Hi Everyone!
I’m just getting back from some time in the interior, where
I learned how to almost completely cover myself with a lake, having only my
nostrils poking out like a hippo. The sun and I are friendly acquaintances but
we want different things; I’m not saying that I’m a vampire, but I’m of
Scottish heritage which is pretty much the same thing, minus the snacks.
Tragically, as a result of the 37C temperatures, I drank all the white wines I
brought with me (it’s partially how I was able to come up with the hippo breathing),
and I returned to work determined to not let the same thing happen to
you.
In the interest of public safety, I offer you this eclectic
selection of white wines:
FRANCE
Clos du Moulin aux Moines Pernand-Vergelesses Les Combottes
2015, Burgundy
Such amazing Burgundian
value, I want to live here – I don’t mean in Burgundy, I want to live in
this wine. Sourced entirely from the Combottes Cru just downslope
from Corton’s En Charlemagne Grand Cru, the balances of cream/tension,
fruit/minerals and body/crispness are nearly perfect – what more could one ask
of Chardonnay? Flint and hazelnuts surround the stone fruits and hay notes, a
hint of reduction before unfolding into a plush, crisp mouthfeel and a finish
longer than Porky Pig pronouncing Trockenbeerenauslese. The latent heat of 2015
boosted this usually austere cru into Awesome Zone, I can’t stress enough what
a great buy this is. 18 bottles available, $71.98 +tax
Domaine de Clos Naudin Vouvray Sec 2013, Loire
The wines of Philippe Foreau, the Living Legend of
Vouvray, are finally available in BC. Piercingly honest Chenin Blanc from
ancient vineyards, farmed organically before undergoing a two-month-long
ferment underground in old barrels, showing subtle hues of lemon peel,
pistachio, and Golden Delicious apple atop a heady brew of chalky salinity and
citrus. Everything is gloriously understated except the minerality, and these
wines are timeless both in style (trends come and go but this Vouvray just is)
and longevity (this has the structure to outlast glaciers). Very proud and
excited to be able to finally offer Foreau, this tastes like civilization and
drinks like perspective. 3 6-packs available, $66.98 +tax
Domaine de la Mordorée “La Reine
des Bois” Lirac Blanc 2018, Rhône
Situated across the river from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the
wee village of Lirac makes mostly red wines and hardly any whites, which is
crazy because this is bonkers good stuff – a fruit salad of 35% Grenache Blanc,
25% Clairette, 15% Roussanne, 10% each Marsanne and Viognier and 5% Picpoul –
it’s like a white Côtes-du-Rhône that went to the best schools. Flowers, melon and fresh
peach on the nose with a beach-ball-round body and tempered acidity, finishes
all pear-shaped and toasty, super satisfying on its own or with seafood, this
is Patio Wine for winners. 12 bottles available, $53.98 +tax
LUXEMBOURG (yes.)
Clos des Rochers Pinot Gris Grand 1er Cru Grevenmacher Fels
2015, Moselle
You may not have thought of
Luxembourg as a premium wine producer, but I’ll wager that you haven’t thought
of Luxembourg at all this year until I brought it up. While I’d love to
tell you that these are weirdly esoteric wines crushed from the indigenous
Hoodergooder grape and aged in Elvenwood, the fact is that Luxembourg (which
isn’t nearly as small as you think) is kind of like a cross between its
neighbouring wine regions of Mosel and Alsace, growing white grapes in crisp,
aromatic styles and at great comparative value. The Clasen family has farmed
the Grevenmacher Fels Grand Premier Cru (or GPC - highest designation) since
the 1800s, and this 2015 Pinot Gris is a floral firecracker shooting out peach,
lime and green apple all over the place with mineral notes and a large
footprint. Finishes dry and long, quite lovely, a happy find with hidden power.
12 bottles available, $ 40.98 +tax
PORTUGAL (kind of)
Azores Wine Company Arinto dos Acores 2018, Pico
I strongly urge you to Google “Azores Wine” (or follow the
link at the bottom of this email) and watch your afternoon evaporate into
whimsy and wonder. Technically part of Portugal, the Azores are an archipelago
of windblown islands due west from Lisbon in the middle of the Atlantic, and if
you’re thinking “that sounds like a tough place to grow grapes”, the United
Nations agrees with you – these vineyards on Pico, second largest of the
islands – are a designated UNSECO site, and must be vinified in
the ancient method: the Arinto vines (kind of like Marsanne dancing with
Verdelho) are grown within “currais”, small dry stone wall enclosures made of black
volcanic rock (basalt) that look like wee balconies rising from the ocean to
the volcano. Vines are planted in holes and cracks in the lava flows, and the
walls protect the vines from Atlantic winds and salt spray. Difficult,
frustrating work, but worth it when you get wines like this 2018 Arinto from
the local co-op Azores Wine Company: a citrus fist of minerals, honeysuckle and
tangy green apple with obvious (and understandable) salinity. 92 points
Robert Parker, 10 bottles available, $40.98 +tax
ITALY
Bisci Senex Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva 2010, Marche
As King Alarich led his Visigoths through the Apennines in
the 5th century, his troops stopped, exhausted, in the Marche where
they were greeted with barrels of a magic elixir that restored their strength
and led them on to sack Rome (as Goths do). That elixir was Verdicchio, and the
best versions of this central Italian grape are timeless, classic wines with
amazing concentration and longevity, like this 2010 Senex, a special release
that Bisci only offers in the best years – indeed he hasn’t released another
Senex since this 2010. Aged in concrete on its lees for four years
before doing the rest in bottle, it drinks like a coiled snake with sublime
potency. The Fogliano vineyard from which Senex is sourced is inarguably
Matelica’s best site, and minerals galore escape from the glass, with floral
melon notes and the slight nuttiness that a decade can bring. 10 bottles
available, $57.98 +tax
Elios “Modus Bibendi” 2018, Sicily
Not sure if a “white wine” themed email is the right place
for this decidedly Orange wine (a result of extended skin maceration
with white wine grapes), but there’s really no category that offers a tidy fit
so here we go: prepare to have your world turned sideways with an expressive
brew of indigenous Sicilian white varieties (Grillo, Cataratto) and Muscat of
Alexandria (known locally as Zibibbo). Although the Modus Bibendi qualifies as
a “natural wine” (spontaneous fermentation, minimal intervention, low sulphur,
etc) there’s no reason for us squares to be scared, this is quirky but
not funky, different but not weird, bursting out of the glass with
dried apricot, pineapple, fresh oranges and herbal tea, the aromatics are
intense and friendly, huge dry, fruity mouthfeel with some elevated astringency
on the finish (because of the skin contact). Delicious and fun, definitely a
new experience (Modus Bibendi means “a new way to drink”). Bottoms up! 18
bottles available, $39.98 +tax
AUSTRALIA
Tolpuddle Chardonnay 2018, Tasmania
It’s a bit reductive to call Tasmania the Southern
Chablis, but read the description and tell me if I’m off base: a flinty,
medium-weight with pronounced acidity, green apples and lemon/grapefruit hues,
wonderfully persistent and concentrated, finishes with fresh peach and even
more flint. Sourced from a single vineyard in the Coal River Valley, where
English convicts were sent for the crime of having tried to form an
Agricultural Union, Tolpuddle is operated by Shaw and Smith, the frightfully
good Australian Negocients from the mainland, and has become a benchmark
cool-climate Chard in our world’s bottom half. 98 points James Suckling, 98
points James Halliday, 12 bottles available, $80.98 +tax
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2014, Hunter Valley
The tension and energy are so charged, here, if you
pointed it at the night sky you could summon Batman. Sourced entirely from the
Short Flat vineyard planted in 1923, the Vat 1 lays a credible claim to be Hunter’s
most famous Sem, while it is undoubtedly its most consistent, boasting
decades of cellaring potential and a backbone you could crack an egg on.
Traditional citrus notes with lemon curd and hints of white peach, a reserved
affair on the nose but a Terminator on palate – the “Vat” refers to their
long-ago use of barrels but 4th generation winemaker Chris Tyrrell
uses no oak, here. 95 points James Suckling, 12 bottles available, $64.98
+tax
NEW ZEALAND
Dog Point Section 94 2015, Marlborough
When I met Ivan Sutherland and James Healy, the two country
gentlemen (covered head to toe in tweed, if I recall) who founded Dog Point
after starting Cloudy Bay years before, we tasted through a vertical of Section
94, their flagship Sauvignon Blanc from an individual parcel in their vineyard.
Two things struck me: 1) given the complexities and the barrel usage I’m not
sure I’d flag this as a NZ Sauv Blanc if I were tasting blind, and 2) Holy Cow
this wine is bulletproof, we tasted a decade-long flight and this stuff ages
like a white Bordeaux. And that’s not surprising since Bordeaux was the
inspiration for this reserve-level wine, fermented with indigenous yeasts and
aged in old oak. Gorgeous stone fruits mix with the citrus and slight brioche
notes (from the extended lees contact), far more layers than typical NZ Sauv in
this rich palate, there’s still a lot of minerality that pokes through at the
end. 95 points James Suckling, 9 bottles available, $54.98 +tax
CALIFORNIA
Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay 2018, Napa Valley
I’m embarrassed to say that I kind of put this wine into
the Friend Zone, where I thought of it fondly but didn’t drink it for 4 or 5
years - my mistake. I forgot how exceptionally built this Chardonnay was: far
from being a butter-fest (not that I’m anti-butter by any stretch), this rich,
creamy Chard unfolds decadently in the mouth but tightens up freshly on the
finish with great tension and even a little citrus-rind astringency. Beautiful
yellow apples, pears and hazelnuts on the nose, there is oak here in a
supporting role (10 months aging), everything is done tastefully and in good
measure. Sourced from Gable Ranch near Yountville. 97 points James Suckling,
12 bottles available, $60.99 +tax
Signorello “Hope’s Cuvee” Chardonnay 2018, Napa Valley
Versailles in liquid form… North Van ex-pat Ray Signorello
comes close to isolating the Silk Molecule with this 2018 Hope’s Cuvee, an
exercise in lavish beauty that’s almost risqué: if this wine were a magazine
you’d put it on the top shelf behind other magazines. Rebuilding after the
fires and enlisting Scarecrow winemaker Celia Welch and Araujo/Spottswoode
vineyard manager Steve Matthiasson, Ray’s wines are right back on top where
they should be, if this Chardonnay is any indication. 94 points Robert
Parker, 8 bottles available, $134.98 +tax
Until next time, Happy Drinking!
Oh, here’s the Azores link:
https://www.winesofportugal.com/ca-en/travel-wine/wine-regions/azores/overview/
