from four different vineyards within the Beamsville Bench. Hopefully I will get to taste the entire assemblage soon.

As for the rest of the release, there is some good stuff to be found. Do read on…

034553 LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS PINOT NOIR 2004 Niagara Peninsula, $60.00
Immediately the aromas of red cherry, beet, raspberry, iron, earth and rose petal leap from the glass. The concentration of fruit on the palate is amazing. It is full, but still quite tight. The finish has amazing length with a buttery texture and smooth red fruit flavours. Find this wine

703017 DOMINUS NAPANOOK 2003 NAPA VALLEY $43.95
This blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot offers a dark garnet coloured wine full of dense fruit, a touch of Dutch liquorish, cigar leaf, sage and thyme. The palate is full of blackberry notes as well as plum and blackcurrant. Don’t be in a rush to open though as there is a healthy whack of tannin that supports the fruit driven finish. Find this wine

684514 FIVE RIVERS PINOT NOIR 2005 CENTRAL COAST CALIFORNIA $19.95
A light and simple Pinot with a nose of perfume and sweet cherry. The palate shows sugary fruit and red fruit acids dominate the finish.  Find this wine

017129 FINCA FLICHMAN PAISAJE DE BARRANCAS 2002 MENDOZA, ARGENTINA $16.95
The nose shows an abundance of aromas including dark sweet fruit, coffee grounds, cured meat, toasted almond, black raspberry ripple and dark chocolate candy bar. Another swirl brings out some earthy poo notes that round out all the ripeness nicely. It is full on the palate, creamy, fruit laden and rich. The finish is spicy with plenty of pepper, vanilla, black fruit and chocolate. It is drinking well, the price is right, it is a bit over the top in certain areas, but I will buy a couple. Find this wine

015487 HEATH WINES SOUTHERN SISTERS RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2003 ADELAIDE HILLS, SOUTH AUSTRALIA $18.95
This Pinot emits aromas of sweet red cherry, cola and vanilla bean. Its flavours are true to character focusing on tart strawberry, sweet cherry and plum. The fruit pales slightly on the finish to show mostly sweet notes and oak. Find this wine

017392 KIM CRAWFORD CABERNET FRANC 2004 HAWKE'S BAY, NORTH ISLAND, N.Z $22.95
Spicy, mint, blueberry, violet and lavender aromas all come together on the nose. The acids tingle on the palate; there are plenty of black fruit and blackcurrant notes that really sweeten on the finish. I find the balance off kilter as the sweet cassis note overpowers everything else. Find this wine

020503 MARGRAIN HOME BLOCK PINOT NOIR 2004 MARTINBOROUGH, NORTH ISLAND, N.Z $38.95
If you are looking for the elegance of true Pinot, leave this one alone. The nose is full of dusty cocoa/chocolate, black fruit, plum and beet. It shows great balance on the palate, as the cherry and black fruit flavours meld with the oak and acidity. The finish is awkward and clumsy, quite tannic and the wine needs time to level out. I actually do like this a lot, but in my opinion, at this stage of its evolution, it is a far cry from Pinot. Find this wine

699330 TORLESSE PINOT NOIR 2004 Canterbury, South Island, N.Z $19.95
Another NZ Pinot, only this one shows notes of cedar, cured meat, cranberry, aniseed and red cherry. The palate blends stewed rhubarb, plum and fine acidity. The finish is light, but expresses the balance very well. Find this wine

017152 CAVE DE TAIN ESPRIT DE GRANIT SAINT JOSEPH 2003 $27.95
Dark and alluring notes of damson, prune, black pepper, date and molasses. The palate shows layers of dark fruit, lead pencil, mineral and sage. The blackberry fruit dominates the palate, but the earthy notes rule the closing stage. Find this wine

685131 CEPPETO CHIANTI CLASSICO, TUSCANY, 2004 $20.95
A nose of dark chocolate, lavender, cassia, coal dust and black fruit. The palate is thick and viscous, showing tight fruit, coffee and spice. The finish too is tight, full of glycerin and plenty of dark fruit flavours.  A hidden gem I would say.  Find this wine

480533 TENUTA SAN GUIDO SASSICAIA, TUSCANY 2003 $159.00
Ouch, this is tough to measure. I get hints of black fruit and cassis along with smoked bacon, sweet spice and mineral. The palate is power packed and solid. It appears to be perfectly balanced; it is fleshy and ripe, but tight and backward at the same time. Oh how I hope to be able to taste this in a decade or so.  Find this wine

028118 BODEGAS FONTANA GRAN FONTAL RESERVA TEMPRANILLO 2001, LA MANCHA, SPAIN $19.95
A terrior focused nose of dried leaves, straw, wet clay and walnut shell. A secondary layer of red fruit, coffee grounds and nutmeg soon takes over. The palate is sweet and silky, well balanced and appealing. There is little, if any, tannin and it is drinking nicely now.  Find this wine

237834 COSME PALACIO Y HERMANOS TINTO 2004, RIOJA $17.95
Another lovely wine from Spain, offering a waft of creamy black berry fruit, dusty mineral and lavender. It's medium bodied, has sweet red fruit and finishes with raspberry and red cherry cola. Find this wine

The release focuses on the wines of Italy’s Veneto region

Valpolicella

026203 ACCORDINI VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE LE BESSOLE 2004 $18.95
The nose is mostly floral with notes of geranium and violet followed by a layer of mushroom and sheep doo doo. Good sour fruit on the tongue, well balanced and a finish of jammy black currant. Find this wine

984997 TEDESCHI CAPITEL DEI NICALO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE 2003 $15.95
Plum, coffee, cocoa, twig and black berry on the nose, the palate is lively, full of good fruit, but slightly astringent. I think it just needs a little time to soften. Find this wine

980870 TEDESCHI CAPITEL MONTE FONTANA RECIOTO DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2004 $49.95 500 ML
A shock at first as the degree of sweetness is quite intense. The nose shows dust, hot chocolate powder, mocha, sweet blueberry coulis and cinnamon. The ripe palate has sweet blueberry fruit, milk chocolate and port like tannins. Very tasty. Find this wine

023523 MONTE ZOVO VALPOLICELLA SUPERIORE RIPASSO 2003 $19.95
Whiffs of sweet plum, tart blackberry and damson, the palate is balanced, it is pleasant, nothing more. Find this wine

650713 SOLIN RIPASSO DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2003, $15.95
Plush smooth fruit, a little hot on the palate, a nose of creamy borscht, good earthy notes and red cherry. Find this wine

Amarone

995910 FARINA AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2003 $38.95
Aromas of sewer, with a touch of tree bark, blueberry and coffee are plentiful. The palate has plenty of grip and a pleasant degree of sweetness. The finish imparts cola, dark fruit and coffee.  Find this wine

356220 TOMMASI AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2003 $49.95
Sweet roasted beet, carrot juice, creamy hazelnut, violet and dark fruit on the nose. It has great structure, a warming palate, great balance and a fruit laden finish accented by dried flowers and sweet chocolate.  Find this wine

995225 CESARI BOSAN AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2000, $74.95
Dark and sweet, notes of nail polish, prune, ginger, cedar, geranium and cooked fruit compote. A full-bodied palate, well balanced, a finish of black cherry and sweet black liquorish.  Find this wine

IGT’s

IGT, meaning typical of the geographical region, has rules that permit greater flexibility with grape varieties, vineyard practices and maturing techniques.

672931 ALLEGRINI PALAZZO DELLA TORRE 2003 $24.95
This blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Sangiovese, shows both fruit and earthy mineral aromas on the nose. There is a sign of New World influence, the toasty oak and creamy blackberry rules the palate. Great balance and it is drinking well.  Find this wine

023192 LA MONTECCHIA GODIMONDO CABERNET FRANC 2005 $17.95
Sweet, plastic, red fruit, a touch of plum and little else.  Find this wine

019463 MICHELE CASTELLANI SERGIO ROSSO 2000 $21.95
The LCBO manual states “An alternative Amarone, made with a reduced drying time of two months, only about half the usual period for Amarone, to retain more fresh fruit”. It works; this is really quite tasty, showing ripe fruit, creamy black fruit toffee and blackcurrant. It is spicy; it bites the tongue and leaves a rich ripe fruit laden finish.  Find this wine

027722 VENEGAZZÙ DELLA CASA 2003 $20.95
Dark and herbaceous, notes of pond water, blackcurrant, and cedar, a palate of sour cherry, currant and tobacco. The finish is tight, but it has promise.  Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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