Daily Wine Pick; Ooh la la, this Voluptuous Viognier has oomph! From Napa Valley’s Stags’ Leap Winery

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This 2011 Viognier reminds us how much we love luxurious, full bodied, aromatic and seductive wines, particularly when the nose presents itself with a summer blend of peach and melon and fresh flowers. Swirl and sniff, then delight in a mouth filling delectable flavor suggestive of fresh apricot, more peach, hint of grapefruit backed up with freshness and bright acidity ending with a lingering finish.

Stags’ Leap Winery is one of California’s earliest wine estates, dating back to 1893. It is seven miles north of Napa on the valley’s eastern side and has 90 acres of vineyards planted. Long established as a winery true to its terroir Stags’ Leap is known for its elegant wines and intensity.

For years the winery included a small amount of Viognier in their Petite Syrah and only produced a tiny amount of Viognier for family and friends. We are so glad they decided to share with the rest of us, and have now been releasing this deliciously fresh and fragrant wine for over ten years. Locally available in Ontario $34.95 @thewineladies @Wine_Ambassador www.stagsleapwinery.com

 

CEV Late Harvest Vidal

Cookies for Canada Day… Oh so good! Spiced just right and served up to our delight with Colio Estate Vineyards Late Harvest Vidal, a wine pick of The Wine Ladies

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We hope you all had a fabulous celebration with friends, family, fine food and wine, in honor of our nation’s 145th birthday! We sure did, and totally enjoyed with our dessert sipping on Colio Estate Winery’s Late Harvest Vidal, Ultra Premium VQA.

 
A little sweetness is always welcomed, whether in the glass or on the plate, or both!
 
A perfectly delightful pairing we enjoyed was the CEV Late Harvest Vidal; with an assortment of freshly baked cookies including spiced ginger cookies and mouth watering almond biscuits! The wine gives up a yummy bouquet of apricot and peach, with a touch of honey on the palate. Well chilled and exuberantly received by our flag waving, fellow Canucks enjoying this wine from Lake Erie North Shore. www.coliowinery.com for more info
$9.85 for 375 ml.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon

Calling all thirsty wine aficionados with a spare $168,000 to spend…The iconic Australian Penfolds releases new flagship wine! 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon

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2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon

Move over Grange, make room for a new Penfolds flagship wine… the release of the most expensive bottle of wine, the 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon. Only a dozen available, at $168,000 per bottle. This special wine is made from grapes of a rare, single 10-acre vineyard, planted in the mid 1880’s. The vines, according to Penfolds are thought to be the oldest continuously producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world!  The 2004 Block 42 is only released in the best vintages.

The packaging, the story and the wine itself, extraordinary! The wine encased in a specially designed hand-blown glass “ampoule”, suspended inside a bespoke glass container. All of  which sits inside a wooden cabinet. This wine can only be opened by a trained expert as there is no cork, no screw cap. Not to worry, included in the price, a senior member of Penfolds’ winemaking team will be dispatched to you.  At the location of your choice, anywhere in the world. To open and decant the ampoule in a special ceremony, complete with the sampling of the wine using a specially crafted sterling silver tastevin.

BIN 389 Shiraz 2008

For those with a  limited budget, we can enjoy Penfolds with the recent release here in Ontario of the BIN 389 Shiraz 2008. This wine referred to as the “Poor Man’s Grange” or “Baby Grange”. For many wine lovers, their preferred Penfolds wine, BIN 389. $39.95

Deep garnet-purple in colour, with an aroma offering up notes of mocha, cloves and chocolate over a core of blueberries and cherries, nuances of tobacco and leather. Full bodied, with lively acidity, good structure and tannins.

The Wine Ladies Salmon fishingPenfolds BIN 389 Cabernet Shiraz

The Wine Ladies Pleasure Boat Cruise to include iconic Penfolds BIN 389 Cabernet Shiraz on deck!

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The Wine Ladies Salmon fishing Penfolds BIN 389 Cabernet Shiraz

The Wine Ladies Salmon fishing with Penfolds wine. The  Penfolds BIN 389 Cabernet Shiraz

Penfolds BIN 389 Cabernet Shiraz

1960 marks the first vintage! The Penfolds BIN 389 Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, we’ll enjoy, a superb vintage  for decades!
Rock the night with fab food and great wines including a Penfolds’ wine from the iconic Australian winery, Penfolds Grange. Founded in 1844 and created by the legendary Max Schubert, the creator of Penfolds Grange.
BIN 389 is often referred to as “Poor Man’s Grange” or “Baby Grange”. The “Baby Grange” wine is matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage Grange.
The Wine Ladies Salmon Pleasure Cruise June 24 2012,
Here’s a chance to enjoy one of the legendary Penfolds’ wines, an Australian Grand Vin, the BIN 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2008. BIN 389 is produced from a selection of the best parcels from the best vineyard sites, and for many wine drinkers is their preferred Penfolds wine.

Experience and enjoy, Penfolds’, with our intimate group on the water, eating, enjoying fine wine, laughing and salmon fishing!

$avvy Wine Buy…Maycas del Limari Reserva Especial Syrah 2008, The Wine Ladies Pick

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Chile is still hot when it comes to great value wines and this Syrah from the Limari Valley is one you can bank on! Maycas del Limari Reserva Especial Syrah 2008  owned by the legendary Concha y Toro.

We had the pleasure to interview Chief Winemaker Marcelo Papa on our TV show not too long ago, on which Marcello explained some of the reasons behind the great success Chile is enjoying as a wine producing country, and also how they are able to over some of the best value wines. (Click here to view the show)

 

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A Victorious, Voluptuous Viognier!The Wine Ladies Daily Wine Pick.

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The Wine Ladies Wine Pick: Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

Take a summer shift from the old stand-bys Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc and opt for a Viognier, opulent and rich!  With a perfect aromatic combo… think a garden of flowers and a tropical fruit bowl!

Viognier’s home is France, especially in the Northern Rhone and from the region of #Condrieu, where it produces fabulously fragrant, rich and voluptuous wines. But we found, we too produce fabulously rich and opulent Viogniers particularly from B.C. and the Southern Okanagan Valley… where we’ve got the heat too baby!

Our discovery is the 2010 Sandhill #Viognier, which is part of their “Small Lots Program, producing only 658 cases.  From the #Osprey Ridge Vineyard, located in the Southern Okanagan, ideally suited for this grape to ripen well, it needs the heat, this wine is beautifully aromatic with a nose of perfumey floral and peach notes, luscious with a rich texture, and intense flavours of tropical fruit, it is well balanced with a lingering finish.

Enjoy on its own or with most anything on the grill, from rich lobster, scallops, grilled chicken, pork to savory dishes. @TheWineLadies #Sandhill  $26.75 LCBO

 

Barolo has been called the “king of wines,” and the “wine of kings.” Ceretto’s 2008 Barolo “Zonchera, Today’s Wine Pick.

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The Wine Ladies www.thewineladies.com Daily Wine Pick: Thursday, June 13th, 2012

Ahh…. Barolo has been called the “king of wines,” and the “wine of kings.” It is regarded as one of the world’s best wines and is made from only the very best Nebbiolo grapes, grown in Italy’s Piedmont. We had the pleasure to sample an array of Barolos at a recent tasting in Yorkville at One Restaurant. One of our highlights was meeting Federico Ceretto, charming and passionate about the family owned Ceretto, that has been making wine for more than 80 years. Located in the Langhe region of Italy the family is most well known for being among the first to produce single-vineyard wines beginning in the 1970’s.  The Ceretto name has become synonymous with estate-grown produced wines and has set a benchmark for quality among both Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Today we celebrate Ceretto’s 2008 Barolo “Zonchera”.

Please see our short interview with Federico Ceretto as we tasted this delectable Barolo.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgLGIEuc0co

Made from 100% Nebbiolo, this wine is considered one of the family’s historic labels as it was first produced by Riccardo Ceretto in 1962, fifty years ago. A classic Barolo, harmonious and velvety, with good balance, acidity, approachable now but with a lifespan of upwards of 15 years. A real treat, fit for a “king”!
Ceretto 2008 Barolo “Zonchera”, classic, harmonious, velvety, delish.

Available in Ontario through Halpern Enterprises  http://www.halpernwine.com

Multiple layered Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Hunter’s Jane Hunter Sauvignon Blanc 2011. Our wine pick for today.

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The Wine Ladies www.thewineladies.com Daily Wine Pick: Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Enjoy the multiple layers of flavour coming through with this Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. Hunter’s Jane Hunter Sauvignon Blanc 2011 delivers big and bold with citrus and ripe tropical fruit flavours, including guava. Concentrated witha lingering finish. Hunter’s is a family owned boutique vineyard with Jane Hunter being the most acclaimed and awarded woman in New Zealand’s wine industry. Established in the 1970’s Hunter’s www.hunters.co.nz is the only Marlborough vineyard to still be owned by its original family, more than 30 years after being founded. The dog on the label by the way, is that of the Hunter clan of Scotland, but visitors often associated the logo with Commodore, gigantic, but affable St Bernard and then Jane’s gregarious Clumber Spaniel, Paddy. Ernie was the founder of Hunter’s and Jane’s husband of 3 years. Ernie passed away at the age of 37 and Jane courageously took the reins straight away. She is an incredibly accomplished woman and super winemaker.
@TheWineLadies @hunterswines
$19.95 in Ontario.

Bravo! This “heartbreak grape”, soothes the soul and caresses the palate! La Crema Pinot Noir 2010 from Sonoma.

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The Wine Ladies Daily Wine Pick: Friday, June 8th, 2012

Bravo! This “heartbreak grape”, soothes the soul and caresses the palate! La Crema Pinot Noir 2010 from Sonoma. Great buy at $29.95 (Ontario) with loads of varietal character, elegant, good acidity, mid-weight with red cherry and cranberry, floral notes and good oak integration. Pinot Noir, often referred to as the heart-break grape is “risky business”, for the winegrower, winemaker and wine drinker, or at least more so with this grape than most others. This thin-skinned berry is very fickle and demands the utmost attention from the vineyard to the cellar. Says one famous California winemaker Tchelistcheff of Pinot Noir “God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir” That’s why Pinot Noirs are usually a little pricier than other reds. We really enjoy this one, on its own or with most dishes including duck, on our plates last night. @TheWineLadies @LaCremaWines

Kaboom! Taste explosion! 2009 Cotes du Rhone Villages Foncalieu La Reserve du Crouzau

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The Wine Ladies Daily Wine Pick- Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Kaboom! Explosion of rich plum, black currant, raspberry and OMG, spice… and hints of chocolate! That is the 2009 Cotes du Rhone Villages Foncalieu La Reserve du Crouzau from the appellation of Saint-Gervais in the southern half of the Rhone Valley in France. A super deal at $14.95 in Ontario market. http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/searchResults.do?ITEM_NAME=Foncalieu+La+Reserve+du+Crouzau&ITEM_NUMBER=&language=EN Full bodied, hint of spice, yummy!

Saint-Gervais has long been a grape growing area with vineyards, over centuries gradually taking over a huge proportion of the landscape around the village.

Saint-Gervais enjoys a Mediterranean climate with long hot summers well suited to the red grapes Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre that do well and produce fab, full bodied rich wines. Enjoy.