Wines to enjoy with the fuller flavours and richer textures of fall.
by Mary Bailey
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2018 La Castelina Squarcialupi Chianti Classico (Tuscany, Italy)
Mostly Sangiovese with 10 per cent Colorino. It delivers classic Chianti, flavours and enjoyment with red fruit notes, especially cherries and some spice. The sprightly acidity gives a lift, medium-bodied, just the wine to drink with cool weather food—spag bol, lasagne, roast turkey and fixin’s at Thanksgiving.
2021 Delas St-Esprit Côtes du Rhône (Rhone Valley, France)
This hardworking everyday red from Rhone specialist Domaine Delas is mostly Syrah with some Grenache. White pepper and red fruit, well knit, good finish, easy-drinking, perfect for Friday night pizza or chili.
Two new amaro in town, from Sicily, made with wild Sicilian herbs.
Nepeta is a natural infusion of wild mint, other aromatic herbs and zest from the Syracuse PGI lemon. It has none of that jarring, over the top mintyness some amaro are known for. Rather, it’s harmonious and refreshing with complex, balanced flavours. Easy to mix in a mojito or to have on the rocks, Majora is delicate and harmonious. Marjoram is a sneaky little herb, similar to oregano, but not as spicy, more floral and delicate, beautiful.
We tasted delicious Chilean and Argentinian wines with Jose Tomas Urrutia, export manager for Lafite/Domaines Baron de Rothschild.
Bodegas Caro is the project between the Catena family and the Rothschild family begun in 1999. The venture grows primarily Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. The wines are really great value. The 2021 Amancaya Malbec has sweet raspberry and strawberry aromas; it’s juicy, fresh and well balanced. An enjoyable drink. Have with casual foods or chill for 10 minutes and have with chips.
Los Vascos is the Chilean property of Lafitte, well established, first planted in 1988 in the cooler Colchagua Valley, cooled by ocean breezes. 2020 Cromas Cabernet, predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with a small proportion of Syrah and Carmenère. Well-balanced, good structure, with elegant tannins and forthright acidity, a lovely wine with grilled steak or lamb chops.
The flagship Le Dix is from an old plot of Cabernet Sauvignon called El Fraile (monk) with some Syrah and Carmenère. Expect intense aromas of cassis and black cherries, some plum, baking spices and graphite. A stunningly delicious wine, fragrant, concentrated, great structure, lovely vital tannins and a long finish. Drink with roast beef or lamb.
Maja Jeramaz was in town this summer to talk about the family winery Grgich Hills.
Jennifer Chaput (Trialto Wine Group) Maja Jeramaz, (Grgich Hills) Ryan Everitt (Trialto)
It is the quintessential Napa story. In a nutshell: Maja’s granduncle Miljenko (Mike) Grgich made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that shook the wine world at the Paris Tasting in 1996. Shortly after, Austin Hills and Mike Grgich formed the partnership that is now Grgich Hills. Mike’s daughter Violet runs the company and Ivo Jerama, Maja’s Dad (and Mike’s nephew) is the winemaker in charge of the vineyards. Ivo is all in on regenerative farming. “We were certified organic in 2006. It took me a while to understand. I was trained as a mechanical engineer,” said Ivo, on the phone from California. “What I have found is that if you build the soil, it feeds the plants. I don’t care for theories or hypothesis, I care about results and every year, I learn and see something I haven’t seen before. Another major principle of farming this way is that you take care of the people too.”
We tasted through the wines with Maja. The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc is beautifully balanced with an appealing jalapeño note. Six months in large oak foudres (the fumé style first popularized by Robert Mondavi), gives the wine gravitas and great texture without a heavy oak impression. On to the flagship Chardonnays. The 2015 is coming into its own, effortless, textured, with lovely hazelnut notes, with a finish that goes on and on. Worth every penny. Have with your best roast chicken or mushroom pasta. The 2020 Chard is elegant, complex, a little spicy and, judging by the 2015, well worth aging. The 2010 Cab; soft and luxurious, well-integrated tannins, with black olive, oak and walnut notes. The 2018 Cab is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot—ripe and juicy with chewy tannins and a spicy finish. The 2018 Zinfandel is from Calistoga; it’s fresh and immediate. Fun to drink, especially with burgers.
Warren Johnston knows cocktails.
His company Above Average Drinks partnered with world-class bartenders like James Grant to make bottled cocktails during the pandemic. His new project is Coriander Liqueur. “We made it with bartenders in mind. We wanted to bring the same attention to ingredients and technique that you see in the top European liqueurs, using Alberta ingredients,” says Warren. Made at Lone Pine Distillery, it’s delicious, with warm and harmonious herbal flavours. Try it in a Negroni or on the rocks with a twist of orange. Find at Biera Market, Color de Vino, Lone Pine and Dorinku, Marlo and Smokey Bear.
Elena Pozzolini, CEO and winemaker for the Bolgheri estate Sette Cieli, held a tasting at RGE RD.
Sette Cieli (seven skies) is 15 hectares of vineyards nestled in over 80 ha of forested hills. Elena is convinced this is the reason they have healthy grapes even during dry years. “The forest is our neighbour, the trees respire, and the fog saves us,” she says. She explains the difference the soil makes in the fundamental character of the wines. “There are two distinct soil types in Bolgheri,” says Elena. “At elevation, the soil is argilite and stone, calcareous soil in clay, very old, 60 million years. The vines thrive at the altitude because “we are on a hill protected by the sea and we have the same exposure as Sassicaia,” says Elena. “The wines are more vertical, more floral. Closer to the sea there is warm soil with more silt and sand.”
2020 Yantra Toscana IGT is 60 per cent Cabernet and 40 per cent Merlot, floral with walnut and subtle green notes, red plum, well-knit with ripe rolling tannins, super approachable for drinking now with grilled flank steak.
2021 Noi 4 Bolgheri (Tuscany, Italy), 70 per cent cab, 15 Merlot, 10 Petit Verdot, 5 per cent Cab Franc is powerful, even a bit of a brute at this age, deliciously taut, needs time and will reward that time.
2017 Sette Cieli Indaco Toscana IGT, a Malbec, Cab Sauv and Merlot blend. Concentrated, balanced, with complex black fruit and a soft finish, Elena says “sign of a hot year, less floral.”
2017 Sette Cieli Scipio Toscana IGT, “People who love Bolgheri love this,” says Elena. Red and black fruit, violets, cool mint and spice, elegant, medium-bodied, 100 per cent Cabernet Franc.
We are big fans of Spain’s Compañia de Vinos de Telmo Rodríguez.
Telmo and Pablo Eguzkiza make characterful wine all over Spain from the native varietals of each region. They recover abandoned vineyards with bush trained vines. They work biodynamically, and they work with local families. The wines, full of character, deserve a place in your cellar. Good value too. We tasted the wines earlier this summer with Ricardo Etchats from the winery.
2021 Mountain Blanco (Sierra de Malaga) Somewhat unusual, dry white made from Muscat d’Alexandria. Taste a wild profusion of stone fruit, and citrus, medium-bodied, long finish.
2017 Lanzaga (Rioja Alavesa) A Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha blend, elegant, everything you expect from classic Rioja. Well balanced with beautiful soft tannins, restrained power.
2017 Gago (Toro) is an homage to the eight families involved in the revitalization of vineyards in Toro. Full-bodied, expressive, big flavours and great concentration.