Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2009

Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2009 (WS93, $79.99 SKU 569814) This wine has been available for some time at the LDB stores and I actually bought a bottle. I was just waiting for an opportunity to taste it. The moment came when I hosted a barbeque and it was tasted with the Vina Santa Rita Triple C 2008. I decanted this for ninety minutes and served it with some barbeque beef and pork ribs. The nose was robust and sweet. The body was full, the taste was full of dark berries and the finish was long, a typical well made California cabernet sauvignon. The alcohol content was 15.7% and it was a strong wine. Since the beef ribs had some fat attached, it cut right through the fat to accent the meat. I tasted the remainder the next evening and the fruit and body were still very much present. Wine Spectator suggested drinking it between 2014 and 2026, so there is a lot of life left. Buy it for your cellar and open it in five to ten years' time. There are over 100 bottles in the LDB stores.

Vina Santa Rita Maipo Valley Triple C 2008

Vina Santa Rita Maipo Valley Triple C 2008 (WS93, $38.99, SKU 98442) I found this wine as I was browsing the LDB website and noticed there were 12 bottles in the whole province. As it was Wine Spectator's No. 47 of the Top 100 wines of 2013, I found it irresistible at this price. The trouble was none of the bottles were in Vancouver. I went to the 39th and Cambie store and ordered all seven bottles from the Kamloops store. It arrived in two days. It was called "Triple C" because it was a blend of three red grapes: cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and carmenere.  I opened one for a barbeque where beef and pork ribs were featured. After ninety minutes of decanting, it still had a very fragrant nose and tasted very fresh. The taste was floral and somewhat herbal with a solid core of berries. The finish was balanced from beginning to end. With the ribs, it was a perfect match. It was definitely worthy of the Wine Spectator score and an excellent value Chilean red wine. Unfortunately there are only three bottles left in the LDB system and the rest are in my cellar.

Chateau Bernadotte Haut-Medoc 2005

Chateau Bernadotte Haut-Medoc 2005 (WS87, $39.99 SKU 876011) I saw one bottle this at the 39th & Cambie LDB store and decided to try it because it is from a great vintage and it should be about time to open it. Wine Spectator suggested opening it after 2008. I decanted it for two hours before drinking it with some lamb, pork and chicken from the Greek festival. The nose was pleasant and the taste was easy-drinking Bordeaux. There was little tannin but the mineral taste went well with the meat. There was a hint of fruit but definitely not too jammy. I thought a left bank Bordeaux from a great vintage at this price was a good deal. Last I checked, there were 10 bottles at the 39th and Cambie store and 47 bottles at the Alberni store.

Jolie-Pitt & Perrin Cotes du Provence Rose Miraval 2013

Jolie-Pitt & Perrin Cotes du Provence Rose Miraval 2013 (WS89, $28.99, SKU 488049)

A tasting panel member invited me to a barbeque and served this as the starter. The drawing point was that this was a combined effort of the famous Jolie and Pitt couple with the Perrin winery. It was a very refreshing wine for the salad and the salmon. However it does have some body and some fruits. I was not usually a fan of the Rose wines since they are usually too light. This one had 13% alcohol but did not taste too heavy. So this would be a great summer barbeque starter wine. There is something strange about this wine as the name and the SKU does not appear on the LDB website. However I saw boxes of this wine at the 39th and Cambie store.