Roman Aujoulet from the Rhône Valley’s Chateau La Nerthe visited late last year to showcase the wines for the new season. Half of the fun of whites from the Rhône are the singular aromas and full-bodied textures as well as ageability. These wines don’t get enough attention in my opinion and are very good value.
2023 Les Cassagnes de La Nerthe Blanc Côtes du Rhône. This blend of Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne has heady honeysuckle aromas along with white flowers and stone fruit. Beautiful texture, long finish with a spicy aftertaste and can age well too. Drink with pâté, wild salmon, charred cabbage.
2024 Tavel Rosé Prieuré de Montézargues, Tavel rosés have more colour and robustness compared to the Provençal cousins, all the better to work with Easter ham or roast bird. This blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Syrah and Clairette is a perennial favourite—people love its juicy strawberry aromas and flavours. Interesting bit of history—the 84 hectare vineyard was established in 1199.
2021 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, from 48-year-old vines, is the workhorse, almost two thirds of the production of the house. That’s good news for lovers of this wine, it’s readily available. The blend of Grenache Noir, Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsault has power and accessibility—spicy and complex aromas and flavours, with notes of licorice, red and black fruit, firm yet supple tannins. Slightly austere with beautiful density—it’s the total package.
2023 Malivoire Niagara Peninsula Gamay was Mystery Wine at the Canadian Culinary Championships this year. What a great choice—fresh, lively acidity, beautiful berry flavours and so food friendly. Pop into the fridge for 20 minutes before enjoying with hummus, roast turkey or ham, whatever you have on the Easter table. Great price too!
The Winery of Good Hope 2024 Bush Vine Chenin Blanc is hands down one the best value wines available, and now it has a new label. What hasn’t changed is the delicious wine in the bottle—refreshingly crisp, honeyed citrus notes with pear and green mango. Drink with chilled shrimp, roasted olives. We are also big fans of the 2023 Mountainside Shiraz with its warm spice and well-balanced red fruit. Drink with loaded potatoes or grilled pork.
Drumshanbo Gunpower Irish Gin with Italian Fig and Laurel
We love the Gunpowder Gin from Ireland’s The Shed Distillery. The dried Chinese tea among the botanicals gives a subtle, smoky graphite edge to a lovely gin—outstanding in a gin tonic. New is the laurel and fig expression created by PJ Rigney (founder of The Shed) and Italian mixologist Bruno Vanzan. The aromas and flavours are warm and complex, yet not sweet, refreshing with soda and a squeeze of lemon.
Jim Jim was winemaker Hugh Hamilton’s Labrador Kelpie pooch.
The label image on these easy going, well-priced South Australia wines is Jim Jim’s smiling face. The wines reflect his unerring ability to sniff out only the ripe grapes in the vineyard (and eat them). Both 100 per cent McLaren Vale fruit and $25ish at the shop. The 2024 Chardonnay has subtle notes of sage, tarragon and thyme, with stone fruit and guava prominent on the palate, kissed by French oak. Extremely versatile, drink with a chicken sandwich or fish tacos. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is bright with ripe notes of herbs, bramble, red fruit, medium bodied with round and sappy tannins. Drink with mushroom dishes or a burger. Always a sucker for a dog wine.
2024 Roseblood d’Estoublon Cotaux Varois en Provence Rosé
The style of rosé in Provence is pale. Very pale. There is very little skin contact in the making of this elegant wine, mostly Grenache Noir, Syrah and Cinsault with some Sémillon and Rolle in the blend. Fresh with attractive minerality, floral aromas and flavours of ripe peach and tangerine and watermelon. This will be a lovely addition to the Easter table and spring wedding events (and this is the estate where Leon Draisaitl and Celeste Desjardins were married). Drink with great music.
New to the market are the wines of South Africa’s Tokara Estate, tasted over dinner at Boxer with Tokara’s Karl Lambour and importer Joe Gurba (Vino al Vino) along with Boxer’s Josh Meachem and Dominique Moquin. The farm is tucked up under the towering Simonsberg, on the Stellenbosch side of the Banghoek Valley, as well as vineyards south of Stellenbosch in Elgin where they grow Sauvignon Blanc. Why does this matter? It’s the gift of old rock, which brings both power and finesse to the wines. It’s an ideal place to grow amazing grapes.
Standouts from the tasting, especially due to the high quality/moderate price ratio.
Josh Meachem and Dominique Moquin (Boxer) and Karl Lambour (Tokara Estate) at BoxerThe 2024 Premium Sauvignon Blanc, made from 50 per cent Elgin and 50 per cent Stellenbosch fruit, straddles old world and new with its well-balanced gooseberry notes, minerality and beautiful texture. Expect to drink this by the glass at several restaurants this spring and summer.
The 2023 Premium Chardonnay has a beautiful line of acidity, an attractive nervous tension, that runs through the wine from first approach. It has undergone 30 per cent malo and 15 per cent of the juice rests in new barrels. Lively, juicy, so easy to enjoy. Drink with noodles or flatbreads.
The 2023 Reserve Chardonnay is flamboyant in the best possible way—richer, bolder, sourced from a single vineyard and 40 per cent spent time in new French oak. Full-bodied yet refined—think citrus, grilled pineapple, red apple. Fans of Napa Chard will love this wine. The decomposed granite in the soil plays a large part in this wine’s character. Drink with grilled scallops or your best roast chicken.
The 2022 Premium Collection Cab Sauvignon is a treat—joyful acidity, lots of juicy red fruit, just a terrific weekday wine. Drink with casual foods, popcorn. The reds are grown in deep gravelly clay and fermented naturally.
Last but by no means least, the exceptional 2022 Director’s Reserve White spent a year in barrel. The result? A textural, full-bodied delight. Weighty in the mouth, tasting of lemon curd, pink grapefruit and green herbs, with a very long finish. Drink with shellfish pastas.
Eau Claire Distillery’s Ploughman’s Single Malt took Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Eau Claire has been at this single malt business for over a decade now and it shows in this exceptional bottling. The Chinook winds in southern Alberta accelerate maturation, accentuating the robust pairing of the barley-based whisky and the sweetly mellow PX casks. It’s bold, with hints of cigar box, dark roasted coffee and woody notes. On the nose: complex flavours of sticky dates, dark chocolate, warmly spirituous with a long finish.
