Once again, the board offers very little for one to get excited about with their August release. Fortunately there are exceptions and several wines do represent good value and are worth picking up. The best wine I tasted all day was a Canadian Merlot from the ever-shinning 98 vintage. Yes a Canadian wine, and I am not just saying that cause I am biased, it truly was the best. $23.00 will secure you a bottle Colio’s CEV 98 Merlot, a wine from one of Ontario’s little known regions, Lake Erie North Shore, and at this price, it is a bargain. French reds from the south again showed well and several South American whites will be worth chilling down on ice for hot summer evenings.

537522 AUXERROIS 1999 $ 11.95 Niagara Peninsula, Willow Heights, Ontario.
Pale straw colour. Quite viscous. Pretty aromas of peach and a pleasing finish of toffee

510263 CHARDONNAY RESERVE 1998 $ 23.95‘Cuvée du Domaine’ Niagara Peninsula, Cilento Wines, Ontario
Lovely deep rich green/yellow colour. Rich and creamy with bold tropical fruit aromas. Mouth coating flavours of pineapple, crabapple and vanilla. Finishes strong with a kick of spice and nutmeg. Nice wine that shows well now and should hold for a while!

311662 RIESLING 1999 $ 11.95 Niagara Peninsula, Marynissen Estates, Ontario
Pleasing flavours of lemon and apricots. It has good texture and a slightly sweet finish.

359281 CHARDONNAY 1999 $ 29.95 Carneros, Saintsbury
There was a little hint of earthiness and vegetation that lay beneath the complex flavours of apple, canned pineapple and Asian pear. Finishes nicely with a strong streak of citrus acid.

479527 CHARDONNAY 1999 $ 27.90 Alexander Valley Reserve, Sonoma County, Clos du Bois
This offered a better value than its cousin from Saintsbury. It’s rich aromas reminded me a slice of buttery fresh baked apple pie. The fruit is quite exotic and feels solid in the mouth. The colour is deep and illustrates the wines concentration.

932368 CHARDONNAY RESERVA 1999 $ 13.95 Estate Grown, Mendoza, Santa Julia, Argentina
Heaps of lovely toasty chocolate candy aromas. Full of pineapple, peach and mango flavours with a kiss of vanilla on the lengthy finish. Not the most elegant of wines but worth checking stocking up at this price.

396986 CHARDONNAY 1998 $ 13.95 ‘Selection’, Casablanca Valley, Casa Lapostolle, Chile
A lovely creamy cappuccino texture. Lots of ripe apple and cantaloupe flavours with enough citrus acidity to keep it clean. Finish long with a lovely streak of vanilla and balanced fruit. Another bargain priced wine form the Southern Hemisphere

958975 CHARDONNAY 1998 $ 49.90 Barrel Fermented, Central County Prod. & Btld. Mer Soleil
This buttery fruit burdened monster rocked my world from start to Finish. I know this style of wine will not be everyone’s cup of tea as many folks do not care for these intense and forceful, American Chardonnay’s but I just loved it. Several other tasters commented the strength of the wine alone is too much to be drank alone and it food to be consumed with. For me it was the food. Its colour was ripe and golden; all the descriptors in the L.C.B.O’s tasting notes are there. Intense fig, citrus fruits pineapple and melon flavours shine on through. It contains just the right amount of oak with enough acidity to keep it exciting and showcase the fruit. Then sadly one does a price check and then it is decision time……………one bottle of this or four of the South American Q.P.R renditions!

948737 MALVASIA BIANCA 2000 Monterey County, Ca’del Solo, Bonny Doon $17.95
Malvasia Bianca is an alternative name for Piedmont’s grape, Moscato Greco. Randal Graham’s interpretation had lots of sweet grapey aromas good crisp acids and a moderately sweet apple cider finish. Mid palate did display a dull flabby texture that turned me off the wine a bit.

552083 CHARDONNAY 1999 $ 19.95 Yarra Valley, Greg Norman, Australia
Tried this twice and did not like it. Mostly bland and plastic flavours. No jaw dropping wine here!

967729 CHARDONNAY 1998 $ 17.95 Swan Vineyard, Margaret River/Mount Baker, Western Australia, Sandalford Wines
Aromas of fuzzy peach skin, poached pear, melon and tropical fruits. I detected a funny soapy tone in the finish but I was alone on that view. It was dry with well-balanced ripe fruit.

712513 CHENIN BLANC 1999 $ 12.95, McLaren Vale, Richard Hamilton Wines, Australia
Imagine removing a pan of spiced baked apples from an oven and that rich bold cinnamon and fruit aromas pour out and tease your taste buds. This was what I could detect from the nose of this wine along with lots of ripe fruit, clean acids and decent concentration. Worth buying just to have something different to offer once in a while.

288795 CHARDONNAY 1999 $ 14.55 ‘Stoneleigh’ Marlborough, South Island, Corbans Wines, NZ
Fairly zesty and herbaceous with underlying flavours of apple and pear. Respectable body and balance for the price Finished with a light kick of oak and candied lime peel

957670 SAUVIGNON BLANC 2000 $ 14.65 Nelson, South Island, Seifried Estate, NZ
This is a must for S. B fans. It’s laden with salivating tart gooseberry, lemon and faint tropical fruit aromas. Quite aromatic, grassy and had that noticeable spray of cat pee. Very reasonably priced and worth buying.

943241 CHARDONNAY RESERVE 1999 $ 12.55 Wide River, Robertson WO, Robertson Winery, South Africa
I think this may have been a flawed bottle. At least I hope so cause Chardonnay shouldn’t taste like this. Rotting mango fruit and baked pear were the prevalent aromas. Some pleasant flavours of butterscotch and melon but there was an undesirable bitterness in the finish. Too bad!

983502 CHÂTEAU LARMEVAILLE 1999 $ 10.55 Entre-Deux-Mers Y. Large et Fils, Bordeaux
This even blend of Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon offers a decent wine at a decent price. The Sauvignon dominates with pretty aromas of grapefruit and apple. Little touch of bitterness but being well chilled should easily mask that. Surprising length in the finish.

950527 CHABLIS 1999 $ 17.95 Domaine Sainte Claire, Jean-Marc Brocard, France. (Wine of the month)
I found the nose to be shut down and had difficulty expressing an opinion. It had been open several hours before I had the chance to try it. It was a medium bodied wine with pleasant flavours of mineral, Christmas baking spice and apple. Good crisp finish. A simple well structured Chablis.

365023 CHABLIS 1999 $ 22.80 ‘Saint-Martin’ Domaine Laroche, France
Pale straw colour and the nose is fuller and more complex than the wine of the month. Nice flashes of tree fruit, mineral and citrus. Very pleasing finish.

948422 MONTAGNY 1^ER CRU 1999 $ 18.90, Château de la Saule, France
This displayed an elegance that I thought was lacking in both the wines from Chablis. A good solid scent of sweet apples, some flint and cigar box too. Sound body, ripe flavours and cooked apples in the finish. A pleasure to sip at this price

967521 SAINT-AUBIN 1^ER CRU 1999 $ 32.85,‘Le Charmois’, Château Chassagne-Montrachet, France
Also very pleasing with big bold buttery vanilla tones and full fruit extraction. The apricot and peach flavours combine with spice and vanilla in the finish.

715185 VOUVRAY SEC 1999 $ 14.95 Vignobles Brisebarre, Philippe Brisebarre, France
Oh wow, never really tasted a wine quite like. I t was herbaceous, showing thyme and sage leaves combined with a lick of honey. At the first sip it reminded me of pleasant medicinal cough syrup but this has to do with my inexperience of wines of this caliber and also suffering through plenty of colds as a kid. Very pleasant mouth feel, good body and balance. I will pick up a couple just to see what happens!

705004 CHARDONNAY 1999 $ 13.95 Vin de Pays d’Oc, Domaine de la Baume, France
I remember better previous vintages of this wine. It appeared closed and lacked complexity. Good body and nice balance but somewhat one dimensional in flavour.

266064 PICPOUL DE PINET 1999 $ 9.85, ‘Carte Noire’, Coteaux du Languedoc AC
JeanJean, France
This appears to be a bargain at this price considering Picpoul de Pinet is one of the named crus of the Coteaux du Languedoc. It showed a lovely flower focused nose, a tingling and refreshing hit of acid and lots of mineral and gravel stone and tree fruit in the finish.

945121 ROUSSANNE 1999 $ 9.85, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Domaine Marie des Fontaines, France
Made from 100% Roussanne grapes. It was quite full bodied with essence of peach and tree fruit, little low in acid but quite long in the finish.

959585 VIOGNIER 1999 $ 12.50, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Domaine Izard, France
A satisfying deep yellow coloured wine that has toasty hazelnut aromas and strong peach and pear flavours

972927 SAINT-JOSEPH BLANC 1999 $ 19.95, Les Challeys, Delas Frères, France
Smelt like the interior of a pastry shop after a vigorous bout of gingerbread baking. It was quite full bodied with flavours of Italian fennel seed candy, lychee and crabapple. A most interesting wine indeed.

968602 TOCAI FRIULANO 2000 $ 13.25 Collio (XD) 750 ML (Primosic)
Very nice and I had to agree with the Vintages panel on this one. They say aromas suggest oregano, apple and almond. Light body, medium finish.

210351 ‘VIÑA ESMERALDA’ 2000 $ 11.95, Moscatel/Gewürztraminer, Penedès DO, Miguel Torres, Spain
This 85% Moscatel and 15% Gewürztraminer blend demands to be submerged in ice on a hot summer patio. The sweet Muscat is prominent but beneath the heady grape aroma the seductive lychee and lime tones shine on through. There was just enough sweetness to make this a great aperitif wine at a fair price.

510354 CABERNET FRANC 1998 $ 12.95, Cuvée du Domaine, VQA – Niagara Peninsula, Cilento Wines
Light bodied with subtle tones of raspberry and black fruit. Appeared to be slightly sweet on the finish.

500447 MERLOT RESERVE ‘CEV’ 1998 $ 23.00, Lake Erie North Shore, Colio Estate Vineyard
Yikes, from start to finish this wine just rocked. It had power, good concentration and will certainly hold well in the cellar. The nose was a deftly crafted blend of fruit, vegetation and toasty oak. It echoed coffee, chocolate, tobacco leaf and black fruit. The finish was long, quite cloying and lovely. Worth buying to cellar but I enjoyed my glass in its present state.

734715 MERLOT 1999 $ 19.95, Echelon’, California, Prod. & Btld. Chalone Wine Estates
This was pleasing with solid black fruit and a decent dose of spicy oak and chocolate. Might even benefit with a little time.

955435 SYRAH 1998 $ 26.50 Los Carneros, Sonoma County, Cline Cellars
Quite exotic and shows good concentrate of cherries and rich dark fruit and a blast of tannin that grips your cheeks. Other flavours of game and bacon are hiding in the background and just to make it interesting.

972992 ZINFANDEL 1999 $ 18.70 Pokerville’, Amador County, Karly Wines
A little sweet, medicinal and candy like for my tastes. It is a simple sipper that I found uninteresting.

359257 ZINFANDEL 1999 $ 19.95, Vintners Blend, California, Ravenswood Winery
It’s clean, well made, fruit focused and if you love fruit bombs, as I do, this has everything going for it. I just have a problem with paying this much when I could pick this up in California for under eight bucks in a supermarket

981373 ‘GSM’ 1998 $ 29.95, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Rosemount, Australia
‘GSM’ on the label refers to the make up of grapes used in the wine. It stands for Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre. This is one wine I would like to taste again as several tasters applauded it, but I did not share their enthusiasm. I usually am the last person to arrive at the pre-release tasting and weird things can sometimes happen to wine in an open bottle. When I tried it, after four hours of being open, I found it to be extremely dry, dusty and pruney with no evidence of the jamminess others had talked about. There was a streak of dark bitter chocolate that dominated the finish.

940239 SHIRAZ 1998 $ 15.50, Coonawarra, South Australia, Riddoch
Little funky barnyard character here, pleasant little quaffer with lots of Zinfandel character to it. Slightly spicy and mostly red fruit focused.

940122 SHIRAZ 1998 $ 19.95 Swan Vineyard, Margaret River/Mount Baker, Western Australia, Sandalford Wines
My favourite of the few Australian wines I tried. Lots of ripe and balanced plum and black fruit, spearmint and eucalyptus all wound together in long an appealing finish. Good full bodied and well balanced wine for under $20.00

728188 NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1997 $ 48.95, Clos de la Maréchale’, 1er Cru, J.Faiveley
This wine needs some time to see if it will settle down and become focused. It was all over the place and really quite difficult to distinguish as being Pinot Noir. There was some lovely strawberry and dark sour cherry fruit but it was outflanked by a streak of rasping acidity. This is one of Faiveley’s flagship wines and maybe time will allow it to blossom but I for one will not invest the $50.00 to see how it evolves.

950451 SYRAH 1998 $ 9.50, Domaine de Barrès, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Caroline de Beaulieu
This is a good example of QPR at its best. Very pretty with good intensity dark colour and contains a pleasing mix of spice, fruit, gaminess and herbs

961334 CHÂTEAU DES LANES 1998 $ 11.90, Corbières AC, S. Lignères
This dark inky wine exhibited chunky doses of blackberry, plum and currants all bound with dashes of Herbes de Provence, mineral and white pepper. A pleasure to drink especially at this price.

719286 DOMAINE DE L’AMEILLAUD 1999 $ 8.50, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, S.C.E.A. des Domaines Rieu-Herail
The colour is dense, bursting with lovely aromas of plum blueberry and black licorice. Really an unbelievable wine at this price

711119 CHÂTEAU LACAPELLE CABANAC 1998 $ 11.65, Cahors, Alex Denjean
Another interesting wine that showed decent complexity for the price. A mix of potato peelings, ripe tomato, plum all escorted by a healthy dollop of Ribena (English blackcurrant cordial). Although it is lovely right now, a year or so and this could be an even better value than it is right now.

986091 DOLCETTO D’ALBA 1998 $ 16.25, La Serra, Giovanni Manzone
There were a lot of appealing things happening in this glass. Primarily it was full of fruit aromas flavours backed by vegetation. However, there was so much more lurking beneath the veil. I picked up hints of violet candy, cardamom seed, tobacco and fennel. I intend to buy some of this, open it and enjoy as soon as I can. Very interesting to say the least.