Two Sauternes - Ch. La Tour Blanche 2003 & Ch. Raymond-Lafon 2007

Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes 2003 (WS97, $72.99, SKU 159178) This is a highly rated Sauternes wine, the dessert wine from the Bordeaux region. I like the Sauternes more than the B. C. ice wines because they are not as sweet. However this one is quite a sweet Sauternes with lots of flavour or pineapple and honey. It is like syrup and sticks to your mouth. It goes well with any dessert, especially cakes.

Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes 2007 (WS92, $29.99/ 375 ml., SKU 100164) This is another Sauternes wine available in the LDB stores. This is more balanced with loads of fruits in its taste but not overpowering like the Chateau La Tour Blanche. I actually like this one more even though the rating is lower. As with most Sauternes, the longer one puts in the cellar, the better they get. So there is no hurry to drink it after you buy it. The better Sauternes are getting more and more expensive (up to $99 per 375 ml. bottle), so this is one is a relatively good value wine.

Anciano Tempranillo Gran Reserva 2001

Anciano Tempranillo Gran Reserva 2001 ($15.99, SKU 7893554) This is a surprise find at the back of the 39^th LDB store. This is a Spanish wine that has been aged for 10 years. The bottle is wrapped with a golden net, making it look very exquisite. I tasted it twice, once with take-out Chinese food and once with a Spanish dish. It went well with either type of food. There is quite a bit of mineral in the taste but is easy to drink. There is no WS rating but Robert Parker gave it 90 points. There is lots of stock at the 39^th store.

Vieux Chateau des Templiers 2000

Vieux Chateau des Templiers 2000 ($45, SKU 776351) This is one of the 2000 Bordeaux wines that the LDB put out recently. I tasted it with dinner last week and found it to be an enjoyable wine. It is from Pomerol, the right bank, so it is a Merlot based wine. It has good nose when opened and needs a quick decanting. The body is medium to full with enough sweetness to please the new drinkers. At $45 it is not cheap but this is, after all, a 2000 Bordeaux. I would recommend this with any red meat dish. There is very little stock in Vancouver but it can be ordered from the other stores.